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Aqua Class vs. Concierge


cambriah

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:confused: We are looking into a cruise to Alaska in late June, 2013 and an aquaintance of ours suggested that we look into booking a Stateroom in either The Aqua or Concierge Class.

 

We normally book a basic Balcony Cabin.

 

Can anyone explain the differences or pros/cons of Aqua vs Concierge? We are two seniors and are not big on spending time at the Spa.

 

Thanks in advance!!

 

Cambriah

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I am sailing on the Equinox in a few weeks and will be able to share with you the Aqua level perks then. The reason I chose it was to dine in Blu and a price drop that made it very attractive over the standard veranda cabin. I like the idea of the fresh fruit water, appetizers, etc., great shower, spa stuff, but really just having an opportunity to dine in the smaller environment as opposed to the MDR was the draw. I will post reviews when we return and maybe that will help.

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After having been in AQ, concierge and a standard balcony, I really think the regular balcony cabins are the best deal, unless the upcharge is tiny. The extras in CC aren't worth more than a few dollars a day; and although many people like Blu, we really prefer a large table where we can meet new friends and look forward to dinner each night. We eat alone at home every night and love the change.

 

The cabins are identical in all three classes; you get a few perks like a different shower head and thicker bathrobes but nothing of true value in CC and AQ. The only meaningful difference is Blu if that appeals to you.

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In "general" Aqua gives you the option of eating in Blu and using the Persian Garden which is just a small part of the Spa -

 

Many are under the impresson that Aqua gets all the concierge amenities as well, this is not correct.

 

For Aqua this comes directly off the Celebrity website but remember "everything is subject to change ....... quote "As well, in-room amenities include: Aroma scent selections, Hansgrohe “shower tower,” Frette bathrobes and slippers, pillow menu to customize your night’s sleep, and daily deliveries of bottled water and teas..." Unquote

 

. Concierge Class gives you the extra amenities .. again straight off their website (current at the time of this posting) .... quote "Designed for the traveler who settles in nicely to veranda staterooms where little details make a big difference. Savor unexpected delights such as fresh flower arrangements, evening hors d'oeuvres, and priority seating in the main dining room and specialty restaurants. The attention to detail will amaze you, even as you sleep on the perfect pillow you've selected from our pillow menu. If personalized Concierge service, priority check-in and priority disembarkation appeal to you, Concierge Class is your clear choice...." unquote

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The real value of Concierge Class, if you aren't an elite level in Captain's Club yet, is that you get an extra cruise credit vs. a regular balcony, so you can get to elite faster. Also I understand the cabins on the M class are a bit bigger for Concierge vs. a regular balcony. On the S class (not sure about M class, haven't been there yet) you also get a footstool on your balcony rather than just chairs, which is nice for lounging.

 

Other than that, I can tell you we did not find anything useful in the amenities when we were upgraded to CC last year on Solstice. We never ate the appetizers and asked the attendent to stop bringing them, the fresh flowers were nice but not a big deal at all, we never saw (or to be fair, asked for) the "pillow menu." I understand that this year there is a "pre-departure lounge" that is nice that's been added to the perks. And I guess if you are a "sparkling wine" fan you might like the free bottle of bubbly--but it is not my thing!

 

Had to edit my post again to say that the expanded room service breakfast menu is kind of nice, but again not a big deal to me. You might find, though, that all these little things add up to enough value for you to pay the difference in price for CC vs. balcony.

 

Can't speak to Aqua Class except to say that many seem to think Blu is wonderful. I'd like to try it someday if I can find a cruise with just a small upcharge for Aqua Class! I did go for Concierge Class on my upcoming cruise because the price difference was very small and I felt it was worth it just for the extra cruise credit.

 

Hope this helps!

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Many are under the impresson that Aqua gets all the concierge amenities as well, this is not correct.

 

 

Sure it does. Name one perk you get in Concierge class that you cannot get in AQU class? We have stayed in both.

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Sure it does. Name one perk you get in Concierge class that you cannot get in AQU class? We have stayed in both.

 

You can "get" anything in any class, sometimes you just have to pay extra. My quotes were directly from Celebrity web. "in general" you do not get the free afternoon Appetizers or fresh flowers in AQ. Maybe YOU got them. However those are some items that AQ should not "expect" because they are NOT a standard offering.

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We have been in Aqua class and concierge class...For us the real advantage of AQ is Blu...we found the dining to be a cut above and worth the difference...We also met many people at dinner and never had to dine alone...

 

Bottom line we found it worthwhile...I would suggest trying it once and make your own decision

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You can "get" anything in any class, sometimes you just have to pay extra. My quotes were directly from Celebrity web. "in general" you do not get the free afternoon Appetizers or fresh flowers in AQ. Maybe YOU got them. However those are some items that AQ should not "expect" because they are NOT a standard offering.

 

The celebrity web site is wrong. Celebrity's web site is just terrible and the celebrity reps you speak to on the phone are not much better.

 

Aqua includes all the concierge class perks plus some unique to Aqua....and, yes, that includes the canapes and flowers.

 

ALG63...have you ever cruised in Aqua Class?

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ghstudio is correct.

 

We recently did B2B cruises in an Aqua Class cabin. Prior to the recent B2B cruises, with the exception of one cruise in which we booked Concierge Class, we consistently booked Sky Suites.

 

In Aqua Class we received all the amenities of Concierge Class (ie, the canapes, the flowers and so forth), in addition to unlimited bottles of water. In Aqua Class we also received the lip balm given to suite passengers (but not to concierge passengers -- but since we are elite members of the Celebrity loyalty program the one time we booked a concierge stateroom I asked and received several lip balms).

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You can "get" anything in any class, sometimes you just have to pay extra. My quotes were directly from Celebrity web. "in general" you do not get the free afternoon Appetizers or fresh flowers in AQ. Maybe YOU got them. However those are some items that AQ should not "expect" because they are NOT a standard offering.

 

We were on Silhouette this summer in AQ and the fresh flowers, daily appetizers, fizz on arrival and fresh fruit every day was standard in all AQ staterooms. We loved it and have upgraded from standard balcony to AQ for our Iceland/Norway cruise on Eclipse next summer. Dining in Blu was the highlight. We also like to meet people ar large tables, but the tables for 2 in Blu are so close together, that we chatted to people every single night at dinner anyway.

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You can "get" anything in any class, sometimes you just have to pay extra. My quotes were directly from Celebrity web. "in general" you do not get the free afternoon Appetizers or fresh flowers in AQ. Maybe YOU got them. However those are some items that AQ should not "expect" because they are NOT a standard offering.

 

Of course they are. We always have fresh flowers and afternoon canapés (plus ice tea and bottled water) in AQU.

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"Before answering questions, Make sure you have the facts" -- in this case, the fact is that the website has omitted something, namely that Aqua Class includes the Concierge Class amenities. But all reports from current cruisers indicate that AQ still includes all the CC features.

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Just to give the Celebrity website some props (nautical pun intended)....This was taken directly from their website (on-line EBROCHURE sections):

 

 

AquaClass® : includes all Concierge Class & stateroom amenities plus

 

Service:

• Exclusive room service selections

• Special invitation to a VIP tour of the spa on

embarkation day

Dining:

• Specialty restaurant, Blu, created just for

AquaClass guests, serving complimentary,

healthy continental breakfast daily, and an

unforgettable contemporary dinner nightly

Amenities:

• Hansgrohe® “shower tower”

• Aromatherapy diffuser

• Euro face towel

•Additional custom blended bath products:

facial spray and lip balm

• Pillow menu to customize your

night’s sleep

•Daily delivery of bottled water and teas

• Plush Frette® bathrobes and slippers

Stateroom features:

• Double occupancy

• Free, unlimited access to Persian Garden

spa lounge with heated tile loungers

• Wellness Channel - On Demand

AquaClassProgramming: Meditation,

Yoga & Ayurveda

 

Enjoy !!

 

Woody

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Yes I have cruised AQ and booked again Nov and again I was QUTOTING from the "wrong" as you put it info on the Celeb website and again YOU may have got it but it is NOT standard every passenger and to set everyone's expectations is wrong on your part... So why don't you ontqct Celec IT or Marketing and tell them to correct the Wrong info that is on their website...

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Take your own advice from your other thread. You need to stop telling everyone that they are wrong, and that everyone does not get the CC perks. YES, everyone in AQ gets the perks of CC with the addition of AQ perks. If you did not get them, than you should have asked. Go to the E-brochures, you will see for yourself! Don't make it sound like people are asking for something they are not entitled to.

 

Before answering...... get your facts straight, as you ranted about on the thread you started!

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Yes I have cruised AQ and booked again Nov and again I was QUTOTING from the "wrong" as you put it info on the Celeb website and again YOU may have got it but it is NOT standard every passenger and to set everyone's expectations is wrong on your part... So why don't you ontqct Celec IT or Marketing and tell them to correct the Wrong info that is on their website...

 

Alg63, why so angry? Many posters have had the experience of staying in both Aqua and CC cabins and they have stated that all the CC perks are available in Aqua along with the perks specific to Aqua. I have also stayed in both categories and have found that to be the case.

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The real value of Concierge Class, if you aren't an elite level in Captain's Club yet, is that you get an extra cruise credit vs. a regular balcony, so you can get to elite faster. Also I understand the cabins on the M class are a bit bigger for Concierge vs. a regular balcony. On the S class (not sure about M class, haven't been there yet) you also get a footstool on your balcony rather than just chairs, which is nice for lounging.

 

Other than that, I can tell you we did not find anything useful in the amenities when we were upgraded to CC last year on Solstice. We never ate the appetizers and asked the attendent to stop bringing them, the fresh flowers were nice but not a big deal at all, we never saw (or to be fair, asked for) the "pillow menu." I understand that this year there is a "pre-departure lounge" that is nice that's been added to the perks. And I guess if you are a "sparkling wine" fan you might like the free bottle of bubbly--but it is not my thing!

 

Had to edit my post again to say that the expanded room service breakfast menu is kind of nice, but again not a big deal to me. You might find, though, that all these little things add up to enough value for you to pay the difference in price for CC vs. balcony.

 

Can't speak to Aqua Class except to say that many seem to think Blu is wonderful. I'd like to try it someday if I can find a cruise with just a small upcharge for Aqua Class! I did go for Concierge Class on my upcoming cruise because the price difference was very small and I felt it was worth it just for the extra cruise credit.

 

Hope this helps!

 

I agree, we booked CC for a 4 day on the Connie in Jan.-we like that we make 2 points toward elite-we are select with 6 points now. BTW-CC was only another $100 for us which also brought up the cost of the cruise enough that we got free prepaid gratuities from our cruise agency (balcony prices were too low to qualify for that since it is only a 4 day)-so in reality we paid $4 extra.

 

This summer we were in a sky suite. I did not really care for the extra perks of the skysuite except for the larger room, the bathtub and being on the very back of the ship. We would have been fine in a balcony room-but prices dropped on our cruise so much that it was only $450 a person more and for a 12 day cruise. Skysuite has more perks than CC or aqua-you get a butler that you share with the skysuite PAX near you.

 

One thing about aqua that I would personally like is the bottles of water. They would be nice to take on excursions. Skysuite did not offer that.

 

Blu would be nice that it is more intimate as the regular restaurant is pretty large and the tables are fairly close together. Many say Blu has more the feel of the specialties. As far as food taste-some love Blu and others hate Blu-so I have no idea if I would enjoy the food there. I think the more intimate atmosphere would be great. That was my favorite thing about Muranos especially. Tuscan Grille, although the food was good, was not near as intimate in "feel."

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In "general" Aqua gives you the option of eating in Blu and using the Persian Garden which is just a small part of the Spa -

 

Many are under the impresson that Aqua gets all the concierge amenities as well, this is not correct.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. The Aqua Class cabins have the CC amenities as well as additional amenities available. All the CC stuff you listed is available to Aqua Class too.

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You can "get" anything in any class, sometimes you just have to pay extra. My quotes were directly from Celebrity web. "in general" you do not get the free afternoon Appetizers or fresh flowers in AQ. Maybe YOU got them. However those are some items that AQ should not "expect" because they are NOT a standard offering.

 

Not picking on this particular poster but these facts are completely wrong. They are standard and they are in all Aqua Class cabins.

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"in general" you do not get the free afternoon Appetizers or fresh flowers in AQ. Maybe YOU got them. However those are some items that AQ should not "expect" because they are NOT a standard offering.

 

 

Yes they were on our last 3 cruises in AQ (Nov 10 on Eclipse, Nov 11 on Equinox and April 12 on Solstice).

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Originally Posted by Alg63

"in general" you do not get the free afternoon Appetizers or fresh flowers in AQ. Maybe YOU got them. However those are some items that AQ should not "expect" because they are NOT a standard offering.

 

We received the free appetizers every afternoon in our AQ cabin...whether we were there or not. We also received fresh flowers, fruit and iced tea or fruit infused water each day.

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