Double Booked! Advice, Please!

[Gonzo70]

Is Blu better (service and food) than the specialty restaurants?

 

In my opinion Blu on average has better service/food than the main dining room, but not as good service/food as the specialty restaurants.

[Gracie115]

Is Blu better (service and food) than the specialty restaurants?

 

Depends on what you want....I think the service is equal to any of the specialty restaurants. But if you've not been to them they are worth a try. We like Tuscan Grill a lot and usually go once a cruise, but we never bother with Murano's or Qsine anymore as we prefer Blu to either of them. Murano's tries to be very upscale and some here would say they succeed. It's worth going to once to see if you agree. We did NOT enjoy Qsine, the food is mediocre AT BEST, but we recognize with a group it might be fun, there were only two of us when we went. I would NOT forgo a night at Blu for Qsine again unless with a larger group. We would be perfectly happy going to Blu every night and skipping the specialty restaurants. But as I said, if you haven't been to them they are worth trying once anyway because they are all a "different" kind of dining experience. Hope that helps!!:)

Edited January 9, 2014 by Gracie115

[skibyrd]

Since the S1 was the only suite with cabins available I suspect they are in a aft corner S1 with some OBC. Some of us would take a S1 corner aft over an AC suite any day.

 

We had aft corner S1 and would have jumped at the chance again! Agreed!

[Gracie115]

We had aft corner S1 and would have jumped at the chance again! Agreed!

 

But others of us, who REALLY don't like the vibrations at the aft would not!!:)

[waterbug123]

Sky Suites and Aqua Class Suites (not standard AQ) are the same size, actually, and as noted the ones apparently available are in worse places. We do look forward to Blu, but also and especially to the complimentary Persian Garden/Relaxation Room/Spa access (which they won't, at least at this point, guarantee).

 

Since you said this is your first Celebrity cruise, I'm just confirming that you realize that "complimentary spa access" does not mean "complimentary spa treatments." :)

[MicCanberra]

In my opinion Blu on average has better service/food than the main dining room, but not as good service/food as the specialty restaurants.

 

Depends on what you want....I think the service is equal to any of the specialty restaurants. But if you've not been to them they are worth a try. We like Tuscan Grill a lot and usually go once a cruise, but we never bother with Murano's or Qsine anymore as we prefer Blu to either of them. Murano's tries to be very upscale and some here would say they succeed. It's worth going to once to see if you agree. We did NOT enjoy Qsine, the food is mediocre AT BEST, but we recognize with a group it might be fun, there were only two of us when we went. I would NOT forgo a night at Blu for Qsine again unless with a larger group. We would be perfectly happy going to Blu every night and skipping the specialty restaurants. But as I said, if you haven't been to them they are worth trying once anyway because they are all a "different" kind of dining experience. Hope that helps!!:)

Thanks for your replies, I have tried various specialty restaurants but have not had Blu as yet. I have heard various reports stating that blu is not as good as it once was and the MDR is better. Perhaps it is worth trying at least once and making up my own mind.:D

[AlexDouglass]

Since you said this is your first Celebrity cruise, I'm just confirming that you realize that "complimentary spa access" does not mean "complimentary spa treatments." :)

 

No worries on that front - we're new to Celebrity, but longtime travel junkies and good at intepreting the hospitality industry's often murky lingo.

 

My other half loves the sauna/steam, and if it's not crowded, the Persian Garden looks like a great place to unwind. If the staff don't look like they're ready to bolt given the Steiner changeover, we'll probably even spring for massages.

[Gonzo70]

Thanks for your replies, I have tried various specialty restaurants but have not had Blu as yet. I have heard various reports stating that blu is not as good as it once was and the MDR is better. Perhaps it is worth trying at least once and making up my own mind.:D

 

To me dining in the MDR is like dining in a banquet hall rather than a restaurant; Blu has more of a restaurant ambiance/feel. Generally Blu is also more quiet and intimate. Food seems to be cooked to order rather than pre-plated. It is no where near as elegant as a specialty restaurant such as Murano or Tuscan Grille, nor will you receive such attentive service as in Murano/Tuscan - but for me it is a noticeable step up from the MDR.

[Gracie115]

Thanks for your replies, I have tried various specialty restaurants but have not had Blu as yet. I have heard various reports stating that blu is not as good as it once was and the MDR is better. Perhaps it is worth trying at least once and making up my own mind.:D

 

We were in Blu on the Constellation just last month and the food and service was far better than our time in the MDR on Connie last April. I disagree with Gonzo that the service is not as good as the spec. rest. We've had nothing but great service in Blu and we were somewhat disappointed in our service at Murano's on 2 occasions. We do like Tuscan Grille very much but I don't think their service was any better than Blu's. In Blu, if you request it and are a bit flexible with your dining times you are able to have the same table and servers each night which is very nice. Obviously I'm a big fan of Blu, but that's based on several cruises on different ships .... haven't been disappointed yet, so that's a pretty good track record. I know some people don't like it because the portions are smaller and heavy sauces aren't used for the most part, but I've never gone away hungry(on a cruise ship how can anyone be hungry EVER!!:D)

[stevesing121]

No worries on that front - we're new to Celebrity, but longtime travel junkies and good at intepreting the hospitality industry's often murky lingo.

 

My other half loves the sauna/steam, and if it's not crowded, the Persian Garden looks like a great place to unwind. If the staff don't look like they're ready to bolt given the Steiner changeover, we'll probably even spring for massages.

 

 

The pre-booking of spa appointments looks to be more popular than in years past!! I checked for my partner and I this morning and the times for most treatments were only available at 8am or after 9pm in the evening!! Maybe the suite life can get you guys a better time once onboard?

[AlexDouglass]

We're likely to stay on board for port days, so we'll see what's available then, and I'm kind of hoping that they hold back at least a few slots to be made available once we're on board. If not, I guess we'll survive (and have that much more to spend on the rest of our vacation!).

[PEIpair]

The pre-booking of spa appointments looks to be more popular than in years past!! I checked for my partner and I this morning and the times for most treatments were only available at 8am or after 9pm in the evening!! Maybe the suite life can get you guys a better time once onboard?

 

The appointment times are never all given out through pre-booking. If you visit the Spa shortly after boarding you will likely find daytime appointment times available to suit you.

[Gracie115]

We're likely to stay on board for port days, so we'll see what's available then, and I'm kind of hoping that they hold back at least a few slots to be made available once we're on board. If not, I guess we'll survive (and have that much more to spend on the rest of our vacation!).

 

They ALWAYS have openings available, I've been able to book whatever wanted at exactly the time or close to it on every ship I've been on so you should have no problem...just go to the spa the first day and book then...OR wait and see what specials they have for port days and book at that time because you can save a lot of money that way usually.:)

[Rudydog]

This is why you should use a professional travel agent to book your cruise. Even if this had somehow happened (unlikely), he or she would have been the one on the phone fighting for you. Just my opinion.