Booked Aqua cabin, should I still order a dining package?

[Math teacher]

So, we bit the bullet and booked an Aqua cabin for our June sailing on Equinox. We have never stayed in an Aqua cabin and have read a lot about Blu. So I am wondering if I should still book a dining package (7 day cruise with 3 sea days) or use that OBC for excursions. Love Murano, but wondering if we will find that we are more than happy with Blu. Wondering if getting a dining package would negate the whole point of staying in an Aqua cabin.

Also, if you purchase a dining package, could we dine 2 of the 3 times in Murano? Or are you required to do one night in each of the different restaurants?

 

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

[CallyCruzer]

IMO if you are only cruising for 7 days, at most you may want to dine in a specialty restaurant once. I love Blu - and that is my whole purpose of booking Aqua. The first night of the cruise, you will receive an offer for a specialty restaurant for the first evening. I wouldn't worry about booking a package prior to the cruise. Wait until you have dined in Blu a couple nights to determine what you prefer. You can book the package on board. And when you book a package you can dine in whatever restaurant you want for the entire package. Definitely make use of Blu for breakfast too.

[Math teacher]

Thank you!

[miched]

We have always booked AQ and had another 7 day cruise booked in AQ. We then seen that we could get a 1A balcony for $900 less. We took that and were planning on getting a 7 day dining package as it would have still been less than that $900. We never dined in any specialty restaurants before as we couldn’t justify paying extra since we had Blu.

 

We dined every morning in the MDR and never did get the dining package as we enjoyed the MDR. We did miss some of the extra perks of AQ but not worth $900 for 7 days.

 

Depending on the extra cost for AQ you may be better off with a regular balcony and the dining package.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[keesar]

My advice is to wait until you get on the ship. The first night, you should be able to get a discount for dining at a Specialty Restaurant. 3 nights in a Specialty is probably too much, especially considering this is your first experience in Blu.

 

Blu is not even close to the Murano food and experience.

[Math teacher]

We have always booked AQ and had another 7 day cruise booked in AQ. We then seen that we could get a 1A balcony for $900 less. We took that and were planning on getting a 7 day dining package as it would have still been less than that $900. We never dined in any specialty restaurants before as we couldn’t justify paying extra since we had Blu.

 

We dined every morning in the MDR and never did get the dining package as we enjoyed the MDR. We did miss some of the extra perks of AQ but not worth $900 for 7 days.

 

Depending on the extra cost for AQ you may be better off with a regular balcony and the dining package.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Thank you. I did a Mock Rebook at just a regular veranda and came up with a total of a $600 difference. I don't know why, but I was thinking originally when I booked that it was only a slightly higher difference. I think I was comparing to an aft with larger balcony. I may need to reconsider my cabin selection!

I originally thought the Aqua cabins had larger balconys, enough for a lounger, but now it appears they are the same size as any other regular balcony. Can any one confirm balcony sizes? My DH actually prefers to sleep on the balcony. lol.

[Math teacher]

My advice is to wait until you get on the ship. The first night, you should be able to get a discount for dining at a Specialty Restaurant. 3 nights in a Specialty is probably too much, especially considering this is your first experience in Blu.

 

Blu is not even close to the Murano food and experience.

 

In your opinion, Blu is better than specialty dining?

[TFLG]

In your opinion, Blu is better than specialty dining?

 

Blu is good, but not as good as Murano or Tuscan. The balconies and cabins are the same size as a regular Veranda cabin. On our last 7 day cruise Blu was great and we were happy with the food and selection most evenings. But there was one night we should have skipped it and gone elsewhere.

[vulcan1971]

So, we bit the bullet and booked an Aqua cabin for our June sailing on Equinox. We have never stayed in an Aqua cabin and have read a lot about Blu. So I am wondering if I should still book a dining package (7 day cruise with 3 sea days) or use that OBC for excursions. Love Murano, but wondering if we will find that we are more than happy with Blu. Wondering if getting a dining package would negate the whole point of staying in an Aqua cabin.

 

Also, if you purchase a dining package, could we dine 2 of the 3 times in Murano? Or are you required to do one night in each of the different restaurants?

 

 

 

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

 

 

 

Math teacher -

 

You will probably hear lots of different opinions on what to do or not to do. This will ultimately leave you second guessing your decisions. You can tell from my signature block below that I have had several cruises on Celebrity with 31 days traveled in Aqua Class over 2 different cruises (15-day and 16-day transatlantic itineraries). On a longer cruise, it is nice to mix it up and have some dinners in a specialty restaurant. Since this is your first time in Aqua and dining in Blu, I would suggest enjoying that experience to its fullest. You may find that you love the food so much that you won't want or need to dine in a specialty restaurant. If your time in Blu is not all you hoped it would be, you will know it and change future bookings accordingly. The food in Blu is quite good and the ambiance and ability to dine any time you want is wonderful.

 

Enjoy your cruise, whatever you decision turns out to be.

 

 

Walter

 

 

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[Math teacher]

Math teacher -

 

You will probably hear lots of different opinions on what to do or not to do. This will ultimately leave you second guessing your decisions. You can tell from my signature block below that I have had several cruises on Celebrity with 31 days traveled in Aqua Class over 2 different cruises (15-day and 16-day transatlantic itineraries). On a longer cruise, it is nice to mix it up and have some dinners in a specialty restaurant. Since this is your first time in Aqua and dining in Blu, I would suggest enjoying that experience to its fullest. You may find that you love the food so much that you won't want or need to dine in a specialty restaurant. If your time in Blu is not all you hoped it would be, you will know it and change future bookings accordingly. The food in Blu is quite good and the ambiance and ability to dine any time you want is wonderful.

 

Enjoy your cruise, whatever you decision turns out to be.

 

 

Walter

 

 

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Thank you Walter. Yep, I am already second guessing myself. I did a Mock rebook and see a substantial savings of $600 if I were to book the basic or guarantee veranda. However, when I try to mock pick a mid ship veranda that savings does dwindle quite a bit. In the basic descriptions they give, they make it appear that a regular balcony is 52sf and that the Aqua ones are 70, but as I search more and more, they all appear to be 52. I do like the 11th floor location, easy access to pool and bars from our cabin.

I am sure I will continue to waffle on this for a bit......I appreciate everyone's advice and input!!!!

[NCHPcruiser]

I don't think the Aqua verandas are appreciably larger than any other veranda. However, Blu is enough for me to book Aqua! And on a 7 day sailing we may or may not eat once in a Murano but not in the other specialties.

[keesar]

In your opinion, Blu is better than specialty dining?

 

Sorry, I was not clear. Murano is superior to Blu. The food preparation and service are like a 5 Star restaurant at Murano in my opinion. Blu is excellent and you will enjoy it. Breakfast is excellent in Blu.

[Champagne Cruiser]

If you are AQ and want to dine in a specialty restaurant have the Blu maitre d book it for you because you will get 20% off.

[Math teacher]

If you are AQ and want to dine in a specialty restaurant have the Blu maitre d book it for you because you will get 20% off.

 

Wow! That is good to know!!! Thank you for the tip!

[miched]

Thank you. I did a Mock Rebook at just a regular veranda and came up with a total of a $600 difference. I don't know why, but I was thinking originally when I booked that it was only a slightly higher difference. I think I was comparing to an aft with larger balcony. I may need to reconsider my cabin selection!

I originally thought the Aqua cabins had larger balconys, enough for a lounger, but now it appears they are the same size as any other regular balcony. Can any one confirm balcony sizes? My DH actually prefers to sleep on the balcony. lol.

 

Those balconies on the slant have larger balconies ex are: 1610 near the rear and 1552 close to the front. All of the balconies on the decks below on the slant also are also deeper.

 

 

AQ and CC come with a footstool. All balconies have a chair with adjustable backs that can be laid down to a lounge position.

 

 

I take the extra pillows and put some on the chair, the footstool or the other chair and also tend to sleep out on the balcony. Makes a fairly comfortable “bed”.

 

Happy crusing 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[the_dylaness]

Although we were disappointed with the slow service last month on Equinox, overall we really like Blu. We had our first X specialty dining experience in Murano on this past cruise (3rd X cruise), and while it was nice, it wasn't really so far beyond Blu that I felt compelled to go again.

 

We never waited for a table in Blu, but the service was often quite slow. One night it was 2.5 hours for our table of four, which really impeded our ability to go out dancing, listening to music, etc. afterwards.

 

Most dishes were quite good; some less; several others very tasty. YMMV.

 

Drinks service could be slow. I ordered a cocktail almost immediately upon seating one night and it didn't come out until after 2nd course :(

[Luvcrusn]

Thank you Walter. Yep, I am already second guessing myself. I did a Mock rebook and see a substantial savings of $600 if I were to book the basic or guarantee veranda. However, when I try to mock pick a mid ship veranda that savings does dwindle quite a bit. In the basic descriptions they give, they make it appear that a regular balcony is 52sf and that the Aqua ones are 70, but as I search more and more, they all appear to be 52. I do like the 11th floor location, easy access to pool and bars from our cabin.

I am sure I will continue to waffle on this for a bit......I appreciate everyone's advice and input!!!!

The balconies on the slant are larger than the regular balconies in regular verandahs and in Aqua class as are some of the aft balconies. All the rest are the same size. In Aqua the chair backs recline and there are footstools, which are not provided in regular verandah cabins.

[AnOnymously]

We have always booked AQ and had another 7 day cruise booked in AQ. We then seen that we could get a 1A balcony for $900 less. We took that and were planning on getting a 7 day dining package as it would have still been less than that $900. We never dined in any specialty restaurants before as we couldn’t justify paying extra since we had Blu.

 

We dined every morning in the MDR and never did get the dining package as we enjoyed the MDR. We did miss some of the extra perks of AQ but not worth $900 for 7 days.

 

Depending on the extra cost for AQ you may be better off with a regular balcony and the dining package.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Having been in AQ I woulkd endorse this sentiment wholeheartedly. AQ and BLU not worth the extra money IMO, save and spend on speciality dinning, that was a great experience.

[Wiltonian]

On our first cruise, we were in AQ, and loved Blu. It was little more expensive than a "normal" balcony. On all subsequent cruises, AQ has been much more expensive, and we've done MDR, with a few dinners in Murano/Tuscan/Lawn Grill. Conclusions:

 

Blu is lovely. Great for a peaceful breakfast. But little engagement with other passengers, as on the shared tables in MDR - which I know is a mixed blessing!

 

MDR can get a bit repetitive for a longer cruise - but so can Blu.

 

I now prefer MDR with several dinners in speciality restaurants. Last time we had 5 on a 12 day cruise, so almost alternating MDR & speciality.

 

I would only book AQ now if it were cheaper than MDR + a 5-dinner speciality package.

 

Stuart

[rcprncss]

Everyone has a different opinion. My next cruise is April and we are in Aqua Class. We sailed Aqua in 2016 and 2017. Originally when we booked our 2018 cruise, Aqua was a lot more money, so we booked a regular veranda. The price recently dropped so much, we only had to pay $300.00 more (14 night cruise). That is worth it. We love Blu because the food seems to be healthier and we like that the restaurant is smaller and less noisy than the MDR. Also, you get unlimited use of Persian Gardens, which is wonderful. So, if I had to pay $600 more for a 7 night cruise, I would go to Blu every day and take advantage of Persian Gardens. Also, I love the shower head in the AQ cabin. We never ordered off the pillow menu. You also get fancy tea each day in your room.

You have a lot to think about. LOL.

[AnOnymously]

Great for a peaceful breakfast.

Even the staff do not bother one very often, it was soooo slooow on Constellation last September.

[lnuzzo]

We lucked into an Aqua cabin on our first cruise with Celebrity. I think it will be very hard to go back. Our first cruise was our honeymoon 23 years ago, and we both felt that Blu brought back that incredible dining experience we had on our first cruises. Honestly we did have one dinner in Tuscan, and I felt it was a waste. The staff and food was not at the level that we experienced at Blu. We only waited I think one night, they gave us one of the flasher beepers you see at restaurants here in the states, and I think we were in the wine bar for about 15 minutes. Personally if the cost of the cabin is within your vacation budget, I do think it is worth it

 

 

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[GordonJasmine]

We always sail in an Aqua cabin and have never once missed a delicious meal in Blu. The specialty restaurants just don't interest us compared to Blu.

[NantahalaCruiser]

We have always booked AQ and had another 7 day cruise booked in AQ. We then seen that we could get a 1A balcony for $900 less. We took that and were planning on getting a 7 day dining package as it would have still been less than that $900. We never dined in any specialty restaurants before as we couldn’t justify paying extra since we had Blu.

 

We dined every morning in the MDR and never did get the dining package as we enjoyed the MDR. We did miss some of the extra perks of AQ but not worth $900 for 7 days.

 

Depending on the extra cost for AQ you may be better off with a regular balcony and the dining package.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Agreed, I loved sailing in AQ and enjoying Blu, but the upcharge for an AQ has just gotten too pricey. If I did splurge for an AQ now, at more than $40 per person per night, then I would not spend additional money for specialty dining that I could have gotten for less than $40 per night!

[whatyouknowsays]

On a 7 nighter we would not bother with a dining package. You can sometimes request a special meal the night before with the Maitre d' as long as its is something that has been on the previous menu. We had filet mignon several nights by special request the last 14 night cruise in Aqua. Cheers!