First Cruise In Luminae

We are just wrapping up our 7-night Alaska cruise on Infinity. This was our first time in a suite after cruising Aqua Class on all our other voyages. For those who haven't read my other thread about this cruise overall, I wanted to provide a forum to talk exclusively about Luminae.

First of all, Luminae was so good, we have switched all of our upcoming bookings to suites. Coming into this, we weren't sure what to expect. After cruising AQ so often and dining in Blu, we set our expectations realistically. We have always enjoyed Blu, but more for the private dining venue than the inconsistent food. Luminae blows Blu away. The service was phenomenal and every meal we ate was fabulous. The staff learned our names and drink preferences by the end of our first meal. They also always provided our preferred table and servers. The servers were great at making recommendations. They were also very willing to provide the MDR food when we wanted cheesecake or just a chicken beast. The menus are small, but there was always something that we wanted. We even tried things that we normally wouldn't eat and those items were excellent, as well. Each meal was a huge success. We tried breakfast, brunch and dinner. We never made it to lunch. This is also the first cruise that we didn't choose any alternative dining venues as Luminae was so good. By the way, I normally don't like Baked Alaska, but the Luminae version was incredible. There were so many surprises like that along the way.

We were the first cruise to get the new Luminae chairs. The decor was lovely and the staff were very eager to get feedback and provide a "home" environment.

We will really miss Chitra and Lazar and all the other stellar staff in Luminae. And we will especially miss the outrageous dessert trolley! Only four months to go until we get to enjoy it all over again.

Michael & Omar

Thanks for posting. In just over 3 months we will be in our CS and trying Luminae for the 1st time.

Thanks for posting. We've got a long time til our Celebrity Suite cruise in Nov 16 but we're really interested in Luminae. Should we just do Luminae or should we do other specialty restaurants. First time on Celebrity.

We were on the cruise before you and agree that Luminae is definitely a special restaurant. All of the staff were attentive and tried very hard to make each meal memorable. I also tried different foods that I normally don't eat and enjoyed everything! What do the new chairs look like? We were the last cruise with the diningroom chairs.

Garry

Great to hear!:) sounds like they are working out all the kinks and providing a great experience. Looking forward to Luminae in November.

Just off the Summit last Sunday. Luminae was fabulous. We were requested to make reservations. We did. We pretty much got to sit where we wanted. But the experience was fantastic. The food was delicious, and if you did not care for the choices you were able to eat off the MDR menu. We also ate in Normandy and we ate in Qsine both of which are very good but where I would give Luminae a 10+ Normandy I would give a 9.5 and also Qsine a 9.5. The service excellent, no empty glasses and always bread on the table. Dirty dishes were promptly removed. Staff was impeccable in appearance and service. Food was absolutely delicious. I am afraid I missed the night of the desert wagon, but no problem. Meals were served a perfect temperature, not to hot to burn you and not so warm as to appear cold. Always ordered to perfection. Two nights I had steak and both nights you could eat it with a spoon, they were that tender. We booked next year same boat, same week and same suite. I say bravo to Celebrity, The Suite Package with Luminae is a work of art to be enjoyed to the fullest.

I too finished a cruise on Infinity on 7 th June - Luminae was outstanding. We booked another Celebrity cruise based on our suite experience!

Thanks for reminding me of the baked Alaska - now that was fine dining baked Alaska

I also found the Chita and Serkens suggestions were spot on, not a standard speech and very honest. One night they were highlighting why guests were sending a trout dish back - the reason did not concern me and I had it, it was delicious

The oxtail pasta is divine

Oh and all our steaks were perfectly cooked

We are just wrapping up our 7-night Alaska cruise on Infinity. This was our first time in a suite after cruising Aqua Class on all our other voyages. For those who haven't read my other thread about this cruise overall, I wanted to provide a forum to talk exclusively about Luminae.

 

First of all, Luminae was so good, we have switched all of our upcoming bookings to suites. Coming into this, we weren't sure what to expect. After cruising AQ so often and dining in Blu, we set our expectations realistically. We have always enjoyed Blu, but more for the private dining venue than the inconsistent food. Luminae blows Blu away. The service was phenomenal and every meal we ate was fabulous. The staff learned our names and drink preferences by the end of our first meal. They also always provided our preferred table and servers. The servers were great at making recommendations. They were also very willing to provide the MDR food when we wanted cheesecake or just a chicken beast. The menus are small, but there was always something that we wanted. We even tried things that we normally wouldn't eat and those items were excellent, as well. Each meal was a huge success. We tried breakfast, brunch and dinner. We never made it to lunch. This is also the first cruise that we didn't choose any alternative dining venues as Luminae was so good. By the way, I normally don't like Baked Alaska, but the Luminae version was incredible. There were so many surprises like that along the way.

 

We were the first cruise to get the new Luminae chairs. The decor was lovely and the staff were very eager to get feedback and provide a "home" environment.

 

We will really miss Chitra and Lazar and all the other stellar staff in Luminae. And we will especially miss the outrageous dessert trolley! Only four months to go until we get to enjoy it all over again.

 

 

Michael & Omar

Chicken Beast? Boy, I thought the Frogs legs from the lake near our power plant, were tough to handle...

I too finished a cruise on Infinity on 7 th June - Luminae was outstanding. We booked another Celebrity cruise based on our suite experience!

Thanks for reminding me of the baked Alaska - now that was fine dining baked Alaska

I also found the Chita and Serkens suggestions were spot on, not a standard speech and very honest. One night they were highlighting why guests were sending a trout dish back - the reason did not concern me and I had it, it was delicious

The oxtail pasta is divine

Oh and all our steaks were perfectly cooked

The Baked Alaska

Ma Bell, thanks for the food porn photo review. I didn't see anything I would not want to try. :D

Here's the link to more Luminae food photos.

http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/mabell85255/library/Luminae%20food%20photos?sort=3&page=1

We experienced Luminae on Summit at the end of April. In my opinion, Luminae is the best thing Celebrity has done in a long, long time. We sailed with friends who were not booked in suites and they had dinner in the MDR - we havd dinner in Luminae and would meet up with them after dinner. One night the group ate dinner in Normandie, which paled in comparison to Luminae. I am so looking forward to experiencing Luminae again in August.:)

We experienced Luminae on Summit at the end of April. In my opinion, Luminae is the best thing Celebrity has done in a long, long time. We sailed with friends who were not booked in suites and they had dinner in the MDR - we havd dinner in Luminae and would meet up with them after dinner. One night the group ate dinner in Normandie, which paled in comparison to Luminae. I am so looking forward to experiencing Luminae again in August.:)

Couldn't agree with you more, Luminae was wonderful on the Eclipse and we can't wait to try it again on Reflection on our next X cruise!!!:)

We also thought Luminae far better than Murano, or any of the spec. rest....:D

Souuds like X will be very happy to know more people will be booking suites. I was on the Summit in April and Luminae was still new. Sounds like things have improved. Next month we will be on the Solstice in Aqua and dine in Blu. Sept. we go to Hawaii and will be back in a suite. Will be very interested how Blu and Luminae compare on the same ship. Will let you know.

Souuds like X will be very happy to know more people will be booking suites. I was on the Summit in April and Luminae was still new. Sounds like things have improved. Next month we will be on the Solstice in Aqua and dine in Blu. Sept. we go to Hawaii and will be back in a suite. Will be very interested how Blu and Luminae compare on the same ship. Will let you know.

We ate in Blu one night out of 16 on Eclipse....Blu was still wonderful too....we've always enjoyed it, Luminae is a definite step up.....in all ways....but Blu would still get our vote as best if Luminae was not an option....I can't imagine how you could be disappointed in Luminae, we were on the first sailing that it was offered on Eclipse and it more they exceeded our expectations!!:)

Lovely photo of baked Alaska it's my favourite!! I so wish we could try Luminae but we have three kids with us do a suite is just out of our price range - I usually feel sad that the kids won't be holidaying with us much longer but now I cannot wait so we can book a suite too and eat all that lovely food!!

Thank you for your information. A question - on the Infinity in Luminae can you reserve a table for four for every night? I had the impression the there were only tables for two. Also on the Infinity in the suites is there a makeup mirror? Any other tips or good things to know about the Infinity or Luminae. Thanks for your help.

Thank you for your information. A question - on the Infinity in Luminae can you reserve a table for four for every night? I had the impression the there were only tables for two. Also on the Infinity in the suites is there a makeup mirror? Any other tips or good things to know about the Infinity or Luminae. Thanks for your help.

Luminae has several tables for 4, but most of the tables for 2 can be slid together to make 4 easily, or just left in place as they are close enough to converse, yet far enough away to be private should you want to....now this was on Eclipse but I imagine the set up is similar on Infinity...

Luminae has several tables for 4, but most of the tables for 2 can be slid together to make 4 easily, or just left in place as they are close enough to converse, yet far enough away to be private should you want to....now this was on Eclipse but I imagine the set up is similar on Infinity...

Yes. This set up is the same on Infinity. There were families traveling together and they did slide the two-tops together. But there was also plenty of seating at banquettes along the wall. I don't know if they will let you reserve tables specifically, but we would always tell them at breakfast what time we would be dining for dinner and they would have our preferred table ready. They always felt really bad if we showed up at on off-time and someone else was at "our" table lol

Michael & Omar

Thank you for your information. A question - on the Infinity in Luminae can you reserve a table for four for every night? I had the impression the there were only tables for two. Also on the Infinity in the suites is there a makeup mirror? Any other tips or good things to know about the Infinity or Luminae. Thanks for your help.

We are two guys and honestly don't pay too much attention to make up mirrors, but neither of us recall seeing one. This was in the Celebrity Suite. I don't know about the higher level suites.

The best suggestion for Luminae is to call them on embarkation day and set up your dining time for that night. They appreciate it and will try to accommodate your preferred table each night. They offer lunch each port day and brunch on the sea days. Brunch is lovely, so if you can hold out on eating until 10:30, it's worth it. Also, take advantage of embarkation day lunch. We had a huge breakfast in Vancouver and had to miss the lunch onboard.

Michael & Omar

My wife and I were on the 12-day cruise from San Francisco to Alaska/Vancouver in late May. Luminae is outstanding but not yet perfect.

First some details:

• there was lunch on embarkation day
  
• on sea days there was no breakfast or lunch as they had the brunch.
  
• there was breakfast (early, of course) on disembarkation day
  
• there are 3 or 4 (I can't remember the exact number) of tables for 4
  
• Along the windows there are (I think) 7 pairs of tables for 2 that are about 6-8 inches apart and one single table at the back of the restaurant. Great set-up as it allows conversation or solitude (not privacy as you will hear what the others say, but it is not very intrusive)
  
• There is a sofa/bench with 8 - 10 tables for 2 that are similar to those by the window. The sofa is not very popular as it has a bit of a feel of a mass-market restaurant with benches and the chairs all have their backs to the entire restaurant. We waited a few minutes and saw others do the same until a table was available (but that was a choice as there were seats available when we showed up so I don't count that as not honoring our reservation)
  
• I would guess that, if it matters, any of the table pairs could be moved together to eliminate the space
  
• In my opinion, the $50 "guest/cover" charge is a better value than the charge for SS United States. If we were not in a suite, I would be looking for someone to invite us
  

A few things that make it less than perfect (but still outstanding):

• Most meals (all day) they play background music that is frequently louder than it should be which forces the volume of conversation to be more than a true 5-star restaurant should experience
  
• I had two steaks slightly overdone (I order mine medium rare and have a relatively wide tolerance so they did not need to go back but they were definitely overdone to normal standards)
  
• They tell you that you have a reservation but that is simply not true. If someone shows up 5 minutes before you do and there is only one table, the bodies at the desk will be seated. One time we showed up and were told it would be at least 30 minutes so we went to Blu (good restaurant but definitely a big step down from Luminae, at least on Infinity). Another time, even though we had the Michael's Club concierge checking on availability, it was nearly an hour after our "reservation" before we got a table. In my opinion, as long as they will seat anyone who just walks up, they should remove references to making reservations and call it open seating. The times between 6:45 and 7:30 are very popular
  

I tend not to care for fancy foods with heavy sauces but in Luminae, they are not quite as heavy and all you have to do is ask and they will bring sauces on the side. I was more adventurous in Luminae than I have ever been and enjoyed the food immensely. However, there were nights that I still ordered from the MDR menu but I think that was as much because of my strong preference for simplicity than any shortcomings on the menu. In fact I look forward to trying the oxtail pasta next year on the Millennium (and I would never do that on land).

I agree that Chitra was one of the best servers we have ever had and the entire staff was definitely a step up from the norm.

My wife and I were on the 12-day cruise from San Francisco to Alaska/Vancouver in late May. Luminae is outstanding but not yet perfect.

All excellent points, Bob. Thanks for elaborating.

M & O

Thank you all for your feedback. Sounds like it is a great time.

I thought Celebrity (re)committed to three meals a day a month ago. What happened?

My wife and I were on the 12-day cruise from San Francisco to Alaska/Vancouver in late May. Luminae is outstanding but not yet perfect

 

A few things that make it less than perfect (but still outstanding):

• Most meals (all day) they play background music that is frequently louder than it should be which forces the volume of conversation to be more than a true 5-star restaurant should experience
   
  
• They tell you that you have a reservation but that is simply not true. If someone shows up 5 minutes before you do and there is only one table, the bodies at the desk will be seated. One time we showed up and were told it would be at least 30 minutes so we went to Blu (good restaurant but definitely a big step down from Luminae, at least on Infinity). Another time, even though we had the Michael's Club concierge checking on availability, it was nearly an hour after our "reservation" before we got a table. In my opinion, as long as they will seat anyone who just walks up, they should remove references to making reservations and call it open seating. The times between 6:45 and 7:30 are very popular
  

 

 

I agree that Chitra was one of the best servers we have ever had and the entire staff was definitely a step up from the norm.

I totally agree with all your post Bob (although for us as medium/well done steak eaters it all worked well) and would like to add a few further observations

The music issue seemed to be they don't have a unique piped system for that restaurant which was carved out of the dining room. What they seem to have is an iPod connected to a very large speaker in the servery at the far end of the dining room (incidentally we noticed that same speaker arrangement booming out at security). In both cases I think the staff liked the music but in Luminae, the nearer your table is to that servery door the worse it is. Lazar kindly turned it down one morning only for a group of 4 near the door to say aw we were enjoying that (it was booming out a country and western dance tune, which whilst a nice bright start for the morning, is not great 5 feet from the speaker).

The solution seems to be to sort out an appropriate background music delivery system in the longer term and for staff to be more alert to the variable volume across Luminae in the short term.

I could not agree more about the reservation issue, we had two waits in excess of 30 minutes, one the concierge was particularly unhappy as the hostess had rung to say the table was ready then a walk up was given it in the time it took us to get from Michaels. (We were not asking for a particular table or server btw).

On our cruise (same as yours) a problem I had not encountered before was an issue for late diners on the nights where we were cruising through very scenic passages. We had a new concept the table hogs, no towels or napkins just butts staying put for over an hour after their dessert chatting with those around and as one loud gent announced perfect way to waiste a few hours tonight. Fine, but in restaurants like Luminae they do rely on a table turn around for those who eat after 8.

Where this is happening I think the maitre d should explain others are still to dine and encourage the hoggers to move on. Maybe future ship designs should have a small coffee lounge adjacent to Luminae where after dinner coffees teas etc are served as happens in many up market hotels. Thus would greatly assist with the table turnovers

But as you say minor improvements needed.

I was very happy with the breakfast/lunch arrangements- only two days did they not offer early breakfast. DH needs food for morning meds so on these days we had fruit and coffee delivered to the room and then had an early lunch. For us it was no big deal, we always vary our breakfast plans a few times on the cruise and it fitted well. And I'm not sure where the masses are who are expecting lunch every day (ok it was advertised but....).

I cannot see that offering continuing based on the level of demand we saw 2-6 people at most each time we dined on a port day). They have had to adjust rest breaks not only for the servers but also the hard working galley team. i doubt they will add more staff to the specially trained team based on current uptake.i think it will morph to free Bistro on 5 dining ( which is fine by me)