Aqua vs Concierge

[puli]

Sorry if this information can be found here but  C.C."s  new web site leaves me flustered and I give up searching quickly.

We are interested in taking a cruise on the Eclipse and have some questions about the difference between Aqua and Concierge. I know Aqua class has it's own restaurant and Concierge class has priority boarding and disembarkation. I initially thought Aqua had a better shower system and also had all the benefits of the Concierge class (including all the priorities)  but have been told neither points are true.

Could someone please clarify?

[keesar]

Aqua has all the benefits of Concierge class but also offers its own restaurant for breakfast and dinner, free access to the Persian Gardens and a fancy shower.  However, some of the rooms in Aqua are not in the best locations so you need to be careful.  On the Eclipse, the Aqua rooms are on the 11th deck and some are under the pool and gym.

 

 

[puli]

Thanks, keesar! I thought the Aqua class would have all the Concierge class benefits plus extras ...such as the separate dining room  and access to the Persian Gardens.....location is really a bit tricky!

[jelayne]

Look at the A2 cabins aft of the midship elevators, they have cabins above and below. 

[puli]

4 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Look at the A2 cabins aft of the midship elevators, they have cabins above and below. 

will do.....and BTW  if we opt for a Sky Suite rather than an Aqua cabin which restaurant will we be able to use and  for which meals?

[cruiserchuck]

1 hour ago, puli said:

will do.....and BTW  if we opt for a Sky Suite rather than an Aqua cabin which restaurant will we be able to use and  for which meals?

 

If you are in a suite, your assigned restaurant is Luminae, which we thought was great.  They have dinner every night, but when we were in a suite 3 years ago, they only had lunch on sea days.

[puli]

cruiserchuck...are you saying..... 3 years ago Luminae was only open for lunch and that lunch was only offered on sea days..so never  dinner every night?   so now 3 years later is it open every day for lunch and dinner?

[phoenix_dream]

45 minutes ago, puli said:

cruiserchuck...are you saying..... 3 years ago Luminae was only open for lunch and that lunch was only offered on sea days..so never  dinner every night?   so now 3 years later is it open every day for lunch and dinner?

I don't think that's what was meant.  Luminae is open for dinner every night.  It is open for lunch on embarkation day, and I think every sea day.  You can also eat dinner at Blu, space permitting.

[puli]

6 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I don't think that's what was meant.  Luminae is open for dinner every night.  It is open for lunch on embarkation day, and I think every sea day.  You can also eat dinner at Blu, space permitting.

thanks, that makes more sense...glad one might have the opportunity to eat a dinner at  Blu.

[cruiserchuck]

11 hours ago, puli said:

cruiserchuck...are you saying..... 3 years ago Luminae was only open for lunch and that lunch was only offered on sea days..so never  dinner every night?   so now 3 years later is it open every day for lunch and dinner?

 

When we had a suite three years ago, Luminae was open every night for dinner.  It was not open for lunch on most port days.  We never felt the urge to go to Blu for dinner.  We thought Luminae was much better.  We did go to Blu for breakfast on one or two occasions when we had early morning tours.  

[dkjretired]

18 hours ago, puli said:

Sorry if this information can be found here but  C.C."s  new web site leaves me flustered and I give up searching quickly.

We are interested in taking a cruise on the Eclipse and have some questions about the difference between Aqua and Concierge. I know Aqua class has it's own restaurant and Concierge class has priority boarding and disembarkation. I initially thought Aqua had a better shower system and also had all the benefits of the Concierge class (including all the priorities)  but have been told neither points are true.

Could someone please clarify?

 

Aqua gets all the benefits of Concierge plus it’s own benefits. The one benefit Concierge gets that Aqua does not  is the embarkation lunch which is exclusive to Concierge. Don’t get excited about priority embarkation which Aqua also gets.  It is just a separate line, sometimes the regular lines are shorter. Aqua do have a fancy shower system. 

Edited January 3, 2019 by dkjretired

[MamaChach]

We have always done Concierge.  We earn double points to build up to the next Captain Club membership.  Do AQ and Suites earn double points too?

[cruisin lady ca]

AQ cabins have the body sprays in the shower and a no fog mirror.  The cabins under the retail shops/hair salon (1544-1550) and the cabins under the Persian Garden are reported to be quiet.  We've stayed in 1527 and it was a quiet and convenient location.  We loved being able to make our way up to the Persian Garden via the spiral staircase.  We are booked into 1546 on an upcoming cruise.  

 

Stay away from the forward cabins that are under the gym equipment areas or under the Aqua Spa Cafe.

 

We much prefer dining in Blu to dining in the MDR.  This is one of the reasons we don't choose CC, if the premium for AQ isn't too high.  I'd only choose CC over a regular veranda if I wanted the extra Captain's Club points (5 per night compared to 3 per night).

[cangelmd]

Agree that one goal of AQ from Celeb's perspective is to add value to cabins that are under public spaces.

 

We have recently sailed only in AQ, and I find that the noise factor is a bit overrated, and I am an extremely light sleeper. I think the key is to carefully compare the cabin you are considering with the deck overhead.

On a Carib cruise we got woke up every morning by deck staff getting ready for the day moving carts and furniture. But did it bother us, no not really, almost every morning we dozed back off for a bit, then woke up refreshed - but we are early risers, even on vacation.

There was little to no noise on our balcony - you can't really hear it when underway, and when in port most people are off the ship.

The advantages of the high decks - proximity to OVC, pool and spa out weighed the noise - but we hate waiting for elevators and liked being able to walk up and down a couple of flights for most trips.

Another consideration is that many of the AQ cabins have deep overhangs - I can't get out much into the sun, so this is a huge plus for me, but others might not like that.

 

Consider the locations and your own habits and I think you will be OK with almost any of the AQ cabins locations noise-wise.

[Rob the Cruiser]

The main benefit of Aqua for us is Blu. We prefer a table for two although they are a few inches apart. Might as well be a table for six. There are 3-4 tables in Blu that feel like a real table for two. If you get there early you can get one of those. 

 

We had no problem with noise from the pool deck. Cabins "on the hump" are great due to the larger balconies. 

[puli]

Thanks everyone! We have a lot to consider!

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, MamaChach said:

We have always done Concierge.  We earn double points to build up to the next Captain Club membership.  Do AQ and Suites earn double points too?

Don't know what you mean by double points.  You get 3 points/day in a regular verandah and 5 points/day in Concierge and Aqua.  it goes up from there for suites.

[dkjretired]

2 hours ago, puli said:

Thanks everyone! We have a lot to consider!

 

Figure it both ways, sometimes Aqua is around the same price, be proactive even after you book. Since you are going on an S class ship there is really no difference in the cabins of Verandas, Concierge and Aqua. The big difference is Aqua for Blu. We wouldn’t pay more than $50 pp for Concierge above a veranda. Benefits are just not worth it.