In recent years, cruise ships have not only grown in size but also in the incredible variety of restaurants they offer. I remember my first cruise with MSC in 2007; there was basically only one restaurant at night, and that was it. Nowadays? Seriously, you can find far more restaurants on a cruise than in a shopping mall.
However, dining on a cruise ship raises many questions. Is everything complimentary? What do I have to pay for? Are there plenty of options like seafood, Japanese restaurants, and pasta? Does Celebrity Cruises have a main dining room? Let's delve into some of the most popular questions and topics.
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Dietary Needs
Celebrity Cruises doesn’t provide much official information online about dietary needs onboard their cruise ships, and details are fairly scarce. Your best bet is to head to the MDR (Main Dining Room) upon boarding and ask to speak with someone about your dietary restrictions and needs. They will likely have you review that night’s menu and discuss what can be altered or replaced to accommodate your needs.
Celebrity Cruises does say that they are all about DineAware, a “program that provides set standards for food allergy and intolerance education throughout the food and beverage industry”. They also say that “Our guests with special dietary needs can dine in confidence knowing that their food needs are top priority and will be readily accommodated while on board.”
Dress Code
Celebrity Cruises does have a dress code.
During the day, guests are encouraged to dress casually, and they can wear almost anything, including shorts and simple t-shirts.
In the evening, guests are required to wear pants or jeans in the Main Dining Room and specialty restaurants. Collared shirts, tailored pants or shorts, skirts, and dresses are recommended.
Room Service
24-hour room service is available at any time of the day or night. Simply order from the room service menu located in your stateroom for a fee of $9.95 (complimentary for guests of The Retreat and Zenith Captain's Club members). A 20% gratuity will be automatically added to your check.
Continental breakfast room service is complimentary and available from 6am to 11am each day of the cruise, except on disembarkation day.
Does Celebrity Cruise Line have a Main Dining Room?
Yes! There are actually four different complimentary Main Dining Rooms on the Edge class ships, which are among the most popular and recent cruise ships. While these four restaurants offer essentially the same menu, their distribution helps ensure that none of them become too crowded.
You’ll have three dining options based on your preferences: Celebrity Select Dining Early, Late, and Anytime. The Early option means you will have a set dinner time around 6pm, while the Late option starts at 8:30pm. The Celebrity Cruise Anytime option allows you to dine whenever you want without a set waiter or table. This is the most popular option among guests, so it's a good idea to select it when you book to ensure availability.
Celebrity Select Early, Late, and Anytime all feature the same menus and are complimentary, although some food items may incur an additional charge.
Restaurants & food aboard Celebrity Cruise Line
Celebrity Cruises generally receive positive reviews for their food. Guests often find that the Main Dining Room offers food that is slightly above average, and the buffet receives exceptional reviews.
In fact, some people believe the buffet food might be just as good as what’s served in the onboard specialty restaurants. This is awesome, as buffet options on cruise ships can sometimes be (really) underwhelming. The buffet food is often praised for being well-seasoned and featuring a few special touches that make it stand out.
Buffet aboard Celebrity Cruise Line
As mentioned earlier, the buffet on Celebrity Cruises is considered quite good. The buffet restaurant, called Oceanview Café, is available on nearly every Celebrity Cruise ship. The main meal periods (subject to change) are:
- Breakfast: 6:30am - 11:00am
- Lunch: 12:00pm - 2:30pm
- Snacks: 3:30pm - 4:30pm
- Dinner: 6:00pm - 9:30 pm
- Late Night: 10:00pm - 1:00am
Food options can vary by ship, but there are usually many stations to choose from. You’ll find conventional choices like British items (bangers, English bacon, baked beans) and Asian options (miso soup, tofu, rice, etc.), as well as vegetarian selections. There’s also a large salad bar, freshly tossed pasta dishes, grilled chicken, carved meat stations, and pizza rounding out the variety.
There is also a top-deck buffet restaurant called Mast Grill, which offers a more casual and relaxed atmosphere. It serves burgers, hot dogs, and similar items.
Specialty Restaurants aboard Celebrity Cruise Line
Celebrity Cruises ships usually feature multiple specialty restaurants, ranging from Japanese to Italian and French cuisines. Some offer a traditional à la carte experience, while others have a set price for a three-course meal, for example.
Celebrity Cruises also offers several restaurants exclusive to guests staying in specific rooms or suites. Passengers in spa-focused AquaClass cabins have access to an exclusive, complimentary restaurant called Blu, which offers a spa-inspired menu and is open for breakfast and dinner.
On Edge Class ships, there is an exclusive, complimentary restaurant called Luminae, available to passengers staying in The Retreat suites. Luminae is also open for breakfast and dinner.
The Best Restaurants aboard Celebrity Cruise Line
Oceanview Café
- Type: buffet, complimentary, casual, breakfast, lunch, dinner
- Available on: basically every Celebrity cruise ship.
Oh God, is this the third time I’ve mentioned how great the buffet is? Well, it truly is! If you prefer not to dine at a specialty restaurant, you’re in luck because the buffet on Celebrity Cruises receives amazing reviews. It’s often considered one of the best buffets on the high seas. The selection varies, but the most recent ships feature big areas serving a variety of cuisines, including sushi, pasta, pizza, a top tier salad bar, a meat-carving station, and a dessert station for the ice-cream lovers.
Le Petit Chef
- Type: paid, global cuisine, smart casual, dinner
- Price: $60 per guest.
- Available on: Celebrity Reflection, Apex, Eclipse, Infinity, Silhouette, Solstice, Edge, Equinox, Millennium, Constellation, Summit, Beyond and Ascent.
Le Petit Chef is one of the cutest restaurants among all cruise lines, featuring 3D projections on your table and dishes with a tiny character (the Petit Chef) who teaches you about the history of food and helps bring your meal to life. Since this is a part-show, part-dinner experience, you can dine there at two specific times only: 6:00pm and 8:30pm. This four-course meal allows you to choose between two dishes for each course and usually gets pretty good reviews.
Murano
- Type: paid, french cuisine, smart casual, dinner
- Price: $50 per person; the Five Senses food-and-wine pairing costs $89 per person.
- Available on: Celebrity Eclipse, Solstice, Century, Silhouette and Equinox.
The specialty restaurant Murano serves amazing French dishes with a contemporary twist on Solstice-Class ships. This upscale and elegant venue is the perfect spot to celebrate a special occasion or enjoy a romantic dinner. Delicious menu selections include lobster, veal tenderloin, herb-crusted lamb, venison, and duck.
Tuscan Grille
- Type: paid, Italian steakhouse, casual, lunch, dinner
- Price: $55 per person
- Available on: Celebrity Infinity, Summit, Millennium, Constellation, Reflection, Solstice, Silhouette, Equinox and Eclipse.
Great pasta, okay steaks, and good seafood. I’d say this combination is a thumbs up in my book. The pasta, in particular, receives amazing reviews, even if the meat might be better at specialty restaurants found on other cruise lines. Be sure to try the gnocchi and chicken parmesan. The cool thing about this place is that you can order half portions of any item in the menu, which is a great way to mix and match and try as many different things as possible.
More Specialty Restaurants aboard Celebrity Cruise Line
Here is a list of the other specialty restaurants available aboard Celebrity Cruises:
- Luminae (for guests of The Retreat suites only)
- Blu (for AquaClass guests only)
- Le Grand Bistro (French)
- Eden Restaurant (contemporary)
- Fine Cut Steakhouse (steakhouse)
- Rooftop Garden Grill (BBQ)
- Sushi on Five (Sushi and Seafood)
- Magic Carpet Restaurant (Seafood)
- The Porch Seafood Restaurant (Seafood)
- Lawn Club Grill (grilled specialties)
Celebrity Cruise Line Drink Packages
As you can see from the picture above, Celebrity Cruises offers three different drink packages, each easy to understand. The first is a traditional Alcoholic Drink Package, the second is a Premium Drink Package with a wide range of cocktails, and the third is a Non-Alcoholic Drink Package.
Keep in mind that if you choose the All-Inclusive program, you’ll already receive the Classic Drink Package. You can also upgrade the All-Included version to the Premium option for only $9.99 per day.
The Drink Package Policy requires that all guests wishing to purchase a Drink Package must do so for all guests of legal drinking age in the same stateroom.
Let’s review the different Drink Packages. Prices vary based on demand; they tend to be higher during peak seasons like Christmas and New Year's and lower during off-peak times, such as early October.
Classic Package
- Price: from $40 to $90 per day, per guest
This one gives you most alcoholic drinks that cost up to $10. If a drink costs more than that, you need only to pay the difference. It’s also the drink package that comes with the All-Included program if you opt to book your Celebrity Cruise that way.
Premium Package
- Price: from $60 to $130 per day, per guest
The Premium package is the top-tier option available at Celebrity Cruise Line, offering a wide selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Notably, it includes access to drinks priced up to $17, which covers a respectable range of cocktails, champagne, and wine onboard.
Non-Alcoholic Package (also known as the Zero Proof Package)
- Average price: from $30 to $50 per day, per guest
Perfect for soda and coffee lovers. Many caffeine enthusiasts choose this package because it includes specialty coffee and tea. It also features drinks like Red Bull, Vitamin Water, fresh juices, and smoothies. I’m unsure why it mentions “premium sodas,” as Celebrity Cruises only specifies that the package includes “premium bottled water from Evian, Perrier, San Pellegrino, & Panna; specialty coffees & organic teas; Red Bull Energy Drink; frozen smoothies; zero-proof cocktails; Coca-Cola selections; Vitamin Water; and bottled iced teas.”
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