Going Aqua Class to avoid MDR in Equinox...good strategy?

[Moby Jones]

7 minutes ago, Mwgw said:

MDR can be hit or miss. Mostly it’s fine but I see nothing wrong with your strategy. On one cruise with a balcony we ate in the MDR two times. The speciality restaurants were that much better. At times I also thought the lunch buffet was better than the MDR.

I'm inclined to agree. I've never once been competely happy with the 'sommelier' service in the MDR either. It's always been lacking when compared to Blu, Luminae and the specialties in my experience. 

[Pilgrim70]

4 hours ago, micmacmissy said:

Oh trust me, we have 2 cabins.  4 people in a cruise cabin is NOT a vacation!

 

Is there much of a wait at peak times?

We never waited more than 10 minutes at busy hours. For the two of us we are often offered immediate seating if willing to sit with another two. Sometimes do that. There is lunch service in Blu on sea days but not port days. 

[Oville]

Just now, Pilgrim70 said:

We never waited more than 10 minutes at busy hours. For the two of us we are often offered immediate seating if willing to sit with another two. Sometimes do that. There is lunch service in Blu on sea days but not port days. 

Blu does not offer lunch to AQ passengers any day.

[Pilgrim70]

5 minutes ago, Oville said:

Blu does not offer lunch to AQ passengers any day.

We have sailed Aqua on Infinity twice.  Maybe different for different ships. 

[PTC DAWG]

I would rather spend the extra money on specialty restaurants myself...not sure if the math works in my favor not...

[Pilgrim70]

4 minutes ago, Pilgrim70 said:

We have sailed Aqua on Infinity twice.  Maybe different for different ships. 

 

4 minutes ago, Pilgrim70 said:

We have sailed Aqua on Infinity twice.  Maybe different for different ships. 

Sorry I may be wrong. We have also sailed in a suite which may be what I’m remembering. 

[highway180]

4 hours ago, Moby Jones said:

I don't care for the MDR at all either. In fact I'd go a stage further and say I dislike it. So I'd say it will work well for you. 

The only thing to bear in mind is that officially there are no reservations in Blu. There is no set timing, you just show up when you wish too. It is open for both breakfast and dinner, just never lunch. 

I have personally always found the service to be noticeably better than the MDR. 

Just search for the menus on here to ensure you're happy with them. Also bear in mind that at peak dinner times there can be quing. We tend to eat early so are never affected by it though. 

I totally agree!

We did ONE sailing on the Summit, before they added AQ, after multiple sailings on S class ships with AQ,. The main dining room was sooo bad we had to eat in specialty dining rooms for the remainder of our trip. Drink service was non existent.

That was a deal breaker for me. Always had superior service in Blu. They have been especially accommodating to my wife's diet requirements, making up dishes just for her on nights she could not find a suitable meal on either menu......that is going above and beyond!

We have never waited more than 5-10 min to be seated, but maybe we were lucky.

Just MHO

 

[Oville]

1 hour ago, Pilgrim70 said:

 

Sorry I may be wrong. We have also sailed in a suite which may be what I’m remembering. 

Yes, Luminae is open on sea days, not Blu.

[Moby Jones]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

I would rather spend the extra money on specialty restaurants myself...not sure if the math works in my favor not...

 

Our last booking which was 10 nights long had A2's priced at £30 more than regular balconies per person for the whole sailing. At the time I thought £3pppn was worth the upgrade! lol 

Historically I've seen them at the same price on very rare occasions. 

[Pinboy]

2 hours ago, Moby Jones said:

I'm not sure all of this is correct. 

There are some items available on both menus. On some ships you may be permitted to order MDR items in Blu but this is certainly not guaranteed. You won't be able to order Blu specific menu items in the MDR. 

On our last trip in Aqua last October the stationary had gone! 

Staff are required to turn over cash tips to the pool contractually. 

You are correct that Blu menu items cannot be ordered in MDR and not  " guaranteed " that you can order MDR menu in Blu. 

Regarding the gratuities handed directly to your Room Steward  or Waiter,  we were told by them on several cruises that they can keep it for themselves.

In the Specialty restaurants we were told they contribute all gratuities to the pool for that restaurant. 

Surprised to hear that stationary is not supplied in Aqua.

 

[Moby Jones]

1 minute ago, Pinboy said:

You are correct that Blu menu items cannot be ordered in MDR and not  " guaranteed " that you can order MDR menu in Blu. 

Regarding the gratuities handed directly to your Room Steward  or Waiter,  we were told by them on several cruises that they can keep it for themselves.

In the Specialty restaurants we were told they contribute all gratuities to the pool for that restaurant. 

Surprised to hear that stationary is not supplied in Aqua.

 

 

Ask at guest relations what the official cash tipping policy for room stewards and other staff is. 😉  

Of course what individual staff members choose to do is another matter. 

[Snit13]

Have chosen AQUA since its inception and main reasons are BLU, shower and spa access.  Have seldom had to wait for a table in Blu for more than 5 minutes and have always had a table in my desired location.  I simply tell host/hostess where I would enjoy being seated and if table is available not a problem.  I have also found that if I did not feel like menu choices I could ask and would receive the food I requested (do not know where they got it).  Never once was told no.  I simply don't enjoy eating dinner in a huge dining room with lots of distractions and noise.  On occasion I have been part of a very large party in Blu and we did get a little loud and received a few looks from other guests.  For the most part Blu is like going to dinner at a fine restaurant at home.  Love AQUA and Love BLU.

[Alsmez]

Depends on the price and the ship. Like you, we dislike the MDR and make sure we can eat most of our meals elsewhere. On S-class, we either sail Aqua for Blu or buy a dining package that allows us to eat in Specialty restaurants every night. Usually those packages cost about $30pppd, so that's the number we keep in mind when deciding whether Aqua class is a good deal as opposed to a regular balcony with package. On M class, since there are so few specialty restaurants, we would only choose Aqua or a suite (for Luminae, which was very good on our recent Summit cruise). Our next cruise is on Solstice in Aqua.

[cbfb]

7 hours ago, micmacmissy said:

Taking the fam of 4 (two adults, kids 17 and 19) on  Equinox this summer.  Last time we were on Celebrity we really disliked our MDR experience (long waits, even with reservations and tables ridiculously close together, then spotty service).  And that was during low season.

 

Aqua class cabins are slightly more expensive, but in my mind, worth it if we have a good dining experience in Blu.  Do they do early/late dining in Blu?  Do we make reservations beforehand?  Open for breakfast and dinner?  Is my assumption that it will be much better incorrect?

 

Any flaws in my strategy here?

We were in AC last year on equinox and loved Blu. After the first couple of nights they would have the table we preferred waiting for us and we dined prime time 7:00 - 7:30.  We had someone in our party of 4 who preferred the menu in the MDR so they would get him whatever he wanted from the MDR for dinner, apps, etc. They would also bring items we didn’t order family style so we could all try them. Service and food were amazing. A wonderful alternative to the craziness of the MDR in MHO! 

[Jim_Iain]

Blu is anytime dining and does not take reservations.    You just show up and are usually immediately seated.   If there is a wait they will usually give you a beeper so you can have a drink until a table opens up.    Really depends on the cruise.   We were on a cruise recently and the Restaurant Manager told us that  on the first night 80% of the Aqua passengers showed up exactly at opening time.   Many passengers were really upset as they had to wait a good hour to be seated.

[mickey89]

8 hours ago, micmacmissy said:

 

Aqua class cabins are slightly more expensive.........

 

I would agree with your strategy if Aqua is sensibly priced.  We have found that choosing a standard balcony, many of which are better located than Aqua, and purchasing the Specialty Dining for the duration of the cruise is by far a better solution and cheaper.

Edited January 18, 2020 by mickey89

[jamin jul]

I had an excellent experience in the MDR on the Equinox.  Did select dining but ended up with same two top table and waiter the entire week. The food was excellent every night.  The waiter would bring you anything and everything.  Every course was served.  Unlimited Champagne.  Drink waitress kept filling it up.  Never had a dining experience like that😀

[Pinboy]

14 hours ago, jamin jul said:

I had an excellent experience in the MDR on the Equinox.  Did select dining but ended up with same two top table and waiter the entire week. The food was excellent every night.  The waiter would bring you anything and everything.  Every course was served.  Unlimited Champagne.  Drink waitress kept filling it up.  Never had a dining experience like that😀

That's great to hear--- We have been on 12 Celebrity Cruises and never had bad service in any dining room ( MDR, Blu, or Specialty ) or from our room steward -- Please and Thank You go a long way .

To quote a Sr. Officer from our last cruise  ( Silhouette-Dec 2019 ) " All our employees want is to be treated like human beings and they will do anything to please our guests "- 

[Miaminice]

13 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

That's great to hear--- We have been on 12 Celebrity Cruises and never had bad service in any dining room ( MDR, Blu, or Specialty ) or from our room steward -- Please and Thank You go a long way .

To quote a Sr. Officer from our last cruise  ( Silhouette-Dec 2019 ) " All our employees want is to be treated like human beings and they will do anything to please our guests "- 

our personal preference of Blu is not about a lack of friendliness or quality of service or food in the MDR. But compared to Blu the MDR is quite rushed and waiters have less time for personal interaction (not their fault!). 
 

We also prefer the ambiance of the smaller dining room over the large MDRs. The noise level in Blu is also significantly lower.

 

That being said, we loved the new MDR concept on Edge with the 4 smaller dining rooms. Much more intimate ambiance and not as loud. Food was exquisite! We did not miss Blu at all on Edge.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Miaminice