Bon Appetite

This One Is For All You Foodie’s Out There.

Back in May although it seems a lifetime ago already myself and my husband went on the beautiful celebrity Equinox, this was our second trip on a Solstice ship. This time around we wanted to indulge ourselves in the luxuries of a fine dining culinary experience so we decided to book a 5 speciality dining restaurant package.

We didn’t feel there was much of a price differential between the 3-4 restaurant packages so we opted for the 5 specialty dining options.

From memory, it was around $300 which we feel represented great value.

These were our thoughts and an overview of Speciality Dining Celebrity Style.

Qsine Deck 5:

$45 surcharge if you have not purchased the fine dining package.

This is an informal culinary experience, tapas style. A confused ensemble of foods from all over the world which somehow work beautifully. I loved the décor here with upside down lamps for ceiling lighting and masterful table arrangements. It had a great ambiance with gorgeous lighting. Ordering the food by I pad was a nice modern touch and the menu was indulgent and varied. There is something for everyone here and selecting the right menu choices will be your only issue as there are 20 meal choices. The wonderfully informed waiters will help you make a selection of 5-6 dishes per table. You can eat more if you would like but we were stuffed. We loved Qsine so much that we actually attended twice in substitution for the Sushi which my husband is not a fan of.

Tuscan Grill Deck 5 Aft:

$45 surcharge

A superb restaurant located in the Aft of the ship the perfect romantic setting for a sail away dinner. I must admit bot myself and my husband was not as impressed with Tuscan, this time, around as we were on the Celebrity Equinox 5 years ago. There was a fabulous selection of breads and dips as well as some of the finest cuts of steak with plenty of other Italian options such as Lasagne and Spaghetti bolognese, along with Lobster Linguine Alfredo. We both had a very nice medium 21 day Matured filet steak yum.

Murano Deck 5:

Located on Deck 5 $50 Surcharge if you have not purchased the fine dining package. This is elegant, classic French traditional cuisine. On the menu to name but a few there was Foie Gras, Creamy Bisques, and a cheese course. Both al la carte as well as a 6-course menu including a wine pairing with each course. The surcharge for this is just $89 per person.

I’ll never forget the look on people’s faces on the tables opposite or the smell of our ice-cream pancake crepe with freshly prepared Ice cream and Cherry reduction prepared at our table side by the extraordinary Maitre d .

Murano also has a Champaign afternoon tea on sea days for around $25 per person we didn’t attend but I must say the setting would be a wonderful way to spend a lazy sea day with fresh scones and Jam, how incredibly British of me.

Sushi on 5:

This looks a sensational casual dining restaurant in the mid ship just adjacent to the main Atrium perfect for those evenings where you still want to hear the singing entertainment as you eat informally in sushi style.Lots of dark black and red colours like a true Japanese cultured evening. My husband does not eat sushi so we gave this one a miss but if you love sushi you are going to love this.

Lawn Club Grill:

Located on deck 15. $25 surcharge if you have not purchased the fine dining package.

We remember this space from when it was the hot glass blowing show on the Equinox, I must say it’s a far better use of the space and they certainly create an amazing interactive dining space as you sail away. We\ attended here on May 18th 2016 I remember it well as it was my husband’s birthday. They chef prepared him the most amazing chocolate cake (what a nice touch)

The thing we loved most about this restaurant was that you can cook and prepare your own meals. Starters was a fresh flatbread with your choice of toppings. Main courses varied but the main choice is your chosen cut of steak which you cook yourself and the chefs actually teach you how to know when your perfect steak is cooked to perfection.

The good and bad parts about this restaurant were how cold the restaurant got as we sailed out of Santorini. It’s very exposed to the elements and the waiters were handing out blankets for diners myself included. The other thing this restaurant lacked was more variation The only starter was a flatbread

or salad from the salad bar whereas I though being a grill there may have been some prawns or chicken wings etc… The mains my husband had eaten so many amazing steaks on board so he really fancied something different perhaps a nice burger or even chicken but it seemed fairly limited. I think the main reason for this is because it’s an interactive dining experience and the diners are welcomed to cook their own steak and prepare their own pizza dough flatbread.

All things being said and done I feel that celebrity do an amazing job with their 5-star food and restaurants and the restaurant packages are 100% great value. In hindsight, we both thought a three restaurant package would have been enough as on an 11 night sailing the food in the main restaurant Opus was too good not to take advantage of more.

If you have traveled on any ships that have exceeded your food expectations then I would love to hear more. Simply post your comments below in the comments box and included the name of the ship you traveled on with why you feel the food was amazing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today!

If you would like to book  a cruise or you would like to know more about a cruise you have seen then then please contact me on 0333 300 2471