In a Suite - where (what venue) CAN'T I eat dinner?

[gpnfish]

Hi All - I have a suite booked on Beyond coming up soon.  My wife was looking at the Luminae dinner menu, and she says it may be difficult on some nights for her to find something she is interesting (she is not a big fan of French cuisine (think sauces)).  I know you can usually get "classic" menu items, but I heard that is it.  Also, I heard that "Blu" is also possible, but that depends on availability.

 

So here is the basic question - As a Suite passenger, is there any restaurant onboard (excluding specialty restaurants and Blu) where I won't be seated for dinner?  Or stated more directly, if we see something on the Main Dining menu, can we just go to the Main dining room?  From what I have read, I'm thinking yes, but I'm looking for someone's actual experience.  I heard this is possible on some S-class ships, due to closeness of MDR and Luminae, but not sure about Beyond.

 

Thanks, Gary

[Nachosdelux]

yes you can go to the main dining room or the buffet as well

[JDPCruisers]

3 minutes ago, Nachosdelux said:

yes you can go to the main dining room or the buffet as well

And, if you are not aware, the Beyond has four separate main dining rooms to choose from (unique to E-class ships).  

[markeb]

Go the first night and talk to your waiter. It's possible dishes can be prepared without the sauce. The vegetarian dishes are typically very good. On our last cruise in a Sky Suite the waiter voluntarily brought my wife an absolutely wonderful Indian vegetarian dish because we had talked about loving Indian food.

 

They're not going to make steak au poivre without the sauce, because it wouldn't be steak au poivre at all. They may be able to hold a sauce or serve it on the side for grilled or baked meat dish where the sauce is added at the end. (And she might be surprised...)

[cruisestitch]

It’s probably easier to just show up at the one of the main dining rooms on e class ship than on other ships but in general the protocol is to consult with the maître d’ in Luminae and have him or her coordinate this for you. They can figure out where they can make a space for you. Since you don’t have an assigned MDR dining table, they have to fit you in.

[Baynanno1]

41 minutes ago, gpnfish said:

Hi All - My wife was looking at the Luminae dinner menu, and she says it may be difficult on some nights for her to find something she is interesting (she is not a big fan of French cuisine (think sauces)). 

Thanks, Gary

 

Addressing just the first part of your query :

On Solstice last year (unlike our experience on Eclipse the previous year) the first night our baked or grilled fish (can't remember which) came in small pieces swimming in a thin creamy sauce, looking like soup.

 

Subsequently we asked our server to explain exactly how a dish was plated before ordering - more often than not the menu descriptions appear to describe something quite different.

He had our sauces served in a jug on the side for the rest of the cruise and we could add as little or as much as we wanted.

 

I hope your wife finds this useful.

Enjoy your cruise, wherever you choose to dine.

Edited March 20 by Baynanno1

[39august]

Luminae staff will do all they can to make you happy. I agree many of the vegetarian dishes are very good. I love the butternut kale lasagna! We always ask for extra green vegetables, just whatever is available that evening. We too have asked about getting Indian food and have been served some very nice Indian dishes. . If you wish a simple green salad for dinner, just ask even tho' it is not on the menu.  

[Northern Aurora]

I am curious as to what suite level our OP has booked.  Sky Suites and Celebrity Suites don't include specialty dining but higher level suites do.

[OrtonPark]

Thank you for this question. I’ll be sailing (sky suite) on the Edge and sometimes the other menus appeal to me more than what is on offer in Luminae. I was also wondering about how and when to book a table elsewhere for those nights. I understand we can ask the Blu maitre d’ if we can be accommodated there. 

[jelayne]

2 hours ago, OrtonPark said:

Thank you for this question. I’ll be sailing (sky suite) on the Edge and sometimes the other menus appeal to me more than what is on offer in Luminae. I was also wondering about how and when to book a table elsewhere for those nights. I understand we can ask the Blu maitre d’ if we can be accommodated there. 

The Retreat Concierges can make specialty restaurant reservations and your butler can also.  For Blu we have had the Luminae MD check on availability for us.  When it has been possible it has been at 8:30 which is fine for us as we eat after 8 regularly. 

[wrk2cruise]

I always stipulate no sauce.  Many times they bring it on the side anyway.

[bEwAbG]

A big part of the cost of suite class is access to Luminae.  I'd do everything possible to make that work (with requests as suggested by others) versus going to the MDR.  The menu descriptions are sometimes awful, IMO, often not indicative of what is really being served.  Focus on the base dish (chicken, seafood, beef) and then also ask the waiter what they recommend.  They tend to know what is popular and what is less popular on a given menu.  You can always order a replacement if what you get isn't to your liking.  I think the MDR menu descriptions are sometimes the same in that the description makes you think one thing but the execution is something else (and often not the same ship to ship).