Two foodie Oceania Loyalists coming to X for the first time

t - what did you think of the MDR itself, physical space only?

 

Any one sommelier/waiter in Select Dining we should be on the look out for?

 

We will be on Summit in August this year.

 

 

bon voyage

Bo- we sailed Canada/NE out of Bayonne on Summit last Sept for two weeks. It really was a great cruise and a very nice ship. As others have stated, Summit has really excellent and friendly staff and service overall and I found it to be some of the best crew I have experienced on Celebrity. This might have been due to the ship's masters Captain Kate or Captain Alex (on our cruise) setting the tone. They both have been reassigned recently so hopefully Summit service remains excellent. As for your question we were in a sky suite and dined in Luminae most nights but we did enjoy Qsine and TG as well. We never tried the MDR on Summit.

Ingredients are often mislabeled; Luminae uses a lot of luxury terms for their ingredients, but often serves cheap substitute (i.e. truffle = truffle oil, caviar = salmon roe, venison ragu = braised beef ragu, morel mushrooms = button mushrooms). This is not a knock on Luminae;

Unfortunately, this isn't limited to Luminae or Celebrity....we find that many local restaurants embellish menu items with descriptions that sound wonderful but bear no relation to the dish being served.

Perhaps my favorite experience was a local Thai restaurant that used the usual red peppers on their menu to indicate the spice level of a dish. I like spice, so I ordered one with three red peppers. It came and was completely pepper free...bland. I asked...the answer: oh, the peppers indicate that we can make it that spicy if you request it. We've never been back....

Well, we all know someone might give it a go.... regardless and on authority at that.

 

Like recent posts on food abounding here, it will be quite 'refreshing' to see who does not offer up their expert foodie opine.

 

bon voyage

Thanks for the chuckle Bo.:D

You need to listen to me cause I know what I'm talking about.

Me and the Misses have sailed on Oceania and Celebrity seven (7) times each in pass 5 years.

Neither cruise line offers grits; that's a bummer :eek:

You will find Speciality Restaurants on Marina and Riviera far superior to Celebrity or any other cruise line.

You will find that the Terrace Cafe on Oceania is far superior than the Oceanview on Celebrity or any other cruise line; especially since on Oceania Terrace Cafe you can get lobster tails, crab legs, filets, lamb chops, jumbo shrimp every night.

You will find that the MDR on both lines are close to equal with the edge going to Oceania. The higher scale restaurants on Celebrity are better than MDR on Oceania.

Bonner Appettee

Everyone talks about Luminae being so much better than the MDR. I guess I must be an anti-foodie, if there is such a thing! We have only been in Luminae on one cruise so far, and while there were certain things done better than in the MDR (the bread for example), on several nights we ended up ordering from the MDR menu because the food choices were just so "frou-frou" they did not sound good to us at all. Sometimes I swear people like to eat like that just because it makes them feel special, whether it actually tastes good or not they convince themselves it does - I'm sure I'm wrong about that and that statement will rile up a few. But I'd bet money I'm right about that for some people - you know who you are (or actually, you probably don't);p;p

We usually sail in AQ so Blu is our usual restaurant. I would say the food ranges from good to excellent. Only once in about 20 cruises in there have we had to send a dish back. Two years ago we were in the MDR and enjoyed that food as well. Usually really enjoy the specialty restaurants as well, although we are not big fans of Murano except for the decadent chocolate soufflé - to die for.

You need to listen to me cause I know what I'm talking about.

Me and the Misses have sailed on Oceania and Celebrity seven (7) times each in pass 5 years.

Neither cruise line offers grits; that's a bummer :eek:

 

You will find Speciality Restaurants on Marina and Riviera far superior to Celebrity or any other cruise line.

You will find that the Terrace Cafe on Oceania is far superior than the Oceanview on Celebrity or any other cruise line; especially since on Oceania Terrace Cafe you can get lobster tails, crab legs, filets, lamb chops, jumbo shrimp every night.

You will find that the MDR on both lines are close to equal with the edge going to Oceania. The higher scale restaurants on Celebrity are better than MDR on Oceania.

 

Bonner Appettee

r - I Am quite sure if you completed the 'Special Needs' form indicating that you require grits during your sailing, there will be a cruise line which will meet, maybe not exceed, your request.

bon appetite and bon voyage

Bo- we sailed Canada/NE out of Bayonne on Summit last Sept for two weeks. It really was a great cruise and a very nice ship. As others have stated, Summit has really excellent and friendly staff and service overall and I found it to be some of the best crew I have experienced on Celebrity. This might have been due to the ship's masters Captain Kate or Captain Alex (on our cruise) setting the tone. They both have been reassigned recently so hopefully Summit service remains excellent. As for your question we were in a sky suite and dined in Luminae most nights but we did enjoy Qsine and TG as well. We never tried the MDR on Summit.

t - thank you for your insight much appreciated.

I will have to figure out how to get us an invite Luminae... :halo:

bon voyage

Everyone talks about Luminae being so much better than the MDR. I guess I must be an anti-foodie, if there is such a thing! We have only been in Luminae on one cruise so far, and while there were certain things done better than in the MDR (the bread for example), on several nights we ended up ordering from the MDR menu because the food choices were just so "frou-frou" they did not sound good to us at all. Sometimes I swear people like to eat like that just because it makes them feel special, whether it actually tastes good or not they convince themselves it does - I'm sure I'm wrong about that and that statement will rile up a few. But I'd bet money I'm right about that for some people - you know who you are (or actually, you probably don't);p;p

/quote]

 

The descriptions of the food on the Luminae menus do often appear pretentious; they list a lot of fancy sounding descriptions and ingredients, but what is actually served on the plate is generally approachable and not much more gourmet than the MDR. What makes Luminae superior to the MDR (IMHO) is the nicer ambiance (better china, more widely spaced tables, nicer decor), more attentive service (seems to be a lower ration of passengers-to-staff and the servers seem to be a bit better overall than the MDR staff), cooked-to-order-food, housemade pastas, and in general better quality cuts of meat. Yes, the taste of the food, not the description on the menu is what is important to 99% of diners; the cooked-to-order aspect and better cuts of meat generally do render the cuisine at Luminae a significant step-up from the MDR, though it still does not approach quality wise a good land based restaurant for reasons I have detailed elsewhere. .

You need to listen to me cause I know what I'm talking about.

Me and the Misses have sailed on Oceania and Celebrity seven (7) times each in pass 5 years.

Neither cruise line offers grits; that's a bummer :eek:

 

You will find Speciality Restaurants on Marina and Riviera far superior to Celebrity or any other cruise line.

You will find that the Terrace Cafe on Oceania is far superior than the Oceanview on Celebrity or any other cruise line; especially since on Oceania Terrace Cafe you can get lobster tails, crab legs, filets, lamb chops, jumbo shrimp every night.

You will find that the MDR on both lines are close to equal with the edge going to Oceania. The higher scale restaurants on Celebrity are better than MDR on Oceania.

 

Bonner Appettee

Oceania is double the price of Celebrity so you would expect the restaurants to be superior. Not so, Murano restaurant on Celebrity S class ships is by far better than either Toscana or the Polo Grill on Oceania. Also their Terrace Cafe is a disappointment compared the the Oceanview Cafe on Celebrity. You can listen to me 'cause I know , Bon appetit.

r - I Am quite sure if you completed the 'Special Needs' form indicating that you require grits during your sailing, there will be a cruise line which will meet, maybe not exceed, your request.

 

bon appetite and bon voyage

Great idea as long it's not instant grits :D

Oceania is double the price of Celebrity so you would expect the restaurants to be superior. Not so, Murano restaurant on Celebrity S class ships is by far better than either Toscana or the Polo Grill on Oceania. Also their Terrace Cafe is a disappointment compared the the Oceanview Cafe on Celebrity. You can listen to me 'cause I know , Bon appetit.

Not necessarily so. All our cruises on Oceania have been less than $200 per day per person including specialty restaurants, tips, wifi, and huge cabin credit. In fact last Feb 2017 we did a 10 day Caribbean cruise on Oceania for $1,347 pp with a $1,000 cabin credit, free tips, wifi and a partridge in a pear tree:D

Obviously the Oceanview Cafe is 3-4 times larger than the Terrace Cafe which means more variety but the dinner at the TC is great.

Oceania is double the price of Celebrity so you would expect the restaurants to be superior.

You obviously haven’t looked at some of the prices on Edge for the Med for 2019 :eek:!

You obviously haven’t looked at some of the prices on Edge for the Med for 2019 :eek:!

No, those of us who have are reeling with shock!

no, those of us who have are reeling with shock!

:') :') ;)

You obviously haven’t looked at some of the prices on Edge for the Med for 2019 :eek:!

Yes I have, that’s why I have switched my allegiance away from Celebrity. My last cruise will be a on Silhouette in November this year as the same cruise if a booked now would be 40% more than I paid. Celebrity are taking people for a ride presently, maybe they will press the reset button before too long.

I have cruised on both Oceania and Celebrity, comparing the two is difficult. If you just talk food then Oceania win hands down, Celebrity MDR food offerings are generally of a poor standard. Oceania compares to Celebrity specialty restaurants but OP would be advised to avoid the Celebrity MDR and purchase a dining package otherwise you will be disappointed.

Oceania food in all venues is generally of a higher quality of ingredients/presentation/taste/selection than the Celebrity specialties.

The Celebrity MDR should be excluded from comparison as it logically is not designed to compete with the Celebrity specialities nor Oceania.

To have a somewhat equivilant dining experience on Celebrity - as others have recommended - do the specialties.

You need to listen to me cause I know what I'm talking about.

Me and the Misses have sailed on Oceania and Celebrity seven (7) times each in pass 5 years.

Neither cruise line offers grits; that's a bummer :eek:

 

You will find Speciality Restaurants on Marina and Riviera far superior to Celebrity or any other cruise line.

You will find that the Terrace Cafe on Oceania is far superior than the Oceanview on Celebrity or any other cruise line; especially since on Oceania Terrace Cafe you can get lobster tails, crab legs, filets, lamb chops, jumbo shrimp every night.

You will find that the MDR on both lines are close to equal with the edge going to Oceania. The higher scale restaurants on Celebrity are better than MDR on Oceania.

 

Bonner Appettee

Bob, you must not be looking hard enough for grits on Celebrity. I have some good news for you. My DW enjoys grits and she finds them on some days in the Oceanview cafe at breakfast. As far as I can recall it has been on everyone of our Celebrity cruises.

Enjoy, next time.

I have cruised on both Oceania and Celebrity, comparing the two is difficult. If you just talk food then Oceania win hands down, Celebrity MDR food offerings are generally of a poor standard. Oceania compares to Celebrity specialty restaurants but OP would be advised to avoid the Celebrity MDR and purchase a dining package otherwise you will be disappointed.

Totally agree. :)

Oceania is wonderful. Also quite a bit pricier than X with the possible exception of Edge sailings, which because of the novelty seem sky high. I'm comparing similar type accommodations. Both lines have their niche.

Celebrity pluses: Decent entertainment/nice excursions/very good specialty rest. Minus's: Food quality drastically going down hill. NOT inedible, but hardly the quality one would expect from a cruise line that bills itself as "premium". Very noisy up on pool deck area. Chair hogs flourish in many areas

Oceania pluses: Outstanding food/ Illy Coffee/complimentary soft drinks/ Good enrichment seminars/Overall very comfy ship/ NO chair hogs!/staff routinely enforces standards. Larger standard cabins overall. No annoying photographers!

Oceania minuses: Poor overall entertainment(food IS the real entertainment)Ship gets really quiet at night(most elderly pax I've seen on a ship)Smaller ships mean less to do while on board(unless you just like to kick back & do nothing)I felt excursions overall were pretty lacking. Still taking all into consideration we do prefer Oceania. Prices are quite a bit higher....The food ain't cheap!

Bob, you must not be looking hard enough for grits on Celebrity. I have some good news for you. My DW enjoys grits and she finds them on some days in the Oceanview cafe at breakfast. As far as I can recall it has been on everyone of our Celebrity cruises.

Enjoy, next time.

I'll eat Grits at times. Found them when I wanted them on Celebrity.

Oceania is double the price of Celebrity so you would expect the restaurants to be superior. Not so, Murano restaurant on Celebrity S class ships is by far better than either Toscana or the Polo Grill on Oceania. Also their Terrace Cafe is a disappointment compared the the Oceanview Cafe on Celebrity. You can listen to me 'cause I know , Bon appetit.

We traveled on Oceania 7 times on some very interesting itineraries including the Amazon sailing. We enjoyed the food in the Polo Lounge, did not care for the Italian or the main dining room. We thought the food was good, however the regular dining room was very noisy. The cabins were also very small on the original Renaissance type ships. You had to book a Penthouse cabin to be able to walk past the bed without sidestepping. You should enjoy the food in the Luminae and some Specialty Restaurants. I imagine you are traveling in a Suite since you are accustomed to paying more for cruises. You do get what you pay for across the industry.

I like Celebrity and Oceania and cruise both often. Bottom line for us: Book a suite on X for the closest experience to O. O does have the food advantage but I must say that X had the best butler ever and the suite experience on X is superb. Sometimes a larger ship is just more fun!

I can critique because we have numerous days and sailings on both.

We've cruised on both lines. If you are a foodie, IMHO Oceania dining (more like fine restaurant type) is superior to Celebrity (more like hotel banquet type), but at a large price differential. Celebrity specialty restaurants do provide very good food & are comparable to O.

This is not a knock on Luminae; I really enjoyed Luminae my past couple of cruises, but as someone with a lot of experience in this area it is just not at the same level as a good land based restaurant for the reasons I outlined.

That said, how would you compare three different meals at Murano with a very good land based restaurant? My last experience at Murano was among the best meals I've had, any place, any time. Just curious of your impression. :)