Blu compared to specialty restaurants

[BuckeyeMan]

First time crusing with X. Have an Aqua class cabin. Was curious how Blu compared to specialty restaurants. Should I plan on a couple specialty restaurants or will Blu suffice for the entire cruise? Murano looked interesting. Was just trying to plan our OBC and didn't know if Blu would be good enough for the entire cruise.

 

Thoughts on those who have traveled Aqua class and if Blu was enough for the entire 7 night cruise.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Nachosdelux]

you are likely going to get all kinds of responses, as food is so subjective.

 

In my opinion, Blue is (generally) lighter and (possibly) healthier than the specialty restaurants.

 

My wife and I have no problem eating all our meals there.

 

If we are celebrating a special occasion or have a craving for something specific, we may dine at one of the specialties one night or two.

 

You can get an advance look at the week's menus in Blue once you get on board. If there is a night where nothing looks too appealing, that might be a good night to dine elsewhere.

 

The food at Blue is really nice, with better service in the MDR, in general.

 

Either way, you can't really go wrong.

[keesar]

The Specialty Restaurants are definitely a step above dining in Blu. The service is more attentive and the food is really special. We will usually do a Specialty to celebrate something that is a little special like a birthday or anniversary. Blu is not intimate dining but real good. The breakfasts in Blu are tops.

 

If you have OBC, I would suggest either Murano or the Tuscan Grill. You will not be disappointed. $50 per person, in my opinion, is a little steep as you are already paying for Blu.

[dkjretired]

First time crusing with X. Have an Aqua class cabin. Was curious how Blu compared to specialty restaurants. Should I plan on a couple specialty restaurants or will Blu suffice for the entire cruise? Murano looked interesting. Was just trying to plan our OBC and didn't know if Blu would be good enough for the entire cruise.

 

Thoughts on those who have traveled Aqua class and if Blu was enough for the entire 7 night cruise.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Blu was certainly enough for us on a 7 night cruise. Lots of choices, different entrees every night plus the three dishes presented every night.

[LadyVol1]

We're in a Sky Suite so can dine in Luminae or Blu. We find Blu to be outstanding and go there more often than Luminae. We have a lot of OBC but don't use it on specialty dining. We like Blu a lot.

[BuckeyeMan]

The Specialty Restaurants are definitely a step above dining in Blu. The service is more attentive and the food is really special. We will usually do a Specialty to celebrate something that is a little special like a birthday or anniversary. Blu is not intimate dining but real good. The breakfasts in Blu are tops.

 

If you have OBC, I would suggest either Murano or the Tuscan Grill. You will not be disappointed. $50 per person, in my opinion, is a little steep as you are already paying for Blu.

 

We will be leaving on wife's birthday so maybe the first night or two we will look at Murano to celebrate.

 

Thanks for the info.

[Mynki]

We like Blu as we like game and lamb etc. I'd agree with the poster above, have a look at the menu and if there is a night where nothing takes your fancy then visit a specialty restaurant. In my opinion, Murano is considerably better than the Tuscan Grill. Particularly if you order a dish prepared table side as it all adds to the ambiance and you get to experience great service.

 

Blu is very good for breakfast. We've never once had to wait to get a table in Blu (though we do dine early) and have only ever been disappointed with service in there on the final morning when everyone is extremely busy that day.

 

So, yes it is good enough every day, however you will get a better cruise experience if you sample some of the specialty restaurants on board also. I really don't rate Tuscan Grill though. I thought Luminae beat it on every single level during our last cruise.

[Cruise Raider]

I like going to a specialty restaurant once or maybe twice during a cruise. The reason I like Blu better is because you can go at any time. You still may have to wait but you don't have to make reservations in advance as you do with the specialty restaurants ... for the most part.

[ralphd]

We think Blu and Luminae are as good or better than the specialty restaurants on the ships. The service and food in both restaurants have been very good on our cruises.

[Alsmez]

Blu is lovely and the menu changes nightly, so no worries about boredom. You'll have no problem eating there every night, but if there is a night when nothing on the menu appeals, by all means use that night to go to a specialty restaurant.

[Yesflygirl]

I love Blu. Totally adore it. As said, the breakfasts are awesome (totally top-notch), the food varied and tasty, and the service is very personalized. However, if you're a real foodie, you will want to try the others. You can buy just one special meal out, or two; for longer than a week, you might choose a three-restaurant package for $109 I think. It's not that much money and will really heighten your cruise experience. That said, I agree that Murano and the Tuscan Grill are the best choices. On some ships, they also have Qsine and the Lawn Club, so those are worth a try as well. (I have been to the last two yet, but will our next trip). I've heard wonderful things especially about Qsine.

 

 

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[jabrown40]

We went to Murano, Tuscan, and Qsine on our 7 day last year. I would only pay extra for Murano. It is a great place to celebrate a special occasion. We were very sorry we wasted one of our meals in Tuscan Grill, instead of Blu. Qsine was fun, we did enjoy the small plates idea, but I'd probably only revisit if I had OBC.

 

 

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[wallie5446]

We have cruised where we did all meals in the Main Dining room, others with a mix of the speciality rooms.

 

Last cruise we were in Aqua and bought the 4 night speciality pkg. Very different experiences. Blu has standard cruise fare, that compares to the MDR, no where close to the others.

[Mr. Click]

We did 12 nights in Aqua on the Silhouette last September and were very very happy with the food and service in Blu. By the middle of the trip they were offering half price in the specialty restaurants and even at half price and OBC to burn we had no desire to go. Blu was a great experience.

[Fish Lover]

I think first you need to identify what ship you are on. On the Summit for example, there are only two specialty restaurants (Qsine & Tuscano) (If you don't count Sushi on 5). Whereas on other ships there are far more choices. Aqua guests are often offered steep discounts for a specialty. Our last trip we were offered 2 for 1, which made our evening special without a steep price.

 

I would give one a try for every several days on board. It provides a little variety. Sometimes the specialties are open for lunch on sea days. This to me is a welcome bargain. Blu is not open for lunch. The MDR in my opinion is awful for lunch. Lunch at a specialty is less than 1/2 the price, and the menu while abbreviated, is a good sampling of the food in general. So you might consider that instead of dinner.

[Husky61]

On our 14 day cruise in September we ate in all of the specialty restaurants as well as Blu and Luminae. We did not eat in the MDR except one morning for breakfast.

 

Like one poster said, food is very, very subjective.:)

[ProfessorEFFE]

Dw and I love Aquaclass. Mainly because of BLU. As was said before food is so subjective. As you can see, here there are 2 answers LOVE it ... OR ... it's ok. Personally we LOVE Blu and find the dinners there spot on to our liking. As others have suggested you might want to try Muranos or other Specialty restaurants as well. The suggestion to go to the specialty restaurants for lunch is a GREAT idea and much less costly.

 

I hope you really like Aqua Class and BLU.

[bigbenboys]

We book suites or aqua depending on cruise and cost. One of the things we spend OBC on is lunch in the specialty restaurants on sea days. The cost is less and if in aqua you don't have to do the buffet.

[Hlitner]

We find the more intimate atmosphere of Blu....a bigger plus....then the cuisine. On 4 or our 5 last Celebrity cruises (all at least 14 days) we booked Aqua Class. But after our last two experiences (both 14 day cruises) we have opted (for our next 21 day cruise) to book a regular balcony. With the money we save from not booking Aqua, we will spend a few nights in some of the alternative restaurants (Murano and Qsine are our favorites).

 

As to a specific answer to the OP's question, No, the food in Blu is not up to the standard you find in some the alternative restaurants. In fact, its not even in the ballpark of the fine dining one experiences in Murano.

 

Hank

[Mynki]

We have cruised where we did all meals in the Main Dining room, others with a mix of the speciality rooms.

 

Last cruise we were in Aqua and bought the 4 night speciality pkg. Very different experiences. Blu has standard cruise fare, that compares to the MDR, no where close to the others.

 

Can you or anyone else tell me how the beef in Tuscan is any different than Blu or Luminae (Not counting the steaks with an upcharge). It's perfectly edible, but has zero wow factor and is IMHO also "standard cruise fare".

 

I assume like most US beef it's grain fed, produced quickly and not aged for very long at all. The same cheap stuff you find in Walmart etc.

[wallie5446]

Can you or anyone else tell me how the beef in Tuscan is any different than Blu or Luminae (Not counting the steaks with an upcharge). It's perfectly edible, but has zero wow factor and is IMHO also "standard cruise fare".

 

I assume like most US beef it's grain fed, produced quickly and not aged for very long at all. The same cheap stuff you find in Walmart etc.

 

There is no Walmart type beef served in any venue we have dined at on Celebrity since 1994.

 

The quality of the filet served in Tuscan is on par with any served in a 4+ star restaurant in Dallas, and we have a few :rolleyes: good ones. You 'ass-u-(not)me' wrong.

[Straughn]

We like Blu as we like game and lamb etc. I'd agree with the poster above, have a look at the menu and if there is a night where nothing takes your fancy then visit a specialty restaurant. In my opinion, Murano is considerably better than the Tuscan Grill. Particularly if you order a dish prepared table side as it all adds to the ambiance and you get to experience great service.

 

Blu is very good for breakfast. We've never once had to wait to get a table in Blu (though we do dine early) and have only ever been disappointed with service in there on the final morning when everyone is extremely busy that day.

 

So, yes it is good enough every day, however you will get a better cruise experience if you sample some of the specialty restaurants on board also. I really don't rate Tuscan Grill though. I thought Luminae beat it on every single level during our last cruise.

 

Pretty much sums up our Blu experience. If you want to enjoy a specialty dinner, do it. I wouldn't plan my cruise around the Blu menu. Loved it, but also enjoyed the upscale restaurants. On a 7-night cruise, I would opt to do one.

[1chigirl]

I was on the Summit recently and ate in Tuscan Grill the first night and totally enjoyed my steak, it was thick and tender. Like the above poster I live in Chicago and we have great beef. The steak in Blue was tasty but much thinner and chewy, other dishes were good to great. There were some days the MDR menu was interesting but I never made it to that dinning room. Have done Murano on S class ships and it is special.

[TeaBag]

We haven't been on Celebrity now for 10 months, so things may have changed. We have always had an invitation to dine in a Specialty restaurant first night, 2 for 1, left in our AQ class cabin. hope you get one for your special night.

[keesar]

In my opinion, the beef in the Tuscan Grill is either better quality or just prepared better than the beef in Blu. Both are superior to that served at the buffet.

 

The atmosphere in Tuscan and Murano can be considered intimate. Great for a special occasion. Not the case in Blu as the tables are very close together.