Eclipse-Aqua Class or Concierge Class

[marienbad]

We will be taking the Eclipse to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving. We haven't been on Solstice class ships before, and are considering either Concierge Class or Aqua Class.

What are the plusses and minusses of each type of cabin? Which do you prefer, and is there a cabin area that we should avoid?

Thanks for your advice.

[Kfed]

I would go aqua class only to be able to eat in blu restaurant. I don't think the other perks are a big deal. The tea everyday is ok. the water, the shower heads are ok, towels, fuit. Blu restaurant for me was the best part I thought the food was excellent 95% of the time & just a much better dining experience than MDR. a couple nights i heard loud noises above me but it didn't last long so it was no big deal, but you might want to check what's on the floor above you.

[greydog]

AQ has Blu assigned dining. Their food is NOT 'meat/potatoes' oriented. Mostly fish, lamb, duck in very light or thin sauce. One night offering beef entree it was served with white beans in thin bland sauce. The 'always available' strip steak alternate was pretty average. Our tablemates ordered vegetable entree as second order each night to get 'full' meal. I realize taste is very subjective, and some love Blu (enjoyed our 1st Blu trip, disappointed on 2d this Dec). Good Luck

[hcat]

we did Equinox AQ with BLU in Jan...BLU was a highlight of our trip--great food at breakfast & dinner with service to match!!! much better than MDR!!

 

In AQ get all the perks of CC but also BLU, free bottled water, teas, etc....& use of Persian gardens & relaxation room..

 

wish we could select other rooms but we had one that was quiet next to some suites..

[O2cruise_again]

We will be taking the Eclipse to the Caribbean over Thanksgiving. We haven't been on Solstice class ships before, and are considering either Concierge Class or Aqua Class.

What are the plusses and minusses of each type of cabin? Which do you prefer, and is there a cabin area that we should avoid?

Thanks for your advice.

We're on the same cruise. Make sure you join the roll call. Half of our party is AQ and the other half is CC. It will be interesting to compare the experiences.

[MisterBill99]

Has anyone going a pointer to a set of Blu menus? Right now it would cost me $150pp to go from CC (cabin with oversized balcony) to AQ. Not sure that it's worth it, although for much beter food it could be.

[Moomintroll]

We really enjoyed Blu but not having traveled anything other than AQ on Celebrity cannot compare to MDR - plenty of threads here and some time back I found some Blu menus someone had shared on google docs. Logging into my google docs I can only find:

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZBK-JzLUuM2ZGhyYzU1NGhfNTcyZDhtdjJ0aG0&hl=en but you can probably find links to the others through a search here.

[kitkat9438]

You will love the Eclipse. We sailed her in December and it's absolutely my favorite ship. We always go with Concierge class, but this time we decided to try Aqua and loved it. As was mentioned you get all of the perks of CC plus more. The best benefit is Blu, but you also get the free bottled water and tea, spa shower, and free access to the Persian Gardens and Relaxation Room (think heated tile loungers, and saunas).

 

Here's the link to 10 days of menus for Blu:

 

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

 

Here's a wonderful website provided by Beyondships with a photo tour of the Eclipse that includes the entertainment and some menus.

 

http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-Tour-4.html

 

We were in 1606 which is one of the largest cabins on the hump of the ship. here's a list of the cabins to look for that have those extra large balconies:

 

Resort Deck: 2105, 2109, 2106, 2110

Penthouse Deck: 1547, 1552, 1601, 1605, 1606, 1610

Sky Deck: 1075, 1044, 1231, 1243, 1247, 1108, 1120, 1124

Panorama Deck: 9155, 9192, 9209, 9215, 9237, 9241, 9266, 9270, 9292, 9296

Vista Deck: 8199, 8162, 8255, 8259, 8281, 8285, 8228, 8232, 8254, 8258

Sunrise Deck: 7159, 7206, 7215, 7219, 7241, 7245, 7260, 7264, 7286, 7290

Continental Deck: 6155, 6156, 6209, 6215, 6237, 6241, 6210, 6214, 6236, 6240