Food in Blu

[mimip]

Is it worth the upgrade to eat at Blu

[mfs2k]

I loved my Blu breakfasts on Equinox. Excellent and felt luxurious.
We were already in concierge class and the upgrade cost was minimal to Aqua. 
Dinner in Blu was elegant and enjoyable. We also ate in specialty restaurants. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

15 minutes ago, mimip said:

Is it worth the upgrade to eat at Blu

Blu is the reason we book Aqua.  A bit more upscale.  Portions smaller.  Personal service as the dining area seats only about 75.  Again everyone has different preferences.

Having Blu we often do not bother with the specially restaurants. Staff accommodates requests very well.

Edited July 3, 2022 by Arizona Wildcat

[Virginia100]

22 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Blu is the reason we book Aqua.  A bit more upscale.  Portions smaller.  Personal service as the dining area seats only about 75.  Again everyone has different preferences.

Having Blu we often do not bother with the specially restaurants. Staff accommodates requests very well.

After years of going on Celebrity I always go Aqua for the Blu restaurant unless a sky suite is really well priced. I don’t go regular Balcony anymore; Blu is excellent and if we go to a specialty restaurant it’s only one night at Murano's. On my upcoming August 26 10 day cruise out of Rome , it’s all Blu only.

[Luvcrusn]

Blu is the main reason to book Aqua. The more intimate dining experience is really nice, they accommodate special requests much more easily and it is a much more relaxed dining experience since it is a much smaller dining room than the MDR. I think the food is not that different (although there is a different menu) but the atmosphere is worth it. We also especially enjoy the breakfast experience there. It is a wonderful way to start the day.

[phoenix_dream]

Whenever we can't afford a suite (which is often) we always book AQ, specifically for Blu.  We like the smaller, more intimate dining area, the better service, and the great food.  We also like the ability to eat our breakfast there.  Much more comfortable than the buffet and more intimate than the MDR.  On S class ships in particular the spa is nice as well, but as we are not big spa people Blu is our main attraction.

[terrydtx]

One of the things we always disliked about cruising was eating with hundreds of people in noisy and crowded MDRs, until we discovered Blu and the smaller, quieter and more intimate dining setting. Then we had our first suite last year and discovered Luminae, and an even higher level of cruise dining. I would never now book anything less than Aqua if a suite is not an affordable option. In the non-E Class ships in both Blu and Luminae you can ask for and order from the MDR menu if you chose. For me eating in a MDR is like having dinner in a banquet hall and Blu and Luminae are more like a fine dining land restaurant.

[Fuzzy55]

We just got off the Equinox yesterday and we were in Aqua. Will never go back to regular cabins because of Blu. Such a wonderful dining experience. Having a much smaller dining room is perfect. We ate breakfast and dinner there. Food and service are the best. Our next two cruises are also AQ.  Also, you can order from the MDR menu every night that includes escargot and shrimp cocktail. Just ask for the Brown menu.

[TeaBag]

We also book AQ for Blu.  couldn't care less abut Persian Garden.  On our last cruise which was the first time at sea for Eclipse after 2 years sitting idle, our waiter in Blu recognized us.  Made us fell like celebrities.  We love the small dining room and the personal attention there.  Try it you'll love it.

[keesar]

9 hours ago, mimip said:

Is it worth the upgrade to eat at Blu

 

We have enjoyed the food choices in Blu. There are more choices in the MDR but plenty of options in Blu.   The food is served hot and the breakfasts are really special.  The dining room is smaller.   A couple of things you should be aware of.  The tables of 2 are very close together and I would not call it "intimate dining".  And Blu does not come close to most  of the specialty restaurants in my opinion.  Despite these limitations, we book Aqua Class.

[bye-seaya]

2 hours ago, Fuzzy55 said:

We just got off the Equinox yesterday and we were in Aqua. Will never go back to regular cabins because of Blu. Such a wonderful dining experience. Having a much smaller dining room is perfect. We ate breakfast and dinner there. Food and service are the best. Our next two cruises are also AQ.  Also, you can order from the MDR menu every night that includes escargot and shrimp cocktail. Just ask for the Brown menu.

Yeah! I was hoping someone post their recent EQ Blu experience and was able to order escargot and shrimp cocktail. Thanks for confirming!

[Veinless]

Likely a silly question but do folks in Aquaclass generally do lunch in the MDR?

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, Veinless said:

Likely a silly question but do folks in Aquaclass generally do lunch in the MDR?

Yes, or any other venues open for lunch. Blu does not serve lunches.

[phoenix_dream]

1 hour ago, Veinless said:

Likely a silly question but do folks in Aquaclass generally do lunch in the MDR?

MDR is usually only open for lunch on sea days. We sail Aqua a lot and usually just grab a bite to eat at the buffet or pool grill

[mugwood]

Might be in the minority but I do not like blu.

 

I like the concept of the smaller area, but the tables for two are so close together at places.

 

the portions are too small (may be where they get the healthy eating part from🤔).

three times aqua and the last time we only used blu once.

breakfast in blu is very good though.

[keesar]

9 hours ago, bye-seaya said:

Yeah! I was hoping someone post their recent EQ Blu experience and was able to order escargot and shrimp cocktail. Thanks for confirming!

 

There are nightly items in Blu that do not change.  They included baked French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, escargot, Caesar salad, salmon, sirloin steak and chicken.  Also, apple pie a la mode, cheesecake and  cream brule.  I may have forgotten an item or two. Some waiters will give you the menu of "Timeless Classics".  

[bye-seaya]

2 hours ago, keesar said:

 

There are nightly items in Blu that do not change.  They included baked French onion soup, shrimp cocktail, escargot, Caesar salad, salmon, sirloin steak and chicken.  Also, apple pie a la mode, cheesecake and  cream brule.  I may have forgotten an item or two. Some waiters will give you the menu of "Timeless Classics".  

Sorry for hijacking this thread. But want to say - Thank you for the Blu info which I think helps to support that it appears booking AQ is worth it for Blu alone. 

Best of both worlds to have MD classics available! That is great newsI  

I’m not a picky eater at all - but in looking at the Blu menu for our sailing, I was thinking some MD classics would be a great alternative to what was listed. 

This is our first time in AQ and are super excited! 

[Peteymil]

6 hours ago, mugwood said:

Might be in the minority but I do not like blu.

 

I like the concept of the smaller area, but the tables for two are so close together at places.

 

the portions are too small (may be where they get the healthy eating part from🤔).

three times aqua and the last time we only used blu once.

breakfast in blu is very good though.

As far as the portions, you can always ask for two portions if it's something you know you like. You can always order 2 different entrees if you want to. Or several appetizers-they are very accommodating!

[terrydtx]

24 minutes ago, Peteymil said:

As far as the portions, you can always ask for two portions if it's something you know you like. You can always order 2 different entrees if you want to. Or several appetizers-they are very accommodating!

Plus you can order off the MDR menu if nothing in Blu that night appeals to you.

[5:00_Somewhere]

I'm another huge fan of Blu, and will add a slightly different spin on the topic of ordering from other DR menus. We love Aqua Class, because of Blu and other features, but also sail Retreat Class on X occasionally. We enjoy the Luminae dining room dedicated to suites, as well, but were pleasantly surprised a few years ago when our Luminae waiter mentioned that we could also order off either the MDR or Blu menu. Apparently, this option is only available on M-Class and S-Class ships, due to DR and galley layout, but I fully intend to take advantage of it when we sail Retreat Class on the Summit in September. 👍

[phoenix_dream]

37 minutes ago, Peteymil said:

As far as the portions, you can always ask for two portions if it's something you know you like. You can always order 2 different entrees if you want to. Or several appetizers-they are very accommodating!

I personally don't understand when people say the Blu portions are smaller, or that the food is too "healthy" (not heard the latter on this thread, but on others).  I have 65+ Celebrity cruises under my belt in MDR, Blu and Luminae.  I have honestly not seen any differences as far as portion size.  Anyone who would leave Blu hungry after appetizer, salad, soup, main course, and dessert has quite an appetite IMHO.  And as you say, order two of anything if you're concerned about that.  And for anyone worrying Blu is too "healthy" it definitely is no healthier (or less) than any other dining room.  They used to advertise it (maybe still do?) as "clean" dining, whatever that means.  To me it's just good food.

 

I do agree the tables for two can be close together, especially on S class ships.  We look for tables along the walls where we can have more privacy, but I know these aren't always available.  Recently it hasn't been an issue due to reduced capacity but it is likely getting closer to normal lately as bookings increase.

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, 5:00_Somewhere said:

I'm another huge fan of Blu, and will add a slightly different spin on the topic of ordering from other DR menus. We love Aqua Class, because of Blu and other features, but also sail Retreat Class on X occasionally. We enjoy the Luminae dining room dedicated to suites, as well, but were pleasantly surprised a few years ago when our Luminae waiter mentioned that we could also order off either the MDR or Blu menu. Apparently, this option is only available on M-Class and S-Class ships, due to DR and galley layout, but I fully intend to take advantage of it when we sail Retreat Class on the Summit in September. 👍

On a cruise over 7 nights the Blu and Luminae menus rotate back to the day 1 or day 2 menu after the 7th night, being able to order from MDR or Blu adds some variety on longer cruises. We have 10 nights next month in Luminae on the Refelction

 

[5:00_Somewhere]

6 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

On a cruise over 7 nights the Blu and Luminae menus rotate back to the day 1 or day 2 menu after the 7th night, being able to order from MDR or Blu adds some variety on longer cruises. We have 10 nights next month in Luminae on the Refelction

 

 

Agreed, and a very good point. In fact, I think it may have been on our 12-day Med cruise on the Silhouette when the waiter mentioned we could order off the Blu menu, if memory serves.

[graphicguy]

Aside from EDEN, I thought Blu was one of the best dining options on the ship.

 

Was allowed to dine there given I was in the Retreat.  I preferred Blu over Luminae.

[Provence55always]

Is Blu better on certain ships…..a few years ago we were Aqua on a cruise in Australia think it was the Millennium. The food in Blu was awful. A few days into the cruise we found out from people who were on the cruise before us that the chef for Blu  got off in Sydney and had been replaced by another chef. Anyway that cruise we mostly ordered from the MDR menu. We are booked in Aqua in October on the Constellation so hopefully all will be well. As mentioned the tables are very close but after greetings you can choose not to engage without been rude.