Aqua Class on Reflection vs Solstice?

[jeno]

I have only been in Aqua Class once. It was on the Reflection TA last fall. I was with a group that was really looking forward to cruising in Aqua Class and eating in Blu after hearing so much about it. To be honest, Blu was a complete disaster. The service was terrible and the food marginal at best. We ended up eating in the Main Dining Room by the end of the cruise. We now have a chance to try Aqua Class again on the Solstice. I have heard from others that AQ on the Reflection is not the same as on other ships. Has anyone that has done AQ on the Reflection noticed that it isn't as good as the other ships? Should we give it another try or is AQ just not for us? A2 and C3 end up cheaper than a 2B with the additional OBC that would be added.

 

 

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[jelayne]

Haven't done AQ on the Reflection yet but have been in AQ on the Solstice, Equinox & Eclipse. Service was always very good and the food was wonderful.

[Sloop-JohnB]

Blu Menu is the same Fleetwide.

 

Blu DR Set Up is the same on all M-Class Ships (carved out the once upon a time much larger MDR)

 

Blu DR Set Up is the same on all S-Class Ships (a specialty built DR / Restaurant space)

 

What is different in regards to Blu on Reflection is it was designed to be used by a lot more Customers than on the other S-Class Ships... In that Reflection is the ONLY ship that launched with BOTH Aqua Class & Aqua Suite Categories... You add in the many more Suites on the Reflection overall (Sky - Celebrity - Signature - Royal - Penthouse - and Reflection) and there is going to be an even higher demand for seating / service in Blu.

 

Many say that is the downfall on this one ship.

 

Lol, soon to be rectified. As Celebrity does away with the Aqua Suites (converting them to Sky Suites)... And the introduction of Suite Class an AI experience with its own designated DR

 

Cheers!

Edited November 13, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[welshfamily]

Blu can differ even on the same ship. A lot of things can make a difference. The maitre'd and the staff, the mix of passengers i.e. Nationality or age and the ports of call. These things affect Blu because different types of cruiser want to eat at different times. We have found that Europeans like to eat late and Americans early. The time of sail away can also affect how busy Blu is.

Our first AQ experience was on the Eclipse, Blu started off badly, got worse and then improved slightly to simply OK.

Friends persuaded us to try again on the solstice. Very good.

We have since been on the Reflection which by the way was Excellent and then finally this summer the Eclipse again. This time Blu was outstanding in so many ways but Persian gardens, my daughter and mine favourite place on a S class ship...utterly abysmal. This could have been due to a change in the spa concession or the staff.

 

My advice is to give it another try and then if Blu is still not for you go back to the MDR and use the saving to try some speciality restaurants. The lawn grill is great fun and I can highly recommend it.

[Redlondon]

I was Aqua on Eclipse and absolutely loved it. I wasn't Aqua on Reflection a couple of weeks ago, but did manage to eat in Blu one night- it was terrible, noisy and food was so bland and tasteless. I'm so glad I didn't go Aqua this time. A lot of people were complaining, especially with waiting times for a table.

 

 

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[jeno]

That describes our experience perfectly. Thank you for your comments.

[jan-n-john]

We did Aqua on Reflection last Winter (one of the typical 7 day trips out of Miami) and Blu was fine.