Least Busy Time For Luminae Dinner On Edge?

[SerraG]

I have read some reviews saying that Luminae can be quite loud on the E-class ships.  I am partially deaf so it can be really difficult for me to talk to my dining companions when there is a lot of background noise or other people seated very close to us.   Does anyone have experience with the noise level throughout dinner when arriving right when they open compared to nearer closing time?  We will be on the Edge for an Alaskan cruise at the beginning of June if that makes any difference.  Thanks for any advice!

[Cruise a holic]

We never had a problem on any E-class ship.  But we dine early= by 6:00PM  Perhaps later the noise level is loud.  Also, unlike Blu and MDR's , tables for two are spaced well.  

[Whinenowine]

I personally never found it too loud, but that's just me--I know others disagree.  Alaska is a port-intensive cruise, so lots of early-start shore excursions means later dinners will be more sparsely attended.  So if you don't mind missing the shows, an 8-8:30pm seating should be more quiet.  Also, perhaps the best place to ask to be seated is against the window behind the hostess stand (it's a semi-segregated part of the dining room).  If you can get the banquet with your back to the rest of the dining room, I think it can be very quiet (as far as these things go).

[jelayne]

My DH has a similar hearing issue.  Generally we go later (8:15 +) and get a table along a wall, and preferably in a corner to minimize the sounds from around.  Tonight we showed up at 8:25  (day 9 of 14) and the only open tables were in the middle open areas. The 1st time we couldn’t get a corner or wall behind DH.    It wasn’t great but if they can accommodate you they will 

[prmssk]

In my experience, people's patterns (even the same ship in the same part of the world back to back can have two different experiences on each leg of the journey).  So it might take some trial and error to figure out the least busy times on your specific sailings but generally we have had better luck either very early or very late.

[chemmo]

Definitely let the M’D know on your first visit about your hearing difficulty and they should try to ensure you get an appropriate seat…

 

Totally agree with jelayne…Against a wall or corner if possible is much better than centre of the room.

[Jim_Iain]

It really depends on your particular cruise.    I've been on some where Luminae has had a line out the door at 5:30 and other times totally empty.  

 

You can ask for one of the banquette seating along the side.    Many consider it less desirable as it is fare away from the windows and close to the kitchen.   We were traveling with family that had hearing problems and they loved it because for them the kitchen noises didn't bother them and could carry on a conversation and hear.

[zitsky]

I was on the Beyond and didn’t find it loud.  I have tinnitus and would prefer a little noise to mask the noise in my ear.

[SerraG]

Thanks for all the information, and especially for the suggestion to try the banquette seating against a wall.

[Northern Aurora]

I also am currently on the Edge and am dining in Luminae.  
 

We like to avoid the busy times and asked the seating hostess if the current passengers tend toward early or late dining.  Generally the seating hostess sense very early in the cruise if they are dealing with a predominately early or late crowd.  The current sailing is the first leg of a B2B2B and the other sailings may be different.

 

Despite the fact that we live in Alaska we have done six or seven Alaska cruises.  My sense is that after busy port days a greater number of folks just dine in the buffet than other cruises.  So on port days Luminae may be less busy on an Alaskan itinerary.

[JDPCruisers]

20 hours ago, SerraG said:

I have read some reviews saying that Luminae can be quite loud on the E-class ships.  I am partially deaf so it can be really difficult for me to talk to my dining companions when there is a lot of background noise or other people seated very close to us.   Does anyone have experience with the noise level throughout dinner when arriving right when they open compared to nearer closing time?  We will be on the Edge for an Alaskan cruise at the beginning of June if that makes any difference.  Thanks for any advice!

We have been on E-class to include Edge in April and only found against the wall to be noisy at times from the kitchen. Other than that, we did not find noise a problem in the middle or by the windows (two-top tables). We tend to dine early and not sitting next to large groups, which we think helps with the noise level by your table. I will say the most noise on Edge was on the Caribbean leg of the trip and the TA was less because of the lower passenger volume.