For those of you who have never been on a cruise (like me basically since I hadn’t since my 20’s on a college trip) there is a lot to know before cruising ensuring you have a fabulous experience and most importantly eat and drink well! That is what most of us care about on vacation, right? After spending a week on Celebrity’s Reflection Cruise traveling from Miami through the Caribbean stopping at San Juan Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Martin I have some wisdom to share with you on what to eat while cruising. I’ve compiled my favorite Top 10 J.S.F. Eats on the Celebrity Reflection. If you follow this list I promise you a fabulous Culinary experience as you’ll know all the insider tips I learned as I spent a week eating my way through the Celebrity Reflection. If you want to read about my Top 10 Drinks on the Celebrity you can find more here.
Before starting reminder, hopefully you have already read Top 10 Things to Know before Cruising which explains everything you should do prior to departing on your Celebrity Cruise.
1. Blu Restaurant – For those of you that choose the Aqua Package (which includes an Ocean View Room on a special Aqua floor with a few additional amenities) with your Aqua class comes access to the Aqua Class Blu Restaurant open daily for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner which is amazing! It’s a sit down experience with a custom omelette bar, amazing pastries, as well as a fabulous Granola cart that’s made by the side of your table. Read more about the Blu Restaurant here.
2. Lunch at The Bistro on Five – My favorite lunch experience was dining at the Bistro on Five. It’s super intimate and you feel as if you’re in a charming café with excellent service, a great menu while enjoying great ocean views. It’s a Speciality Restaurant and lunch is $12 which is a steal considering you can order as much as you want and they have the most incredible Gelato Sunday Bar (shown below). Read more about dining at The Bistro on Five here.
3. Dinner as Tuscan Grill – The Tuscan Grill is the Italian Speciality Restaurant and it’s not to be missed. They have the best steak I’ve had in ages, plus a great setting and amazing cuisine. Read more about the Tuscan Grill here.
4. QSine Restaurant – QSine is hands down the most unique, inventive Restaurant on the ship. The concept was created by a former Celebrity Cruises Chef and former Food & Beverage Director/VP. They serve a variety of cuisines all with a twist. Instead of traditional menus they use Ipads. You will see below the images displayed helping you decide what to order. Lucky for you I tried almost everything, the perks of eating with the Food & Beverage Director Srdjan who was a fabulous host.
5. Dinner in Morano’s Private Cellar Room – This is probably the most important secret tip on this list. Reserve the Private Cellar Room at Morano for one of the most intimate, elevated dining experiences you’ll find on the ship. They offer two seatings at 6pm and 9pm which you need to reserve as soon as you board the ship. Thanks to Tiny and Frank (the pals I mentioned who were long-time Celebrity guests) I enjoyed this lovely dinner in this amazing setting. The food here is just as fabulous as the gorgeous restaurant.
Our hosts Tina & Frank. They are incredible and Celebrity Cruise lifers. I’m fortunate to have met such a fun couples who I shared fun memories with
6. Dinner at The Porch Specialty Restaurant – For any of you Seafood lovers be sure to dine at The Porch enjoying Dinner or Lunch at this specialty restaurant. I went for dinner and it was great. It’s fairly casual so if you want something a bit fancier than the Oceanview Restaurant but not quite as formal as the Opus Restaurant (the main restaurant for lunch and dinner in a more elegant sit down style) this is a great option! I had been dreaming about the Lobster Roll the moment I saw it on the menu which was tasty. I really loved the Avocado Salad (as a California girl I eat avocado almost daily so was craving it after a few days on the ship with no avocado!). They also have a bread stuffed with cheese that’s over the top! Otherwise you can’t go wrong with the seafood, especially the Seafood Tower!
7. Oceanview Restaurant – Oceanview is the main restaurant for breakfast and lunch which requires no reservation as it’s super casual and buffet dining. As much as I love all the specialty restaurants, being able to walk in with your beach cover up on or grab a late afternoon snack in a casual easy restaurant is priceless. My favorite eats here are the Taco Bar (as you probably know, I love Mexican Food and could eat it daily) and the Sushi Bar. Note, the Sushi isn’t available at lunch, only at dinner or after 5pm. I had this one day as a snack (to hold me over till my late dinner) and it was delicious!
8. Gelato Sunday at Bistro On Five or a sweet treat from Café al Bacio – On the fifth floor of the ship is the Bistro on Five and the Cafe Al Bacio. If you’re craving some Gelato you can grab a cup at the Cafe (read more about the incredible coffee on my Top 10 Celebrity Drinks post here) or else if you’re dining at the Bistro on Five be sure to order their Gelato Sunday cart which is incredible. Or for a sweet tooth there are always all the sweets at the Cafe. Such tough foodie decisions!
9. The officers serving Lunch at The Oceanview Restaurant – Another favorite lunch was being served at the Oceanview Café by the officers. This happened for the first time on The Celebrity Reflection the week I was on board and it was amazing. To get to see the officers working behind the scenes serving guests was a blast. Cross your fingers they serve you a meal too when you travel with Celebrity.
10. Smoothie Breakfast at Aqua Spa Cafe – Another great restaurant on the ship is the Aqua Café. It’s a great healthy alternative to the larger Oceanview Restaurant and it’s setting is so picturesque overlooking the serenity pool room (basically an indoor pool with skylights and a super peaceful, calming setting). My favorite eats here are the custom made smoothies. With all the yummy eating you will do on the ship it’s great to enjoy a healthy smoothie and their lighter fare breakfast. If this serenity pool puts you in the mood for some R & R you’ll enjoy reading more about my relaxing day at the Canyon Ranch Spa here.
DISCLOSURE: Emily, The JetSetting Fashionista enjoyed a complimentary trip on the Celebrity Reflection. However, Emily was not paid to write this post and only only writes about Hotels, Restaurants and destinations that she personally enjoys and proudly endorses and wants to share with her readers. All opinions expressed are her own.
What do you think?