First time Aqua Class Not Enamored

[pete1681]

Can you make reservations for blu?

[akowilm]

We think both food and service in Blu has gone down significantly. We decided on our last cruise to not sail AQ any longer as a result.

 

 

Agree completely, at least in my experiences this past season. We are booking concierge now, still get a large balcony, great location, etc, but we will dine nightly in the Specialty restaurants. Blu, to us, has lost its luster.....

[NantahalaCruiser]

Can you make reservations for blu?

No; it's first come, first served.

[Luvcrusn]

Our last cruise was in December on Reflection, Celebrity's largest passenger load ship. We were only given a beeper once, and waited less than 5 minutes. We did tend to dine at 7 or later, but did dine at six a couple of times. Service was attentive and excellent and we enjoyed to food. Only once did we order from the standards instead of the daily choices.

[Miaminice]

We only book AQ... because of BLU only.

 

Sometimes we have been given the beeper. So what? We have a drink at the bar/lounge and relax for a few minutes. No problem at all. We are on vacation after all, not on a run.

[LakeLureGuy]

Also just returned from the repo, San Juan to Bayonne. The first night in Blu was a bit hectic around the popular time of 7-7:30'ish, but after that night, it evened out nicely. The one night they served lobster it was again crowded, and we did get the beeper. In our opinion, the whole idea of the cruise is to relax and get over being in a rush all the time! We'd go back to Cellar Masters with our drink, and enjoy watching the people while our very short wait time came around. We thought Blu was a well-oiled machine, and told them so! From the hostesses to the wait staff, we never had any issues. We did love Armando and Blanton as our servers...they were the best! We thought the food to be very good. You have to remember that you can always order some "standards" from the MDR such as the french onion soup, escargot, caesar salad, etc. We also enjoyed our breakfasts there.

[agargoyle]

Hi all,

 

I find it interesting that in the discussions about Aqua class -- only dining is mentioned. I know you have spa access also. We have only sailed the Summit. Their spa leaves a lot to be desired, IMHO. So we never use the spa on the Summit. Those of you that sail larger ships, and book Aqua, do you use the spa?

[warmwinds]

You don't have "spa" for free, which to me means treatments...massage, facial, etc....you DO have the Persian Gardens, which I've walked in and out of on both M and S class ships. Just not my thing. I'd rather relax on my balcony than on stone loungers...I'm sorry, to me they are just not comfortable.

[ISABELLA]

We've sailed AQ about 8 times and I have to say every time is different experience in Blu.

We just came back from TA on Reflection and I would say that food was good ( except desserts - boring), service was impeccable. We never have to wait for a table around 7 pm. We really enjoyed breakfasts. But, now with raised pricing for AQ, it only will make sense to book for a right price.

[Luvcrusn]

We've sailed AQ about 8 times and I have to say every time is different experience in Blu.

We just came back from TA on Reflection and I would say that food was good ( except desserts - boring), service was impeccable. We never have to wait for a table around 7 pm. We really enjoyed breakfasts. But, now with raised pricing for AQ, it only will make sense to book for a right price.

Agreed! Last few cruises we booked Aqua for $29 per person more than concierge. That was a no brainer. The differential on the cruises we've been looking at now tends to be in the hundreds. Since we've never had a problem in the MDR that doesn't seem sensible.

[HDK-Bowie]

On our last Aqua Class cruise, we went to Blu and told them we wanted reservations at a specific time for the entire week. We never had to wait when we arrived, were seated promptly at the same table we requested. We have Aqua Class in Alaska for a late July cruise. I hope the food is as good as I remember from the past.

[dkjretired]

On our last Aqua Class cruise, we went to Blu and told them we wanted reservations at a specific time for the entire week. We never had to wait when we arrived, were seated promptly at the same table we requested. We have Aqua Class in Alaska for a late July cruise. I hope the food is as good as I remember from the past.

 

Helen

 

In your signature you have the Horizon for 1984, it wasn’t launched until I believe 92. Probably just a typo

[Covepointcruiser]

We had the same experience with the wait time on our most recent cruise on the Solstice. Never had to wait more than a couple of seconds for a table in Blu on our 7 other AQ cruises. We tried many different time frames and were still handed the bleeping beeper! Service was subpar, the waiters taxed, but we thought the food good to great. My DH was not happy with the overall experience.

 

We are trying Luminae for a 4th time next month. Have not been overly impressed with the food before, but the service has been great! When in Luminae, we were often eating in AQ because the food was more appealing. I think that's one of the problems...Suite guest in Blu at night.

 

How many times will you keep trying Luminae? If anything, the quality of the food will ge down with the Suite prices. You may just not enjoy Celebrity Food. Try a different line, the food on Seabourn is pretty good and we never waited to be seated in the main dining room.

[Luvcrusn]

On our last Aqua Class cruise, we went to Blu and told them we wanted reservations at a specific time for the entire week. We never had to wait when we arrived, were seated promptly at the same table we requested. We have Aqua Class in Alaska for a late July cruise. I hope the food is as good as I remember from the past.

Perhaps it depends on the cruise and ship but we askedcand were never allowed to request a reservation in Blu.

[hubofhockey]

Never had to wait in Blu and went at different times on our first M Class cruise, all between 6:15 and 8:00 pm. To get table along the water was 25% if not coming in early. We found the quality of food to be a small upgrade over MDR but service a large upgrade and atmosphere an even bigger upgrade. Being in Blu gives you a restaurant experience and MDR is a banquet experience. We are traveling with our kids this summer, so opted for 4-night specialty restaurant package on a 7 night Alaska cruise with a late night in port where we will be having one dinner in town. It's hard to describe, but it would be hard for us to go back to a more standard MDR experience. It's not bad, but not as good.

[Miaminice]

On our last Aqua Class cruise, we went to Blu and told them we wanted reservations at a specific time for the entire week. We never had to wait when we arrived, were seated promptly at the same table we requested. We have Aqua Class in Alaska for a late July cruise. I hope the food is as good as I remember from the past.

 

They try to accommodate guest and do a good job. But besides that BLU has a strict “no reservations” policy.

[phoenix_dream]

They try to accommodate guest and do a good job. But besides that BLU has a strict “no reservations” policy.

Agreed, there are technically no reservations in Blu. Whoever had good luck doing this, it probably was just that - luck. We do not make reservations but almost always show up at the same time and almost always have no problem getting seated. What they ARE usually able to accommodate is to put you together with the same waiter if you advise them. If they know you are coming at a certain time, and want a certain waiter, they will try to hold a table open for you in that waiter's section. But no guarantees. We tend to bond with our waiters, and will try to sit in his/her section through the whole cruise. In most cases, once we bond, the waiter will even come over to serve us if his/her section is filled up (this is only if the hostess and maitre d' are aware of our preference)

[dazey]

We have never chosen Aqua class but recently had an opportunity for a few $'s to try it. However, we do not use the spa at all and the other amenities and the seating in Blu looked quite close and we also like specialty dining so we passed.

[bboop51]

So just returned today from the 8 day Summit repo San Juan to Bayonne. Have cruised Celebrity numerous times and have heard good things about aqua class mostly regarding Blu restaurant. Decided to try this trip. Blu is open seating. We were immediately put off first two nights when we arrived about 7:30 pm and were handed beepeers and asked to wait for a table. Not acceptable for an upscaled upcharged venue. Should have capacity to seat all when arriving. It is advertised as an upscale "clean" establishment. Menus seemed pretentious and overly complicated. The dishes are poorly executed, not very tasty. Plenty of poorly prepared and overly thick sauces. Waiters did not explain the menu.

 

Aqua class room was nothing special, a lttle air freshiner, a larger table on the veranda, and a few jets in the shower.

 

Interested in any ones recent experiences?

 

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We just got off the Summit yesterday. We have always sailed AQ. We have never waited very long but were willing to wait in Cellar Masters with a beeper for "our" waiter for a bit during a busy time. We have never been disappointed in Blu, but this year the service was especially good (for us.) It was our fourth time and it won't be our last.

I can't see see when they can anticipate when everyone will want to have dinner, without insisting on reservations or increasing the space. IMHO it seems to work fine the way it is, but that is why there are different choices.

 

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[Laurab23]

We also got off Summit yesterday and thought Blu was excellent. We normally ate between 6 and 6:30 and never had to wait. Seated right away and always with the same waiter,Yaser. Went around 7:30 one night and did get a beeper. Went and got a drink and were beeped before our drinks were finished. We really enjoyed Blu for the service, food and quiet. Everyone we sat close to were very friendly.

 

Laura

[cangelmd]

We did AQ (Equinox) in January and this was our first time on any cruise ship that we had other than traditional dining (fixed dining time). We read some threads about Blu that went similar to this one, and related to the first post.

First - people can show up whenever they want to come, BUT the showtimes are set, so there is a tendency for people to come early to eat and then do the late show. It didn't seem that many people ever chose to go to the first show and then have dinner (we ate at Blu at a number of different times) The tendency to eat early is magnified on the first night.

After being warned about crowding in Blu on sailaway night, we took advantage of a discount in Murano and ate there the first night. We went by Blu that evening at about the time we would have shown up to eat dinner, and sure enough there was a "line" about 4 parties back up at the maitre d' stand - don't know how long people waited, but we saw beepers.

The second night we went to Blu for dinner about 7:15, we got a beeper and had to wait about 5-10 minutes in the bar, just long enough to get served a drink. We realized had we come about 7:30-7:45 we likely would not have had to wait.

The rest of the week, we never had to wait for a table. Our first night we sat next to the "galley door", I found that unpleasant, but when we asked for a different table a bit out of where all the waitstaff was going in and out, we were immediately accomodated.

Our takeaways - just like any land restaurant without reservations, there are plenty of tables, but not enough to seat everyone, if everyone shows up at exactly the same time. So, being satisfied with the experience really boils down to understanding when it will be crowded and either accepting that or going at a different time. We don't go to a lot of the shows, so it was easy for us to be adaptable. We had the same waitstaff (which we wanted) all but one night, and we could have had them that night with a short wait, but we were a little tired. For whatever reason, first couple of nights are the worst, likely because everyone is raring to go, so to speak, and gets to dinner early - the later in the week, more people are recuperating from a big shore excursion, or just opt for room service, OVC or specialty and the number of people to feed decreases. If you are willing to eat later (after 7:30) I would say you would almost never have to wait.

 

Full disclosure, I think that straying away from the traditional seating dining format, at the same time that cruise lines need to save money and make every dime that they can, has ruined the experience. For me one of the appeals of cruising was not having to decide when to eat - you just show up reasonably close to a particular hour and you get fed excellent food - once less decision I have to make on vacation. I know it is somewhat naive, because to save money they would have reduced waitstaff even more, but think how much more efficient it was for the dining and kitchen staff (and how much easier good service would have been) when they weren't trying to run a banquet venue and a regular restaurant at the same time! But, I'm an old fogey about this, and much in the minority, I know that once one cruise line went to eat whenever you want, soon all lines had to offer that option, because people are ultimately selfish, and want the vacation to be all their way. Sorry, rant over.

 

I think Blu is as much like the old Celebrity as it is possible to be under today's financial constraints, if that means anything to anyone. I can't convince DH to not do AQ, because of Blu. Luminae would likely be the same, we haven't had that opportunity yet.

[Fishkillbill]

We took our first ever cruise on Summit Aqua class two years ago. Blu was a dream! Just fantastic. We did eat at 6pm every night. Actually we were usually the first ones there. Always a table for two, next to the window, with the same waiters.

 

Last year we were on the Summit, not in Aqua class. We ate in the MDR every night. A table for two, next to the window, with the same waiters. Totally equal to Blu.

 

A few weeks ago we were on the Silhouette. Again, no Aqua class. Dining in the MDR was a disaster. The food was not as good and the service was terrible.

 

We are thinking it is ship specific.

[dkjretired]

We did AQ (Equinox) in January and this was our first time on any cruise ship that we had other than traditional dining (fixed dining time). We read some threads about Blu that went similar to this one, and related to the first post.

First - people can show up whenever they want to come, BUT the showtimes are set, so there is a tendency for people to come early to eat and then do the late show. It didn't seem that many people ever chose to go to the first show and then have dinner (we ate at Blu at a number of different times) The tendency to eat early is magnified on the first night.

After being warned about crowding in Blu on sailaway night, we took advantage of a discount in Murano and ate there the first night. We went by Blu that evening at about the time we would have shown up to eat dinner, and sure enough there was a "line" about 4 parties back up at the maitre d' stand - don't know how long people waited, but we saw beepers.

The second night we went to Blu for dinner about 7:15, we got a beeper and had to wait about 5-10 minutes in the bar, just long enough to get served a drink. We realized had we come about 7:30-7:45 we likely would not have had to wait.

The rest of the week, we never had to wait for a table. Our first night we sat next to the "galley door", I found that unpleasant, but when we asked for a different table a bit out of where all the waitstaff was going in and out, we were immediately accomodated.

Our takeaways - just like any land restaurant without reservations, there are plenty of tables, but not enough to seat everyone, if everyone shows up at exactly the same time. So, being satisfied with the experience really boils down to understanding when it will be crowded and either accepting that or going at a different time. We don't go to a lot of the shows, so it was easy for us to be adaptable. We had the same waitstaff (which we wanted) all but one night, and we could have had them that night with a short wait, but we were a little tired. For whatever reason, first couple of nights are the worst, likely because everyone is raring to go, so to speak, and gets to dinner early - the later in the week, more people are recuperating from a big shore excursion, or just opt for room service, OVC or specialty and the number of people to feed decreases. If you are willing to eat later (after 7:30) I would say you would almost never have to wait.

 

Full disclosure, I think that straying away from the traditional seating dining format, at the same time that cruise lines need to save money and make every dime that they can, has ruined the experience. For me one of the appeals of cruising was not having to decide when to eat - you just show up reasonably close to a particular hour and you get fed excellent food - once less decision I have to make on vacation. I know it is somewhat naive, because to save money they would have reduced waitstaff even more, but think how much more efficient it was for the dining and kitchen staff (and how much easier good service would have been) when they weren't trying to run a banquet venue and a regular restaurant at the same time! But, I'm an old fogey about this, and much in the minority, I know that once one cruise line went to eat whenever you want, soon all lines had to offer that option, because people are ultimately selfish, and want the vacation to be all their way. Sorry, rant over.

 

I think Blu is as much like the old Celebrity as it is possible to be under today's financial constraints, if that means anything to anyone. I can't convince DH to not do AQ, because of Blu. Luminae would likely be the same, we haven't had that opportunity yet.

 

Not anywhere near as good as Celebrity under Michel Roux in terms of food, presentation and service, neither is Luminae. Also back then you had room to breathe in the MDR not like Blu and the MDR under Select dining.

[cangelmd]

Not anywhere near as good as Celebrity under Michel Roux in terms of food, presentation and service, neither is Luminae. Also back then you had room to breathe in the MDR not like Blu and the MDR under Select dining.

 

LOL, I agree, I said close not the same. I miss the desserts the most, now they seem repetitive and all either cheesecake or some sort of creamy custardy thing - would it kill them to make a coconut cake? I really miss those meringue swans.

 

The close proximity of the tables and the overharried waitstaff is what I noticed....but it is still better than RCL!

 

Also, readers of this thread, I'm not sure any cruise ship compares to an excellent land based restaurant, and if you take the Chef's Table galley tour you might learn why. On Caribbean cruises for example all the food except the sushi fish has to be sourced in Miami and comes frozen - fish and meat and shrimp - how they get around it with the sushi I'm not sure, but after the tour we asked the sushi chefs and they told us that fist was separate. that may be why Sushi on Five is that much more expensive. Food is sourced in American port both because of Coast Guard sanitation rules and simple economics and storage. Why do they bake their own bread? The Executive Chef said on the tour it was because they would have to drag another ship behind them to store all the bread if they didn't - when he said that it clicked, yeah bread would take up a LOT of space

Edited May 8, 2018 by cangelmd

[tkere]

I have only cruised in concierge class . Does Aqua class have priority boarding, etc like concierge?