Is Aqua Class worth it?

[4Adam13]

Great Question. We were orginally booked in AQ for an upcoming cruise (booked before Solstice actually set sail), however we recently switched to CC class.

 

Let me preface this by saying this was not a monetary decision. We only saved $100 for a 10 day cruise by switching so money had nothing to do with it.

 

We found that although a few people was able to switch from Blu to the MDR, I called my TA and spoke to Celebrity and was advised I wouldn't be able to switch. We have a large group going and want to be able to sit with our family and friends and no one else wanted to book the AQ.

 

Now Blu sounds very interesting, but after seeing the menus and reviews on it, I don't want to be limited to it. I think we would really miss the food in the MDR. It's more to our tastes. But as you know, reviews are subjective, so my decision comes more down to sitting with family that Blu. I will certainly in the future, on a shorter cruise when it is just my wife and I, try AQ class, but not with the large group we are going with.

 

With the exception of the persian gardens, a few spa privledges, special scents and shower in the cabin, it isn't too much different from CC. Now if Celebrity wants to give free spa privledges for AQ class, then I'll switch back :) but that isn't going to happen.

 

Those are issues we faced and how we thought about it.

[Solstice23]

The food in Blu was better then anything I have eaten or equal in the Celebrity Main dinning room, But most it was all better!!!

I found it more urban ..trendy rather then "typical" so it has a market. and no KIDS!!!! LOL

as far as I am concerned if your eating well its better then half the world and North America currently

[Tsi2quick]

Great responses. My wife and I are contemplating our first cruise and Celebrity, in particular AQ, really appeals to us.

 

While many note that sitting with a large group at dinner is the highlight, I think we'd prefer having a nice table for two and enjoying our time together. I'm selfish when we get time together, just the two of us! haha

 

Actually, I do love meeting new people but that's not a driving factor into going on a cruise for us.

 

Now, whether AQ, CC or something else is 'perfect' for us remains to be discovered but I appreciate the honest opinions, regardless if you enjoyed AQ or not.

[Brad1185]

I have heard from some that getting assigned to Blu is like a downgrade!!

 

It's no downgrade, we were just on the Infinity, so memory is fresh. The quality is was above the mdr.

[fastforward]

I have to agree the food in Blu is the best of any Cruise Ship I have been on.

[Albert Ross]

... and no KIDS!!!! LOL

Unfortunately not so.

 

 

"Also, children of any age that are booked in AquaClass staterooms are welcome to dine in Blu with an adult.

 

Additionally, onboard our Solstice-class ships, children that are booked in suites that are at least 12 years old will be accommodated in Blu when dining with an adult, based on availability only. Please note that any suite guests that dine in Blu will be charged a recommended gratuity of $5 per guest. "

[curiouscat]

Absolutely not... I got it from the president's mouth... if any kids are AQ they need to eat with parents in MDR...............They will not seat kids with the parents in Blu

 

cc

[barb2dave]

We were on the Solstice 1/18 and upgraded to CC at a time when it only cost us $30 pp. That was well worth it, if only for the lounge chairs. The towels were the largest, plushest and most numerous we have ever seen on our 17 cruises. As for the robe, if it is your thing, there is one. The Champagne saved us ordering wine one night. If you can get cc for a small amount, do it. I think Aqua Class is really for those who use the spa. Nobody I talked to seemed to excited about Blu. If you are going on the Solstice there is much to love. Enjoy

[mpicard]

Try not to miss the filet on the first night and lobster tail on the last formal night.

"Lobster night" is not a whole lobster tail like last year, but three bites of lobster with two shrimp and two scallops on top of a large mound of risotto. Call me a glutton, but I don't care for risotto and ate two servings of the seafood and still finished before others at my table. They have cut way back dividing a small lobster tail in half--or maybe thirds. That said, the rest of the food on Solstice main dining room was all very tasty and nicely presented--just not worth booking your specialty restaurants around. (Note lobster in Morano is lobster pot pie. The waiter warned us, since so many he said were "surprised" and I changed my order).

[phiflyers]

Just got off the 1/25 sailing.

We were in room #1521..Loved Aqua Class.

 

Blu is a fantastic restaurant. We live in NYC and are accustomed to access to the finest dining and Blu lived up to our standards. Soups were excellent (and I am not a soup person) Tuna on first night was delicious, lamb chops, short ribs, lobster, all excellent. Service was top notch.

 

We were at a table for 2, but easily made friends with the couples at the tabels around us and we all had a wonderful time laughing, chatting and enjoying the comraderie.

 

Would never go less than Aqua Class moving forward.

 

 

Was room 1521 a quiet room?

[dmk]

Absolutely not... I got it from the president's mouth... if any kids are AQ they need to eat with parents in MDR...............They will not seat kids with the parents in Blu

 

cc

 

This is straight from the Celebrity web site.

Also, children of any age that are booked in AquaClass staterooms are welcome to dine in Blu with an adult.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/whyceleb/heroSingleTxtSub.do;jsessionid=0000cb6sHgBNSpJCwXDYLa7Qcu_:12hdbcveb?pagename=specialty_dining

[rolfecms]

"Lobster night" is not a whole lobster tail like last year, but three bites of lobster with two shrimp and two scallops on top of a large mound of risotto.

 

I was referring to the lobster served in Blu. It is indeed a whole tail and not be missed. :)

[curiouscat]

This is straight from the Celebrity web site.

 

Also, children of any age that are booked in AquaClass staterooms are welcome to dine in Blu with an adult.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/whyceleb/heroSingleTxtSub.do;jsessionid=0000cb6sHgBNSpJCwXDYLa7Qcu_:12hdbcveb?pagename=specialty_dining

 

 

Unless Dan H and the Sr VP of marketing lyed to my face.....:(I was on the Pre inaugral and they gave an question and answer seminar... I asked and he emphatically said NO.... it is not designed for children. He would rather seat the parents in the MDR with the kids before it's vice versa

 

When has Marketing(web marketing) and policies ever been consistant?

 

I have the sr vp's contact info.... i will confirm. if this is so... they would lose me and lots of others who book for a kid free(or as mush as possible) environment... i

[mpicard]

I was referring to the lobster served in Blu. It is indeed a whole tail and not be missed. :)

 

Good to know. Thank you. Will book AQ next time for sure.

[HHusky]

I recently booked in AQ and am a little nervous about the food, having read this thread. We like good food, but not haute cuisine, if that makes sense. A good steak is much more enjoyable to us than a small dish with foams and the like. Will we like Blu or should we try to get into the MDR? Thanks in advance.

[Albert Ross]

Unless Dan H and the Sr VP of marketing lyed to my face.....:(I was on the Pre inaugral and they gave an question and answer seminar... I asked and he emphatically said NO.... it is not designed for children. He would rather seat the parents in the MDR with the kids before it's vice versa

 

When has Marketing(web marketing) and policies ever been consistant?

 

I have the sr vp's contact info.... i will confirm. if this is so... they would lose me and lots of others who book for a kid free(or as mush as possible) environment... i

It is taken straight from the website that children booked in AQ are allowed to eat in Blu with their parents. There was apparently a big issue over Christmas when some Latin American guests in AQ with children were refused entry but now the policy has been rethought and it has been confirmed children are allowed. Sorry.

[CaroleLee]

Aqua class has other inclusions. You get all the concierge class perks (flowers, champagne, etc) and you get assigned to Blu instead of the main dining room. The bathrooms in AQ are upgraded from the regular ones, too. Also, the cabins are limited to two people so the likelihood you'll be in a corridor full of noise is lessened, due to the inability of people to cram 4 in a room.

 

Hi,

Prehaps you know the answer as I have been given 2 answers to the following question.

Is there a Bottle of Champagne in the AQ cabin or is it a Glass of champgne? WE are celebrating 2 anniversariies & 2 birthdays.

Thanks

Carole

[ellbon]

I was in 1535 and moving to 1509 next year. the crew door and linens etc are by 1535 and the crew cart near 1521 so i went forward.

 

I did ont love Blu food and will try the MDR. i found the fish over cooked, not enough sauce. in the MDR i can get sauce o nhte side. there were no yummy foams etc as the food is to plain for me.

 

spec dinner were great-worth every penny.

[firefly333]

Thanks for the information...I have one more question. Are you limited to eating in blu or can you also use the MDR too? Thanks:)

 

Im in a CC balcony, couldnt make my mind up that I wanted to give up the main dining room for some kind of what sounds like diet food in Blu.

 

... not that I couldnt stand a diet, but I go on a cruise to induldge a little.

 

Not sure what to think of the food in Blu that you cant get the regular food, its either/or.

[2sunny]

Try not to miss the filet on the first night and lobster tail on the last formal night.

 

 

In Blu or in the main dining room?

[2sunny]

I have a Sunset Veranda cabin on the aft of the ship reserved on the Equinox for September. An Aqua Class cabin is about $800 more for the two of us. I just don't see the Aqua Class being worth an Extra $800. We are "Elite" past passengers and get plenty of extra perks anyway.

 

In the 'sunset ver' don't you have one side of the bed up against a wall?

[2sunny]

Hi CaroleLee:

 

I loved the ambiance in Blu. It is prettier in reality than it looks in photos. CC poster nps001 has some nice shots of Blu on his website, but the restaurant has a quiet elegance that doesn't quite show up in pictures. The amber-coloured crystal light fixtures are mounted on springs and shimmer ever so slightly even when the ship is docked. You can see the windows from almost anywhere in the room, and at night they reflect the lighting in a lovely way.

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/569280534VzNfGT

 

At 130 seats, the restaurant is a nice size, it's quiet without being dull, and I don't miss the hustle and bustle of the main dining room, or the constant clink of china, not that that has ever bothered me, but the atmosphere in Blu is very relaxing.

 

The first night I ordered the filet mignon which was served with a light wine sauce and what seemed like a well-flavoured potato puree that they called a "fondant". It was delicious, and the steak was perfectly done (MR) and really flavourful. We ate at Tuscan Grille the next evening, and my Blu steak was every bit as tasty as the TG filet, which was great too! Another dish that I loved was Halibut served over a Lobster Chowder. It was much more wonderful than it sounds. I had a lamb dish one evening that was outstanding, and we really enjoyed the Lobster offering...it was a full tail. I found that sometimes the descriptions of the dishes were a little "flowery" or even a bit pretentious, but the food always rose above the descriptions :p. Honestly, I never had one dish that I didn't heartily enjoy. Appetizers and soups were great. I enjoyed very much their low-fat ice creams (cherry brandy comes to mind) and sorbets.

 

Our waiter's name was Slobadan, and I came to understand very quickly that I could absolutely rely on his recommendations. On two nights, he brought us a second entree "to taste"...(he brought the original entree that I had been considering before I went with his suggestion). I always liked what he suggested best. The only thing I tasted that I didn't love was a "taster serving" of the Kobe Beef Stuffed Pasta Shells. The beef stuffing was too rich for me, and I was glad that I had ordered Slobadan's suggestion.

 

There was always a "Salad Entree" and the Steak Salad arrived with a whole steak! And several of the diners around us really enjoyed the Cabernet Short Ribs (I hope I have the name right).

 

Presentation was excellent and Blu has an assortment of lovely dishes that really add to the artistry and elegance of the meal.

 

Breakfast in Blu has an enhanced menu, and everything we tried was excellent. I hear the smoothies are really good, although I didn't have one. Our waiter from dinner (late seating) served us breakfast as well. Blu is not open for lunch.

 

We had a wonderful sommelier named Diego who was very charming and attentive, and it certainly wasn't because of our wine purchases, as we were drinking very modestly priced wines. Diego was lots of fun and added a lot to our enjoyment of Blu. We had one Elite coupon for 20% off a second bottle of wine, and one Classic coupon for 10% off, and we used both. Do remember to bring the coupons with you to the restaurant, as you need them in order to get the discount.

 

As far as priority service is concerned, there was a separate embarkation line for AquaClass, which had no one in it when we boarded (c. 11:30 am), and we were on the ship less than 10 minutes after we entered the Cruise Ship Terminal. Best embarkation ever. We didn't have any tender ports.

 

AQ has a separate concierge for Spa appointments, which saves you having to wait in line. The service and attitude of the staff in the Spa was the best I have had on any cruise. There was no hard sell whatsoever of products after the massage. They had some good promotional prices at different times, and we used a Captain Club coupon to get 10% off the massage. It never seemed overly busy any time when I was in the Spa.

 

The stateroom is lovely, and the whole AQ area is very quiet. We enjoyed the non-fog mirror in the bathroom and the premium shower (rain-type head and additional shower jets). There is an aromatherapy scent in the room which I stopped noticing after about 30 minutes. We enjoyed the flavoured teas that are provided daily, and you are given 2 free bottles of water that are replaced as often as you use them. There were extra-fluffy terry robes and "hotel slippers" provided for each AQ guest.

 

Sorry to have rambled on so long. If you have any other questions, I would be happy to try to answer them.

 

 

You did not ramble at all! I want to thank you SO much for your post. I really appreciate all of the information that you gave all of it was information that we wanted to know.

 

Did you go to the martini bar or wine bar? If you ever sailed on one of the M class ships we always enjoy sitting in the Martini Bar and listening to the music from below (because of the hole in the floor) while having a Martini before dinner. Is there somewhere similar to do this on the Solstice? It was especially nice on the Constellation as it was peaceful and classy, we heard the music but could still carry on a conversation with each other - AND have a GREAT 'X' Martini!;)

[rolfecms]

In Blu or in the main dining room?

 

In Blu.

[Conanc]

We spend a lot of time out on our balcony. We've been in afts, humps and regular categories. :) Can anyone tell me if the balcony furniture is the same in AQ, CC and regular verandah staterooms on the Solstice? I like the photos of the adjustable back chairs with ottomans!

 

Thank you!

[CelebrityMan]

Hi,

 

We have just returned from two weeks on Solstice. We absolutely LOVED BLU and if we could do so, we'd book Aqua Class purely for BLU.

 

Keeping to the OP's question, whether Aqua Class is worth $700, I'll agree with those that have said it's a matter of personal choice as to what you'll enjoy about this category. Only you can attach value to the AC perks. As much as we enjoyed the class anad BLU, I'm not sure I could justify a $700 additional cost.

 

For us, we upgraded to AC for $90 more than our original CC1 stern stateroom, and we loved Aqua Class.

 

Beyond the amenities of CC1, we found the daily tea to be nice, the shower panel to be quite nice, the stateroom aroma-therapy option very pleasant, the access to the Relaxation Room a true highlight, the spa Concierge very helpful, and the all-important dining in BLU. Another nice perk was the complimentary spa treatment that was offered on Thursday evening. There was a menu of 4 "mini" treatments offered, including a massage and a facial. Very nice!

 

I'm a bit curious about those who mention the "steam-free" mirror in the bathroom. I can attest that our mirror in 1507 steamed up if I opened the shower doors too soon after turning off the water.

 

I would also caution the above poster who is moving to stateroom 1509. Our only 'issue' with the forward staterooms on Deck 11 is the noise. The staterooms toward the bow are under the gym and exercise rooms, and frequently the foot stomping/jumping noises started as early as 7:00 a.m. and lasted as long as 11:00 p.m. Not a good area of the ship if you are a light sleeper or one who retires early or likes to sleep in.

 

Aqua Class veranda furniture was the same as that in our CC1 stateroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CM