How much money is Aqua Class worth to you?

[Kekki13]

I am sailing on the Celebrity Constellation in August (10 nights). We booked an Ocean View room but did also bid on an Aqua Class Veranda in MoveUp. However minimum bid was quite high, we bid a little bit over that with ~600EUR p.p.

 

Now I am having second thoughts and think about whether it's really worth it and upgrade of ~1200 EUR. For this money we could basically order every evening a nice bottle of wine and still have some money to splurge for excusions and activities.

 

It's our first time on celebrity and we can't really grasp the value of Aqua Class.

 

What are your thoughts? How much are you usually willing to pay for the Spa access and Blu restaurant?

[bikerunner]

On the Connie I would not do it.  That amount you can easily eat in the specialty and or order a bottle of wine.  If you're not going to use the Persian Gardens, there okay on the M class ships, not worth it in my opinion.  If possible move to a reg verandah and or Concierge Verandah (they are bigger then the reg Verandah) if the price is good.  

[basenji56]

I would pay up to $300 for two on a seven-day cruise to upgrade to Blu.  No more. 

 

On an excursion heavy cruise, Persian Garden is not worth much unless you like to go during the evenings.  Blu is nice but not as good as the specialty restaurants.

 

[mfs2k]

Access to Blu instead of the main dining room is the only benefit I'm interested in.

It's worth the same to me as the two of us eating every other night in a specialty restaurant ($120) so about $60 per night for the cruise. (We'd eat half the time in a specialty restaurant anyway if we were in Aqua Class) 

[Kekki13]

35 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

On the Connie I would not do it.  That amount you can easily eat in the specialty and or order a bottle of wine.  If you're not going to use the Persian Gardens, there okay on the M class ships, not worth it in my opinion.  If possible move to a reg verandah and or Concierge Verandah (they are bigger then the reg Verandah) if the price is good.  

 

 

21 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Access to Blu instead of the main dining room is the only benefit I'm interested in.

It's worth the same to me as the two of us eating every other night in a specialty restaurant ($120) so about $60 per night for the cruise. (We'd eat half the time in a specialty restaurant anyway if we were in Aqua Class) 

 

Thank you for your perspective.

 

I think the upgrade from Ocean View to AC Verandah has two dimensions. (1) What is the Verandah upgrade worth to me? (2) What is the Aqua Class addition worth to me?

 

Looking at MoveUp, Verandah is at ~420EUR pp. Aqua Class is ~200EUR on top.

 

200 EUR for Aqua Class sounds like it's worth it. We would reduce our specialty restaurants dinings from 2-3 to probably 1 (Le Petit Chef) and do value the more intimiate setting of Blu vs. MDR. So moving from Verandah to Aqua would be a no-brainer for me.

 

I guess it's more that the (420 x 2) 840 EUR upgrade for Verandah is not really worth it for our style of travel as we have so many land days where we will be out and about during the day, get into the room to change & shower and then head to dinner and drinks afterwards. Once back into the room we'll go to bed to get up early again for breakfast and then the next land day excursion.

 

 

Edited July 20, 2023 by Kekki13

[mfs2k]

43 minutes ago, Kekki13 said:

Thank you for your perspective.

 

I think the upgrade from Ocean View to AC Verandah has two dimensions. (1) What is the Verandah upgrade worth to me?

 

Back in the day, when smoking was allowed on Verandahs, we loved having that access.  My wife smoked her cigarettes and I could have an afternoon cigar on the balcony, sipping a drink.  Since smoking is no longer permitted we rarely use the verandah.  I did love having a sky suite on Beyond because of the added space, the real verandah, and access to the Retreat and Luminae.

[SbbquilterUT]

Loved our deck 11 Aqua cabin on the Constellation but the spa on the M class is very dark and no true heated loungers.  Sadly I contracted CoVid so spent the last 5 days on deck 7 in quarantine.  I enjoy the quieter atmosphere of Blu but not at that price.  

Edited July 20, 2023 by SbbquilterUT
Miss spelled word

[Mike981]

We were thinking with prices on ALL travel being so high, we were most likely not going to be traveling again this year. I kept watching prices on a few lines along with air costs, then came across a decent deal on an Aqua room on Silhouette (along with good air prices). Since it includes what we like; WiFi, tips and beverage package I took it. Also in all of our cruises we have never eaten in a specialty restaurant, so we are looking forward to eating in Blue.

[mrgabriel]

We have always booked AQ but recently, we're looking at Verandah (or Concierge Class) cabins and are comparing the cost. 

 

Our considerations:

• Cabin location. I get motion sick so we prefer centrally located. Also, what's above or below the cabins that are available? (Noise)
• Specialty Dining on that ship. Would we rather spend the extra money on specialty dining every night since we don't have access to Blu?
• Itinerary. If it's a port intensive cruise and I'm not going to have much opportunity to use the Persian Garden then that's wasted money.

 

Editing since the original question asked about an amount: If AQ was $2k more per person for a 7-night cruise and there were good verandah cabins open then we would skip it. Our gratuities, specialty dining, drinks, and occasional spa visit would add up to less than that. 

Edited July 20, 2023 by mrgabriel

[TeaBag]

We have booked AQ for years and have always enjoyed Blu.  However, we feel that the current prices are unreasonable so we will be looking elsewhere.

[jean87510]

15 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

We have always booked AQ but recently, we're looking at Verandah (or Concierge Class) cabins and are comparing the cost. 

 

Our considerations:

• Cabin location. I get motion sick so we prefer centrally located. Also, what's above or below the cabins that are available? (Noise)
• Specialty Dining on that ship. Would we rather spend the extra money on specialty dining every night since we don't have access to Blu?
• Itinerary. If it's a port intensive cruise and I'm not going to have much opportunity to use the Persian Garden then that's wasted money.

 

Editing since the original question asked about an amount: If AQ was $2k more per person for a 7-night cruise and there were good verandah cabins open then we would skip it. Our gratuities, specialty dining, drinks, and occasional spa visit would add up to less than that. 

I agree.  AQ is not worth that much.  

[Arizona Wildcat]

On Edge class definitely no.  As Persian Gardens not available.   Blu is nice but only a very few $$.

We sailed in AQ in the past for Captain's Club status points.  Once one becomes Elite no reason to do so 

So to answer the Op.  A few $$ maybe $50 per day for the ease of eating in Blu.  Not more.

FWIW have sailed in AQ & verandas in all 3 classes of ships.  Wife said worth a tiny bit more on M class as she likes Persian Gardens on TA cruises - $1000 on a 14 day cruise.

[moneeman]

Interesting topic. Obviously, there is no right or wrong here.  We have not stayed in Aqua, but we have stayed in a Sky Suite, and the Luminae experience is similar to Blu.  We have also eaten in Blu as a suite guest.  We love the smaller restaurants.  Not as crazy.  Not as loud.  Better service.  We are, in essence, assigned a head waiter (all of ours have been men so far) who quickly gets to know us, and provides great service at every meal.  He only services a handful of tables at a time.  Also, remember that Blu is open for breakfast as well as dinner, and has a great selection.  If you opt to spend the money on specialty restaurants instead, which is also a good option, you will be doing the breakfast buffet (or MDR) in the morning.  Blu also will have some menu options that are lighter than those offered in the MDR.  Aqua has a few other less significant benefits, but Blu would be the primary one for us.  Good luck with your move up, if you decide to go that way.

[dani negreanu]

zero....

 

For me, it's all about the location.

[Islander500]

1 hour ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

On Edge class definitely no.  As Persian Gardens not available.   Blu is nice but only a very few $$.

We sailed in AQ in the past for Captain's Club status points.  Once one becomes Elite no reason to do so 

So to answer the Op.  A few $$ maybe $50 per day for the ease of eating in Blu.  Not more.

FWIW have sailed in AQ & verandas in all 3 classes of ships.  Wife said worth a tiny bit more on M class as she likes Persian Gardens on TA cruises - $1000 on a 14 day cruise.

I thought Edge class did have a Persian Garden with the heated chairs like S-class.  It doesn't? 

[si_boy]

Last month we sailed on Constellation on a 10 night cruise around the Greek isles.
We had booked a verandah cabin and the Move-up bid to Aqua was minimum £600 each. 
I could see there was a lot of Aqua cabins available and did not bother with a bid.

Fast forward a few weeks and availability hadn’t changed much and the minimum move-up bid dropped by 50% to £300 each which we bid and had accepted.

We loved taking breakfast at Blu as well as evening dining. The service and food is amazing.
Persian Garden was disappointing and we only went in once.

Was it worth it, yes for the dining in Blu, was it value for money, probably not.
Other than dining at Blu, no other benefits really.
The enhanced shower was nice, but unnecessary, did not notice any difference in toiletries.

We are glad we did it, but would only do it again if it cost less.

On Constellation I guess the question is how much will you pay to dine in Blu every day.

[Mark_K]

1 hour ago, Islander500 said:

I thought Edge class did have a Persian Garden with the heated chairs like S-class.  It doesn't? 

It has this instead:

 

At the heart of The Spa on Celebrity Edge series is the SEA Thermal Suite and its eight distinct spaces. Complimentary for all AquaClass guests*, it’s a playground for the senses and an incredible place to relax before or after your treatments at The Spa. We’ve taken everything that has made the Persian Garden so popular on our current fleet and elevated it to a whole new level of tranquility.

[kasowell2]

Not the $1700 difference on a cruise we were looking at and we love aqua class

[quacker5]

10 minutes ago, kasowell2 said:

Not the $1700 difference on a cruise we were looking at and we love aqua class

I agree. Likely will get a few passes instead.  

[Pennstatedj]

Not on the Connie, Not on edge class, only worth it on the Solstice class. It is on worth 500 max without All inclusive with about 1300. 

[ChucktownSteve]

4 hours ago, jean87510 said:

I agree.  AQ is not worth that much.  

But don't you still get that ONE bottle of bottled Aqua PP when you get to your cabin?  *used to be replenished daily before LLP got her hands on it!

[jean87510]

47 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

But don't you still get that ONE bottle of bottled Aqua PP when you get to your cabin?  *used to be replenished daily before LLP got her hands on it!

you're right.  That one bottle is gold. 😉

[ChucktownSteve]

13 minutes ago, jean87510 said:

you're right.  That one bottle is gold. 😉

Which is really a stupid move since most of the AQ cabins had the bev pkg which INCLUDED water.  Granted they had to walk to a bar to get it.  However why they removed it from the cabin is priceless.