Luminae

[Georgia_Peaches]

We've always found something to enjoy on the menu.  It's the Luminae physical space that we didn't really care for.  We like the S class set up much better.  E class Luminae is very large and can get quite noisy.  The seating is awkward in some areas and since it's located at the front of the ship, the slant of the windows makes that area feel very hot and very bright...despite the shades.

[Straughn]

I have sailed on E class ships in a suite, and in an SV. First comment is on the theatre seating. I go to the earlier show, followed by dinner in Luminae or one of the four dining rooms. As a suite or SV passenger, I never had a problem, if showing up 15-20 minutes before curtain, in  getting a seat in the upper level of the theatre. On the rare occasions where the headliner was super popular, your mileage on timing may vary.

 

As for dining in Luminae, I have had great meals, and, occasionally, some which made me wonder if I was in Ruby Tuesday. Average time is 60-90 minutes. This depends on what you order, how many courses you order, and what time you dine. And, I completely agree with @Georgia_Peaches that Luminae layout, on the S class ships, is far superior to the E class ships.

[Cap_D]

1 hour ago, Straughn said:

I have sailed on E class ships in a suite, and in an SV. First comment is on the theatre seating. I go to the earlier show, followed by dinner in Luminae or one of the four dining rooms. As a suite or SV passenger, I never had a problem, if showing up 15-20 minutes before curtain, in  getting a seat in the upper level of the theatre. On the rare occasions where the headliner was super popular, your mileage on timing may vary.

 

As for dining in Luminae, I have had great meals, and, occasionally, some which made me wonder if I was in Ruby Tuesday. Average time is 60-90 minutes. This depends on what you order, how many courses you order, and what time you dine. And, I completely agree with @Georgia_Peaches that Luminae layout, on the S class ships, is far superior to the E class ships.

How was the food quality in the MDR on Edge class?  We ate in OVC and Luminae, but have always been curious if we could manage 5 -10 days with no Luminae or Retreat Deck and some combination of everything else considering the prices vs value. 

[Straughn]

49 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

How was the food quality in the MDR on Edge class?  We ate in OVC and Luminae, but have always been curious if we could manage 5 -10 days with no Luminae or Retreat Deck and some combination of everything else considering the prices vs value. 

I find the four dining rooms on E class ships to be a great experience. My last E class cruise was on Beyond in May 2023.  I did not have a bad meal in any of the four dining rooms on Edge, Apex, or Beyond. All the restaurants offer the same menu each night, with a side menu of special dishes specific to that restaurant’s theme.

I have dined in Eden, multiple times, on the ships I listed above. All were fantastic experiences and I plan to dine there on whatever E class ship  I am on. On Beyond, I dined in Le Voyage and thought it was fabulous. To be fair, I love that kind of “focused” dining experience. With the availability of specialty restaurants on the E class ships, and based on my previous experiences, I could easily not miss dining in Luminae.

[Gracie115]

16 hours ago, CruisinShips said:

Yes, I misspoke.  My point was the second level, starboard entrance (where we met with the butlers on chic nights) always seemed to have available seating closer to showtime than the first level areas.  At least that was our experience on the Apex.

 

This has been our experience on EVERY Celebrity ship we've been on and we've been on 11 of them.  We always opt for the balcony area, generally don't arrive more than 15 minutes before show time and have always found seats, that includes 2 sailings on the Apex (our only E class experience). Perhaps Beyond, with it's additional cabins, makes this impossible, something we won't find out because we don't plan to cruise on E class again.

[Gracie115]

10 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

We've always found something to enjoy on the menu.  It's the Luminae physical space that we didn't really care for.  We like the S class set up much better.  E class Luminae is very large and can get quite noisy.  The seating is awkward in some areas and since it's located at the front of the ship, the slant of the windows makes that area feel very hot and very bright...despite the shades.

 

Agree on all points, especially the noise factor.  If not seated in the front area just off the entry it becomes so loud it is difficult to hear across a table of more than 2 people.