Suite guests in Blu - enough!

[GRBlizz]

26 minutes ago, hcat said:

Exactly...having experienced it and also the  4 mdrs on EDGE,  we would not book AQ with BLU on EDGE or APEX ( Unless location changed).   View is bad and it's way off  the main drag  on the path to BLU...have to go through dark forest or up a steep stairway to get there.

 

Other BLU experiences have been mostly positive but it has become crowded,  more hurried and less personal recently.

Wait, is Blu on Edge/Apex (same location) not handicap accessible? Hard to tell from deck plan. We are in AQ for upcoming Apex sailing and hubby uses a powerchair full time.

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by GRBlizz

[abbydancer2003]

On DH's first X cruise (my second) we had a sky suite on the Reflection.  I wanted to try Blu for dinner one night, but we could never get in.  We had friends in Aqua who said Blu was slammed every night, and they always had a wait.  So, I got it.

 

Next time with my sister, we had a sky suite and actually ran into some friends who were also on the cruise (not cruise friends, I had no idea they even cruised until we saw them).  They were in Aqua, so we had breakfast in Blu one morning.  We also took them to lunch in Luminae one day.

 

So, I think the suite thing in Blu is up to the Maitre'd in Blu.  On our cruise, they did the right thing at dinner.

 

My last cruise was in Aqua, and so I finally had dinner in Blu.  It was good.

[hcat]

34 minutes ago, GRBlizz said:

Wait, is Blu on Edge/Apex (same location) not handicap accessible? Hard to tell from deck plan. We are in AQ for upcoming Apex sailing and hubby uses a powerchair full time.

 

You are fine if its same as EDGE

It is acessible...folks scooter through the dark forest all the time!

See deck plan 5,,  go through shop area, then the forest then BLU is right there just past where the stairway comes up.....you can go to Tiffany and EDEN...same hallway.

 

I have vision issues so the dark creepy forest was not great for me!

Edited February 5, 2020 by hcat

[hcat]

 Btw

It might have a completly diff theme on APEX..just like the S Class ships have diff themes in their transitional spaces to  specialty dining area

[warmwinds]

That's the "dark forest"?  Looks like a bunch of weird giant Emmys.

 

I think I'm getting too old to try the new ships.  

Edited February 5, 2020 by warmwinds

[hcat]

Stairway goes up from deck 4..no elevator

Then you see the wooden folKs and curtain..this may be a wall now or on APEX

And then entrance to BLU

 

There is also some outside way to get there too  ( deck 5) but I have no clue...

 

 

[actuarian]

2 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

The cruise fare for passengers in AQ class is much less than the cruise fare for passengers in Suites. Those in Suites must pay a fee for guests to dine in Luminae. Why should those in AQ class get to “try” Luminae for free?

What I was suggesting was a trade that would have to be initiated by the suite passenger making a reservation to dine at Blu.  I agree that a dinner at Luminae is more valuable than a dinner at Blu and, for that very reason, when I am a suite passenger I do not dine at Blu.  However, it is the suite passenger's choice and there is no expense to Celebrity if a suite passenger chooses to trade places for one dinner with an Aqua Class passenger.  The trade may be unequal but, since it has to be initiated by the person who is voluntarily giving up a more valuable dinner for a less valuable dinner, there is no reason not to allow.  The reason to allow it would be to alleviate the overcrowding at Blu.

Edited February 5, 2020 by actuarian

[hcat]

13 minutes ago, warmwinds said:

That's the "dark forest"?  Looks like a bunch of weird giant Emmys.

 

I think I'm getting too old to try the new ships.  

These are all EDGE.,APEX may differ

It is called Avalon...I dubbed it the  "creepy forest" and "dark forest"  early on,  and was shocked to hear our Art Tour Guide  use that term,...,guess it stuck,  It is dark shiny, makes nouse and a windy path..hard for folks with  vision issues. Scooter folks easily it  through

 

It is popular.. that's art  !

 Who loves the creepy ant pass through hallway on one of the S Class ships???

[hcat]

Sorry to veer off topic... just saying BLU on EDGE is  a ways off

 

To alleviate crowds, and line back ups,  only solution is limit BLU to AQ Class...do not add more AQ Class Cabins to any ship...beef up staff and kitchen support...etc,

Edited February 5, 2020 by hcat

[C-Dragons]

49 minutes ago, Alsmez said:

 

If Suite passengers are taking up space in the restaurant that AQ passengers have already paid for, it seems only fair to compensate AQ passengers in some fashion. Besides, it wouldn't have to be free; Celebrity could easily offer it to AQ passengers for a small fee.

The original intent of this thread, I thought, was to hopefully persuade X to stop the policy of allowing Suite guests to eat in BLU, not to find a way to “compensate” AQ guests by allowing them to eat in Luminae. That would not solve the problem for BLU or Luminae because neither dining venues are really large enough to handle the amount of guests assigned to each one. I understand the OP's frustration, and hope that X will find some way to fix this problem.

[hcat]

Agree!

[actuarian]

17 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

The original intent of this thread, I thought, was to hopefully persuade X to stop the policy of allowing Suite guests to eat in BLU, not to find a way to “compensate” AQ guests by allowing them to eat in Luminae. That would not solve the problem for BLU or Luminae because neither dining venues are really large enough to handle the amount of guests assigned to each one. I understand the OP's frustration, and hope that X will find some way to fix this problem.

You are missing the point.  This has nothing to do with compensating AQ guests but simply with eliminating overcrowding.  For simplification, suppose that a ship carries 100 suite guests and 200 AQ guests and that Luminae has a capacity of 100 and Blu has a capacity of 200.  If 10 of the suite guests decide to dine at Blu, there will be only 90 guests at Luminae and 210 guests at Blu.  Therefore, Luminae will have empty tables and Blu will be overcrowded.  However, if 10 AQ guests are invited to Luminae, then each restaurant will be exactly at capacity.

 

Of course, this will not be of much use if either restaurant does not have enough capacity to even accommodate the people in the class it was designed to serve.  However, that would be a different problem unrelated to the issue raised by the OP.

Edited February 5, 2020 by actuarian

[hcat]

Much Easier.,

Eat in the dining room that matches your cabin class or head to a specialty restaurant.  !

[C-Dragons]

Just now, hcat said:

Much Easier.,

Eat in the dining room that matches your cabin class or head to a specialty restaurant.  !

You got it! 😉

[actuarian]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

Much Easier.,

Eat in the dining room that matches your cabin class or head to a specialty restaurant.  !

Much easier yes but also less practical.  Last time I was on B2B cruises, I was in AQ class for part 1 and in a Sky Suite for part 2.  On the last night of the first cruise, the headwaiter at Blu, knowing that DW and I were B2B, said that he was looking forward to seeing us on the next cruise.  Not knowing that suite passengers could dine at Blu, I told him that we were assigned to dine at Luminae on the second cruise.  He responded that we were still welcome at Blu and (his opinion not mine) that Blu was better than Luminae.  That is just the attitude that Celebrity has and it is not likely to change; suite passengers are welcome at any venue.

[hcat]

Maybe it should change.

We.have our 1st suite cruise coming up...and we too may seek the refuge of BLU esp  if Luminae is too fru fru or requires res for a set time or tbl.... versus the  flexibility of BLU.

 

Heard there are  more larger  groups in Luminae than in BLU which can only do one or two groups per seating ..Those  large group tables in BLU trend noisier and require more staff attention,.     We'll see...

Edited February 5, 2020 by hcat

[C-Dragons]

3 minutes ago, hcat said:

Maybe it should change.

We.have our 1st suite cruise coming up...and we too may seek the refuge of BLU  if Luminae is too fru fru,  heard there are  more larger  groups there than in BLU which can only do one or two groups per seating ..

 

Those  karge group tables in BLU trend noisier and require more staff attention,.  

We'll see...

Congratulations on your upcoming suite!
 Luminae isn’t really fru fru, IMO. The staff are very accommodating and eager to make you happy, so if there's something about a dish you don’t like, or would like to be prepared differently, just let them know. We always ate in BLU before Luminae was introduced, but now Luminae is our favorite.

[cirpi]

On 2/4/2020 at 4:42 AM, phoenix_dream said:

Ok, I know this will get some people flaming me, but here goes anyway.  IMHO it is time to stop the practice of letting suite guests eat in Blu on a 'space available basis'.  I am a regular Aqua Class passenger and now retired, sail Celebrity 7-8 cruises per year (some 10+ days).  My observations here are based on many, many nights in Blu.  I will also say that occasionally I do sail in suites and I have no issue with the changes I suggest.  I am a big believer that rules should be fair to everyone, and followed by everyone.

 

Why do I have that opinion?  With the revolutionizing of the ships, more Aqua Class cabins are being added.  Logically, this increases the number of passengers eating in Blu exponentially.  There is not room in Blu to add more tables (on M class at least, and little room on S class), so the restaurant is becoming more and more crowded.  On our last cruise on Reflection, which already had more AQ cabins even before any revolutionizing, there were extra tables crammed into Blu which made it less comfortable, more noisy, and still there were lines out the door 10-12 couples deep at all times before 8:30 p.m.  And yet suite guests were allowed in (I know this for a fact). 

 

Second, it has been our experience that most Maître d's do not follow the 'space available basis' rule (not saying it never happens, but we have yet to see it).  On our most recent cruise, the Maître d' actually told us that 1/3 of the suite guests were eating in Blu on a daily basis.  This did not sit well with us, as we had to wait for a table 6 out of the 7 nights of our cruise - getting a beeper and needing to go sit in a bar as there was no seating outside the M class Blu restaurant.  The wait times ranged from 15 to 45 minutes.  So much for the 'space available basis' rule. 

 

Third, when suite guests eat in Blu it has been our experience that extra 'perks' are offered to them that are not offered to everyone actually paying for the restaurant.   Specifically, at least on our Reflection cruise, they were allowed to order off the MDR menu which caused the waiters to have to make the long trek down to the MDR kitchen, meaning they were off the floor for as much as 10-15 minutes at a time (this info came from the waiters themselves).  This obviously considerably delayed service for everyone else.  It is not really an issue on M class as they share kitchen space, but on S class this should not be allowed.

 

Fourth, when in Luminae, the guests have the option of ordering off the MDR menu if they do not like their own menu (at least I know on S class they do).  So they already have two full menus to choose from.

 

Finally, AQ guests are not allowed to eat in Luminae, so why are suite guests allowed to eat in Blu??

 

On a more subjective level, it is my opinion that this is wrong, and is just not fair to the paying Aqua Class passengers!  I understand why the process was initiated back in the days before Luminae.  Celebrity created a special, nicer (than MDR) restaurant and suites (who paid more) were not allowed to use it.  So they decided to let them enter on a space available basis.  Ok, I can understand that.  But now there IS a special restaurant that is nicer than Blu and yet the practice continues.  They've added more AQ cabins, and yet the process continues.  This is just not right and it is time to stop the practice.  Suite guests sailing with non-suite customers have the option of paying for them to eat in Luminae with them.   If they will not completely stop the practice, perhaps rather than limiting suite entry into Blu on the not-usually-followed practice of 'space available' suite guests should be required to pay to eat in Blu as they are taking up space originally planned for AQ passengers.  That would at least slow down the practice.

We have been Aqua for the past four cruises and have ordered from the MDR menu,

[terrydtx]

49 minutes ago, hcat said:

Much Easier.,

Eat in the dining room that matches your cabin class or head to a specialty restaurant.  !

Great advice and I agree 100%. We would never consider eating in the MDR as a AQ passenger. I am paying extra for AQ so that I do not have to eat dinner with 1000 other people.

[phoenix_dream]

10 hours ago, MEcruzr said:

 

YES! This is the reason we have asked to dine in Blu in the past. We will ask again in May but I am not expecting a positive response as so far we have been denied. 

 

This issue, and I believe the OP that there IS a problem despite my personal experience regarding "space availability (so far there has been none), lies squarely on the staff. You can't blame suite guests for choosing to experience Blu when they have been invited to do so. To suggest that any of your fellow guests somehow feel entitled to "your" space seems... well... I'll leave it at that. According to X suites guests are INVITED. It's like you're shooting the messenger. The problem lies in the policy and the execution of the policy, not your fellow guests who are only asking for what the company said they are welcome to enjoy (sometimes). 

I can't speak for everyone, but I have no issue with the suite guests.  It is allowed, so they are following the rules.  I have an issue with the staff for not following the 'space available' dictate as they should, and Celebrity for still allowing it in the first place now that Luminae is in place.  

[phoenix_dream]

19 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

To the OP, no flames from me. I totally agree with your thought process. I don't have a horse in the race because I don't travel AQ, but can understand you pay extra for a speciality restaurant which is not so special because it's noisy and busy. 

 

Just a question. Is it often the that Blu is so crowded?

 

Phil 

Is it often?  Yes  Is it all the time?  No.  The worst in my experience are on ships which have (or added during revolution) additional AQ cabins, but didn't enlarge Blu.  Our worst experience was on Reflection on a cruise where I am 100% positive they were allowing many suite guests.  It also depends when you go - if you want to eat very early (when just open) or at 9:00 at night then you may not encounter wait times.  Try to go between 7 and 9 and chances are better than average that you may need to wait.  How long honestly varies by cruise, and I have never been able to predict based on itinerary or length.  We have had some cruises where the wait was fairly short (and sometimes not at all) but on most cruises it is crowded every night

[maggie.1008]

I have never seen Blu half empty. Last Solstice cruise we were given pagers every night. Trying Blu again in April on the Eclipse and hope that is not the case. 

[GRBlizz]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

You are fine if its same as EDGE

It is acessible...folks scooter through the dark forest all the time!

See deck plan 5,,  go through shop area, then the forest then BLU is right there just past where the stairway comes up.....you can go to Tiffany and EDEN...same hallway.

 

I have vision issues so the dark creepy forest was not great for me!

 

Thank you! We can handle creepy, we just can't handle stairs! It certainly looks like the Apex is not your father's X ship!

[jjsnonna]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Sorry to veer off topic... just saying BLU on EDGE is  a ways off

 

To alleviate crowds, and line back ups,  only solution is limit BLU to AQ Class...do not add more AQ Class Cabins to any ship...beef up staff and kitchen support...etc,

 Exactly.....I think the blame lies on Celebrity for the constant adding of AQUA cabins without the facilities to handle the additional people.  

[Lastdance]

2 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

Congratulations on your upcoming suite!
 Luminae isn’t really fru fru, IMO. The staff are very accommodating and eager to make you happy, so if there's something about a dish you don’t like, or would like to be prepared differently, just let them know. We always ate in BLU before Luminae was introduced, but now Luminae is our favorite.

 

I have been so appreciative of the waiters in Luminae.  They have made special dinners for my DH and I that were truly amazing.  I have also eaten in Blu where the service and food, not to mention our table was the absolute worst of any cruise ever.  That was the only time I felt like saying something.  I did, and the staff was changed; five other people expressed the same sentiment that evening.  So, you do have to say something!  We were in a suite at the time we asked to sit in Blu; however, there is really no need for this to happen.  Just let your waiter know how you are feeling, and he/she will make it better...communication is so important!  I hope this issue finds a better way of being handled by Celebrity for all of those involved!  If we had known to speak up, sitting in Blu would have never even crossed our minds.  We have eaten in Blu before, and everything was very good!  I just feel very blessed to be able to cruise...

Edited February 5, 2020 by Lastdance