Torn Between Aqua and Concierge!

[Smurfette76]

Greetings!

 

Since this is my first post, I'd like to thank everyone here on Cruise Critic for their feedback. I've been watching these boards in an effort to decide on a ship and itinerary and am so grateful for everyone's input.

 

So with that said, my husband and I think the Celebrity Reflection's itinerary out of Miami this March ticks off all of our boxes. He's never cruised before and I haven't been on board a ship since I worked aboard the Disney Wonder from 1999 to 2001. Undoubtedly I will be impressed with how cruise lines have evolved and advanced since those days! :)

 

Our issue is that we're torn between going with Aqua class or Concierge. On the dates we prefer, Aqua is $200 more per person for either cabin 1557, 1599 or 1610 than Concierge cabin 1628 or 1630. I've read that cabins 1628 and 1630 are particularly nice view-wise as they are on the "hump".

 

We were leaning towards Aqua to be guaranteed tables for two at dinner however I have been told that with select seated tables for two at the MDR are not a problem.

 

So… Based on the cabins currently available, is the extra $200 per person worth getting access to Persian Gardens and Blu? We want to hit up Qsine, Murano and possibly Lawn Club Grill so we'll likely only be at Blu or the MDR 4 nights. We could use the $400 towards specialty dining and upgrading our beverage package… (The concierge cabin is just under $1200 per person and Aqua is running $1400 per person. Are those decent rates for booking two months out?)

 

Decisions, decisions! This is a fun problem to have to solve! What matters most to us is having a quiet room with a nice view. I'm a foodie and am drawn to Blu but understand the MDR and extra restos are great too. I'm thinking Blu is intriguing as there will be fewer kids there… Not that I dislike kids! It's just that on vacation I prefer a wee more peace and quiet. ;)

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate it! I can't wait to experience cruising again and see the look on my husband's face we board and he beholds this beauty of a ship!

Edited January 10, 2014 by Smurfette76
Corrected a type-o!

[wallie5446]

IMHO, the only reason to go with Aqua is for Blu. If you are going to go to the speciality resturants, I see no need to book Aqua. Use the difference to pay for a 5 night speciality pkg. Make sure to go to the Lawn Club Grill as one of them! My wife still rants about it and Murano. Here is a link to one of the best picture reviews of the Reflection I have seen on CC.

http://www.thepreismans.com/ecarib_reflection.htm

 

ps: we were in a C1, deck 9 last Nov on Reflection, and went with a regular 1A veranda, deck 8 on the Equinox this year. Are going to use the cash for the 5 night pkg ourselves!

Edited January 10, 2014 by wallie5446

[dkjretired]

Greetings!

 

Since this is my first post, I'd like to thank everyone here on Cruise Critic for their feedback. I've been watching these boards in an effort to decide on a ship and itinerary and am so grateful for everyone's input.

 

So with that said, my husband and I think the Celebrity Reflection's itinerary out of Miami this March ticks off all of our boxes. He's never cruised before and I haven't been on board a ship since I worked aboard the Disney Wonder from 1999 to 2001. Undoubtedly I will be impressed with how cruise lines have evolved and advanced since those days! :)

 

Our issue is that we're torn between going with Aqua class or Concierge. On the dates we prefer, Aqua is $200 more per person for either cabin 1557, 1599 or 1610 than Concierge cabin 1628 or 1630. I've read that cabins 1628 and 1630 are particularly nice view-wise as they are on the "hump".

 

We were leaning towards Aqua to be guaranteed tables for two at dinner however I have been told that with select seated tables for two at the MDR are not a problem.

 

So… Based on the cabins currently available, is the extra $200 per person worth getting access to Persian Gardens and Blu? We want to hit up Qsine, Murano and possibly Lawn Club Grill so we'll likely only be at Blu or the MDR 4 nights. We could use the $400 towards specialty dining and upgrading our beverage package… (The concierge cabin is just under $1200 per person and Aqua is running $1400 per person. Are those decent rates for booking two months out?)

 

Decisions, decisions! This is a fun problem to have to solve! What matters most to us is having a quiet room with a nice view. I'm a foodie and am drawn to Blu but understand the MDR and extra restos are great too. I'm thinking Blu is intriguing as there will be fewer kids there… Not that I dislike kids! It's just that on vacation I prefer a wee more peace and quiet. ;)

 

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts! I appreciate it! I can't wait to experience cruising again and see the look on my husband's face we board and he beholds this beauty of a ship!

 

You have a misconception of dining, your assigned dining room is Blu, having Select Dining means absolutely nothing except it forces you to prepay tips. Select Dining in Blu is meaningless since it is anytime dining at all times. Having Select Dining gives you no preferences in the MDR, as I stated your assigned dining room is Blu. With that being said, you can eat in the MDR on an availability basis which is usually not a problem. If for some reason they won't seat you, your Select dining does nothing for you. Select dining used to mean something as if you took Select dining in an AQ cabin, your assigned dining room was the MDR however that is not the case anymore, you go to Blu.

 

Personally I would look for a nice Veranda cabin and save the money for a larger Specialty Dining package. On Reflection the cabins and verandas are the same size on the regular veranda cabins as they are in Concierge or Aqua. The final point to make is that most of the benefits associated with Concierge cabins are hype, they are either non existent or available to everyone on the ship. Also, with AQ, you get all the benefits of CC plus the AQ benefits.

Edited January 10, 2014 by dkjretired

[rjrpar]

Go with a standard balcony and use the money to eat more often in the Specialty restaurants. Food quality is much better than Blu

[Sparky333]

I'm no expert & have only done Aqua class but to me the perks from that really didn't mean much other than Blu. The Persian Gardens is just basically heated tile loungers - very nice to check out but we only used it once and wouldn't factor that in to choosing Aqua class.

 

I have read about some people with Select Dining in the MDR not always getting a 2-top (or maybe they just had to wait a while for one) so if that's a major priority it sure was nice to have that in Blu every night. Although the tables in Blu are close together so they're not super private - but if you don't feel in the mood to make small talk you don't have to.

 

I liked Blu not just for the food and the 2-tops but for the smaller, more intimate size of the room, less noise, not having to get dressed up for formal nights (I think I'm in the minority on that but I'm just really into being casual on vacation and DH does NOT want to wear a tie since he has to every day at work).

 

So since you'll be dining in specialty restaurants a lot and not in Blu every night it seems IMHO you might do better in the Concierge class and you could use the $400 you saved towards trying Persian Gardens once and the other stuff you want to do.

 

I'm sure in the time it took to type this you've gotten a bunch of more experienced cruisers answers :)

[Alsmez]

I agree with the others - go with Aqua if you're going to make full use of Blu, if not, just get a regular balcony (unless of course the regular balconies aren't any cheaper than Concierge). The only real advantage of Concierge is the fact that you will collect more points in the loyalty points than you would in a regular balcony - the rest of the perks are really pretty worthless.

[hancock]

I'm pretty sure the cabins are the same size for Aqua, Concierge and Veranda with a few exceptions. On the M Class ships, the Concierge are larger than regular verandas.

[phoenix_dream]

I agree that the primary reason to book Aqua Class is Blu. If you are going to eat in Specialty restaurants a lot, it doesn't seem worth more than perhaps a few dollars. I don't think anyone has mentioned yet that Blu also serves a very nice breakfast, much more enjoyable than the buffet or main dining room. We actually like the breakfast almost as much as the dinners. But not if the price differential is hundreds of dollars.

 

I agree with those who recommend a regular veranda over Concierge Class or AQ (if Blu is not a driving factor) because the perks for both are really not worth very much $$ to most people. They are nice, but nothing too exciting. I personally would pay maybe $100 per person more to stay in AQ or CC, but no more on a 7 night cruise. If I were able to get a hump cabin with a larger balcony, I might up that to $150. Maybe. If you were going on an M class ship, then the CC rooms are larger and therefore my answer might be different.

[ghstudio]

Agree that the only reason to book aqua is blu....but that's a big difference. One thing that's often not mentioned is that you can have breakfast in Blu rather then looking for tables/etc in the buffet. For dinner, it's a much smaller room, much quieter than the MDR and the service is better. I'd say the food is also better, but that's very subjective.

 

If you choose select dining, you can eat in that section of the MDR anytime, and you have a choice of a table for 2 or joining others. Some like dining with others every night. On the other hand, in Blu, you will be seated at a table for 2. The tables for 2 in Blu are near enough that you can easily talk to the folks next to you, but not so close that you have to talk. Select tables for 2 are mostly closer together.

 

I think the general consensus here is that blu is worth up to $200 per person. The perks for concierge are not worth even that much over a balcony cabin on any of the S class ships...the cabins are exactly the same size..it's just location.

 

I would either book aqua (we only book aqua ourselves because we dislike buffets and every time we try the MDR for a meal, we reinforce why we paid for Blu...service and quiet)...or I would book a standard balcony/veranda cabin....and use the money saved by not getting a concierge cabin for a few more special meals.

[upwarduk]

C.C cabins now earn 5 points per day, so if you are close to the next level, they are worth considering.

[gdpups]

On my upcoming Silhouette cruise we are in concierge because they have 4 specialty restaurants and we plan to each one night in each, so it didn't make sense to book Aqua for us.

 

Next year we are going on Summit, which only has two specialty restaurants and I've been on that ship twice before, so don't care about dining in the specialty restaurants, so would take full advantage of Blu. I booked Aqua on that cruise so I can we can try Blu each night.

 

I agree with the poster who said it doesn't pay to book Aqua if you aren't going to take full advantage of Blu, if that's the main reason you are booking Aqua.

 

You can make advance reservations for select dining and if you show up for your reservation and your table for two is not available you'd probably just have a short wait.

 

Just my two cents!

[Smurfette76]

Thanks so much everyone! Your replies are very helpful. As it appears at the moment, CC is only $100 more per person than regular veranda cabins and a couple of the currently available CC rooms are 1630 and 1632 on the "hump" which I read is a good place for nice views.

 

Since we plan on trying at least 3 specialty restaurants, it now makes sense to save the $400 on the cabin and apply those funds to dining and upgrading our beverage package. :) While the Persian Gardens sound lovely, I doubt I could convince my hubby to join me there more than once. He can sleep in one morning and I'll buy a pass and go solo. LOL!

 

Safe and happy travels to all!

[Redtravel]

Why are you considering concierge or aqua? Regular veranda is exactly the same size. The regular veranda cabins are usually in good locations and cost less. Save money and be in a good location? Why pay extra for concierge or aqua? Aqua gets bottles of water and Blu. Not everyone loves Blu. Concierge gets you a bottle of sparkling wine, fruit, some late afternoon snacks, and bigger towels. Regular towels are fine. If you really want snacks in the afternoon, you can request them from room service. Finding food on a cruise is so easy. I don't need more delivered to my cabin. If you like tables for 2, try select dining. I love it. You can be flexible or make reservations. I usually make a reservation for table for 2 every night. Never a problem. Bottled water is nice. You can buy it. The tap water is just fine. Ask your cabin steward for a pitcher of iced water. I book regular verandas or oceanview cabins.

[Smurfette76]

Hi Redtravel!

 

Thanks for your input. We're considering CC class because the regular veranda cabins that are currently available appear to be in potentially noisier, high-traffic or obstructed view areas. (We're booking fairly last minute.) The price difference between the "good" regular veranda cabins and concierge is nominal. I also see us becoming future Celebrity cruisers so the extra points are alluring. Not that that's a big factor...

 

And wallie5446: That link you shared is phenomenal! Those photos have sold us on The Reflection even more! Thank you!

 

Thanks to everyone at Cruise Critic. I can tell members are very knowledgeable and passionate about cruising and sharing information. I appreciate every bit of feedback!

[Smurfette76]

Oh, and another reason why we're looking at CC is that the cabin we are eyeing is on the deck that's mostly non-connecting Aqua, CC and suite cabins. I'm thinking that will mean that it's a quieter, mostly adults-only deck.

[CU64]

The CC, Aqua and Suites are often below pools and public areas that can be noisy, scraping of chairs, .......IMHO, this is very important to pay attention to on the ship deck plans...not just how big the balconies...

 

I have done CC and Aqua/thot BLU highly overrated....I will now pick CC as I believe the storage is better in the CC cabins vs Aqua......did Aqua in Equinox in May, 12 day Med Cruise/storage was lousy/no drawers/ none by bed

I would eat in sp restaurants or MDR anytime over Blu

 

Good to try once and see what you prefer.

BL

[CathyCruises]

The CC, Aqua and Suites are often below pools and public areas that can be noisy, scraping of chairs, .......IMHO, this is very important to pay attention to on the ship deck plans...not just how big the balconies...

 

I have done CC and Aqua/thot BLU highly overrated....I will now pick CC as I believe the storage is better in the CC cabins vs Aqua......did Aqua in Equinox in May, 12 day Med Cruise/storage was lousy/no drawers/ none by bed

I would eat in sp restaurants or MDR anytime over Blu

 

Good to try once and see what you prefer.

BL

 

Ummm, CC and AQ cabins have identical storage on S Class ships, the cabins are exactly the same with just a few differences in the shower panel. If you did CC on an M class ship, that's apples and oranges.

[Smurfette76]

You Cruise Critics are all fabulous! Thanks for the continued feedback!

 

The deck we're eyeing is Reflection's Penthouse deck, which I understand has cabins both above and below which hopefully means no pool/chair/restaurant noise. That deck also seems to be AQ and CC cabins mostly, meaning fewer kiddos coming and going…

 

The cabins we are now considering include: 1628, 1630 or 1632 which are all CC rooms that I think are on what is described as "the hump". Is that a good place to be? From what I've read it looks like those rooms have nice views!

[CU64]

did C3 on Constellation, May 2011, 12 day Baltic...

storage and arrangement was superior to AQ on Equinox, May 2013...

 

I am not referring to Bathroom/AQ had a hand held shower (good) and nice storage/I prefer more drawer storage in cabin and if I had another AQ, I would want the bed by the balcony...makes a big difference in movement around cabin....AQ had big storage ABOVE bed by bathroom/not easy to reach & things would fall out when opened even if very organized...

 

.......don't know about other ships....

BL

[Pean]

You Cruise Critics are all fabulous! Thanks for the continued feedback!

 

The deck we're eyeing is Reflection's Penthouse deck, which I understand has cabins both above and below which hopefully means no pool/chair/restaurant noise. That deck also seems to be AQ and CC cabins mostly, meaning fewer kiddos coming and going…

 

The cabins we are now considering include: 1628, 1630 or 1632 which are all CC rooms that I think are on what is described as "the hump". Is that a good place to be? From what I've read it looks like those rooms have nice views!

 

These cabins are indeed on the hump but the ones that most people like (us included) are the ones on the angle of the hump as they have larger balconies. Looking at the cabins you mentioned they are C1, you may be able to get a C2 cabin on the angle of the hump which still gives you the same benefits as the C1 but may save you a bit more towards your packages.

[CathyCruises]

did C3 on Constellation, May 2011, 12 day Baltic...

storage and arrangement was superior to AQ on Equinox, May 2013...

 

I am not referring to Bathroom/AQ had a hand held shower (good) and nice storage/I prefer more drawer storage in cabin and if I had another AQ, I would want the bed by the balcony...makes a big difference in movement around cabin....AQ had big storage ABOVE bed by bathroom/not easy to reach & things would fall out when opened even if very organized...

 

.......don't know about other ships....

BL

 

Okay, totally apples and oranges, and doesn't have anything to do with CC/AQ!! I just don't want people to get the wrong message. Constellation is an M class ship and the cabin layout is different (on all M class ships) from the layout on all S class ships. So if you preferred the storage on Constellation, you will like all M class ships, regardless if you book AQ or CC.

 

BUT, M class ships do not have the bed by the balcony, so you either have to pick that or more storage!

Edited January 11, 2014 by CathyCruises

[Chinook Wind]

Some factors to consider: You said that you'll have the beverage package...that includes bottled water so there's one less reason to pay for Aqua! Booking CC or Aqua will garner extra points in the loyalty program vs a regular Veranda, which could be important to you. The gratuities will also be higher for CC and Aqua vs Veranda.

 

Another thing you may want to check out is a Sunset Veranda room which I believe is the highest level of the Veranda categories. We had one on our last cruise and absolutely loved it! Watching the wake was very soothing.

[thebutlerdidit]

As a foodie I think you'd really enjoy Blu even if you don't plan on dining there every night. Breakfast in Blu has been mentioned already. I think that's what is keeping me booking Aqua Class. It's relaxing and the food and service is wonderful. Other things that don't get mentioned often that I really appreciate are: the fog-free mirror in Aqua bathrooms, the addition of footstools to the balconies (this applies to Concierge and AC both), the use of the Relaxation Room for Aqua Class (fabulous views and nice lounges for reading). I understand that the linens and towels are upgraded, but I've never sailed less than Concierge yet, so I can't compare. Yes, Aqua and Concierge cost more, but I like the little comforts and being spoiled on vacation. Not enough to pay for a suite, but Aqua Class is going to be hard for me to give up.

 

One more thing that has come into play on each of our cruises is that we've had to utilize umbrellas most days in port. In Concierge and Aqua class our closets had one standard umbrella and one huge golf-sized umbrella. We saw lots of small Celebrity umbrellas, but the extra coverage was nice, as was just having one umbrella for each of us. Fingers crossed that you enjoy beautiful breezy picture-perfect days during your cruise! It was nice not having to pack an extra umbrella, something I would normally do. Again, it's a small thing, but I' appreciate it, and added together they make my cruise more enjoyable.

[ICANTWAITTOCRUISE]

I thought I would chime in. We are sailing in April again on the Reflection and have chosen AQ for reasons that are different than most, it appears, and may not make sense financially!

 

We though Blue was nice but not we were not overly impressed when we cruised last April. Our waiter was very nice but the service was not what we thought it would be, just ok. We ate in main dining room one night and it was actually better. We also thought the food was good but not extra special. We did one specialty, one night of nothing so basically had 4 nights in Blue.

 

What we did like about Blue was the feeling of being "special" due to being an AQ passenger. Sounds stupid, I know but it is what it is!

 

What we REALLY loved and were totally not expecting to care about it was the relaxation room/Persian gardens. We like to work out about half the days on the cruise (well we plan to more than that...) and the various spa like saunas are AMAZING. There are like 5 or 6 and we would just travel our way down all of them and end with a rainforest shower!

 

We also like the scent in the room, the pillow menu, the afternoon snacks, the tote bag and more. However, maybe some of these even come with concierge class, I am not sure?

 

When we decided to rebook the same cruise we knew we wanted AQ for the reasons listed above but even more so we love our cabin location and balcony (1601) and we are the type that if we find something we like we stick with it, sometimes even just for tradition (Sailed Norwegian Sun 3 times in the same cabin.

 

This time we are planning on doing 3 specialties so again I realize I could possibly price the Persian Gardens pass and come out ahead if the cabin didn't matter.

 

Oh, we did love the Blue breakfast! The meuslix was delicious.

 

I also forgot about the shower in AQ! It is really amazing too.

Edited January 11, 2014 by ICANTWAITTOCRUISE
left off something

[CU64]

Last poster had it the same for me/ Small extras were great on CC/even champagne on sail day/flowers/robes/nothing you may want to pay for but at this age, I do appreciate feeling special/on S class ships/different line on and off/instant seating at anytime dining without reservations....

 

I do believe we get treated well on all ships because we respect the crew/thank you and please, dress nicely for dinner, not formal, tip when necessary, keep the cabin organized & not a mess for the cabin steward...

plse and thank you, I appreciate it, goes a long way in how you are treated!

BL