Our take on Revised Aqua Class, etc.

[SFL]

We just returned from a 3 nite on the Constellation

In general, we enjoyed the cruise, but what follows is our Aqua Class critique. By way of background we have used Aquaclass on the vast majority of our Celebrity adventures so what follows is our general observations

Lots of Aqua changes

1. No water in room after day 1 contrary to what Celebrity sold us when we booked and what they told our TA before the trip(unlimited water in room every day)

2. Amenities eliminated are the lip balms, facial sprays, cotton balls and qtips they are only available if you remember to request them, wheras befor they were "automatic"

3. BLU menu cut down and only limited availability from Mdr i.e. Onion soup, escargots and 2 other starters. no main courses available from Mdr in BLU as in the past. Also no turkey sausage in blu have to get it in buffet or Mdr and bring in for breakfast or request 1 day before(Change from last time)

3. Ocean liners replaced Murano and in comparison to prior menu offerrings very limited menu and no longer in my experience worth the $

4. Entertainment downhill IMHO

5. Crew service and room attendants was still top notch

6. Buffet choices for lunch leaned toward indo asian , sandwich and salad choices are limited(ham,pressed turkey breast) limited, carving station beef very tough and stringy.. We ate grilled burgers alot. This represented a big change

Also ,Bistro on 5 was practically empty at all times

 

Bottom line Acqua and Celebrity experience no longer "special", it is now strictly a value proposition only IMHO

[dkjretired]

We just returned from a 3 nite on the Constellation

In general, we enjoyed the cruise, but what follows is our Aqua Class critique. By way of background we have used Aquaclass on the vast majority of our Celebrity adventures so what follows is our general observations

Lots of Aqua changes

1. No water in room after day 1 contrary to what Celebrity sold us when we booked and what they told our TA before the trip(unlimited water in room every day)

2. Amenities eliminated are the lip balms, facial sprays, cotton balls and qtips they are only available if you remember to request them, wheras befor they were "automatic"

3. BLU menu cut down and only limited availability from Mdr i.e. Onion soup, escargots and 2 other starters. no main courses available from Mdr in BLU as in the past. Also no turkey sausage in blu have to get it in buffet or Mdr and bring in for breakfast or request 1 day before(Change from last time)

3. Ocean liners replaced Murano and in comparison to prior menu offerrings very limited menu and no longer in my experience worth the $

4. Entertainment downhill IMHO

5. Crew service and room attendants was still top notch

6. Buffet choices for lunch leaned toward indo asian , sandwich and salad choices are limited(ham,pressed turkey breast) limited, carving station beef very tough and stringy.. We ate grilled burgers alot. This represented a big change

Also ,Bistro on 5 was practically empty at all times

 

Bottom line Acqua and Celebrity experience no longer "special", it is now strictly a value proposition only IMHO

 

Just to make you aware, they have been getting away from MDR meals in Blu for quite awhile now, at least a year.

[jelayne]

The jars of tips and cotton balls were also removed about a year ago & replaced with a small package containing a couple of cotton balls & qtips.

 

IMHO an improvement as I felt that containers of cotton balls & qtips were unsanitary as I doubt that the contents were emptied and replaced with fresh after after cruise.

[lovemylab]

The jars of tips and cotton balls were also removed about a year ago & replaced with a small package containing a couple of cotton balls & qtips.

 

IMHO an improvement as I felt that containers of cotton balls & qtips were unsanitary as I doubt that the contents were emptied and replaced with fresh after after cruise.

 

The packages of cotton balls and qtips are not automatically provided. They are only available upon request.

[Texed]

3. Ocean liners replaced Murano and in comparison to prior menu offerrings very limited menu and no longer in my experience worth the $

 

I do not believe Murano was ever on Constellation.

[warmwinds]

I'm not sure what "Ocean Liners replaced Murano" means (having not sailed on Connie yet, but soon) - I thought Connie still had Ocean Liners, and now had Tuscan Grille, too. I never knew any of the M-class ships to have "Murano" - just their classic (Ocean Liners, Normandie, SS United States, etc.) restaurant and some had Qsine.

 

Which exactly are the specialty restaurants on Connie now?

[Texed]

- I thought Connie still had Ocean Liners, and now had Tuscan Grille, too.

Which exactly are the specialty restaurants on Connie now?

 

You are correct. Plus, Constellation has Bistro on Five. Ocean Liners will be converted to Tuscan Grill.

[foodsvcmgr]

When you say no MDR items anymore, are you referring to the Always Available steak, chicken, and fish alternative entrees or do you mean the ability to request from that night's MDR menu in Blu?

[Wine-O]

On Silhouette TA last November we were able to order entrees in Blu that were on the MDR menu.

[warmwinds]

Texed, I'm now more confused than ever. One the X website (which we all know is often wrong), they still show Ocean Liners on Deck 3, and they show Tuscan Grille on Deck 11.

 

Are you saying Tuscan Grille is going to move to Deck 3 in OL's place? Then what are they going to put in the current space on Deck 11?

[akowilm]

I was on the Connie in March of last year and ate 2 meals each on Ocean Liners and the Tuscan Grill, so I am confused as well!?!😱

 

Sent from my QTAQZ3 using Tapatalk

[riclop]

There seems to be cut backs on every line.

[jelayne]

The packages of cotton balls and qtips are not automatically provided. They are only available upon request.

 

They were in the cabin a few months ago & were replenished without asking.

Edited January 10, 2016 by jelayne

[cruiseyj]

The packages of cotton balls and qtips are not automatically provided. They are only available upon request.

 

 

I had these in a balcony room provided daily (the little box with a few cotton balls, q-tips, small nail emery board). Maybe it depends on steward. This was on solstice in December.

 

I agree bistro on 5 cover charge is up $10 now, and the food was not very good. Not worth it anymore. Only a couple crepes on menu now

[Texed]

Texed,

Are you saying Tuscan Grille is going to move to Deck 3 in OL's place? Then what are they going to put in the current space on Deck 11?

 

I do not think it has been announced, but if I were guessing, ( that is all it is), they will convert Ocean Liners to Tuscan, and Tuscan to Qsine. But, that is just a guess.

 

BTW, we got to sample a new Tuscan Grill menu that is appearing in July. The best meal we ever had at sea. (But do not tell anyone). ;)

[Hlitner]

I do not think it has been announced, but if I were guessing, ( that is all it is), they will convert Ocean Liners to Tuscan, and Tuscan to Qsine. But, that is just a guess.

 

BTW, we got to sample a new Tuscan Grill menu that is appearing in July. The best meal we ever had at sea. (But do not tell anyone). ;)

 

When we were recently on the Eclipse (last month) some friends told us they were really annoyed to discover that Tuscan now has an add-on menu where you have to pay extra (above the Tuscan price) for certain entrees such as the good ole lobster tail. They were not aware until they actually sat at their Tuscan table and were handed a menu of the add-ons (which did not show on the menu posted at the door).

 

So it appears that X is now into a new mode of charging extras for even those in alternative restaurants where they are already paying the new inflated prices. Boggles the mind.

 

Hank

[ghstudio]

When we were recently on the Eclipse (last month) some friends told us they were really annoyed to discover that Tuscan now has an add-on menu where you have to pay extra (above the Tuscan price) for certain entrees such as the good ole lobster tail. They were not aware until they actually sat at their Tuscan table and were handed a menu of the add-ons (which did not show on the menu posted at the door).

 

So it appears that X is now into a new mode of charging extras for even those in alternative restaurants where they are already paying the new inflated prices. Boggles the mind.

 

Hank

 

I think X would charge you for your napkin if they thought they could....but yes, there is a menu of I believe 4 items for an extra charge. On the other hand, who really wants to eat an 18oz steak (or should I say should eat). One of the others is a charcuterie appetizer...at a ridiculous, and insulting up charge in a supposedly Italian restaurant.

 

We ate at both Tuscan (new menu) and Murano last month on the equinox after I struck a deal for $30pp for each meal for the 6 of us. I just don't get a good vibe at Tuscan....never had a really good meal and the atmosphere and service is not special...the view doesn't much matter when it's dark out. On the other hand, Murano was spectacular...due to the food, service and ambience (we ate in the wine cellar with a dedicated head waiter for our party of 6. We left a very nice extra tip at Murano for both the wine steward and the head waiter....they deserved it. Tuscan got nothing extra.

[varoo]

They were in the cabin a few months ago & were replenished without asking.

I think it just depends on your stateroom attendants. Our experience has been that some replace items automatically, and with others we need to ask.

 

Never a problem though - just leave a post-it note.

The note is gone and the requested item is there the next time we return.

[bigbenboys]

We just returned from a 3 nite on the Constellation

In general, we enjoyed the cruise, but what follows is our Aqua Class critique. By way of background we have used Aquaclass on the vast majority of our Celebrity adventures so what follows is our general observations

Lots of Aqua changes

1. No water in room after day 1 contrary to what Celebrity sold us when we booked and what they told our TA before the trip(unlimited water in room every day)

2. Amenities eliminated are the lip balms, facial sprays, cotton balls and qtips they are only available if you remember to request them, wheras befor they were "automatic"

3. BLU menu cut down and only limited availability from Mdr i.e. Onion soup, escargots and 2 other starters. no main courses available from Mdr in BLU as in the past. Also no turkey sausage in blu have to get it in buffet or Mdr and bring in for breakfast or request 1 day before(Change from last time)

3. Ocean liners replaced Murano and in comparison to prior menu offerrings very limited menu and no longer in my experience worth the $

4. Entertainment downhill IMHO

5. Crew service and room attendants was still top notch

6. Buffet choices for lunch leaned toward indo asian , sandwich and salad choices are limited(ham,pressed turkey breast) limited, carving station beef very tough and stringy.. We ate grilled burgers alot. This represented a big change

Also ,Bistro on 5 was practically empty at all times

 

Bottom line Acqua and Celebrity experience no longer "special", it is now strictly a value proposition only IMHO

 

If I liked what was on the MDR menu and not what was on the Blu menu I would and have eaten in the Select part of the MDR. I would not ask for item off the MDR menu in Blu. I would also not expect the staff in Blu to get MDR item for me. We must be what they called low matinees.

[elena7seas]

We just returned from a 3 nite on the Constellation

In general, we enjoyed the cruise, but what follows is our Aqua Class critique. By way of background we have used Aquaclass on the vast majority of our Celebrity adventures so what follows is our general observations

Lots of Aqua changes

1. No water in room after day 1 contrary to what Celebrity sold us when we booked and what they told our TA before the trip(unlimited water in room every day)

2. Amenities eliminated are the lip balms, facial sprays, cotton balls and qtips they are only available if you remember to request them, wheras befor they were "automatic"

3. BLU menu cut down and only limited availability from Mdr i.e. Onion soup, escargots and 2 other starters. no main courses available from Mdr in BLU as in the past. Also no turkey sausage in blu have to get it in buffet or Mdr and bring in for breakfast or request 1 day before(Change from last time)

3. Ocean liners replaced Murano and in comparison to prior menu offerrings very limited menu and no longer in my experience worth the $

4. Entertainment downhill IMHO

5. Crew service and room attendants was still top notch

6. Buffet choices for lunch leaned toward indo asian , sandwich and salad choices are limited(ham,pressed turkey breast) limited, carving station beef very tough and stringy.. We ate grilled burgers alot. This represented a big change

Also ,Bistro on 5 was practically empty at all times

 

Bottom line Acqua and Celebrity experience no longer "special", it is now strictly a value proposition only IMHO

 

We were in AquaClass on the Equinox on December 11-21. Except for the water issue, I thought things were just as good as ever in AquaClass:

 

1. True. Complimentary water (2 bottles) was provided on embarkation day only.

 

2. We received lip balm, the white net drawstring bag, the spa slippers, the canvas tote bag, a small box of a few cotton balls and a few Qtips (we didn't use these marginal-quality items as I brought my own, but I'm sure they would have been replenished daily without requests; our steward was excellent), shower gel, a chilled bottle of bubbly on embarkation day, a large Equadorian rose and alstroemeria on first formal night (from Captain's Club) that lasted for the full cruise, and small chocolate squares on the pillow every night (milk or dark). We received the extended breakfast menu. My choice of extra down pillows and a feather body pillow was promptly supplied. I no longer needed the egg-crate topper as the mattresses are now adequately padded for our needs. If there is anything I may of forgotten, please ask.

 

3. I don't expect to get anything from the MDR menu. I am quite happy with the BLU menus and don't even look at the MDR menu. Other than that, we received everything we requested (not much...escargot or shrimp cocktail for my DH every night).

 

3b. Of the specialties, we only went to Silk Harvest on Equinox, which we received at 30% off. I would not have paid the full up-charge. The service was excellent, but we found the food to be sub-par. In all fairness though, we have access to wonderful Asian food here in Vancouver.

 

4. We enjoyed much of the entertainment around the ship; the voices of the Celebrity singers were very good but I didn't enjoy the music of one of the new productions at all. The staging was so-so, although Elysium was quite pretty. The dancers were good.

 

5. Service everywhere was excellent.

 

6. The buffet was very good; lots of selection, some new items, a greater selection of food available until much later in the evening. (I am not expecting to get a full meal in the buffet at 10:00 pm) but there was quite a bit to choose from nonetheless.

 

7. We had the "new" Bistro menu on the Infinity in September, then we had the "new" "new" shorter menu on the Equinox in December. I think this most recent menu is a step down from either of the two previous menus. There were a reasonable number of people in Bistro on 5 and service was somewhat quicker that in the past. (The service in Bo5 on the Infinity was so slow I thought that the staff had gone home. :))

 

My experience over the years has been that you never seem to get the full experience on a 3-night cruise.

[wallie5446]

We were in AquaClass on the Equinox on December 11-21. Except for the water issue, I thought things were just as good as ever in AquaClass:

 

1. True. Complimentary water (2 bottles) was provided on embarkation day only.

 

2. We received lip balm, the white net drawstring bag, the spa slippers, the canvas tote bag, a small box of a few cotton balls and a few Qtips (we didn't use these marginal-quality items as I brought my own, but I'm sure they would have been replenished daily without requests; our steward was excellent), shower gel, a chilled bottle of bubbly on embarkation day, a large Equadorian rose and alstroemeria on first formal night (from Captain's Club) that lasted for the full cruise, and small chocolate squares on the pillow every night (milk or dark). We received the extended breakfast menu. My choice of extra down pillows and a feather body pillow was promptly supplied. I no longer needed the egg-crate topper as the mattresses are now adequately padded for our needs. If there is anything I may of forgotten, please ask.

 

3. I don't expect to get anything from the MDR menu. I am quite happy with the BLU menus and don't even look at the MDR menu. Other than that, we received everything we requested (not much...escargot or shrimp cocktail for my DH every night).

 

3b. Of the specialties, we only went to Silk Harvest on Equinox, which we received at 30% off. I would not have paid the full up-charge. The service was excellent, but we found the food to be sub-par. In all fairness though, we have access to wonderful Asian food here in Vancouver.

 

4. We enjoyed much of the entertainment around the ship; the voices of the Celebrity singers were very good but I didn't enjoy the music of one of the new productions at all. The staging was so-so, although Elysium was quite pretty. The dancers were good.

 

5. Service everywhere was excellent.

 

6. The buffet was very good; lots of selection, some new items, a greater selection of food available until much later in the evening. (I am not expecting to get a full meal in the buffet at 10:00 pm) but there was quite a bit to choose from nonetheless.

 

7. We had the "new" Bistro menu on the Infinity in September, then we had the "new" "new" shorter menu on the Equinox in December. I think this most recent menu is a step down from either of the two previous menus. There were a reasonable number of people in Bistro on 5 and service was somewhat quicker that in the past. (The service in Bo5 on the Infinity was so slow I thought that the staff had gone home. :))

 

My experience over the years has been that you never seem to get the full experience on a 3-night cruise.

 

We were on the Equinox over Thanksgiving Nov 20-30 in an A2. Elena your description reads like ours was.

 

I too feel the 3 day are not able to provide the Celebrity Experience.

EW

[TNhome]

We have sailed in Aqua class many times. The first times we sailed in aqua class we were told there could only be 2 adults in the room as they were a spa offering for adults only. Blu restaurant therefore was adults only. Slowly but surely things have changed there as well. Now they allow children, which doesn't seem right for someone wanting a true spa experience. You go to the spa, get a massage and come back to a room with a loud child next door. It just doesn't mix well if you are truly paying for a spa experience. Also missing are the flowers in the room, slippers for both adults in the room, the face spray, and now the water. It seems Celebrity really isn't offering much in the way of a spa experience anymore.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Celebrity never prevented children from sailing in Aqua class, as long as it was only 2 people in the cabin. Has this been changed to allow 3 in an aqua cabin?

[Iamthesea]

We have sailed in Aqua class many times. The first times we sailed in aqua class we were told there could only be 2 adults in the room as they were a spa offering for adults only. Blu restaurant therefore was adults only. Slowly but surely things have changed there as well. Now they allow children, which doesn't seem right for someone wanting a true spa experience. You go to the spa, get a massage and come back to a room with a loud child next door. It just doesn't mix well if you are truly paying for a spa experience. Also missing are the flowers in the room, slippers for both adults in the room, the face spray, and now the water. It seems Celebrity really isn't offering much in the way of a spa experience anymore.

 

Celebrity never prevented children from sailing in Aqua class, as long as it was only 2 people in the cabin. Has this been changed to allow 3 in an aqua cabin?

 

Perhaps it was 3 persons in an Aqua Class Suite on the Reflection before those reverted to Sky Suites?

 

We have dined in Blu a number of cruises and never seen a child in the dining room. Perhaps they are eating earlier. Nor have we seen/heard any on the AQ decks.

 

1. True. Complimentary water (2 bottles) was provided on embarkation day only.

 

I find this reasonable. The last few sailings we have taken in Sky Suites and AQ, we have been inundated with water bottles. During one sailing, there were 10 bottles on our desk. The steward would bring in new bottles everyday. We really only used the bottle watered to take our meds. It got so we could not tell which bottle was opened and which was not because the steward would rearrange the dresser when dusting. It was ridiculous and they took up a lot of space, not to mention the waste!

 

Because we had the beverage package, we would pick-up fresh/cold bottled waters to drink before and after excursions.

Edited January 11, 2016 by Iamthesea

[Christine Frances]

We have sailed in Aqua class many times. The first times we sailed in aqua class we were told there could only be 2 adults in the room as they were a spa offering for adults only. Blu restaurant therefore was adults only. Slowly but surely things have changed there as well. Now they allow children, which doesn't seem right for someone wanting a true spa experience. You go to the spa, get a massage and come back to a room with a loud child next door. It just doesn't mix well if you are truly paying for a spa experience. Also missing are the flowers in the room, slippers for both adults in the room, the face spray, and now the water. It seems Celebrity really isn't offering much in the way of a spa experience anymore.

 

AQ are set up only for two but a child can share a cabin with another adult. Children are also allowed in Blu, usually because they are with families staying in suites. Never has AQ or Blu been "adults only"

Edited January 11, 2016 by Christine Frances