Specialty Restaurant Help on Reflection

[jagoffee]

Another suggestions to give Murano’s a try, especially if you can get a discount on the first night. Part of this suggestion in my opinion that it is best dining experience that Celebrity offers and it is your first cruise in Celebrity.

 

This will also give you plenty of time to try another Speciality restaurant if you are really impressed.

if you do not find that the Murano experiences is many times better than your $35 for two dining experiences at home, I suggest you not try the others.  
 

Going early gives you time to evaluate the MDR and Overview experiences as well.  That way, you can view the question from a different angle. 
 

You  cannot make a “bad” decision.

 

No matter what you decide, you will have plenty to eat.  I also think you will enjoy the non specialty dining experiences.  
 

 

[Carried_Away]

I also don't like to spend a lot of money on dining, largely because I'm a picky eater and the food I like happens to be simple and inexpensive. So I was also very reluctant to do specialty dining at Celebrity's prices.

 

But I used OBC to try Tuscan Grille on my first cruise, and I've looked forward to specialty dining on every cruise since. I find the food in the specialty restaurants to be noticeably better than the food in the MDR and the buffet. The bigger difference for me, though, is the dining experience. I find it so much nicer to be in a small, fairly quiet specialty restaurant than in the huge, loud, bustling MDR. 

 

I would encourage you to keep an open mind and try a specialty restaurant. Go when you can get a discount and/or when you have OBC to burn. Food is such a personal taste, and I think you should choose the restaurant that appeals most to you and your companion in menu and style. But since you asked, these are my thoughts on the restaurants you mentioned:

 

Tuscan Grille: This is my favorite Celebrity specialty restaurant because I like the menu. I think the food is good, and better than the MDR, but not extraordinary. The friend I cruise with, who enjoys food and dining more than I do, doesn't love Tuscan, but she also doesn't object when I want to go twice per cruise or even three times on a long cruise.

 

Lawn Club Grill: My friend and I really enjoyed this restaurant on the Silhouette, and I'm looking forward to a couple of dinners there when we're on the Reflection in a few weeks. I like the menu, and the food was good. I didn't think there was anything special about eating outside on the lawn, especially because there were heavy plastic curtains around the seating area to protect it from the wind.

 

Murano: The consensus on this forum seems to be that Murano is outstanding, even among the other specialty restaurants. I've gone to Murano on the Silhouette and the Equinox because my friend really wanted to eat there, and I don't see why people rave about it so much. I know it's just a matter of personal taste that there is nothing on the menu I am willing to eat, but I haven't had anything close to the great service posters rave about here. On my first visit (on the Silhouette before the pandemic), the restaurant was busy and we had long waits for our inattentive server. The second time (on the Equinox in late 2021), the server was better but still quite busy. On both visits, no one seemed to care that I paid $50 to eat nothing but bread and gelato. I chose to do that so my friend could enjoy a menu that appeals to her, but after reading so much about how excellent the Murano servers are, I was disappointed that they did nothing for me.

 

[thekegler]

pay thousands for a cruise and worry about $35/per head, really? Live a little, splurge, life is short.

 

Edited January 10, 2023 by thekegler

[Pinboy]

5 hours ago, thekegler said:

pay thousands for a cruise and worry about $35/per head, really? Live a little, splurge, life is short.

 

Have you been following the Room Service delivery charge ($9.95 +18% ) thread?

Celebrity apparently added the service charge after many folks had already booked the cruise, which upsets them.

Do you think for one minute it would have changed anyones decision about booking the cruise if they knew about it prior to booking?

If we want room service , I’ll gladly pay the $9.95 +18% whether I knew about it before booking or they “ surprised “ me with it .

 

 

 

 

 

[Bo1953]

On 12/27/2022 at 10:50 PM, W283386 said:

We will be going on our 20th cruise this year.  We have never done any type of specialty dining.  We will be on the Reflection, and I noticed some first night dining discounts.  We live in a resort town and when we go to dinner there are always discounts for locals and it is rare if we ever spend more than $35 for the two of us.  The thought of paying $80 for us to eat a meal when we already have paid to eat in the main dining room, or the buffet, is my stumbling block.

 

My question is, "Will I be able to enjoy the meal if I already have this mental block in my head?  For that kind of money, I would expect one of the best meals of my life. The last two cruises we were in Luminae and Blu. The service and the atmosphere stood out more than the food.  The food was great, but I thought I would have been just as happy with the food from the dining room. 

 

So, with that background in mind, should we choose Muranos, Lawn Club Grille, Tuscany or just skip all of them?

 

What is the reason you would torture yourself in this manner???

 

While many enjoy these venues even without 'discounts', skip them...

 

Or go so you will not wonder if you made the correct decision or not.

 

Net - Net we cannot do justice for you in this decision as you will most likely read here that there are those of us who love these venues and do not mind spending $$$ to eat there, those of us who would not even go near them unless we get a discount (read: deep) and those of us who will not spend the $$$ for this type of dining as we already paid for the MDR, OVC and Mast Grill...

 

You have to decide if you like any of the themes these restaurants present and then decide if it is worth it or not to try.

 

If you have enough, if any, OBC then this might be a worthy spend???

 

Let us know what you ultimately decide...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[Pinboy]

12 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Let us know what you ultimately decide...

LOL--- Is gambling permitted on CC ???

If so, 200/1 they will not try a Specialty restaurant even if there is OBC to be spent.

No disrespect---- It's the "it is rare if we ever spend more than $35 for the two of us" , that clinches it.

(I should have added this on the bottom of post #15).

 

 

 

[AnnaNicole]

On 12/28/2022 at 9:18 AM, 39august said:

There is much more than sushi at Sushi on 5.  Check out the menu and prices when you get on board. We can eat for two for about $40. 

Agree.   The food is great and the service is outstanding.   

[terrydtx]

Has anyone noticed the OP has not returned to this thread after the first post? Looks like we might have a onetime posting Troll!! Not the first time this has happened.

[terrydtx]

16 minutes ago, AnnaNicole said:

Agree.   The food is great and the service is outstanding.   

We love Sushi on 5 for lunch on sea days.

[kearney]

On 12/29/2022 at 9:00 AM, chemmo said:

Lucky you! Getting a three course meal in a decent pub in the UK for £35 is hard to achieve for one person let alone $35 for two!

 

We love the S class speciality restaurants, especially on Silhouette and Reflection. I think you are thinking about this the wrong way around…Each of the restaurants on the ship has something above/different than your usual resort restaurants and indeed Luminae and Blu…

 

Murano…The ambiance of fine dining, not stuffy but definitely classy. It always feels like a special occasion when you dine there. The  table side presentation (So nice to watch the waiter flambé your lobster), the over the top dome delivery, the food taste and presentation…Visiting is a highlight of every cruise for us.

 

Tuscan Grill…Book early evening as you are leaving a port. From the fantastic windows see the ropes come of the ship as you sip your first glass of wine and peruse the menu…Enjoy your starter as the port fades into the distance and your entree as day turns to night. Sip coffee and liqueurs still gazing at the wake of the ship, perhaps spotting a distant ship on the horizon.

 

Lawn Grill…Dining outside at sea. Partially protected from the breeze but still feeling and smelling the sea air. A laid back dining experience, no need to dress up, think of it more as a family BBQ event. Choose a range of skewers and ask to dine family style sharing a range of dishes so you get to try a bit of everything. 
 

LPC…Okay the novelty has worn off for me now but I giggled like a five year old the first time I visited! It is fun dining rather than fine dining but an experience most people don’t get the opportunity to do at home…

 

To us it is the ‘unique experience’ of each of the speciality restaurants that make them worth the up charge not just the food. Good as your food may be in your resort restaurants I doubt if any can match the experiences Reflection’s speciality restaurants offer. 
 

It has always been our motto to not put off until tomorrow something you could enjoy today…Put your hand in your pocket and pay out for some new experiences! If you don’t try you will never know…

Nice summary. We like booking Tuscan grill the first night... and if timing is right... try booking around sunset.. ideally leaving port. And if that is full... try when leaving another port...again around sunset... Really nice experience. But for the full service experience.. Murano with the lobster served tableside...is wonderful..but no view. Lots of nice quiet specialty restaurant choices on S class ships... Alas I think the experience on E class is a bit more like eating at the mall in the food court.. noisy 

[jagoffee]

On 12/30/2022 at 8:21 PM, Carried_Away said:

I also don't like to spend a lot of money on dining, largely because I'm a picky eater and the food I like happens to be simple and inexpensive. So I was also very reluctant to do specialty dining at Celebrity's prices.

 

But I used OBC to try Tuscan Grille on my first cruise, and I've looked forward to specialty dining on every cruise since. I find the food in the specialty restaurants to be noticeably better than the food in the MDR and the buffet. The bigger difference for me, though, is the dining experience. I find it so much nicer to be in a small, fairly quiet specialty restaurant than in the huge, loud, bustling MDR. 

 

I would encourage you to keep an open mind and try a specialty restaurant. Go when you can get a discount and/or when you have OBC to burn. Food is such a personal taste, and I think you should choose the restaurant that appeals most to you and your companion in menu and style. But since you asked, these are my thoughts on the restaurants you mentioned:

 

Tuscan Grille: This is my favorite Celebrity specialty restaurant because I like the menu. I think the food is good, and better than the MDR, but not extraordinary. The friend I cruise with, who enjoys food and dining more than I do, doesn't love Tuscan, but she also doesn't object when I want to go twice per cruise or even three times on a long cruise.

 

Lawn Club Grill: My friend and I really enjoyed this restaurant on the Silhouette, and I'm looking forward to a couple of dinners there when we're on the Reflection in a few weeks. I like the menu, and the food was good. I didn't think there was anything special about eating outside on the lawn, especially because there were heavy plastic curtains around the seating area to protect it from the wind.

 

Murano: The consensus on this forum seems to be that Murano is outstanding, even among the other specialty restaurants. I've gone to Murano on the Silhouette and the Equinox because my friend really wanted to eat there, and I don't see why people rave about it so much. I know it's just a matter of personal taste that there is nothing on the menu I am willing to eat, but I haven't had anything close to the great service posters rave about here. On my first visit (on the Silhouette before the pandemic), the restaurant was busy and we had long waits for our inattentive server. The second time (on the Equinox in late 2021), the server was better but still quite busy. On both visits, no one seemed to care that I paid $50 to eat nothing but bread and gelato. I chose to do that so my friend could enjoy a menu that appeals to her, but after reading so much about how excellent the Murano servers are, I was disappointed that they did nothing for me.

 

My DW feels the same way about Sushi on 5, but we both love Murano’s. (We also enjoy Tuscan).

you are a good example that people’s tastes can be very different at any price point.

[LMaxwell]

I've tried specialty dining on several ships, many times it is a little better or unique, but the only time I was blown away was CP 150 on Oasis-Class ROyal Caribbean.  Mostly it's ok for a change of pace and different view, but I've never felt the food was SO much better to be worth the upcharge.  OP - You may want to see if any specialty is offering a deal for lunch time that way you can try without the full commitment 

[OysterD]

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

 

No disrespect---- It's the "it is rare if we ever spend more than $35 for the two of us" , that clinches it.

 

 

I was wondering if it was a typo! 

 

What can you get for $17.50 eating out these days. No starter, a below average main, no dessert and a glass of water?!

 

Part of me is thinking if you're happy with the type of food you get at an establishment where dinner for 2 is less than $35, don't bother spending money onboard at a specialty restaurant as you probably won't appreciate it. But then I think well maybe actually you should cough up and pay for Murano so you can experience what you've been missing all this time...Real food lol. 

 

And maybe instead of thinking how much it's costing you, think how much you're saving by having a meal like that on board versus what you'd have to spend for the equivalent on land!