Summit: buffets and main dining room

We will be on the Summit. Haven't booked yet. We were on the Reflection, were aqua. We only ate a few times in aqua (loved it) But we ate the rest of time time in specialty restaurants and buffet. Truth be told, we really are more buffet type people and thought that the food was excellent there, on the Reflection. For the Summit, we plan on going to Normandie once and Qsine once for dinner. That leaves 5 other nights. We will probobly use dining room 2 times and the other 3 just go to the Buffet. So here is what I want to know:

For the people who have recently been on the Summit, and did NOT book aqua, but had done Aqua class before, how would you rate the dining room and the buffet? Realizing that food taste is subjective, let me just say this: When we eat out it is usually, places like "Red Lobster" "Claim Jumper" type places if we want substantial food. Also happy with "In and Out" "Five Guys burgers" "Cocos"-- reasonable Italian, Chinese, and deli restaurants---you get the picture. As long as the food is not overly salted but is tasty, we are happy campers. Anyway, we are considering not doing aqua class for this trip, because we don't like the aqua locations on the Summit.

They seem to have their better menus in the MDR on formal nights, so I would recommend those two nights along with the two you are going to specialty.

I never go to any of the buffets on the M-Class, so maybe someone else can speak to them.

Food in MDR and Oceanview Grill was very good. Substantive, and, if good choices are made, healthy. We have stayed in Royal Suites on Summit and have opted for MDR over other options, like the restaurant for AQ guests, as we have been satisfied. As you said, food is subjective, of course, but I wouldn't let food deter me from that lovely vessel.

B

We usually do not eat dinners in the buffet. We ate in Blu on our last Reflection Sailing and in Blu on the Summit. We found the food in Blu on both restaurants very good to excellent. We do eat in the buffet for lunches and find the food there also very good. Using the restaurants you named as a guide, we do not think you will be disappointed. Enjoy

In case you (or others) didn't know, you can get the MDR dinner items delivered to your stateroom any/all nights. You can still enjoy the food without all the time and trouble if that is something u wish to do..

We ate in the buffet, Qsine, Normandy, MDR , and Blu on the Summit. The Buffet was very good for dinner, as we usually ate there using the Made to Order steak venue. It was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the dining rooms. It is fun to try them all. We were on a 14 day Canada/New England last fall. We were in a suite and could eat in Blu, space available. We found Blu a bit awkward, due to the tables so close, so did not eat there more than once.

We've found the Summit's buffet wanting for dinner and lunch on the last two cruises.

J.

Above information is good to know before we make our cabin decision. Thanks all. Anita

We did Blu on the Silhouette and just returned from a B2B on Summit in a regular veranda. We thought the dining room food on Summit was great for dinner. They seem to have less pasta/cheese/heavy sauces and more creative salads and healthier vegetables than in the past (i.e Kale) and you could always get a nice fruit platter as an appetizer. Some fish was a little dry but other meats were fine. I missed having Blu for breakfast a little but we mostly ate at the Elite breakfast so that mostly made up for it (except no hot dishes). By the time you get your food and drinks from different stations for breakfast in the Oceanview it tends to get cold. I did not try the Aqua Spa cafe. There was pretty good variety in the Oceanview everyday. I think I only resorted to a fallback burger 2-3 times in 14 days.

It has been several years since we've been on an M class ship so my memory might be failing me a bit on this but it seems to me there was not a big difference in the food quality or variety on the buffets of the M class ships vs. the S class ships like the Reflection. The layout of the buffet is much nicer on the S class ships but not a major difference in the food available for the most part.

We haven't been on Reflection but the food is generally pretty consistent throughout the fleet. The biggest inconsistency in food is the ingredients, which depend more on the area of the world the ship is sailing in, and the chefs preparing it which can change from cruise to cruise as the staff changes.

In case you (or others) didn't know, you can get the MDR dinner items delivered to your stateroom any/all nights. You can still enjoy the food without all the time and trouble if that is something u wish to do..

As someone going on a June Summit cruise with a large aft balcony, this is very interesting. Is it as simple as calling room service and asking for the choices you'd like from the MDR menu?