W283386

I am just off the Celebrity Reflection and here is my review of the food. I ate dinner at two of the specialty restaurants Lawn Club and Tuscan), 4 times in the main dining room, and one time at the buffet. All the meals were served at a decent temperature and all the wait staff were commendable. I feel like my top two meals came from the MDR. The beef wellington and the steak and chips with Bearnaise sauce were really tasty. Each came with 3 or 4 good size carrots as well as 4 stalks of asparagus as well as roasted potato. I would rate the Lawn club meal as #3. I had the rib eye as well as the chicken skewers. The baked beans were not to my liking and it is hard to mess up a baked potato. I think that eating in that location maybe heightened the meal a little, but it did get very warm up on the open deck. The #4 meal was also from the MDR. The oven roasted chicken saltimboca was very good. The #5 meal was the Tuscan Grille. The steak was flavorful and choice and quality of the appetizers were excellent. We ordered to much and did not have any room for dessert. The #6 meal was the buffet. Good choices but we had plans to go to the 7pm show so wanted something quick and easy. The #7 was the MDR. The sirloin was a little dry and it was the first time I used steak sauce all week. All breakfast and lunches (except for one) were from the buffet. The items were served warm to hot and the choices were many. The pizza and pasta bar were both good and many days the items would change. Some of the highlights were the fried chicken and bbq ribs (both went fast). I think the ribs were served once but the fried chicken was available at least twice. Besides the omelet station there was also a station for eggs benedict. The burger and fries from the mast grille were good and we would have gone there more, but there was always a line, and it was to hot to sit on deck, and too hard to carry plates to the buffet area. We did not go to Sushi on Five or the Porch. Both were pretty empty most of the time. I have no idea how busy the Petit Chef was. So overall I would have to rate the food a solid 7. We have been on 24 cruises, on 4 different cruise lines, and this was only the second time we tried a specialty restaurant. The specialty restaurants were quieter and the tables further apart than the MDR. The Lawn Club was unique with its outside location. However, I feel that the additional cost on top of what you already paid for the MDR was really not worth the extra money.

We will be on the Reflection next week. We have not had breakfast or lunch on a ship in many years. I remember in the past you were seated as you entered the dining room at a table with others. That table would be filled up and then the next table would be used until full, etc. Is that how it works now or are you able to request your own table? Thanks.

Is the daily schedule of events still provided in printed form as well as the menus? Or do you have the inconvenience of having to haul your phone around with you?

Highlights It's the perfect escape - within your vacation escape. Some of the pleasures include: Stunning side-by-side views of lawn and sea, as you settle in underneath the shade of a chic, white awning. Complimentary amenities - four bottles of water, a fresh fruit plate, hand-held fans, and chilled towels. Ambient mood lighting for romantically cozy evenings. Smart Casual means you look comfortable yet tasteful in a dress, skirt, long pants or jeans, and stylish top or button-down. No shorts, bathing suits, or cover-ups More website errors. Nothing like relaxing on deck wearing long pants or jeans.

Here is a link to the story. https://youtu.be/spi7RxhK1gI

Celebrity is removing dedicated butlers from Sky Suites. You will now have to call a retreat hotline on board for any service needs. Many Butlers have already been let go from the cruise line this weekend. No extra comp or notices will be released as to this situation.http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/spi7RxhK1gI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I do not believe that any cuts have been mentioned yet. But with Celebrity having some of the highest price specialty dining. what changes would keep you from booking a specialty restaurant in the future (ie: one item per course limit, lower quality items, higher cost, poorer service, etc)?

Any thoughts on the new MDR menu that now allow puchases of lobster ($16.99), Filet Mignon ($19.99) or surf and turf for $34.99). It is being tried on the Sillohoutte and probably rolled out to other ships. Link should start about two minutes into video.

We will be going on our 20th cruise this year. We have never done any type of specialty dining. We will be on the Reflection, and I noticed some first night dining discounts. We live in a resort town and when we go to dinner there are always discounts for locals and it is rare if we ever spend more than $35 for the two of us. The thought of paying $80 for us to eat a meal when we already have paid to eat in the main dining room, or the buffet, is my stumbling block. My question is, "Will I be able to enjoy the meal if I already have this mental block in my head? For that kind of money, I would expect one of the best meals of my life. The last two cruises we were in Luminae and Blu. The service and the atmosphere stood out more than the food. The food was great, but I thought I would have been just as happy with the food from the dining room. So, with that background in mind, should we choose Muranos, Lawn Club Grille, Tuscany or just skip all of them?

Does anyone remember if drink package upgrade specials on Black Friday were greater than the current 10% off sale that is showing in my cruise planner?

Not new items. I ordered the Sea Bass in April and my wife had the crab cake. No charges applied or listed. Was one of the reasons we booked the retreat because of the nice room service menu.

Not only has specialty restaurant charges gone up 18% but there are now room service charges on some items that were once complimentary. Crab cakes are now $11and Heirloom Salad is $10. Ribeye Steak, Sea Bass and Filet Mignon are now $20. Looks like still no charges for breakfast items. All items are listed on the Celebrity App under Room Servi.