vjmatty Posted December 14, 2023 #101 Share Posted December 14, 2023 On 12/12/2023 at 5:31 AM, hcat said: no but some tables are close..people are often friendly (hit or miss) ...but proximity means less privacy! I actually like this better than a large MDR table with other passengers. Conversation is there if you want it but you aren’t tied to their service schedule. And you don’t get the same people every night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinboy Posted December 14, 2023 #102 Share Posted December 14, 2023 37 minutes ago, vjmatty said: I actually like this better than a large MDR table with other passengers. Conversation is there if you want it but you aren’t tied to their service schedule. And you don’t get the same people every night. We now request a table for 2 in the MDR and only have to listen to one Complainer ( but usually none). Years ago we sat with another couple—( a one night stand) because within 2 minutes he “ ticked “ me off and I was almost(??) ready to punch him in the nose — but , but, ya shoulda seen the size of his muscles — and besides, I’m not a good swimmer. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orator Posted December 14, 2023 #103 Share Posted December 14, 2023 To focus on the original question posed by the OP. It would depend on the menu. I would pay from $0 to $5.00 per person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted December 14, 2023 #104 Share Posted December 14, 2023 I'll answer the question with another question, how many would NOT book AQ class if Blu was NOT inclusive? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare C-Dragons Posted December 14, 2023 #105 Share Posted December 14, 2023 42 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said: I'll answer the question with another question, how many would NOT book AQ class if Blu was NOT inclusive? We would not. Blu, as well as Luminae, are supposed to be exclusive to guests paying for Aqua class and Retreat (Suite) accommodations. They are not very large venues and many times guests have to wait to be seated for lunch and dinner. Adding additional guests, regardless of paying for the privilege, would just make the situation worse. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted December 14, 2023 #106 Share Posted December 14, 2023 2 minutes ago, C-Dragons said: We would not. Blu, as well as Luminae, are supposed to be exclusive to guests paying for Aqua class and Retreat (Suite) accommodations. They are not very large venues and many times guests have to wait to be seated for lunch and dinner. Adding additional guests, regardless of paying for the privilege, would just make the situation worse. We feel the same. I always thought you get a little shafted as Blu isn't open for lunch 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare C-Dragons Posted December 14, 2023 #107 Share Posted December 14, 2023 (edited) 6 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said: We feel the same. I always thought you get a little shafted as Blu isn't open for lunch Thanks for posting that. 😊 I forgot Luminae is only open for lunch on certain days too. Edited December 14, 2023 by C-Dragons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex-Airbalancer Posted December 14, 2023 #108 Share Posted December 14, 2023 26 minutes ago, C-Dragons said: We would not. Blu, as well as Luminae, are supposed to be exclusive to guests paying for Aqua class and Retreat (Suite) accommodations. They are not very large venues and many times guests have to wait to be seated for lunch and dinner. Adding additional guests, regardless of paying for the privilege, would just make the situation worse. I believe OP was asking if Blu was a speciality restaurant would you pay to eat , it would than have nothing to do with AQU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WrittenOnYourHeart Posted December 14, 2023 #109 Share Posted December 14, 2023 On 12/11/2023 at 11:09 PM, sandbug2 said: My sister and I are trying Aqua class for the first time. She is great, however, at meals we like to meet others and have a different conversation for a bit. Does Blu have tables where you can join others like the MDR? If you have met others who are Aqua Class and would like to sit with them for a change, they may be able to do that. I met a couple of guys elsewhere on the ship and once or twice we hit breakfast at the same time and they put us together rather than separately. But it's mainly just you and your party. At least from my experience this past summer on Aqua, no one was asking to sit with others like you sometimes see at the MDRs. That's the beauty of Aqua for me - guaranteed table to myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare someguyfl Posted December 15, 2023 #110 Share Posted December 15, 2023 6 hours ago, vjmatty said: I actually like this better than a large MDR table with other passengers. Conversation is there if you want it but you aren’t tied to their service schedule. And you don’t get the same people every night. I agree completely. I haven't cruised in anything below Aqua in many years, but the last cruise I had on Celebrity ... the other people at the MDR really had absolutely nothing in common with me, and the conversation was really boring. I found myself dreading having to go back to that table every day. In Blu or Luminae, sometimes conversations happened with the adjacent tables, sometimes it didn't. Sometimes I liked the people, sometimes I didn't. Overall, I think the way Blu does things is the happy medium, and I'm happy that the Edge class ships have essentially made that the default for all 4 MDR venues as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare someguyfl Posted December 15, 2023 #111 Share Posted December 15, 2023 3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said: I'll answer the question with another question, how many would NOT book AQ class if Blu was NOT inclusive? I absolutely would not book Aqua if Blu was not included. It is in fact the primary reason for booking AQ for me. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WrittenOnYourHeart Posted December 15, 2023 #112 Share Posted December 15, 2023 6 hours ago, vjmatty said: And you don’t get the same people every night. I guess it depends? On the Summit this past summer, I was seated at the same table (or in the same section) every night so I *did* in fact have the same servers. And for the most part the same people around me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WrittenOnYourHeart Posted December 15, 2023 #113 Share Posted December 15, 2023 1 minute ago, someguyfl said: I absolutely would not book Aqua if Blu was not included. It is in fact the primary reason for booking AQ for me. This. I upgraded to Aqua for my summer cruise for the simple fact that I could not imagine being on board without Blu after being spoiled this summer!! (Granted, the fact that they removed the mandatory AI from it helped a lot. I hadn't booked it originally for this upcoming summer because AI was still included and I couldn't stomach paying for 2 drink packages and 2 internet packages again when I cruise solo.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orator Posted December 15, 2023 #114 Share Posted December 15, 2023 2 hours ago, C-Dragons said: We would not. Blu, as well as Luminae, are supposed to be exclusive to guests paying for Aqua class and Retreat (Suite) accommodations. They are not very large venues and many times guests have to wait to be seated for lunch and dinner. Adding additional guests, regardless of paying for the privilege, would just make the situation worse. The OP asked a hypothetical question. My guess is that they are considering Aqua Class and wanted to know how it was valued. I could be wrong in my guess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted December 15, 2023 #115 Share Posted December 15, 2023 37 minutes ago, Orator said: The OP asked a hypothetical question. My guess is that they are considering Aqua Class and wanted to know how it was valued. I could be wrong in my guess. You're 100% correct. My WAG (Wild A$$ Guess) is that the OP is on the fence with an AQ move-up bid/bidding amount which is why it was asked the way it was To oversimplify it as much as possible, how does one rate the MDR on a scale of 1 to 10? Whatever that number is, add a 1 to it and then you have your Blu rating. It's a slightly elevated MDR experience which is my personal opinion based on actual dining experiences, talking to passengers on board, and reading on here, There are some additional benefits like no extra charge for multiple lobster tails, and on some ships, you can order anything off the MDR menu but not everyone will utilize those benefits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare C-Dragons Posted December 15, 2023 #116 Share Posted December 15, 2023 15 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said: I believe OP was asking if Blu was a speciality restaurant would you pay to eat , it would than have nothing to do with AQU I was responding to NutsAboutGolf, not the OP. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veinless Posted December 15, 2023 #117 Share Posted December 15, 2023 Zero. Had a terrible experience in Blu on the Eclipse. MDR was far superior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangrove Snapper Posted December 15, 2023 #118 Share Posted December 15, 2023 20 hours ago, someguyfl said: I absolutely would not book Aqua if Blu was not included. It is in fact the primary reason for booking AQ for me. Mine, too. But we don’t spend much time in our stateroom and this past July we realized just how little time we actually spend there. So this will be the question on our next cruise. Is Blu worth it enough to keep booking Aqua? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinboy Posted December 15, 2023 #119 Share Posted December 15, 2023 21 hours ago, someguyfl said: the other people at the MDR really had absolutely nothing in common with me, and the conversation was really boring. I found myself dreading having to go back to that table every day. So, Why didn't you request to change your table---- even before your 3rd shrimp cocktail on day1? If anyone at the table asks you " Why ya changed tables "---- All ya gotta answer " Allergies " . ( See post #102 for example ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WrittenOnYourHeart Posted December 16, 2023 #120 Share Posted December 16, 2023 19 hours ago, Pinboy said: So, Why didn't you request to change your table---- even before your 3rd shrimp cocktail on day1? If anyone at the table asks you " Why ya changed tables "---- All ya gotta answer " Allergies " . ( See post #102 for example ) Agreed! Granted, it was on another line, but when I was put at what I still call the "solo dump table", the 2 guys there got on famously and I had zero in common with them and did not follow any of their conversation which seemed to be all about finances and stuff. I asked the dining room manager a couple of nights later (I had a specialty dining room the second night) about moving and they were able to make it happen. My head server handled any issues - and he happened to remain my head waiter in my new section and said he and the servers were not one bit surprised and the servers 100% knew it was not their fault. Odds are slim on a large ship that you'd run into your former tablemates - but even if you did, I'd hope that the head waiter would have tactfully handled it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boxkite Posted December 19, 2023 #121 Share Posted December 19, 2023 We have been in Aqua class several times and I would say that Blu is worth at least $20 to $25 a day per person IF that price includes breakfast. For us, being able to eat breakfast in Blu is worth something. I will say that we were on S class ships when we dined in Blu so I can't speak to the Blu experience on the M class ships. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted December 31, 2023 #122 Share Posted December 31, 2023 (edited) I would pay extra to avoid the MDR and buffet. Whether that is Blu or specialty or sushi on 5. Blu has a better ambiance than the mdr. Edited December 31, 2023 by NMTraveller 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LB_NJ Posted December 31, 2023 Author #123 Share Posted December 31, 2023 On 12/14/2023 at 8:13 PM, Orator said: The OP asked a hypothetical question. My guess is that they are considering Aqua Class and wanted to know how it was valued. I could be wrong in my guess. That is the exact reason for the question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted December 31, 2023 #124 Share Posted December 31, 2023 The Persian Gardens are nice to use also. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDL Posted December 31, 2023 #125 Share Posted December 31, 2023 As stated the value proposition for Aqua class is predicated on how one values meals in Blu as the other benefits of Aqua class add no value for me. Therefore as the $64K question is how much extra over a veranda cabin one is willing to pay for Blu as the price delta is different for every cruise. I would not pay more than $50 a day per passenger above the veranda cabin rate. Celebrity seems very focused on testing price elasticity on everything with the guiding principle of charging what ever the market will bear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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