Lunch on Embarkation Day

[thorntor]

We board Equinox in two weeks and after doing the Safety Brief and making specialty dining reservation, we will go for lunch.  I am trying to figure out what "sit down" dining venues will be will be available to Concierge and below guests.  Best I have been able to figure out is that the Ocean View Cafe is the only free full service option.  Am I missing something? 🙄

[doghog]

17 minutes ago, thorntor said:

We board Equinox in two weeks and after doing the Safety Brief and making specialty dining reservation, we will go for lunch.  I am trying to figure out what "sit down" dining venues will be will be available to Concierge and below guests.  Best I have been able to figure out is that the Ocean View Cafe is the only free full service option.  Am I missing something? 🙄

Concierge class gets a lunch in the MDR. Limited menu. All stateroom categories below Concierge class do not have the MDR lunch option. 

 

Mast /pool grill is included in the price of your cruise. 

Edited August 30, 2023 by doghog

[celebrity cruiser]

sushi on 5 is available

[jelayne]

Mast Grill & Oceanview Buffet.  MDR for Concierge class and Luminae for suites.

[Northern Aurora]

Is our OP in a Concierge Class stateroom?  If so then the Concierge Class embarkation lunch is available in a section of the MDR.  It is also available to all B2B passengers and embarking Zenith Captain's Club members.  While not a large menu it is served (not buffet).

 

 

[thorntor]

1 hour ago, Northern Aurora said:

Is our OP in a Concierge Class stateroom?  If so then the Concierge Class embarkation lunch is available in a section of the MDR.  

 

 

Yes, we are Concierge and it is our first X cruise, so we are learning the new system.

[thorntor]

Everyone, thanks for the help.  I was a bit confused by some posts discussing a "welcome lunch" being on different days and didn't want to wander aimlessly. 🙃

 

[wrk2cruise]

The key is to get a boarding time on the earlier side as the Concierge lunch is only served until 1:30.   You select your boarding time when you do online checkin.   Online checkin opens exactly 45 days from embarkation.  It opens at midnight in the time zone where the ship embarks.   Usually if you do checkin in the first 12 hrs you should be able to select a time at 12 or before.

[thorntor]

We checked in the morning checkin opened and we applied for the earliest checkin time available and  they assigned us 12:30.  I called our TA who contacted Celebrity who told him that it is possible to checkin up to an hour early.  Not sure if that is accurate, but we have slid in early on RCCL so we will definitely give it a go.  If questioned, I will tell the gate attendant that if we have to wait, we will miss our special lunch.  That should do it.

[doghog]

3 hours ago, thorntor said:

We checked in the morning checkin opened and we applied for the earliest checkin time available and  they assigned us 12:30.  I called our TA who contacted Celebrity who told him that it is possible to checkin up to an hour early.  Not sure if that is accurate, but we have slid in early on RCCL so we will definitely give it a go.  If questioned, I will tell the gate attendant that if we have to wait, we will miss our special lunch.  That should do it.

Couple of things. The time you selected is your check in time not your boarding time. You can be checked in at the terminal and then told to go sit down until embarkation starts. If boarding is delayed. The terminal agents do not work for Celebrity. I'm sure they've heard that and other reason's to jump the lines, so to speak. The last couple of cruises we've showed up before our check in time and no one questioned us when checking our Xpress passes.  Just saying...

[thorntor]

41 minutes ago, doghog said:

Couple of things. The time you selected is your check in time not your boarding time. You can be checked in at the terminal and then told to go sit down until embarkation starts. If boarding is delayed. The terminal agents do not work for Celebrity. I'm sure they've heard that and other reason's to jump the lines, so to speak. The last couple of cruises we've showed up before our check in time and no one questioned us when checking our Xpress passes.  Just saying...

Absolutely understand.   Thank you.  Forgot about the “take a seat and wait phase.”  Actually, I normally get a salad upon boarding, so the OVC should be fine if delayed.

[cruzadict]

Where is the aqua lunch please

[wineoclock]

8 minutes ago, cruzadict said:

Where is the aqua lunch please

There isn’t one. Which I still find odd. We went to the OVC. It wasn’t too bad but not a great relaxing experience trying to find a seat with my tray balanced in one hand (I use a walking stick). 

[LadyBerard]

Although we have been on 6 cruises since the ending of covid where we were assigned check-in times on Celebrity, NCL, Holland and RCL, I have YET to see anyone checking your check-in time.

[cruisestitch]

But it does happen.  I have seen lines of people waiting outside the terminal in Fort Lauderdale because they arrived too early.

[terrydtx]

16 hours ago, celebrity cruiser said:

sushi on 5 is available

Yes but it is not free.

[LMHSRN]

On 8/31/2023 at 2:03 AM, wineoclock said:

There isn’t one. Which I still find odd. We went to the OVC. It wasn’t too bad but not a great relaxing experience trying to find a seat with my tray balanced in one hand (I use a walking stick). 

Where did you find a tray.  They did away with trays years ago.

[doghog]

1 hour ago, LMHSRN said:

Where did you find a tray.  They did away with trays years ago.

Reminiscing 😉

[wineoclock]

Obviously I had too much 🍷🍷 as I’m still convinced it was a tray or I’m thinking long back! 

[ScottC4746]

On 8/30/2023 at 11:54 AM, doghog said:

Concierge class gets a lunch in the MDR. Limited menu. All stateroom categories below Concierge class do not have the MDR lunch option. 

 

Mast /pool grill is included in the price of your cruise. 

They do in Concierge class.  We did that September 2022 and considering that was the first meal for the first time on X, it was not a very good example of the food to come, thankfully.  Pleased to say main dining room food was much better.  Not sure if we we try it again on the Edge in May next year.

[jelayne]

4 minutes ago, ScottC4746 said:

They do in Concierge class.  We did that September 2022 and considering that was the first meal for the first time on X, it was not a very good example of the food to come, thankfully.  Pleased to say main dining room food was much better.  Not sure if we we try it again on the Edge in May next year.

If you went to the Concierge class embarkation lunch that was the MDR food.

[terrydtx]

12 minutes ago, jelayne said:

If you went to the Concierge class embarkation lunch that was the MDR food.

But it is a onetime limited menu for just that lunch. If we were not in a suite, I would do lunch at Raw or Sushi on 5 even if it cost extra.

[ScottC4746]

27 minutes ago, jelayne said:

If you went to the Concierge class embarkation lunch that was the MDR food.

I know, but what I was getting at was the quality was vastly different from concierge lunch to dinner that evening, thankfully.  I was a bit worried at the lunch.

[doghog]

1 hour ago, ScottC4746 said:

They do in Concierge class.  We did that September 2022 and considering that was the first meal for the first time on X, it was not a very good example of the food to come, thankfully.  Pleased to say main dining room food was much better.  Not sure if we we try it again on the Edge in May next year.

That's what I said, "Concierge class gets a lunch in the MDR. Limited menu. All stateroom categories below Concierge class do not have the MDR lunch option". 

[cruise47]

Can Aqua guests  used the MDR for lunch embarkation ?