Upgrade to Aqua class to experience Blu?

[jabrown40]

Considering an upgrade to Aquaclass to be able to experience Blu. My husband and I are not into yoga, meditation or spa treatments, but we are foodies and appreciate fine dining. On cruises, we usually book specialty restaurants to avoid MDR's. We have not been on Celebrity before, so looking for some advice!

[hypercafe]

Sounds like a good plan. yoga, meditation or spa treatments really have nothing to due with the Aqua cabins that I know of. We use it all the time just because of Blu dinning.

[Lois R]

Yoga and Meditation have nothing to do with Aqua Class cabins.......

The Spa? The relaxtion room is part of your AQ ammenities but if you

don't want to use it you don't have to......

[Cruise a holic]

Having been to blu on many ships, it is both positive and negative. We like the small restaurant feel but the food isn't great. You are also packed in and the tables for two are very close together. I find most of the aqua class cabin perks not great. We now only book if the cost is about the same and eat in the specialty restaurants. If you do book, watch your cabin location as you do not want to be under the gym or whirlpools.

 

If your main objectve is fine dining, get a regular balcony cabin and get the unlimited specialty dining package. Food and service will be better.

[Nachosdelux]

Having been to blu on many ships, it is both positive and negative. We like the small restaurant feel but the food isn't great. You are also packed in and the tables for two are very close together. I find most of the aqua class cabin perks not great. We now only book if the cost is about the same and eat in the specialty restaurants. If you do book, watch your cabin location as you do not want to be under the gym or whirlpools.

 

If your main objectve is fine dining, get a regular balcony cabin and get the unlimited specialty dining package. Food and service will be better.

 

I have had almost the opposite experience.

 

My wife and I think the food and service at Blu are a step (or 2) above the MDR.

 

We are foodies and appreciate good food and service.

 

Yes the tables are close together, but it is not uncomfortable and you can always get a table for 2, which we prefer.

 

Blu is more intimate and quieter than the MDR.

 

The amenities of Aqua class are very nice, especially the spa.

 

Give it a try for yourself, if it is in your budget.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Nachosdelux

[dkjretired]

Depends on how much it is to upgrade, very often there are excellent deals on upgrades. Look at whether the cost would cover a bunch of specialty dining meals and then make the decision on what you would rather have.

[Janet987]

And on the other hand....:D. We love BLU, for the smaller, beautiful, space, Open seating, tables for two where you can talk to neighbors...or not. We love the Food, the menu choices, top notch service, and having the kitchen and chef right there means if something is not to your liking, it will be corrected quickly. The spa services and even some fitness classes are extra fees and not part of AQ... what is included is access to the Persian Garden which on S-class ships, are those heated tile loungers in a quiet room with floor to ceiling glass, steam,saunas, etc and relaxation room. The AQ floor is only double occupancy, so children and loud noise are rare and well located near adult pool. The entire experience is relaxing, and there are different opinions, but we always book AQ or suite because of the fine dining in Blu. Different strokes....:)

[4774Papa]

I have had almost the opposite experience.

 

My wife and I think the food and service at Blu are a step (or 2) above the MDR.

 

We are foodies and appreciate good food and service.

 

Yes the tables are close together, but it is not uncomfortable and you can always get a table for 2, which we prefer.

 

Blu is more intimate and quieter than the MDR.

 

The amenities of Aqua class are very nice, especially the spa.

 

Give it a try for yourself, if it is in your budget.

I agree. We loved BLU and liked being close enough to others to make new friends.

[true45]

Having been to blu on many ships, it is both positive and negative. We like the small restaurant feel but the food isn't great. You are also packed in and the tables for two are very close together. I find most of the aqua class cabin perks not great. We now only book if the cost is about the same and eat in the specialty restaurants. If you do book, watch your cabin location as you do not want to be under the gym or whirlpools.

 

 

 

If your main objectve is fine dining, get a regular balcony cabin and get the unlimited specialty dining package. Food and service will be better.

 

 

+1

Thought we would love it but

Didn't like location of cabin even though we thought it was a good one

Didn't like menu in Blu - didn't seem like an upgrade to us

Will stick with Concierge

Specialty Dining package nice idea

[Jane2357]

Considering an upgrade to Aquaclass to be able to experience Blu. My husband and I are not into yoga, meditation or spa treatments, but we are foodies and appreciate fine dining. On cruises, we usually book specialty restaurants to avoid MDR's. We have not been on Celebrity before, so looking for some advice!

 

Since you've never been on Celebrity - don't discount the MDR - we've had many very good meals there. Can't speak to Aqua but the specialty restaurants are usually excellent.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Jane2357

[Rob the Cruiser]

I agree. We loved BLU and liked being close enough to others to make new friends.

 

We love Blu also. So much so that we didn't accept a complimentary upgrade to a suite on our Transatlantic cruise. We don't like to endure the "what is your name, where are you from, what do you do" discussions. We always get a table for two next to the aisle. No problem keeping to ourselves when we want to.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Rob the Cruiser

[dkjretired]

Since you've never been on Celebrity - don't discount the MDR - we've had many very good meals there. Can't speak to Aqua but the specialty restaurants are usually excellent.

 

Agree, we did Summit last month, did not do any specialties and did not do Aqua. Did not have one bad meal in the MDR but I think Celebrity is going to have to make some more room for Select Dining as its becoming more and more popular.

[fatbaldbloke]

We only book Aqua as we enjoy the Blu experience so much. Yes the tables are close together but have never had any problems with the food or service. The Maitre d & Hostess are always around making sure their customers are happy. As for the yoga & meditation for some reason I've always given that a miss. To the OP book you won't be disappointed.

[jjk9946]

I have to weigh in on the side of Blu. If you are in to a more "clean" eating style than I would highly recommend it. Since we tried AQ when it first started, it's all we book.

 

Also I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the shower. It's great.

 

Judy

[Tangocherie]

One more nice thing about Blu is the breakfast menu. Much nicer than the main dining room.

[ClaudiaB]

If it's in your budget, being as you're a foodie, I'd book a sky suite. Then you have Luminae as your main dining room and word is the food and service is outstanding. We will be able to report back about that in November. We've stayed in suites for the last 6 cruises and have not eaten in the main dining room once. We have been eating in Blu and you can do that in a suite. No problem.

 

The thing about Blu -- the descriptions on the menu sound more foo foo than they really are. What we love is the portion size, the fact that soups come out HOT, cold dishes come out COLD, and you can substitute and customize very easily. For example if you really like broccoli and don't want the squash and zucchini medley you can just ask for broccoli. In the main dining room that's a big hassle for them since they have thousands of meals to prepare en masse. In Blu they can easily do it.

 

We actually like talking to others so the tables which are mostly for two are close enough to talk. But if you want to just be by yourself it's easy to do that too.

[Lastdance]

We ate in Luminae, but for us Blu was much more appealing, along with the restaurant decor. The entire atmosphere in Blu was great and the waiters could not be more accommodating i had salmon one night and it was delicious . We all have different tastes and opinions. A friend if mine ate in Blu, but requested to sit in the MDR where the food was, in her opinion, more bland. To each his/own...

[alcpa1]

OP,

Which ship?

Some of the Blu restaurants get a better rating, as do the locations of some of the Aqua class cabins.

[Pa8born]

I booked Aqua on the Summit and had Aqua vs MDR on the Soltice.

The difference in the cost was negligible.

I had the most memorable experience in the MDR on Solstice that only BLU made up for the difference between M class and S class. I was concerned about BLU heAlthy fare because I am somewhat of a picky eater. No issues. I always found something to my liking. I did not want to dress for formal so that was a plus in the Carribean, whereas on the Alaska cruise I wanted the formal experience. I did go to specialtiy restaurants for lunch when I did not have BLU due to the itinerary. So depending on the class and itinerary and upgrade cost, I would choose what fits your needs. Have a great experience either way.

[Wiltonian]

First cruise in Aqua; Blu was great.

Second cruise: Aqua too expensive, and feared that MDR would be a let down. It wasn't. But missed breakfast in Blu. Blu food is IMHO more 'special' and service better because staff less rushed.

 

So, worth paying a bit extra for - perhaps £15 a night - but no more.

 

Stuart

Edited July 14, 2015 by Wiltonian

[seapals2]

We sailed on Equinox in March and had an Aqua class cabin. It was our first time on Celebrity and we thought the Aqua class would give us a similar experience to a grill suite on Cunard with its own designated restaurant. What we found was the cabin had hardly any different to a regular balcony cabin with just a few additional extras like bottled water and upgraded shower. Blu did not give us the dining experience we expected. We felt the staff were over stretched at peak times so we often ate early or late.

We tried Murano the first night as there was a discount for Aqua passengers. Now that would be worth the price difference. On our next sailing we have booked a regular balcony and plan to pre purchase the speciality restaurant package. We think that's a much better option that will provide much more variety of menus and will almost certainly be cheaper in comparison.

[UniPac]

We choose Aqua mainly because of blu (and also because we love to be on a higher deck). So if the price difference is not too big I would always go for Aqua Class.

 

If you need an impression on the menus, click the link in my signature.

[jabrown40]

Thank you, everyone has given me a lot to think about! I am leaning toward staying in my balcony cabin - I have one of those cabins on the hump with the bigger balcony - and spending the extra money in the specialty restaurants. After reading all of the menus, I think that would be best for us.

[SeaPeaInn]

Aqua class is the best deal in cruising. We do suites on other lines but aqua class on Celebrity.

[UniPac]

Thank you, everyone has given me a lot to think about! I am leaning toward staying in my balcony cabin - I have one of those cabins on the hump with the bigger balcony - and spending the extra money in the specialty restaurants. After reading all of the menus, I think that would be best for us.

 

If Aqua Class is really so much more $$$ then choosing to try the speciality restaurants seems a good choice!