Blu

[robinlynn]

i believe I read somewhere that it is possible to dine at Blu, based on aVailability,

paying a surcharge, even if not in AQ cabin. Anyone know if this is true, and if so, how or when do we try to make arrangements?

This will be our first Celebrity Cruise without having an AQ cabin, and I would love to go there at least once for old times sake.

Thanks

Robin

[british betty]

Am not 100 % certain, but I don't think so.

[hulamoon]

i believe I read somewhere that it is possible to dine at Blu, based on aVailability,

paying a surcharge, even if not in AQ cabin. Anyone know if this is true, and if so, how or when do we try to make arrangements?

This will be our first Celebrity Cruise without having an AQ cabin, and I would love to go there at least once for old times sake.

Thanks

Robin

 

You can if you are in a suite, and if you meet a friend is suites they can take you to Luminae and you can pay a surcharge. That would be good.

 

I actually think it makes sense to invite a few folks to do what you suggest in Blu on space available basis, now that suites are not there. But to my knowledge they have not.

 

From time to time I hear of exceptions being made for those in Blu to eat with friends in there, but not often and not lately. So I would not count on that.

 

Murano is definitely on good roll now, I would suggest that.

[chemmo]

If you are in a suite you can arrange to dine in Blu but I think this is the only exception. There is no price guide, option even within speciality dining packages that include Blu that I have heard of, sorry.

 

Luminae, the suite restaurant, does allow you to dine based on availability (at a cost) if you are invited by a suite guest. Note, the cost is charged to the suite guest.

 

I added the suite info as I was wandering if this is what you maybe had seen...

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Unless you are in Aqua Class or a suite you can not dine in Blu, even for a fee.

[TeaBag]

Unless you are in Aqua Class or a suite you can not dine in Blu, even for a fee.

Correct.

[Northern Aurora]

Despite Celebrity's reputation for being somewhat inconsistent, they are consistent in only allowing passengers in Aqua Class staterooms and suites to dine in Blu. And suite passengers are only allowed to dine in Blu on a space available basis. This past fall some suite passengers were turned away from Blu on the Equinox during the dinner time period due to a lack of space available.

[dkjretired]

Correct.

 

And this is actually something that Celebrity really enforces.

[gek]

Many people book AQ solely for Blu. Imagine the uproar if passengers in cheaper cabins could pay a modest fee and dine there. Celebrity would really struggle to sell the AQ cabins if that became the norm.

[Celebrity Cruises]

i believe I read somewhere that it is possible to dine at Blu, based on aVailability,

paying a surcharge, even if not in AQ cabin. Anyone know if this is true, and if so, how or when do we try to make arrangements?

This will be our first Celebrity Cruise without having an AQ cabin, and I would love to go there at least once for old times sake.

Thanks

Robin

 

Serving as the specialty dining restaurant for AquaClass guests, the menu features wonderful choices of fresh and delicious cuisine, to be enjoyed in an intimately relaxing atmosphere.

 

This restaurant is complimentary for Aquaclass guests; and Suite guests (based on availability).

[Hlitner]

Serving as the specialty dining restaurant for AquaClass guests, the menu features wonderful choices of fresh and delicious cuisine, to be enjoyed in an intimately relaxing atmosphere.

 

This restaurant is complimentary for Aquaclass guests; and Suite guests (based on availability).

 

We assume you are just re-posting the propaganda put out by the cruise line. So lets put some reality to Blu. While there is some fresh and delicious cuisine in Blu, it does not seem nearly as fresh and delicious as it used to be just a few short years ago. Our most recent 2 weeks in Blu (December) found the service to be Excellent but the cuisine hit or miss with more missed then in the past. As long time fans of Aqua Class and Blu, our most recent experience has us reexamining whether we want to book Aqua in the future (we already had a future booking which we are now reconsidering).

 

Another interesting facet of Blu is their "secret menu" which we find mysterious. Why not simply put all available food items on the menu? Instead, one must know enough to ask the waiter what is available that is not on the menu (i.e. French Onion Soup, Escargot, Shrimp Cocktail, etc). We have been told that Celebrity does not want to show these items on the menu because somebody somewhere thinks it would detract from the real meaning of Blu (whatever that is supposed to mean).

 

Hank

[ghstudio]

We assume you are just re-posting the propaganda put out by the cruise line.

 

 

The "new" celebrity cruises is obviously charged with quoting from their web pages....that has been the sum total of their posts for the past month. The responses are not, as you suggest, actually helpful here where folks get their questions answered with reality vs hype.

 

The old Celebrity Cruises poster (who apparently left the company) tried to actually find out about things/questions/changes and post them here....since Celebrity itself did such a poor job of communications. The "old" celebrity cruises also was part of a group that could actually help with issues. The new one appears uninterested in handling anything that can't be responded to with a quote from their often incorrect web site. I do question the value of their continued participation if that's all they are going to offer....because, Celebrity hasn't a clue how to use social media other than constantly saying something that sounds good and hoping someone believes it.

Edited January 9, 2016 by ghstudio

[jelayne]

The "new" celebrity cruises is obviously charged with quoting from their web pages....that has been the sum total of their posts for the past month. The responses are not, as you suggest, actually helpful here where folks get their questions answered with reality vs hype.

 

The old Celebrity Cruises poster (who apparently left the company) tried to actually find out about things/questions/changes and post them here....since Celebrity itself did such a poor job of communications. The "old" celebrity cruises also was part of a group that could actually help with issues. The new one appears uninterested in handling anything that can't be responded to with a quote from their often incorrect web site. I do question the value of their continued participation if that's all they are going to offer....because, Celebrity hasn't a clue how to use social media other than constantly saying something that sounds good and hoping someone believes it.

 

Couldn't agree more‼️

[jan-n-john]

We have sailed X several times now, always in AQ. We thought Blu was OK the first few trips, not great but OK, but over time the repetitiveness and dumbed down nature of the preparations becomes BORING. I'm not saying it has gotten any worse intrinsically, but to the individual it gets old --in fact, in my opinion, most of the observations that the food in Blu has gone downhill are due to the boring factor rather than any actual change in the food. The truth is it never changes and that's the fundamental problem. On our last trip we pretty much stopped going there -- I went down most days to check the menu, and we just couldn't get up for it.

 

So my advice is, if you are new or fairly new to AQ, go for it, dine at Blu, and it will probably be satisfactory. But unless you're happy with the same old thing endlessly, eventually you may need to come up with a different solution.

 

Just MHO.

Edited January 9, 2016 by jan-n-john

[ChucktownSteve]

Serving as the specialty dining restaurant for AquaClass guests, the menu features wonderful choices of fresh and delicious cuisine, to be enjoyed in an intimately relaxing atmosphere.

 

This restaurant is complimentary for Aquaclass guests; and Suite guests (based on availability).

 

Modern luxury comes in such an amazing array of flavors

 

Dining with Celebrity Cruises is an experience beyond the obvious, a globally influenced blend of classic and contemporary menus created by a James Beard featured chef. It's always a perfect marriage of flavors and the artful presentation of cuisine.

 

As fresh and pure as a perfect white rose; the AquaClass® dining experience at Blu unfolds beautifully, petal by petal.

Edited January 9, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ghstudio]

Modern luxury comes in such an amazing array of flavors

 

Dining with Celebrity Cruises is an experience beyond the obvious, a globally influenced blend of classic and contemporary menus created by a James Beard featured chef. It's always a perfect marriage of flavors and the artful presentation of cuisine.

 

As fresh and pure as a perfect white rose; the AquaClass® dining experience at Blu unfolds beautifully, petal by petal.

 

oh...that just hurts my head. While we like blu, the above really goes far far beyond the actual experience. On some cruises, I've even asked if they have any other seasoning bedside salt in the kitchen. Certainly, there is nothing in Blu that would create even mild discomfort for someone on a bland diet. And please, three little dishes of the same crudites every night does not strike me as the artful presentation of any cuisine...it strikes me as very very boring.

 

I guess that's the white rose they are referring to is the one they no longer give you in your aqua class room...right?

[ChucktownSteve]

oh...that just hurts my head. While we like blu, the above really goes far far beyond the actual experience. On some cruises, I've even asked if they have any other seasoning bedside salt in the kitchen. Certainly, there is nothing in Blu that would create even mild discomfort for someone on a bland diet. And please, three little dishes of the same crudites every night does not strike me as the artful presentation of any cuisine...it strikes me as very very boring.

 

I guess that's the white rose they are referring to is the one they no longer give you in your aqua class room...right?

 

I was just practicing in case Celebrity Cruises go on vacation and they need someone to fill in. :D How'd I do?

[nikel]

i was just practicing in case celebrity cruises go on vacation and they need someone to fill in. :d how'd i do?

 

lol !!

[luv2cruisecats]

It is not a secret for those who normally book AQ. If they listed every item that is not on the menu it would not only become rather lengthy but cause a lot of additional work for the staff.

 

The real beauty of Blu aside from the quiet nature of the room and the very high level of service (without bordering on being "oppressive") is the ability to ask for a special request the next evening. I am not aware of any other dining venue that affords one the ability to do this.

 

What value do my wife and I assign to Blu? If we are not spending more than $20/day each for this we always "go Blu". Next week we are on the Eclipse for 11 days and if the value proposition for us has been altered I will let everyone know. (BTW anyone wanting to suggest some of the better waiters onboard Eclipse now let us know please...)

[keesar]

 

Another interesting facet of Blu is their "secret menu" which we find mysterious. Why not simply put all available food items on the menu? Instead, one must know enough to ask the waiter what is available that is not on the menu (i.e. French Onion Soup, Escargot, Shrimp Cocktail, etc).

 

Hank

 

On our cruise, we received a supplementary menu listing those additional items that are also available. So it is really not a "secret menu" any more.:)

[lovemylab]

Serving as the specialty dining restaurant for AquaClass guests, the menu features wonderful choices of fresh and delicious cuisine, to be enjoyed in an intimately relaxing atmosphere.

 

This restaurant is complimentary for Aquaclass guests; and Suite guests (based on availability).

 

I think you need to go back and read the original post.

 

They were not asking what Blu was or what type of food is served there. They were asking whether it was possible for a non AQ guest to dine there by paying a fee. A simple yes or no would have answered the question. Not sure why you felt the need to copy and paste some BS marketing from the website.

[MRSBITS]

On our cruise, we received a supplementary menu listing those additional items that are also available. So it is really not a "secret menu" any more.:)

How did you receive this supplementary menu?

[ghstudio]

I think you need to go back and read the original post.

 

They were not asking what Blu was or what type of food is served there. They were asking whether it was possible for a non AQ guest to dine there by paying a fee. A simple yes or no would have answered the question. Not sure why you felt the need to copy and paste some BS marketing from the website.

 

Forgive celebrity cruises....they didn't realize that they could have quoted the following from the Celebrity web site:

 

Insider Tips

 

• Exclusively for AquaClass guests

• Dinner menu changes daily

• Open seating

• Suite guests welcome upon availability

• Don't miss the table side muesli and delicious smoothies

• Blu features open seating and reservations are not required. Since Blu offers flexible dining between 6 PM and 9:30 PM every evening, you're free to dine at the time of your choice during those hours.

 

 

Of course, then one might ask how "exclusively for AquaClass guests" makes sense given the statement three lines down....suite guests welcome upon availability...which in my understanding of the English language isn't exclusively for aquaclass guests. I'm also not quite sure what they mean when they say "reservations are not required" because you can't make a reservation, even if you want to.

 

oh well....my head is still hurting from chucktownsteve's post...and since then discovering that the quote about the white rose is actually from Celebrity's web page describing Blu.

[ChucktownSteve]

Ghstudio,

 

Of course it was copy/pasted from the web site. I was practicing to fill in for Celebrity Cruises. Isn't that what they do when responding like a robot?

 

BTW, I wonder how many Celebrity marketing people stayed up all night working on the web site's ridiculous, superfluous and pompous verbiage?

 

I will be peeling the proverbial white rose for my first time next month on the Connie. However from what I thought others have said in posts; table side muesli is no longer available. Is that true? Did it really go the way of the daily bottled water and dodo birds?

Edited January 9, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[hulamoon]

Someone mentioned muesli was gone temporarily. But they didn't have it Luminae in December and I am sure I saw it in Luminae in September.