Included restaurants, buffet, the Blu, the Luminae
Celebrity is one of the companies with an excellent reputation for the quality of food on board, whether for the included part (the main restaurants or the buffet) or for the specialty restaurants (with a fee, but with a higher offer ). Following a few rather catastrophic experiences in terms of the quality of the food included in the price of the cruise (Costa, MSC, Princess…), it seems obvious to me that the buffet on board Celebrity ships alone surpasses the all the restaurants of certain low-end companies. However, I must temper this comment because I have nevertheless noticed, on board the Celebrity ships, since the resumption of cruises after the pandemic, a slight drop in both the offer (less variety, with some of the stands of buffets remaining closed) and even quality. However, the level remains high, and sometimes even surprising.
The restaurants included (Normandie, Tuscan, Cosmopolitan, and Cyprus) offer the same menu that changes daily, and most dishes are excellent. I didn’t frequent them much on these 3 cruises, having other options available to me. There have been a few complaints about these restaurants on my past Apex cruises, not related to quality, but service: it seems Celebrity has struggled to recruit enough staff for its reboot and that it is felt with certain evenings of the waiting times between each dish, rather substantial. It is possible to choose to dine at a non-fixed time, but this is only possible for one of the 4 restaurants included, the 3 others being at fixed times, with 2 services. When you book a little late (as was my case), the option to dine at open time is often full, so you find yourself choosing between first and second service. In Aqua Class and Suite, there is no fixed time.
The buffet has been adapted to smaller numbers of passengers (limits imposed by Covid health protoles). It is therefore not at its full capacity. But the offer remains wide enough to have plenty of choices, very varied.
And the dessert part is not left out!
The Blu, a restaurant for Aqua Class guests, is presented as offering a healthier cuisine. This is quite true, even if you can eat certain dishes that do not completely respect this adage. This restaurant is also accessible to passengers who have a Suite, subject to availability. That’s good to know, because it’s definitely worth a try. Its only fault, for me, is that it is never opened for lunch, even on days at sea.
The Luminae, restaurant for Suites guests, is presented as the top of the kitchen, headed by the (French) chef Daniel Boulud. It is a very good restaurant, but which in my opinion plays a little too much on this supposed exceptional quality. Suddenly, I expected a hell of a level, which, for a Frenchman, is not quite the case. The service is also intended to be superior, but it is too mechanical, often “too much”, leaving too much room for artificial attitudes, learned by heart, forgetting the natural. Like for example the obligatory passage of a chef who will ask you if everything is to your liking, every evening at the same time of the meal (mechanical, I tell you!), and obviously not really caring about the answer. A positive point: the Luminae is open for lunch when the ship is at sea.
Specialty restaurants (Rooftop Grill, Fine Cut, Eden, Raw on 5)
With full onboard credits on each of these cruises, I tried most of the specialty restaurants.
Small disappointment with the Rooftop Grill, which was not always open because outside was not very hot (Norwegian Fjords, British Isles, in end of summer…). Maybe I chose my dishes badly but it was not very good, rather dry. And even the service was pretty bad.
Fine Cut, a steakhouse-style restaurant, was better, more on the Beyond than on the Apex. You can eat a huge piece of meat there. All the difficulty lies in obtaining his favorite cooking. Rare being quite complicated to have, apparently.
Eden is the gourmet restaurant of the Edge series. Top quality. You can choose dishes à la carte (substantial and varied) or a 7-course menu, each course from an alternative, so ideal when you are 2… to test everything! The setting of the restaurant is also quite fantastic with its position at the rear of the ship, behind an impressive panoramic view.
“Raw on 5” was almost my canteen. Mainly seafood restaurant (but not only), you can eat oysters (or even towers with lobster). Prices are a la carte. I have been entitled to 25% off on my bill several times, by dint of coming back! It is one of the few specialty restaurants to be open at noon when the ship is at sea. The service was impeccable. The manager was always checking if everything was ok to me, with care. The cocktails specific to this restaurant, often based on sake, were also worth the detour.
I’ve never tried the “Petit Chef”, a restaurant that puts at the center of its concept videos projected from the ceiling onto the plates and using animated characters to show the arrival of the different dishes. It’s original and pretty well done. At noon, the restaurant is called the Grand Bistro, of French inspiration and offers dishes of the day, such as a brasserie, for instance coq au vin, mussels marinières or a croque-monsieur.
On the Beyond, a new gourmet restaurant has appeared (Le Voyage). I talk about it here, in this article.
Bars, beverage packages, drinks
Bars, like on all cruise ships, are located throughout the vessel. Note, one of the favorites of passengers, the Sunset Bar, at the rear of the ship, a classic from the Celebrity brand. On the Edge and Apex, his version is a little too small for my taste. On the Beyond, the Sunset Bar regains its splendid, much larger and more sophisticated appearance.
The “sports” bar, called Craft Bar, is also a beer bar. The selection is international, and tasting sessions are regularly offered.
The most picturesque bar is on the Magic Carpet, this suspended and mobile platform, outside the ship. It actually gives the impression of floating above the sea…
But my favorite is definitely El Bacio, which has all kinds of coffees, as well as cakes that change throughout the day. There are always a few gluten-free options.
Beverage packages are included by default. A premium version is included if you have a Suite. Like all cruise options, it is possible to pay for the upgrade (before departure or once on board). Until now the difference to pay was $10 (+ 20% service charge) per day and per person, which was really worth it for what the premium version adds. This price has increased slightly recently.
Note that the classic package includes water, which is not the case, for example, with Norwegian Cruise Lines or other cruise lines. In the premium version, mineral waters (Evian, San Pellegrino, etc.) are added. Coffees too. In the suites, although the content of the fridge is not included by default, officially, it is possible to ask to adapt its content so that it sticks to its premium package and therefore, finally include it…
Next, following pages, swimming pools and spa, the Retreat, theater, excursions and the prices!
