Blu

[ghstudio]

Given how tight the tables are in blu (which we don't mind), it's pretty hard to do "at the table" anything. I suspect that you can get up and go to the cart, wherever it is, and tell them what you'd like. Personally, if the cart disappeared...well, to be truthful, if muesli disappeared completely, I'd never notice....

[chamima]

It is not a secret for those who normally book AQ. If they listed every item that is not on the menu it would not only become rather lengthy but cause a lot of additional work for the staff.

 

The real beauty of Blu aside from the quiet nature of the room and the very high level of service (without bordering on being "oppressive") is the ability to ask for a special request the next evening. I am not aware of any other dining venue that affords one the ability to do this.

 

What value do my wife and I assign to Blu? If we are not spending more than $20/day each for this we always "go Blu". Next week we are on the Eclipse for 11 days and if the value proposition for us has been altered I will let everyone know. (BTW anyone wanting to suggest some of the better waiters onboard Eclipse now let us know please...)

 

Vinod!! :D

[2206]

This will be our first time in Aquaclass. Do people dress the same as in the MDR? What about on the "Chic" nights - should we dress more formally? We were hoping not to have to dress up this cruise.

 

Thank you.

[20pluscruises]

On our cruise, we received a supplementary menu listing those additional items that are also available. So it is really not a "secret menu" any more.:)

 

May i ask...what is on the supplementary menu? Thanks!

[gek]

This will be our first time in Aquaclass. Do people dress the same as in the MDR? What about on the "Chic" nights - should we dress more formally? We were hoping not to have to dress up this cruise.

 

Thank you.

 

Blu is smart casual and above every night. There has never been any need for formal wear but many people do choose to dress up. Smart casual is perfectly acceptable on formal/chic nights.

 

On average, I would say that Blu diners tend to dress a bit tidier than MDR guests on non-formal nights but the difference is not significant. Just relax and enjoy your cruise.

[ghstudio]

May i ask...what is on the supplementary menu? Thanks!

 

Caesar Salad with or without anchovies

escargot

onion soup

 

steak

chicken (baked/broiled?)

fish (?)

 

apple pie

ice cream

fresh berries

 

Those are at least some of the items I recall...there may be more.

[thebutlerdidit]

It is not a secret for those who normally book AQ. If they listed every item that is not on the menu it would not only become rather lengthy but cause a lot of additional work for the staff.

I'm going to disagree. I've never been handed a supplemental menu in Blu. Only those who follow Cruise Critic closely know to ask for other menus. It's more work for servers to have to verbally list off-menu items that are available than it would be to just let diners decide what they'd like by reading the complete offerings.

[bigbenboys]

oh...that just hurts my head. While we like blu, the above really goes far far beyond the actual experience. On some cruises, I've even asked if they have any other seasoning bedside salt in the kitchen. Certainly, there is nothing in Blu that would create even mild discomfort for someone on a bland diet. And please, three little dishes of the same crudites every night does not strike me as the artful presentation of any cuisine...it strikes me as very very boring.

 

I guess that's the white rose they are referring to is the one they no longer give you in your aqua class room...right?

 

Here is the White Rose. It is on the wall of the restaurant.

[El Crucero]

We thought Blu was OK the first few trips, not great but OK, but over time the repetitiveness and dumbed down nature of the preparations becomes BORING. I'm not saying it has gotten any worse intrinsically, but to the individual it gets old --in fact, in my opinion, most of the observations that the food in Blu has gone downhill are due to the boring factor rather than any actual change in the food. The truth is it never changes and that's the fundamental problem.

 

My understanding is that Blu has a 14 day menu that doesn't repeat until the 15th day. My understanding is that the MDR and Luminae also have a 14 day menu that repeats. So how does that make Blu more boring than MDR or Luminae? What am I missing? We have never been in Blu for 14 straight days, so I don't know. When eating in the MDR, the selections are generally the same from cruise to cruise which are generally the same in our experience as on other cruise lines. We are okay with that.

[lovemylab]

My understanding is that Blu has a 14 day menu that doesn't repeat until the 15th day. My understanding is that the MDR and Luminae also have a 14 day menu that repeats. So how does that make Blu more boring than MDR or Luminae? What am I missing? We have never been in Blu for 14 straight days, so I don't know. When eating in the MDR, the selections are generally the same from cruise to cruise which are generally the same in our experience as on other cruise lines. We are okay with that.

 

Blu is still using the exact same menu's today that they used in 2010 when the Solstice class ships were launched. If someone cruises frequently in an AQ class cabin they've been dining off the same menu's for over 5 years, which some may find boring.

 

In comparison, the menu's in the MDR tend to get updated every couple years.

Edited January 21, 2016 by lovemylab

[20pluscruises]

Caesar Salad with or without anchovies

escargot

onion soup

 

steak

chicken (baked/broiled?)

fish (?)

 

apple pie

ice cream

fresh berries

 

Those are at least some of the items I recall...there may be more.

 

Many thanks!!! :)

[Jade13]

Ghstudio,

 

Of course it was copy/pasted from the web site. I was practicing to fill in for Celebrity Cruises. Isn't that what they do when responding like a robot?

 

BTW, I wonder how many Celebrity marketing people stayed up all night working on the web site's ridiculous, superfluous and pompous verbiage?

 

I will be peeling the proverbial white rose for my first time next month on the Connie. However from what I thought others have said in posts; table side muesli is no longer available. Is that true? Did it really go the way of the daily bottled water and dodo birds?

 

 

It is temporary. I spoke to the hotel director on Millennium. They have redesigned the carts which did not meet inspection and they were required to stop using.