Whats up with Blu

[I&J Cruisers]

Just returned form the Dec 11 Eclipse sailing. We dined in Blu as we did last January on Solstice. It was a slightly different experience. Last year Blu was perfection. The food was excellent, the service was exceptional, the wait staff was concerned and personable, and most important had the time to pay close attention to detail. This year the food was a tad off. Still very good bu the presentation wan't quite the same. The dining room didn't seem as well staffed. The staff were very good but it seemed like they had a lot more tables to cover. Has anyone had similiar experience? I hope this was a fluke because I love the Blu concept. I'll try it again next time and hope that this was just an abberation, and then make a decision as to how to proceed from there.

Irene

[Orator]

Did a B2B the two weeks prior to your cruise and dined in Blu for the first week and MDR for the second. Blu was more than a few steps better than the MDR. I know that there have been a number of staff changes since those who opened the ships are at the end of their contracts. I noticed that some replacements were not up to speed. I know some of the staff and was able to select my server and she was outstanding. The food in the MDR was just average and service was slower than normal. I don't let relatively small things bother me and I must say that I enjoyed the Eclipse. I hope your next Blu experience lives upto your expectations.

[jackdiamond]

We just returned from the Christmas cruise on the Equinox; and, the food and service in Blu was outstanding.

[eventing4life]

We just returned from the Christmas cruise on the Equinox; and, the food and service in Blu was outstanding.

 

Ditto on the Solstice

[joanne59]

Blu was more than a few steps better than the MDR..... I know some of the staff and was able to select my server and she was outstanding...... I don't let relatively small things bother me and I must say that I enjoyed the Eclipse. I hope your next Blu experience lives upto your expectations.

 

We will be on board Eclipse next month and would appreciate any recommendations on choice of wait staff in Blu. We also don't mind small issues when dining out either. If I'm not shopping, cooking and/or cleaning up...it's all good :) Thanks so much for your help.

 

Happy cruising....Joanne

[I&J Cruisers]

I didn't mean it wasn't good just not quite as perfect as my last experience. Unfortunately, with the history cruise lines have dumbing down the product my first thought is ,"oh, oh here we go again". In Blu, Nina was an excellent server. She handled a very large number of tables with grace and efficiency and her recommendations were always spot on.

Irene

[floridacruisers]

Was on the Solstice in November and Blu was fine. No problems and they made us a special dish I requested (Curry Chicken, Indian style). Turns out the head chef is from India and he made his mother's recipe for us. It was very good.

Phil

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[bling19572010]

Is this restaurant free of charge?

[Jade13]

Is this restaurant free of charge?

 

No, just Solstice class ships and it is the dining venue for those in Aqua class.

[Orator]

I didn't mean it wasn't good just not quite as perfect as my last experience. Unfortunately, with the history cruise lines have dumbing down the product my first thought is ,"oh, oh here we go again". In Blu, Nina was an excellent server. She handled a very large number of tables with grace and efficiency and her recommendations were always spot on.

Irene

 

You were lucky to have Nina. She's probably the best in Blu.

[greydog]

Just returned form the Dec 11 Eclipse sailing. We dined in Blu as we did last January on Solstice. It was a slightly different experience. Last year Blu was perfection. The food was excellent, the service was exceptional, the wait staff was concerned and personable, and most important had the time to pay close attention to detail. This year the food was a tad off.

Irene

 

We are frequent X cruisers since 2000. We did Solstice in Dec-09 and are just off Solstice on Dec-19. We enjoyed Blu so much in '09 it was reason for repeating solstice this year in Blu too. This will be out last use of Blu and AQ - menu selection and portions disappointing. Service was fine.

 

The menu must have changed from our prior favorable experience. Mostly fish, lamb, pasta or duck entrees.

 

First night pan-seared filet was alright - the last 'fill your stomach' meal of the Blu experience.

 

One night the ribeye itself was fine but accompanied only by bland white beans.

 

Wife had rack lamb one night and received 2 chops she said tasted fine - she thought she got 3 chops in Blu '09.

 

One night I opted for alternate strip steak due to entree selection unappealing to me and found the strip very average quality.

 

The Kobe beef in pasta shell was also bland, disappointing. I came to understand why our waiter seemed to only recommend two entree choices each night.

 

I tried duck breast the last night as last resort since the strip seak had been so average. Wifester said it was prepared properly, lightly seared outside, rare inside - ok so it was an experiment, but it was served on a tiny pile of some fruit slices. In other words, a meager entree that I only picked at.

 

Tablemates also were challenged some nights to find an appealing entree, resorting to airline chicken breast alternative one night. I don't think folks expecting upgrade Blu experience should be defaulting to 'average' alternative menu choices.

 

We tried Tuscan one night since again the Blu menu entrees were unappealing - it was very good but reinforced our disappointment with Blu, especially after the favorable Dec '09 Blu dining. We've already booked next X cruise but have stricken Aqua class from our future choice.

 

Since returning, I compared notes with acquaintences who were on Eclipse? W-carib Dec6 and excerpt their comment to me about Blu next:

“No more Blu for us the food was very disappointing NOT LIKE LAST YEAR!!! But we had a great time with my Brother and family!!! We complained so much that they comped us in the Tuscan Restaurant one evening that was JUST PERFECT !!!”

 

We were on Solstice with these folks in Dec'09 and both couples enjoyed Blu then. They also indicate no more Aqua class in future.

 

So I can appreciate Blu menu is intended to be 'different' but why were we and others so disappointed in Blu '10 vs. Blu '09.

 

This was our first major food disappointment in 20 X cruises. I wish I had made my dissatisfaction known early with Blu staff but I'm not inclined to be a whiner - just expected same great Blu'09 experience and for it to be better the next night. But experiencing the current Blu'10 limited entree choices and pairings from this trip means no more Blu for us. See you in MDR and at the specialties in the future.

[bighairtexan]

I never did Blu in '09 so can't speak to it. But I was on the Solstice in Blu 2 months ago. I found much of the food bland and uninspired and the choices limited. Never did I get stuck trying to choose between several entrees (or appetizers). And desserts? MEH! I was fortunate that I found one acceptable choice in each category each night. The filet was adequate, but not as good as a filet I can get here in Texas at almost any restaurant. There were 2 other AQ couples from our CC group that I spoke with toward the end of the cruise, and neither couple will repeat AQ. We did enjoy the service (though almost daily there were service errors, but they were quickly rectified), and the decor was wonderful. I haven't been in an S class MDR, but will be on the Eclipse in August and December and Solstice in December and the menu looks much more interesting. I guess for me, Blu fell fall short of its hype, so I'll go into the MDR w/ lower expectations and hope to be pleasantly surprised.

[miXterOB]

We just returned from the Christmas cruise on the Equinox; and, the food and service in Blu was outstanding.

 

 

That is our feeling and experience as well.

We were totally impressed with Equinox Blu

[txsloth]

That is our feeling and experience as well.

We were totally impressed with Equinox Blu

 

When and on what ship seems to be key here. I was on the same sailing as the OP and agree with their assessment. Food and service were both very inconsistent. I agree it seemed they were understaffed on this sailing--hopefully just an anamoly.

[Grandma Gilly]

Just off the Eclipse (Dec 4 sailing). The food in Blu was quite acceptable and certainly superior to the night we tried the MDR. You can always ask for side orders of potatoes or vegetables as you only get exactly what it says on the menu. We really liked the ambiance of a small venue. The tables in the MDR were so tightly packed together. Our table for 4 felt like a long table for 10! For that alone, I would recommeng Blu.

[Ticket2go]

We just returned from the Christmas cruise on the Equinox; and, the food and service in Blu was outstanding.

 

We also just returned from this cruise and agree that the food and service in Blu was outstanding. In fact, we booked another Equinox cruise while on board, and Blu was a major factor in that decision.

[srpilo]

Thanks to the OP for a thoughtful review of Blu..

 

I find your critque much more insightful in that you're comparing this year's experience with last years, and are in a actual position to notice the subtle changes.

 

Not to undervalue others who chime in with their " just returned and everything was great" posts, but those posters are not in any position to relate their appraisal with yours, since they do not share your previous experience in Blu last year on the Solstice and may be unaware of any changes that may have taken place, and unaware that they're accually missing something.

 

 

All in all a very thought provoking post... Is Blu settling in to mediocrity ?

Srpilo

[k8ster72]

DH and I were in Blu Dec 4-11 on the Eclipse. The service and food were mostly excellent, but we had a few moments were it was a bit glitchy. We mostly had trouble during the dessert course. We always have coffee with dessert and twice the coffee did not arrive until we were long finished with our dessert. We gave up on it the last couple of nights and skipped the coffee. We had a few issues at breakfast with orders coming out wrong.

 

We didn't make too much of a fuss about it because one night they forgot to charge us for a couple of glasses of wine though we asked for the check twice including on our way out. They said they'd bill us for it but they never did.

 

For the most part it was a very enjoyable experience and we would do Blu and AQ again in a heartbeat!

[cynbar]

We're in AQ on Eclipse in January, and I've been a little worried after reading some of these recent reports. Have many of you had experience asking for an extra serving of potatoes or vegetables to go with your entree?? A small serving of white beans, no matter how tasty, just doesn't do it for me as the only accompaniment to a ribeye steak.

[jackdiamond]

We're in AQ on Eclipse in January, and I've been a little worried after reading some of these recent reports. Have many of you had experience asking for an extra serving of potatoes or vegetables to go with your entree?? A small serving of white beans, no matter how tasty, just doesn't do it for me as the only accompaniment to a ribeye steak.

That is exactly what my wife did on our Christmas cruise; and, there was never any problem.

[SugarLover]

Our servers got used to bringing us mashed potatoes most nights... they even offered before we asked! Substitutions or slight changes are no problem at all. However, there were one or two nights nothing on the BLU menu thrilled me, (or the couple next to us either, that we were chatting with), and I said so to our waiter. I asked if there was ANY way I could get something else... maybe something from the MDR?, and he said as politely as he could, "no way." I ended up ordering two entrees and picking at both (and so did the couple next door).

 

My only real complaint is the dessert offering in Blu... and that's just a personal preference. I know the whole premise of Blu is supposed to be healthy, but sometimes (especially on vacation!) I want eggs benedict for breakfast or something rich for dessert. Looking at the MDR on Eclipse menus made me question whether we will book AQ again. I LOVED the more intimate atmosphere, and the fabulous and personal service, but the food was not always on the same high level.

 

My two cents: I wish Blu would offer just ONE 'non-healthy' selection in each course of a day's menu, because frequently not every passenger who is in AQ wants the spare menu. Especially groups, or families, where the majority says they want to book AQ and Blu, but often there is one person who doesn't want (or need) to eat sugar-free desserts, or would rather have pasta for dinner. If I'm one-fourth of 2 couples, or one-sixth of a family... I'm not going to go to the MDR by myself, I want to stay with my group, but I sure would like to have the ability to order Bernaise on my filet or chocolate mousse for dessert. ;)

[eventing4life]

you just had to ask for the Bernaise sauce on your filet, they were more than happy to provide it.

[joanne59]

Thanks to everyone for their detailed explanations on what did and did not appeal to you in Blu. I'm not a meat and potato kinda gal, so no issue with that...and sauces have never been something I look for, unless of course we are talking chocolate sauce :) I'm guessing I'll be soothing my sweet tooth in the dessert buffet, at the coffee bar, or the ice cream station!

 

We like the much more quiet atmosphere of Blu and hope to eat some healthier meals while dining on this cruise. After a few recent Celebrity cruises, we get a bit bored with all that the MDR menu has to offer. However, if we do see something we like, we can always opt to dine on our balcony one evening and order off the MDR menu for a change of pace. And the MDR is also available at lunch time if you are looking for something a little heavier and high on the calorie scale. You may also want to think about requesting the entire weeks menu at Blu, then when you don't see an option that suits your taste, make a reservation for a specialty restaurant.

 

Looking forward to our first full 7 day cruise in AQ cabin on Eclipse...no more teaser 2/3 day cruises for me :)

 

Happy cruising....Joanne

[arpster]

for what It's worth, I thought the desserts in Blu were absolutely delicious...inventive, very tasty and substantial.....and I have a very sweet tooth

 

by the same score...be sure to order the room service Creme Brulee.....preceded by the Asian sampler......makes for a very nice mid-day snackette :cool:

[greydog]

We're in AQ on Eclipse in January, and I've been a little worried after reading some of these recent reports. Have many of you had experience asking for an extra serving of potatoes or vegetables to go with your entree?? A small serving of white beans, no matter how tasty, just doesn't do it for me as the only accompaniment to a ribeye steak.

 

There was a good portion of white beans with ribeye but sauce was so light they had little flavor. Small portion of mashed came with pan-seared filet mignon but they seem to serve all entrees sans (or very thin) sauce (healthy orientation?) Table-mates wife asked for side of steamed vegetables every night and was accommodated without issue. I should have done the same.