Blu

[Cruisin4]

Thank you for your note back , I appreciate it.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

what kind of desserts do they have???

[librarylady19]

what kind of desserts do they have???

 

Desserts tended to be lighter than in MDR and were always presented beautuifully They do offer sugar free options each night and ice crewm/sorbet.

Dessert is good but not amazing IMO. Lets just say, I never skipped it!I loved the coconut creme brûlée and the creme caramel.

 

Creme caramel

 

Something chocolate

[FM]

We will be having our first Blu experience on Silhouette soon; will let you know what we think next month in my review. Not real thrilled with all the negatives I've been reading about Blu on Silhouette... hopefully it's just new crew kinks that can be worked out soon! (Note' date=' the bad marks only seem to be on Blu on Silhouette... apparently all the other Blus are excellent from what I've read...)

 

Cheers,

Paul[/quote']

 

We were on the Dec 12th sailing aboard the Silhouette ... DW and I really enjoyed Blu. There was the occassional 'hit and miss' (I'm not that much of a fan of (reduction) sauces ... and DW had a number of dietary restrictions) but overall we found the food and in particular the service, great. There were occassions where DW, due to her dietary needs, requested an entree off the MDR menu or I ordered a 2nd entree (one off Blu, one off MDR) and were accommodated with no complaints or problems. Blu also easily accommodated any changes to the main entrees if she so requested (i.e. no seafood etc).

 

The wait staff we had on our sailing were exceptional ... everyone from the Maitre'D to the Assistant Maitre'D to our Head and Assistant Server and even the Sommelier. A big part of the experience in dining anywhere is the service and for us, these individuals were among the best we ever had in all our cruise dining experiences as each in their own manner, went out of their way in accommodating any requests we had and in the generous and friendly manner they interacted not only with us but other guests. However, I did notice some other tables did not seem to have the same level of engagement with their waiters that our section had ...

 

As Mermen has noted, food presentation and ambience etc was wonderful. The dining in Blu is certainly unique though ... my DW ordered Cobb Salad one evening and when it arrived, we had never experienced Cobb Salad the way it was 'created.' If you're not open to unique takes on what you like to dine on, then Blu might be a tad 'different'. But as mentioned before, we found that Blu were quite accommodating in meeting our 'needs'. Overall, based on our own personal experience, any future cruise with Celeb will be in AQ, mainly in part so that we can look forward to dining in Blu.

 

 

A well done explanation of Blu. We are booked July17th. yes my husband is a 3 veg and meat but will try anything. I am looking forward to dining there now after your post. We usually dine at a table of 8 people MDR which can work well and sometimes disappointing when your stuck with the same people for the entire cruise. So hoping to still meet others as we eat as a couple at home. Guess on excursions etc we will befriend others to dine with. I think the charge for the speciality restaurants is over priced wheras on Oceania these restaurants have no extra charge. Really Im happy to eat anywhere I dont have to prepare cook and wash the dishes.

 

We found that for the first few nights some people moved around in their seating arrangements until they found a spot where they were comfortable with. There was one lady who was dining by herself who sat at a different table every night so you can imagine all the new people she met ... including us :) . So you can move around if you find that your table mates next door or at one of the larger tables is not to your 'liking' so to speak. You're not 'assigned' to any one table for the entire cruise but usually most people are accommodated and were able to stay at the table of their choice, us included. There was one time a company of three who sat at the table next to us were great. The next night, they showed up a few minutes late and by that time, someone else was seated to the table next to us. Afterwards two couples had the two tables next to us put together as a table for four and 'stayed' there for the rest of the cruise (we enjoyed their company also) so we ended up visiting the company of three whenever we stopped by their table etc.

 

Dining is such a personal experience and some people complain, as noted by Mermen, no matter what! Here's wishing that your experiences in Blu will be a great one ...

[Buranogal]

Hi FM loved reading your reply. Got me soo looking forward to dining in Blu now. Just one hurdle to overcome yet. Mr Husband doesnt believe me when I say a suit will be needed for formal nights. Thought Id better not mention black tie or bow tie just yet Roll eyes :) Other cruises and river cruise a sport jacket and trousers were all that was needed. might have to put the Caribbean on my bucket list. Wish I could sail forever Regards Liz

[Spf12]

Hi FM loved reading your reply. Got me soo looking forward to dining in Blu now. Just one hurdle to overcome yet. Mr Husband doesnt believe me when I say a suit will be needed for formal nights. Thought Id better not mention black tie or bow tie just yet Roll eyes :) Other cruises and river cruise a sport jacket and trousers were all that was needed. might have to put the Caribbean on my bucket list. Wish I could sail forever Regards Liz

A suit is not required in Blu on Formal night.The dress code for Blu is Smart Casual or above for every night of the cruise.

[agathasmum]

Does Blu have a vegetarian menu? There didn't seem to be many vegetarian selections on the menu.

 

Also do they have any "available every day" appetisers? I'm thinking shrimp cocktail would fit the Blu "healthy" profile and it is always available in the MDR.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Does Blu have a vegetarian menu? There didn't seem to be many vegetarian selections on the menu.

 

Also do they have any "available every day" appetisers? I'm thinking shrimp cocktail would fit the Blu "healthy" profile and it is always available in the MDR.

 

That's what I was thinking. Mom is a veggie. I guess she can request off the MDR menu if she doesn't care for their choice???

[jackdiamond]

Does Blu have a vegetarian menu? There didn't seem to be many vegetarian selections on the menu.

 

Also do they have any "available every day" appetisers? I'm thinking shrimp cocktail would fit the Blu "healthy" profile and it is always available in the MDR.

Shrimp cocktail is always available.

[Spf12]

Does Blu have a vegetarian menu? There didn't seem to be many vegetarian selections on the menu.

 

Also do they have any "available every day" appetisers? I'm thinking shrimp cocktail would fit the Blu "healthy" profile and it is always available in the MDR.

On our 11/6 Silhoette cruise,they did not have a vegetarian menu per se.My wife is a vegetarian.told the maitre d and together with the chef,brought her a wide variety of vegetarian options.They bent over backwards to please her.

[mpace58]

I must be the only person on the planet that does not like Blu. I'll be the first to admit that I am a very picky eater. I had a very hard time finding things that I liked on Blu's menu. A couple of things were very good, but for the majority of the cruise I was very disappointed. When I ordered a steak, there was no consistency of the meat or cooking. When I would order a salad without any dressing I was looked at oddly. "No dressing? are you sure?"

 

Blu is what I term "pretty food". More concern goes into how it looks and not necessarily how it tastes.

 

These are my opinions, YMMV.

[jackdiamond]

I must be the only person on the planet that does not like Blu. I'll be the first to admit that I am a very picky eater. I had a very hard time finding things that I liked on Blu's menu. A couple of things were very good, but for the majority of the cruise I was very disappointed. When I ordered a steak, there was no consistency of the meat or cooking. When I would order a salad without any dressing I was looked at oddly. "No dressing? are you sure?"

 

Blu is what I term "pretty food". More concern goes into how it looks and not necessarily how it tastes.

 

These are my opinions, YMMV.

What is the meaning of YMMV?

[CaroleLee]

Thanks! Will try the search! He said he does not want to eat healthy every night for 14 nights!! :). He thinks it might be only fish! He s not a fish eater!! I make him eat it once a week!!

 

Healthy is a misnomer-think lighter sauces, and human size portions. Done 2 AQ cruises & loved Blu each time. There is steak as well as fish & pasta & (the best ) short ribs. The soups are really wonderful. Desserts are wonderful (yes ice cream, cake, pie etc). My DH eats "as though he will be stranded" loved Blu/ Made friends with Igor our ass't waiter & every night Igor knew to bring the chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce & whipped cream.

Go for Blu you will love it

Carole

[mpace58]

What is the meaning of YMMV?

Your Mileage May Vary

 

meaning your experience may be different from mine.

 

It's an old standard disclaimer that auto makers had to include when they stated car miles per gallon.

[sharks48]

People mention being able to order off the MDR menu in Blu. Do they have those menus available at Blu, or do you have to check outside the MDR to see what's on the menu and then just request it?

[riandei]

Is Muesili available anywhere other than Blu? We are sailing on the Millinium and love Muesili.

 

Also available at aquaspa cafe....however ...all premade muesili has mashed bananas in it....i have an aversion to bananas and the tableside muesili is a treat

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Also available at aquaspa cafe....however ...all premade muesili has mashed bananas in it....i have an aversion to bananas and the tableside muesili is a treat

 

I keep hearing people talk about it.. forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is it and what makes it soo good?

[jackdiamond]

Your Mileage May Vary

 

meaning your experience may be different from mine.

 

It's an old standard disclaimer that auto makers had to include when they stated car miles per gallon.

Thank you.

[TeaBag]

I keep hearing people talk about it.. forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is it and what makes it soo good?

 

It is healthy spa cuisine in a relaxing environment located adjacent to the Solarium. There is a salad bar, several salad dressings, cold soup and 3 prepared cold entrees which are different every day. You can also request freshly grilled salmon, tuna or chicken. Desserts are also plated and then there is a selection of poached fruit. This is all free. It is open for breakfast and lunch.

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

It is healthy spa cuisine in a relaxing environment located adjacent to the Solarium. There is a salad bar, several salad dressings, cold soup and 3 prepared cold entrees which are different every day. You can also request freshly grilled salmon, tuna or chicken. Desserts are also plated and then there is a selection of poached fruit. This is all free. It is open for breakfast and lunch.

 

No, I know what Blu is.. I was refering to the muesili.

[Jenna109]

Blu is the assigned dining room (no charge) for those who book an Aquaclass cabin or also on the new Reflection ship an Aquaclass suite. All other guests are assigned to the main dining room where you will get various views about how good the food is these days.

Suite guests may pay $5 each a day to have dinner in Blu but this is on a space available basis and is not always possible - one cruise in three we have been to Blu from a Royal suite.

If you are choosing between an ordinary cabin and an Aquaclass you may want to think about spending the little extra to have Blu

If you are choosing between a suite and Aquaclass you may want to think about spending a lot less and guaranteeing enjoyment in Blu

 

Your final decision depends on your tastes and your budget

 

 

Thank you for explaining Blu - we were wondering. I suppose it is like the class system run by Cunard. lst class - Aqua - eat in their own restaurant i.e. blue. Remaining passsengers - main dining room. First class can go down to other restaurants but second class cannot go up to Blu.

Howev er, like Cunard passengers they do pay extra to go first class.

[SeaBlu]

You can only dine in Blu if there is space available which is not guaranteed. We have managed it only on 1 of the 3 cruises we have been on whilst in a suite, interestingly when we were in the Royal and Celebrity suites it was a No but when we were in an S2 they were able to accommodate us. It is just one of those anomalies that has now arisen that suites are getting a less good dining experience on average than Aqua rooms.

 

We have decided to see how we cope with less space on our next Celebrity cruise and are trying out an Aqua cabin so we can guarantee being in Blu

 

I would not use one of my 2 free specialties in Blu, I would go for the bigger experiences.

 

On our last Solstice cruise (4/11) I had booked an AQ stateroom because I KNEW we wanted to eat in BLU. Then they offered a Sr. discount so I called hoping I could get an OB credit. They would not give me the credit ONLY a credit to upgrade, which I was not sure I wanted to do because we wanted to eat in BLU. But we took the upgrade to the suite because my DH is mobility handicapped and the extra space would be great. We were glad to pay the fee and were able to eat in BLU every night. We just showed up did not call first and there was always room for the 2 of us!

 

Each afternoon we would compare the two menus and BLU always won! I should tell you that we dined in Murano twice, once was complementary as suite quests and once we had already pre-paid. LOVED IT!!!

[FM]

Hi FM loved reading your reply. Got me soo looking forward to dining in Blu now. Just one hurdle to overcome yet. Mr Husband doesnt believe me when I say a suit will be needed for formal nights. Thought Id better not mention black tie or bow tie just yet Roll eyes :) Other cruises and river cruise a sport jacket and trousers were all that was needed. might have to put the Caribbean on my bucket list. Wish I could sail forever Regards Liz

 

You're welcome ... hope your dining experience will be as enjoyable as ours was. On the second of three formal nights in Blu, I showed up in smart casual attire as my DW was not well to go. It was perfectly fine - I believe that Celeb has changed the "policy" so smart casual is ok now in Blu - probably others can confirm this. Anyways, it was the first time I had never suited up for formal night ... I did feel a tad out of place ... but the food still tasted fine ;) ... My DW loves it when I do dress up as she remarks on how handsome I am ;) ... so you may want to let it slip by with your husband and let him believe that that is the main reason he should formal wear :D

 

 

 

No, I know what Blu is.. I was refering to the muesili.

 

I always think of Muesli as "fancier" oatmeal ... that comes with more organic ingredients such as oats, nuts, fruits ...

[Kevnzworld]

I didn't see it mentioned, but you can still eat in the MDR. I just finished a 2 week cruise in AQ. Blu was great, but we still ate elsewhere 50% of the time. I think 4 of the nights we ate at the Qsine or SS US ( Infinity )

We asked the Maitre De in the MDR if we could get a table there to try it. We ate in the MDR 3 times, and were never denied a spot.