Good news and need confirmation please

[Cruisegirl6]

Hello, as you know from my other posts that I put in a bid for move up for my daughter (she is in infinate verandah and I am in AQ) it was accepted yesterday, so now we can dine together.

 

The confirmation and question I asking, and yes, asking again because three weeks ago when I had asked I received different answers from people, so going to ask again, and those who have recently gone on the Beyond as of January this year (assume also the same goes with the Edge and Apex), some questions about Blu.

 

1-  Some evenings I just don't care for the main entree's, can I ask for an entree that is on the normandy menu as we eat all their signature entrees?

 

2- I been told on these boards I am able to get French onion soup and Cesar salad in Blu even though its not on the menu, am I able to get the steak/salmon/chicken that is offered as everyday entrees in the MDR?

 

3- How is Fine Cut Steakhouse, would you recommend going there for an evening?  

 

4- Everybody is raving about Eden, but each evening there is only 9pm and 9:30pm available, this is too late, do you think they reserve a percentage of open tables for people to book when they board the ship?

 

Thank you.

 

[keesar]

15 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Hello, as you know from my other posts that I put in a bid for move up for my daughter (she is in infinate verandah and I am in AQ) it was accepted yesterday, so now we can dine together.

 

The confirmation and question I asking, and yes, asking again because three weeks ago when I had asked I received different answers from people, so going to ask again, and those who have recently gone on the Beyond as of January this year (assume also the same goes with the Edge and Apex), some questions about Blu.

 

1-  Some evenings I just don't care for the main entree's, can I ask for an entree that is on the normandy menu as we eat all their signature entrees?

 

2- I been told on these boards I am able to get French onion soup and Cesar salad in Blu even though its not on the menu, am I able to get the steak/salmon/chicken that is offered as everyday entrees in the MDR?

 

3- How is Fine Cut Steakhouse, would you recommend going there for an evening?  

 

4- Everybody is raving about Eden, but each evening there is only 9pm and 9:30pm available, this is too late, do you think they reserve a percentage of open tables for people to book when they board the ship?

 

Thank you.

 

1.  We were told we could not order from the menu of any of the MDR.  We asked for Normandie and were told "no".  So we went to Normandie and had a great meal.  But get there early as the first time, we arrived at 6:15 and were told to come back in an hour.

2. All of those are available.

3. Fine Cut was very good.  Especially if you enjoy beef dishes.  Great staff.

4. Eden was outstanding.  Check with the hostess when you arrive  or periodically as there are cancellations.  We ate there twice last week.

[wrk2cruise]

4  Go to any specialty dining venue as soon as you board and see what might be available.   They do hold some back for onboard booking.

[mrgabriel]

On Solstice in January you could NOT order the everyday favourites (French Onion soup, etc.) in Blu. And they no longer offered the grilled chicken or other basics as proteins. Instead, there were fish, beef & chicken dishes that were specific to Blu on the left side of the menu. I’m a very picky, allergic, plain eater and there was something there for me everyday and I usually had to make a choice. 

 

i say this to you with kindness - some things may be different from what people post here. Allow yourself to have some surprises & not plan everything in advance. 

[Cruisegirl6]

9 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

On Solstice in January you could NOT order the everyday favourites (French Onion soup, etc.) in Blu. And they no longer offered the grilled chicken or other basics as proteins. Instead, there were fish, beef & chicken dishes that were specific to Blu on the left side of the menu. I’m a very picky, allergic, plain eater and there was something there for me everyday and I usually had to make a choice. 

 

i say this to you with kindness - some things may be different from what people post here. Allow yourself to have some surprises & not plan everything in advance. 

Hello, if its like you mention on the Solstice where you cannot get the everyday items as the MDR offers, the entrees are a ravioli (which is plain pasta in a way), Veal loin which none of us eat veal and then the typical chicken breast (I cannot eat chicken unless its organic, think what gets my stomach ill from chicken is the steroids and hormones), so there be no main entree there in Blu to choose from.  I cannot believe the MDR offer more choices than Blu, yikes.  I am up for surprises that be nice.

[Mark_K]

54 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Hello, if its like you mention on the Solstice where you cannot get the everyday items as the MDR offers, the entrees are a ravioli (which is plain pasta in a way), Veal loin which none of us eat veal and then the typical chicken breast (I cannot eat chicken unless its organic, think what gets my stomach ill from chicken is the steroids and hormones), so there be no main entree there in Blu to choose from.  I cannot believe the MDR offer more choices than Blu, yikes.  I am up for surprises that be nice.

I don’t know where the ship gets its chicken, but no chicken raised or sold in the US has received steroids or hormones.  It’s been banned by the USDA for a long time.

[Cruisegirl6]

17 minutes ago, Mark_K said:

I don’t know where the ship gets its chicken, but no chicken raised or sold in the US has received steroids or hormones.  It’s been banned by the USDA for a long time.

Then I must be allergic to poultry.

[bEwAbG]

If you have special dietary needs, you should plan to talk to the Maitre D' when you get on the ship and see what they can do to accommodate you.  With advance notice they should be able to come up with something for the next day.  The MDR and buffet can be more accommodating than special restaurants that have more limited menus, IMO.  I wouldn't pay extra for access to any dining room if you're just a picky eater or have a lot of dietary restrictions.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

7 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

 

i say this to you with kindness - some things may be different from what people post here.

 

This! And one of the worst things you can say is "I read on Cruise Critic that..." (or insert facebook, reddit, or any other forum), Those are some of the crew's least favorite words and are NOT likely to help you in any way.

[Baynanno1]

2 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Yes, some say we can order off the MDR in Blu and others say no, just trying to get the answer, I have no idea why some say yes and others say no, I have no idea why everybody not giving the same answer, yes or no.

 

Perhaps because the answer varies from ship to ship due to the location of the various dining rooms and the kitchens that supply them.

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by Baynanno1

[zitsky]

3 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Yes, some say we can order off the MDR in Blu and others say no, just trying to get the answer, I have no idea why some say yes and others say no, I have no idea why everybody not giving the same answer, yes or no.

When you ask, are you asking about ship ABC?  Because every thread has answers that are different from person to person and ship to ship.  Despite whatever training the staff get to try to make things the same.

[spammie]

1 minute ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Yes, some say we can order off the MDR in Blu and others say no, just trying to get the answer, I have no idea why some say yes and others say no, I have no idea why everybody not giving the same answer, yes or no.

Just my two cents here. We have cruised with Celebrity on over 20 cruises. Most of our cruises are either in a Suite or Aqua Class. I have never been able to order off of the MDR menu in Blu whether on S Class or E Class ships but I have in Luminae. On our last cruise in Aqua we ate 3 nights in Blu and the rest in Ocean View. 

[spammie]

8 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Yes, some say we can order off the MDR in Blu and others say no, just trying to get the answer, I have no idea why some say yes and others say no, I have no idea why everybody not giving the same answer, yes or no.

When cruising first resumed after the pandemic, they were allowing it. Now that the ships are sailing full they are not.

[cruisestitch]

Also procedures change.  What a passenger may have experienced on their last cruise, say in 2021 might be quite different in 2023.

 

With specific regards to blue and the dining room menus. There are ships where blue and the main dining room share a kitchen or have adjacent kitchens.   
 

Then there are ships were blue and the main dining room are far apart from each other. There are various health laws which prohibit moving food between those kitchens.

 

And you can imagine that if there is a waiter who worked on one of those ships and then moved to a different ship, they may say “no I can’t get you something from the main dining room”.  But maybe on that ship they can.

 

And finally, when the ships were sailing at 50% capacity, it was easier to accommodate different requests. Now that the ships are sailing nearly full, not so easy.

Edited March 4, 2023 by cruisestitch

[Cruisegirl6]

Just now, spammie said:

When cruising first resumed after the pandemic, they were allowing it. Now that the ships are sailing full they are not.

Now that makes all sense!  Thank you!

[zitsky]

In Blu are the everyday options still there?  I recall someone saying they were gone?  I don’t mean the MDR menu.  Just chicken, steak etc.

[Mark_K]

7 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Then I must be allergic to poultry.

That is a known, although rare, condition you might look into it.

[jmfdr]

Re Eden,  Last October we had wonderfully delicious dinner in Eden on the Edge.  However, the dining room was so noisy from the music above in the bar area that we could not even carry on a conversation at our table for four.  I don't think we were the only ones to complain about this.  We would NOT dine there again.  Perhaps, the ships have readjusted the bar music performers to the restaurant dining times.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

1 hour ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Yes, some say we can order off the MDR in Blu and others say no, just trying to get the answer, I have no idea why some say yes and others say no, I have no idea why everybody not giving the same answer, yes or no.

Because there is no easy yes or no answer.  My advice, wait until you board and be prepared to be pleasantly surprised or majorly disappointed.

[DaKahuna]

10 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

1-  Some evenings I just don't care for the main entree's, can I ask for an entree that is on the normandy menu as we eat all their signature entrees?

 

 

 Here is what I recommend.  Check the menu for Blu on the app or the menu board.  If it is not to your  liking, go to the MDR deck for "My Time Dining" and get in line.  If they ask your cabin number and you give it to them and they say anything about Blu being your assigned restaurant, tell them you prefer their menu this evening.  As an alternative, if you look at the Blu dinner menu for each evening on the app and know when you'd rather eat in the MDR, go to the MDR on embarkation day and see if you can make a dinner reservation for the evening(s) you want to eat in the MDR. 

[cruisestitch]

54 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Here is what I recommend.  Check the menu for Blu on the app or the menu board.  If it is not to your  liking, go to the MDR deck for "My Time Dining" and get in line.  If they ask your cabin number and you give it to them and they say anything about Blu being your assigned restaurant, tell them you prefer their menu this evening.  As an alternative, if you look at the Blu dinner menu for each evening on the app and know when you'd rather eat in the MDR, go to the MDR on embarkation day and see if you can make a dinner reservation for the evening(s) you want to eat in the MDR. 

Coordinate any changes with the Blu staff.  They can give you advice as to what time might be available.  Remember that you don’t have a table assigned to you in the main dining room and sometimes they are very crowded and they can’t send somebody into blue to take your place, so you need to be aware of when the main dining room might have a space to fit you in.

[abbydancer2003]

• On the E class and S class, the Blu kitchen is not co-located with the main dining room, although last year on the Eclipse our waiter let us order from there (next cruise the manager of Luminae told me that Blu has a very big kitchen which might be why).  On the M class ships, Blu is directly above Luminae and the kitchen is co-located with the main dining, so it might be easier.

[wrk2cruise]

28 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Coordinate any changes with the Blu staff.  They can give you advice as to what time might be available.  Remember that you don’t have a table assigned to you in the main dining room and sometimes they are very crowded and they can’t send somebody into blue to take your place, so you need to be aware of when the main dining room might have a space to fit you in.

 

This ^^^^      The Blu hostess will call (or preform some computer magic) and make arrangements for you.   I think you will find that you are well taken care of.

[john1970]

We were on Eclipse last month from Sydney. We were in Aqua Class. We could order anything off the MDR menu and mix and match as much as we wanted. They had the MDR menu and Blu menu readily available. My husband is very fussy so this was a godsend. There was also another couple that had a lot of dietary concerns and the staff made sure they were happy every night.

[flviking]

We were on Infinity last month in Blu.  No problem with any MDR items being ordered any evening.