Dining Options on Summit

What will our dining options be on the Summit in July? Thanks. Are there any specialty restaurants you could suggest?

What will our dining options be on the Summit in July? Thanks. Are there any specialty restaurants you could suggest?

Summit already has a wonderful specialty restaurant, the Normandie.

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During the current Solsticization, they will be adding the fantastic, unique specialty restaurant Qsine and the creperie Bistro on Five. Aquaclass guests will dine in Blu, which is being created from part of the MDR.

Other dining options are the Aqua Spa Cafe, Mast Grill, the buffet, and of course the MDR.

Summit is being "Solsticized" right now, and will reemerge on Jan. 28 in San Juan with a new restaurant line-up.

Cosmopolitan is the name for the Main Dining Room (MDR). Part of the MDR balcony will become "Blu," the default restaurant for AquaClass pax (and suite pax on space-available basis). The rest of the MDR balcony is for select dining pax. The main MDR level is for fixed-seating pax.

Normandie remains as the Continental fine-dining option, at $40 pp upcharge. It is compared (in CC reviews) to the best restaurants in NYC, and therefore worth the cost. [i live near NYC and will be on the Jan. 28 inaugural voyage, so we'll see how that claim holds up...]

Qsine is new, offering a "playful and whimsical approach to familiar and memorable dishes from around the world." People either love it or hate it. Also $40 pp upcharge.

Bistro on Five offers sandwiches, salads, crepes and desserts for both lunch and dinner for $5 pp. Many people think it is well worth the cost.

AquaSpa Cafe is available to all pax, serves light and healthy food at breakfast and lunch.

Waterfall Cafe and Grill is the buffet, available breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Room service offers the complete MDR menu during lunch and dinner, plus a smaller selection 24/7 (no charge).

Does anybody know if AquaSpa Cafe is open on boarding day for lunch?

Usually yes although it may not be listed on the sheet of paper they give you upon check-in.

 

Normandie remains as the Continental fine-dining option, at $40 pp upcharge. It is compared (in CC reviews) to the best restaurants in NYC, and therefore worth the cost. [i live near NYC and will be on the Jan. 28 inaugural voyage, so we'll see how that claim holds up...]

 

That sounds like quite a stretch to me; while I am sure Normandie is excellent and worth the cover charge, I doubt it holds a candle to a three star Michelin restaurant. I would not go to Normandie expecting it to be akin to New York's finest or you are apt to be disappointed. I have dined several times at Murano on various Celebrity ships (similar restaurant to Normandie) and loved my meals there but would never compare them to Chicago's most prestigious venues.

I agree with Gonzo. Having eaten in Normandie 3 times, I found the food and service excellent and a great value for the price, but is not as good as some of the finer restaurants I have dined in, nor would I expect to be at that price point.

While the food is of higher quality than MDR, I wouldn't say it was more creative.

What will our dining options be on the Summit in July? Thanks. Are there any specialty restaurants you could suggest?

I realize you are new to CC and may not be able to find your way around. You posted this same thread two days in a row when there were numerous answers to your first posting. All you had to do was go to Page two. Posts go to different pages as they are in chronological order.

Heres the original thread.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1547045

I have to chime in here about the Normandie. We are just off the Summit on Christmas Eve. Comparing it to a fine restaurant in NYC or Chicago is on par.

We live in Chicago and have dined at the finest Steak houses in town. Mortons, Ruth Chris, Lawry's, Schulas, Chicago Prime to name a few. I can honestly say the BEST filet I have ever had was at the Normandie this past trip! Outstanding!!

The service is incredible. It can be a romantic or fun evening however you would like it to be. The staff was not snooty or rushed, like you may find in a NYC or Chicago establishment. They were at ease and eager to please - the way it should be!

I would have no problem comparing the Normandie to a first class restaurant in a big city. The view out the windows is much better on the Normandie! :)

I have to chime in here about the Normandie. We are just off the Summit on Christmas Eve. Comparing it to a fine restaurant in NYC or Chicago is on par.

 

We live in Chicago and have dined at the finest Steak houses in town. Mortons, Ruth Chris, Lawry's, Schulas, Chicago Prime to name a few. I can honestly say the BEST filet I have ever had was at the Normandie this past trip! Outstanding!!

 

The service is incredible. It can be a romantic or fun evening however you would like it to be. The staff was not snooty or rushed, like you may find in a NYC or Chicago establishment. They were at ease and eager to please - the way it should be!

 

I would have no problem comparing the Normandie to a first class restaurant in a big city. The view out the windows is much better on the Normandie! :)

If you are comparing it to Ruth's Chris and similar caliber restaurants I can see Normandie coming close (though I do not think Normandie uses prime graded meat). However the restaurants you mentioned are not considered to be among Chicago's best. Normandie would lag far behind establishments such as Alinea, Tru, Everest, L20 etc.

If you are comparing it to Ruth's Chris and similar caliber restaurants I can see Normandie coming close (though I do not think Normandie uses prime graded meat). However the restaurants you mentioned are not considered to be among Chicago's best. Normandie would lag far behind establishments such as Alinea, Tru, Everest, L20 etc.

Not comparing to alinea tru or Everest etc....comparing to fine steak houses in Chicago. The cuisine at alinea tru and Everest does not compare...I doubt there is anything even remotely similar on the menus that you would find on the menu in the Normandie.

The Normandie isn't a trendy snooty place. It is classic fine dining that will compare favorably to classic fine dining in any big city. If you are looking for trendy menu selections and snooty patrons and staff you will be disappointed with the Normandie! :)

We've sailed the Summit twice and dined in the Normandie once. When we dined in the Normandie April 2011, we were disappointed. We didn't think that it was all that special food wise. We also thought our waiter was very arrogant and pompous. He acted like he was the best and that the Normandie was the greatest. We honestly couldn't wait for our meal to be over. We also did make a reservation far in advance and reserved a table by the window so we could see the sunset over the water. When we arrived, we were seated in the middle, back by the kitchen. We were told sorry that they had given the table to the couple that arrived before us by accident. We even arrived a little early too.

When we just sailed this past New Year's cruise, we didn't go back to the Normandie. We thought the food in the MDR was just as good and the Normandie didn't exceed it by all that much to make it worth the extra $$ for us.

If you think Ruth Chris, Morton's etc. is fine dining and has the best steaks then maybe you might be impressed by the Normandie. To me they are just overpriced chain restaurants that can be found in any major city. Yes, they are better than the outback level but still hardly fine dining imho.