How much better is Luminae than Blu?

[Coarsegold_Mom]

We are sailing on the Edge next month and are currently in an Aqua room.  We have never sailed Aqua before and since we are going w/out kids, we decided to give Aqua class a try.  My husband likes the spa and I like the idea of a smaller dedicated restaurant.  We have always traveled in veranda and sunset veranda on Celebrity but have experienced the Haven on NCL about 6 years ago.  Anyways, I'm trying to decide if we should bid on a sky suite.  I know that there is the retreat lounge and pool area....but I'm wondering about the restaurants?  How does Luminae compare to Blu?  We have never eaten in either.

 

Thank You!

[lv2cruisgrl]

We have done both and liked them both.  I suggest you look at the menus for each and decide on that.  If I had to choose one over the other I would pick Luminae.  We do love the sky suites also!

[swjumbo]

We would pick Blu over Luminae!

 

[micruiser2002]

You could see if they offer any bids to upgrade to the Aqua Sky Class suite, then you will have both options for dining.

[zitsky]

You should think about your budget first.  I recently did a move up bid from Aqua to Sky Suite (accessible) for only $2600 on Beyond, which *some* people say is too much.  But it was cheaper than booking a Sky Suite directly.

 

I think both restaurants are fine.  It's all about what you expect.  I do think the service standard was higher in Luminae.  They'd remember what you like.

 

We are in Aqua in December then in another Sky Suite in Jan 2025.  But with the changes to butler service we *might* go down to Aqua.  I say might because I think we would lose our 10% deposit if we change.

[hcat]

For us,  (just comparing  our cruise on BEYOND.) def prefer BLU. This was before the overall cutbacks.

 

Luminae was dark.  Seating in  the mid-section was crowded and loud. Seems only the favored ones were seated up front. Service was slow between courses.  I got locked in the auto door bathroom and nobody cared..too busy!

 

Nothing very much on the regular L menu appealed to us..thank heaven for every day salmon.. The lobster dinner was tiny but very tasty... had it with crab.  The amuse bouche...quirky..did not eat.  Shrimp cocktail was limp and sauce "ketchupy." The bread was doled out by a lone server for the whole room and often not available from the kitchen (??) " the bread is late"

 

We escaped to BLU, bright and light  with nice views on BEYOND..  Bread basket was on the table, nice pre dinner crackers and spreads.  Fresh jumbo shrimp..great sauce.  Amazing personal service and food overall.

 

We are very  happy we tried the suite experience, but are mostly AQ fans..going back there  for Ascent.

 

Suggest you read various opinions and check out menus.  Each ship and cruise varies....If you bid up and win, you  do get  all the suite extras and can go to BLU subject to availability

[jelayne]

We prefer Blu over Luminae.  Service in both is very good but we find the Sommeliers in Blu are more attentive than those in Luminae.  We prefer the menu in Blu to Luminae.

[CruisinBanka]

We prefer Blu over Luminae. Service is great in both but we prefer the Blu menu. Also Luminae in E Class is noisy. 

[zitsky]

14 minutes ago, CruisinBanka said:

We prefer Blu over Luminae. Service is great in both but we prefer the Blu menu. Also Luminae in E Class is noisy. 

 

Sorry.  I didn't find Luminae at all noisy on E class.  All the cheering when the staff saw me walk in was a lot louder than the dinner conversation.  🙂

[asnaleah]

We haven’t been on E class ships, but prefer Luminae on S class. Also, space permitting, suite pax can eat at Blu. 

[mitz18]

Prefer Blu - better food and service in mho.   But both better than MDR!

[hcat]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

 

Sorry.  I didn't find Luminae at all noisy on E class.  All the cheering when the staff saw me walk in was a lot louder than the dinner conversation.  🙂

guess you were one of the favorites.!

 

On BEYOND, Luminae was a long fairly narrow room, very dark wood,  that spread out around the window area at the end. Drapes along the side were drawn

 

The table we had a few times was squeezed into a middle area with large and smaller tables mixed in..Even waiters  had to be careful when serving....other dining sections were empty..  The  quieter area to the left as you walked in which we had twice was better but very dark.

 

 Every sailing is diff and we only had this one experience to  relate. That's why OP should carefully decide if a bid up is warranted

[keesar]

Some cruisers may be  confused.  The views from Blu on the Beyond include looking at a outside deck.  Nothing in comparison to the views on S-class.  Also, there was no fresh  shrimp in Blu.  Maybe freshly thawed.  

 

That being said, we enjoy the service and food preparation in Blu.  Some nights, we end up ordering from the everyday menu or head to a specialty restaurant if there is not anything to our liking that evening.  Luminae is dark and louder in my opinion.  

[miched]

AQ on the Edge has an infinite balcony.  Some love it and some hate it.

 

SS have a regular Veranda 

 

We sail in both AQ and SS.   We like the Persian Gardens on the S class.  Not impressed with it on the Edge class.   Used it 2 times when in AQ out of 4 cruises in AQ.  
 

Our last time in Luminae on the Beyond was hit and miss on the menu.   They had a different breakfast menu than the other ships.   The potato waffle was our favorite breakfast.   As others mentioned you can also dine in Blu if you desire 

 

Larger cabin in a SS.   If you move up you will only keep the perks you have but do get drinks in the Retreat Lounge but on the Retreat deck you get according to you drink pack if you have one.  
 

Only you can decide if it is worth it.   
 

if you want  a suite look at what it would cost compared to a move up bid.   This would allow you to pick your cabin,  get the extra points and also all of the perks that come with it. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[hcat]

11 minutes ago, keesar said:

Some cruisers may be  confused.  The views from Blu on the Beyond include looking at a outside deck.  Nothing in comparison to the views on S-class.  Also, there was no fresh  shrimp in Blu.  Maybe freshly thawed.  

 

That being said, we enjoy the service and food preparation in Blu.  Some nights, we end up ordering from the everyday menu or head to a specialty restaurant if there is not anything to our liking that evening.  Luminae is dark and louder in my opinion.  

Def agree there is an outside seating  deck  as part of the view on the BEYOND BLU,  but you  can see out to the water. Views on BEYOND were not blocked by cleaning items,  barrels , lifeboats etc  as they are on the  EDGE ( which keeps the drapes closed most of the time).

.Very much improved and hoping the same  for ASCENT!  

[Treasure Hunter]

Tried Luminae on Edge and Reflection. Preferred menu in MDR. Go back to The Haven if you want the best suite food. We are on the Silhouette in January in a Celebrity suite and hope it’s an improvement . Service on the Connie in June was the best I’ve had in years. Back in the Haven ( Encore) in February because Celebrity doesn’t sail from NY in winter. Never done Aqua but I hear it’s very nice.

[Mike45LC]

I disliked the Infinite Window (NOT a Veranda) on Edge AquaClass, but my wife loved it.  But I like to sit outside on the balcony and my wife does not, so that explains it.

 

I did not like the dinner menu in Blu -- too many veggies, too much frou-frou.  But our waiter was happy to bring me food from the Main Dining Rooms.  Service in Blu was great, especially breakfast.

[Mrs_Tiki]

Hands down, views from Blu on S-class are the best! That said, we have recently (2021-2023) dined in Luminae on Edge, Apex, and Beyond and Blu on Apex and Beyond. Blu’s view was somewhat improved on Beyond with the removal of lifeboats.

 

Apart from a few favorite items on the Luminae menu (including the fab lobster roll), we prefer the food in Blu and really did not notice an appreciable difference in service. (Some difference in availability of Premium wine selections, but hard to tell because we made friends with the sommeliers and may have received “off menu” selections.) 
 

We love The Retreat experience, so the perfect solution for us was sailing in an Aqua Sky Suite on Beyond in April. But only did it due to a crazy low fare. (Thank you @mac_tlc!) The current per diems for this are too rich for our blood!

[phoenix_dream]

There are pros and cons to each.  Other than the awful view on some E class ships in Blu, that doesn't really factor into my opinions.  Others might feel differently.

 

Overall, I prefer the menu in Blu as Luminae is a little too fancy for my tastes.  On S and M class you can (usually) order off the main dining room menu when either in Blu or Luminae so that helps.  On E class they just about always discourage ordering from any other menu in Luminae. Not sure how they handle Blu as I've never sailed Aqua on E class due to the infinite verandas which are anything but.

 

I am not a fan of the Luminae dining rooms on E class (haven't sailed on the newest where they changed the location).  The rooms are large and IMHO very loud as there are no separations at all - it's like a big cafeteria dining room to me.  On S and M class they are more quiet.  

 

Service is good in both, but I'll give Luminae a slight edge on that.  Also, I think the tables in Blu are a little closer together than those in Luminae for the most part.  

[neverlaysup]

5 hours ago, Coarsegold_Mom said:

We are sailing on the Edge next month and are currently in an Aqua room.  We have never sailed Aqua before and since we are going w/out kids, we decided to give Aqua class a try.  My husband likes the spa and I like the idea of a smaller dedicated restaurant.  We have always traveled in veranda and sunset veranda on Celebrity but have experienced the Haven on NCL about 6 years ago.  Anyways, I'm trying to decide if we should bid on a sky suite.  I know that there is the retreat lounge and pool area....but I'm wondering about the restaurants?  How does Luminae compare to Blu?  We have never eaten in either.

 

Thank You!

If you get a Sky Suite, you will lose the Spa access from your Aqua booking unless you get an Aqua Sky Suite....just so you know in case that amenity was important.

[DaKahuna]

On 9/5/2023 at 2:37 PM, micruiser2002 said:

You could see if they offer any bids to upgrade to the Aqua Sky Class suite, then you will have both options for dining.

 It is my understanding that Aqua Sky Suite guest are to dine in Luminae as their assigned restaurant but can request to dine in Blu, on a space available basis, like any other suite guest. 

[Mark_K]

On 9/5/2023 at 1:47 PM, Coarsegold_Mom said:

We are sailing on the Edge next month and are currently in an Aqua room.  We have never sailed Aqua before and since we are going w/out kids, we decided to give Aqua class a try.  My husband likes the spa and I like the idea of a smaller dedicated restaurant.  We have always traveled in veranda and sunset veranda on Celebrity but have experienced the Haven on NCL about 6 years ago.  Anyways, I'm trying to decide if we should bid on a sky suite.  I know that there is the retreat lounge and pool area....but I'm wondering about the restaurants?  How does Luminae compare to Blu?  We have never eaten in either.

 

Thank You!

I generally prefer the food at Luminae, but the main differentiator for me is getting lunch on sea days, especially on a cruise with a lot of them.

[Cruise a holic]

Have done both.  Luminae so much better.  Service 5 star.  In AQ tables on the Edge in the middle of a hallway- many tables very noisy with people looking in.  The suite lounge on the edge is wonderful, as well as the suite deck.  Not a fan of the AQ perks.  If we cannot do a suite, we book a well located balcony cabin and dine in speciality restaurants with the savings.  The AQ cabins are the same as balcony cabins- with a few of the AQ perks which we don't use at all.

 

[Pantheral]

One consideration not yet discussed is your preferences in ingredients and preparation. I am much more adventurous in dining than my wife; and having worked in restaurants I can generally visualize the dish better than she can. Blu tends to be a bit more unique with ingredients and preparation. Luminae, while still a bit more creative than the MDR, can be a bit more "traditional" with some dishes each day. So, we tend to spend more time dining in Luminae...

[Mrs_Tiki]

16 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 It is my understanding that Aqua Sky Suite guest are to dine in Luminae as their assigned restaurant but can request to dine in Blu, on a space available basis, like any other suite guest. 

Dakahuna, when we sailed in an Aqua Sky Suite, our key card was diagonally split into two sections: half was the Retreat gray and half was the Aqua Class turquoise. I believe that this signified that we were allowed to dine in Blu as if we were in Aqua, not just on a space-available basis. I know that it worked to allow us access to the thermal suite at no charge.