Dining Questions on Celebrity Solstice Sydney to Honolulu 9 April 2024

[OlyWACruiser98501]

We have booked a cruise on the respoitions cruise in April. We have not cruised in over 30 years. I have a question about dining. There are so many options. First:

 

1) Are the specialty dining packages a good value. Honestly, we prefer to just eat at a buffet each day, and avoid a full service meal. Is there an option to dine buffet style each evening? What is the main dining room assignment we got (late) involve? Is this a fine dining restaurant.

 

2) How is breakfast and lunch done on these cruises now? For a considerable stretch or two, we are at sea for 5 days or so. Are lunch options different on in port days?

 

3) We prefer not to have the formal dress nights. We are not going on a cruise to get into formal wear. On our last cruise, we were required one formal night. What happens now, three decades later?

 

4) We do not drunk alcohol, so are the beverage packages worth it?

 

Thank you for any and all tips.

Edited February 25 by OlyWACruiser98501
Fixing departure date

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, OlyWACruiser98501 said:

We have booked a cruise on the respoitions cruise in April. We have not cruised in over 30 years. I have a question about dining. There are so many options.

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Your very active Roll Call is here:

April 09, 2024 - Solstice - 17 NIGHT FIJII TRANSPACFIC CRUISE - Celebrity Solstice Roll Calls - Cruise Critic Community

You have a few hours of reading ahead of you!

 

As far as general cruiseline or ship inquiries, the Celebrity board is here:

Celebrity Cruises: Ask a Question - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Essiesmom]

The buffet will be open for all three meals as well as much of the time during the day.  Lunch will be served in the MDR on sea days but not port days.

Formal nights are no more…they may be called gala or elegant, but smart casual is fine.  Some will, some won’t.

  Just an observation about my last cruise on Celebrity.  I found dinner very disappointing.  I booked late as a solo and was given select/anytime dining.  I was u able to make a reservation in the app and had long hour waits for a table.  I ended up in the buffet.  While the buffet was terrific at breakfast and lunch, at dinner there was not a single item available in the buffet that was on the MDR menu.  One about 60% of the serving stations were open.  I was on the smaller Summit, you may have a different experience on the Solstice.  EM

[jelayne]

You can eat at the buffet every evening as as well as for breakfast & lunch if you prefer.  The offerings change daily often with different themes, eg Italian night, German night, etc.  The buffet is casual so no need to dress up, you can go in shorts if you prefer.

 

The main dining assignment you have is for a set time to have dinner in the MDR, I believe late dining is 8 or 8:30 (not sure which) you will have a table assigned and will the same wait staff every night.

The MDR and specialty restaurants are smart casual dress at night. From the website - "Smart Casual means you look comfortable yet tasteful in a dress, skirt, long pants or jean and stylish top or button down.  Shorts and flip flops are not considered Smart Casual"  There will be 1 or 2 Evening Chic nights where some dress up ( suit, tux, cocktail dress, long dress) many stick with Smart Casual every night.

 

Lunch is offered at the buffet, MDR and Spa Cafe every sea day.  Additionally the Mast Grill (burgers, hot dogs, fries) is open every day

 

If you don't drink alcohol then you might want to consider the Zero Proof package.  That package cover  premium bottled water including Evian, San Pellegrino, vitamin water, specialty coffees and teas, soda, juices and mocktails.  It just depends on what you prefer to drink and if the cost makes sense.  

[OlyWACruiser98501]

Thank you. We are booked n three separate reservations, so I believe I need to call Celebrity and ask them to seat us together is this correct? And do we eat at the same table for lunch or breakfast?  Thanks again. Trying to figure things out after decades of not taking cruises.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, OlyWACruiser98501 said:

Thank you. We are booked n three separate reservations, so I believe I need to call Celebrity and ask them to seat us together is this correct? And do we eat at the same table for lunch or breakfast?  Thanks again. Trying to figure things out after decades of not taking cruises.

No, at lunch or breakfast you will be seated anywhere.  They usually don’t need to use the whole dining room for those meals. 

Are you all booked with the same TA or all booked direct with Celebrity.  If so them you can contact who you booked with and ask them to link the 3 reservations.  That way you will be seated together

[OlyWACruiser98501]

Thank you.  I booked each directly with celebrity. 

[Mark_K]

3 hours ago, OlyWACruiser98501 said:

Thank you. We are booked n three separate reservations, so I believe I need to call Celebrity and ask them to seat us together is this correct? And do we eat at the same table for lunch or breakfast?  Thanks again. Trying to figure things out after decades of not taking cruises.

As far as I know, if you go in together for breakfast and lunch and say party of six, they will do their best to seat you together.  At least that’s how it worked when we were on Solstice last summer.

[jelayne]

2 hours ago, OlyWACruiser98501 said:

Thank you.  I booked each directly with celebrity. 

Call Celebrity and have them link the reservations that way you will all be at the same table every night in the MDR.

[abbydancer2003]

On 2/24/2024 at 5:41 PM, OlyWACruiser98501 said:

We have booked a cruise on the respoitions cruise in April. We have not cruised in over 30 years. I have a question about dining. There are so many options. First:

 

1) Are the specialty dining packages a good value. Honestly, we prefer to just eat at a buffet each day, and avoid a full service meal. Is there an option to dine buffet style each evening? What is the main dining room assignment we got (late) involve? Is this a fine dining restaurant.

 

2) How is breakfast and lunch done on these cruises now? For a considerable stretch or two, we are at sea for 5 days or so. Are lunch options different on in port days?

 

3) We prefer not to have the formal dress nights. We are not going on a cruise to get into formal wear. On our last cruise, we were required one formal night. What happens now, three decades later?

 

4) We do not drunk alcohol, so are the beverage packages worth it?

 

Thank you for any and all tips.

Welcome.  Come visit us on the roll call, there's lots of good info there as well.

 

The Solstice has 4 specialty restaurants, Le Petit Chef (fun once), Murano (fine Frenchish), Tuscan (Italian) and Sushi on 5.    Since this is a 17 day cruise, and the buffet at dinner has some closed stations, you might want to try the restaurants.  (I got dining packages on my first few cruises).  

 

I think the rest have been answered.

[AndyCapn]

On 2/24/2024 at 8:41 PM, OlyWACruiser98501 said:

1) Are the specialty dining packages a good value. Honestly, we prefer to just eat at a buffet each day, and avoid a full service meal. Is there an option to dine buffet style each evening? What is the main dining room assignment we got (late) involve? Is this a fine dining restaurant.

 

2) How is breakfast and lunch done on these cruises now? For a considerable stretch or two, we are at sea for 5 days or so. Are lunch options different on in port days?

1) If you prefer buffet to the MDR, a specialty restaurant probably isn't going to be a good value. Realizing, of course, that this is subjective. You can always look at the menus for the specialty restaurants and judge for yourself.

 

But if you want to have a fancier dinner one or two nights, the MDR would be a free option for you. Just don't go on formal nights.

 

2) Yes, on port days the MDR will not be open for lunch. Just the buffet and the Mast Grill (the Spa Café may be as well, but may have different hours than on sea days.)