Aqua Class getting out of sight!

[Fogfog]

Ah yes, the world of marketing and advertising...the world where the description on the restaurant menu has little relation to what they actually serve....the world that until recently offered concierge class passengers the use of the same concierge who handled all customer requests....the world of "modern luxury" (your guess is as good as mine).

 

Actually the 20 sq ft does make a difference...a sofa vs a chair in the sitting area....more room to "lay out" one's clothes that they are too lazy to put away in closets/shelves. But your point is actually true.

 

Folks new to any cruise line really don't understand the difference between levels..it's never really clear, so they read the words and try to figure it out. In a few cases the words help, in some cases the words are a bit misleading...sorry, I meant marketing pearls of wisdom. The phrase "perfume a pig" comes to mind when speaking of the A2 cabins on M class which are under a huge balcony and for the most part under the pool deck so you hear carts being wheeled across the deck and chairs scraping. (just saying....we've booked a few A2's on M-class ships).

 

But the words work...and lots of people splurge on their one vacation a year or every other year and they want the best. They look for those magic words and pay the price...and since it's their only experience, they rave about it. Oh, did I mention those high priced suites on Celebrity....let's splurge dear :)

 

Of course, that doesn't apply to any of us here...we know better...right (said tongue in cheek).

 

Having an upgraded room under the gym -- it must have noise issues, yes?

 

 

Exactly- which makes it difficult to sleuth out the truth when looking at a different cruise line.

When some lines have so many classes within a class

Really irksome when a meal arrives NOT like described on the menu. Have had that happen at land establishments. Yet what to do? Beyond give a bad review...

 

The more experienced cruisers do seem to know when to book, which staterooms to book and the ins/outs of things. Closely guarded secrets ;)

 

We looked at a river cruise and wondered why the more expensive rooms are under the jogging/walking track. As a very light sleeper-- I'd be awake every morning when the early risers are up and at 'em.

[Hlitner]

;p;pHilarious... guess it would depend on the superlatives describing the bedding. And of course people get ther Captains Club pts ;)

We book based on stateroom location. I agree often the C1s have a better location than AQ1. We paid for the AQ2 and got the upgrade AQ1. We are hoping BLU will be a great change and many seem to enjoy it. MDR was a great disappointment on our last sailing.

 

BTW Where to AQ dine for lunch at embarkation since the MDR is for CC?

 

We enjoyed the relaxed pace of the CC lunch in MDR on the last sailing. The food was just avg...however we could relax and serendipitously met the couple in the stateroom next door. Had great fun.

 

At embarkation you would have the same options as those in the cheapest inside cabins :).

 

Hank

[cmhdoogalsatsea]

I bet if Celebrity created some "class" of room that was 1 sq. ft. larger than other rooms, and charged an extra $2000 for it, I bet hundreds of people would buy it, and many would brag on this site "how fantastic" it was and how it so much was worth the extra $2000.

 

However, I would wager that the posts praising the new layout would be more than beat out by the numbers of angry folks who felt that someone "stole" their sq. ft from the good ol' days.

[vtcruising]

It appears to me that X is improving the AQ experience, and as a result, are increasing the prices. On the Edge, they changed 10 concierge class cabins to AQ more than a year after the cabins first went on sale, which seemed odd at the time. Then they announced the new and improved SEA Thermal Spa on the Edge in May (Persian Garden on other X ships presently) , with 8 different experiences (Hammam, Salt Room, Steam Room, Rainfall Water Therapy Room, Float Room, heated tile loungers, Infrared Sauna and Crystalarium) and only AQ guests receive free unlimited access and others must pay $69 for a day, $149 for a single week pass and $249 for a couple's week pass (Elite on up still receive a free pass for one port day) and who knows how many will be turned away because the passes are limited (a limited number of Persian Garden passes are now available for $25 per day the last time I checked). I received alerts from my cruise price alert site that showed AQ fares were up the next day after the Spa announcement. Some cruises were up $400-900 PP, but people were paying it and they sold out on some cruises. It then made sense why they converted 10 concierge to AQ.

 

Also, Blu looks pretty amazing on the Edge, with 22 outside seats (remains to be seen if it will be too windy to use). I suspect there will be some revisions to the menu when they introduce the Edge, but we will see. There is also a new type of spa shower on the Edge in the AQ bathrooms (Bossini shower panel), which may or may not be an improvement.

These things make AQ more attractive to people since they will have the improved Spa Thermal Suites complimentary only for them and will continue to have a smaller restaurant, with more personalized service. Unfortunately, on the Edge, the AQ prices are now about what the lower end suites cost last year for some cruises (we paid about $1000 less per person for an S1 last year than the AQ last sold for on one of our cruises where AQ is now sold out).

 

Now, they have announced that all X ships will have an expansion of the Spa Thermal Suites with the Revolution (not sure how many of the 8 Edge experiences that they will have), so it makes sense that they will charge more for AQ. They also announced that they will add 13 AQ cabins to all M Class ships during the Revolution, which will also add revenue.

 

Though I understand that they can (and should) charge what the market will stand, I'm hoping the prices will drop back into a reasonable range over time.

 

Some of the Edge Thermal Suites experiences:

 

 

 

 

 

[maggie.1008]

I wonder where those extra 13 AQ cabins will be ?

[villauk]

It appears to me that X is improving the AQ experience, and as a result, are increasing the prices.

 

Now, they have announced that all X ships will have an expansion of the Spa Thermal Suites with the Revolution (not sure how many of the 8 Edge experiences that they will have), so it makes sense that they will charge more for AQ. They also announced that they will add 13 AQ cabins to all M Class ships during the Revolution, which will also add revenue.

 

Though I understand that they can (and should) charge what the market will stand.

 

 

Again, it’s what you personally want on your vacation. I don’t book a holiday to spend it in the spa for 2 weeks or need to have a particular type of shower head just to get the same end result: wet. It’s the itinerary which entices me but I understand others may want something different. I also presume that the tables in Blu will be even closer together, if that’s at all possible, once the extra Aqua cabins have been installed on the M class ships (that smaller restaurant you mentioned above just became even smaller) :confused:. All for more money - super for X shareholders though ;).

[cruisin lady ca]

We came off Eclipse last week and enjoyed AQ very much. I had originally booked a 2A cabin due to the high cost and ended up in an AQ after there were four fare drops last July. Each week the fare fell, I chose to upgrade my cabin, going from a 2A to a 1A to CC and finally to an A2 cabin. And I was able to add "Go Best" too. Total cost was actually $200 lower than my original reservation. From August 1 on, the fares climbed and were ultimately more than twice what I paid. Moral of the story: Book the best cabin you can afford and would be happy to occupy. Then monitor the fares on a regular basis so you can take full advantage of fare drops.