towel-animal

Bumping thread to see if anybody has anything delicious and interesting to report

On 7/2/2022 at 6:41 AM, Schmoe38 said:

We were served this one on our sailing up the Pacific Coast in May of this year. 
 

Our original plan was to work our way through the menu, but that was sidelined a bit at the opening when we asked if there were any “special” martinis that were not on the menu. That’s when we were introduced to the Toasted Almond Martini. 

 

I can’t guarantee that the bartenders at the Martini Bar on Infinity will know about this one, but I suspect your chances at getting one (or more) will be quite high.

 

Have a Wonderful cruise!
 

Randy

Live from infinity - Martini Bar bartender said he’s not familiar with this one, but happy to make one if I can tell him the ingredients! Can you help, pretty please? 😁 

17 hours ago, Schmoe38 said:

Toasted Almond Martini (not on the Menu)

 

 

Yum! Tell me more about this one. Boarding Infinity tomorrow - will the bartender know what I’m talking about if I order this?

The Celebrity-branded water in the silver metal bottles tasted horrible on Apex and Millennium last summer. Heard lots of other folks say the same onboard. From the other comments here however, sounds like may not be an issue anymore.

OP here — just wanted to report back that on Apex, my family of 3 did in fact special request an Italian themed dinner in Luminae through one of the Retreat Lounge managers a couple days in advance, for a night where none of the menus on offer particularly appealed to us. And it was the highlight of our cruise!

Per our request, the chef prepared a meal of:

• Brushetta with prosciutto 
• Spicy pasta fagioli 
• Bucatini amatriciana
• Veal parmesan with roasted red peppers
• Tiramisu 
• Limoncello 

Mamma mia it was delish!

9 minutes ago, cruising sister said:

Luminae has been excellent and very attentive. 

Thanks for starting this trip report!

Curious to know if Luminae on Infinity will allow you to order from the Blu menu at dinner? On Millennium recently, they would allow Luminae guests to order from the MDR menu, but not Blu, even though all three restaurants share the same kitchen space (although suite guests were still welcome to dine physically at Blu on space availability). But in the past, other M-Class ships have allowed it  - so guess it depends on the specific crew/management onboard. 

 

2 minutes ago, island lady said:

I Was told December 1st to try again for booking the portions.  

 

Well....there are way too many other lines that will book partial world cruises of 60-120 days.  You lose RCI!    😠

And Royal will too as you were just told...you just have to wait a month. What's the big deal?

I second the vote for S-Class or Edge Class ships. After sailing Infinity, and more recently Millennium, our personal decision is to avoid M-Class ships going forward if possible. We just felt "bored" on those ships since there is quite a bit less to do. We found Reflection and Edge to be worlds apart from M-Class. But to us, the ship experience is just as important as destinations regardless of itinerary.

For us, being able to separate the living area from the bedroom like a true suite is worth $2k if, like us, you haven't different "schedules" (one gets up early, one sleeps late; one likes tv at night, the other doesn't, etc...). The massive jump to Royal Suites is usually cost prohibitive in comparison, although as mentioned the perks ones get do add to the value. 

Regent Explorer provided one of the most opulent and luxurious vacations of my life - simply impeccable service, loved the truly all-included business model and gorgeous atnosphere. Entertainment was great and food spectacular.
 

Another ship you don’t hear too much about is Scenic Eclipse - a luxury expedition vessel. We had a unforgettable time onboard and was unlike anything we have ever experienced at sea.   

3 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

 From a logistical and preparation stand point makes sense.  Easier to supply ships and have cooks move from one ship to another somewhat seamlessly.

Totally makes sense. Although it’d be nice if every few years they could do a refresh of the menus to keep the food interesting. Not that it’s bad! But when you’ve sailed enough that you can memorize the menus, sometimes you do wish to have some changes here and there. 

Anyone know the answer to this for sure?

When I sailed Odyssey in July, the MDR menus were exactly the same as the MDR menus I've experienced on other RCI ships. That's actually becoming my one disappointment after doing so many cruises - realizing how the menus rarely or never get updated through the years.

After sailing Infinity in April 2019 and Millennium June, 2021, as well as Edge in December 2019 — my family and I agreed we would likely no longer book a cruise on a Millennium class ship. While we had a great time on all, our recent cruise on Millennium felt a bit boring in terms of ship experience. Not as many dining venues, entertainment not as snazzy. Shops a bit limited. 

I agree with another poster here who felt the decor on Edge class to be a a bit "blah" with the gray and beige color palette everywhere, but on the whole we really prefer Edge class (and Solstice class) ships. In our own personal experience, the dining, nightlife, and entertainment experiences just didn't compare. 

11 minutes ago, 5waldos said:

If tips are included, why are they asking if you want to pre-pay gratuities? Aren't they the same thing? What am I missing?

The whole thread is about the Simply Sail rate in which tips are not, nor is anything else, included VS the Always Included rate in which they are.

I've read that on Edge, the rocking chairs originally placed in the Sky Suites which were later removed are still available if you request one with your Butler. Is this true on Apex? Figured probably not since the Apex Sky Suites never had them in the first place — but thought I'd double check here in case anyone knows for sure. 

Does the Persian Gardens benefit extend to the SEA Thermal Suite on Edge Class which does not have Persian Gardens?

I believe on M and S class ships, you can order room service from the MDR dinner menu during their open hours. With the 4 main dining room concept on Edge and Apex, is this allowed? And if so, how does it work since each restaurant has a few items that are exclusive? 

On 7/16/2021 at 4:28 PM, gbphipps said:

I have a severe mint allergy (love the taste but I prefer breathing).  From the old menus I have seen online I have seen a lot of mint used in their dishes.  A sprig for garnish I can pick off without issue but often it’s an integral part of a soup or sauce.  If I explain my allergy would it be possible on a meat with added sauce to get them to substitute a different sauce they are also serving that night?

I too have a mint allergy and have yet to across another who share's that condition until now! I discovered mine after always getting sick after brushing my teeth as a child.  Always a bummer to get excited about a watermelon & basil salad and find out it's actually mint, LOL. Like you, I've removed more dessert garnishes than I can count 😬

 

47 minutes ago, goldsmip115 said:

Can I respectfully request that everyone take a pause on this thread before it “takes on a life of its own.” .

 

 

We all want a great experience, we are all vacation deprived.  Some have rightfully pointed out the high prices of the suites.  But please manage your expectations and be grateful for sailing in the retreat.

While undoubtedly  well-intentioned, your post is both inappropriate and over dramatic. Chances of a flock of Cruise Critic users all on the same sailing overwhelming.Luminae are next to none. And as the previous posted pointed out, by the time many sail the settling in period will likely be eel behind us. 
 

Everyone please continue to post their dining requests without hesitation 😊

I've read that if given 24 hours notice, Luminae can prepared off-menu dishes on request. I'm curious to know what such dishes people have ordered on their past cruises that they'd recommend. Huge foodie here and am looking for some inspiration for my upcoming cruise 🙂

Hope the pasta station comes back soon — one of my favorite parts of the buffet. 

Can you confirm if the dishes served at the Chef's Table dinner are exclusive to the Chef's Table experience? A few years back I noticed on Reflection, that the Chef's Table dinner was a collection of dishes taken from the Murano menu with the addition of wine pairings — which led me not to book. If the food being served cannot be found elsewhere, I'd definitely be interested in booking this.

Saw multiple posts on this thread mention having breakfast from Luminae sent to your suite — is this the standard suite room service breakfast menu? Or must one call room service and specially request Luminae menu items when ordering? 

Does anyone know if attention needs to be brought to Celebrity pre-cruise if one has back-to-backs booked? We ended up booking 3 back-to-back sailings on Apex, same stateroom for each. But all three sailings were booked in separate phone calls to different agents and I never specified we'd be back-to-back guests....should I call and mention it? Or Celebrity will figure it out on their own?