Upgraded to Aqua. Not sure why...

[Kdanemjm]

We have taken 5 Celebrity cruises, always have had Aqua Class until the last one. We went concierge class. We missed Blu so badly, the shower and the quiet spots in the relaxation area. So this April Aqua class it is! So looking forward to it.

[mfs2k]

A few questions:

 

Do you have to sign up for the "Persian Garden" or do you just show up? 

 

Do people arrive at the spa in a bathing suit and bathrobe or do most people change in the spa dressing rooms? 

[DrKoob]

7 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

A few questions:

 

Do you have to sign up for the "Persian Garden" or do you just show up? 

 

Do people arrive at the spa in a bathing suit and bathrobe or do most people change in the spa dressing rooms? 

 

Just head on down to the Persian Garden whenever you want. Show the folks at the desk in the spa your sea pass and they will tell you where to go. Most people will wear clothes to get there and change in the spa locker room but I have seen others just go down in their bathing suit and/or bathrobe. We always just wear our swimsuits with a shirt over them and then leave those in the locker room. On the S-class ships if you are in Aqua, you are either on the same deck as the Spa or there is a secret, Aqua only spiral staircase up to the Spa. Unfortunately, not on the M-Class but the Persian Garden is still super!

[bajathree]

9 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

A few questions:

 

Do you have to sign up for the "Persian Garden" or do you just show up? 

 

Do people arrive at the spa in a bathing suit and bathrobe or do most people change in the spa dressing rooms? 

No sign up...you just show up. It's a bit of mix of both...i have seen people in bathing suit and bathrobe walk in...others like myself change into a robe in the dressing room.

[Lady Arwen]

12 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

A few questions:

 

Do you have to sign up for the "Persian Garden" or do you just show up? 

 

Do people arrive at the spa in a bathing suit and bathrobe or do most people change in the spa dressing rooms? 

I personally never remove the bathrobes from the cabin, but loads of people do.  You can certainly do whatever you're comfortable with, no one will judge you.  I really enjoy Persian Garden, hope you do, too!

[justcrusn]

The menu in Blu sometimes looks less than awesome reading it on paper.

We have ALWAYS gotten a great meal by asking the server his recommendations. I’m still not sure what confit is, but it’s frequently on the menu? Anyway, if it doesn’t sound interesting, ask your server for a recommendation, if thats not good to you, they will replace it. The service and food are VERY good. I can’t imagine passing it up for the MDR.

[mfs2k]

31 minutes ago, justcrusn said:

I’m still not sure what confit is,

 

Confit basically means "preserved"  Meat, salted, and slow cooked in it's own fat.

 

"This method of preservation dates back to prehistoric times, and was typically used during the winter months to ensure a proper amount of food was stored."
 

Duck confit is duck (legs) slow cooked in duck fat.  It's so good. (It's not dripping in fat when you eat it. ) 

[dkjretired]

On 1/29/2019 at 8:12 AM, DrKoob said:

No one has mentioned our favorite part of Blu---breakfast! Especially on port days. You can get a full breakfast, early, fast and it is DELICIOUS! So much better than the buffet or the slowness that is the MDR for breakfast.

 

We love Blu. My biggest complaint about Aqua is that my lovely bride is spoiled by it and now we can't book anything else.  Plus, Blu is perfect if you are traveling with friends or if you make new ones. We can walk up and ask for a table for...just about any number of people and they accommodate us by sliding tables together.

 

Jim

 

Hi Doc:

 

Try a Suite, she will really get spoiled, we did one last year for our anniversary, surprised her until two days before we left.  Now we are doing a Royal Suite on the Summit to Bermuda in August and taking our son.  Anxious to see the makeover of the ship especially the retreat area since on sea days I like to do nothing but sit around.  We are splurging on this cruise since it will probably be our last cruise due to health issues.  Interesting thing is son who is 33 will become E plus after the cruise, he might 'actually have a chance  at Zenith some day since he loves to cruise.  

Edited February 13, 2019 by dkjretired

[Mimiya11]

Count yourself lucky.  The difference in cost between AQ and Concierge on our upcoming cruise was crazy when we first booked, and then a couple of months with a sale we were able to upgrade for less than $200 per couple.  

For us, the Blu experience is what makes it worthwhile.  It is not just about the dinner but breakfast!  No scrambling for a seat at the buffet, no wandering to find what you want to eat.  We loved the calmness of breakfast, even having a server who got my husband turkey sausages most days, even though they were not on the AQ menu (only asking once). 

Regarding meeting people.  We met two lovely women from NYC last year who sat at the table next to us on the second night.  We had such a great time, we ended up dining together most nights.   

[TeaBag]

On 1/28/2019 at 4:26 PM, dkjretired said:

In my case, it's dumb husband🙂

Does your DH pay for the cruise?  If so, you're done!!  You should have said darling husband and then maybe you'd get the PH!

Edited February 13, 2019 by TeaBag

[dkjretired]

9 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Does your DH pay for the cruise?  If so, you're done!!  You should have said darling husband and then maybe you'd get the PH!

 

We are doing the total and I am the Dumb husband.

[mfs2k]

1 hour ago, Mimiya11 said:

Regarding meeting people.  We met two lovely women from NYC last year who sat at the table next to us on the second night.  We had such a great time, we ended up dining together most nights.

 

The most memorable cruises I've been on were those when we met people we connected with.  

[DrKoob]

7 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

Hi Doc:

 

Try a Suite, she will really get spoiled, we did one last year for our anniversary, surprised her until two days before we left.  Now we are doing a Royal Suite on the Summit to Bermuda in August and taking our son.  Anxious to see the makeover of the ship especially the retreat area since on sea days I like to do nothing but sit around.  We are splurging on this cruise since it will probably be our last cruise due to health issues.  Interesting thing is son who is 33 will become E plus after the cruise, he might 'actually have a chance  at Zenith some day since he loves to cruise.  

 

Hi Don:

 

So sorry to hear this may be your last cruise. Old age is the pits! Great that your son might some day make Zenith. I thought that only happened if you were from Texas and liked waffles. 

 

Take care of yourself and enjoy that suite.

 

Jim

[dkjretired]

13 hours ago, DrKoob said:

 

Hi Don:

 

So sorry to hear this may be your last cruise. Old age is the pits! Great that your son might some day make Zenith. I thought that only happened if you were from Texas and liked waffles. 

 

Take care of yourself and enjoy that suite.

 

Jim

 

Good one, Eds a great guy...

[mfs2k]

On 2/13/2019 at 3:49 PM, Mimiya11 said:

Count yourself lucky.  The difference in cost between AQ and Concierge on our upcoming cruise was crazy when we first booked, and then a couple of months with a sale we were able to upgrade for less than $200 per couple.  

For us, the Blu experience is what makes it worthwhile.  It is not just about the dinner but breakfast!  No scrambling for a seat at the buffet, no wandering to find what you want to eat.  We loved the calmness of breakfast, even having a server who got my husband turkey sausages most days, even though they were not on the AQ menu (only asking once). 

Regarding meeting people.  We met two lovely women from NYC last year who sat at the table next to us on the second night.  We had such a great time, we ended up dining together most nights.   

 

Oddly, right now, Concierge cabins are more expensive than Aqua cabins for our 3/23 sailing.  There must be a mistake somewhere.  

[Mimiya11]

24 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

  

Oddly, right now, Concierge cabins are more expensive than Aqua cabins for our 3/23 sailing.  There must be a mistake somewhere.  

Weird a few years ago Sky Suites came up on a sale that were cheaper than Concierge.   They called it a seniors rate sale.   We jumped at it as my husband had just turned 60.   Never seen that in all the years since.   

[espo56]

On 1/28/2019 at 9:07 AM, mfs2k said:

another follow up question, 

 

Since I'm now Aqua Class, and I'm booked in Blu for 830 dining, are we allowed to go to the MDR for anytime dining for dinner?  or are our only options Blu, Specialty restaurants, or the buffet? 

It only says 8:30. You don’t have to go at that time. It’s just walk in and there are no reservations required. You will love it food is fabulous. In addition if there is something you want from the main dining room your waiter will get it for you. It’s also open for breakfast but I think serving times are limited. 

[2+2]

On 1/28/2019 at 8:21 AM, mfs2k said:

 

It's not about the food for me.  I like the "party in my brain" feeling of being in the MDR on cruise ships.  It's fun, vibrant, and lots of interesting people watching.  I don't sense that vibe from looking at the pics of Blu. 

I know what you are talking about. I think you mean the days of assigned seating where they seated your party of two with a table for eight and everyone showed up every night at the same time, and became friends.  Well, those days are gone. Anytime dinning and specialty restaurants changed all that. 

  Like others said. You can go to Blu or the main dinning room anytime you want. And yes the portions in Blu are smaller. But the starters are delicious,  And I was allowed to order two. And i actually had room for dessert. I was happy with Blu.

[DrKoob]

2 hours ago, 2+2 said:

I know what you are talking about. I think you mean the days of assigned seating where they seated your party of two with a table for eight and everyone showed up every night at the same time, and became friends.  Well, those days are gone. Anytime dining and specialty restaurants changed all that. 

 

You can say that again. You hit the nail right on the head. My bride and I are lucky that we travel with friends most of the time. Our last cruise was one of our least favorites because we were in Concierge and all our friends (including my brother and SIL) were in Blu. Worst cruise ever for us.

[bkbarrym]

3 hours ago, 2+2 said:

I know what you are talking about. I think you mean the days of assigned seating where they seated your party of two with a table for eight and everyone showed up every night at the same time, and became friends.  Well, those days are gone. Anytime dinning and specialty restaurants changed all that. 

  

Certainly has changed. We were on Equinox in December with traditional dining, late seating. We had a table for 10 right in the middle of the MDR. Several nights it was only the two of us, never more than six. According to the Maitre D the table was fully booked. Lots of half empty tables many nights.

[BigAl94]

On 1/29/2019 at 4:27 AM, GottaKnowWhen said:

I haven’t done Aqua yet in my 13 Celebrity Cruises, probably never will. So I can’t speak to the Blu dining experience that many rave about. But I would caution you to check your new cabin location. Aqua tends to be crammed up under the overhang and in my opinion the reason extra “ perks” are given Aqua is to compensate for horrible location. If you don’t mind having a roof overhead while you are on the balcony, you may be able to put up with the Aqua upgrade. 

Stan

 

 This is good advice - would never book Aqua for this reason.

[mfs2k]

On 2/22/2019 at 9:30 PM, 2+2 said:

I know what you are talking about. I think you mean the days of assigned seating where they seated your party of two with a table for eight and everyone showed up every night at the same time, and became friends.  Well, those days are gone. Anytime dinning and specialty restaurants changed all that. 

  Like others said. You can go to Blu or the main dinning room anytime you want. And yes the portions in Blu are smaller. But the starters are delicious,  And I was allowed to order two. And i actually had room for dessert. I was happy with Blu.

 

Sad to read those days are long gone. Our best cruises were when we met some super fun people at dinner and sat with them every night. 

 

Friends decided to book Aqua on our cruise also so I’ve been telling them how awesome I’ve read Blu is. 

[DrKoob]

On 1/28/2019 at 8:27 PM, GottaKnowWhen said:

I haven’t done Aqua yet in my 13 Celebrity Cruises, probably never will. So I can’t speak to the Blu dining experience that many rave about. But I would caution you to check your new cabin location. Aqua tends to be crammed up under the overhang and in my opinion the reason extra “ perks” are given Aqua is to compensate for horrible location. If you don’t mind having a roof overhead while you are on the balcony, you may be able to put up with the Aqua upgrade. 

Stan

 

 

Total proof that everyone has different needs and likes. I would book Aqua just because of this. As a skin cancer survivor, I need to stay out of the sun as much as possible so being in Aqua with an overhang means that I can sit out on my veranda whenever I want to. 

[dkjretired]

29 minutes ago, DrKoob said:

 

Total proof that everyone has different needs and likes. I would book Aqua just because of this. As a skin cancer survivor, I need to stay out of the sun as much as possible so being in Aqua with an overhang means that I can sit out on my veranda whenever I want to. 

 

Same here, I avoid the sun religiously due to a couple of melanoma's, one major.  I spend most of my time in the Solarium.  The only thing you need to know if you have one of those cabins and want to read, bring a light.  

[Luvcrusn]

2 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

 

Same here, I avoid the sun religiously due to a couple of melanoma's, one major.  I spend most of my time in the Solarium.  The only thing you need to know if you have one of those cabins and want to read, bring a light.  

 

We book these cabins all the time, especially the hump balconies. Why a light? We read on Kindle paperwhites without any problems at night or during the day. We also read actual books. Do you find the cabin or balcony too dark?