Aqua Class - the details

[Celebritycruiselover]

I have only ever cruised twice (well nearly 3 See countdown) I have always booked Aqua and always eaten in Blu (cant be bothered with the Main Dining Room It always looks like hassel)

[CathyCruises]

After having tried every class of cabin, we firmly believe a midship standard balcony cabin is ideal. CC is a joke--the 'amenities' are basically worthless unless you count the $28 bottle of sparkling wine.

 

One of the disadvantages of Blu is that when you make friends on the ship who are not AQ, you cannot invite them to dine with you. A group of us made good friends with a couple in Blu on our last cruise, and while it would have been lovely to have been able to dine together every night, it just didn't work out. We all went to Qsine one night but that was about all we could do.

[Alsmez]

After having tried every class of cabin, we firmly believe a midship standard balcony cabin is ideal. CC is a joke--the 'amenities' are basically worthless unless you count the $28 bottle of sparkling wine.

 

You forgot the major advantage of CC - the extra cruise point. If you are trying to build your status in the loyalty program, this is what makes CC worthwhile, depending on the price of the cruise. On our last cruise, CC was only $100 more than a standard balcony (for an 11 day trip), so it was a no-brainer, as we are not yet Elite. The extra cruise point was worth $100 and then some. However, I agree that if you are already Elite or not interested in building your loyalty status, CC is a waste of money.

[ghstudio]

You forgot the major advantage of CC - the extra cruise point. If you are trying to build your status in the loyalty program, this is what makes CC worthwhile, depending on the price of the cruise. On our last cruise, CC was only $100 more than a standard balcony (for an 11 day trip), so it was a no-brainer, as we are not yet Elite. The extra cruise point was worth $100 and then some. However, I agree that if you are already Elite or not interested in building your loyalty status, CC is a waste of money.

 

the towels and robes are actually better in CC/aqua which isn't much....on the m-class the cc and aqua cabins are physically larger which makes cc much more attractive. (on the s class, all cabins are essentially the same size).

[LINGBER]

We loved the dining experience in Blu on our Silhouette cruise in Europe. Would book Aqua again if the price isn't out of whack, just for Blu. Unfortunately that was the case for our upcoming xmas cruise on the Reflection. Aqua was $250 more pp for a 7 night when we booked. :(

[CathyCruises]

the towels and robes are actually better in CC/aqua which isn't much....on the m-class the cc and aqua cabins are physically larger which makes cc much more attractive. (on the s class, all cabins are essentially the same size).

 

You are right. I neglected to mention that I do think CC is better on M class ships for the appreciable extra space. And the extra point is also significant if you are trying to attain Elite status. Both points well taken.

[GRBlizz]

I am looking forward to our first ever cruise in AQ, and Blu was the primary reason we booked it. Since we last cruised, I have become converted to a "clean eating" lifestyle, and my health and weight have improved noticeably. I am thrilled that X has offered an option that will allow me to indulge on fabulous food without throwing away hard-won good habits.

 

I would agree the rest of the amenities probably won't amount to much, and would not have attracted us to AQ.

[Lois R]

I am looking forward to our first ever cruise in AQ, and Blu was the primary reason we booked it. Since we last cruised, I have become converted to a "clean eating" lifestyle, and my health and weight have improved noticeably. I am thrilled that X has offered an option that will allow me to indulge on fabulous food without throwing away hard-won good habits.

 

I would agree the rest of the amenities probably won't amount to much, and would not have attracted us to AQ.

 

Hi:) this is just an FYI...for some reason some folks think Blu

is "healthy dining"......In my opinion, it is not. A Filet Mignon and Duck

are on the menu...just want to make you aware of this fact.

 

Glad your health has improved but many of the items on the menu

are not "clean" as you put it.

[Wineart]

There is one other benefit to AQ which has not been mentioned, but is a plus for me. AQ limits you to 2 passengers per cabin, which means that Blu and the cabins surrounding yours are less likely to have children. I have nothing against kids, but I have a very stressful job and book cruises to relax and decompress. By booking AQ, it increases my odds of having a quieter, more adult-oriented environment while on board a large ship.

[GRBlizz]

Hi:) this is just an FYI...for some reason some folks think Blu

is "healthy dining"......In my opinion, it is not. A Filet Mignon and Duck

are on the menu...just want to make you aware of this fact.

 

Glad your health has improved but many of the items on the menu

are not "clean" as you put it.

 

Hmm. Well, my definition of "clean" means that the food is prepared without a lot of added sugar or preservatives. I probably wouldn't eat duck, and I eat very little red meat, but the following from the X website makes me think that I will find what I want:

 

Tender steak is served with a flavorful truffle vinaigrette instead of a heavy béarnaise. We call it "clean cuisine."

 

I do appreciate the heads up. I can pretty much always find something to eat, but it will be nice to have more inventive choices than broiled fish and steamed veggies.

[avalon1025]

Aqua Class is the only reason I still sail Celebrity, otherwise I would have jumped full time to the luxury lines. Its worth every penny to not have to deal with the crowded noisy dining room and have open seating in the lovely Blu restaurant. Service was always tops and never had a problem with the food or service. Its truely a ship witin a ship concept and not for everyone.

[Christine Frances]

Hmm. Well, my definition of "clean" means that the food is prepared without a lot of added sugar or preservatives. I probably wouldn't eat duck, and I eat very little red meat, but the following from the X website makes me think that I will find what I want:

 

Tender steak is served with a flavorful truffle vinaigrette instead of a heavy béarnaise. We call it "clean cuisine."

 

I do appreciate the heads up. I can pretty much always find something to eat, but it will be nice to have more inventive choices than broiled fish and steamed veggies.

 

The MDR now has SPE Certified food on the menu which is very healthy. I am looking forward to trying the dishes in January. http://specertified.com/what/philosophy

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/explore/whatsNew/detail.do?event_date=2013-03-25&sequence_code=A&link=%2fexplore%2fWhatsNew%2fdetail.do%3fevent_date%3d2013-03-25%26sequence_code%3dA

[chilliano]

Like someone else, AQ is an definite attraction for us. to me the key is whether the benefits are a definite value to you or not.

 

For us, we would purchase the access to the spa (sauna, heater recliners), since we would definitely purchase that, we know whether the price differential is worth it.

 

Also, we like Blu. My DH isn't the friendliest guy in the world, so being automatically seated at a large table with people we don't know is a huge stress point for me (I would do just fine, but my husband, no)

 

so these two factors are major for us. We could have upgraded to a suite for not a huge amount, but remained in AQ b/c we'd have to add the $$ to get the spa amenities to the upgrade price.

[ghstudio]

The MDR now has SPE Certified food on the menu which is very healthy. I am looking forward to trying the dishes in January. http://specertified.com/what/philosophy

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/explore/whatsNew/detail.do?event_date=2013-03-25&sequence_code=A&link=%2fexplore%2fWhatsNew%2fdetail.do%3fevent_date%3d2013-03-25%26sequence_code%3dA

 

based on my experience recently with the aqua spa café on the infinity which has been changed to provide spe certified food, I wouldn't expect much....in fact, I believe that Celebrity is using SPE as a cover for reducing quality (and food cost) once again.

Edited November 13, 2013 by ghstudio

[Christine Frances]

based on my experience recently with the aqua spa café on the infinity which has been changed to provide spe certified food, I wouldn't expect much....in fact, I believe that Celebrity is using SPE as a cover for reducing quality (and food cost) once again.

 

As we never use the Aqua Spa Cafe I can't comment lol. But our group of 10 friends which spent a month on the Infinity last year and 14 days each on the Eclipse and Silhouette this year were more than pleased with the MDR menus and found a huge improvement over 2-4 years ago. We tried Qsine for fun but were more than happy to stay in MDR (early seating). None of us have an interest in paying a premium for Aqua Class and we actually get ticked off when we see our preferred Concierge cabins priced higher than AQ. So please keep on booking AQ so we can get better cabins lol:D Even going to the Elite breakfast in Tuscan Grill in June it was off putting to see the lineup for Blu in the morning. I know my DH would not be happy to be jammed that close at breakfast or dinner to someone he didn't know. Even the tables for 2 in the MDR are farther apart.

[4cats4me]

Another vote for AQ loved the food. A lot of it was rich though, not exactly "light." The portions were smaller. We are planning n going AQ again

[Sfdtiller]

Just got a free upgrade to AQ, can't wait to see what I think. Glad I read about the pillow menu, I am picky so this should help me get one I like. Thanks for all the tips, 9 more days!!

[dproujan]

Some quick questions.

1-Blu is for all AQ class cabins, or just suites? Celebrity site is confusing.

2-Even though we are booked for early seating, by eating at Blu it becomes anytime dining?

 

We are booked for the 3/22 sailing on the reflection in an AQ veranda stateroom and are looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Dave

[Northern Aurora]

Some quick questions.

1-Blu is for all AQ class cabins, or just suites? Celebrity site is confusing.

2-Even though we are booked for early seating, by eating at Blu it becomes anytime dining?

 

We are booked for the 3/22 sailing on the reflection in an AQ veranda stateroom and are looking forward to our first Celebrity cruise.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Dave

 

1: Blu is the MDR for Aqua Class staterooms and Aqua Class suites (not all Celebrity ships have Aqua suites). Those traveling in suites can dine in Blu on a space available basis.

 

2. Blu is "select" or anytime dining. Even though your reservation may have some sort of statement regarding early or late seating, just arrive when you are ready for dinner. Depending on the demographics of the other passengers you may find that you may wait a few minutes during "rush" times, but generally you will be seated within minutes.

 

My husband and I are great fans of Blu (just love those breakfasts) and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

[dproujan]

1: Blu is the MDR for Aqua Class staterooms and Aqua Class suites (not all Celebrity ships have Aqua suites). Those traveling in suites can dine in Blu on a space available basis.

 

2. Blu is "select" or anytime dining. Even though your reservation may have some sort of statement regarding early or late seating, just arrive when you are ready for dinner. Depending on the demographics of the other passengers you may find that you may wait a few minutes during "rush" times, but generally you will be seated within minutes.

 

My husband and I are great fans of Blu (just love those breakfasts) and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

 

Thanks for the quick response! I am sure we will enjoy our cruise.

[KirkNC]

For the original poster...as you can see, many folks love AQ and many

folks will never book that category again.

 

Different strokes for different folks:)

 

I am really surprised at the diverse opinions. I suspect it something we would pass on unless it was some upgrade.

[sharkwl]

As we never use the Aqua Spa Cafe I can't comment lol. But our group of 10 friends which spent a month on the Infinity last year and 14 days each on the Eclipse and Silhouette this year were more than pleased with the MDR menus and found a huge improvement over 2-4 years ago. We tried Qsine for fun but were more than happy to stay in MDR (early seating). None of us have an interest in paying a premium for Aqua Class and we actually get ticked off when we see our preferred Concierge cabins priced higher than AQ. So please keep on booking AQ so we can get better cabins lol:D Even going to the Elite breakfast in Tuscan Grill in June it was off putting to see the lineup for Blu in the morning. I know my DH would not be happy to be jammed that close at breakfast or dinner to someone he didn't know. Even the tables for 2 in the MDR are farther apart.

 

 

Once you go AQ and dine in BLU, I doubt you will ever go back to main dining! ;) We love AQ class and dining in BLU is wonderful! We found the food, service, cabins, balcony, showers, basically everything was just a little bit nicer! It was well worth the extra cost for us! YOMV. Enjoy!

[galavant3]

We now book Aqua Class whenever we can. We are great fans of Blu. While we enjoy the meals and service, the greatest advantage of Blu is the fact that it is so much quieter than the MDR. So while we enjoy the bottles of water and so forth, for us the great advantage of Aqua is the serene nature of Blu.

 

Completely agree. Having booked Aqua Class we will not likely ever book another category again (if we can help it). Blu made a huge difference for us. We loved it.

[Gordoncruickshank]

Completely agree. Having booked Aqua Class we will not likely ever book another category again (if we can help it). Blu made a huge difference for us. We loved it.

 

We have had four Celebrity cruises to date, three in Aqua and one in a Sky suite. Other than visiting the speciality restaurants we have only eaten in Blu. It has such a nice atmosphere.

 

The next 5 cruises that we have booked are all in AQ so I guess we like the product.

 

I can't comment on the MDR as we have never eaten there.

 

The 2 things that matter to us are Blu and the shower panel. The rest we could happily do without.

[baldercash]

If you enjoy food you will enjoy Blu it is much superior to the MDR.

 

People are entitled to and can argue about personal food tastes and preferred preparations as we all have different tastes.

However when it comes to the quality of of the food the preparation and presentation there is just no comparison between Blu and the MDR!

 

Blu will offer Halibut, Ahi Tuna or Snapper the same day the MDR offers Talapia or black cod. The MDR will offer boneless leg of lamb while Blu will offer rack of lamb or chops.

Blu offers quail, pheasant, venison, veal chops. They offer a boneless shank wrapped in crisp bacon that is unreal with a ragout wrapped in philo pastry not to mention the beef short ribs that are simply amazing.

Appetizers vary from frogs legs to soft shell crab not offered in the MDR as well as escargot. The lobster is served in a broth and is one of the best I have had on any ship.

The soups are excellent usually presented with a small amount of vegetables in the bottom of the bowl the soup then poured "hot" from a carafe on top so presentation is also superior to the MDR which does not come close.

 

Not opinion but fact.

 

One can even compare the cutlery between the Buffet, MDR and Blu with them each having a different weight and quality, Blu having the best and the same applies to the dishes and glass ware.

Breakfast service is far superior in Blu to the MDR. It is quicker, quieter and presented better. Blu offers smoothies and fresh squeezed orange juice at no charge.

 

Blu is a much quieter venue to eat with quicker and superior service to the MDR.

Buffet staff strive to work in the MDR while MDR staff strive to get into Blu. The waiter from the Captain's table will assist in Blu if slow in the MDR or when Blu was especially busy they would pull staff from the MDR or the Olympic restaurant to assist.

 

If one wants a truly intimate table for 2 it does not exist in Blu but if one is not anti social it is enjoyable to have conversation with the table beside you.

The deserts are not as substantial or traditional as in the MDR as well.

 

We just spent 35 days eating breakfast and dinner in Blu, the menu repeats after 14 days these are some of my observations.

 

The M class experience is different then S class and for us the price is easily justified by Blu. We feel the room amenities just enhance the experience. The shower and bottle water the biggest perk. The comp sparkling wine can be traded for wine in Blu.

 

If on a M class book a A1 cabin on deck 11 aft if possible. it is like having the run of the ship. Don't worry about smoke or noise it is bliss.

Our best Cruise of 15 on X was in one of these cabins.