Aqua or Concierge Class?

[HoneymoonCruiser5]

Whats the difference between the Aqua and Concierage Class? Is one better than the other? My mom and I are doing a 7 day cruise to Alaska on the Eclipse.

[Hlitner]

For most it will come down to one thing, "Blu." Most other things are pretty equal.

 

Hank

[BlueLobster]

Aqua Class has Blu, basically your own private specialty restaurant at no "extra" cost (besides the extra cost of Aqua Class), plus you get to use the Persian Gardens (various spa rooms - relaxation, sauna, "rain", etc.). The bathrooms in Aqua are supposed to be better - better shower head.

The other difference is the location of the cabins. I think Concierge are generally considered better location, but that is a personal choice. Aqua are often under the pool deck and/or Ocean View Cafe. Some people say you can hear noises from above early in the AM when the staff are moving pool chairs into place, or in the cafe.

[riclop]

Whats the difference between the Aqua and Concierage Class? Is one better than the other? My mom and I are doing a 7 day cruise to Alaska on the Eclipse.

Aqua class is much better do the comparisons.

[jelayne]

If you book a A2 aft of the mid ship elevators there are cabins above & below so no noise. For most of us who book Aqua, Blu is the reason. Dedicated, smaller dining room, quieter, different menu than the MDR, great breakfast, more personalized service.

 

For us Conceigre doesn’t provide much extra compared to a standard veranda. BTW the cabins; veranda, Conceigre & aqua are all the same size and have the same decor. Aqua has a jetted shower and fog free mirror. Both Conceigre & Aqua have footstools on the balcony, veranda have nice chairs and a table but not the footstools.

[Luvcrusn]

If you book a A2 aft of the mid ship elevators there are cabins above & below so no noise. For most of us who book Aqua, Blu is the reason. Dedicated, smaller dining room, quieter, different menu than the MDR, great breakfast, more personalized service.

 

For us Conceigre doesn’t provide much extra compared to a standard veranda. BTW the cabins; veranda, Conceigre & aqua are all the same size and have the same decor. Aqua has a jetted shower and fog free mirror. Both Conceigre & Aqua have footstools on the balcony, veranda have nice chairs and a table but not the footstools.

We have had footstools on S-class ships in Concierge. The M-class concierge cabins didn't have them on Connie, Summit or Infinity when we sailed them. As said before, the best benefit is Blu, second, Persian Gardens, especially on S-class.

Concierge class does get invited to a private luncheon in the MDR on embarkation day.

[A Sixth?]

You didn't say which ship

 

M Class Conceigre cabins are a bit bigger than balcony class

[alcpa1]

The OP mentioned The Eclipse which is an Solatice commonly referred to as a "S" class ship.

One benefit of Blu is open seating. This gives you the flexibility of dining at your leisure. You can get the same benefit for other non-suite cabins by booking Select dining in the MDR.

Aft cabins are best in Alaska but if you are new to cruising then cabin location near mid-ship on a lower deck are recommended.

If you have any questions about the ship or preferred cabin locations please do not hesitate to ask.

[cookiersmom]

We prefer Concierge for a couple of reasons.

1. We LIKE to dine with others to hear about people's days and just get to know more people In Aqua, BLU does not have an option to put together larger tables. If there are two of you, you will eat only with each other. And, you don't get the "same table, same group" every nite which is one of our favorite things about cruising. So, if you are good eating just yourselves, then BLU is a good option, good food. But, not for us

2. I agree with comments regarding location. One time we were "upgraded" to Aqua without asking us and we were just under the pool deck with a huge overhang and we hated it.

 

Yes, the special shower and bath amenities are nice in Aqua. And the more plush robe. The afternoon canapes on CC are kinda lame most of the time.

[dutchclogs]

Concierge has priority waitlisting in MDR. Can be a benefit at busy times in select dining.

[Gonzo70]

Concierge has priority waitlisting in MDR. Can be a benefit at busy times in select dining.

 

I think that applies to one's request for early/late/select dining (i.e. if one wants select dining, but there is no slots available at the time of booking the cruise, one receives priority status on the wait list to switch to select if something later becomes available). I could be wrong, but I have never heard of this referencing skip-the-line privileges for select dining when there is a wait.

[Mr. Click]

We prefer Aqua because we prefer Blu. The Aqua cabins we have had have been under the pool so you do hear some occasional scraping etc but nothing terrible. The pool deck does shade the balcony all of the time with we prefer. If you like sitting out on your balcony to catch some sun then anything right under the pool deck is not for you.

[villauk]

Think it depends what you’re looking for. Aqua has never taken our fancy because the majority of cabins are in less desirable locations beneath the overhang and the seating in Blu is too claustrophobic for my liking (I don’t like it even for the Elite Afternoon Tea event), which will be even more crowded when the additional Aqua cabins are added after the ‘Revolution’. Some pax prefer the closeness to meet and mix with others - horses for courses ;).

[dutchclogs]

I think that applies to one's request for early/late/select dining (i.e. if one wants select dining, but there is no slots available at the time of booking the cruise, one receives priority status on the wait list to switch to select if something later becomes available). I could be wrong, but I have never heard of this referencing skip-the-line privileges for select dining when there is a wait.

 

 

There was a separate line for Concierge/suites in the select dining MDR last year on Silhouette. I was a little surprised too.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Blu and Persian Garden are the main reasons for choosing Aqua over Concierge - just need to watch the Aqua locations.

 

Also note that the 1A cabins with the larger angled balconies are cheaper and better than the C3 cabin locations.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

We prefer Concierge for a couple of reasons.

1. We LIKE to dine with others to hear about people's days and just get to know more people In Aqua, BLU does not have an option to put together larger tables. If there are two of you, you will eat only with each other. And, you don't get the "same table, same group" every nite which is one of our favorite things about cruising. So, if you are good eating just yourselves, then BLU is a good option, good food. But, not for us

2. I agree with comments regarding location. One time we were "upgraded" to Aqua without asking us and we were just under the pool deck with a huge overhang and we hated it.

 

Yes, the special shower and bath amenities are nice in Aqua. And the more plush robe. The afternoon canapes on CC are kinda lame most of the time.

 

We always ate with others in Blu. There are several large tables. And in my experience, the bathrobes in Aqua Class are exactly the same as the bathrobes in Concierge Class.

I would never pay for a Concierge Class cabin on an S class ship. All the cabins are the same size and the 1A balconies are much larger.

[Hlitner]

We always ate with others in Blu. There are several large tables. And in my experience, the bathrobes in Aqua Class are exactly the same as the bathrobes in Concierge Class.

I would never pay for a Concierge Class cabin on an S class ship. All the cabins are the same size and the 1A balconies are much larger.

 

Not our experience and we have been in Aqua on numerous cruises...all on the S-Class ships. Yes, there are a few larger tables in Blu, but on most of our cruises they have been used to seat larger groups. In every case where we simply show-up for dinner as a couple, we are quickly seated at a 2-top...although these can be very close together in Blu. On a few occasions we have asked about sharing a larger table but they were never available to share as they were used by pre-arranged groups.

 

Hank

[dkjretired]

A little off topic but one of the reasons we stopped doing Traditional dining was having the larger tables. We didn't mind sitting with other people and have done it many times but it seemed that with the other options on the ship for dining, the table we sat at was rarely filled. We actually had the experience where a couple of nights we were the only ones at an 8 top. We did take showers before we went and put deodorant on.

[phoenix_dream]

We prefer Concierge for a couple of reasons.

1. We LIKE to dine with others to hear about people's days and just get to know more people In Aqua, BLU does not have an option to put together larger tables. If there are two of you, you will eat only with each other. And, you don't get the "same table, same group" every nite which is one of our favorite things about cruising. So, if you are good eating just yourselves, then BLU is a good option, good food. But, not for us

2. I agree with comments regarding location. One time we were "upgraded" to Aqua without asking us and we were just under the pool deck with a huge overhang and we hated it.

 

Yes, the special shower and bath amenities are nice in Aqua. And the more plush robe. The afternoon canapes on CC are kinda lame most of the time.

I am not arguing your opinion, but mine is different as regards dining. We have found that in Blu, we often have great conversations with the passengers on each side of us as most of the tables are very close together. So I rarely feel like we are eating just ourselves. We have sailed a number of times in MDR and it is great if you get good table mates. It is not so great when you don't (and that has happened to us more than once). We also love the breakfast in Blu. Much less chaos than the buffet, and better and faster service than the MDR - to us one of the key perks of AQ.

I do agree that locations for AQ are not always the best. I believe they created the AQ class of cabins specifically to make the less optimal locations more appealing, although I love the big overhang on Caribbean cruises - you can sit on your balcony all day without being blinded by the sun. Blu is such a big hit for us that we are willing to put up with locations not quite as nice as CC1 cabins.

[nycnut]

Hi all, I booked Concierge Guarantee and see that I was assigned an Aquaspa cabin. Must I dine in BLU or can I go to MDR? How different is the BLU menu from MDR menu? Do I have the option to order from MDR menu in BLU?

[Redtravel]

Just off Summit in an A1 gty. Loved Blu. Food was more interesting and better prepared than MDR. You can order from either Blu or MDR menus. Service was outstanding. Blu is much quieter than the MDR. No kids. Deck 11 cabins are in good condition. They are quiet. Not much foot traffic passing by. You can hear the roof top movies if you open the veranda door. Not too loud to be annoying. There is no covering on the veranda. In March, I was on Millenium in concierge on deck 8 midship. Nice location with covered veranda. There is lots of foot traffic. Cabin was older. Furniture was in bad shape. I would prefer Aqua class over concierge. In concierge, you get to eat in the MDR on embarkation. aqua class cannot eat there that day.

[Luvcrusn]

Hi all, I booked Concierge Guarantee and see that I was assigned an Aquaspa cabin. Must I dine in BLU or can I go to MDR? How different is the BLU menu from MDR menu? Do I have the option to order from MDR menu in BLU?

You didn't mention the ship. If you're on an M-class ship, Blu was carved from the MDR and is adjacent to it and the kitchens are more easily able to accommodate orders from the MDR. On S-class, the kitchens aren't close and they won't/can't do it. However, Blu does have the same "always on the menu items," and you can order onion soup, caeser salad, escargot, shrimp cocktail as well as the standard entree items. The food in Blu is not all that different, but better prepared and the service is much more attentive. The breakfasts in Blu are wonderful and you can get most everything from the buffet, but served hot and prepared as you like while comfortably seated at a quiet table. The view is lovely and the atmosphere is much quieter than the MDR. They also, because they are smaller, are able to accommodate special requests much more easily than the MDR. If you want to eat in the MDR, you may, just ask the Blu maître d to make a reservation for you. You can check out both menus the night before, but I bet you'll love Blu and won't. Also, on embarkation day you'll find a card in your cabin with a time for dining the first night. That is a suggestion only, and if it's not to your liking feel free to go at a time that suits you. There won't be any problem, nor do you have to tell them. As Aqua class passengers, we were offered 50% off in Murano the first evening, so we went there since it's our favorite! My DH was skeptical the first time we tried Aqua. He thought the food would be too spa-like for his taste, but he found he was very happy and had no problems finding dishes he loved. Enjoy your upgrade!

[Miaminice]

Hi all, I booked Concierge Guarantee and see that I was assigned an Aquaspa cabin. Must I dine in BLU or can I go to MDR? How different is the BLU menu from MDR menu? Do I have the option to order from MDR menu in BLU?

 

Congratulations!

 

Be careful though... you might never want to go back!

 

And yes, you can dine in the MDR. But you may not even want to. BLU´s food is good but the service and ambiance of the smaller venue is much nicer than the rushed and hectic MDR.

[nycnut]

Thank you all for the information. I will be on the Summit so it looks like I will have the option to order from MDR menu. Still trying to figure out what “perks” come with Aqua Spa cabin. Blu, access to Persian garden and relaxation room. I believe cabin also gets bottle of champagne (if I ask for it). Iced herbal tea daily instead on concierge canapés. Anything else? My cabin though will be under pool deck area. Hope it won’t be too noisy in the morning.

[Globehoppers]

Blu - period. Its like dining in a very nice restaurant ashore vice the crowded and very noisy MDR.