Aqua Class

Cruising with Celebrity for the 4th time this November. We have always been Concierge Class before, but took advantage of a great offer and upgraded to Aqua this time.

What can we expect and is it that much of a difference?

Cruising with Celebrity for the 4th time this November. We have always been Concierge Class before, but took advantage of a great offer and upgraded to Aqua this time.

What can we expect and is it that much of a difference?

The biggest difference is Blu, which is your assigned dining room. You do not have an assigned seat in the Main Dining Room. Blu is like eating in a Specialty restaurant every night ,menu changes nightly and food is cooked more to order. All the other perks are really just fluff.

One of the AQ perks that we enjoy is the Persian Gardens. We seldom see many people there so we must be in the minority. We rarely miss a day without spending at least a couple hours in the Gardens. Great place to relax and watch the sea (S - class only have a sea view as I understand). Since we seldom leave the ship anymore, it is our get out of the cabin place to go.

One of the AQ perks that we enjoy is the Persian Gardens. We seldom see many people there so we must be in the minority. We rarely miss a day without spending at least a couple hours in the Gardens. Great place to relax and watch the sea (S - class only have a sea view as I understand). Since we seldom leave the ship anymore, it is our get out of the cabin place to go.

I'd second that! The Solstice class ships have a wonderful sea view.

Blu, Blu and Blu :)

Blu is what got us hooked on AQ:

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We are not totally surprised that more and more cruisers are reporting good deals (or even upgrades) to Aqua. DW and I have cruised AQ on several voyages (and have another coming up) and enjoyed dining in Blu. But last year things began to change when Celebrity's CEO seemed to think that Aqua Class folks should pay more...and get less! We were not impressed by our experience in Blu last December (Eclipse) and thought that things had gone downhill from previous Blu cruises. And then to add insult to injury, Celebrity decided to eliminate unlimited bottled water (we are talking the cheap Celebrity brand) from AQ cabins (you now only get 2 bottles the first day). So CEO Lisa decided to nickel and dime Aqua Class at the same time as they increased prices. Go figure.

Hank

Blu is the biggest reason why I choose Aqua class. However, the last time my husband and I were in aqua class, we were disappointed with some of the food. Too much repeat of certain meats, long waits to get a table too. I'll book aqua again if the price difference isn't too much from concierge or a standard cabins.

Monica

We were in Aqua for 35 nights in Feb/March on the Solstice and loved Blu. The chef often had a "chef's special" which was always wonderful and added variety to the menu. Service was wonderful.

It seems to me that since the addition of Luminae for suite passengers, having to wait for a table in Blu is less frequent and the waits are shorter.

Blu is your assigned dining room. The food was wonderful on our last celebrity cruise and we booked AQ again because if Blu. Another wonderful difference is the shower. The shower gas body jets!!!!! Wouldn't book it for the shower but it is a great perk.

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We are not totally surprised that more and more cruisers are reporting good deals (or even upgrades) to Aqua. DW and I have cruised AQ on several voyages (and have another coming up) and enjoyed dining in Blu. But last year things began to change when Celebrity's CEO seemed to think that Aqua Class folks should pay more...and get less! We were not impressed by our experience in Blu last December (Eclipse) and thought that things had gone downhill from previous Blu cruises. And then to add insult to injury, Celebrity decided to eliminate unlimited bottled water (we are talking the cheap Celebrity brand) from AQ cabins (you now only get 2 bottles the first day). So CEO Lisa decided to nickel and dime Aqua Class at the same time as they increased prices. Go figure.

 

Hank

I've been in business many years, and Celebrity will pay for this when they see how cutting things also cuts bookings. They are making a mistake. I really get fed up with CEOs who think they know what to do when, in fact, they have no clue. Goodness knows, it's not just on Celebrity. It's everywhere in the business world.

I'm booked in Aqua class---my reservation says Traditional.What does this mean? Do I get to dine in Blu when I want or do I go to an assigned table in the main dining room?

dog

I'm booked in Aqua class---my reservation says Traditional.What does this mean? Do I get to dine in Blu when I want or do I go to an assigned table in the main dining room?

 

dog

Celebrity IT web site guys haven't figured out how to address this conundrum so they just stick it as traditional. Rest assured you're in Blu and not the MDR. You'll receive your Blu welcome letter suggesting a time to eat the first night once you enter your cabin. However you can go at any time your heart desires.

We got upgraded to Aqua on our last cruise, Silhouette from AMS to Rome, and we really enjoyed dining in Blu. We found the food a bit better and service and ambience much better. Not that the service in the MDR is bad, Blu is just that much better. We never had to wait for a table. Sometime we went as 4 sometimes we went as 6. We were always greeted with a smile and a table. Try that with Select Dining where we were usually greeted with a scowl if we made a change in our numbers. Since we often do room service for breakfast on days that we have early tours we enjoyed the expanded room service menu too. DW loves her bottled water but since we had a Classic bev package it was not a big deal. The real rub will come on future cruises when DW will now insist on Aqua.......

Chucktown Steve has it right on the tradtional dining thing. It confused us too but we just went to Blu and it was all great.

The "traditional dining" issue has been a problem since the very beginning of Aqua Class and Blu. One would think that Celebrity;s IT folks could have made the necessary program mods to accommodate Aqua and Blu...but alas....they are so busy cutting things (like bottled water in Aqua) that they must not have any time to fix their software.

But if you have a cabin in AQ, your assigned dining venue will be Blu...which has open seating every night. When you get to your cabin there will be a letter about your assignment to Blu and it will likely tell you that you have an assigned dining time for the first night (and it will give you a suggested time). This is simply a "suggestion" and you can simply show-up at Blu during its open hours....and will be seated.

Hank

I'd second that! The Solstice class ships have a wonderful sea view.

 

Looks wonderful on a calm sea.

I've been in business many years, and Celebrity will pay for this when they see how cutting things also cuts bookings. They are making a mistake. I really get fed up with CEOs who think they know what to do when, in fact, they have no clue. Goodness knows, it's not just on Celebrity. It's everywhere in the business world.

Interesting. While my January cruise is almost fully booked, there are PLENTLY of AQ cabins left...Appears the bookings are already dwindling. Concierge class is almost completely available, and is now listed for the same price as the obstructed view cabins....Having said that, if AQ prices drop, I would be more than happy to upgrade, I love Blu and the gardens, and have had many great AQ experiences, just not for the price they are asking now!:eek:

Our last cruise - was our first time in Aqua - and I was pretty sure Blu wasn't for me - but I wanted that deck 11 aft cabin for Alaska and so figured I could "get by" for a week.

Had to come back and report that I was so WRONG and loved, loved, loved Blu - and so did DH. :o I'll admit the rest of the Aqua perks don't matter to us - Persian Gardens holds no appeal but Blu - wow - worth the price difference right there. Not only is the food very good but the service is excellent.

Our next cruise we'll be in Luminae for the first time and looking forward to the comparison.

I'd second that! The Solstice class ships have a wonderful sea view.

 

My 2 reasons to book AQ - BLU and Persian gardens. Don't miss a single day there... coming up in 70 days...

We are not totally surprised that more and more cruisers are reporting good deals (or even upgrades) to Aqua. DW and I have cruised AQ on several voyages (and have another coming up) and enjoyed dining in Blu. But last year things began to change when Celebrity's CEO seemed to think that Aqua Class folks should pay more...and get less! We were not impressed by our experience in Blu last December (Eclipse) and thought that things had gone downhill from previous Blu cruises. And then to add insult to injury, Celebrity decided to eliminate unlimited bottled water (we are talking the cheap Celebrity brand) from AQ cabins (you now only get 2 bottles the first day). So CEO Lisa decided to nickel and dime Aqua Class at the same time as they increased prices. Go figure.

 

Hank

We had the best dining experience in Blu last November on Silhouette -TA.

Food and service was outstanding. Even better than on Equinox last April.

On our last TA on the Constellation, we were upgraded from Concierge to Aqua Class, giving us the opportunity to experience Blu. I guess I have different view of dining than most of the others on these posts. I will say that Blu does have better service than the MDR and is more intimate, but there are less food choices on the Blu menu for dinner. After the first couple of days, my wife and I would compare the Blu and MDR menus and choose our dining venue according to which menu we liked better. The biggest difference was in the number of choices between Blu and the MDR. I do not think that Blu compares in any way to a Celebrity specialty restaurant.

I will say that breakfast in Blu was very good and there was never a wait for a table at breakfast. However, I would not pay the much higher prices that Celebrity now gets for Aqua. We are currently booked on an Equinox TA in a nice Veranda cabin as the prices for Concierge and Aqua do not justify the added benefits.

There are other forums on Cruise Critic with many more opinions expressed on Blu vs the MDR. I would suggest that anyone contemplating paying for Aqua Class based solely on eating at Blu should look for one of those forums.

I lucked out on very good group pricing and I only booked Aqua because it was much cheaper than Concierge. Curiosity and all that.

I am not a foodie and if the food is not great, I will probably eat in the buffet.

I am especially concerned about the restrictive menu choice but as I normally eat only 1 or 2 courses at dinner, I hope I find something.

Annie

If there is something on the MDR menu you want to eat........They WILL get it for you in Blu........Yes if you want that Prime Rib..........you WILL get it.....

Main advantage in Blu is that it is QUIET and refined dining and your waiters give EXCELLENT service

On our last TA on the Constellation, we were upgraded from Concierge to Aqua Class, giving us the opportunity to experience Blu. I guess I have different view of dining than most of the others on these posts. I will say that Blu does have better service than the MDR and is more intimate, but there are less food choices on the Blu menu for dinner. After the first couple of days, my wife and I would compare the Blu and MDR menus and choose our dining venue according to which menu we liked better. The biggest difference was in the number of choices between Blu and the MDR. I do not think that Blu compares in any way to a Celebrity specialty restaurant.

 

I will say that breakfast in Blu was very good and there was never a wait for a table at breakfast. However, I would not pay the much higher prices that Celebrity now gets for Aqua. We are currently booked on an Equinox TA in a nice Veranda cabin as the prices for Concierge and Aqua do not justify the added benefits.

 

There are other forums on Cruise Critic with many more opinions expressed on Blu vs the MDR. I would suggest that anyone contemplating paying for Aqua Class based solely on eating at Blu should look for one of those forums.

Some time ago AQ cabins were a slight premium over Veranda. My rule of thumb is for each 7 days onboard paying not more than $175 per person/week AQ premium over Veranda was the maximum: up $350/week more for the 2 of us total. Anything over that you could buy a dining package onboard or negotiate "reasonable" dinner prices in Tuscan or Murano. We consider $15 to $20 per person per day a normal premium to pay for Blu. Remember this was a few years ago and we always book a few years out so we have lots of choices now to move cruises out or around.

Then Celebrity got crazy and boosted the AQ premium to dizzying heights and will continue to do so until reality sets in. Is this reality phenomena starting now due to normal cost/benefit considerations (resulting in customers moving to other cruise operators) or rather have outside influences just temporarily dampened travel overall volume (zika, fear, etc.)?

Looking at softness in CC and AQ "list prices" over the next 6 to 9 months will reveal a lot about where this is headed.

We always book AQ but we generally do it very early. Since we're usually looking for new or unusual itineraries, the prices just keep going up after we book. Twice in the past year, by sailing time, a window cabin has been going for more than we paid. We're also pretty picky about our cabin location and booking early is the only way to get what we want.

I don't find eating more often in specialty restaurants to be a trade-off for Blu. The specialties have a single menu and it's much heavier food than I prefer. The food in Blu tends to be simply prepared and, although not as broad as the MDR, varied enough for us. Having said that, sometimes we check the Blu menu and decide to hit the buffet or select dining.

I've heard some folks say that they can order off the MDR menu in Blu, and others who say that they were turned down. I've never tried but there are "always available" options that aren't printed but the staff will tell you about them. All of the food is prepared to order, not banquet style like the MDR. Therefore you can opt for changes in preparation or sides without any fuss or bother.