Murano: $40
ML Class Nautical Restaurants (The Olympic, SS United States, The Normandie, Ocean Liners): $40
Qsine: $40
Lawn Club Grill: $40

The following have not been increased:

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Originally posted by dougnewman:
Assuming they've kept the quality the same then in the case of Murano or the ocean liner restaurants it's still worth every penny.

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I think so too. Frankly the specialty restaurants on Celebrity are the best I've experienced on any cruise line. Sure beats "Pinnacle Grill" which was average at best.

The other thing is that these restaurants are still optional. One can eat extremely well in the dining room, room service, and buffet with no extra charge.

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In land restauant at the style of Murano will somthimes cost you 80-100 euro pp.

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Originally posted by elad:
In land restaurant at the style of Murano will somthimes cost you 80-100 euro pp.

Elad

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Ah, but when you eat in one of the Speciality Restaurants on-board, you have already paid for a meal in the main dining room!

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Originally posted by Tom Burke:
I think I may be the only person in the world who didn't enjoy their meal in Murano L.

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Tom Said: The end result was that there was a *lot* of food.

Tom said: I was constantly waiting for someone else to pop up with something else; and of course they all kept coming back to ask if everything was alright?

Tom said: so maybe the truth is that all the fussiness is not to my taste.

Tom, I have had all these feelings too. I think the above statements represent the cultural difference between Brits and Americans.

To me good food does not mean giant plate fulls of 'fussy' food. Likewise, gservice does not mean the staff are all over me like a rash.

I like my waiters to be seen and NOT heard.:-)

[ 08-08-2011: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

Murano was as close to French Haute Cuisine as anything I've had in Paris or anywhere else. It was truly what I would call gourmet, while others may find it too fancy. I absolutely understand why it may not be for everyone. This type of food and service can make some people uncomfortable, but I thought Celebrity did an amazing job with all aspects of the experience (food, quality, presentation, atmosphere, service). Having a truly memorable meal (for positive reasons) is becoming increasingly rare on cruise ships these days. For me Murano was a stand out in a sea of mediocrity.

I went back and looked at my review from 2008. This is what I wrote:

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Murano – We absolutely love this experience. The food and service were 5-star, as good as anything I have experienced at sea or on land. This is truly upscale gourmet dining in a beautiful setting. Service was flawless.

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To this day I have yet to have a better meal on a cruise ship.

Ernie

[ 08-08-2011: Message edited by: eroller ]

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Originally posted by avalon1025:
OK, start the flaming, but I didn't love Murano as much as the M class atlernative restaurants a few years ago.

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No flames. All our experiences are going to differ, and we all have different expectations about what equates to great food and service. It's all very subjective. In addition there are many variables that alter the experience from cruise to cruise that are out of our control (new wait staff, new chef, new dining room manager, change of food suppliers, etc).

It's rare I've read a unanimous review of a restaurant on land or sea.

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
Effective September 1, 2011 Celebrity Cruises will increase the per person cost for dining in the following Specialty Restaurants across the fleet...

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Any chance this is related to the announcement last month of "Individual Dining Packages"? Maybe a way to push people towards the packages?

From last month's announcement:

"Individual Dining Packages," which are offered at a single, per-person price for either three or five specialty restaurant visits, are a simple way for vacationers to bring a variety of high-end culinary experiences into their trip....

...The dining packages are the result of guest feedback which includes a strong desire for the value and convenience provided by packages, and is the latest in what Celebrity will make a series of packaged experiences, with the first having been its beverage packages. With a strong focus on recognizing that vacationers' time is precious, Celebrity aims to help them pre-plan many elements of their cruise and introduced beverage packages to the cruise industry in 2010. The premium cruise line recently won the VIBE Vista Adult Alcohol-Free Program Award in the chain hotel casino and cruise line category for its innovative non-alcoholic beverage package offerings.

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Originally posted by joe at travelpage:
Any chance this is related to the announcement last month of "Individual Dining Packages"? Maybe a way to push people towards the packages?

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