Sushi on 5 Detailed Review with Photos - Reflection 2/27/16

[didicruiser]

Thank you for the review. Food for thought!

[chemmo]

If they are going to trial 'pop up' restaurants wouldn't it be nice to link to the itinerary....The chef buying local ingredients, cooking local delicacies, that most of us would happily pay a premium for.

 

The pop up could run for the season, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Asian, Alaskan....Not so much change it would be unmanageable for the crew but something different and special for passengers.

 

Seem to think this has been discussed before, Bistro on 5 could be the way to make it work.

Edited March 7, 2016 by chemmo

[emsachs]

So a drink question here...

If we have a premium drink package, would we have to pay extra for some of those interesting looking drinks and sake?

 

Thanks again for posting the review

[emsachs]

So a drink question here...

If we have a premium drink package, would we have to pay extra for some of those interesting looking drinks and sake?

 

Thanks again for posting the review

 

Oops to clarify...I mean what are the $$ allowances for premium package? (and claasic for that matter).

[Alsmez]

So a drink question here...

If we have a premium drink package, would we have to pay extra for some of those interesting looking drinks and sake?

 

Thanks again for posting the review

 

Nope! Any drink under $13 is included in the premium package, and as I mentioned, they will let you walk up and order drinks even if you're not having a meal.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Alsmez
Clarity

[Alsmez]

If they are going to trial 'pop up' restaurants wouldn't it be nice to link to the itinerary....The chef buying local ingredients, cooking local delicacies, that most of us would happily pay a premium for.

 

The pop up could run for the season, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Asian, Alaskan....Not so much change it would be unmanageable for the crew but something different and special for passengers.

 

Seem to think this has been discussed before, Bistro on 5 could be the way to make it work.

 

Given the amount of work that goes into opening a restaurant on a ship (menu development, staff training, redecoration or retheming of the space, etc.), there is no way a true pop-up will ever work on a ship. They can't rely on local suppliers for ingredients, nor depend on a chef to create dishes on the fly each night. Most of the cooking on ships is done by line cooks who are following recipe formulas created by someone else, according to strict standards to control costs.

 

The pop-up title here is marketing, plain and simple. If Sushi on 5 is profitable, it will stay on Reflection for a good long while, and be rolled out to other ships quickly.

[BosoxI]

Thanks for a great review. I would love this place but DW is no fan of sushi and sashimi has never touched her lips. We just made a decision not to take a Reflection cruise, so this will have to wait. Darn

[Big_G]

Nicely done. We were on your sailing but didn't try it. DW has no desire to try sushi and I just didn't get around to it. Thanks for the review.

 

 

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[Iamthesea]

I, for one, was a big fan of the original Bistro on 5, with the wonderful crepes and paninnis. I thought it was a great place for a meal on embarkation day or a light bite when coming back from a day off the ship.

Will be on the Summit in August and hope that Bistro and not Sushi is still there.

Not a sushi fan at all, so if the change is made fleet wide I will be unhappy that there is one less dining venue for me to enjoy.

 

I was also a fan of Bistro. Although I do like some types of Sushi (My DH is not a fan.), I would also rather see a small upcharge like Bistro had, rather than a la Carte or a large upcharge like the other specialty restaurants.

 

The restaurant doesn't appear to be much different looking from Bistro. I am not a fan of the sign. No very elegant looking for the Grand Foyer area.

 

Rumor is the the Silhouette may have the new restaurant in May. I am hoping for Bistro when we sail, but if it has changed over, we will probably go because my brother and SIL (sailing with us) love sushi!

 

Is this UDP new to Celebrity? Where can I find more about it?

Edited March 7, 2016 by Iamthesea

[flyingv4me]

Thank you for the review and pictures! I'm one that can't wait to try So5!

[vplsh]

Oh, and I agree with you on the roll selection - I think what they have now is really poorly planned. There is virtually nothing for vegetarians, either - one roll, one tofu salad, edamame, and that's it. I don't think they even included tamago (egg) nigiri.

 

It also looks like most of the rolls have avocado, which my DD is allergic to, but I'm sure we can ask for them without.

 

The menu looks similar to, but more limited than, the menu on Royal Caribbean for Izumi. They have a la carte sushi but also have some other choices for the non-sushi lover. And they're dining package gives you quite a large allowance so that you can really try everything. Wonder if they'll use that model as they move forward.

 

We will be on Summit in less than 2 weeks (YAY!) and it looks like they may be changing to this in the drydock.

[chamima]

Nope! Any drink under $13 is included in the premium package, and as I mentioned, they will let you walk up and order drinks even if you're not having a meal.

 

Just curious, since you said the drinks came from the World Class Bar, if they were available there also?

We LOVED the Molecular Bar but found the offerings at the World Class pretty limited. Some of the drinks on the menu from Host Andy sound interesting and that would be a wonderful expansion .

[Alsmez]

I was also a fan of Bistro. Although I do like some types of Sushi (My DH is not a fan.), I would also rather see a small upcharge like Bistro had, rather than a la Carte or a large upcharge like the other specialty restaurants.

 

The restaurant doesn't appear to be much different looking from Bistro. I am not a fan of the sign. No very elegant looking for the Grand Foyer area.

 

Rumor is the the Silhouette may have the new restaurant in May. I am hoping for Bistro when we sail, but if it has changed over, we will probably go because my brother and SIL (sailing with us) love sushi!

 

Is this UDP new to Celebrity? Where can I find more about it?

 

My pictures don't do the space justice AT ALL - it is actually very pretty. The upholstery on the benches and carpets, etc are done in soothing shades of green and blue, and the black dishes and red accents really pop. I always felt like Bistro on 5 looked a bit like a Panera Bread, so I thought this was a nice change. I wish they had inserted a seating area in front of the chef station, though, so you could watch them work - perhaps they will add that later if they get enough comments about it.

 

The UDP is not new but it's also not really advertised. I found out about it here on Cruise Critic. You pay $29 per person, per day, for the entirety of your sailing (so $203 per person for a 7-day cruise) and this gets you unlimited admission to any of the specialty restaurants. It's a great value, although it was somewhat annoying on Reflection because now that Bistro on 5 is gone, there is no specialty restaurant that serves breakfast, and nothing was open on port days until 3pm (and then it was only the Porch). We worked around it by eating all of our meals late, and luckily we LOVED the Porch so we didn't mind lunching there every day, but I can see how others may be annoyed by the timing and lack of selection. If Sushi on 5 begins opening for lunch AND the UDP is accepted there, that would add some variety.

[Alsmez]

It also looks like most of the rolls have avocado, which my DD is allergic to, but I'm sure we can ask for them without.

 

The menu looks similar to, but more limited than, the menu on Royal Caribbean for Izumi. They have a la carte sushi but also have some other choices for the non-sushi lover. And they're dining package gives you quite a large allowance so that you can really try everything. Wonder if they'll use that model as they move forward.

 

We will be on Summit in less than 2 weeks (YAY!) and it looks like they may be changing to this in the drydock.

 

Yes, almost all of the rolls have avocado - we ordered one that didn't list avocado on the menu but it had avocado inside, so be very careful! That was another thing I noticed about the roll selection - not only were there very few choices, a lot of the choices were very similar to each other. They definitely have some work to do here!

 

It sounds like Royal has a good plan in place with the dining package giving you an allowance to use at the a la carte restaurants - that would work well with the UDP and I'm sure people would be happier to pay overages rather than full price when they've already purchased a package. It's like the enomatic machines in Cellar Masters - why would I pay full price for those wines when there is a huge list of stuff I have already paid for with my package?

[patty1955]

Thank you for the review.

Do you know if they have real wasabi? We're a little picky about it and find that even good sushi restaurants use a colored horseradish paste.

[Alsmez]

Just curious, since you said the drinks came from the World Class Bar, if they were available there also?

We LOVED the Molecular Bar but found the offerings at the World Class pretty limited. Some of the drinks on the menu from Host Andy sound interesting and that would be a wonderful expansion .

 

I think this is probably at the discretion of the bartenders at World Class, but I'm guessing they would prefer that you do as I did and go to Sushi on 5 to order the drinks from the So5 menu. World Class doesn't advertise the fact that they are the ones pouring the cocktails for So5, and I think the bartenders there are supposed to try to sell the new concept and stick strictly to the World Class menu. Better for everyone to just go to So5 and order drinks from the So5 menu there.

[SAC69]

Thanks for the review. I'll give it a try later this month!:D

[Alsmez]

Thank you for the review.

Do you know if they have real wasabi? We're a little picky about it and find that even good sushi restaurants use a colored horseradish paste.

 

It's definitely the same colored paste you find in most sushi restaurants, I'm afraid. It was even a bit less strong than what I typically get from my neighborhood sushi joints. I enjoy the real stuff too but it is very hard to find - even in NYC, you only get it at the high end places!

[Fogfog]

Thanks so very much for your great review and pics.

 

We are looking fwd to trying it in short order.:D

 

Like you--we are big sushi fans and eat it often. I agree the a la carte pricing is spendy--I think it has to be that way to maintain quality etc. We shall see...

[Iamthesea]

My pictures don't do the space justice AT ALL - it is actually very pretty. The upholstery on the benches and carpets, etc are done in soothing shades of green and blue, and the black dishes and red accents really pop. I always felt like Bistro on 5 looked a bit like a Panera Bread, so I thought this was a nice change. I wish they had inserted a seating area in front of the chef station, though, so you could watch them work - perhaps they will add that later if they get enough comments about it.

 

PB, that is a perfect description of the way Bistro looked. I can see the new colors, but I meant the layout, the same booths, etc. Yes, a Sushi Bar would have been great!

 

The UDP is not new but it's also not really advertised. I found out about it here on Cruise Critic. You pay $29 per person, per day, for the entirety of your sailing (so $203 per person for a 7-day cruise) and this gets you unlimited admission to any of the specialty restaurants. It's a great value, although it was somewhat annoying on Reflection because now that Bistro on 5 is gone, there is no specialty restaurant that serves breakfast, and nothing was open on port days until 3pm (and then it was only the Porch). We worked around it by eating all of our meals late, and luckily we LOVED the Porch so we didn't mind lunching there every day, but I can see how others may be annoyed by the timing and lack of selection. If Sushi on 5 begins opening for lunch AND the UDP is accepted there, that would add some variety.

 

That may be a bit too pricy for us, especially on a 14 night cruise. Paying per day would make us feel like we need to eat in Specially every night to reap the benefits, and we like to eat in Blu (afterall, we are already paying extra for Blu) and the buffet (for lunch) occasionally. I wish the package were like a college cafeteria card where you would pay, say, for 5 days and you could pick the 5 days you wanted to use the card. Is the UDP only for the Solstice class ships? The Porch is not on the Constellation class, so what other lunch choices would one have if Sushi is not included? We love breakfast in all 3 venues onboard. :)

Edited March 7, 2016 by Iamthesea

[Alsmez]

That may be a bit too pricy for us, especially on a 14 night cruise. Paying per day would make us feel like we need to eat in Specially every night to reap the benefits, and we like to eat in Blu (afterall, we are already paying extra for Blu) and the buffet (for lunch) occasionally. I wish the package were like a college cafeteria card where you would pay, say, for 5 days and you could pick the 5 days you wanted to use the card. Is the UDP only for the Solstice class ships? The Porch is not on the Constellation class, so what other lunch choices would one have if Sushi is not included? We love breakfast in all 3 venues onboard. :)

 

We actually did the UDP instead of AQ this time. Our last cruise was in AQ and we really liked Blu - the menu, the smaller space and intimate feel, and of course the fact that the meals were cooked to order. However, on this cruise AQ was about $500 more pp than a standard balcony, so we decided that the UDP would be a better value for upgrading all of our meals. I don't know if the UDP is available on the C-class ships but I don't think there would be enough options on those vessels to make it worthwhile (or interesting).

 

Celebrity does offer a 5-night specialty package at a discount - I believe it's $150 for 5 trips, and includes one night in Murano, Lawn Club and Qsine and two in Tuscan, something like that, on the S-class ships. I don't know what it would include on C-class. It's a decent deal on paper, but the specialty restaurants often offer 2-for-1 specials or 30% off discounts throughout the cruise, so you may find that you can get as good or better deals if you wait until you're onboard to book!

[ghstudio]

The UDP is a better deal on the s-class than the smaller m-class ships. One big difference is that on the M-class, concierge and aqua cabins are about 20 sq ft larger...and that does make a difference; on s-class, all cabins, other than suites are the same size. Additionally on s-class ships, you have at least one, if not more additional restaurants to choose from on the UDP than on any of the m-class ships.

 

However, if you decide to go with the unlimited dining package, the specialty restaurants do tend to serve richer food and have longer meal times and over 14 nights, the menus may get a bit stale, although they may offer to make you special dishes that aren't on the menu. As I joked on some thread...if I took the UDP, I would have to drink a "cardiologist martini"....vodka with a couple of lipitor on the side....with dinner.

Edited March 7, 2016 by ghstudio

[Iamthesea]

That's what I was thinking!

 

We will be on the Silhouette this May in AQ, so definately not worth it. We will eat in Lawn Grill once and either Qsine or Sushi (if it's available) for another night. If it's Bistro, we will eat lunch there.

 

In October, we will be on the Summit in AQ, so same deal.

 

Next February, we will be in a 1A on Solstice, so we could consider the UDP for that cruise. Thank you for the information! :)

[Alsmez]

The UDP is a better deal on the s-class than the smaller m-class ships. One big difference is that on the M-class, concierge and aqua cabins are about 20 sq ft larger...and that does make a difference; on s-class, all cabins, other than suites are the same size. Additionally on s-class ships, you have at least one, if not more additional restaurants to choose from on the UDP than on any of the m-class ships.

 

However, if you decide to go with the unlimited dining package, the specialty restaurants do tend to serve richer food and have longer meal times and over 14 nights, the menus may get a bit stale, although they may offer to make you special dishes that aren't on the menu. As I joked on some thread...if I took the UDP, I would have to drink a "cardiologist martini"....vodka with a couple of lipitor on the side....with dinner.

 

It is true that you may find yourself overeating with the UDP! We managed this by reminding ourselves that we would have multiple opportunities at each restaurant to enjoy our favorites, so there was no need to order all of them at once, and definitely no need to order dessert at every meal! In the past, we've ordered four courses at the specialty places, since we were paying full price and only had one opportunity per cruise at any given restaurant - this time, we usually stuck to two courses and didn't feel like we were gorging ourselves (except at Qsine - boy was that a mistake!). We also avoided filling up on bread (which is mostly lackluster on Celebrity), which helped a lot.

 

We ended up doing two nights at Murano, two at Tuscan, one at Qsine and two at So5, with ALL of our lunches at the Porch. I was worried that my husband would tire of the Porch, since he's not a big seafood fan, but it ended up being our absolute favorite venue on the ship. He loved the burger, the wings, the mahi tacos and the branzino, and was more than happy to rotate those favorites with the soups and crudites, not to mention their delicious garlic cheddar bread. It was rarely busy and the wait staff was great.

[timbom]

Can't believe those prices!!!!

 

I can go to the best sushi restaurant in town and get larger quantities of sushi than you show for less cost and not wonder about how long the fish has been at sea.

 

Either I am spoiled by close proximity to sea food for good sushi or this is another way to soak the cruiser.

 

This used to be one of my favorite places on celebrity hope it fails.

 

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