IS AQUA CLASS AND BLU WORTH IT? and want to try aqua class and blu

We tried Aqua for first time on Equinox after long run of sky suites. I really liked Blu, outstanding experience on Equinox. I liked the access to Persian Gardens on Caribbean itinerary. I liked my herbal tea carafe. I did not like storage space in cabin or shower without any space for shampoo bottles, etc. We tried in July since we had booked aqua class for beginning segment of lengthy trip before switching to suite. If I could have bigger cabin with more floor space, closet space, drawers with Aqua perks, I would be quite content!

My other problem is menus have not changed for so long in Luminae that we liked the new choices in Blu. We eat lunch in Aqua Spa cafe since Blu is not available and except on special days ( ceviche bar, guacamole bar, salmon bar) Oceanview is too crowded at prime time.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We tried Aqua for first time on Equinox after long run of sky suites. I really liked Blu, outstanding experience on Equinox. I liked the access to Persian Gardens on Caribbean itinerary. I liked my herbal tea carafe. I did not like storage space in cabin or shower without any space for shampoo bottles, etc. We tried in July since we had booked aqua class for beginning segment of lengthy trip before switching to suite. If I could have bigger cabin with more floor space, closet space, drawers with Aqua perks, I would be quite content!

My other problem is menus have not changed for so long in Luminae that we liked the new choices in Blu. We eat lunch in Aqua Spa cafe since Blu is not available and except on special days ( ceviche bar, guacamole bar, salmon bar) Oceanview is too crowded at prime time.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

The Reflection added Aqua Suites when it was built. It was a suite that included Blu, the Persian Gardens, shower panel and etc. At the time there was no Luminae or Michael’s Club so the suite guest dined in the MDR or Blu if available and I think for added fee.

When Luminae was added the suites became Sky Suites. They still have the AQ shower panel. I looked into booking one and it a few hundred extra above the regular Sky Suite. One of the problems with those suites was that more than two could be in a cabin so there were families. Passengers that booked AQ to be able to dine without any children present weren’t very happy having families around them.

The tables were almost touching each other because more table were added to accommodate the added passengers. There was only enough space between them for the server’s fingers to change the table cloths. They couldn’t walk between the tables and instead of walking around to the other side they would reach over one of the diners to serve the person on the other side.

We were only on the Reflection once and that was in AQ. The ship has some nice features but I don’t think it is anyone’s favorite and the prices reflect it compared to other ships sailing at the same time in the same area.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

We enjoyed Blu for dinner, for breakfast meh... Never used the Persian Gardens since it was on an M-class ship. The persian gardens are like a dark cave on those ships.

Loved Blu restaurant. That’s the only reason I go Aqua class. never used the Persian garden and ask for tea not to be delivered to the room.. do enjoy the afternoon snacks.

This reflects our first and only Celebrity experience thus far.

I've come to the conclusion that breakfast on a cruise as a whole is not up to my standard. I will say that it is entirely my doing as I have a very high expectation for breakfast. I blame the chef at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Every time I am in Vegas I stay there for just one reason. Breakfast. It has totally ruined me to breakfast anywhere else except home where I can replicate his recipe (since he gave it to me!).

The Persian Gardens is nothing more than fluff. Anything useful like massage or a facial is of course, not included.

We also asked for the tea service to be suspended. It was just so flavorless for all of that color that it got me wondering, what the heck is in it! I prefer Evian if it isn't going to have caffeine or alcohol.

Blu! was exception for dinner. The service impeccable. Easily on par with many 3 star Michelin restaurants we've dined at.

They keep the portions to a healthy size although you can order additional entrees if you so desire.

We're booked for Aqua in two more cruises and we may try a suite if the opportunity presents itself. Any class of stateroom above is cost prohibitive for us. I'd rather take multiple casual vacations a year than just one grand one.

This reflects our first and only Celebrity experience thus far.

 

 

I've come to the conclusion that breakfast on a cruise as a whole is not up to my standard. I will say that it is entirely my doing as I have a very high expectation for breakfast. I blame the chef at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Every time I am in Vegas I stay there for just one reason. Breakfast. It has totally ruined me to breakfast anywhere else except home where I can replicate his recipe (since he gave it to me!).

 

 

The Persian Gardens is nothing more than fluff. Anything useful like massage or a facial is of course, not included.

 

We also asked for the tea service to be suspended. It was just so flavorless for all of that color that it got me wondering, what the heck is in it! I prefer Evian if it isn't going to have caffeine or alcohol.

 

 

Blu! was exception for dinner. The service impeccable. Easily on par with many 3 star Michelin restaurants we've dined at.

 

They keep the portions to a healthy size although you can order additional entrees if you so desire.

 

We're booked for Aqua in two more cruises and we may try a suite if the opportunity presents itself. Any class of stateroom above is cost prohibitive for us. I'd rather take multiple casual vacations a year than just one grand one.

To the OP:

As you can tell from this thread, food/eating in Blu is probably the biggest selling point of AQ at this point in the life cycle of the Celeb fleet. Most of the other amenities are of varying value to most people (except maybe the extra Captains' Club points). Since it is all about the food and service, opinions are going to be all over the place about the value vs price on a given ship and sailing.

Food and service in Blu are good, cruise ship quality food and service, more like Celebrity used to be in the old days. The tables are too close together for real comfort, but if you are from a big city, you may not notice. The food is more adventurous than the main dining room, which may in and of itself turn some people off, if their preference is large portions of steak or pasta or shrimp. Certain things are available every night - onion soup (quite good, as were all the soups), steak, chicken, Caesar salad,shrimp cocktail - all come to mind. We really like Blu, and book AQ for all these reasons. BUT, we do miss sitting at larger tables, and don't be fooled the tables can be crowded and the service is hurried, especially as compared to Murano for example.

I don't usually call people out on online forums, there's not much to be gained by that, but I can't let the statement above pass - that Blu is comparable to a 3 star Michelin restaurant. I have never dined at a 3 star, there are only a few in the US, mostly in NYC. I have eaten at 2 stars in France and the US, including Charlie Trotters (rest his soul), French Laundry, Gary Danlo (?sp), Cyrus, since defunct, and a couple of others - and one of these may have had periods of 3 star hood - and Blu is in no way, shape, or form comparable to a Michelin 3 star restaurant - that is almost laughable exaggeration. Enjoy it for what it is (I do), but don't be fooled.

 

Blu! was exception for dinner. The service impeccable. Easily on par with many 3 star Michelin restaurants we've dined at.

 

They keep the portions to a healthy size although you can order additional entrees if you so desire.

 

I have a similar opinion as your about the healthy portions and the excellent service at Blu, but have to absolutely disagree about it being at par with a Michelin 3 star restaurant! In my opinion it is not even remotely close to a M3 star. But thanks for the laugh.:D

I have done MDR, Luminae and Blu. We love Luminae and Blu. Aqua class is now our minimum stateroom booking. The service in Blu is unsurpassed. If Aqua is too expensive on a cruise, we just do not book that cruise. Nothing wrong with MDR and we enjoyed MDR but after being spoilt by Blu, there is no going back.

Here again experiences can be markedly different. Twice we have walked out of Blu because our waiter disappeared and we tired of waiting. And on our last cruise on the Equinox the food was great wherever we ate. We weren't in a suite, so we couldn't eat in Luminae and I am thankful for that. Several times I checked the menu there and found it to be very ordinary. The most tempting things I recall were appetizers of octopus and sweetbreads. That's the type offering I would expect o see regularly, not grilled food I can do at home without the fancy names.

I have a similar opinion as your about the healthy portions and the excellent service at Blu, but have to absolutely disagree about it being at par with a Michelin 3 star restaurant! In my opinion it is not even remotely close to a M3 star. But thanks for the laugh.:D

I was referring to the service. Not the food. Our experiences with Michelin restaurants are as varied as experiences reported for Blu!

I will agree with Cangelmd, seats are too close together. We dined in MDR a few times and for lunch one day we were at a table that was literally perched on the top step of the staircase at the mouth of a crescent landing.

Ridiculous.

As an example

We dined at a Claude Bosi in London.

We wouldn’t have agreed with it being recommended never mind a Michelin star recipient. The fact it is suggests our experience was unusual for them.

Years ago we upgraded to Aqua because of a special. They moved us from a nice midship room to a room second from the front. Agree the only perk enjoyed was Blue. Probably would not do it again unless it was free!

Some examples of special service we received in Blu:

- Ordered an entrée and the server brought out additional entrée suggesting that we really should try that as well.

- Lobster for dinner? We each got an additional 2 to 3 lobsters on the side.

- My smoothie was specially made each morning because I prefer low fat milk to the sour yogurt that is used. It was made with whatever ingredients that I wanted.

- One night I said I preferred water melon to their dessert, and the following night even though I said I did not want dessert, water melon showed up in front of me.

The server, assistant server and the sommelier were very attentive. While they were very busy, they were not flustered as my server was in Luminae. Luminae is much larger and the server has to walk fast and a longer walk to the kitchen.

Oh... and the lobster seafood bouillabaisse was very good.

[quote name=.

- One night I said I preferred water melon to their dessert, and the following night even though I said I did not want dessert, water melon showed up in front of me

.[/quote]

I hope you enjoyed the watermelon, but the waiter would not get extra credit from me. When I say "No, thanks" I mean it and would find it presumptuous on his part to ignore my request.

I don't usually call people out on online forums, there's not much to be gained by that, but I can't let the statement above pass - that Blu is comparable to a 3 star Michelin restaurant. I have never dined at a 3 star, there are only a few in the US, mostly in NYC. I have eaten at 2 stars in France and the US, including Charlie Trotters (rest his soul), French Laundry, Gary Danlo (?sp), Cyrus, since defunct, and a couple of others - and one of these may have had periods of 3 star hood - and Blu is in no way, shape, or form comparable to a Michelin 3 star restaurant - that is almost laughable exaggeration. Enjoy it for what it is (I do), but don't be fooled.

We always book Aqua as we much prefer Blue and are very happy with their service and food, despite noticing that standards are slowing going lower than they used to be a couple of years ago.

However as a European, travelling a lot and having chances to dine in some very fine restaurants, I must fully agree with the above quoted poster.

I hope you enjoyed the watermelon, but the waiter would not get extra credit from me. When I say "No, thanks" I mean it and would find it presumptuous on his part to ignore my request.

Probably more than 3/4s of the world could not afford that cruise. Those staff members work their butts off to please that one person who would find it presumptuous to try to please someone by remembering to give watermelon? I want that staff whom I will say Thank you to and tip well

We always book Aqua as we much prefer Blue and are very happy with their service and food, despite noticing that standards are slowing going lower than they used to be a couple of years ago.

However as a European, travelling a lot and having chances to dine in some very fine restaurants, I must fully agree with the above quoted poster.

I have dined at numerous 1,2 and 3 star Michelin restaurants. While there are some truly exceptional ones such as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Plume, Le Bernardine and L' Ambroisie, there are the mediocre ones and the bad.

I was not suggesting Blu! is on par with any of the above but we've dined at countless 1 star restaurants that left us questioning the validity of the rating. More often than not we were on vacation or traveling and not able to dine with that restaurant a second time to know if it was a fluke. One in particular stands out as one we wouldn't return to under any circumstance, Claude Bosi at Bibendum. Every aspect of our dining was a colossal fail. We should have known when we walked in and found it was decorated with the GIANT Michelin tire company logo. Yes, the Michelin man, he was in the stain etched glass, the artwork, the plateware, the glasses and if I looked, I'd bet the tiles as well.

My point is, the service at Blu! was no less than at countless single star Michelin restaurants we've dined at across the US and Europe. I was not comparing the food. Cruise lines use "creme brulee powder" for god sake, so attributing that to a Michelin star would be a , laughable exaggeration.

Probably more than 3/4s of the world could not afford that cruise. Those staff members work their butts off to please that one person who would find it presumptuous to try to please someone by remembering to give watermelon? I want that staff whom I will say Thank you to and tip well

Since when is it good service to have a waiter foist an undesired item on a customer? He could have pleased me by honoring my desire and request not to have dessert. Better yet, he wouldn't have had to work his butt off fetching something I did want, did not request, and probably wouldn't have eaten. I don't like to be told what is good for me, not at my age. And it's a waste of food to boot. :)

Since when is it good service to have a waiter foist an undesired item on a customer? He could have pleased me by honoring my desire and request not to have dessert. Better yet, he wouldn't have had to work his butt off fetching something I did want, did not request, and probably wouldn't have eaten. I don't like to be told what is good for me, not at my age. And it's a waste of food to boot. :)

The waiter was just trying his best to please someone and it is wonderful that he remembered what that person enjoyed the night before. This is service at its best and one reason we love cruising. How can anyone take this as to have "a waiter foist and undesired item" on you? Foist is a very harsh word to use. We are talking about a piece of watermelon and only wasted if not eaten. Not sure I would enjoy having a dinner with someone this offended.

[quote name=Zenica

My point is' date=' the service at Blu! was no less than at countless single star Michelin restaurants we've dined at across the US and Europe. [/quote]

I might have agreed with you on the service in Blu a couple of years ago. Unfortunately the last couple of years we found that this is certainly not that excellent anymore. Having travelled last 9 years in Aqua mainly on Solstice class ships we really see deterioration. Although the staff is very hard working and tries to do a first class job, the cutting of resources makes them rotate like crazy and there is no longer time for all the nice extras. We even were seated at an unmade table and they hustled quickly to get it ready in front of us. Several times bread, salt and often coffee spoons were missing. Last cruise, even the sommelier (only 1 seems to be left in Blu) was almost never available and after long waits just quickly plunked the wine down.

Don t think that merits any stars. But again, we don t blame this on the staff but rather management and bean counters.

The waiter was just trying his best to please someone and it is wonderful that he remembered what that person enjoyed the night before. This is service at its best and one reason we love cruising. How can anyone take this as to have "a waiter foist and undesired item" on you? Foist is a very harsh word to use. We are talking about a piece of watermelon and only wasted if not eaten. Not sure I would enjoy having a dinner with someone this offended.

Well foist is actually not a harsh word nor is it improperly used however the modifier "undesired" is repetitive as the meaning of foist itself is self explanatory.

That said, I see both sides. Declining an offering should not result in the waiter taking it upon himself to bring an alternate.

That level of presumption requires a level of intimacy which clearly was not present.

For me, if that rapport exists, I welcome that level of pre-cognizance as I did with Rosemarie at al Bacio.

I also enjoy it at a small family owned Italian restaurant near me. We walk in and immediately there will be minestrone soup for 3 and salad for one which 99% of the time, we are happy to have!

I might have agreed with you on the service in Blu a couple of years ago. Unfortunately the last couple of years we found that this is certainly not that excellent anymore.

We only have the one cruise thus far with Celebrity but for those 6 days dining at Blu!, we experienced only one night that we didn't enjoy and that was due to the table. It was entirely too close to the adjacent table, nearly as bad as I've seen in NYC. So close, I could literally dust that couples food with salt, from my seat. Without getting up.

We made sure to request certain tables from then on and were accommodated each time. If there was a wait, we spent it at al Bacio and Vladimir or another Blu! staff member would come to let us know our table was ready.

Once seated, none of what you mentioned was ever the case although we did only ever see a single sommelier. She was efficient, professional and available. Even getting a wine only carried at MDR for me. It's a sweet wine from Hungary, Tokaji.

The waiter was just trying his best to please someone and it is wonderful that he remembered what that person enjoyed the night before. This is service at its best and one reason we love cruising. How can anyone take this as to have "a waiter foist and undesired item" on you? Foist is a very harsh word to use. We are talking about a piece of watermelon and only wasted if not eaten. Not sure I would enjoy having a dinner with someone this offended.

This has gotten to the point of ridiculous. Can we agree that you like having unordered items delivered to your table, while I define good service as paying attention to what I want, not what the waiter wants. As far as eating together, I assure you that will never happen, so don't worry about it.;);););)

The waiter was just trying his best to please someone and it is wonderful that he remembered what that person enjoyed the night before. This is service at its best and one reason we love cruising. How can anyone take this as to have "a waiter foist and undesired item" on you? Foist is a very harsh word to use. We are talking about a piece of watermelon and only wasted if not eaten. Not sure I would enjoy having a dinner with someone this offended.

You've said it so well! Thank you!

These seem like adult rationalizations and reactions to being presented a plate of food that someone, like our wonderful moms and dads, thought we might enjoy if we tried it.

Sounds like everyone was allowed to get up from the table and were not sent to bed as punishment.

:cool:

I was referring to the service. Not the food. Our experiences with Michelin restaurants are as varied as experiences reported for Blu!

 

I will agree with Cangelmd, seats are too close together. We dined in MDR a few times and for lunch one day we were at a table that was literally perched on the top step of the staircase at the mouth of a crescent landing.

 

Ridiculous.

 

As an example

 

We dined at a Claude Bosi in London.

We wouldn’t have agreed with it being recommended never mind a Michelin star recipient. The fact it is suggests our experience was unusual for them.

Due to my job wonderful (& unfortunately not my own personal pocket book) I also get to experience many Michelin’s, mostly in Europe and I whole heartedly agree with you on your service comments. When it’s spot on in an X sailing - and we find it does more often than not, it is indeed reflective of some of my best dining experiences. The X team impressed with their fantastic training and willingness to go beyond and above!

The Food on X though - no, not so much but we know that going in.

Great to hear that others are also impressed with the spectacular service on the ships. It’s such a refreshing change than the service most often received in many US restaurants.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I will be in first Aqua cabin on14 night Reflection sailing in December. I hope we love it! I also purchased 4 night specialty. I will report back after our cruise.

I will be in first Aqua cabin on14 night Reflection sailing in December. I hope we love it! I also purchased 4 night specialty. I will report back after our cruise.

Aqua is a very nice venue. Blu, IMHO needs to be alternated at Dinner with Specialty so I am predicting you will bring back good reports!

I will be in first Aqua cabin on14 night Reflection sailing in December. I hope we love it! I also purchased 4 night specialty. I will report back after our cruise.

I agree, with a 14 night cruise, you are going to want, no scratch that---need---to dine outside of Blu!

We enjoyed Tuscan and Sushi on 5. We didn't try Qsine because the menu didn't really appeal to us over the other offerings.

Don't forget or dismiss MDR. Just make sure they don't seat you here: