Aqua vs Concierge vs Veranda

[guitarcrazy]

Hi guys,

I've never cruised better than an ocean view window-but we're splurging this trip. Is the difference between the 3 choices being that Aqua you get to eat at "Blu" and hang out in a restful garden area plus concierge service, Concierge you get well, concierge service, and veranda you have the balcony that the other two get but without these extra perks? Anything else?

thanks for your time!

[forceten]

We had the same dilemma for our first cruse. We first looked at inside room. But the drink package perk came around and that meant OV or better. So we were going OV but thought about how hard we worked this year and wanted to splurge.

 

We thought balcony for sure, until we read more about aqua rooms and blu. We thought why not splurge a little more and try blu out. If we don't like it we don't ever have to book aqua again. But if you can afford it and never tried it - now might be the perfect time, still a balcony room with the extra restaurant and few other perks to have :D

 

From all the posts on the boards, I read most people never use concierge service.

 

just my opinion, as we have never cruised before.

[nancykanode]

Hi guys,

I've never cruised better than an ocean view window-but we're splurging this trip. Is the difference between the 3 choices being that Aqua you get to eat at "Blu" and hang out in a restful garden area plus concierge service, Concierge you get well, concierge service, and veranda you have the balcony that the other two get but without these extra perks? Anything else?

thanks for your time!

 

I think your analysis is correct. Having done all three, I can tell you that on only one cruise we actually were able to enjoy the veranda for the entire cruise as the weather was very nice.

[wallie5446]

Hi guys,

I've never cruised better than an ocean view window-but we're splurging this trip. Is the difference between the 3 choices being that Aqua you get to eat at "Blu" and hang out in a restful garden area plus concierge service, Concierge you get well, concierge service, and veranda you have the balcony that the other two get but without these extra perks? Anything else?

thanks for your time!

 

There is no true Concierge service. We had a C2 last yr, for the extra CC points. On our next cruise a CC balcony is $8-1000 more pp and Aqua is $9-1100 more pp, than our 1A on the front of the starboard hump, deck 8 on Equinox. For us that is not worth the extra $$

 

What time of the year?

What route, ie; where does the sailing go?

 

S-Class or M-Class

Edited April 28, 2014 by wallie5446

[Phxazzcruisers]

If you can afford the difference, for us there is no question. We love Blu and always book Aqua or above so we can eat in Blu. We like the quieter atmosphere and (We know food is very subjective) but for us the food and service is supurb.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Phxazzcruisers

[Hootpatoot]

If you are going to splurge, go Aqua. That's what we're doing next time. And we just did Concierge for our first cruise 3 weeks ago.

 

We had no complaints about CC but I would like to use the spa and Blu! Go for it!:D

[ICANTWAITTOCRUISE]

I am not sure what "True" concierge service is but on our recent cruise we used the concierge a few times. Once to request tickets to Sin City as we had missed the handout and didn't want to wait to see if we'd get in. She got us 4 by the end of the day. Also to ask about reservations for 2 different specialty restaurants which she arranged.

On the reflection there is a big desk where she is located on the 12th floor.

We love AQ because of the Persian Gardens and Blue also. We would probably be just as happy with the MDR but after 2 cruises on the Reflection where we had the same room steward, same cabin and same Blu waiter we have decided to stay!

[dkjretired]

I am not sure what "True" concierge service is but on our recent cruise we used the concierge a few times. Once to request tickets to Sin City as we had missed the handout and didn't want to wait to see if we'd get in. She got us 4 by the end of the day. Also to ask about reservations for 2 different specialty restaurants which she arranged.

On the reflection there is a big desk where she is located on the 12th floor.

We love AQ because of the Persian Gardens and Blue also. We would probably be just as happy with the MDR but after 2 cruises on the Reflection where we had the same room steward, same cabin and same Blu waiter we have decided to stay!

 

There is a Concierge however what makes the perk deceiving is that the Concierge is for the whole ship no matter the category of cabin. Therefore it is not a real perk.

[ICANTWAITTOCRUISE]

I had not idea the concierge was for the whole ship! How nice! Well I did enjoy some things in the cabin such as the flowers that I don't think are for the whole ship:)

[alcpa1]

On the S class ships the balcony cabins are the same sized and priced by location and deck.

On the M class ships the Concierge class and Aqua class cabins are slightly larger than the standard balcony cabins. There are two Concierge class cabins on deck 6 that are a tad larger still. There are two additional Concierge class cabins that are connected to suites and have enhanced fittings and a larger balcony.

I also vote for Aqua, even though 6144 is hard to beat on the M class.

[Cruise Raider]

If you can afford the difference, for us there is no question. We love Blu and always book Aqua or above so we can eat in Blu. We like the quieter atmosphere and (We know food is very subjective) but for us the food and service is supurb.

 

Yes, the splurge to get in the Aqua Class is well worth it. While I like the CC cabins, you really don't get a lot extra like you do in the AQ. Blu spoiled us big time -- now only book it depending on the price. I also loved the relaxation room and the Persian Gardens...they are different rooms. The bottled water in your room is so nice. I forgot how truly nice it was until we didn't have it on our last cruise. The bathrobes, towels and pillow menu are also top notch as is that shower head in the AQ rooms. While I don't see a huge huge difference in the CC cabins -- they just don't offer all the special perks like the Aqua Class cabins. Would I pay $1000 more...probably not! But, if they offer it for a hundred or two more....I am IN!!

 

PS -- in case you don't like to lug a lot of formal clothes with you, Blu is always smart casual. NICE:)

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

You'll also get more Captains' Club points by cruising in CC or AQ.

 

You didn't mention what ship you're on. On S class ships, you'll get footstools on your balcony if you're in CC. Probably in AQ as well, but I haven't personally verified that. Maybe somebody who has sailed in an AQ cabin on an S class ship could verify that.

[guitarcrazy]

Thanks all of you for your input. I think your comments have helped crystallize my decision. Gratzie gratzie gratzie (lol! Time to improve my language skills!)

[Honeybearhollow]

AQ gets everything CC gets, plus the AQ "extras". Definitely the footstools, which is my favorite.

[Cardiff Cruisers]

We have only previously sailed AQ on Celebrity but have booked a weeks cruise at the end of November to the Caribbean with 3 other couples who are new to cruising on the Reflection.

I was going to get regular veranda cabins for everyone but on on line enquiries stated that an upgrade to Concierge Class was only £20 ($30) per cabin for the whole trip...not pppn.

I questioned this with my TA and she confirmed it so we booked.

AQ was a lot more expensive.

I thought the minimal extra cost was negligible even though you don't get as many 'extras' as before or as AQ, it'll be worth it just for the bottle of sparkling wine on arrival.

 

Tony

[Wiltonian]

The critical issue is that there's no uniform ratio between the Veranda, CC and Aqua prices. If there were, then we could discuss whether the extra X% is worth it.

 

We booked Veranda, then found that Aqua had become less expensive than what we'd expected to pay for Veranda, so we upgraded, and got a cost reduction.

 

Even if there were fixed differentials, then it would still be a matter of personal preference. Is the Blu/Aqua experience worth £1000 a person? Probably not for most of us. Is it worth £200 / $300 on a 10-14 day cruise? Many, many more people would think so.

 

So I reckon you have to look at the prices for the particular cruise you're interested in, and make that cost/benefit judgment. The consensus seems to be that CC is not worth a great deal over standard Veranda, especially since some of the Veranda rooms are far better located than some of the CC rooms.

 

Stuart

[Squadra03]

We had two Equinos cruises and a third one coming, all in AQ.

We love the blu so much, we aren't really interested in the other perks, allthough the nicer massage shower is also a nice perk in AQ. You also get some extre vanities which my wife likes... .

We don't like the masses of the MDR, so that's why we always will go for aqua class... .

Having dined in MDR and Blu, we like the blu food more... but that's a matter of taste...

[tbmrt]

Does one need to book a Concierge Class or Aqua Cabin to get a cabin higher than Deck 9?? (Like to walk the steps instead of using elevator to pool, etc)

 

My TA put me in CC, but I'm wondering if I could have gotten a better price if I chose a regular balcony on Deck 10. We don't like the overhang shade so didn't want anything on Deck 11.

 

Thank you.

[miched]

Hi guys,

I've never cruised better than an ocean view window-but we're splurging this trip. Is the difference between the 3 choices being that Aqua you get to eat at "Blu" and hang out in a restful garden area plus concierge service, Concierge you get well, concierge service, and veranda you have the balcony that the other two get but without these extra perks? Anything else?

thanks for your time!

 

The Persian Gardens is not a "hang out" area. 30 minutes a day is about all you would probably spend there and I doubt if it becomes a daily thing.

 

I think the Concierge or service is available to all passengers, and it never really meant much, same as the so called priorities.

 

The rest of the stuff in the discription is something that you will have to weigh according to your budget and price differential at the time.

 

🌅🚢🇺🇸

[gordiej]

My $0.02. The Persian Garden, is objectively worth about $15-20 per person per day based on the published prices. If that's something you would do every day (and some people like that), then that's at least a starting point for thinking about the price differential between CC and AQ.

 

But I agree that for most it really comes down to dining in Blu. I would certainly recommend it at least once. There are lots of viewpoints here. Many people really like it, but there are others that didn't care for it at all. We just tried it on the Connie after a price drop brought the cost below our original CC. I loved the environment, but was mixed on the food. Some really big hits (rack of lamb) and some big misses (seared "tuna" with mushy black rice). I would probably "value" the perk of Blu at about $25 pp/day, slightly below a specialty restaurant (because we didn't love it), but then factor in that I'd probably eat a couple nights at a real specialty restaurant. So, for a 7 day cruise, $25 * 2 people * 5 nights = $250 price difference above CC. (And then maybe a couple days of Persian Garden access on top of that).

 

But that's just me. :)

[Mrspeachykeen]

We just booked a cruise to Alaska on the Solstice for July. We ended up with AQ because of blu. It wasn't until after we booked that we realized AQ is better than CC because AQ was only $400 more total than the cheapest OV(obstructed view), but AQ was $200 less than a CC.

[frawnsay]

I, too, am yet to cruise, but we leave this month (yipee!) for Alaska in Aqua Class. I understand that AQ is suited for only two travelers. Verandas can host more than 2, I believe. Unsure of CC accommodations. Perhaps someone can clarify.

 

Anyway, the only-2-people AQ situation appealed to my husband and me. We'll be kid-free for over a week...and hopefully our neighbor cabins will be kid-free as well ;)

[dkjretired]

I, too, am yet to cruise, but we leave this month (yipee!) for Alaska in Aqua Class. I understand that AQ is suited for only two travelers. Verandas can host more than 2, I believe. Unsure of CC accommodations. Perhaps someone can clarify.

 

Anyway, the only-2-people AQ situation appealed to my husband and me. We'll be kid-free for over a week...and hopefully our neighbor cabins will be kid-free as well ;)

 

Yes, AQ is only two people in a cabin however children are welcome in AQ and Blu. You could have a situation where a nearby cabin has a child in it which is somewhat rare or you could have kids from a suite eating in Blu, not so rare.

[stickey_mouse]

Yes, great question. I have yet to cruise with Celebrity but am doing so this December. We booked Concierge based on its being only $50 more than the cheapest non-obstructed verandah cabin. Hope it's worth the $50, not that it would take much!

[wallie5446]

Yes, great question. I have yet to cruise with Celebrity but am doing so this December. We booked Concierge based on its being only $50 more than the cheapest non-obstructed verandah cabin. Hope it's worth the $50, not that it would take much!

 

You done good, no, GREAT!