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Aqua Class Dining Arrangements


welshmark

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Dear All

We are about to book our first Celebrity cruise, we have cruised with Cunard and P and O previously, we are keen to book Aqua Class but cannot quite understand the evening dining arrangements for Aqua Class staterooms assuming you are not using one of the speciality restaurants. We understand that Aqua Class have access to the Blu restaurant but does this have to be pre booked on each occasion or do you have a set time and secondly do you have the opportunity to dine in the main Dining Room and again do you have either an early or late slot.

Thanks

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Thanks for your earlier responses just booked this morning an A1 category stateroom on the Resort Deck, when speaking with our agent she told us there was only early sitting available in the MDR and asked what size table we would prefer. I queried this and she confirmed that we also had the option to eat in Blu.

Mark

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Thanks for your earlier responses just booked this morning an A1 category stateroom on the Resort Deck, when speaking with our agent she told us there was only early sitting available in the MDR and asked what size table we would prefer. I queried this and she confirmed that we also had the option to eat in Blu.

Mark

 

Your agent is wrong....if you booked in aqua class then you are automatically assigned to Blu as your dining room. Yes, you or your agent have to choose early/late/select seating when you book an aqua cabin, but strange as it sounds, that has absolutely nothing to do with Blu...it is only for the celebrity billing system which has never been updated.

 

If you choose early or late seating, you will be billed for your gratuities onboard....if you choose select dining then the billing system will bill you for your gratuities with your final payment. That is the only thing that will happen.

 

Again...if you are in an Aqua cabin, irrespective of what dining you choose on your reservation, you are assigned to Blu and may dine at any time (they don't take reservations). If you prefer to eat in the MDR (with friends or you prefer the menu one night), you generally can just go to select dining although on some ships, they ask that you arrange it through the Blu maitre d'.

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Your agent is wrong....if you booked in aqua class then you are automatically assigned to Blu as your dining room. Yes, you or your agent have to choose early/late/select seating when you book an aqua cabin, but strange as it sounds, that has absolutely nothing to do with Blu...it is only for the celebrity billing system which has never been updated.

 

If you choose early or late seating, you will be billed for your gratuities onboard....if you choose select dining then the billing system will bill you for your gratuities with your final payment. That is the only thing that will happen.

 

Again...if you are in an Aqua cabin, irrespective of what dining you choose on your reservation, you are assigned to Blu and may dine at any time (they don't take reservations). If you prefer to eat in the MDR (with friends or you prefer the menu one night), you generally can just go to select dining although on some ships, they ask that you arrange it through the Blu maitre d'.

 

Just to confirm the above, if you book an AQ cabin BLU replaces the MDR, it is automatic, they may ask to set a time but that is only for the computer system.

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One thing to add to the dining in Blu, it is open seating, first come first served. You may wish to sit in a specific area, by a window for instance or, with a certain server, chances are you may have to wait for a table to open. This may be arranged as the host or hostess can hold a table for a few minutes after the previous diners leave, while you go back to the bar but, you need to come and check every so often.

The other thing we found a bit uncomfortable is that the tables are very close together, the servers had to traverse then sideways or serve you from behind, it is not as "private" as it could be.

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Thanks for that useful information our main reason for wanting to dine in Blu is the open dining and the relatively healthy menus for my wife. As we only booked today for a cruise leaving on 6 May 2013 only early seating was available in the MDR which would not have been ideal. Also Aqua suits us as my wife is very keen on fitness/spa etc.

Again thank you all for your help

Mark

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Thanks for that useful information our main reason for wanting to dine in Blu is the open dining and the relatively healthy menus for my wife. As we only booked today for a cruise leaving on 6 May 2013 only early seating was available in the MDR which would not have been ideal. Also Aqua suits us as my wife is very keen on fitness/spa etc.

Again thank you all for your help

Mark

 

Some say the Menu is NOT that healthy!! I have never dined in BLU..but I have read reports on CC that people stated was not really "healthy" I'm sure others can chime in about that

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Thanks for that useful information our main reason for wanting to dine in Blu is the open dining and the relatively healthy menus for my wife. As we only booked today for a cruise leaving on 6 May 2013 only early seating was available in the MDR which would not have been ideal. Also Aqua suits us as my wife is very keen on fitness/spa etc.

Again thank you all for your help

Mark

 

We will be taking our third 10+ day AQ cruise in October. AQ has just about addicted us to X. Because it is a small venue, Blu is able to be very accommodating. That said, the food is delicious, made to order, but in no way to be construed as "health food." It is delicious, beautifully-presented food, creatively prepared, but without heavy sauces. We live in the Washington, DC Metro area and would be delighted if we could find a restaurant that could compare to Blu close to home where two could dine for $100, not including wine or tip.

 

The spa restaurant in the solarium area on S-class ships has healthier foods, but the meals are not comparable to Blu. They are counter service. Blu is more like the specialty restaurants, but with a menu that changes daily.

 

Anyway, AQ is a wonderful choice. In addition to Blu, you get access to the Persian Garden, great in-stateroom showers, and other benefits. My guess is that both you and your wife will be pleased with the food.

 

Rich

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We occasionally ask to wait for a table or server in Blu. The maitre d' has always suggested that we sit in the (rendezvous) bar and he will come and get us when our table is ready. That seems to Std op procedure on the equinox/eclipse and millenium....probably on others as well.

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Thanks for that useful information our main reason for wanting to dine in Blu is the open dining and the relatively healthy menus for my wife. As we only booked today for a cruise leaving on 6 May 2013 only early seating was available in the MDR which would not have been ideal. Also Aqua suits us as my wife is very keen on fitness/spa etc.

Again thank you all for your help

Mark

I would not say the food is much healthier than elsewhere on the ship. Yes, they may have au jus as opposed to a gravy but, the food is pretty close to the same.

As for the Spa/fitness aspect, that facility is open to all ships guests. If you are under the impression you get special treatment or exclusive use, that is not correct. You get into the Persian garden but so does everyone else and on cooler days or sea days, you wait your turn too. There are no Aqua guest discounts at the Spa.

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I would not say the food is much healthier than elsewhere on the ship. Yes, they may have au jus as opposed to a gravy but, the food is pretty close to the same.

As for the Spa/fitness aspect, that facility is open to all ships guests. If you are under the impression you get special treatment or exclusive use, that is not correct. You get into the Persian garden but so does everyone else and on cooler days or sea days, you wait your turn too. There are no Aqua guest discounts at the Spa.

 

The Persian Garden is free for AQ guests, but has a daily charge for others. The only thing I have ever waited for in the PG is a heated stone lounge chair. Most of the time, I have not waited for those.

 

There are indeed no AQ discounts for spa treatments, such as massages, facials, etc. But free access to the PG is a real and tangible benefit. To enter the PG on S-class ships, you first must go to the spa counter, show your AQ card, and receive your entry pass.

 

Rich

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Thanks Pete_Coach

I understand what you say , the open dining is a big issue for us and given that we only booked yesterday for a 6 May cruise we were lucky with the price for the Aqua cabin and our experience on previous cruises with other firms is that we make little use of so called perks/benefits. So all in all we are happy and can't wait but are grateful for your comments given that we are new to Celebrity.

Best Wishes from cold Wales.

Mark

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Some say the Menu is NOT that healthy!! I have never dined in BLU..but I have read reports on CC that people stated was not really "healthy" I'm sure others can chime in about that

 

 

If you have never dined in Blu, I am not sure why you would post this. I would suggest Blu is healthy .... er. No cream sauces, very little added salt, ect.

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If you have never dined in Blu, I am not sure why you would post this. I would suggest Blu is healthy .... er. No cream sauces, very little added salt, ect.

 

Why--Because I can read--and was posting on what others have stated--and I stated that! Should have I told them to use the search feature instead? Or maybe you could post your email addy and phone # and we can all email/call you? :D

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If you have never dined in Blu, I am not sure why you would post this. I would suggest Blu is healthy .... er. No cream sauces, very little added salt, ect.

 

I have eaten in Blu many times, love it, but I would not characterize it as "health food'. I think the better characterization is "fine cuisine" prepared for a relatively small restaurant,

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

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ha, ha, It happens all the time on CC, something like, "I have never been out of my own country, never been out of my own state, have never taken a cruise, never cruised Celebrity, never sailed aquaclass, never been to the Persian Garden, never been to the ralaxation room, never dined in Blue, etc ..... yet here is my observation of things I have read from others .....

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ha, ha, It happens all the time on CC, something like, "I have never been out of my own country, never been out of my own state, have never taken a cruise, never cruised Celebrity, never sailed aquaclass, never been to the Persian Garden, never been to the ralaxation room, never dined in Blue, etc ..... yet here is my observation of things I have read from others .....

 

Sort of what a forum is..and I made it pretty clear that it was not my opinion, just trying to help out another person.

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Stayed in Aqua Class twice and I think Blu is healthy. The dinners don't have large portions which I think is good so you don't feel stuffed. Can't wait till May for more meals in Blu. Also love the breakfast to.:)

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Thanks Pete_Coach

I understand what you say , the open dining is a big issue for us and given that we only booked yesterday for a 6 May cruise we were lucky with the price for the Aqua cabin and our experience on previous cruises with other firms is that we make little use of so called perks/benefits. So all in all we are happy and can't wait but are grateful for your comments given that we are new to Celebrity.

Best Wishes from cold Wales.

Mark

 

Have a great cruise Mark!

 

After lunch, in front of the MDR, they have the menu posted. Although your primary dining area is Blu, 99% of the time they will accommodate you in the MDR if there is something on the menu you particularly want to eat. Actually the best of both worlds for you. Blu also serves breakfast.

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Thanks dm4 I am sure we will .We do tend to take whatever comes our way on vacation and not worry once we are there, although it is great to have a forum like this to clarify areas people are unsure of.

Thanks everyone for your help

Mark

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