Value of Persian Gardens post-Pandemic?

[Hertzberg]

To celebrate our honeymoon, my new husband and I have recently booked an 11 night Caribbean cruise with a lovely veranda cabin onboard the Celebrity Silhouette departing February 2022. We're quite excited. He's never been on a cruise before, and I've only taken one with my family when I was young.

My husband and I are a solidly middle class couple, but because this is our honeymoon, we are not opposed to splurging for a lovely experience. I was mildly interested in an Aquaclass cabin, but I decided to pass, because I'm not very attached to the idea of dining in Blu. Blu seems nice enough, but since we've never taken a Celebrity cruise before, the MDR somehow feels like more of an authentic experience for our first time. I was really just interested in access to the Persian Garden, and I read that I could buy a pass for that. 

So here's my question:

I've hopped on to the online cruise planner, and a full couple's pass to the Persian Garden for the length of our cruise is priced at $800. 

Like I said, we are not opposed to splurging for a lovely honeymoon, but this is a bit of a steep price tag, and I can't find much information online about exactly what the Persian Garden facilities entail. I am aware that I can take a tour and decide upon embarkation, but I am worried about daily or weekly passes selling out due to reduced numbers with Covid restrictions.

So... has anyone here used the Persian Garden onboard the Silhouette (or other Solstice class ship) since the ship has been renovated, and would you be willing to give some feedback on the value of the facilities? And can those of you who have taken a cruise with Celebrity in 2021 advise as to whether the passes are more difficult to obtain onboard due to Covid capacity restrictions?

Thank you in advance. 

[neverlaysup]

19 minutes ago, Hertzberg said:

To celebrate our honeymoon, my new husband and I have recently booked an 11 night Caribbean cruise with a lovely veranda cabin onboard the Celebrity Silhouette departing February 2022. We're quite excited. He's never been on a cruise before, and I've only taken one with my family when I was young.

My husband and I are a solidly middle class couple, but because this is our honeymoon, we are not opposed to splurging for a lovely experience. I was mildly interested in an Aquaclass cabin, but I decided to pass, because I'm not very attached to the idea of dining in Blu. Blu seems nice enough, but since we've never taken a Celebrity cruise before, the MDR somehow feels like more of an authentic experience for our first time. I was really just interested in access to the Persian Garden, and I read that I could buy a pass for that. 

So here's my question:

I've hopped on to the online cruise planner, and a full couple's pass to the Persian Garden for the length of our cruise is priced at $800. 

Like I said, we are not opposed to splurging for a lovely honeymoon, but this is a bit of a steep price tag, and I can't find much information online about exactly what the Persian Garden facilities entail. I am aware that I can take a tour and decide upon embarkation, but I am worried about daily or weekly passes selling out due to reduced numbers with Covid restrictions.

So... has anyone here used the Persian Garden onboard the Silhouette (or other Solstice class ship) since the ship has been renovated, and would you be willing to give some feedback on the value of the facilities? And can those of you who have taken a cruise with Celebrity in 2021 advise as to whether the passes are more difficult to obtain onboard due to Covid capacity restrictions?

Thank you in advance. 

Once upgrade bidding for the cruise starts, bid on an AQ cabin at that time for a low bid, chances of success are very high these days. Persian garden is not worth $800, you need to make a reservation and it's only for 1 hour at a time and can fill up quick.

The Persian garden has 8-10 heated tile loungers and also a steam room and sauna. There are some nice showers as well to rinse off in after the steam or sauna. That is all there really is. If your husband likes a sauna, there is a free one in the mens locker room that anyone can use.

Edited October 30, 2021 by neverlaysup

[Arizona Wildcat]

DW and I thought Blu was incredible.  Smaller setting and personal attention.  Persian Garden we would both rate as just ok.  Only crowded on sea days.  Would not pay $800.  Not half that, but just our opinion.

[kwokpot]

That's a ridiculous amount of money and definitely not worth it. There's complementary saunas in the respective men's and women's spa/gym locker rooms that are available for all passengers to use. 

[Hertzberg]

49 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

That's a ridiculous amount of money and definitely not worth it. There's complementary saunas in the respective men's and women's spa/gym locker rooms that are available for all passengers to use. 

Thank you! Very helpful to know about the complimentary sauna! 

$800 seemed too steep to me, but I wasn't sure since they don't have many photos of the facilities available. I was picturing something more like they have at the Grove Park Inn, and for that I was willing to pay a big premium. But this sounds like it might be a one day pass or pass completely situation. 

Thanks!

[Hertzberg]

1 hour ago, neverlaysup said:

Once upgrade bidding for the cruise starts, bid on an AQ cabin at that time for a low bid, chances of success are very high these days. Persian garden is not worth $800, you need to make a reservation and it's only for 1 hour at a time and can fill up quick.

The Persian garden has 8-10 heated tile loungers and also a steam room and sauna. There are some nice showers as well to rinse off in after the steam or sauna. That is all there really is. If your husband likes a sauna, there is a free one in the mens locker room that anyone can use.

Are you saying that even AQ class or full day pass guests need to make reservations for the facilities now, and only for an hour? That's very good to know and certainly changes things. 

I'll keep an eye out for the upgrade bidding email! Thanks for your reply! 

[chamima]

We haven't cruised since before Covid so I don't know about time limits in the Persian Gardens (which is DEFINITELY NOT worth $800) but since we cruise in Aqua (we like the smaller , quieter dining room in Blu) you should know that you can still dine in the main dining room if you are Aqua. You can try Blu - and if you don't like it just tell the Maitre D' you want to switch your dining to MDR . If you aren't in Aqua and  find the MDR too loud you don't have that option to switch.

 

PS - My daughter and son-in-law are looking to take a short, luxurious vacation and the Grove Park Inn was recommended so your comments about it are helpful.

Edited October 30, 2021 by chamima

[sptrout]

I agree that $800 for a cruise long pass to PGs is way to expensive. Another point that has caught us on other similar "all-cruise passes" is that for one reason or another we never make it to the spa every day of the cruise and usually lose money because of that alone. (Have had the same issue with multiple cruise lines.) IMO, I would recommend AQ over other similar size cabins because of Blu and for all access to the PGs. Blu is a much nicer experience in our experience than the MDR. We have stopped going to MRDs several years ago on all cruise lines after bad experiences on Princess & RCCL.

[kwokpot]

None of the Thermal suites on any of Celebrity's fleet would warrant a $400/pp/cruise fee. Unlike some of Thermal suites on  NCL ships there's not enough lounging space to spend a whole afternoon in the spa. The Thermal suites on NCL ships have multiple non heated chairs and loungers where you can relax between using the various heated rooms and whirlpools. Without those types of seating spaces there's only so long you can hang out at the spa before you're too hot and ready to leave the Thermal suite. Even as wonderful as NCL Thermal suites are I wouldn't pay $400 to use their spas either. 

[Franken]

We choose Aqua  mostly because of Blu, but do enjoy the Persian Garden on S class ships. We found out about having to make reservations on the 1st day of our Equinox sailing earlier this month so we made them for the entire sailing.  It was not ideal, but we were happy to have a guaranteed hour every day that we could relax on the heated loungers.  Only issues were that we couldn’t always get loungers next to each other or the guests that booked the previous hour were reluctant to leave.  We would not pay $400pp even before these restrictions so you could consider a day pass with a couple of hours booked on one of your sea days.  Enjoy your cruise and Congratulations!

[mfs2k]

Our first celebrity cruise was in 2019 on equinox and we upgraded to an aqua class cabin. I use the Persian gardens twice. It was not an overwhelming experience. It was just something to do and it was free. I certainly would never spend $800 for the privilege.

 

but. We did love Blu. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by mfs2k

[hcat]

12 hours ago, kwokpot said:

That's a ridiculous amount of money and definitely not worth it. There's complementary saunas in the respective men's and women's spa/gym locker rooms that are available for all passengers to use. 

Hope the free saunas are still there! 

Agree not worth the pass price, & they  will probably never go that often ,,they can ,buy a day pass.

 

OR  go AQ class if price is decent .BLU on Silhouette is nicer than mdr...much more exclusive experience..more perks.. i'd splurge for that over a spa pass any day!

Edited October 30, 2021 by hcat

[Guppy99]

3 hours ago, chamima said:

We haven't cruised since before Covid so I don't know about time limits in the Persian Gardens (which is DEFINITELY NOT worth $800) but since we cruise in Aqua (we like the smaller , quieter dining room in Blu) you should know that you can still dine in the main dining room if you are Aqua. You can try Blu - and if you don't like it just tell the Maitre D' you want to switch your dining to MDR . If you aren't in Aqua and  find the MDR too loud you don't have that option to switch.

 

PS - My daughter and son-in-law are looking to take a short, luxurious vacation and the Grove Park Inn was recommended so your comments about it are helpful.

No. Aqua class passengers have free access to Persian Gardens. no appt or limitation. passes for other passengers are limited.

[39august]

I believe post covid that reservations are required of Aqua class passengers. They were on Equinox 2 weeks ago. There is no big deal to us about Persian Gardens. Just a few heated, tile loungers and an aroma  something or other. Never used that. 

[chamima]

40 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

No. Aqua class passengers have free access to Persian Gardens. no appt or limitation. passes for other passengers are limited.

 

That was pre Covid.

Read the highlighted part below.

3 hours ago, Franken said:

We choose Aqua  mostly because of Blu, but do enjoy the Persian Garden on S class ships. We found out about having to make reservations on the 1st day of our Equinox sailing earlier this month so we made them for the entire sailing.  It was not ideal, but we were happy to have a guaranteed hour every day that we could relax on the heated loungers.  Only issues were that we couldn’t always get loungers next to each other or the guests that booked the previous hour were reluctant to leave.  We would not pay $400pp even before these restrictions so you could consider a day pass with a couple of hours booked on one of your sea days.  Enjoy your cruise and Congratulations!

 

It appears that it's still free for Aqua passengers but you need to reserve times so as to avoid having too many people in there at a time.

[ETHTrader]

1 hour ago, Guppy99 said:

No. Aqua class passengers have free access to Persian Gardens. no appt or limitation. passes for other passengers are limited.

 

That is no longer applicable these days. Appointment was required on Apex even for Aqua class

[Guppy99]

 

18 minutes ago, ETHTrader said:

 

That is no longer applicable these days. Appointment was required on Apex even for Aqua class

Then Celebrity needs to update their website, because that is still listed as bein the cse under Aqua benefits.

[ETHTrader]

4 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

 

Then Celebrity needs to update their website, because that is still listed as bein the cse under Aqua benefits.

It is still a benefit. The difference is that now you have to make an appointment to limit the number of people in the Persian Gardens. 

 

I think you mean to say that Celebrity has to disclose that somewhere in the website and that's a fair point.

[Guppy99]

35 minutes ago, ETHTrader said:

It is still a benefit. The difference is that now you have to make an appointment to limit the number of people in the Persian Gardens. 

 

I think you mean to say that Celebrity has to disclose that somewhere in the website and that's a fair point.

 'Plus, unlimited access to the Persian Garden,"  on Our Stunning Aqua Class Staterooms | as a perk for being in Aqua.  If this is important to people, you are right saying they should be clearer. 

[RealBatman]

The first time we cruised with Celebrity (after several other cruise lines) we booked Aqua... and have never looked back! We enjoy the Persian gardens, but we REALLY love the Blu. To be honest, you might want to cruise in Aqua BECAUSE of Blu - not the Persian gardens! The restaurant is smaller, quieter and the staff quickly learn your names and preferences. I've been told the food is better than the MDR but having never eaten in the MDR I can't honestly say that is so. We've been on Silhouette and loved sailing on her. Another bonus of Aqua is the shower. Given the special event you are celebrating (Congratulations by the way!) I would suggest you book Aqua! 

[Miaminice]

15 hours ago, ETHTrader said:

 

That is no longer applicable these days. Appointment was required on Apex even for Aqua class

🤔 We sailed on Apex in September and did not require reservations… we walked in when we felt like it. When we got the locker keys we were never asked to make appointments. Around 1000 pax on board on our cruise.

That being said… to the OP: I would never ever pay $800 for a week pass. For that kind of money you can think about booking Aqua Class right away and get the real perk - Blu.

Edited October 31, 2021 by Miaminice

[ETHTrader]

4 hours ago, Miaminice said:

🤔 We sailed on Apex in September and did not require reservations… we walked in when we felt like it. When we got the locker keys we were never asked to make appointments. Around 1000 pax on board on our cruise.

That being said… to the OP: I would never ever pay $800 for a week pass. For that kind of money you can think about booking Aqua Class right away and get the real perk - Blu.

 

Hmm, maybe policy is different for SEA Thermal Suite on Edge class ships and Persian Garden on smaller ships. 🤔

Edited October 31, 2021 by ETHTrader

[Miaminice]

30 minutes ago, ETHTrader said:

 

Hmm, maybe policy is different for SEA Thermal Suite on Edge class ships and Persian Garden on smaller ships. 🤔

 

It´s more likely to be different on any ship... as always 😃
Very few consistencies these days. The only rule set in stone on any ship seems to be the "no guests in BLU" rule.

Edited October 31, 2021 by Miaminice

[kwokpot]

Currently on the Edge in Aquaclass and no reservations are needed for the Thermal suite. Very low occupancy this cruise, a bit weird, tbh. 

[phoenix_dream]

Definitely agree no way is it worth $800. Also agree with those who say AQ is worth upgrading for Blu alone.