Aqua Class Worth it on Summit plus question about Blu

[phoenix_dream]

15 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Couldn’t disagree with you more about the cabins on 11, with one exception. On very hot weather cruises no overhang can make the balcony too hot. Never had any problems with noise of any kind or vibration. Never smelled buffet food. Love the location as it is right by the rear elevators and a quick walk down to the buffet.  We have sailed there several times and wouldn’t hesitate to do so again. Our cabins have always been on the side near the elevators.  You can order off the MDR menu in Blu on M class ships so no need to go there (although you certainly can, just ask the Blu mattress d for a reservation). You are certainly welcome to your opinion but just wanted to put my very different view out there as well.

ok - discovered this too late to correct - there is no "mattress d" in Blu  LOL

[Wineaux007]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

ok - discovered this too late to correct - there is no "mattress d" in Blu  LOL

The mattress is in your stateroom. 😁  There are two employees at the entrance who take you to your table and look after you.  You can consider them your Maitre'd should you have any requests.

[North2Alaska10]

On 9/29/2022 at 5:33 PM, sbcs5390 said:

I absolutely love the Deck 11 location too - awesome to pop down to the sunset bar via the special stairs by those cabins, or right into the Oceanview. Great quiet loungers nearby. But, I enjoy the sun. 

 

Believe you'd have no issue going to the MDR if you like, and on M-class all 3 restaurants share the same galley so it's very easy to order cross-menu. 

If we book AQ class we always choose deck 11 between the elevators and aft cabins. It’s always been very quiet and relaxing. No notable smells at all. Once we stayed close to the elevators near the front of the ship. We were pleasantly surprised how quiet the cabin was being close to the elevator. 

[NJRonbo]

Someone who is currently on Summit has posted on Facebook that Blu no longer allows you to order off the dining room menu.  The rules were apparently recently changed to prohibit it.

[Guppy99]

1 hour ago, NJRonbo said:

Someone who is currently on Summit has posted on Facebook that Blu no longer allows you to order off the dining room menu.  The rules were apparently recently changed to prohibit it.

You never were allowed to. Some people insisted and have pushed the issue on the ships where Blu and the MDR share the same galley. If you prefer the MDR menu one night, just go eat there at the anytime dining entrance. If you were expected at Blu (have a reservation, and yes, they do take them), then as a courtesy it would be nice to let the host/hostess know.

[NJRonbo]

1 minute ago, Guppy99 said:

You never were allowed to. Some people insisted and have pushed the issue on the ships where Blu and the MDR share the same galley. If you prefer the MDR menu one night, just go eat there at the anytime dining entrance. If you were expected at Blu (have a reservation, and yes, they do take them), then as a courtesy it would be nice to let the host/hostess know.

 

Yeah, it was impossible to tell if they allowed it or not.  If you read the multiple posts on the subject, the overwhelming response was that they did allow it on M class ships where kitchens were shared.

In fact, this Facebook posting that I got the information from suggests that it was allowed but the rules have recently changed...

 

 I’m in blu now and they told me they changed the rules a few weeks ago. They do not allow people to order off of menus from other dining rooms anymore

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, NJRonbo said:

Someone who is currently on Summit has posted on Facebook that Blu no longer allows you to order off the dining room menu.  The rules were apparently recently changed to prohibit it.

That must be very new, indeed. We were on the Summit B2B2B in August and September. They had MDR menus available for anyone who wanted them. They had a bit of white tape on the spine to differentiate them for ease. Servers sometimes recommended items off the MDR menu. 

The middle cruise was in MDR, and the service was dreadful. It was absolutely not the fault of the overworked but understaffed crew. They did the best they could (not the wine steward, but everyone else did). We mostly chose to eat ashore or in the OVC. We were very happy to get back to Blu on cruise 3. The staff there was fabulous, even if service was a bit slower than usual. The Blu sommelier was fabulous!

[NJRonbo]

Just now, MamaFej said:

That must be very new, indeed. We were on the Summit B2B2B in August and September. They had MDR menus available for anyone who wanted them. They had a bit of white tape on the spine to differentiate them for ease. Servers sometimes recommended items off the MDR menu. 

The middle cruise was in MDR, and the service was dreadful. It was absolutely not the fault of the overworked but understaffed crew. They did the best they could (not the wine steward, but everyone else did). We mostly chose to eat ashore or in the OVC. We were very happy to get back to Blu on cruise 3. The staff there was fabulous, even if service was a bit slower than usual. The Blu sommelier was fabulous!

Yeah, that post I quoted is from someone who is on the Summit right now and has been posting on Facebook.

And, listen, there could be some sort of miscommunication here.  I think it's something that we need to monitor.  I'm sure we will hear from other cruisers who can confirm or deny that information.

I really don't want to have to deal with the MDR if in Aqua Class, but at the same time, I'd like better food choices.  Let's hope this information is incorrect.

[warmwinds]

Please enlighten me as to the "reservations" taken in Blu - never heard of that in all the times we have been in AQ.  If it's true, I need to make some reservations ASAP!

[Guppy99]

1 hour ago, warmwinds said:

Please enlighten me as to the "reservations" taken in Blu - never heard of that in all the times we have been in AQ.  If it's true, I need to make some reservations ASAP!

You can tell the hostess the night before what time you will be arriving the next night, and they will happily make sure your table is available.  This is not something you can reserve online.  

[warmwinds]

Whew.  Will do that.  Although have never had to before, times change.

[Guppy99]

37 minutes ago, warmwinds said:

Whew.  Will do that.  Although have never had to before, times change.

You don't have to...it's just if you want to.  Nothing has changed.

[phoenix_dream]

22 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

You never were allowed to. Some people insisted and have pushed the issue on the ships where Blu and the MDR share the same galley. If you prefer the MDR menu one night, just go eat there at the anytime dining entrance. If you were expected at Blu (have a reservation, and yes, they do take them), then as a courtesy it would be nice to let the host/hostess know.

Totally not true.  We have always done it on M class ships multiple times, and did it on a September Summit sailing that was full capacity.  And I did not ever "push the issue".  In fact, it was offered to us as an option before we even asked for it on our September cruise.

[NJRonbo]

2 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Totally not true.  We have always done it on M class ships multiple times, and did it on a September Summit sailing that was full capacity.  And I did not ever "push the issue".  In fact, it was offered to us as an option before we even asked for it on our September cruise.

 

This is obviously something that we have to keep an eye on.  Perhaps policy has recently changed.  We'll know for certain as more cruisers report back as to whether they were allowed to order off of the MD menu.

[phoenix_dream]

20 minutes ago, NJRonbo said:

 

This is obviously something that we have to keep an eye on.  Perhaps policy has recently changed.  We'll know for certain as more cruisers report back as to whether they were allowed to order off of the MD menu.

If the policy has changed, it has literally changed within the last couple of weeks.  I seriously doubt that it has.  There really would be no good reason.  They share kitchens on M class ships.  Obviously I am not onboard right now so can't say with 100% certainty but I highly doubt it has changed.  If anything, Celebrity is bending over backwards these days to get and keep people on their ships so more than ever this doesn't make sense to me.  But we'll see if anyone else reports a change.

[phoenix_dream]

21 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

You can tell the hostess the night before what time you will be arriving the next night, and they will happily make sure your table is available.  This is not something you can reserve online.  

I agree that they will do what they can to have your table available.  They can't always hold it, especially on a full ship, but they will do their best.  We used that method on our last sailing on Summit a few weeks ago and they did a great job, but there were times we had to wait 10-20 minutes.