Concierge vs. Aqua Class. Which is a better choice

[stevenr597]

My wife and I are considering booking on the Celebrity Millennium a 14 day cruise around Japan.  We have booked in the past both Concierge and Aqua Class on the Solstice Class Ships.  But we realize  that Aqua Class is more or less added on to the Millennium Class.

Which would you prefer and which would be a better value, the Concierge Class, or Aqua Class which is on Deck 11.  

We do know that the Millennium, which we also travelled on many years ago, is a fairly old ship.  Does it show its age, or has it been upgraded.  Our other choice would be mini-suite on Princess. 

Opinions would be much appreciated.

[Phxazzcruisers]

We love the Millennium and did the cruise around Japan and TransPacific to Vancouver.  We were in a Suite, but if we had to chose between Aqua and Concierge Class we would always chose Aqua for the privilege to eat in Blu.  We find Blu and Luminae to be a good step above the MDR and far less crowded and noisy.  Just our personal preference. 

[jelayne]

As far as I know the first M class ship to be “revolutionized” is the Millenium in Feb 2019.  So if the cruise you are considering is after then the ship will have gone through a major update.

Although Aqua Class and Blu were added to the MClass ships, Blu was a very nice space.  We haven’t sailed in AQ on a M Class yet so can’t comment on the AQ cabins but we did eat in Blu a few nights when we were in a Suite, very nice.

[alcpa1]

We sail in Aqua and are M class devotees.

There are Aqua class cabins  on deck 9 as well as deck 11. The deck 9 cabins aft of 9108 (port) and 9125 (starboard) are under the carpeted Windjammer and are very quiet. The balconies are also covered so preferable in inclement weather.

The deck 11 cabins are a mixed bag. The starboard and port side cabins have very shallow overhangs while the afts (1130-1133) have larger balconies with tarp covers. There are 5 of these cabins despite the numbering. They are the primo Aqua cabins. 

We prefer dining in Blu. It is quieter with a menu that more reflects our dining preferences. It is open seating and wait times are minimal if at all.

The Aqua class cabins are a tad bigger with a better shower and perhaps when they refit the cabins they will solve the leaky shower situation which we have had in every Aqua cabin we have sailed in on the M class ships. 

If the cost differential is about $50 per person per day it's a no brainer for us. We think the difference is worth it. 

We choose not to sail on Princess.

[Jeremiah On a Cruise]

It basically comes down to a question of Blu and the MRD.  If you enjoy the MRD, I'd go Concierge.  If you want a different experience, go Aqua.

[emmas gran]

Just done our first cruise in Aqua on Equinox and just for the food in Blu over the MDR I would go Aqua, we have sailed in Concierge maybe  4 times cannot see the value over a balcony. 

Princess has introduced Club class mini suites but haven't done one yet -they have separate dining like Blu -

Liz

[Cruise a holic]

IMO if you need the points go with cc.  Blu isn’t all that it is supposed to be.  The persian garden on the S class ships is small and not great at all.  Having done both, I would say get a well located balcony cabin and dine in specialty restaurants for dinner.  you will save money and nightly have a better more relaxed dining experience.  

 

If you must go AQ do not book deck 11.  

Edited December 19, 2018 by Cruise a holic

[Jeremiah On a Cruise]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

IMO if you need the points go with cc.  Blu isn’t all that it is supposed to be.  The persian garden on the S class ships is small and not great at all.  Having done both, I would say get a well located balcony cabin and dine in specialty restaurants for dinner.  you will save money and nightly have a better more relaxed dining experience.  

 

If you must go AQ do not book deck 11.  

 

I thought all AQ rooms were deck 11 (this is what shows when I look at deck plans or available cabins).  Do I have alternatives???

[Rob the Cruiser]

There are also Aqua cabins on deck nine. 1138, 1140 and 1141 aft-facing cabins on deck 11 are the best, IMHO. 

[korryp]

It really comes down to BLU. Did 24 days this last September on the Reflection and didn't not like the menu in BLU. It's all personal choice. People will say they eat in BLU but order off the MDR menu. I prefer the MDR over BLU. We actually only eat one n BLU.

[floridaag]

Personally, to me BLU is a far better experience than the MDR - so I agree with others that whether or not you want to eat in BLU largely determines this.

[cltnccruisers]

We got bumped up to Concierge for a short cruise on Infinity in March.  Cabin was slightly larger on M class but the thing that did it for us was the embarkation day lunch in the MDR.  DW absolutely hates buffets so this alone was worth it.

[Cruise a holic]

22 hours ago, floridaag said:

Personally, to me BLU is a far better experience than the MDR - so I agree with others that whether or not you want to eat in BLU largely determines this.

While IMO the idea that Blu is smaller and one expects better service- not always true.  It should be about price- if a few hundered dollars more- that is the cost of a great dining package- if under $100 more pp for the entire cruise- then maybe worth it- but Do not get a cabin under the gym or whirlpools.

[korryp]

Totally agree. One point that isn’t mentioned much is I truly believe that the Auqa cabins are not located always in the optium spots. Heard more complaints about cabin placement than any other class of cabins. 

[sft429]

On 12/19/2018 at 5:46 AM, Cruise a holic said:

 

If you must go AQ do not book deck 11.  

 

 

and deck 11 AQ is my favorite...

[wwwfla]

We believe CC gives about nothing over a regular veranda. When Aqua has a good price point the advantages are worth easily 100-200 over a veranda or CC.

Everyone has an opinion and values.

[DannyS]

The big differences are the Persian Garden and Blu. 

 

For a 7 night cruise you can get Persian garden access for about $100/pp

 

You can get a specialty dining package that includes every night in the specialty restaurant of your choice for $30/pp/night. 

 

That should help with the value equation. Everything else between CC and AQ really balances out. You get the same captains club points. Nearly the same in cabin amenities. 

 

 

[phoenix_dream]

Our preferred non-suite cabin on M class ships is the Aqua Class cabins on Deck 11.  I don't like facing aft, so we pick one of the side ones.  Love the location - quiet and easy access to Blu and the buffet.  Rooms are the same size as CC rooms.  Only downside (and it is not major in our opinion) is that if you are on your balcony you can sometimes hear the movies or sports games playing on the theater screen above you.  We have never been particularly bothered by it, but some complain about it.  We also love Blu, especially the breakfast option.

[catugirl]

Love, love, love Aqua Class!  IMHO, Blu is far superior to MDR in menu (more creative), ambiance (quieter, less chaotic) and service (prompt, friendly, they remember your name after first day).  We also like the shower much better.  And we enjoy complimentary bottled water and iced tea in our room every day.  I know some don't care for the canapes in the late afternoon in our cabin, but we like those.  We can take or leave the sparkling wine, fresh fruit and fresh flowers.  We have only done Aqua Class on S Class ships and have loved using the Persian Gardens.

[Alsmez]

As the others have mentioned, concierge class offers very little benefit over a standard balcony. If I recall correctly, SOME concierge class rooms on M-class ships are larger than standard rooms, but you'd have to snag one of the special ones for it to be worthwhile. Choosing Aqua class is all about Blu, but there are other ways to upgrade your dining if you don't like the MDR. On S-class ships, we have sailed Aqua when the price was right, but if it's more than $30/day more than a standard balcony, we prefer to get a regular balcony and a dining package, and eat all of our meals in specialty restaurants. On our upcoming Summit cruise, we were planning to employ this strategy but the agent pointed out that there are fewer specialty restaurants to choose from on M-class, which could result in a bit of boredom. We decided to splurge on a Sky Suite to try Luminae instead, but Aqua was a contender as well!

[D C]

On 12/19/2018 at 6:46 AM, Cruise a holic said:

IMO if you need the points go with cc.  Blu isn’t all that it is supposed to be.  The persian garden on the S class ships is small and not great at all.  Having done both, I would say get a well located balcony cabin and dine in specialty restaurants for dinner.  you will save money and nightly have a better more relaxed dining experience.  

 

If you must go AQ do not book deck 11.  

What's the complaint about deck 11?  We've been tempted to book Aqua for no reason other than being on 11.  Love the convenience of the location. 

[yorky]

5 hours ago, D C said:

What's the complaint about deck 11?  We've been tempted to book Aqua for no reason other than being on 11.  Love the convenience of the location. 

Look at what’s above you, pool deck with chairs getting moved around.

[D C]

5 hours ago, yorky said:

Look at what’s above you, pool deck with chairs getting moved around.

It's the rooftop terrace and basketball court above 11.   Haven't been on a Millennium class since the terrace thing was introduced, but in all of our cruising, we've never had a complaint about noise from above, whether it was Oceanview, the pool deck, or whatever.  Wondering how bad the terrace can be. 

[floridaag]

We just did AQ on 11 on the Infinity and there was absolutely zero noise from above.  As others noted, it is not the pool deck but the basketball court and rooftop/movie screen . Very convenient location - we liked it a lot for our first non-suite cruise

[phoenix_dream]

10 hours ago, yorky said:

Look at what’s above you, pool deck with chairs getting moved around.

Never had any issues at all with noise in cabins on Deck 11 and we have sailed in them a number of times, including a 15 night cruise.  On occasion you can hear the movie noise from your balcony, but we have never found that to be loud enough or often enough to be a deciding factor.  IMHO these are the best AQ cabins on M class by far.