Worth $280 pp to upgrade to AQ?

[mamie]

To those who have sailed in AQ: We are on a 10 night Equinox Caribbean sailing in a 2B veranda. Can't decide whether it's worth is to upgrade. Help!

[teajak]

No way in our opinion.Cabin is no larger,balcony is no larger, perks are not worth it. Check out the perks before you decide.

[Denny01]

We can tell you what we gain from AQ but it is straight personal and subjective telling you is it Worth it - to you. That's impossible.

 

We thought so and will do it again. Heck, we will 'do' Concierge again and you'll get a lot of opinions it isn't worth it - but they forget it isnt 'worth it' to them and have no idea what itnmeans to you.

 

Try it

 

Den

[luvtocook]

I totally agree with Denny, absolutely worth it for us, but I have no idea if it would be worth it to you. If you can get a "hump" AQ, the balcony will be at least twice as big. We absolutely LOVE dining in Blu and don't miss the MDR at all. Also we were on a very warm weather cruise (Panama) and we drank over $400 worth of bottled water--it was free in AQ. Yes, it is worth it to us!!!

[Janet987]

What's it worth? Would you like unlimited use of Persian Garden? That $99 pp for a seven day cruise. Would you enjoy an open seating restaurant which only serves 130 guests with its own chef? Your evening not tied to the rigid schedule of early/late seatings? To get that in 2B, you would have to book speciality restaurants at $25 a $30 pp per night. Continue to go through the AQ perks and calculate, example bottles of water. For me, Blu was "priceless" and worth the extra$, but at some difference in price you can work around the missing perks. Around $300 seems a common differential, it is where it stands now on our coming cruise. But Only you can decide if it is worth it.

[cynbar]

It would be worth it for us. We were on Eclipse in January, and we loved the perks, used them all. We went to the Relaxation Room and Persian Gardens every day to relax, really enjoyed Blu for the calm, elegant atmosphere and top-notch service, and also enjoyed the cabin amenities like iced tea and bottled water daily, shower jets, lovely big bath sheets instead of regular towels. However, as others have said, it's hard to make this decision for someone else. If you prefer traditional dining, or sitting at large tables to chat with other cruisers, then you may not enjoy Blu as much as we did.

[bunnybee]

To those who have sailed in AQ: We are on a 10 night Equinox Caribbean sailing in a 2B veranda. Can't decide whether it's worth is to upgrade. Help!

 

No. I am in the minority and did not like the food in Blu. You could both eat every night in a specialty venue and still save money. Much better.

[Fblack]

I would not pay that. You can eat often in their special restaurants for that and Blu does not compare to Tuscan Grill or Murano. And I too am not a huge fan of Blu.

[Redtravel]

Not worth it. That's a lot and so not worth it. MDR food is good.

[dennbr9]

I too have been wondering about this, might be nice if you could pay extra one night to try Blu for future reference.

 

Is this a viable option?

 

We have a CC Cabin on Constellation and an 1A" Angle on the Hump" on Silhouette. If I could try Blu once I could judge for myself?? Of course if we are sailing with friends, then would want to be with them in MDR. We like the large table, traditional atmosphere.

[jackdiamond]

For us, it is differently worth it. It would be a plus if you could obtain a hump cabin, but I believe that there are only twelve in the AQ category.

[eandj]

$28 a day? hmmm...we wouldn't do it. But as others said, it's what you feel you will use. We enjoy the MDR and specialty restuarants. The water amenity isn't worth that much to us. We carry our refillable water bottles or buy once in port if needed. Unless you got a fantastic location with larger balcony, the room will be "basically" the same as regular verandh rooms. Again...if you have to think about it for a long time, then probably not worth the money. That's almost $600 you can use toward excursions, drinks, tips etc.

[Janet524]

In a word....NO.

[gskimmel]

Like other posters have said, whether it is worth it or not is all subjective. I can tell you that I will only do AQ. I was on the Eclipse in January, ate in MDR once and did not like it...loved Blu and the specialty restaurants.

[bighairtexan]

No way. That's a lot of dinners in a specialty restaurant. Like several posters above, I was underwhelmed by Blu. Great venue, very good service, ho hum selections. I'm actually paying more for C1 afts in December than the price of an AQ.

 

To the poster who asked: you can pay for a dinner in Blu on a space available basis if you're staying in a suite, but not otherwise.

[Eliz]

It would definitely be worth it for us. We've been on Solstice three times...the last in AQ and really loved the food and service in Blu, plus all the cabin amenities. The shower is heavenly. Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll have a fabulous cruise.

 

Elizabeth

[elpam]

Worth it! That is very personal though as some people like eating in the MD with large tables of friends, new or old. It was a great experience in every way and will be in AQ again in May. You can eat breakfast in Blu even if you are not in AQ; this is a good way to see if you like it for future cruises. Enjoy - it's all great!

[Oville]

No. I am in the minority and did not like the food in Blu. You could both eat every night in a specialty venue and still save money. Much better.

 

I would not pay that. You can eat often in their special restaurants for that and Blu does not compare to Tuscan Grill or Murano. And I too am not a huge fan of Blu.

 

Wow, a 10 day cruise and a couple could eat in specialty restaurants every night for $280 for the entire cruise, I think not. (Muranos alone is $70 plus tip per night and Tuscon Grill is $60 plus tip per night). Do the math.

 

To the OP, we love AQ class, really love Blu for the food, both breakfast and dinner. As others have said, it's subjective and you have to decide. Having read all these posts, my guess is some of the negative feedback has come from some who haven't tried AQ, therefore haven't experienced Blu and the other perks and honestly some who haven't cruised on a Celebrity.

[Oville]

Worth it! That is very personal though as some people like eating in the MD with large tables of friends, new or old. It was a great experience in every way and will be in AQ again in May. You can eat breakfast in Blu even if you are not in AQ; this is a good way to see if you like it for future cruises. Enjoy - it's all great!

 

You can have breakfast in Blu only if you are in an AQ cabin or a suite.

[excitedofharpenden]

Your evening not tied to the rigid schedule of early/late seatings? To get that in 2B, you would have to book speciality restaurants at $25 a $30 pp per night.

Don't forget Select Dining is now available in the MDR.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/faq/home.do;jsessionid=0000L5l3RKTd-_65PDS7nb2hPR8:12h3rnd1c?faqSubjectName=Dining+Information&faqId=3845&pagename=faq_answers

 

Phil

[retired067]

Wow, a 10 day cruise and a couple could eat in specialty restaurants every night for $280 for the entire cruise, I think not. (Muranos alone is $70 plus tip per night and Tuscon Grill is $60 plus tip per night). Do the math.

 

To the OP, we love AQ class, really love Blu for the food, both breakfast and dinner. As others have said, it's subjective and you have to decide. Having read all these posts, my guess is some of the negative feedback has come from some who haven't tried AQ, therefore haven't experienced Blu and the other perks and honestly some who haven't cruised on a Celebrity.

I think the quote was 280.00 per person. Do the math

[teajak]

No way in our opinion.Cabin is no larger,balcony is no larger, perks are not worth it. Check out the perks before you decide.

Totally agree and would add MDR food and service is much better than Blu, in our opinion.

[chisoxfan]

Have to vote "no" on this subjective topic after just returning from Eclipse AQ.

Would agree with comments that money would be better spent in Murano's and/or Tuscany, where the dining experience is truly a step up from Blu. We also found switching from Blu to MDR was not as simple as promised.

I would have to think hard about AQ if it was more than 100 per cabin.

JMHO

[Mr. Luckytoo]

to those who have sailed in aq: We are on a 10 night equinox caribbean sailing in a 2b veranda. Can't decide whether it's worth is to upgrade. Help!

 

no!

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Totally agree and would add MDR food and service is much better than Blu, in our opinion.

 

I'll second that!!!! :cool: