Why I Walked out of Luminae, Celebrity Cruises' Suite Restaurant
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- Опубликовано: 17 окт 2024
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I noted in my Part 1 Celebrity Eclipse Vlog Series that I walked out of Luminae before dessert on night 2 of our 11 night South Pacific cruise.
In this short video, I'll tell you why.
Apart from this one interaction, the staff in Luminae were warm and friendly and offered great service throughout the cruise. Luminae was one of my favourite parts of The Retreat.
Thanks for watching.
You were far kinder than I would have been.
I applaud you for that.
Thank you... it was awkward and I should have spoken up in the moment. Next time lol 🤣
The manager should have been confronted, Adrian. Not for the purpose of having the waiter sacked but to possibly have him retrained so as others do not suffer the same fate as you.
That is the strange part he did not do that as most people would have done or complained in writing to front desk.
I agree, we as customers should always bring these negative experiences to the attention of the people who can help prevent it from happing to others. Retraining, official warnings or just simply have the waiter replaced.
I agree, I should have reported it for the sake of preventing someone else from experiencing the same treatment. In the moment, I wasn’t interested in escalating the matter for my own sanity - I waited a long time to be onboard and paid handsomely for the privilege and being involved in all of that just wasn’t high on my agenda. It was just as easy to avoid him, but that was my mistake and equipped with this experience under my belt, I would do it differently in future.
I appreciate you sharing your experience.
Thank you - appreciate you watching.
The gosip of the ship got around about this incident. Thanks for explaining what happened. I agree with you about the push for rating on Celebrity. We have recognised the questioning about rating on previous cruises and now diss them when the spiel starts to happen.
You shouldn't be pressured on anything. You were the First Class passengers.
It doesn't matter if you're a "FIrst Class passenger".
haha geez, I didn't realise it made the gossip circuit 😆 Surprisingly, that was the one and only "rating" chat we had until the last night of the cruise.
@@queenslanddiva Sounds like something a jealous person who never travels "first class" would say. Let me educate you - if you pay many thousands more it is reasonable to expect better service and more positive attention. Doh! If we get the same negative experience at McDonald s we would not make a complaint, get it?
@@autisticsimon12Traveling 1st class doesn’t make one any more or less better than another traveler. Good/bad service happens no matter the “class” you pay for, therefore under no circumstance does it make it acceptable. And yes if I get negative service any place I choose to dine (McDonalds included) I will complain, get it? Feel entitled much? Doh!
Maybe Im just an aggressive Scotsman but I would have politely told him I dont do ratings in the middle of my meal & to kindly bring me the dessert menu! Then I would have decided at the end of my-meal as to whether I needed to to speak to management.I do agree Id not sit in his serving area again.
I’m definitely better prepared for any combative servers in the future ⚔️
I’ll always lament the dessert I missed that night… 😂
Thanks for watching!
I would have and have done the same. If I’m made to feel uncomfortable, I’m out. I sailed solo on Enchantment of the Seas in October. I had went to the main dining room alone the first three nights. I did have reservations, but the staff seemed to be put out by having to find me a table for “one” each evening. The food was fine and service was good but rushed. I was always pushed to last for my order and serving. They even served all 3 courses at once. I’ve never had that happen on Royal Caribbean. My last dinner there, they brought the bread basket with my dinner, same as usual but this night the bread was actually petrified! It had to be several cruises old. I know MDR bread can be hard on the outside sometimes, but I couldn’t even crack it open with a knife. I told my waiter and he rolled his eyes, took it away and never came back. It was just silent and awkward after that with the wait staff. Stuff happens and it wasn’t a huge deal. I just told them what I found and I even apologized. I’m not even sure why…lol. I felt bad that i had found it. I was just weird. I skipped dessert and never went back to the MDR for that cruise. The Windjammer was my safe space.
That sounds awful and super uncomfortable - can't believe you were served all three courses at once! I'm sure travelling solo can be a little uncomfortable at times, especially at meals, so to have the additional stress and pressure of an unaccommodating wait staff is really unacceptable.
You did the right thing mate. That waiter deserves to be called out for his comments. One downer on a brilliant cruise
I recently sailed on Ovation of the Seas, and I found the wait staff in all areas were constantly seeking approval, to the point of frequently bending over each person at the table and asking each person, while they were eating if they were happy with the service and the meal. We were a group of 8 and this became extremely annoying after the 7th day of a 12 day cruise. I mentioned this to the head waiter on the 7th night and every night after and for the rest of the cruise, the head waiter interrupted us frequently in the same manner as the waiters, to ask us if his service was adequate and pleasing. I later realised that this was a new crew that embarked in Sydney and they were all learning.
Woah, that's definitely way too much. I've had similar experiences with those sorts of interactions in the past, and I normally just smile through them and hope for them to be over, but they can definitely be awkward, especially when it keeps on happening.
I just got off the Ovation yesterday after an 8 night Adelaide/Tasmania cruise. I had a similar experience in the MDR, where the head waiter would come over each night and ask us how our meal was after each dish, truthfully, the food was good, so I just told him it was good, the only time I said it wasn't good was during Night 4, but the waiter was very accommodating and offered to make me something else, I declined cause I was already full at that point, but by the end of the last night, it did get a bit annoying having them come over every single dish and asking, but I don't mind, they're just doing their jobs, and they're only trying to make a living 🤷♀️ Just my two cents
@James Thanks for your 2 cents worth. They seem to have improved because we were interrupted a number of times during each course and at the end of each course. Yes, they are just doing their job, and overall, the entire crew were exceptional in their service.
This is almost always corporate; they game the system a bit, from what I can glean. Staff have to get 10 out of 10, and they have to constantly check if you are happy, that makes you upset, and maybe they don't get a 10 out of 10.
They can only have some people getting high marks, so If firmly believe the process is gamed to ensure that. I've seen this elsewhere in surveys that only ask you about a great "team" member at the very end, in the second section of questions that was optional.
Hmmm, very suspicious! ;)
So many companies have customer experience programs that tie survey ratings to front like staff performance. In some cases, a good chunk of their potential earning can be at stake. They start focusing on the score instead of actual behaviour.
Agreed 100%. It's this Net Promoter Score culture. I feel for the staff, as I know they have it drummed into them from management about the importance of these scores, especially when it's connected to remuneration.
On a recent Carnival cruise we were awoken by a sewage smell in our cabin. We rang room service and were sent a maintenance guy who walked in and told us that "smell is subjective".... in other words he couldn't smell the problem! I raised up my facemask and told him he must have Covid because he lost his sense of smell! His coworker said they would look into the matter and the smell was gone within the hour. No doubt a clogged pipe needing clearing out.
Oh wow! That’s not a great experience. Good to read that you stood your ground and had the problem properly fixed.
Adrian, this has never happened to me but if it ever does I don't think I would be as nice as you.
I agree!
I know, I tend to leave conflict in my wake (ha, a ship pun) but in retrospect, I should have addressed it on the spot with the maitre’d. It was a first for me, but I’ll know for next time!
I totally agree. I've never had that kind of experience with Coastal Kitchen on,Oasis class ships. I was on Silhouette this past April and would give Luminae a C+. Nothing more 😢
Thanks for sharing your experience too.
It seems that your waiter is likely a "player". Thanks for filling in the detail :)
We are currently on the Edge and dine in Luminae. Regardless of where we were seated we have always had the same waiter, who has been excellent
So glad to hear! Enjoy your cruise.
Sorry to hear. We we’re in a royal suite on Eclipse last may. The service in Luminae was phenomenal. I’m sorry for your bad experience.
Thanks David. Apart from that one experience, everything else was exceptional. Glad to hear your time onboard was likewise fantastic.
Many years ago on Celebrity - I think it was Summit. I was on the Penthouse I think 6147 (as usual in those days when I was still working lol). This is even before 'Luminae' was a thing. So I'm in the main dining room. Waiter is gruff. My FrenchOnion was VISIBLY blackened and burnt and I politely said so. Waiter shrugged and looked at me as if to say "so what". Minutes later his boss walked up to him and said something to him and literally in 30 seconds he was like the greatest guy I ever met. 2nd night - told me how the penthouse is the best room on the ship and the evaluation card is important. End of cruise I have a rather nice tip to the assistant and told him he was great to me the first night.....and that he should continue to be nice to people regardless what room they are in. The main waiter watched, listened, and looked down.
Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience as well!
back in November on my Carnival cruise, Splendor, my first night with 'anytime' dining I was sat at the back of the room...now this wasn't a problem in itself, but as a solo traveller I was sat with my back to the room, which I thought was very wrong when seating solo travellers and no interaction with fellow travellers either side....I'd also ordered an alcoholic drink but it was never brought to me and I suspected not even ordered cause it was not included with my statement...
now the next night I was sat in a different area and had a different experience...I was sat facing the room, with travellers willing to converse and staff that were very good...this time when I ordered my drink of choice, a shandy, when the staff asked how it was made, myself and my my table neighbours both explained it and it was promptly brought to my table...now I'd made such an impression on the staff member that when she saw me on the Lido deck she remembered my name and what I liked to drink...I was quite impressed that when I was sat in that section again I made sure to click a pic of the card they have on your table telling who our wait staff are...I wanted to be able to name them when doing the survey, alas I never received a survey for that cruise, either at the end or via email...
being able to make enough of an impression on crew members to remember you away from the areas they work in is very impressive.. I struggle to remember names of people I know but haven't seen for a while...
Wow - thanks for sharing your experiences. Goes to show what an impact it can make on the overall experience when there are just a few differences, like being seated in a more social area and actually receiving your drink!
I had something similar happen on Ovation in Chops Grille a few months back. Being a paid restaurant, I ordered a steak "medium" from their signature mains. It came out near-bloody. I'm OK with rare steak as well as well-done but it wasn't what I asked for. The waiter, who was pretty nice overall came and asked specifically if my steak was cooked as I asked. I said it wasn't; it was under and showed him. He asked abruptly how I asked for it to be cooked. I told him medium. He turned defensive insinuating I was being difficult but I told him I'm happy to eat it. He insisted he can get another one cooked but I said it's fine. Remember, he asked me how the steak was. I didn't instigate a complaint or anything about it being under... he asked me. Like you, I felt ashamed that I answered him honestly when he asked if my steak was cooked as I ordered. I felt I was a nuisance being there. Someone once said, "if you're afraid of the answer, don't ask the question".
That was the end of that but boy, did we get pestered onboard Ovation of the Seas about surveys and how important they are to the crew. This happened virtually every meal. This was my first RCI cruise and I've never been so bombarded by the staff touting for excellent reviews in the survey than on other lines such as P&O, Carnival and Princess.
What's interesting is neither I, nor my partner, got an end-of-cruise survey from RCI. RCI have the correct email addresses because they had sent out documentation to us previously. But nope, we didn't even get the chance to leave feedback. In fact, if I go into RCI account, the cruise doesn't even show up in my list of past cruises. It doesn't even list my Crown and Anchor points. It's like they don't want us to come back on Royal. No worries, we won't.
We're back on Carnival this week so I'm interested to see how they're travelling after not sailing with them for almost four years.
Wow, that sounds very similar to my experience and yes have to agree, if you're afraid of the answer, don't ask the question. Hope you enjoy your time on Carnival!
I totally understand. On our last cruise on the adventure in November last year, we were in the dining room and our waiter was not pleasant either on one of our dinner meals. He was taking our orders and got quite uppity because no one ordered an entree. He seemed annoyed at that and we really noticed his whole attitude change to annoyance. So nick and mum ordered there main, but i just wanted dessert but wanted it bought out when they had there mains, as the dessert pretty much was my main. Again he got quite rude and cranky anyway there mains came, no dessert for me. By this time i was holding back the tears as every time he came near our table he looked out way with a snarl on his face. Anyway we had another waiter as well, that was friendly and chatty, so mum and i decided to put $10 in each and give this very pleasant waiter a tip. He greatfully accepted and proceeded to say that the other waiter was lovely too and he knows that he would appreciate a tip too. I said thank you, but we just wanted to give you one for your kindness and left it at that. The cranky waiter had delivered our deserts by this time and id finished mine and with a big smile and all cheery (the complete opposite to the rest of our meal) he said to me would i like a second desert and said you can't have too much dessert. I accepted, he bought it to us all smiles. We finished eating and got up on left. Do you think he was still smiling as we walked away hehe?? I doubt it lol oh well, tips are meant to be paid when someone gives service over the top of just a standard service. So coming to us after we had tipped the other waiter and then being nice, after having me almost in tears, im sorry, that's not going to win any brownie points with me. Hopefully he learnt something from our interaction. To always be nice :)
Oh wow. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I don't know how I missed this video until now. I must have been super busy (yeah nah!) or something but I never miss your blogs. Anyway I'm afraid I would have given that member of the staff a bit of a serve...pun intended. His job is to serve you and listen to your problem(s) and refer them on. He should NEVER grill...another pun, the "customer" and I'm sure if this situation was reported (and sorry Adrian it should have been) he would have been assigned other duties (at best). Never mind it is over now and onwards and upwards. Keep on cruising guys and keep up the wonderful blogs.
Thanks Ray - I know, I should have said something. I've learnt my lesson for (hopefully not) next time 🤪
WOW! My wife and I encountered the same waiter. We felt like we were being interrogated.
😳 oh wow... I do regret not saying something to the restaurant manager and in future I definitely would. Even if it helped one person avoid a similar situation in the future. Sorry you had to endure that!
I have been sailing with Celebrity since 1991...I have heard that since the start of 2023, cuts have been made to the Ocean View Buffet, MDR and many restaurants. I always sail in Aqua Class, But I wanted to wait and see for myself....I was on a Jan 7th Cruise...The Ocean View cafe suffered MAJOR cuts in food offerings, what was once a staple of minute steaks, Carved Roast beef were gone...In place was carved Turkey and no minute steak...Plenty of cheap items such as Pasta, salads, cold cuts and Mexican food such as Tacos...In Blu the portions were much smaller and the meat dishes were very chewy and not of quality I am use to while paying a premium price to sail in Aqua Class...What was once a great cruise line has turned into nothing more then a NCL duplicate...Room service is now 9.95...Needless to say I cancelled my Sept cruise on the Reflection...I refuse to pay these high prices for a average run of the mill cruise line.
Thanks for watching and providing your feedback. I did hear a lot of commentary about reduced food quality in the MDR and Ocean View Cafe. I didn't eat in either venue, so can't comment personally but based on your comments and others, it seems like there's been some sort of reduction in portion size/quality across the board.
That's terrible Adrian. I have never encountered treatment like that from any wait staff on ships. I hope he gets given the boot. Usually they bend over backwards to do anything they can for you. He sounds like a very rude man. So many others would be more than happy to replace him in his job. You did nothing g wrong. If he treats everyone like that his days will be numbered.
Thanks Linda. I do hope he was just having an off day, but if that was his regular demeanour, then I think it's only a matter of time before others have similar issues with him...
That's the new incentive program they have AFAIK.
Yeah it’s fairly common place - NPS, or Net Promoter Score.
I would have summoned the Head Waiter immediately, you would have your next meal upgraded. We complained the last time and we got a huge lobster dinner due to our complaint.
If there's a situation like that in future, I will definitely address it then and there... mmm lobster 🤤😆
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy And they don't give you those puny small lobster tails we get on formal night, it is the huge 5 lbs type from the specialty dining instead. I guess it pays to complain on the spot than on your comment card.
I can understand how you felt. The waiter shouldn't have taken that line of questioning with you.
Exactly. One is at the dining room to eat, not face interrogation and endure an endless line of questioning.
Wow that is unusual for the situation you encountered
Well thats a very unfortunate experience!
His attitude could have been caused by a million different unknown reasons which could be debated until the cows come home. Dosnt matter.
I would most likely have responded the same as you in every way as Im not into confrontation and certainly dont like making other people uncomfortable.
Right response to just avoid him thereafter.
I agree, most cruise staff are extremely accomodating and its just a surprise when one is not.
Thanks for sharing and letting people know that unexpected 'stuff' happens and there are ways to handle it without escalation.
Love your vids and always find them interesting and informative.
Thanks Mairi, appreciate your comment.
That server should not be working in a specialty restaurant. That is unacceptable behavior. He had no business grilling you like that! I hope you mentioned his name in your review of the cruise. I always feel like it’s my duty to report things like that so others will be spared from such an awkward and uncomfortable interaction.
I’m thinking he may have had quite a few people complaining to him and he couldn’t deal with it. I was on a Royal cruise recently and the staff were so run off their feet they couldn’t serve everyone properly. I don’t know if this was the case on your cruise but had the feeling that staff were pushed to the limit and were trying so hard to do their job but it was impossible with the amount of people in the dining room. He should not have questioned you in that way at all. Before COVID that would never, never have happened but it seems to me the cruise lines are struggling and of course their staff are expected to pick up the slack. I’m just about to go on a cruise on Ovation and I’m not sure what to expect. I would have felt very uncomfortable too Adrian.
He must have been having an off day. It didn't seem like the restaurant was understaffed, but it could well have been. Everyone else working in Luminae was a gem - warm, accommodating and friendly so I think it made it all the more strange when the interaction occurred.
I hope you enjoy your time onboard Ovation! Have a terrific cruise.
Dramatic much? Lol. I love Luminae. Not every waiter is perfect, but I guess I just don't get overly emotional when dealing with waitstaff.
lol. Snaps for you 🫰🏼
The server's behavior was uncalled for. That said (and I'm not blaming you), if a customer eats an entire dish, a substitute isn't generally offered.
We did the same on the Beyond. The waiter served us a £8 bottle of wine with our food and the food was very strange and average. If this is the Celebrity cruises best food and drink then they have lost us. Elite captains club members
Hopefully it was just a one off.
I would have taken this “strange interaction” over our experience one night in the MDR on our last Celebrity cruise where the service was so horrible, we walked out. We DID speak with the Maitre d’ and he was tone deaf. They tried to seat us there again the following night and we didn’t even sit down.
Oh wow, that's not pleasant at all. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Wow that experience was so weird, I’ve been on close to 100 cruises and never had a waiter act in such an aggressive and inappropriate manner. From what you described, the waiter clearly is not in the right position, and I would venture to say, is unhappy in his current job.
Thanks for watching. It was definitely a first for me. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he was having a bad day - but it did put a damper on the night.
From time to time you come across Staff who obviously don't want to be there, thankfully they are the minority. I find certain cultures are absolutely charming, whilst others have a verbal manner that is quite abrupt. On the Purser's Desk a few days ago on Cunard I had an encounter with an individual as you have described. Unlike my cabin steward who was totally charming and helpful and knew exactly what customer service was all about.
Thanks Suzanne - totally agree and like you, in my experience those situations have definitely been in the minority also. Sounds like you had a similar interaction and I’m sorry to hear that.
I think P&O would be more your speed. Fish and chips and mushy peas all day.
It sounds like you’ve had good experiences with P&O - tell me more about it?
If you’d like to see what a cruise line like Silversea is like (perhaps one day you can try them) check out this video I made: ruclips.net/video/57od1IPqYAA/видео.htmlsi=PCevJpRXkjIOYFvr
I would be at customer service and ask to speak to FandB manager and Hotel Director. He would get an earful from me. The waiter talked to you like a child being questioned for some infraction. Not acceptable.
My similar experience was on Royal when asked how everything was and I said " fine". He got the matre'd, then a chef came out. All I said was fine. Guess fine means bad.
Wow, maybe you need to say something along the lines of: "this is the best meal I have ever eaten, and will ever eat" and that might do the trick haha!
I’m sorry to hear that Adrian 😳
I would do the same 🤔
Thanks Brian.
I honestly never had one bad meal at Luminae and I found the service was outstanding. I did have a bad experience on Equinox last October. One day I wore a cap to Luminae for breakfast because of my messy hair from waking up. I was asked to remove the cap. I didn’t want to argue with the host and took it off. She could’ve said not to wear a cap next time or something. Instead, I looked awful with my messy hair.
The next day, I saw three men in this Caucasian family all wearing caps. They wore the caps throughout their meal (either lunch or breakfast.) Needless to say, I was upset for the double standard. As I was the only Asian in the Retreat class on this cruise, I certainly felt being singled out due to race. I didn’t want to make a scene so I never said anything. My boyfriend who is Caucasian, wasn’t going to take any shit like that. He talked to the manager and demanded an explanation. They were so afraid that we would escalate this incident further and apologized profusely. I actually felt even more awkward.
Toward the end of the cruise, we were told that it’s imperative that they receive 10 out 10 on the survey or either their bonus or contract renewal would be affected. Not sure exactly. Despite one bad incident, I still gave the wait staff a 10 and tipped them handsomely. IMO, Celebrity has really put a lot pressure on staff working in Retreat Class. So any bad feedback would make them jump.
That's a terrible experience! Sorry to read that you had to deal with that. I don't enjoy a double standard or hypocrisy so I'm with your partner's decision to speak to the restaurant manager about it and I'm glad that they at least apologised. It's unpleasant when what should be a relaxed, *luxury* experience is impacted by poor relations with staff. A hat at breakfast time is barely a big deal, I wore one to breakfast a couple of times after finishing my walk on deck and don't see the issue that early in the morning.
You are right, Management really push them. Sorry you were made to feel so uncomfortable.
Thought tips were included in Retreat class..
@@karenmassey8354 yes they are. We still tipped them additionally. Well, my partner did, not me. He is the generous one.
@@dapperboy I see. Thanks for the response.
Bad training or lack of. I have been to Luminae and other Suite guests only restaurants in other liners as well. I know for a fact, that staff in these "special" restaurants are usually selected to provide better service than in the main halls.
This is where some staff working there goes astray. They think they are a cut above the rest and tend to project these attributes instead of being a little humbler. Their training should include curbing their self importance and misplaced efficiency.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.
Agreed - the dining experience was quite the opposite of what it should have been. Not enjoyable whatsoever and very uncomfortable- time to jettison and continue happily elsewhere 😀
Exactly! Couldn’t agree more 😁
The waiter is clearly in the wrong job. Why ask how was your meal if he doesn’t want the true answer?
I was asked on Carnival Splendor 3 nights ago how was beef & I said too chewy so I don’t think it was truly slow cooked but the waitress was very happy I told the truth as all feed back goes to the chef so they can fix it. Every other night everything was fantastic 😊
My thoughts exactly! Just like you, I assumed they’d let the chef know and that would be the end of it 😂
Celebrity wait staff are pressured to receive a 10...period. The pressure is tremendous and it's real. Your server's questioning, while off putting, was a result of the pressure put upon him from corporate. Literally, their livelihood depends on receiving a 10 for service. Even if someone were to leave a perceived negative comment about the food and even though the waiter himself didn't prepare the food, the comment or rating would reflect badly on the server. It's a shame the the nervousness of the server was projected onto you as you were just being honest after what seemed like a pretty benign question. Celebrity ought to reconsider how they evaluate their service staff as it is clearly having a negative trickle down effect on their passengers.
100% agree - I feel for the staff, I can imagine the pressure they're under from their management teams but the messaging and approach with passengers/guests definitely needs to be worked on.
What I do hate about their ratings is that they, like many companies, ruin it. If they don't get a 10 out of 10, it does nothing for their career. Of course higher numbers are okay, but they always have to get 10 out of 10 or 5 out 5 which I think is ridiculous. To get a 10 out 10 on anything it has to blow your socks off, and that can rarely happen. Now that I know this, I give any staff the highest rating if they accomplished their job well and tried. If what happened to you happened to me, I'd give them a 4 and make note of it.
I feel the same way. It diminishes the value of the rating. Traditionally, rating an 8/10 wouldn't be seen as a fail, but in the eyes of the company it effectively is a fail. I likewise give staff the highest rating, but it's such an isolated metric that it doesn't allow for proper feedback or criticism. I know they offer post-cruise surveys, but I think there could be a middle ground... hmm.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy I fear it's done on purpose, they don't want to reward everyone, even if they deserve it. ;)
I come from a fine dining background and it is in no way acceptable for that wait staff to behave in this way. Keep the questions brief and relevant to the issue, apologise and offer an alternative is the way to deal with a comment on a dish. They only thing I would say in your handling is, if I were the manager I would really appreciate that feedback even via an email after the fact if you don't feel comfortable to raise it directly as this kind of attitude needs to be corrected swiftly.
Agree, but my experience is that the service in real “fine dining” is excellent but understated. Lots of places don’t get “understated”, try too hard, and ruin the experience. I think that is often the case on cruise ships, and this guy is gaming the system. He may be happy with the outcome if he thinks he drove Adrian out of his areas and replaced him with people who liked his service and would tip more.
I have never understood what fine dining exactly is? Tonight my wife made a very enjoyable dinner. Was that fine dining because it was to me.
Thanks for your comment. In retrospect, I should have raised it with the maitre'd, but in the moment I preferred to just let it go. Still felt it important to share with others, if at least to help someone else make a better choice than me if it happens to them.
I've always had fantastic waiters on Celebrity cruises (US sailings). I've never been in Luminae, so it's really surprising that a waiter with such a bad attitude would be in the upper class restaurant. I hope word of your video got back to the ship. Probably the closest thing to an overbearing waiter was on the a Royal Caribbean ship back in April. The waiter was very nice, but I thought she was overbearing about pushing the 'recommendations' and being disappointed when I didn't choose them . I really appreciate recommendations, but most of the ones offered were dishes I don't care for. It was kind of a weird experience. Nothing horrible, just a little off-putting.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience too 😊
You should NEVER be asked how you rate the person doing the survey. This simply doesn't produce truthful ratings and for a lot of people will feel awkward if not even a bit aggressive.
It was a first for me, and I was definitely taken aback by the whole thing.
That sounds horrific, Adrian! Under no circumstance should behaviour like this be acceptable, it's outright aggressive. Hoping others around you put in a complaint about the situation and the appropriate staff member receives extra tuition. Totally uncalled for.
Thanks Sonya. It was definitely off-putting. Hopefully he was just having a moment - a bad day maybe.
Oh Adrian, I hope you got his name. These things happen, & they do ruin your cruise to a degree, because their toxic behaviour bubbles underneath your interactions with everyone else. We are on their home & work place, but unfortunately that means other crew members are stuck with them too. I've been on a three wk cruise on Holland America, & in every experience I had in the MDR - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea - I had shocking service, but it was the supervisors bullying the waiter's that created discomfort and after 3 attempts - I just gave up & switched to casual dining for the entire cruise
Oh wow! That sounds awful. Especially as it was clearly coming from the top down in your experience. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like that was the issue onboard Eclipse as far as a toxic work culture goes. I hate that you had to resort to casual dining on a three week cruise just to eat in comfort!
Definitely not the service you would expect on a cruise let alone in the exclusive restaurants. Sounds like someone needs some training… or attitude adjustment.
The answer you gave was not even a gripe against the chef let alone the waiter service your receiving. More of a comment about the cut of meat. Very strange reaction from him. Maybe he was having a bad day or week. I will be eating their myself very soon. Looking forward to you suite review in full.
That’s what I thought too… and I’ll definitely give the guy the benefit of the doubt about having a bad day or week. I know how hard the crew work and that’s part of the reason I didn’t report it to anyone onboard.
Perhaps that waiter had not received his bonus from the previous sailing due to unfavourable comments and was trying to judge how he’ll be evaluated by you.
Thanks Anne. Yes, the free-access to that forward area was definitely a nice bonus.
Omg 😳
This doesn’t make me want to pay for their suites. That waiter has no business being in Luminae.
It was definitely a chink in the experience, but overall I had a fantastic time onboard.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuyI was looking at retreat class penthouse or something similar for my first cruise experience. What was your favorite lux cruise experience?
@@Omikoshi78 Celebrity’s The Retreat was overall a fantastic experience. The other option would be to opt for a small ship luxury cruise, something from Silversea, Regent, Oceania and perhaps Azamara. These tend to operate where everyone has access to the best onboard, and there aren’t any restricted areas for top tier suites. I’m sailing on my first Silversea cruise next month and will post a video about the experience in August.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Thanks for your insights, very helpful. I have a tendency to get sea sick so it’s been a big driver for me to seek out larger vessels for my first cruise. If Dramamine works well I plan on testing the waters (pun intended) with smaller ones haha
Because … he didn’t make it. His focus is on his paycheck and not the chefs
Exactly right.
Unbelievable. Could only imagine how he would treat a woman.
Good point.
How was this his concern ! I’d be ropable !
Couldn’t agree more. His response to me seemed unnecessarily defensive and aggressive. Very weird.
Passive aggressive. You had every right to report that behaviour
Thanks for watching. I probably should have mentioned it to the maitre’d.
If this was the only problem in the world.
The world would be a much simpler place. Alas, it isn’t, and many problems (of all types) no matter how inconsequential to others, continue to exist. Thank you for watching.
Ugh. That sounds,... I think the word that comes to mind is awkward!
Yes, awkward it was! Thanks for watching 😊
So weird
Creepy interrogation.
Felt that way...
I think you should have spoken to someone in authority instead of putting it out on social media
I agree that I should have shared the experience with the maitre’d, if only to prevent someone else from going through the same thing. Of course, it should go without saying that I disagree re sharing it on RUclips. My channel is about sharing honest reviews and experiences, both good, bad and indifferent - I know that the vast majority of viewers appreciate that sentiment and would prefer I didn’t filter out experiences. I certainly don’t want to watch channels that are nothing but praise. To that end, I didn’t name the waiter on social media, merely shared the details of the interaction from my perspective. Thanks for watching and leaving a comment.
Adrian is a cruise reviewer and critic with a long standing platform on social media. This is exactly what he should be doing.
@@suzanne8158 thank you Suzanne! Appreciate the kind words.
The only rude waiter I have ever had was in a Celebrity Luminae dining room, different ship.
Could have been the same guy on a different contract!
Ah! A pattern emerges haha. Thanks for leaving a comment, Mary.