how much would you pay for aqua class?

[NantahalaCruiser]

Love eating in Blu, but the price spread between a 1A at the loyalty 1B fare and the A2 fare (for either an A1 or A2 depending on available locations) has gone out of sight - $950 per person difference on a 12N cruise.

 

We draw the line at around $30 per person per night fare difference since we can eat in specialty restaurants for less than that with the packages.

 

With current price differential trends, we will probably never eat in Blu again - Murano here we come!

And now the price spread has increased to $1100!

[tugboat]

Love eating in Blu, but the price spread between a 1A at the loyalty 1B fare and the A2 fare (for either an A1 or A2 depending on available locations) has gone out of sight - $950 per person difference on a 12N cruise.

 

We draw the line at around $30 per person per night fare difference since we can eat in specialty restaurants for less than that with the packages.

 

With current price differential trends, we will probably never eat in Blu again - Murano here we come!

 

 

 

Good Point

 

 

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[Work2cruz!]

On the Solstice Class ships we would only be willing to pay about $10 (if that) per passenger day....over the cost of a mid-category balcony cabin! And we say this from experience having been in Aqua on several cruises. I will try to explain our reasoning...as it applies to that class of ship. IMHO the cabin locations for most Aqua Cabins are awful! The higher category A1 cabins are generally located directly above the pool deck with their balconies in a cave-like setting with a huge pool deck overhang blocking mush of the sky view (and the sun for many hours a day). You also run the risk of noise from the pool deck...especially early in the morning as the crew and passengers move around the loungers. Some of the A2 cabins are separated from the overhang by another passenger deck (these cabins are aft of the pool area) but you can still have a big support pole infringing on your balcony...and that overhang is still too darn close. As to Blu, after dining in that venue well over 30 times we tired of their menu...which often is not as good as what is in the MDR. In fact, Blu used to have a secret menu (no longer secret) of certain MDR items (i.e. escargot, french onion soup, cheesecake, etc) because they were in demand. Blu is also primarily 2 top tables (very close together) without the ability to share a large table (which we love to do in the MDR).

 

After reading many posts here on CC we came to an interesting conclusion. Why not book a much less expensive regular balcony cabin (they are exactly the same size as AQ cabins) on deck 9 or 10. Not only do you save money, but you are away from that overhang and the pool deck. And with all the money we save on the cabin, we can use some (or all) of it to purchase a dining package at a nice discount. If you do this during the 20% off sale (X does this a few times a year) the cost per person/meal drops to about $25. We did this on a recent 21 night Reflection cruise and used the dining package to have 10 dinners in Murano, 2 in Qsine, and one in both The Lawn and Tuscan. The other nights we dined in the MDR (mostly during the Chic nights when they have their best menus). The food and service in Murano is far superior to what you get in Blu...and our cost was actually cheaper than if we had booked Aqua to dine in Blu.

 

Hank

 

 

 

We just got off a 14 night on the Eclipse and paid $950.00 USD to go Aqua. We had a great experience and food and service was great. We’ve had good and bad experiences in the MDR in the past, the best when we’ve had set seating, we’ve never had good luck with Select. However 6:30 is too early and 8:30 is too late. Most nights we ate at 7:30 in Blu and never had to wait for a table (4 of us) any night. So that part I like.

 

But I have the same idea as you for our next cruise - book standard balcony (or Concierge if possible) and put the $$ towards specialty restaurants. Especially since we’re on the Silhouette next year and Lawn Club Grill is one of our favourites. We also had good intentions of using Persian Gardens but only ended up going once.

 

 

 

 

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[Ozzmund]

One of the things we really enjoy about Blu is our ability to eat when we want.

If we were to book a regular balcony and spend the money on specialty restaurants, how likely will we be able to eat in those restaurants when we want, not when they want us to eat?

[varoo]

One of the things we really enjoy about Blu is our ability to eat when we want.

If we were to book a regular balcony and spend the money on specialty restaurants, how likely will we be able to eat in those restaurants when we want, not when they want us to eat?

 

It depends. They often hold prime times open for suite passengers, just in case any of them should decide they want to dine then.

We first learned this when we were passing by a restaurant and stopped to book a reservation for 6:30, without ever mentioning that we were staying in a suite.

We were told that the earliest opening they had was 8:30.

 

We then asked for 6:30 another evening, and were told that nothing was available before 8:30 for the entire cruise.

So we just thought that other passengers had already booked all the earlier times.

 

Later in the day we happened to mention the incident when speaking with the Michael's Club concierge, who picked up the phone and immediately got us a reservation for 6:30.

(While we already knew that we could ask the butler or Michael's Club concierge to make reservations for us when staying in a suite, now we know the reason why suite passengers do it that way, instead of simply making the reservations themselves.)

By the way, when we showed up for dinner at 6:30 the restaurant was almost empty and we could sit anywhere we liked.

When we finished eating and left, around 8:00, it was still almost empty.

 

So much for the story about not having anything available before 8:30.

If we had not happened to mention the incident to the Michael's Club concierge, we would likely still be thinking that all the prime times get booked up early.

Edited March 12, 2018 by varoo

[teamflames]

I look at the cost per day. Shoot for $100 per person per day. Sailed on a couple last year in AQ for $999 for 10 nights plus taxes and gratuities!

 

 

 

Drinks package included? I presume only in the Caribbean?

 

 

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[teamflames]

We weren’t willing to pay anything on our last cruise but were able to upgrade after final payment and move from an OV to AQU at zero cost.

 

We would consider it on the M class ships if you can get a cabin on deck 11 which has been upgraded.

 

 

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Is this because the prices dropped?

 

 

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[teamflames]

We enjoyed our first time in Aqua a year and a half ago, especially since we have been on so many X cruises and were ready for some new menus. Next month will be our 2nd time and we are looking forward to it again. We are in an A-1 again on the Constellation. With the smaller standard balcony cabins on M Class ships, it is worth a higher price. Plus, we do like the intimacy in Blu compared to the MDR. The M Class Persian Garden didn't impress me at all. A very small and dark area that has little appeal to us. I won't bother even going during the upcoming cruise.

 

 

 

Even though we like Aqua, we wouldn't pay much more for it, except on M Class ships. With our upcoming cruise in Aqua only costing $100 pp per day, there wasn't much of a price difference either.

 

 

 

100 per day, which itinerary? Including perks?

 

 

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[MVPinBoynton]

100 per day, which itinerary? Including perks?

 

 

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April 22, 2018 Arabian Sea/Suez Canal cruise. Perks were never available on this cruise, since it is a repo type cruise with lots of sea days. At that price, I don’t need perks. :D

[luv2cruisecats]

I put it at $35/day pp over what a balcony would be for the same cruise on the S Class considering that any additional perks are the same. $30/day pp on the M class because there are no footstools on the balcony and the Persain Gardens isn’t as nice.

 

Anything more and I could get a dining package if we wanted or needed.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

That is the exact amount we use for making the Aqua choice. Once you are over the $35/person/day number you are better off going with Select in the MDR and then buying dinner packages for the (overpriced) restaurants which tends to put the per use charge back to reasonable. Alternately if you are a good negotiator you can work out 30 to 50% discounts on the upcharge restaurants dependent upon ship and demand level.

 

Considering the astronomical A1 and A2 premiums looks like we will not be going with Aqua too often in future. Does anyone know why they are priced so high now?

[Work2cruz!]

One of the things we really enjoy about Blu is our ability to eat when we want.

If we were to book a regular balcony and spend the money on specialty restaurants, how likely will we be able to eat in those restaurants when we want, not when they want us to eat?

 

You have a good point - that's one of my favorite things about Blu - I've only done Select once was very unimpressed by the service with getting a different waiter every night and I'm not doing the 8:30 seating anymore. It's too late and I don't like having to be committed to eat at a certain time every night. I may have to re-think my thoughts and do Blu again if the price is right on my upcoming cruises.

[sandpiper35]

Not more than $20 per day.

 

Cheers.

[hcat]

Up til now including upcoming EDGE in 2019, we always choose AQ ....regardless of pricing,

 

But with the 4 dining rm choices for Select Dining on EDGE, we might try Concierge with the Select choice...we'll see how reviews go

[Arzeena]

On the Solstice Class ships we would only be willing to pay about $10 (if that) per passenger day....over the cost of a mid-category balcony cabin! And we say this from experience having been in Aqua on several cruises. I will try to explain our reasoning...as it applies to that class of ship. IMHO the cabin locations for most Aqua Cabins are awful! The higher category A1 cabins are generally located directly above the pool deck with their balconies in a cave-like setting with a huge pool deck overhang blocking mush of the sky view (and the sun for many hours a day). You also run the risk of noise from the pool deck...especially early in the morning as the crew and passengers move around the loungers. Some of the A2 cabins are separated from the overhang by another passenger deck (these cabins are aft of the pool area) but you can still have a big support pole infringing on your balcony...and that overhang is still too darn close. As to Blu, after dining in that venue well over 30 times we tired of their menu...which often is not as good as what is in the MDR. In fact, Blu used to have a secret menu (no longer secret) of certain MDR items (i.e. escargot, french onion soup, cheesecake, etc) because they were in demand. Blu is also primarily 2 top tables (very close together) without the ability to share a large table (which we love to do in the MDR).

 

After reading many posts here on CC we came to an interesting conclusion. Why not book a much less expensive regular balcony cabin (they are exactly the same size as AQ cabins) on deck 9 or 10. Not only do you save money, but you are away from that overhang and the pool deck. And with all the money we save on the cabin, we can use some (or all) of it to purchase a dining package at a nice discount. If you do this during the 20% off sale (X does this a few times a year) the cost per person/meal drops to about $25. We did this on a recent 21 night Reflection cruise and used the dining package to have 10 dinners in Murano, 2 in Qsine, and one in both The Lawn and Tuscan. The other nights we dined in the MDR (mostly during the Chic nights when they have their best menus). The food and service in Murano is far superior to what you get in Blu...and our cost was actually cheaper than if we had booked Aqua to dine in Blu.

 

Hank

 

Hank, that is how we look at it too. And we moved down to the angled balcony on deck 9, under the Aqua room we originally had. Saved $1200.

[teamflames]

April 22, 2018 Arabian Sea/Suez Canal cruise. Perks were never available on this cruise, since it is a repo type cruise with lots of sea days. At that price, I don’t need perks. :D

 

 

 

Thanks for responding, we did that cruise in November a couple of years ago and it was great. Petra was phenomenal. We got super lucky on that one as someone pointed us to the UK website which included the perks and a heavily discounted price as a last minute deal. I agree at that price I am happy to buy the drinks.

I ask these questions about the amazing deals as we were obtaining those prices on Celebrity throughout 2016 but not finding anything even close now. Most itineraries we look at are at least double. Does seem like all cruise lines are more expensive this year

 

 

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[Luvcrusn]

On the Solstice Class ships we would only be willing to pay about $10 (if that) per passenger day....over the cost of a mid-category balcony cabin! And we say this from experience having been in Aqua on several cruises. I will try to explain our reasoning...as it applies to that class of ship. IMHO the cabin locations for most Aqua Cabins are awful! The higher category A1 cabins are generally located directly above the pool deck with their balconies in a cave-like setting with a huge pool deck overhang blocking mush of the sky view (and the sun for many hours a day). You also run the risk of noise from the pool deck...especially early in the morning as the crew and passengers move around the loungers. Some of the A2 cabins are separated from the overhang by another passenger deck (these cabins are aft of the pool area) but you can still have a big support pole infringing on your balcony...and that overhang is still too darn close. As to Blu, after dining in that venue well over 30 times we tired of their menu...which often is not as good as what is in the MDR. In fact, Blu used to have a secret menu (no longer secret) of certain MDR items (i.e. escargot, french onion soup, cheesecake, etc) because they were in demand. Blu is also primarily 2 top tables (very close together) without the ability to share a large table (which we love to do in the MDR).

 

After reading many posts here on CC we came to an interesting conclusion. Why not book a much less expensive regular balcony cabin (they are exactly the same size as AQ cabins) on deck 9 or 10. Not only do you save money, but you are away from that overhang and the pool deck. And with all the money we save on the cabin, we can use some (or all) of it to purchase a dining package at a nice discount. If you do this during the 20% off sale (X does this a few times a year) the cost per person/meal drops to about $25. We did this on a recent 21 night Reflection cruise and used the dining package to have 10 dinners in Murano, 2 in Qsine, and one in both The Lawn and Tuscan. The other nights we dined in the MDR (mostly during the Chic nights when they have their best menus). The food and service in Murano is far superior to what you get in Blu...and our cost was actually cheaper than if we had booked Aqua to dine in Blu.

 

Hank

I agree with many of your arguments for selecting a dining package and a regular verandah over Blu at a large upcharge. One argument puzzles me however. You mentioned being tired of the Blu menu after dining there more than 30 times, but then ate in Murano 10 times in 21 days. While we love Murano, the menu there doesn't change at all during a cruise and hardly changes at all from year to year. Doesn't that get tiresome as well? We enjoy dining in Murano, but more than once or twice at most during a 2-3 week cruise would be enough for us. At least the menu on Blu changes nightly on a 14 day rotation.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks for responding, we did that cruise in November a couple of years ago and it was great. Petra was phenomenal. We got super lucky on that one as someone pointed us to the UK website which included the perks and a heavily discounted price as a last minute deal. I agree at that price I am happy to buy the drinks.

I ask these questions about the amazing deals as we were obtaining those prices on Celebrity throughout 2016 but not finding anything even close now. Most itineraries we look at are at least double. Does seem like all cruise lines are more expensive this year

 

 

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We were quite pleased with the deal on this cruise. I don’t think we will see many like it in the future.

[Hlitner]

I agree with many of your arguments for selecting a dining package and a regular verandah over Blu at a large upcharge. One argument puzzles me however. You mentioned being tired of the Blu menu after dining there more than 30 times, but then ate in Murano 10 times in 21 days. While we love Murano, the menu there doesn't change at all during a cruise and hardly changes at all from year to year. Doesn't that get tiresome as well? We enjoy dining in Murano, but more than once or twice at most during a 2-3 week cruise would be enough for us. At least the menu on Blu changes nightly on a 14 day rotation.

 

That is a very fair question, and we actually debated the issue while on that cruise. We had dining packages for 14 meals (over 21 days) and originally thought we might spread them around all the various dining venues (Murano, Qsine, Tuscan and The Lawn). We had dined in all these venues on numerous other cruises so none of this was new. But after the first 2 dinners in Murano we were simply blown away by the service and quality. DW and I are very versatile diners, so we worked our way through nearly every starter, entree and dessert in Murano. The worst meal in Murano out classed all the other venues (by far). Blu does change...but there is an awful sameness about many of the entrees (be it braised lamb shank, short ribs, etc). When we dined in the Tuscan...we were so underwhelmed we saw no reason to return. Qsine is great...but we can only take that a few times a cruise. And the Lawn was fun, but the Chateaubriand in Murano blew away any of the steaks in the Lawn.

 

Hank

[Luvcrusn]

That is a very fair question, and we actually debated the issue while on that cruise. We had dining packages for 14 meals (over 21 days) and originally thought we might spread them around all the various dining venues (Murano, Qsine, Tuscan and The Lawn). We had dined in all these venues on numerous other cruises so none of this was new. But after the first 2 dinners in Murano we were simply blown away by the service and quality. DW and I are very versatile diners, so we worked our way through nearly every starter, entree and dessert in Murano. The worst meal in Murano out classed all the other venues (by far). Blu does change...but there is an awful sameness about many of the entrees (be it braised lamb shank, short ribs, etc). When we dined in the Tuscan...we were so underwhelmed we saw no reason to return. Qsine is great...but we can only take that a few times a cruise. And the Lawn was fun, but the Chateaubriand in Murano blew away any of the steaks in the Lawn.

 

Hank

I agree with you about Tuscan. DH and I find it a bit like an overpriced, pretentious chain restaurant and feel the food there does not warrant the extra cost (even at a negotiated discount or with a dining package we'll never return). Qsine for us is novel, but it's a one and done for, especially since it's generally just the two of us. Lawn Club is good, but can't compare to Murano. Still, although we both like pretty much everything on the Murano menu, and agree about the superb service, we couldn't manage that for 10 out of 21 days one or two nights there would be enough for us. I guess that's why it's good that there are choices.

[teamflames]

I agree with you about Tuscan. DH and I find it a bit like an overpriced, pretentious chain restaurant and feel the food there does not warrant the extra cost (even at a negotiated discount or with a dining package we'll never return). Qsine for us is novel, but it's a one and done for, especially since it's generally just the two of us. Lawn Club is good, but can't compare to Murano. Still, although we both like pretty much everything on the Murano menu, and agree about the superb service, we couldn't manage that for 10 out of 21 days one or two nights there would be enough for us. I guess that's why it's good that there are choices.

 

 

 

We cruised on Equinox about 5 years ago and Tuscan was phenomenal- real Italian. Last time we tried it on one of the M class ships it was horrible, everything was super sweet. It felt like an American chain version imitating Italian. Only dined at Murano once and I still dream about how good it was.

 

 

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[Cruise Raider]

I love Aqua Class ... but wouldn't pay that much more over a 1A for it.

If you are looking towards getting points to bump you up to the next level, I might consider it. Otherwise, stick with the 1A hump cabin.

[jojo1966]

thanks all for your thoughts and opinions on this....i think we have decided ( well I have...hubby doesnt have much say) that we are going to stay in the 1A cabin and book a dining package of 5 or 6 nights - still costs less than upgrading to aqua and will only leave 4 or 5 nights to eat in MDR - which we did actually love on the past 2 cruises. dont think we will use the persian garden much on a caribbean cruise - wont want to be stuck inside i dont think - so - gonna stick.. thanks again

[yorky]

On the Solstice Class ships we would only be willing to pay about $10 (if that) per passenger day....over the cost of a mid-category balcony cabin! And we say this from experience having been in Aqua on several cruises. I will try to explain our reasoning...as it applies to that class of ship. IMHO the cabin locations for most Aqua Cabins are awful! The higher category A1 cabins are generally located directly above the pool deck with their balconies in a cave-like setting with a huge pool deck overhang blocking mush of the sky view (and the sun for many hours a day). You also run the risk of noise from the pool deck...especially early in the morning as the crew and passengers move around the loungers. Some of the A2 cabins are separated from the overhang by another passenger deck (these cabins are aft of the pool area) but you can still have a big support pole infringing on your balcony...and that overhang is still too darn close. As to Blu, after dining in that venue well over 30 times we tired of their menu...which often is not as good as what is in the MDR. In fact, Blu used to have a secret menu (no longer secret) of certain MDR items (i.e. escargot, french onion soup, cheesecake, etc) because they were in demand. Blu is also primarily 2 top tables (very close together) without the ability to share a large table (which we love to do in the MDR).

 

After reading many posts here on CC we came to an interesting conclusion. Why not book a much less expensive regular balcony cabin (they are exactly the same size as AQ cabins) on deck 9 or 10. Not only do you save money, but you are away from that overhang and the pool deck. And with all the money we save on the cabin, we can use some (or all) of it to purchase a dining package at a nice discount. If you do this during the 20% off sale (X does this a few times a year) the cost per person/meal drops to about $25. We did this on a recent 21 night Reflection cruise and used the dining package to have 10 dinners in Murano, 2 in Qsine, and one in both The Lawn and Tuscan. The other nights we dined in the MDR (mostly during the Chic nights when they have their best menus). The food and service in Murano is far superior to what you get in Blu...and our cost was actually cheaper than if we had booked Aqua to dine in Blu.

 

Hank

 

That’s a post that really helps me thanks. We are thinking of trying an Aqua cabin for next years Caribbean cruise but came to the same conclusion when looking at the cabin locations. I actually said to the wife last night why not just pick a balcony cabin in the area we like and use the extra saved on 6 meals in Murano and a pass for the Persian gardens, it would still work out no more expensive. The main reason for looking at Aqua is avoiding the main dinning room. We used it four times last cruise and in the truth we found it the most disappointing thing about Celebrity. Poor service and even poorer food. Standards in all main dining rooms on all cruise ships have dropped like a stone in the last 25 years. We ended up just booking speciality restaurants or using the buffet area.

[BosoxI]

In a heartbeat!!! For BLU alone. Much relaxter, more personal and not as loud as the MDR.

 

Briefly, eating in the MDR is like eating in a barn. Harried waiters half running through the aisles carrying loaded food trays sometimes over the heads of passengers unfortunate to be seated on the main aisle. It is not a pleasant experience unless one can get a table a bit off the beaten path. But we find the food is usually quite good and the menu expansive.

 

The waiters in Blu can also be harassed but on a lesser scale. On two occasions, however, DW and I left that restaurant because we were completely ignored by our waiter. Blu can be deafening and we always seek a table in the rear section, away from the windows, though this might require eating earlier or later than what we would prefer.

 

Luminae, I am afraid, is a bit overrated. This past December saw me ordering frequently from the MDR menu while asking myself "Why am I paying for a suite, if I am going to eat from the MDR menu?" The Luminae portrayed before it had opened is not the Luminae available today, but it still is a pleasant experience in some ways.

[alicat2016]

We booked AQ because it was actually cheaper than a 2C cabin! Dunno if there was a glitch on the prices the day we booked or what but we haven't complained lol