is Blu better than the other specialty resturants?

[hulamoon]

We are dipping our toes into the idea of a Celebrity cruise. If you are in Aqua class do you ever get to the other specialty resturants? Or are they open for lunch when I assume Blu is closed? We are considering a 13 day Eclipse cruise.

 

What makes the spa area with Aqua class exceptional over other lines? I don't want to miss anything but understand they do not have a thermal pool.

 

Thank you!

[bighairtexan]

Many people from AQ visit the specialty restaurants. I know in part of the website, Blu is referred to as a specialty restaurant, but it's the assigned dining place for AQ for breakfast and dinner. The specialty restaurants are not open for lunch but there are so many other choices. The MDR on sea days, the aqua spa cafe (open breakfast and lunch for everyone, no upcharge), mast grill, buffet, Bistro on 5 ($5pp and worth it in a heartbeat).

Being in AQ I guess other than BLU the main perks are free access to the Persian gardens (heated tile loungers), the relaxation room (essentially the spa waiting room more or less), aroma therapy rods in the room, special fitness/relaxation channel on the in room TV, herbal iced tea and bottled water delivered to your room, special Frette robes and a shower bar w/ large rain head and some other nozzels adjustable on the shower bar. Most people view BLU as the main perk.

[hulamoon]

It is the assigned dining for breakfast and dinner? I hadn't thought of it that way.

 

My husband likes to try all the resturants, so trying to figure out if AQ is the way to go or not. Thanks for the Bistro tip!

[gilmanalex]

It is the assigned dining for breakfast and dinner? I hadn't thought of it that way.

 

My husband likes to try all the resturants, so trying to figure out if AQ is the way to go or not. Thanks for the Bistro tip!

 

There are only three to try. That leaves 10 days of Blu vs MDR.

[excitedofharpenden]

The other Speciality Restaurants are closed for lunch like Blu. As bighairtexan said Bistro on 5 is worth a visit for lunch.

 

Phil

[excitedofharpenden]

The other Speciality Restaurants are closed for lunch like Blu.

And bighairtexan had already said that too:o Too early in the morning my eyes hadn't adjusted!

 

Phil

[WELSH WIZARDS]

And bighairtexan had already said that too:o Too early in the morning my eyes hadn't adjusted!

Phil

I can see you now Phil. ;):D

 

[excitedofharpenden]

I can see you now Phil. ;):D

 

I'm cute, but not that cute!;)

 

Hope you are well Jennie.

 

Phil

[kitkat9438]

We are dipping our toes into the idea of a Celebrity cruise. If you are in Aqua class do you ever get to the other specialty resturants? Or are they open for lunch when I assume Blu is closed? We are considering a 13 day Eclipse cruise.

 

What makes the spa area with Aqua class exceptional over other lines? I don't want to miss anything but understand they do not have a thermal pool.

 

Thank you!

 

We loved the Eclipse. You are certainly in for a treat. It's now our favorite ship.

 

We normally book concierge class so when we decided to book the Eclipse we chose to go with Aqua since it has all the same perks plus additional ones. We loved it!!

 

First let me dispel the myth that there's no thermal pool. It is called the Solarium. It's a heated pool that is indoors and adults only. You will find two whirlpools in this area as well as the Aqua Spa Cafe, lighter healthier food for breakfast and lunch.

 

Yes, Blu is the "assigned" dining room for Aqua class but that does not mean you are required to eat there. Some people really, really love it and others not so much. We would check out the menus that are posted daily in front of Blu and the MDR and decide where we wanted to eat dinner. You would eat in the MDR on their select dining option, not an assigned table, on a space available basis. Blu is really good the first night because they have filet mignon. You will also have lobster one of the formal nights. On our 7 day, we had it the last formal night. I'm not sure when it would be on a 13 day. You are not assigned a table (or a time) in Blu, but you can request a certain waiter or table if it's available. Most tables are for two but close together so you can visit with others if you wish. You can order things that are not on the menu, such as shrimp coctail, caesar's salad or creme brulee and they will get it for you. Here's an example of 10 days of menus for Blu:

 

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5BK-JzLUuM2YzIzOWI0OWYtZWE5Ny00NWRiLTg2NTctNGRiMDllNzNkZDMx&hl=enbrowerok%3Dtrue

 

We really loved Qsine, Murano's and Bistro on 5, but didn't get a chance to try out Tuscan Grille. Our friends did and liked Murano's better.

 

If you are new to Celebrity, welcome! On the Eclipse you will find some rooms that are on the hump of the ship that have larger balconies. Here's a list of those cabins. The ones on the penthouse deck are the Aqua cabins. We were in 1606 which has one of the largest balconies on the hump and it's really nice.

 

Resort Deck: 2105, 2109, 2106, 2110

Penthouse Deck: 1547, 1552, 1601, 1605, 1606, 1610

Sky Deck: 1075, 1044, 1231, 1243, 1247, 1108, 1120, 1124

Panorama Deck: 9155, 9192, 9209, 9215, 9237, 9241, 9266, 9270, 9292, 9296

Vista Deck: 8199, 8162, 8255, 8259, 8281, 8285, 8228, 8232, 8254, 8258

Sunrise Deck: 7159, 7206, 7215, 7219, 7241, 7245, 7260, 7264, 7286, 7290

Continental Deck: 6155, 6156, 6209, 6215, 6237, 6241, 6210, 6214, 6236, 6240

 

Here's a wonderful website created by Beyond Ships of the Eclipse showing the ship, cabins and menus.

http://www.beyondships.com/Celebrity-Eclipse-Tour-4.html

Here's the balcony we had:

Cabin:

Shower:

Enjoy your cruise!!

[mrshark]

we were on Solstice last week and ate in blu 5 out of 7 nights, the other two we ate in Murano. Muranos has better quality food, but Blu was just fine too. Breakfast in BLU is hard to beat, food is made just for you to order, no cold waffles like in the buffet. Bistro on 5 we ate there 2x for lunch as all the specialty restaurants are closed for lunch.

 

To us, BLU was great, we will book AQ class again when the time comes, and it will come:D:D:D

[CelebrityMan]

We loved the Eclipse. You are certainly in for a treat. It's now our favorite ship.

 

First let me dispel the myth that there's no thermal pool. It is called the Solarium. It's a heated pool that is indoors and adults only. You will find two whirlpools in this area as well as the Aqua Spa Cafe, lighter healthier food for breakfast and lunch.

 

Hi,

 

The query and discussion here is semantics. There are thermal poos, but there is no T-Pool on S-class.

 

What folk are referring to when they talk about a T-Pool is very unique to the M-class of ships. It is called the Thallosotherapy Pool. It is nothing like the lovely heated pool(s) on the S-class of ships.

 

The M-class T-Pool is something created with wonderful underwater 'beds' or loungers that run the full length of the port & starboard sides of this Aqua Spa pool. These lounging areas bubble much like a hot tub and are a magnificent way to relax. Those of us who became addicted to them on the M-class of Celebrity ships are supremely disappointed that the wonderful S-class of ships have nothing to compare.

 

Just clarifying the terms.

 

CM

[mrshark]

Hi,

 

The query and discussion here is semantics. There are thermal poos, but there is no T-Pool on S-class.

 

What folk are referring to when they talk about a T-Pool is very unique to the M-class of ships. It is called the Thallosotherapy Pool. It is nothing like the lovely heated pool(s) on the S-class of ships.

 

The M-class T-Pool is something created with wonderful underwater 'beds' or loungers that run the full length of the port & starboard sides of this Aqua Spa pool. These lounging areas bubble much like a hot tub and are a magnificent way to relax. Those of us who became addicted to them on the M-class of Celebrity ships are supremely disappointed that the wonderful S-class of ships have nothing to compare.

 

Just clarifying the terms.

 

CM

 

I've experienced "thermal poos" after I ate too much mexican food:eek:

[dmk]

You asked

"is Blu better than the other specialty resturants?"...Blu is a restaurant "special" for Aqua Class but it is not better than the other speciality restaurants.

[CelebrityMan]

I've experienced "thermal poos" after I ate too much mexican food:eek:

 

Dang typos.... ROFL!!! :p:D:D

[Solstice23]

BLU was amazing for Dinner every night Compared to any other Ships MDR we have sailed. We found the food in Blu better then Portifino on RCCL, and much much better then the Crown Grill on Princess. But when it comes to the Tuscan, Silk Harvest and Murano those are all just truly Specialty Restaurants :)

 

we are looking forward to Qsine

[hulamoon]

Okay, I am beginning to grok this Celebrity cruise. Do any of you consider just eating in specialty restaurants and not booking AQ class? Or are those showers just too good to pass up.

 

Kitkat thanks for all the information. I will save this and start researching. I suppose the fellow in the room is not an amenity for AQ, but he sure shows off the cabin category. :D Thank you for sharing your pics with us.

 

Thank you all for sharing your resturant experiences.

 

Let the research continue!

[ashezap]

i just got off the Solstice a few days ago and we were in Aqua Class. In my opinion the food in Blu was slightly better than Tuscan Grill and Silk Harvest. I can't speak of Murano because I diddnt get to dine there but Blu was just fantastic. Everything was very fresh, delicious, and the service was top notch with the matre d making 3 appearances at our table each night. Just fantastic. There was one night when the menu was a tad to exotic for us, and that is the night we ate in silk harvest... we are not Frog legs, Civiche, or pate type people. But we would have had other option we just wanted more a variety of things to eat. I would say Blu was a major benefit and I probably wouldnt book Celebrity again unless I was Aqua Class.

[hulamoon]

Thank you Celebrity fans. I have my chart and are looking for hump cabins.

[hcat]

Hi,

 

The query and discussion here is semantics. There are thermal poos, but there is no T-Pool on S-class.

 

What folk are referring to when they talk about a T-Pool is very unique to the M-class of ships. It is called the Thallosotherapy Pool. It is nothing like the lovely heated pool(s) on the S-class of ships.

 

The M-class T-Pool is something created with wonderful underwater 'beds' or loungers that run the full length of the port & starboard sides of this Aqua Spa pool. These lounging areas bubble much like a hot tub and are a magnificent way to relax. Those of us who became addicted to them on the M-class of Celebrity ships are supremely disappointed that the wonderful S-class of ships have nothing to compare.

 

Just clarifying the terms.

 

CM

The solarium pool on S class is a nice indoor pool--

M class are fun too..but none compare to the real T-pool on Mercury--that has added salts & minerals, more jets & is truly therapeutic-- on M class they are nice but just jetted features.. other great t pools are on Cunard in the Canyon ranch spa area!

 

Bring old bathing suits for the pools, they are known bathing suit killers!!!

 

(Hi Celebrity Man!!)

[hcat]

on Equinox we truly enjoyed Blu each evening..but went to Sillk Harvest once and one night at the buffet... we have previously enjoyed Tuscan & Murano but with Blu, there's no reason to go back! Blu is really excellent!!

 

the new Q-sine to be on some S class ships does not sound as nice as Silk Harvest so I think we will pass on that on Silho

 

Breaskfasts at Blu were very good, everything frsh, hot & made to order but for waffles, I believe we had to visit the buffet..

 

Bistro on Five is also a great place for a change of pace!!

[Solstice23]

on Equinox we truly enjoyed Blu each evening..but went to Sillk Harvest once and one night at the buffet... we have previously enjoyed Tuscan & Murano but with Blu, there's no reason to go back! Blu is really excellent!!

 

the new Q-sine to be on some S class ships does not sound as nice as Silk Harvest so I think we will pass on that on Silho

 

Breaskfasts at Blu were very good, everything frsh, hot & made to order but for waffles, I believe we had to visit the buffet..

 

Bistro on Five is also a great place for a change of pace!!

 

Everyone I know who has gone to Qsine has said it was so enjoyable and fun! it was entertaining and the food was really enjoyable! give it a try!