Celebrity Summit Live report 4/4/15 - First Luminae and new suite benefits sailing

[need2bespoiled]

Jenna,

SNIP

 

 

 

I'm curious if Bistro on 5 is included in the complimentary specialty dining. No big deal if it isn't, but hoping it is as we enjoy lunch

 

 

SNIP

 

Janice

 

 

Our Butler says Bistro on 5 is part of the unlimited speciality dining perk.

 

We also heard Jole say she is not allowed to have guests take alcohol out of Michael's Club which we know is false but we just smiled. The other guests response was "but what does it matter, we have a premium package anyway" to which the response was silence :)

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gonzo70]

We're going to have a ribbon cutting tomorrow at 5:15p with the captain. Apparently the goal is a Michelin star in a year.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the updates and pictures. They were likely joking regarding the Michelin star comment, it is not eligible for a star.

[need2bespoiled]

Could be joking or maybe he meant the goal was to be as good. It's a tall order and certainly not there yet.

 

Here is tonight's dinner. We'll be heading there after muster. Looks promising.

 

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[drarill]

Jenna: Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures and menus. We are looking forward to the Equinox this summer. Have a great cruise!!:)

[hvsteve1]

Your realize, of course, this is one of the most anticipated reports on CC in quite a while. Keep up the good work.

[need2bespoiled]

One pic of the heirloom tomato salad I meant to post from lunch.

 

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[junetraveler2014]

Jenna,

This review is quite nice. Having me check back every few hours. Looks like Dominic won't be our butler:( when we were on Summit last summer in 6140 , Dominic had made mention that he would always be on the Starboard side, I think he had said Jose was on the port side. Was hoping maybe that changed. I am sure whom ever the butler is, he will be great. The winter is still on going here in the Hudson Valley NY. Tonight is will go down to 20 degrees with a wind chill of 10 degrees Brrrrr. The daffodils aren't even showing a bud nor are the trees. Can't wait for May and Summit.

Enjoy your cruise.

Victoria

[jcpc]

Jenna,

 

Thanks for all the info. And you're correct .... that dinner menu does look promising.

 

Have fun!

 

Janice

[midwestchick]

Jenna,

For some reason your pictures are bland except for the welcome on your first picture post.

[BrendaJ]

Jenna

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to give us details on what we have all been waiting a long time to hear about. I will be feasting on every word as we will be on Summit in May and are recalling looking forward to the new suite benefits.

 

Brenda

[need2bespoiled]

Dinner was "an experience" to say the least. Service was far less than stellar. A mix-up somewhere meant our mains took more than an hour. Two dishes were wrong and both filets were overcooked.

 

We were heading in with a couple we met earlier in Michael's Club. If it weren't for the company we probably would have left without waiting.

 

We're hoping that was first night jitters as mostly it was service related.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dunmore2]

Thanks for reporting on Luminae.

 

Were you able to look at the night's menu earlier in the day?

Can you see the menus for the next few evenings?

I'm hoping so, as I'd like to see which menus aren't too exciting, and therefor book in a specialty restaurant.

[maggie.1008]

Jenna, Thank you so much for the great review and photos. Not too happy about service tonight. Hope things are worked out by next week. See you then, Heather

[Andy]

We were told the new chairs and glass tables (which will be sans table clothes) aren't due in for 3 weeks.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

FWIW, they look like MDR chairs from the M-Class ships. Thank you for your shipboard report Jenna. Have a wonderful cruise !

Edited April 5, 2015 by Host Andy

[Andy]

During the suite benefits Q & A with the Celebrity rep, it was stated that the suite dining would be open even on port days. I'm disappointed to hear that they've changed this perk. The Summit sails some fairly port-intensive itineraries in the Caribbean - very few sea days.

 

Hi Thebutlerdidit,

 

I agree. I also checked with a couple of sources, and was advised that Luminae would be open for lunch on Port days - which I was very pleased to hear ! I'm hopeful the lack of this feature is temporary, as they probably need to get some experience under their belt.

 

I hope the Celebrity rep is watching this thread, and will confirm whether this is temporary, or a change of plan.

[need2bespoiled]

Thanks for reporting on Luminae.

 

 

 

Were you able to look at the night's menu earlier in the day?

 

Can you see the menus for the next few evenings?

 

I'm hoping so, as I'd like to see which menus aren't too exciting, and therefor book in a specialty restaurant.

 

 

I think eventually we'll be able to see the next day's menu in advance but for now it's not available early as their still working out kinks. We've asked to have it with breakfast if possible and if not when the afternoon "goodies" come so we can change plans if we're not interested.

 

They also said while they have 14 menus they'll repeat on our second cruise so we'll only get to see half the menus on this trip.

 

I can confirm a few things, some unrelated to suite info. First, chocolates are back. I tried to post a pic, but it wouldn't post. It's Valrhona Noir Guanaja.

 

Second, there is only smoking on the port side on this sailing (deck 4, deck 10 at pool and aft) regardless of other reports.

 

Tomorrow Luminae is open for brunch 10am-1pm. If you want earlier breakfast you'd have to go elsewhere.

 

There is a steal pan player onboard., which is something I've seen many request.

 

The robes in our cabin are Frette. I saw some posts fretting about this. The towels are "Egyptian Cotton" made for Celebrity and the towels at the pool are all new and grey.

 

The casino tables are new and they're tracking all player it seems. However, I wouldn't say they're any luckier ;) The black jack minimum was $10.

 

The ship is in great condition, I'd say better than the Millenium.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Project_gal]

Jenna

 

It seems that you are determined to use your Captain's Club Internet minutes as soon as possible so that you can start using your suite perk minutes!

 

Seriously, thanks for the reports even if some of them are disappointing - restricted opening times lunch/breakfast and lack of table cloths.

 

I know that, when Luminae was first announced, there was mention of discussing the guests' preferences and tailoring their dining experience as well as pairing wines to the food [opening the question of whether there would be more wines available by the glass]. I know that it is early days and they must still be bedding-in but is their any indication that this will be coming?

 

To respond to some of the other points raised: if the other butler is Jose Luis Fierro he is excellent.

 

As far as a Michelin star is concerned. I know that they were seriously speaking of one on our November cruise on Eclipse. Although all the hype about Michelin stars these days concentrates on top-end restaurants, the organisation also reviews other types of restaurants - even motorway service stations in the UK. They review establishments against a standard for the category in which they are. With the growth of the popularity of cruising, it is about time they turned their attention to restaurants on cruise ships.

 

Jenna, continue to enjoy your cruise. I am looking forward to reading your continuing review.

[Project_gal]

Jenna

 

There is another thread with reports from Constellation that the understanding of the new suite perks was inconsistent. One RS guest reported issues about the mini bar set up. I am assuming that, as you did not mention it, you had no problems with that aspect?

[uktog]

Thanks for your helpful posts Jenna, makes me want the next month to race by!

 

I'm hoping that the opening hours are still to be sorted and that today is different to allow an Easter Brunch to be served

 

I've no issue re tablecloths, one of the smartest places we eat does not have them. You could argue it's less demanding on the laundry, more environmentally friendly and I'd rather have no cloth than a frayed one(aka last 2 Murano trips)

 

I too am interested to hear about the wines by the glass and whether the number / type covered by the premium package has improved.

 

I see there was only one soup on the menu last night and not so good salad choice . Based on the menu last night, for Appetiser/soup/salad Blu gives a much better selection. But it's early days!

 

I am expecting to have the menus 24 hours ahead so we can deal with allergy issues, I'm working on the basis they were bedding in this cruise, but I would not have been happy if this had been my cruise and no opportunity to make menu/recipe changes in advance was available.

 

I'm also curious, what were the dessert selections?

 

Really appreciate the time you are taking to post and sorry for adding more questions

[need2bespoiled]

Here are last night's dessert menus, meant to post these last night.

 

 

 

To answer a few questions, our cabin attendant explained the mini-bar was still charged but items on the counter were not. I "educated" him and asked out butler to inform him as our butler was aware. Small kink that will be worked out but should t be there.

 

There were more wines available within the package (premium) but the overall selection is not as good as we'd hope. Some of our favorite wines aren't onboard any longer. We were told is was an expanded "Murano" wine list but I went and took pictures of the Cab and Chardonnay menu from Normandie and it definitely has a larger selection than Luminae but we also know they are out of some of those wines so maybe Murano is being switched too. I'll get pictures of the wine list tomorrow as tonight we're dining at the Master's table. Surprisingly we're top cruisers onboard?!? :eek: Fear not as I'll make sure I post a picture of the menu. ;) We also haven't paid much attention to the wine by the glass list as we bought a bottle of white at lunch and one of red at dinner and have 4 more in our cabin. 2 that replaced our spirits, one that replaced our sparkling wine, and a fourth that we brought onboard that was given to use by our pre-cruise hotel when they had no room for us at 4pm checkin. This caused that piece of luggage to go to the "naughty room".

 

Everything seems to be prepared to order so allergies issues aren't really an issue. It's hard to exactly tell because the wheels totally fell off the bus at our table last night. The rest of the restaurant was served more promptly as we watched them all leave. Remember we couldn't come until after muster. We went right in after muster from the Rendevous lounge as sail away was at 8p. We were seated by 815p. This meant anyone there arrived about when we did or later. Only 2 tables who arrived after us were there when we left at after 11p. We know,, things happen and we were told it was a mix-up in the galley by the waiter. The Maiter-d never came over to explain EVEN after we asked to speak with her no explanation was given. We ate in about 5 minutes (no joke or exaggeration) as we were so hungry.

 

I'm off to the gym.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited April 5, 2015 by need2bespoiled

[need2bespoiled]

In our door this morning:

 

Internet has been good except in the bedroom.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TommyD3]

Jenna,

 

Do they have an "everyday" side to the menu in Luminae? What about ice cream / sorbet at dinner? Thanks.

[need2bespoiled]

Jenna,

 

Do they have an "everyday" side to the menu in Luminae? What about ice cream / sorbet at dinner? Thanks.

 

 

No everyday side. I'm paying everything given to us but I suspect ordering off menu will not be a problem (once they work kinks out). It was not a problem to order ice cream (we ended up with at least two flavors not on the menu between the four of us.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[themutis]

Hey Jenna,

 

Thanks for posting! On the dinner menu you posted I don't see any salads. Was there a salad offered?

 

Enjoy your trip!

[need2bespoiled]

This is the menu that was presenter so we ordered from it to try things out. Nothing else www offered but based on their willingness to accommodate (regardless of their ability to deliver) you'd have no problem getting a green salad. No doubt the mozzarella salad was the "salad".

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk