Questions from First Time Celebrity Cruiser

[Alwaysacruiseinthequeue]

Going Aqua class, deck 9 right across from the mid ship elevator, next year on the Summit!

 

1. Is Aqua class worth the money over Concierge? Why/Why not?

 

2. What makes Aqua class better for the money than a regular balcony?

 

3. Has anyone had any poor experiences with Blu and would have rather eaten in the MDR?

 

4. What is the Persian Garden? Does it have any windows?

 

5. Where is Blue? Persian Garden? Relaxation Room?

 

6. Is the buffet area really cramped on embarkation day?

 

7. Is the Bistro on 5 my best bet when dealing with 8 people (2 almost 80-year old fussy parents) on embarkation day for lunch?

 

8. Does Aqua class get the bottle of champagne on embarkation or is it the level above this?

 

9. Are the CelebrityLife (is that the name?) activities free? If not, does anyone have a sample listing of the activities and fees for them?

 

10. Any tips and tricks you could give me to make this a great family reunion would be great. I've been on many many cruises before but never on Celebrity.

[cynbar]

The main reason for booking Aqua Class is so you can dine in Blu. We have sailed twice in AQ, and we enjoy Blu although not everyone does. Service is usually better than the MDR, ambiance is quieter and more elegant. However, the menu is different than the MDR --- emphasis is on healthy, so fewer starches and lighter sauces. If you are traveling with a group of people of varying ages, do a Google search for the menus of both Blu and the MDR before you decide. I believe the AQ cabins on Summit are a little bigger than Concierge, also. Persian Garden is a lovely area with windows on the S class ships, but less fancy on Summit, so less of an advantage there. You do get a bottle of sparkling wine at embarkation in AQ. Bistro on 5 is a peaceful and lovely spot for lunch on embarkation day (or any other) but it features mostly soups, salads and crepes, so you may want to consider if your 80 somethings would enjoy that type of food. Celebrity Life activities are generally lectures and yes, they are free --- topics might be how to navigate a ship using the stars, something "academic" like that is common.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Aqua Class and Concierge Class cabins are the same size on the M Class ships and a little bigger than regular veranda cabins.

 

If everyone in your party does not book Aqua Class, or a suite, you will not be able to dine together in Blu. Blu is located on deck 5 port side on M class.

 

There are no windows in Persian Gardens on M class ships. Located on deck 10 forward. I don't think there is a relaxation room on M class.

 

Bistro on 5 is a good choice for lunch for your group to avoid the hustle & bustle of the buffet. In addition to crepes they offer soup and sandwiches. Depending on when you embark the buffet is crowded and finding tables while carrying plates of food can be a challenge. We avoid it.

[friendlyfifer]

I agree with the comments made by Cynbar. I have sailed AQ once and will do again next month. The MDR always seems rather manic in comparison to Blu which is much smaller. The only problem arises if you want to dine with fellow cruisers and they are not in AQ. You could go to a speciality restaurant or eat in the MDR. The Persian Garden is a lovely place with good views out. On our last cruise we were put to the suite queue for embarkation so much quicker in boarding the ship. I also liked being on deck 9. It felt as if I were getting away from the crowd - does that sound awful? Enjoy your cruise whatever class you book.

[hypercafe]

We have just sailed on the M class ships. We book Aqua because of Blu, it is small and quiet and always resort casual. Food is good and service seems less rushed than MDR. I see no advantage to booking C class over a regular veranda room. IMO the persin garden and relaxing room have no value. Yes you get a bottle of sparkling wine.

 

Sent from my SM-T320 using Forums mobile app

[dkjretired]

Summit does not have a relaxation room they are only on the S class ships.

[darbs7]

Going Aqua class, deck 9 right across from the mid ship elevator, next year on the Summit!

 

WE were on summit last year in Aqua. It was our first Celebrity cruise. We felt it was worth every dime. We loved Blu, service was above and beyond, highlight of the week. I love steam rooms and I hated the straight up and down seats in the steam rooms. The sauna seats were comfy. We only went to the Persian gardens twice.

 

1. Is Aqua class worth the money over Concierge? Why/Why not?

 

It was only $150 more a person, so we thought yes for sure.

 

2. What makes Aqua class better for the money than a regular balcony?

 

3. Has anyone had any poor experiences with Blu and would have rather eaten in the MDR?

LOVED BLU, service awesome, food and atmosphere awesome

 

4. What is the Persian Garden? Does it have any windows?

NO windows, some seats comfy some not...steam room not, sauna yes, okay...was a disappointment for me (I LOVE SPAS)

 

5. Where is Blue? Persian Garden? Relaxation Room?

hmmmm can't remember, check the boat layout on line. feels like Blue was back and Persian was very front near top. We had an aft balcony aqua room

6. Is the buffet area really cramped on embarkation day?

didn't seem it

7. Is the Bistro on 5 my best bet when dealing with 8 people (2 almost 80-year old fussy parents) on embarkation day for lunch?

never went there, always dead

8. Does Aqua class get the bottle of champagne on embarkation or is it the level above this?

It was a bottle of sparkling wine and it was in our cabin when we got to it. Also there were 3-4 bottles of cold water and a bucket of ice every day or several times a day

9. Are the CelebrityLife (is that the name?) activities free? If not, does anyone have a sample listing of the activities and fees for them?

we don't do a ton of activities, we read, go to bars, casino, so I can't speak to this

10. Any tips and tricks you could give me to make this a great family reunion would be great. I've been on many many cruises before but never on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity is our favorite, loved the drink package and not having to sign for a single beverage. We loved Blue. We are not aqua on our cruise this year (leaving Saturday) because it was almost 500 more a person. We did by the dining package though because we are not big on main dining. We sailed 3 times on NCL the preceding years and never ate in main dining...last time we ate main dining was Carnival about 5 years ago.

[captdave]

I did Aqua 1 on the Summit on a 7 day San Juan trip 2 November's ago.

 

Aqua 1 over Aqua 2 is a very small difference in price, sometimes an whole $50 a person.

 

I now have a 17 day Panama Canal Aqua 1 trip booked for this September. 2 other Aqua 1's booked after that.

 

I love the location being on the top deck. Food-pool just 1 deck below. 1 deck above is the observation deck, great if you bring your camera.

 

I took this photo from my cabin balcony on the stern.

 

 

It's nice being high up on Aqua 1.

 

 

CaptDave

Edited February 11, 2015 by captdave

[colombiangirl]

I did enjoy the relaxation room. The only thing I was disappointed in was that it wasn't as shown on the website. There was not all the stone loungers with a view. I did try out a few of the rooms and found them to be very relaxing.

[shrifk]

 

Celebrity is our favorite, loved the drink package and not having to sign for a single beverage. We loved Blue. We are not aqua on our cruise this year (leaving Saturday) because it was almost 500 more a person. We did by the dining package though because we are not big on main dining. We sailed 3 times on NCL the preceding years and never ate in main dining...last time we ate main dining was Carnival about 5 years ago.

 

Bistro is great for embarkation (or anytime.) Food is good. It's quiet and not crazy like the buffet for lunch. The cost is $7.00 pp but well worth it.