Can Aqua Class Opt to Dine in Main Dining Rooms for the Entire Cruise?

[floridacruisegirl]

Greetings fellow cruise passengers:  my family and I will be sailing in multiple cabins on Celebrity Apex next month.

 

In my cruise planner, I see I can purchase access to the Thermal Spa for $119/pp.  But, I also see an option to bid/move-up for an Aqua Class cabin starting at $150/pp.  Given I plan to purchase the Thermal Spa access anyway, I feel the minimal price difference to move to an Aqua Class cabin may be worthwhile (since access to the Thermal Spa will be included).

 

My dilemma: my family and I already secured our main dining room reservations in Cruise Planner.  If I move to an Aqua Class cabin, I would still like to dine with my family in the main dining rooms and not in Blu.  Will this be an issue?  Will our dining reservations in the Cruise Planner be affected?  Note: all of our cruise reservations are linked together.

 

Thank you, in advance, for your insight.  I do appreciate your time.

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

What's your current cabin category? If you're in Concierge, I would say you shouldn't do an upgrade if you're planning on buying the thermal spa pass anyways. If you're in a lower category, then maybe the other added ammenities might be worthwhile to upgrade to Aqua.

 

I'd imagine the cruise planner reservations would be unaffected by an upgrade to Aqua, but I'm unsure because the assigned dining room for Aqua guests is Blu rather than the MDR. Hopefully someone else can provide some insight to that.

[floridacruisegirl]

Thank you so much for your quick reply.  My current category is an "Edge Statement with Infinite Verandah."  The added perks of the Aqua Class would be nice (Thermal Spa access, upgraded cabin showerhead, and fitness classes).  But, if my existing main dining room reservations in Cruise Planner will be affected by the change to Aqua Class, I will opt to just leave my cabin reservation as-is and buy access to the Thermal Spa separately.

[NJRonbo]

I just booked my first cruise aboard Celebrity Summit for next June.

I booked Aqua Class.  All gratuities are supposed to be included.

 

We plan to dine in Blu, which our class has exclusive access to.

However, I also thought about dining in the MD for a night or two.  So, I went into my reservation and added a preferred  dining time.

That immediately added an approx. $230 gratuity charge to my cruise total.  I had the option of declining the gratuity -- which I did -- but a day later the charge was back.

I don't know if this is a tech error, or, since gratuities are included for BLU, it isn't added for the Main Dining Room and a suggested charge was added (that I have to keep declining)

Just be aware of the issue I am having at the moment.  

Edited October 15, 2022 by NJRonbo

[cruisestitch]

Yes your reservations in the main dining room will be affected. You can opt to eat in the main dining room instead of blue but you’ll need to make new arrangements. This is best done once you are on the ship

[mfs2k]

You may like going to Blu for breakfast or having the option to dine there. 

[AlbertaCruisers]

Once I had a regular balcony and had all our dinner reservations booked in the main dinning room (7:30 select dinning), and when I upgraded our cabin to Aqua I automatically received a notice that all of our dinner reservations were cancelled.  I believe that was a while ago.  It was either last summer, just after the restart or before the pandemic.

 

For our upcoming November 3, 2022 cruise, we were originally booked in a regular balcony and I again booked all our select dinning times.  I upgraded a couple of months ago and I just went in and all of our dinner reservations were still there.  I just cancelled them because we upgraded to Aqua specifically to eat in Blu.

Edited October 15, 2022 by AlbertaCruisers

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

11 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

Once I had a regular balcony and had all our dinner reservations booked in the main dinning room (7:30 select dinning), and when I upgraded our cabin to Aqua I automatically received a notice that all of our dinner reservations were cancelled.  I believe that was a while ago.  It was either last summer, just after the restart or before the pandemic.

 

For our upcoming November 3, 2022 cruise, we were originally booked in a regular balcony and I again booked all our select dinning times.  I upgraded a couple of months ago and I just went in and all of our dinner reservations were still there.  I just cancelled them because we upgraded to Aqua specifically to eat in Blu.

Thanks for these data points. Out of curiosity, what was the method of upgrading for those two reservations? Call and upgrade or Move Up bid?

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, floridacruisegirl said:

In my cruise planner, I see I can purchase access to the Thermal Spa for $119/pp. 

If your cruise is a 7 day that's dirt cheap for the thermal suite pass and I would buy it in a flash and stay in the regular IV cabin. Onboard a daily pass on the E-class is around $70-$80 for 1 day! 

[thunderbird56]

We recently completed a cruise in an Aqua cabin.  Our son and DIL were in a regular balcony cabin.  I went on line and made reservations for each evening in Select Dining in the Main Dining Room.  No problem.  It didn't affect anything else on our trip including gratuities which were included.  Have a good trip.

[AlbertaCruisers]

1 hour ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

Thanks for these data points. Out of curiosity, what was the method of upgrading for those two reservations? Call and upgrade or Move Up bid?

 

In both cases I called and upgraded.  The first one the prices came down to a point I was comfortable with.  The second there were no Aqua cabins available and one came available so I called and upgraded.

[NJRonbo]

Just now, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

In both cases I called and upgraded.  The first one the prices came down to a point I was comfortable with.  The second there were no Aqua cabins available and one came available so I called and upgraded.

 

Congrats!

My girlfriend is most excited about Aqua class because she wants to use the Spa.

Me?  I like not having to deal with MD and have an exclusive, more intimate area to eat (Blu).  I think the service will be far better there -- especially with the staff getting to learn your eating habits.  I also like the fact that on most ships, you can eat off the MD menu so really, no need to go to MD at all.

The only downside is that Aqua cabins are on the 9th deck which is VERY noisy since it sits below the pool and horizon court.  It seems most people pick either the aft cabins or under Solarium for silence and view.  Could have gone to deck #11 in Aqua Class but those rooms are smaller and then there are noise issues from evening activities.

Have a great cruise!

[NJRonbo]

24 minutes ago, thunderbird56 said:

We recently completed a cruise in an Aqua cabin.  Our son and DIL were in a regular balcony cabin.  I went on line and made reservations for each evening in Select Dining in the Main Dining Room.  No problem.  It didn't affect anything else on our trip including gratuities which were included.  Have a good trip.

Thanks for sharing that.  Good to know.  

The gratuities stopped appearing on my reservation (per post #4 above), so that issue is resolved.  

[cruisestitch]

32 minutes ago, thunderbird56 said:

We recently completed a cruise in an Aqua cabin.  Our son and DIL were in a regular balcony cabin.  I went on line and made reservations for each evening in Select Dining in the Main Dining Room.  No problem.  It didn't affect anything else on our trip including gratuities which were included.  Have a good trip.

 You should be aware that this is not the recommended way to change from blue to the main dining room because you do not actually have a reservation for the main dining room Lauren assigned table if you are in blue. Switching from Blue Main dining room for Aqua passengers is on a space available basis.    The recommended procedure is to wait until you were on the ship and coordinate with the blue staff rather than just showing up at the main dining room.

 

If you think about it, by moving from bleu to the main dining room you are taking up the space of someone who was assigned to the main dining room. They cannot go to blue to balance you out. So main dining room passengers can be inconvenienced by Blu (and Luminae) passengers who take spots in the MDR.

[AlbertaCruisers]

18 minutes ago, NJRonbo said:

 

Congrats!

My girlfriend is most excited about Aqua class because she wants to use the Spa.

Me?  I like not having to deal with MD and have an exclusive, more intimate area to eat (Blu).  I think the service will be far better there -- especially with the staff getting to learn your eating habits.  I also like the fact that on most ships, you can eat off the MD menu so really, no need to go to MD at all.

The only downside is that Aqua cabins are on the 9th deck which is VERY noisy since it sits below the pool and horizon court.  It seems most people pick either the aft cabins or under Solarium for silence and view.  Could have gone to deck #11 in Aqua Class but those rooms are smaller and then there are noise issues from evening activities.

Have a great cruise!

As a note, we were on Infinity in 1104 in Sept and I loved that location. No noise, close to stairs and elevator and right by the door to go out on deck. I didn’t feel the room was smaller than others we have been in on M Class ships, but it was our first time in Aqua on an M class ship, so we have never been on deck 9. 

[UniPac]

I am sure it will be no problem to accomodate you in the MDR. However, I would recommend to try Blu at least some times, as for us it is the main benefit for Aqua Class esp. as you don't need any reservations. Thermal Spa access is also very welcome - but for us, only on EDGE class ships and it is much nicer than on "older" ships.

 

The shower and the fitness class is not worth the upgrade imho.

[NJRonbo]

10 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

 You should be aware that this is not the recommended way to change from blue to the main dining room because you do not actually have a reservation for the main dining room Lauren assigned table if you are in blue. Switching from Blue Main dining room for Aqua passengers is on a space available basis.    The recommended procedure is to wait until you were on the ship and coordinate with the blue staff rather than just showing up at the main dining room.

 

If you think about it, by moving from bleu to the main dining room you are taking up the space of someone who was assigned to the main dining room. They cannot go to blue to balance you out. So main dining room passengers can be inconvenienced by Blu (and Luminae) passengers who take spots in the MDR.

This may be the reason why gratuity options showed up in my Aqua reservation when I selected a dining time preference in the Main Dining Room.

I think your pre-paid gratuities are supposed to be for one restaurant.  That's why (I believe) gratuities are added to special dining venues.  So, as you pointed out, Aqua Class passengers are expected to use their exclusive dining area as not to take up space in the MD that is designated for lower class passengers.

That's just my thoughts

Edited October 15, 2022 by NJRonbo

[NJRonbo]

2 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

As a note, we were on Infinity in 1104 in Sept and I loved that location. No noise, close to stairs and elevator and right by the door to go out on deck. I didn’t feel the room was smaller than others we have been in on M Class ships, but it was our first time in Aqua on an M class ship, so we have never been on deck 9. 

It may just be on Summit, but the Aqua Class cabins on deck #11 (253 sq. ft.) are smaller than deck #9 (271 sq. ft.)

Not a big deal in the long run. Happy to hear no noise for you.

 

[neverlaysup]

As stated already, if the spa is all you desire, just buy the weeklong pass and call it a day.

[TeaBag]

Blu is why we book AQ class.  I can't imagine paying extra and then eating in the MDR.  As has been said AQ is all inclusive.  Why not eat there some of the time and then ask the Maitre'D to accommodate you in the MDR for some meals.  Whatever you do, I hope you have a great cruise.

 

[floridacruisegirl]

Thank you to everyone who replied to my question.  Since my husband and I will be traveling with family booked in non-AQ cabins, we will just stick to our current non-AQ cabin.  This way, we can all eat in the main dining room together.  Note 1: if it were just us, we would upgrade to the AQ cabin and enjoy the Blu dining room.  Note 2: I should have purchased the 7-day spa pass when it was $119/person.  I got busy and didn't purchase it.  Now, it's $219/person.

[TravelingCircusof5]

On 10/15/2022 at 11:59 AM, cruisestitch said:

 You should be aware that this is not the recommended way to change from blue to the main dining room because you do not actually have a reservation for the main dining room Lauren assigned table if you are in blue. Switching from Blue Main dining room for Aqua passengers is on a space available basis.    The recommended procedure is to wait until you were on the ship and coordinate with the blue staff rather than just showing up at the main dining room.

 

If you think about it, by moving from bleu to the main dining room you are taking up the space of someone who was assigned to the main dining room. They cannot go to blue to balance you out. So main dining room passengers can be inconvenienced by Blu (and Luminae) passengers who take spots in the MDR.

So confused! I don’t understand this at all. Isn’t OP on the Apex?  I thought Blu was a perk in addition to the MDRs. (In our case, will be Beyond.) So i thought we could dine in Blu or just show up to one of the 4 MDRs. Is that not how it works? also, I thought all E class are open dining times now,  so I don’t understand about booking dining times, as I thought they were disregarded once onboard. 
 

i am not trying to correct anyone, but to understand. I am interested in Blu, but if we want to dine in other venues, should i just change to regular verandah or DPV instead?

[Essiesmom]

Blu is the assigned dining room for Aqua class, just as Luminae is for suites.  The MDR is the designated dining venue for all others.  Luminae is designed to accommodate the number of suite guests, and Blu is the same.  When suite guests choose to visit Blu on a space available basis, it can cause crowding and waits for those assigned there.  The same can happen in the MDR if those in suites and Aqua opt to dine there.  They can do so, but their maitre ‘d should arrange it.  EM

Edited November 22, 2022 by Essiesmom

[cmaleblanc]

AC wasn't worth it for us on the Apex in Feb 22. We did the upgrade into AC, and we had dinner at Blu the first night, it wasn't great. The service was fine, but the food was bland and very basic with a heavy focus on vegetables. Which makes sense that it's a "health focused" restaurant.  That being said, we had also selected late dinning option when we first purchased our tickets, when we moved to AC, we kept our reservations at the MDR, but had the option to switch to BLU if we wanted. We ended up switching to the early dinner shortly after boarding so we could go to the late shows. But the original reservation was never impacted by the upgrade to AC. We also tried the Thermal Spas, as it came with the room upgrade. We went once, walked through each room, and never went back.  Your MDR reservation should be fine even with the move up, as BLU is an optional restaurant not the mandatory one.

[NJRonbo]

1 minute ago, cmaleblanc said:

AC wasn't worth it for us on the Apex in Feb 22. We did the upgrade into AC, and we had dinner at Blu the first night, it wasn't great. The service was fine, but the food was bland and very basic with a heavy focus on vegetables. Which makes sense that it's a "health focused" restaurant.  That being said, we had also selected late dinning option when we first purchased our tickets, when we moved to AC, we kept our reservations at the MDR, but had the option to switch to BLU if we wanted. We ended up switching to the early dinner shortly after boarding so we could go to the late shows. But the original reservation was never impacted by the upgrade to AC. We also tried the Thermal Spas, as it came with the room upgrade. We went once, walked through each room, and never went back.  Your MDR reservation should be fine even with the move up, as BLU is an optional restaurant not the mandatory one.

 

On some ships -- I know SUMMIT is one of them -- you can order off the Main Dining Room menu in Blu.

 

I was also concerned about the bland, healthy-fare food that Blu offers and was relieved that at least on our upcoming cruise, we can order a regular meal.