Blu pros and cons....worth it over Veranda regular

[nomadguy]

Aqua also gives you a bottle of champagne at embarkation (If you request it) and bottled water (I'm guessing 2 bottles)! As noted previously - I found these amenities as well for Aqua Class - "priority seating at Blu restaurant, Relaxation Room & access to The Sea thermal suite, personal spa concierge, expanded room service breakfast menu, personal training sessions, wellness consultations, and spa-inspired stateroom touches (Bossini shower panel, aromatherapy diffusers, pillow menus, daily deliveries of flavored tea and fresh fruit, bottle of sparkling wine, welcome bottled water)."

 

I'm anxious to see their "pillow" menu!

[fleckle]

9 hours ago, a.madruga said:

just booked A1 veranda with BLU included and persian gardens

wondering if regular veranda is better deal

 

 

So as you can see, the differences of opinion vary widely and there is no unanimous agreement here.

Unfortunately, that is not much help to someone new to aqua class who is trying to decide.

 

About all you can do is  try it at least once and form your own opinion.

But I guess how much extra it is worth would depend on whether or not one is a foodie and a spa afficionado.

                                      

[terrydtx]

My sister and BIL have been on 12 Celebrity cruises and they prefer the M class ships with AQ. They prefer the 11th deck aft facing cabins that overlook the Sunset bar because there is a door and stairway just outside the aft facing cabins that go down to the Sunset bar on the 10th deck. This makes it very easy to walk down and get a drink and then enjoy the drink with any live music from their oversized aft facing veranda. This information from my sister sold us and with the CBP perk we will be using those stairs a lot. There are only 5 of these aft facing AQ cabins and they book fast and early. When we booked our 2021 Infinity cruise the week the cruise was released by X we snapped up the last AQ aft facing cabin #1138. My sister also said they love Blu compared to the MDR for dinners, they do not like the big crowds and noise in the MDR.  On their last X cruise earlier this year when they booked AQ was sold out and they settled for a concierge class cabin and they said the lack of Blu and cabin location made this cabin not worth the extra cost.  

 

When we started looking at cruises for places we wanted to go in 2021 we set a budget for what we wanted to spend. The Infinity AQ cabin fell easily within our budget so for us it was an easy choice. I say if you can afford the cost go for the best you can afford. 

[hcat]

7 hours ago, nomadguy said:

Aqua also gives you a bottle of champagne at embarkation (If you request it) and bottled water (I'm guessing 2 bottles)! As noted previously - I found these amenities as well for Aqua Class - "priority seating at Blu restaurant, Relaxation Room & access to The Sea thermal suite, personal spa concierge, expanded room service breakfast menu, personal training sessions, wellness consultations, and spa-inspired stateroom touches (Bossini shower panel, aromatherapy diffusers, pillow menus, daily deliveries of flavored tea and fresh fruit, bottle of sparkling wine, welcome bottled water)."

 

I'm anxious to see their "pillow" menu!

Written by the PR team... never met a spa Concierge over many yrs...not needed. Everyone in AQ dines in BLU as their assigned location...The only others permitted are suite guests on space available basis so I guess that's true about BLU priority seating.   Thermal suite is the area on EDGE, I think others stil use Persian Gardens for the steam/ sauna  areas,...  On M Class it is an inside facility..still nice. We  have  never  been offered a free training session ( prelude to a sales pitch ?) and wellness  consult  open to all...

 

Overall the expanded menu, daily canapes, BLU, PG/ thermal suites, priority boarding choice of pillows,  upgraded shower,  etc  are very nice.

 

. We   did not miss AQ Class or  BLU on our last cruise on EDGE but would enjoy it again on M and S Class ships  if pricing was okay!

[angelhelly]

19 hours ago, a.madruga said:

It’s 220 more than regular veranda for the two of us and yes price includes taxes and port fees for the two of us

At $220, I would definitely do it.

That's about $16 per person per day. Blu and Persian gardens are worth that imo

[HS2BS]

We’re a fan - off/on. This year we have done three S class cruises in Aqua(2 Silhouette, a 9 & 12, and on Reflection a TA for 13 days), and this weekend on an M class, Summit.

Silhouette was very unpleasant with a “head honcho” who had no idea of what his staff was doing. It was always crowded, poor service, and long waits. Told that we could not order from mdrm menu, too far away, food would be cold, and took staff off the floor.

Reflection was at the other end of the spectrum, it was run by a woman who knew her stuff, staff and every guest in Blu! Every night we were handed the Blu menu and asked if we would like to see the mdrm menu also. No problem ordering from both.

Menu has changed very little in the 10+ we have frequented Blu, so we often do specialty or enjoy the mdrm. This is the last cruise, Summit 12/14/19, that we plan on Aqua class, not that price is the only determining factor - Blu has lost its quality and the experience has been downgraded. Waits, loud and noisy, poor service and a repetitive menu that is just boring.

 

Hal

 

[Katstress]

21 hours ago, nomadguy said:

Aqua also gives you a bottle of champagne at embarkation (If you request it) and bottled water (I'm guessing 2 bottles)! As noted previously - I found these amenities as well for Aqua Class - "priority seating at Blu restaurant, Relaxation Room & access to The Sea thermal suite, personal spa concierge, expanded room service breakfast menu, personal training sessions, wellness consultations, and spa-inspired stateroom touches (Bossini shower panel, aromatherapy diffusers, pillow menus, daily deliveries of flavored tea and fresh fruit, bottle of sparkling wine, welcome bottled water)."

 

I'm anxious to see their "pillow" menu!

Just curious about the “if you request it” in regards to the sparkling wine.  When do you request it? From room steward? Just curious if any recent travelers have any insight. We are booked in Aqua class on Solstice in 2020.

[jjsnonna]

The difference between veranda and Aqua on my upcoming cruise is $1400!! I have never seen a price difference in those categories that was less than $600.  Definitely not worth it to me, much prefer specialty restaurants, and on S class ships the cabins are the same size! 

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, Katstress said:

Just curious about the “if you request it” in regards to the sparkling wine.  When do you request it? From room steward? Just curious if any recent travelers have any insight. We are booked in Aqua class on Solstice in 2020.

 You request it from your cabin attendant.  
For years it was sitting in a chiller in your cabin when you boarded.  Looked great in photos but most didn’t drink it that day. So it sat in water for a day, then sat on the counter until you wanted to drink it ( if you did) then cabin attendant would take and return in in a bucket of ice.  

Some (like us) never drink it, so this way if you want it ask and you will receive ; if you don’t want it saves the cabin attendants work on a busy embarkation day.

[Oville]

1 hour ago, jjsnonna said:

The difference between veranda and Aqua on my upcoming cruise is $1400!! I have never seen a price difference in those categories that was less than $600.  Definitely not worth it to me, much prefer specialty restaurants, and on S class ships the cabins are the same size! 

I have never seen a $1,400 gap, at the price I’d move on to another cruise.  At $600 we’d probably book, not fans of the MDR.

[jjsnonna]

13 minutes ago, Oville said:

I have never seen a $1,400 gap, at the price I’d move on to another cruise.  At $600 we’d probably book, not fans of the MDR.

 

[Oville]

19 minutes ago, jjsnonna said:

 

Oh, I wasn’t doubting you at all.  This is a great cruise and very popular and at 14 nights $1,400 doesn’t sound too bad, $100 per night so we would probably not walk.

 

Again, have a wonderful cruise, I’m jealous.

[jled]

I have been following this thread.. I am booked on the Summit on Feb 8 2020,  I am in an A2,,,, Veranda 7174.. It looks like a slightly larger angled balcony.  I just received a Moveup offer and can submit an offer to Aqua starting at $ 100 pp .  I am debating doing it.. I have never been in Aqua..I've done concierge and didn't think it was worth it at all.  It looks like some of the Aqua class cabins on the Summit are on Deck 9 and are under an overhang..Possibly shaded which I probably would not like.  I would love to have the option of Blu.. never had it before, but I am not at all a SPA person.  I am debating putting in a weak offer and seeing if it gets accepted..or staying with the cabin location that I am pretty much happy with...or BLU......Its a Southern Caribbean cruise.. thanks for any input 

[HS2BS]

Check your original category as A2 is Aqua - your sure it’s not a 2A? 
 

Hal

[jled]

Yes. 2A

 

[Pentlands]

21 hours ago, jelayne said:

 You request it from your cabin attendant.  
For years it was sitting in a chiller in your cabin when you boarded.  Looked great in photos but most didn’t drink it that day. So it sat in water for a day, then sat on the counter until you wanted to drink it ( if you did) then cabin attendant would take and return in in a bucket of ice.  

Some (like us) never drink it, so this way if you want it ask and you will receive ; if you don’t want it saves the cabin attendants work on a busy embarkation day.

Swap it in the restaurant or ask for wine instead if you don't want gut rot fiz

 

[Alsmez]

For us it is all about dining. We don't care for the MDR, so we either dine in specialty restaurants each night or book AQ for Blu (or a suite for Luminae, but that comes with a lot of other perks). The Persian Gardens are nice but not something we NEED to enjoy our cruise. 

 

Because you can get a specialty dining package for about $30pppd (or $210 for a 7-day cruise), if AQ is more than $200 more pp than a regular balcony, on S-Class ships we take the regular balcony and get a specialty package. However, on M-Class ships the specialty restaurant offerings are very limited, so on those ships we would only sail in AQ or a suite.

 

For only $110 pp more than a regular balcony, AQ is more than worth it. 

[sakigemcam]

We’re considering a buy up from verandah to aqua on an upcoming s class 9 night. We’re perfectly happy in our current space but curious about Blu. We already have a 3 specialty package. I’m curious about location - are cabins below the pool deck extra noisy? What other deck 11 locations would be concerns? I was thinking $200/person top bid. Is that too high? 

[NCHPcruiser]

Just one more vote for Aqua.   We much prefer a smaller dining venue so BLU works great for us.  

 

[TeaBag]

AQ for $110/pp is a deal.  as well as everything else you receive you will get 2 more tier points/day.

 

As for the aft balcony cabins someone mentioned, we had the coveted #1140 in Oct booked the day the cruise opened.  It was really spoiled for us by the terribly loud movies running 3 or 4 times/day on the deck above.  Horrible.  I checked one day and there was not a soul up there but the music and voices were still blaring away.

[Pushka]

Blu is the only reason I’d book aqua. We went to the Persian Gardens area and relaxation room and the sound of people snoring meant we didn’t return. 

[jled]

That's so funny! 

[ILgirl]

Food is so subjective but I will say I did my first verandah/MDR after 6 straight cruises in Aqua/Blu.  I'll never book Aqua again.  I thought the food was far superior in the MDR.  Service was great as well.  It was nice to enjoy a simple meal of rare prime rib rather than having most items"gussied" up with pea and celery purée.

[terrydtx]

6 hours ago, Pushka said:

Blu is the only reason I’d book aqua. We went to the Persian Gardens area and relaxation room and the sound of people snoring meant we didn’t return. 

I guess some were super relaxed, LOL

[terrydtx]

34 minutes ago, ILgirl said:

Food is so subjective but I will say I did my first verandah/MDR after 6 straight cruises in Aqua/Blu.  I'll never book Aqua again.  I thought the food was far superior in the MDR.  Service was great as well.  It was nice to enjoy a simple meal of rare prime rib rather than having most items"gussied" up with pea and celery purée.

Yes but you can still have a dinner in the MDR with AQ, just not assigned time. In the M Class AQ you can also order off the MDR menu in Blu.