1st timer, need help deciding

[aloha_DC]

Hi All! Looking at booking my first Celebrity cruise and trying to decide. 

 

When looking at fares for a 7 day Caribbean on the Millennium,  I'm trying to decide between:

 

Regular balcony, OR

Concierge for $84 more,  OR

Aqua for about $500 more than regular balcony 

 

The concierge seems like a no brainer, but is Aqua worth it?

 

(Note in these numbers I've already assumed what the   benefits would save me in real cash, ie the tips included in Aqua is a savings for me, but the drink package isn't cause I don't drink)

 

Thanks!

[go.without.you]

After doing Aqua and Luminae I can never go back to the MDR. I like having the same staff every time I go there and the fact that they treat me special. Especially when I travel alone. 

[bama4cruisin]

1 minute ago, go.without.you said:

After doing Aqua and Luminae I can never go back to the MDR. I like having the same staff every time I go there and the fact that they treat me special. Especially when I travel alone. 

I am confused . . . Luminae is the restaurant for Suites while Aqua has Blu

[canderson]

3 minutes ago, bama4cruisin said:

I am confused . . . Luminae is the restaurant for Suites while Aqua has Blu

No need.  The poster simply is noting that when in AQ (Blu) or Suites (Luminae) the experience was better in both cases, and would not return to the MDR.  Reading between the lines, given the OP's options, that would be a vote for an AQ cabin.

[KKB]

8 minutes ago, aloha_DC said:

Hi All! Looking at booking my first Celebrity cruise and trying to decide. 

 

When looking at fares for a 7 day Caribbean on the Millennium,  I'm trying to decide between:

 

Regular balcony, OR

Concierge for $84 more,  OR

Aqua for about $500 more than regular balcony 

 

The concierge seems like a no brainer, but is Aqua worth it?

 

(Note in these numbers I've already assumed what the   benefits would save me in real cash, ie the tips included in Aqua is a savings for me, but the drink package isn't cause I don't drink)

 

Thanks!

We have done all 3.

Concierge is a waste of money, imo. The only significant advantage is extra Captains club points

Did AQ once & loved it. But really you are paying $500 more for 1 restaurant & spa access.

WAY too much, imo. (ours was $75 more).

Rooms are essentially the same (is that fancy shower worth that much more?)

Take that $500 & buy spa day passes (for week or certain days).

If MDR (main dining room) is not up to par for you (tho I feel Celebrity MDRs are best among mainstream lines), then upgrade to a specialty dining package. If you are happy w/ MDR, you will have saved a good chunk.

[lola2013]

My first cruise on Celebrity was in concierge because of a last minute upgrade...I didn't see the benefit.  I'm also not a foodie so Blu would not be important to me; I am usually happy with  the MDR or OVC!   

 

I am happy to spend a little more money to get a Sunset Verandah to enjoy the views of the wake.  I am also a non-drinker so that perk doesn't benefit me.

[jelayne]

You are correct, Blu is the dining room for Aqua class guests.  Blu is the primary reason people book Aqua.

 

Don't totally discount the value of the beverage package as in addition to liquor and wine the package also includes specialty coffees, teas, bottled water, soda and juices.   A specialty coffee, a couple of bottles of water and a glass of juice could easily run you $20 per day.

[mom says]

There are a couple of benefits of booking Concierge over regular balconies on M class ships. The first is location. They are often in a more desirable spot. The second is size. They are slightly larger. If neither of those us important then  stick with a regular balcony.

 

Aqua gets you the Blu restaurant and some spa access. But at the price difference you quoted, you'd be better off just getting a regular balcony  and buying a Specialty dining package. Also, be very very careful with your cabin selection. Some of the Aqua cabins are in really awful locations

[the penguins]

33 minutes ago, aloha_DC said:

Hi All! Looking at booking my first Celebrity cruise and trying to decide. 

 

When looking at fares for a 7 day Caribbean on the Millennium,  I'm trying to decide between:

 

Regular balcony, OR

Concierge for $84 more,  OR

Aqua for about $500 more than regular balcony 

 

The concierge seems like a no brainer, but is Aqua worth it?

 

(Note in these numbers I've already assumed what the   benefits would save me in real cash, ie the tips included in Aqua is a savings for me, but the drink package isn't cause I don't drink)

 

Thanks!

Regular balcony why:

Concierge is just a squarer cabin not worth the money

Aqua gives you Blu but as a first time cruiser do you really want to sit on your own at dinner? You get your own allocated table.

Take the Any Time Dining option - we always pre book for 6.30 pm which allows a leisurely meal and the main theatre at 9.0pm. On arrival ask for a sharing table - we would say a table of 6 is the perfect size. Enjoy your cruise.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

4 minutes ago, the penguins said:

do you really want to sit on your own at dinner?

 

MANY people don't want to share tables with people they don't know. Some of us have had very bad experiences with forced socialization and prefer our own tables.

[jagoffee]

45 minutes ago, aloha_DC said:

Hi All! Looking at booking my first Celebrity cruise and trying to decide. 

 

When looking at fares for a 7 day Caribbean on the Millennium,  I'm trying to decide between:

 

Regular balcony, OR

Concierge for $84 more,  OR

Aqua for about $500 more than regular balcony 

 

The concierge seems like a no brainer, but is Aqua worth it?

 

(Note in these numbers I've already assumed what the   benefits would save me in real cash, ie the tips included in Aqua is a savings for me, but the drink package isn't cause I don't drink)

 

Thanks!

Welcome.  Based on what you have said, it appears that the Balcony and Concierge quotes are cruise only fares.  
Are your quoted price differences per person?

 

Obviously you have to run the numbers to see if it worth it for you.  You each get internet, gratuities paid, and a drink package. (AI)   I know you said neither of you drink alcohol, but you do receive nonalcoholic drinks.  Therefore it has some value.  If you only drink ship’s tap water and the free nonalcoholic beverage, it has zero value.

 

if you decide the AI extra benefits has real value to you, then you might want to price the balcony and concierge with the AI included.  Then you can understand the real cost to book Aqua Class.

 

This is an anomaly caused by the fact that Celebrity does not normally offer Cruise Only rates for Aqua Class and above categories.  Therefore you might not be comparing “Apples to Apples”

 

Good luck.  

[keesar]

1 hour ago, aloha_DC said:

Hi All! Looking at booking my first Celebrity cruise and trying to decide. 

 

When looking at fares for a 7 day Caribbean on the Millennium,  I'm trying to decide between:

 

Regular balcony, OR

Concierge for $84 more,  OR

Aqua for about $500 more than regular balcony 

 

The concierge seems like a no brainer, but is Aqua worth it?

 

(Note in these numbers I've already assumed what the   benefits would save me in real cash, ie the tips included in Aqua is a savings for me, but the drink package isn't cause I don't drink)

 

Thanks!

 

$500 is way too expensive for Aqua.  As for a Regular Balcony and Concierge, I would make a decision on the location of the cabins.  Many of the Concierge cabins are in 'prime' locations.  As mentioned, pocket the savings and splurge on a specialty restaurant or use it in the spa.  

[bama4cruisin]

While I don’t normally think the extras for Concierge class are worth the added cost, the concierge staterooms on M-class ships are slightly larger than a standard balcony.  For only $84, the added ~20 sf might be worth that.

[wrk2cruise]

That 20 sqft is a deal breaker for me on M class ships.   Have to have CC or above for the size of the cabin alone.

[jelayne]

38 minutes ago, bama4cruisin said:

While I don’t normally think the extras for Concierge class are worth the added cost, the concierge staterooms on M-class ships are slightly larger than a standard balcony.  For only $84, the added ~20 sf might be worth that.

Aqua cabins are also larger than the veranda cabins.

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, bama4cruisin said:

While I don’t normally think the extras for Concierge class are worth the added cost, the concierge staterooms on M-class ships are slightly larger than a standard balcony.  For only $84, the added ~20 sf might be worth that.

While I generally don't think the price increase is worth it for Concierge, the above is a good point.

 

Also, Concierge cabins have an expanded room service menu for breakfast. We love having breakfast on the balcony, and being able to get eggs cooked to order would make me lean toward the slight upcharge for Concierge in this case. 

[cachouonacruise]

We have done regular balcony on S Class, Concierge and Aqua on M Class. All are good options and you will enjoy your cruise, as long as you choose a cabin location that you like.

 

Captain Club Points: As mention, 5 per night for Aqua and CC versus 3 for veranda. If planning to become a recurrent X cruiser, this could be something to consider.

 

Concierge and Aqua on M Class ships: Slightly larger cabins, on higher decks.

 

What we also enjoyed in CC: Embarkation lunch, one invitation per cruise (not guaranteed) for a sail in or sail away on Helipad, (bubbly included), little afternoon snack, one free bottle on bubbly in your room ( which, if asked nicely, I was able to change for white wine, and enjoyed the drink on our balcony). On one cruise, we were also invited to a cc slot tournament. Although it does not say so anywhere officially, as a CC passenger, you are the highest cabin class in the MDR. It may just be a coincidence, but I found that my table location requests while in CC, were always granted. In the MDR you can choose either traditional dining (same table, same staff) at one of the two set times or the open dining.

 

What we enjoyed in Aqua: a cabin on top deck, right underneath the overhang. We were well protected from rain and wind during our Alaska cruise. Free access to the Persian gardens, which on our M class ship, had no windows. Access to Blu restaurant. Blu is managed  on a first come first served basis. It's a small restaurant, so it does not take long for the staff to know you. Depending on your schedule or flexibility, you may or may not always have the same table and serving staff. The small restaurant atmosphere in Blu, however, at least pre Covid, only few inches separated our table from the next. The food in Blu was good, but in my recollection, I honestly cannot say that it was significantly better than the MDR. 
 

So I hope this will help you decide, if some of the benefits in each class are worth for you, the money Celebrity is asking for. 

 

 

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

MANY people don't want to share tables with people they don't know. Some of us have had very bad experiences with forced socialization and prefer our own tables.

Which is why I added the ? mark.

We love sharing,  have made many friends over dinner and benefitted from other passengers knowledge. We are not keen on fixed dining partly due to the times and partly because it's difficult if you really don't "gell" with your companions.

[DCPIV]

5 hours ago, aloha_DC said:

The concierge seems like a no brainer, but is Aqua worth it?

 

I'll also recommend pricing both the veranda and concierge cabins with the AI fare in order to compare apples to apples. 

 

If you intend to pay gratuities, use the wi-fi, and drink more than tap water, and you may very well find real value in the AI fare if you look into it a little bit.  The "cruise only" fares exist primarily to allow those at higher loyalty levels to take advantage of their loyalty benefits.

[tartana]

On the M class ships, the 2C balcony cabins 6016-6030 and 6031/33/35 (the front 8 in 2C on both sides of ship)  have extra deep balconies. I've been in them on Constellation and Summit - both were great.  -in case you didn't know this tidbit and decide on a regular balcony. 

Edited July 6, 2022 by tartana
added photo

[aloha_DC]

7 hours ago, jelayne said:

You are correct, Blu is the dining room for Aqua class guests.  Blu is the primary reason people book Aqua.

 

Don't totally discount the value of the beverage package as in addition to liquor and wine the package also includes specialty coffees, teas, bottled water, soda and juices.   A specialty coffee, a couple of bottles of water and a glass of juice could easily run you $20 per day.

This is a good point! I do really like that Celebrity has a non alcoholic package, I'll probably get that regardless and need to figure that in

[aloha_DC]

4 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

We have done regular balcony on S Class, Concierge and Aqua on M Class. All are good options and you will enjoy your cruise, as long as you choose a cabin location that you like.

 

Captain Club Points: As mention, 5 per night for Aqua and CC versus 3 for veranda. If planning to become a recurrent X cruiser, this could be something to consider.

 

Concierge and Aqua on M Class ships: Slightly larger cabins, on higher decks.

 

What we also enjoyed in CC: Embarkation lunch, one invitation per cruise (not guaranteed) for a sail in or sail away on Helipad, (bubbly included), little afternoon snack, one free bottle on bubbly in your room ( which, if asked nicely, I was able to change for white wine, and enjoyed the drink on our balcony). On one cruise, we were also invited to a cc slot tournament. Although it does not say so anywhere officially, as a CC passenger, you are the highest cabin class in the MDR. It may just be a coincidence, but I found that my table location requests while in CC, were always granted. In the MDR you can choose either traditional dining (same table, same staff) at one of the two set times or the open dining.

 

What we enjoyed in Aqua: a cabin on top deck, right underneath the overhang. We were well protected from rain and wind during our Alaska cruise. Free access to the Persian gardens, which on our M class ship, had no windows. Access to Blu restaurant. Blu is managed  on a first come first served basis. It's a small restaurant, so it does not take long for the staff to know you. Depending on your schedule or flexibility, you may or may not always have the same table and serving staff. The small restaurant atmosphere in Blu, however, at least pre Covid, only few inches separated our table from the next. The food in Blu was good, but in my recollection, I honestly cannot say that it was significantly better than the MDR. 
 

So I hope this will help you decide, if some of the benefits in each class are worth for you, the money Celebrity is asking for. 

 

 

This is very helpful, thank you!

[aloha_DC]

35 minutes ago, tartana said:

On the M class ships, the 2C balcony cabins 6016-6030 and 6031/33/35 (the front 8 in 2C on both sides of ship)  have extra deep balconies. I've been in them on Constellation and Summit - both were great.  -in case you didn't know this tidbit and decide on a regular balcony. 

Thank you! That is a super helpful detail!