AQUA CLASS on Solstice

[MississippiMamma]

I would like to hear about your experience in Aqua Class on the Solstice. Was it worth it? Did you have to make reservations to use the "Persian Gardens"? Was the "Persian Gardens" crowded? Did you like Blu? Would you do it again?

[Daphne3]

Just got back Monday from the cruise. Was in Aqua Class. Have to admit, never went to the Persian Gardens. Was with my 80 yr. old mom and I made the decision prior to the cruise not to do the spa service thing since the prices were so high. Did intend to do the Persian Garden but just never made it there. However, LOVED Blu. I paid the extra one night to go to Tuscan Grill and didn't like it. They recommended the Veal and it was a huge heavy dinner and was tough. We learned at Blu to take the waiters recommendations. He was always spot on, even with things I wasn't so sure I would like. The portions were small, but filling. Everything was delicious. I think it was worth the extra cost just to eat in Blue. Also make sure you go there for breakfast. We didn't until near the end of the cruise and wondered what took us so long. Our waiter was Slobodan and his assistant was Musfiin, they were wonderful, wish we could have taken them home with us. Have a great cruise, I can't say enough good things about it.

[Duanerice1]

We love Aqua Class. Specifically we loved Blu. That really made the cruise for us. Here is an exert from my trip report:

 

"As part of Aqua Class, Blu was our assigned dining area. This is one of the main reasons we picked Aqua Class. We are not big fans of eating with 1,000+ people. I know some people love it, just not the highlight of our cruises. My Mother-in-Law just came back from a long cruise (66 days) and all she talked about was how she loved the dinner, eating and talking for 2 hours. So everyone likes different things. But, back to Blu, all I can say is WOW! We had a nice little table with a couch on one side and a chair on the other. Very nice. I was worried that the tables would be too close together. And yes, they are, but it’s not too bad if you are setting on the end. Not sure I would want to sit in a middle table though. I really like this place, very intimate and personalized service. Not quite as intimate as the specialty restaurants on the M class ships, but a lot more intimate than the main dining room. It is like eating in a restaurant every night where as the MDR is more like eating at a very nice wedding banquet. We made the right decision for us.

 

The menu didn’t wow me as there are some strange things on the menu. But, pretty much everything I had was good. So, even though it didn’t seem that impressive when ordering, it usually turned out better than I thought. Make sense? Some of the items were out of this world and others were just OK.

 

Formal night was well attended and most people dressed up. Not a lot of tuxes, but nice suits. I did wear a tux as it is just as easy as wearing a suit. Second formal night was lobster night. It was nice and firm not squishy. Very good. Ordered two of them and wish I had only ordered one as I was pretty full. Very good though."

 

We never did go for breakfast. Wish we had. I hear the breakfast was pretty good in Blu. Next time!

 

We looked in the Persian Gardens but never stayed there. heck, if I want to relax I have my balcony.

 

I would book AQ anytime if the price was right.

 

enjoy,

Duane

[ottawapuppy]

I would like to hear about your experience in Aqua Class on the Solstice. Was it worth it? Did you have to make reservations to use the "Persian Gardens"? Was the "Persian Gardens" crowded? Did you like Blu? Would you do it again?

 

I would say Aqua Class was worth, particularly because of Blu. No reservations needed for the Persian Garden, just exchange your room key at the spa desk for a key to get into the Persian Garden.

 

Will DEFINITELY do AquaClass again.

 

Mike

[ellbon]

I was in AQ and loved it. hardly ate in Blu but did used the spa a lot and the warm tile beds. Sometimes it was busy and i would come back 30 minutes later and it was not busy at all. I like the cabin extras and the balcony furniture.

[MississippiMamma]

On Aqua Class, in the afternoon, when they bring tea and bottled water, do they also bring canapés, or is that just in concierge class? Can you order a cheese plate instead of canapés? Thanks so much for your response.

[Daphne3]

Yes the bring the canapes, but to be honest, they aren't very good. We did ask for a cheese plate one day but with early seating we usually just didn't worry about it.

[ellbon]

On Aqua Class, in the afternoon, when they bring tea and bottled water, do they also bring canapés, or is that just in concierge class? Can you order a cheese plate instead of canapés? Thanks so much for your response.

 

the bottle water and tea gets put in your room when they clean it in the morning. i drank mine daily. also the canapes are just ok. i never ordered a cheese plate i asked and was told he could not switch it out.

I would prefer the cheese. never got the sushi from the buffet either.

[patterson3]

What comes with an aquaclass stateroom? On the Celebrity webpage it just states "access to several spa amenities" but I have no idea what that entails...?

[nancyox]

we, too, loved aqua class; mainly because of blu....the food was delicious, portions ample, and service excellent.

 

towards the end of the cruise, there was a coupon in the cabin for a free 15-20 minute "sample" of a few of the spa services. you had to make an appt. i called and called, and either the line was busy or i couldn't get thru. finally i got an answer and by then all the free appts. were booked. it was a very limited timeframe if i remember correctly. anyway, i explained that i had been unsuccessful in getting thru so the young lady was kind enough to extend the service to me the next morning. i signed up for a hot stone massage. after it was started the masseuse asked me if it felt good and i told her that it was too hard and that it hurt, so she switched gears and ascertained that i would enjoy a swedish massage more. she proceeded to give me a 45 massage...for FREE!!! of course, i gave her a generous trip, but this was just another perk that make us LOVE aqua class...so much that we booked again for next year!!

 

nancy

[sunset01]

I hate to ask this question when i've heard the answer so many times, but sometimes rules are broken and i'm hoping in this case they are. Did anyone wear "nice" jeans to Blu? I'm such a jeans person and they are very nice expensive jeans that look better then a lot of other pants and I would really like to wear them at least one evening, however I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb. I've been on many RCCL and Princess cruises and have gotten away with it even though they say that jeans are not allowed, so i'm hoping that i can do the same on this cruise without offending anyone. :o

[CaroleLee]

I hate to ask this question when i've heard the answer so many times, but sometimes rules are broken and i'm hoping in this case they are. Did anyone wear "nice" jeans to Blu? I'm such a jeans person and they are very nice expensive jeans that look better then a lot of other pants and I would really like to wear them at least one evening, however I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb. I've been on many RCCL and Princess cruises and have gotten away with it even though they say that jeans are not allowed, so i'm hoping that i can do the same on this cruise without offending anyone. :o

 

I'm also curious about this > DF traveling with us and he is a (pressed quality)jeans and jacket for dinner man (not on formal nights). We are on E. Med in June.

Carole

[wrp96]

So are there any good (or bad) Aqua class cabins? I'm considering booking a Celebrity cruise for next year and these have me intrigued.

[Schplinky]

We really liked it, more than we thought we might. The Persian Garden was rarely used, much less full.

[hobgob]

We love Aqua Class. Specifically we loved Blu. That really made the cruise for us. Here is an exert from my trip report:

 

"As part of Aqua Class, Blu was our assigned dining area. This is one of the main reasons we picked Aqua Class. We are not big fans of eating with 1,000+ people. I know some people love it, just not the highlight of our cruises. My Mother-in-Law just came back from a long cruise (66 days) and all she talked about was how she loved the dinner, eating and talking for 2 hours. So everyone likes different things. But, back to Blu, all I can say is WOW! We had a nice little table with a couch on one side and a chair on the other. Very nice. I was worried that the tables would be too close together. And yes, they are, but it’s not too bad if you are setting on the end. Not sure I would want to sit in a middle table though. I really like this place, very intimate and personalized service. Not quite as intimate as the specialty restaurants on the M class ships, but a lot more intimate than the main dining room. It is like eating in a restaurant every night where as the MDR is more like eating at a very nice wedding banquet. We made the right decision for us.

 

The menu didn’t wow me as there are some strange things on the menu. But, pretty much everything I had was good. So, even though it didn’t seem that impressive when ordering, it usually turned out better than I thought. Make sense? Some of the items were out of this world and others were just OK.

 

Formal night was well attended and most people dressed up. Not a lot of tuxes, but nice suits. I did wear a tux as it is just as easy as wearing a suit. Second formal night was lobster night. It was nice and firm not squishy. Very good. Ordered two of them and wish I had only ordered one as I was pretty full. Very good though."

 

We never did go for breakfast. Wish we had. I hear the breakfast was pretty good in Blu. Next time!

 

We looked in the Persian Gardens but never stayed there. heck, if I want to relax I have my balcony.

 

I would book AQ anytime if the price was right.

 

enjoy,

Duane

 

Hi There

Going on my first celebrity cruise on the Equinox in January.,booked aqua class on penthouse deck.

Can you tell me if gents can wear chinos and jackets for the semi formal nights?(are jackets really needed?)

I expect dark dress suits are acceptable if no tux?

Do women wear long formal gowns or can I wear a shorter cocktail style or maybe dressy trousers and sparkly top?

Could I also ask if I need to book another dinner location as im allowed to go to Blu?

Do I need to book a restaurant prior to embarking?

Ive only been on a small river cruise before ,so this is going to be a whole new ball game!!

[2sunny]

I hate to ask this question when i've heard the answer so many times, but sometimes rules are broken and i'm hoping in this case they are. Did anyone wear "nice" jeans to Blu? I'm such a jeans person and they are very nice expensive jeans that look better then a lot of other pants and I would really like to wear them at least one evening, however I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb. I've been on many RCCL and Princess cruises and have gotten away with it even though they say that jeans are not allowed, so i'm hoping that i can do the same on this cruise without offending anyone. :o

 

You "hate" to ask the question because you KNOW the answer is NO. Would you like the phone number for Carnival? - you can wear jeans anytime there - even formal night!

Please, please wear the proper clothing. Blu is equal to a fine restaurant you really could wear a skirt or dress, or fine pants.

[bacm]

I have a question about motion on the ship. I would love to book an Aqua Class room, but notice that they are only available on a floor that is very high up on the ship. Traditionally, because of our sensitivity to motion I always try to book on a lower floor. Can anyone tell me about their experience with the motion of the ship on the AQ class floor. I know each cruise is different and it also depends on the weather, but your input would be appreciated.

[valandjerry]

We were in Ac on the March 29th sailing in room 1544, we never felt the ship moving, as matter of fact we woke up one morning and looked out on the veranda at the water and it was like a sheet of glass it was so calm. AC is very nice but I would not pay an exorbitant price for it, we were lucky to be upgraded due to price drops. The Blu restaurant is beautiful but the food was not to our liking, my husband is a steak and potatoes type of person and although he will experiment it just was not enough for him, and I am not a vegetable eater so it definitely did not work for me, as it is basically healthy eating with a lot of vegetables. Tuscan Grille was extraordinay and the filet mignon and the rest of the dinner was plentiful and great also. If you do eat there ask for a table near the windows, the view is awesome.

 

To those asking about Jeans, please forgo them for the dress pants and top or a dress or skirt and top. There is a time and place for everything.

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

You "hate" to ask the question because you KNOW the answer is NO. Would you like the phone number for Carnival? - you can wear jeans anytime there - even formal night!

Please, please wear the proper clothing. Blu is equal to a fine restaurant you really could wear a skirt or dress, or fine pants.

 

I just received our cruise documents for our transatlantic on Solstice which sails in 2 days. There is NOTHING in the documents (cruise contract) that restricts jeans. Many people have worn jeans without being "thrown out" of the dining room. The only restriction is "pants-- no holes, rips, or tears.

Lots of people would like you to belive that the old rules still apply, but the do not.

[tprime76]

We were on the 3/22 sailing in AQ 1519 and really felt very little movement of the ship. Although we were only in Blu 3 times (2x murano, 1x tuscan 1x Silk), I will say that the food was better than the MDR food on our January 24 Summit cruise. The portions were smaller, but the food seemed to have more taste. Something new on this cruise was the option of a entree salad, maybe it was only in Blue. I don't remember seeing any jeans in Blu. As a guy, my personal view of it is: if you have to ask if dressing down, compared to the dress code, is appropriate, don't do it.

 

The Persian Gardens were OK, but they were one of the ONLY things about our cruise that was something of a disappointment. It is obvious that Steiner maintains that room and not X; sometimes the spa music wasn't playing and we had to go and find a spa person to get it going again. The scent in the aromatherapy steam and sauna was only there on a hit an miss basis (has to be manually done). It was surprising because just about everything else on this ship was so perfectly done and maintained.

 

The canapes were, well, canapes like on any other ship. The biggest difference from other ships (Concierge Class) was that you had to fill out a daily form on when you would like them delivered (4:00-4:30/4:30-5:00/5:00-5:30) and you had to be in your room for them to be dropped off. Made sense to keep from wasting the food. The free bottled water was nice for just having around the room or for taknig on shore excursions.

 

The multispray shower was a nice feature too.

 

All in all, I would definitely go back to an AquaClass room especially when the pricing is only a bit more than CC.

 

We should have our pics out on our web site soon, but if you want to see the dailies, they are already out there

 

http://www.tomandemily.com

[CathyCruises]

I just received our cruise documents for our transatlantic on Solstice which sails in 2 days. There is NOTHING in the documents (cruise contract) that restricts jeans. Many people have worn jeans without being "thrown out" of the dining room. The only restriction is "pants-- no holes, rips, or tears.

Lots of people would like you to belive that the old rules still apply, but the do not.

 

I'm not trying to start trouble here, but I just took this directly from the Celebrity website:

Dining options abound aboard Celebrity. For breakfast and lunch, jeans, shorts and casual daywear are allowed in all dining venues before 6:00pm. After 6:00pm, this attire is allowed only in casual restaurants and cafés.

[tprime76]

I just received our cruise documents for our transatlantic on Solstice which sails in 2 days. There is NOTHING in the documents (cruise contract) that restricts jeans. Many people have worn jeans without being "thrown out" of the dining room. The only restriction is "pants-- no holes, rips, or tears.

Lots of people would like you to belive that the old rules still apply, but the do not.

 

Unfortunately, I have to agree with NorCalCruiseGuy on the rules about denim. It used to explicitly say in the cruise dailies that no jeans were permitted in MDR. Now, however, it does not mention them. That being said, if you go to Blu in jeans, you will be in the VERY small minority and will probably look and feel out of place.

 

I really do wish that Celebrity would make up their mind on this area, either make it the casual dining of some of the smaller lines or.....um.....getting off soapbox... not going to threadjack here anymore, especially when I enjoyed Solstice's AquaClass so much.. The topic of this thread is AquaClass impressions. I am going to leave the jeans thing for the hundreds of flaming threads that are already out there.

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

I'm not trying to start trouble here, but I just took this directly from the Celebrity website:

Dining options abound aboard Celebrity. For breakfast and lunch, jeans, shorts and casual daywear are allowed in all dining venues before 6:00pm. After 6:00pm, this attire is allowed only in casual restaurants and cafés.

 

Cathy, I wasn't saying you were trying to start trouble. Please excuse me if I gave that impression.

There are a lot of inconsistencies on the Celebrity website. The dress code is one of those things that has been changing over time. When in doubt, I go back to the contract-- the agreement between me and Celebrity. There is no mention of jeans in that document. I will be wearing my tuxedo on formal nights. On the remainder of the nights I'll be dressing in smart casual, which will, on occasion, include jeans as I would in most restaurants in most major cities in the world.

Oh, the times they are a changin'!

[NorCalCruiseGuy]

That being said, if you go to Blu in jeans, you will be in the VERY small minority and will probably look and feel out of place.

quote]

 

I will be dining in Blu, and will be wearing jeans on occastion. I don't mind being part of a very small minority, but I assure you, I will not look or feel out of place. If some want to dress up every night in a suit and tie, I hope they do. If they want to wear khakis and a polo shirt, great. I don't think it will have any effect on my cruise experience.

 

Isn't it nice that each passenger can enjoy the same cruise in a different way?

[BelleM77]

I hate to ask this question when i've heard the answer so many times, but sometimes rules are broken and i'm hoping in this case they are. Did anyone wear "nice" jeans to Blu? I'm such a jeans person and they are very nice expensive jeans that look better then a lot of other pants and I would really like to wear them at least one evening, however I don't want to stand out like a sore thumb. I've been on many RCCL and Princess cruises and have gotten away with it even though they say that jeans are not allowed, so i'm hoping that i can do the same on this cruise without offending anyone. :o

 

 

I've been to restaurants that are probably fancier than Blu and have worn jeans. As long they are a dark wash and you can dress them up with cute heels and top, I don't see the problem. My husband has done the same too (minus the heels). Right now, the "in" look for men is a fitted blazer, dress shirt and jeans.

 

Jeans can be dressy, it just has to be done right. You will probably be in the minority but I don't see an issue with it. I will probably do the same if we end up booking our cruise. I don't want to wear a dress/skirt every night and I don't do dress pants (unless they were a tuxedo style, slim cut, satin-y, and I had a body like Heidi Klum's).