What would you pay to dine in Blu if it were a specialty restaurant?

[dlh015]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

Celebrity takes cabins in the worst locations under the pool, calls them Aqua and charges a lot more.

 

But the restaurant?  Who doesn’t want to avoid the buffet or skip the specialty restaurants or at least have a choice?  If I had to eat at the buffet for every meal I would never cruise.

I only stated my opinion about Blu. I didn't say anything about not having the option. If I paid for Aqua, I would want to have another choice besides the OVC. But Blu just doesn't appeal to me for the price...other than, as you state, it's not the OVC. That's not enough to make me spring for Aqua. I'd rather just take the leap to a SS...which is what I do. 

 

 

[Pinboy]

We were in Blu twice-- Would not select it as a Specialty restaurant. Prefer Murano or Lawn Club Grill if available on board.

Food/Meals in Aqua:

Breakfast --- Great, but we now have breakfast in the MDR and request a table for 2 , followed by a visit to the Elite breakfast in the Tuscan Grill ( or wherever ).

Avoid the OVC ( Slugfest on 14 ) circus.

Dinner---- much toooo " healthy " -- unless it has changed ?

If I can't pronounce it, I won't order it. 

Ambiance:

Very nice venue, excellent service , dine at anytime. 

LOL-----Tables for 2 are much too close to each other--- 

So, one night I thought the beautiful 32 yr old at a table next to ours was asking me when she said , etc, etc----- know what I mean ??

Access to the Persian Gardens was very enjoyable , but "Watch out" for the 5 minute Free Massage they offer every time you walk by---It's not Free by the time they are "finished " with you.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Pinboy

[Ken the cruiser]

43 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Blu's dessert options are the same as the MDR, with no differences at all.  The Blu menu has a clean cuisine section

Glad to hear the Blu menu is now including the MDR menu's Classic desserts, such as cheesecake and chocolate cake, on their dessert menu. But then the last time we cruised in Blu was on the Eclipse for 30-days back in April.

[NutsAboutGolf]

15 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Glad to hear the Blu menu is now including the MDR menu's Classic desserts, such as cheesecake and chocolate cake, on their dessert menu. But then the last time we cruised in Blu was on the Eclipse for 30-days back in April.

 

I question the whole premise of Blu being healthy.  Go for breakfast, the first thing you're offered is which pastries you want.  The second will be a tray of sugar-filled smoothies.  For dinner, the first thing you'll be offered is a basket of mostly white bread and a tray with three kinds of butter.  The impossible burger which some have reported is no longer on the menu is served with a white bun and french fries.  Also, they rarely have any healthy desserts and will say "no sugar added" which isn't sugar-free

 

I just consider Blu a slightly nicer MDR which offers some slightly lighter food items

[Ken the cruiser]

3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I question the whole premise of Blu being healthy.  Go for breakfast, the first thing you're offered is which pastries you want.  The second will be a tray of sugar-filled smoothies.  For dinner, the first thing you'll be offered is a basket of mostly white bread and a tray with three kinds of butter.  The impossible burger which some have reported is no longer on the menu is served with a white bun and french fries.  Also, they rarely have any healthy desserts and will say "no sugar added" which isn't sugar-free

 

I just consider Blu a slightly nicer MDR which offers some slightly lighter food items

I have to admit, one reason we enjoyed dining in Blu was because we very seldom, if ever, got heartburn after a meal. We also usually never gained any weight on a cruise dining in Blu, even on ones 30-days or longer. That definitely wasn't the case when we were in a Sky Suite and ate in Lumnae, especially after cruising started back up. But that's just us. 

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I have to admit, one reason we enjoyed dining in Blu was because we very seldom, if ever, got heartburn after a meal. We also usually never gained any weight on a cruise dining in Blu, even on ones 30-days or longer. That definitely wasn't the case when we were in a Sky Suite and ate in Lumnae, especially after cruising started back up. But that's just us. 

 

You may not gain weight on your Flora trip either!

[D. B.]

19 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Though the menus in Blu were more appealing than Luminae on our recent cruise, I wouldn't pay extra to eat in Blu.  I found the MDR to be  nice with options that were very pleasing.

If the menu in  Blu is more appealing than Luminae then I'm never going to bother booking a Suite as I find the menu in Blu Very unappealing.

[hasentreelake]

7 hours ago, zitsky said:

Celebrity takes cabins in the worst locations under the pool, calls them Aqua and charges a lot more.

 

But the restaurant?  Who doesn’t want to avoid the buffet or skip the specialty restaurants or at least have a choice?  If I had to eat at the buffet for every meal I would never cruise.

(misread quoted post)

Edited December 5, 2023 by hasentreelake
misread

[Ken the cruiser]

37 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

You may not gain weight on your Flora trip either!

Probably not, especially with all those morning and afternoon excursions walks every day! 😁

[dreams_of_travel]

My last few cruises in Aqua class, and dining in Blu were meh! at best.  Once I discovered I could order off of the MDR menu, or even the kids menu, I was much happier about my food options.  I didn't hate everything, but some of their creative choices were not appealing to me.  To answer the main OP's question:  No, I would not pay for Blu,  and unless the pricing was superior to Concierge I probably wouldn't book Aqua class again.  YMMV

[Georgia_Peaches]

4 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Blu's dessert options are the same as the MDR, with no differences at all.  The Blu menu has a clean cuisine section

Funny you say that. One of the desserts we had on Ascent the other day was a chocolate tart like the ones in cafe Al Bacio. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I was in Aqua on the Summit this past summer.

 

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

tray of sugar-filled smoothies.

Smoothies were by request only.

 

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

tray with three kinds of butter.

It was 3 veggie purees. Butter was on its own.

 

I loved my experience with Blu (and Aqua) so much that I upgraded my Beyond cruise this coming summer to Aqua. I can't compare it to specialty restaurants since I don't usually do those.

 

[PTC DAWG]

58 minutes ago, D. B. said:

If the menu in  Blu is more appealing than Luminae then I'm never going to bother booking a Suite as I find the menu in Blu Very unappealing.

What about it makes it unappealing?  I’ve yet to board any cruise ship and not find at least one entree that I wanted to order..usually most all of it looks good to me..

[someguyfl]

26 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

What about it makes it unappealing?  I’ve yet to board any cruise ship and not find at least one entree that I wanted to order..usually most all of it looks good to me..

I agree with you ...

I suspect the answer, given the conversations on other threads ... is that some people are very picky eaters.

 

I'd bet that there's a unfortunately a sizeable group of people who would say that if the menu had Filet Mignon, Lobster, Mashed Potatoes, French Fries, Spaghetti with Meatballs, and Caesar Salad every night, with no other choices, that the menu was superior to what Blu offered today.
 

Personally, I rather enjoy having the rotating variety of fish, meats (including both steak and lamb), fowl (including chicken, duck, and squab). I also try to limit my carbs, so the idea of being able to have a variety of protein choices every night is actually pretty amazing.

[hcat]

please don't give X any wild ideas.

the value is what folks are willing to pay for a smaller less  chaotic dining room and othrr AQ perks.

 

surprised this thread is so busy

 

[D. B.]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

What about it makes it unappealing?  I’ve yet to board any cruise ship and not find at least one entree that I wanted to order..usually most all of it looks good to me..

First off there are few choices and most were to strange for our taste.

   Listed as "Healthy Choice"?

 The first night we left and went to the MDR where we were told we could order off the MDR menu in Blu so that's what we did most nights.

 Also on that M class ship Blu had to many tables in that small space and we were almost elbow to elbow to the people in the table next to us.

  The low ceiling (overhead to you Navy types) seemed to make the noise worse than the MDR.

     YMMV.....

 

[zitsky]

Tables are too close in Blu?  How much is a privacy thing and how much health?  I promise I won’t ask for your life story when you’re at the next table.  Will I ruin your dinner by saying good evening?

[D. B.]

11 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Tables are too close in Blu?  How much is a privacy thing and how much health?  I promise I won’t ask for your life story when you’re at the next table.  Will I ruin your dinner by saying good evening?

Not a health issue.

we returned to X cruises in June 2021.

[NutsAboutGolf]

32 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Tables are too close in Blu?  How much is a privacy thing and how much health?  I promise I won’t ask for your life story when you’re at the next table.  Will I ruin your dinner by saying good evening?

 

Tables can be close in the MDR as well

[NMTraveller]

7 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Tables can be close in the MDR as well

And the thread is about counting Blu as a specialty.  So they should be compared accordingly.

[NMTraveller]

45 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Tables are too close in Blu?  How much is a privacy thing and how much health?  I promise I won’t ask for your life story when you’re at the next table.  Will I ruin your dinner by saying good evening?

You saying good evening is a good thing.

 

You talking about your uncle that just got out of the joint or how you love Bidenflation/Bidenomics is unappetizing 🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

I really don't care to hear peoples silly conversations...

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by NMTraveller

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

I really don't care to hear peoples silly conversations...

Excellent!  So let’s discuss Einstein’s theory of relativity.  🥸

[Pinboy]

56 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

You saying good evening is a good thing.

 

You talking about your uncle that just got out of the joint or how you love Bidenflation/Bidenomics is unappetizing 🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

I really don't care to hear peoples silly conversations...

 

That’s funny— Love it !!

How about:

-An old fart pulling out her iPhone 4 with 1593 photos of her grandchildren?

- someone that had too much to drink and kept telling you about the time when , etc etc.—even when you said “ Your soup is getting cold “ .

 

[grandgeezer]

If Blu became a specialty restaurant, any bets that the Aqua price wouldn’t change? Sort of like the gratuities removed from A.I. and I don’t believe that price changed.

It would also add to the burden of the MDR.

[jean87510]

On 12/5/2023 at 8:03 AM, NMTraveller said:

How far away are the two tops in Blu?  Are they spaced as well as the specialty restaurants?  The two tops in the MDR are way too close.

 

 

 on the Equinox they were pretty close.