Going from Aqua to MDR--will I survive?

[grandgeezer]

Will you survive? Probably. Will you be wowed by the food quality and service? Depends on your taste and expectations. Some are, some aren't, it depends on the individual person.

[Mr&MrsBee]

Will you survive? Posts like this turn me off. Nothing but arrogance. That is why we avoid the cocktail parties too many pompous a****. Go ahead and flame me.

[Fish Lover]

We've done Aqua class the last two cruises and loved it but alas we are in a regular balcony cabin on the next cruise to save $ for the cruise after that (lol)--we are doing the 3 specialty restaurant package bought with OBC but I think it will be so hard to not be dining in Blu! Has anyone else survived this change?

 

It's a little known fact, but about 10% of the people who downgrade from AQ to a standard cabin do not in fact survive. They are carried off the ship before anyone else on embarkation day and while it is still dark. The only number which surpasses this are the people who have not survived downgrading from Luminae to the MDR. They just dump these poor souls overboard.

[signora]

Thank you to all the helpful posters--thank you especially Cruisin'Lady for suggesting we sit in the quieter area in the MDR. It sounds like as I suspected that the food quality is not that different between Blu and the MDR--upon reflection I realize that it's the ambience of Blu that's so appealing for me and hopefully being seated in that quieter area of the MDR will help!

[smdcruiser]

Will you survive? Posts like this turn me off. Nothing but arrogance. That is why we avoid the cocktail parties too many pompous a****. Go ahead and flame me.

 

You just said what many are thinking! Good for you.

[wineoclock]

Well we are downgrading from the penthouse to balcony as we are travelling with friends & want to dine together.

 

First penthouse was still when it was MDR dining which we enjoyed next one was luminae which was ok but we felt not enough atmosphere. So we are more than happy to go back to the MDR. Luminae would probably put us off booking suites in the future.

 

We loved Murano as the service was great & not in your face. Each to their own. I'd rather be on a cruise on an inside than not at all!

 

All a question of attitude!

[Compass Rose Monica]

......Our last cruise was in a 1A cabin rather than AQ because of the difference in cost. I' date=' like you, was concerned about going back to the MDR. We opted for Select Dining - and chose to sit at a table for 2 (reminds us of Blu) each night. The noise level in the front part of the MDR was way too loud for us, and we were not impressed with the sommeliers the first few nights. So, we made the decision to move to the other side of the MDR and ask to be seated in a quieter section. [b']We were seated in the "private" section which is in the back. [/b]The noise level was much reduced and we enjoyed eating in our "private" area so much we asked to be seated in that section each of the remaining nights. The food was very good and, despite having lots of OBC, we decided to pass on the specialty dining and have all of our dinners in the MDR. ....

 

Which ship were you on that has this private section?

Monica

[richsea]

Which ship were you on that has this private section?

Monica

 

Hi Monica.

 

I think they may be referring to the aft 2nd level port & starboard tables on M class ships. We sat there twice and it is a little quieter, but then again, we have never noticed the "din" in the MDR that others refer to.

 

We have never booked aqua, & most likely never will because of the small tables in Blu. To us, one of the joys of cruising is meeting new people at dinner.

[CruisersTimesThree]

Will you survive? Posts like this turn me off. Nothing but arrogance. That is why we avoid the cocktail parties too many pompous a****. Go ahead and flame me.

 

No flame here, I agree with you!

[Sandtrap328]

We've done Aqua class the last two cruises and loved it but alas we are in a regular balcony cabin on the next cruise to save $ for the cruise after that (lol)--we are doing the 3 specialty restaurant package bought with OBC but I think it will be so hard to not be dining in Blu! Has anyone else survived this change?

 

OMG!! - No! :eek: You certainly cannot survive going so far down from Aqua Class and having to eat with those peasants in the Main Dining Room!

 

Cancel immediately!

[phoenix_dream]

Will you survive? Posts like this turn me off. Nothing but arrogance. That is why we avoid the cocktail parties too many pompous a****. Go ahead and flame me.

I will not flame you, but I will express a different opinion. I think the original post was written in a light-hearted way to generate some info on the quality of food in MDR these days. I prefer to err on the side of assuming people have good intentions rather than bad and thankfully save for a few posters here and there I have not been sorry for taking that approach. I have sailed 35 times on Celebrity (as the saying goes, no brag, just fact) and can honestly say pompous people have been in the minority by far.

[Texed]

I prefer to err on the side of assuming people have good intentions rather than bad and can honestly say pompous people have been in the minority by far.

 

dream,

Great attitude. Thanks for posting. :)

[cruisin lady ca]

Which ship were you on that has this private section?

Monica

 

We were on Equinox but I believe the MDR in all of the S class ships are the same - two levels with a huge opening in the middle which allows that noise to travel up from the lower of the two decks. We prefer Select dining which means we are seated in the upper level of the MDR. We found the "secret" so-called private section in the back of the MDR by entering through the entrance on the right. We simply asked to be seated in a quieter section - and were told we could be seated in the room at the back of the MDR. We loved seating there as it was much quieter than in the front.

 

We were pleasantly surprised to be served by the waiter who took such good care of us in Blu on Reflection last fall. He remembered us - and my husband's favorite drink (Arnold Palmer - 1/2 lemonade and 1/2 iced tea) as well as our preference for the dark rolls. Totally remarkable. He and his assistant provided the best service - and we happily had dinner in his section each night of the cruise.

 

If you happen to be on Equinox - and have Select Dining, ask to be seated in Reymond's section. If you are lucky enough to sit in his section, you will enjoy the experience. Tell him the Wolfert's say hi, if you do meet him.

 

The photo below shows tables set up for breakfast in the MDR. Loved having breakfast in the MDR but had to pick up a skinny vanilla latte from Cafe al Bacio on the way to breakfast.

 

If you have a beverage package - and want to make the most of it - be sure to request the wine list. The dinner menu now contains a short list of wines and a wine list was not offered when we were seated the first few nights. Since we had the premium beverage package (as a perk), I was not happy about the rather limited offerings on the dinner menu - and the sommeliers were not very communicative. So, having the complete wine list to choose from improved our dining experience tremendously.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Luvcrusn]

A cruise ship is my happy place, so I'd have a great time wherever I dined. Although I'm a bit of a foodie, I'm also a "glass half full" kind of person. If you focus on what you have instead of what you're missing you'll be fine! Enjoy your cruise.:)

[MixerDave]

We've done Aqua class the last two cruises and loved it but alas we are in a regular balcony cabin on the next cruise to save $ for the cruise after that (lol)--we are doing the 3 specialty restaurant package bought with OBC but I think it will be so hard to not be dining in Blu! Has anyone else survived this change?

I was on a recent Equinox voyage, and friends had suggested we book Aqua. I looked at the menu for Blu - I concluded I could not have survived on it. Besides, the locations of the Aqua cabins were not very desirable - under the pool deck, etc. After extensive research, and talking to other X frequent travelers, I concluded that X created that class to sell cabins that were not very popular.

I did find that the food in the MDR was mediocre - for example I ordered the strip steak one evening and received 3 slices of beef. The server could not explain what they were, but they were definitely not a steak.

 

Overall, there were no menu items that jumped out at me and said - Wow - I need to order this.

[Duanerice1]

I have no issue with the food in the MDR. The reason we book AQ is for the smaller dining room and the cabin is a bit better. Not much but a bit. Not a fan of the noise in the MDR but the food is good.

 

For a few hundred dollars difference we could eat in a few specialty restaurants.

 

We don't use anything else in AQ. The Persian Gardens are a joke. A few heated loungers and a steam room. That's pretty much it.

 

Enjoy the normal verandah. The only thing I would need is to bring my own footstool :)

[wineoclock]

Actually I've realised even on Disney we were in suites - the one bedroom which was similar in size to royal suite on celebrity ships.

 

So will be interesting to see what we think after a non suite experience. I don't think it's the dining experience that will affect us - more likely the extras that you get as royal/penthouse passengers.

 

But as I've said I'd rather be on a ship in an inside than not on one so it will be fine!

 

Also we are a large friendship group - 20 or so of us & we will have a blast together- can't wait!!!

[BosoxI]

My wife doesn't care for the main dining room because she feels it's like eating in a barn. I don't mind it at all as long as we are not seated on a main aisle where the rush of waiters and diners can cool my soup before I can eat it

 

We have dined in Blu many times, sometimes finding the fare excellent but at other times finding it mediocre. The service in Blu is usually better than the MDR but there have been several instances when we were completely ignored by our waiter and left to forage in the buffet.

Some people rave about breakfast in Blu and it is pleasant, but I feel that there is only so much that can be done with eggs, bacon, and even the famous muesli (big deal )

 

In short you'll survive very nicely in the MDR. Have a great trip.