Blu and aquaclass questions ... please help

[DaneViking]

I am trying to understand the aquaclass and "Blu" dining venue concept:

 

When booked in a Aquaclass cabin:

 

:confused: Is Blu your daily dining venue, or is it day by day booking, like the "normal" speciality dining venue?

 

:confused: Is it open seating or fixed table & dining hours?

 

:confused: Aquaclass amenities: Are they realy in addition to Concierge Class, as mentioned on X website? Meaning you get all the CC aminities PLUS AQ amenities. Doesn't make sense to me....

 

Confused after exploring Celebritys website :eek: ...

 

Thank you very much...

[scotslizzy]

You do not need to book each day for Blu if you are in an Aqua Class cabin.This is your allocated dining room for breakfast and dinner.

 

You can choose when to go down to dinner each evening between the opening hours .

 

It is only the first night that they ask you to come to dinner at a fixed time to allow them to guage the numbers that will be dining . Remember some people may have chosen to dine in a speciality restuarant or due to travelling to the ship may be tired and just want to eat in the buffet etc.

 

After this first evening the choice is yours.

 

I have not been in a concierge class cabin so I cannot comment on the

amenities question.

 

Enjoy your cruise .

 

Scotslizzy

[Janet987]

Confirm Lizzy and add that Blu is open seating, but if you do want a certain location or waiter, all you need do is ask maitre'd. all staff in Blu on Eclipse was wonderful, but we liked Nina, and then she was able to get to know our tastes and preferences by being in her section each night. We never pre booked.

 

Yes, AQ is in addition to CC, though sometime the AQ amenity supersedes the CC. See recent post Aquaclass amenity review for details.

[smdubowsky]

I agree with the above posters. We were on the Equinox last week. You can go to dinner at any time including the first night. If you want a certain table area either because of location (the window) or because of wait staff, then go either at 6PM or around 7:30 to 8PM. That's because the early crowd (6pm) is leaving by then. By doing this we had the same wait staff (our choice) every night. If you don't care about this, then go any time that is convenient for you.

 

Don't forget to go to Blu for breakfast. This was our favorite meal on the ship.

 

As far as amenities, in Aqua class you do get complimentary bottled water and tea in the room along with more plush bathrobes and slippers and a really neat shower in the bathroom. I'm not sure what amenities there are in Concierge.

[greydog]

We did AQ on solstice Dec'09. Dec'10. First time Blu was fine, 2d time not-so-much. Since food is our 'thing', we won't do AQ again.

 

I think the 'bloom is off the rose' for AQ, primarily due to price premium and exotic Blu menu (some just love it). On our trip, quite a few got free upgrade to Blu from concierge, which was selling better. I caught a $300 discount for AQ as military discount.

 

We've done Concierge a few times, but wouldn't pay too much for the extra cabin amenities.

 

If you're in to fish and/or duck/lamb, then AQ probably is ok. The 1 night for seared tenderloin it was paired with bland white beans in thin sauce. NOT A 'MEAT AND POTATOES' CUISINE. Our tablemates asked for side of vegetables with every meal.

 

They have an 'airline chicken breast' and strip steak alternate every night, but why pay AQ extra $ for chicken? The alternate strip I had was very average. Best meal on ship was Tuscan Grill.

 

If you arrive at 8pm, you'll be way behind the busy period, unless in Europe where late dining more the norm.

Good Luck

[deise17311]

I agree with Greydog...AQ to me was not worth it...next time we will pay for a regular balcony and save $$...shower was ok but nothing that special and Blu was fine...again nothing to go wild over...the amenities...cheap bulk items found in any hotel...shampoo, cheap slippers (tight for men)...althought the towels were nice and plush! Tea was served hot and flowers were so small we hardly noticed them...

[cynbar]

We were in AQ on Eclipse last month. In addition to the comments about Blu, I should add that we really enjoyed the Relaxation Room and the Persian Gardens. In the former, you get comfortable loungers looking out over the bow, in a quiet, peaceful environment. In the latter, the stone loungers were also relaxing with a lovely, peaceful view. Some AQ cruisers have written that they never used these, but we certainly did and enjoyed them.

[jackdiamond]

We love AQ; and, we have three ten night Equinox cruises already booked; and, we are awaiting the winter 2012 and spring 2013 itineraries.

[clementine]

We are sailing on the Solstice in 2 weeks in Aqua Class, still undecided where to dine. My husband likes his food and I like to meet new people. Knowing in Blu we would be seated by ourselves. Would like to give Blu a chance but I don’t want to get stuck there if we really don’t like it, besides my husband always looks forward to Lobster night, which I read in Blu is not the best.

 

Gregdog quoted Blu is mostly a fish, duck, lamb menu which we are not too fond of.

 

So the question is when I board can I request to be seated in the main dining room, therefore giving up dinning in Blu the entire cruise? Does that also mean we can not have breakfast there?

 

 

Undecided...:eek:

[DaneViking]

Thanks to you alll for your info...

 

We have an Eclipse AQ cabin on hold until tomorrow. We will definitely confirm it. I think we will like the Blu alternative...

 

So..... the decision has now been made.... Eclipse, TA, 16 april 2011 :) ....

[bighairtexan]

Add me to the "meh" on AQ group. I am a foodie, and have taught cooking classes. I was very underwhelmed w/ the choices and the food itself. I found most of it underseasoned and bland. Plating was very attractive, service was in some cases over the top good and in other cases very hit or miss. The venue is really attractive and it's really easy to speak to the other couple at tables near you if you wish, as there is not a huge space between tables. If, however, you wish to just have a quiet dinner for 2, that's not a problem either.

And YES you do get the Concierge Class amenities including double credit toward the Captain's Club tier, canapes in room in the early evening etc.

As for me I prefer a C1 because I love the aft view, even if it's more expensive than AQ, which it often is.

[DaneViking]

....

As for me I prefer a C1 because I love the aft view, even if it's more expensive than AQ, which it often is.

 

Once again thank you very much

 

With regard to those - admitedly - very popular afts: I prefer to look into the future rather than to look into the past... ;)

[mrshark]

We just got off solstice AQ yesterday and enjoyed BLU, we are foodies too, and often compared the menu nightly to the MDR, choices there were kind of "ordinary" some nights, blu had unique items we felt anyway. For a spectacular meal muranos is hard to beat. Service we had in blu was outstanding, our asst waitress Ozlem was superb.

[kitkat9438]

We are sailing on the Solstice in 2 weeks in Aqua Class, still undecided where to dine. My husband likes his food and I like to meet new people. Knowing in Blu we would be seated by ourselves. Would like to give Blu a chance but I don’t want to get stuck there if we really don’t like it, besides my husband always looks forward to Lobster night, which I read in Blu is not the best.

 

Gregdog quoted Blu is mostly a fish, duck, lamb menu which we are not too fond of.

 

So the question is when I board can I request to be seated in the main dining room, therefore giving up dinning in Blu the entire cruise? Does that also mean we can not have breakfast there?

 

 

Undecided...:eek:

 

Check out this 10 day menu for Blu. The first night is filet mignon which is very good and the second formal night is lobster tails and not the lobster medley you get in the MDR so much better in my opinion.

 

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5BK-JzLUuM2YzIzOWI0OWYtZWE5Ny00NWRiLTg2NTctNGRiMDllNzNkZDMx&hl=enbrowerok%3Dtrue

 

I would not give up your spot in Blu. You do not HAVE to dine there. You have alternatives, such as the MDR on their select dining plan, all of the specialty restaurants, buffet, pizza or room service. We would check out the menu that is posted in front of the restaurants each day and decide where we wanted to eat for the night. It is a good idea to have a reservation for the Specialty Restaurants though.

 

Daneviking, I see you've already booked, but yes I can confirm that the amenities in Aqua are in addition to the amenities you would receive in Concierge Class. In other words, both have the fresh fruit, flowers, champagne, extra cruise credit, canapes, thicker robes, towels and better bedding and balcony furniture. The extras with Aqua are Blu, the wonderful spa shower, persian gardens and relaxation room, and free bottled water and tea. You also get lip balm, and a facial mist and some slippers (house shoes). We loved Aqua and will book it next time if we are on a ship that has it.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Orator]

Confirm Lizzy and add that Blu is open seating, but if you do want a certain location or waiter, all you need do is ask maitre'd. all staff in Blu on Eclipse was wonderful, but we liked Nina, and then she was able to get to know our tastes and preferences by being in her section each night. We never pre booked.

 

Yes, AQ is in addition to CC, though sometime the AQ amenity supersedes the CC. See recent post Aquaclass amenity review for details.

 

Nina is one of the best and most popular servers. Sometimes you might need to wait for her since she is often requested.

[xplrcrzn]

I prefer the open seating, small dinning room of Blu. More like a luxury ship than a mass market one.

[bahamamamak]

Blu is the diningroom for Aquaclass. It is wonderful! You do not go to the other diningroom - unless you pay for the specialty dining restaurants.

Concierge class is a step below AquaClass. The amenities for AQ are on the website.

We went Solstice AQ last February and leave again on Sunday.

We loved it!

 

I am trying to understand the aquaclass and "Blu" dining venue concept:

 

When booked in a Aquaclass cabin:

 

:confused: Is Blu your daily dining venue, or is it day by day booking, like the "normal" speciality dining venue?

 

:confused: Is it open seating or fixed table & dining hours?

 

:confused: Aquaclass amenities: Are they realy in addition to Concierge Class, as mentioned on X website? Meaning you get all the CC aminities PLUS AQ amenities. Doesn't make sense to me....

 

Confused after exploring Celebritys website :eek: ...

 

Thank you very much...