Suite guests in Blu - enough!

[girljerk]

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.

 

I agree with everything you have said. We have eaten once at Blu, but, that was before Luminae. Since they introduced Luminae, we have not been back. It is not fair to take up the space in Blu, as a suite passenger, when we have our own dining venue. We tend to book Royal and PH suites, and that doesn't give us the right to take away space from someone else. I am glad you said something. If we booked an Aqua suite, Blu would be the reason we did and we would also feel upset if others were getting preference over us when we paid for that perk. I hope others will understand what you are saying.

 

Sherri

[K12Guy]

On 2/6/2020 at 8:31 AM, luckyinpa said:

as a non celebrity person researching X, now i understand when someone told me in the beginning there are many more classes on X. it makes my head spin how much you gotta keep track of to make sure someone else doesnt get your perk nor something you feel they dont deserve. thats a lotta work on a vacaction! doesnt it stress you all out? (evidence in this thread indicates yes)

 

NCL does it so much better..there's haven, and peons. 2 simple classes. peons cannot get in nor anywhere near haven. maybe X needs to take a lesson from there because there's obviously divisiveness here even between the upper classes.  soon the peons are gonna overrun the place....then what...

Build yet another wall? 😎

[misterkevin]

I think our experience with crowding and waits for dining will vary by ship, time of year which impacts the percent of cabins with triple/quadruple occupancy, and Maitre 'D at Blu. I've only cruised Aqua and Suite class on Celebrity and only had to wait once or twice for dining in Blu with a pager. I've never waited to dine in Luminae.

 

There are basically 4 classes of ships for Celebrity: M-Class, S-Class, Reflection (Modified S), and Edge. The percent of Aqua and Suite cabins available vary by these types:

	INFINITY/M	EQUINOX/S	REFLECTION/S	EDGE
STATEROOMS	1079	1426	1523	1467
SUITES	50	66	111	176
AQUA CLASS	107	130	150	106
OCCUPANCY	2170	2852	3046	2926
STAFF	999	1290	1293	1320
Pas/Crew Rat.	2.17	2.21	2.36	2.22
% Suites	5%	5%	7%	12%
% Aqua	10%	9%	10%	7%
% Aqua & Suite	15%	14%	17%	19%

 

Based off these numbers, one would expect the Reflection and Edge class vessels to have the most issues with crowding in the dining rooms. Note that the ratios will change slightly on non-Edge class vessels post Edge-enhancements.

[K12Guy]

1 hour ago, misterkevin said:

Based off these numbers, one would expect the Reflection and Edge class vessels to have the most issues with crowding in the dining rooms.

I really wonder about this on the M class ships, since Murano is not an offering for specialty dining. We sail Summit in a few months and are not wowed by the idea of Le Petit Chef so our only specialty dining option will be Tuscan Grill, which we've not always had good luck with. We've ALWAYS had good luck with Luminae and have never booked Aqua class and have never tried Blu. Our last cruise on Eclipse we were treated to a Captain's luncheon in Blu,  following a bridge tour. I thought the space was very crowded, honestly, but comparison to Luminae.

 

That said, we've never had any interest in dining in Blu and have only occasionally ordered off the Main Dining Room (MDR) menu a couple times in five or six cruises.

 

I would be very happy if the option to dine in Blu was removed from the suite class guest list. I have walked by the Blu restaurant at 7 in the evening after Tuscan Grill and the line was disgusting, honestly.

 

I can't blame the Aqua folks for being upset if preferential treatment is given to Suite passengers, regardless of cost differential.

 

Although, 😎, I might be willing to trade a Blu dining day or two for a spa day or two.... there is always that!

 

 

[JFontaine]

There are many reasons why people have to wait - people wanting to eat at prime time, slow kitchen, slow or disorganized service, including waiting for a drinks' check at the end of the meal, and people who finish their meal but sit and talk. If this is a problem all areas should be examined. 

[TeeRick]

22 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

I started the thread. I take issue with your saying that the point of it is to basically complain about the suite guests.  I never stated that nor do I believe that. . My issue is with Celebrity not following the rules, and the fact that it is still allowed even though many Blu restaurants are very very crowded, especially on ships with more Aqua class cabins.  The procedure was started before there was Luminae, And should have ceased when Luminae was created.  I never stated nor do I fault the suite guests for doing what is currently allowed. 

phoenix-dream, my apologies if you were upset with my comments.  I was just trying to focus on what I thought were the two main issues which you did state very effectively in your original post.  I think in threads like this some tend to move away from the point and jump on the anti-suite guest bandwagon.  You did not do that in any way.

[Gracie115]

On 2/6/2020 at 2:54 PM, C-Dragons said:

Yes, thanks so much for reminding me. But even with the increased menus, not all the dishes are liked as I mentioned before. It would be also be nice if they were changed more often. 

 

Agree completely that they need to be changed!!  We've been on 5 TA's since Luminae's inception in 2015 and the only thing that has changed is how one chef on one ship prepares a dish as compared to another on another ship!!

[hcat]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:41 AM, misterkevin said:

I think our experience with crowding and waits for dining will vary by ship, time of year which impacts the percent of cabins with triple/quadruple occupancy, and Maitre 'D at Blu. I've only cruised Aqua and Suite class on Celebrity and only had to wait once or twice for dining in Blu with a pager. I've never waited to dine in Luminae.

 

There are basically 4 classes of ships for Celebrity: M-Class, S-Class, Reflection (Modified S), and Edge. The percent of Aqua and Suite cabins available vary by these types:

	INFINITY/M	EQUINOX/S	REFLECTION/S	EDGE
STATEROOMS	1079	1426	1523	1467
SUITES	50	66	111	176
AQUA CLASS	107	130	150	106
OCCUPANCY	2170	2852	3046	2926
STAFF	999	1290	1293	1320
Pas/Crew Rat.	2.17	2.21	2.36	2.22
% Suites	5%	5%	7%	12%
% Aqua	10%	9%	10%	7%
% Aqua & Suite	15%	14%	17%	19%

 

Based off these numbers, one would expect the Reflection and Edge class vessels to have the most issues with crowding in the dining rooms. Note that the ratios will change slightly on non-Edge class vessels post Edge-enhancements.

Also note that for EDGE,  the BLU  restaurant capacity calculations include those unused outside  seats next to the life boats/ davits and large  window washing contraption.

 

 A bit disingenuous??

Edited February 8, 2020 by hcat

[chemmo]

26 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Agree completely that they need to be changed!!  We've been on 5 TA's since Luminae's inception in 2015 and the only thing that has changed is how one chef on one ship prepares a dish as compared to another on another ship!!

 

Surely it must be easy to collate meals frequently ordered, meals rarely ordered, meals with a high return rate and do some juggling...leave in the favourites but introduce a few new choices to replace the unpopular...

[cruise kitty]

I have to admit that I've complained about this in the past, & am now guilty of doing it ;)   We were on the Reflection, & decided to eat there on lamb night....  actually a big mistake.  Blu on Reflection is a zoo enough without suite pax taking up space.   

 

We're in AQ on our upcoming Solstice Alaska in May,  & then a suite next May on Constellation.   There will also be cruises where we opt for a cheap balcony & just eat in Tuscan every night.  

 

So as someone who does a little of everything, I'd have no problem if suite guests were no longer welcome in Blu...  especially on Reflection.  

[daka]

We BOOK AQUA BECAUSE we want BLU for dining...letting others in is not  OK in my opinion.

[fstuff1]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:41 AM, misterkevin said:

I think our experience with crowding and waits for dining will vary by ship, time of year which impacts the percent of cabins with triple/quadruple occupancy, and Maitre 'D at Blu. I've only cruised Aqua and Suite class on Celebrity and only had to wait once or twice for dining in Blu with a pager. I've never waited to dine in Luminae.

 

There are basically 4 classes of ships for Celebrity: M-Class, S-Class, Reflection (Modified S), and Edge. The percent of Aqua and Suite cabins available vary by these types:

	INFINITY/M	EQUINOX/S	REFLECTION/S	EDGE
STATEROOMS	1079	1426	1523	1467
SUITES	50	66	111	176
AQUA CLASS	107	130	150	106
OCCUPANCY	2170	2852	3046	2926
STAFF	999	1290	1293	1320
Pas/Crew Rat.	2.17	2.21	2.36	2.22
% Suites	5%	5%	7%	12%
% Aqua	10%	9%	10%	7%
% Aqua & Suite	15%	14%	17%	19%

 

Based off these numbers, one would expect the Reflection and Edge class vessels to have the most issues with crowding in the dining rooms. Note that the ratios will change slightly on non-Edge class vessels post Edge-enhancements.

 

interesting.. according to the wiki, Reflection has 1 more deck than other S-class.

but no more crew.

 

it looks like that additional deck almost doubles the # of suites. :o

is the Michael's Club/suite lounge also bigger? and 2 Michaels Club hosts to accommodate the increased suite guests?

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by fstuff1

[REEtired]

1 hour ago, daka said:

We BOOK AQUA BECAUSE we want BLU for dining...letting others in is not  OK in my opinion.

Totally agree. Absolutely.  Had to wait many times only to be seated next to suite guests. 😖

[zitsky]

32 minutes ago, REEtired said:

Totally agree. Absolutely.  Had to wait many times only to be seated next to suite guests. 😖

 

How would you know?  Did they announce themselves?  Maybe they are on this thread now?!

[Pushka]

2 hours ago, daka said:

We BOOK AQUA BECAUSE we want BLU for dining...letting others in is not  OK in my opinion.

Except Suite guests are allowed In situations according to the benefits for suite guests on Celebrity’s website. So it is ok. 

[Uppity]

I just got back from a NZ cruise on the Solstice, travelling Suite class for the first time (past cruises were AQ).

 

The first observation I have is that the Suite class guests are some of the most respectful passengers on the ship, and seem to have the best manners of anyone. It is unlikely that a Suite passenger would not know that Blu is the AQ dinning area and I can't imagine anyone being upset if they were denied entry because Blu was at capacity. That just does not match my experience with the dinners I met in Luminae.

 

As mentioned previously, the issue (if there is one) should be with the M'D, not the Suite guests (and also agree that Reflection is a story unto itself).

 

My wife and I did eat at Blu one night (after insisting that they only seat us if there is space available) because we had such fond memories of eating there previously. There were empty seats in the restaurant, but I will also say that it felt more crowded than both Luminae and the Main Dining Room (although the MDR was noisier).

 

I actually think the best solution would be to somehow increase the size of Blu. That way they could accommodate more guests and provide a bit more space. But, I'm not in charge of planning.

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, Pushka said:

Except Suite guests are allowed In situations according to the benefits for suite guests on Celebrity’s website. So it is ok. 

 

Don't suite guests have their own restaurant, @Pushka?

 

@Uppity, suite guests have the best manners?  Humblebrag much?

Edited February 10, 2020 by zitsky

[Uppity]

5 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

@Uppity, suite guests have the best manners?  Humblebrag much?

Indeed :-).

 

My point was that the people I met would not be happy taking a seat from an AQ guest.  Also, I'm not sure that sailing Suite class once on a great bargain quite qualifies me as a member of the Gentry just yet 😉

[Pushka]

14 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Don't suite guests have their own restaurant, @Pushka?

 

@Uppity, suite guests have the best manners?  Humblebrag much?

Yes, but they are also given access to Blu as per the celebrity website for suite benefits. I’ve yet to sail in one but I understand their benefits. 

[abbydancer2003]

6 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

interesting.. according to the wiki, Reflection has 1 more deck than other S-class.

but no more crew.

 

it looks like that additional deck almost doubles the # of suites. 😮

is the Michael's Club/suite lounge also bigger? and 2 Michaels Club hosts to accommodate the increased suite guests?

 

I've in in suites on Reflection, Equinox and Eclipse.  

 

Michael's club might be slightly bigger on Reflection, but it did have two concierges.  Luminae was about the same size I think.

[Gracie115]

4 hours ago, abbydancer said:

I've in in suites on Reflection, Equinox and Eclipse.  

 

Michael's club might be slightly bigger on Reflection, but it did have two concierges.  Luminae was about the same size I think.

 

 

Michael's is shaped differently on both Reflection and Silhouette, with the wall of coolers on one side that guests can take waters/sodas/beers from.  The furnishings are nicer too.  On Silhouette last year there was only one Concierge but the Suite Manager was there most of the time too.  

 

Luminae is the same size on all the "S" class as it's cut out of a portion of the MDR.

[Xport]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:41 AM, misterkevin said:

I think our experience with crowding and waits for dining will vary by ship, time of year which impacts the percent of cabins with triple/quadruple occupancy, and Maitre 'D at Blu.

 

By definition, AquaClass staterooms accommodate a maximum of two guests...  Not true in Suite-Class categories--triple and quadruple occupancy is permitted--so as to sometimes [I've seen it with some frequency including a nightly group of eight (two families who didn't care for Luminae and insisted upon being seated together)] further strain seating availability in Blu for AquaClass guests... 

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, Xport said:

 

By definition, AquaClass staterooms accommodate a maximum of two guests...  Not true in Suite-Class categories--triple and quadruple occupancy is permitted--so as to sometimes [I've seen it with some frequency including a nightly group of eight (two families who didn't care for Luminae and insisted upon being seated together)] further strain seating availability in Blu for AquaClass guests... 

 

How did you know they were suite guests?

[excitedofharpenden]

On 2/6/2020 at 6:32 PM, Gordoncruickshank said:

She even managed to get them to make her a cheese sandwich at lunchtime. 

Now you're talking! Add a bit of Branston Pickle, even better. I'd be there every lunchtime ❤️

 

Phil 

[Wine-O]

54 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

How did you know they were suite guests?

Maybe he could tell by the sense of entitlement?  🍷