Aqua Class

[stevenr597]

When my wife and I cruised on the Solstice Class Ships we always booked “Aqua Class” because of “Blu”.  However we do question what would be the best choice in respect to a 7 day Caribbean Cruise in the new Edge Class Boats…specifically Aqua Class, Concierge Class, or Deluxe Verandah. 

What are one’s thought and experiences about the experience they have had on these difference classes.

Thanks for your thoughts. 

[cruisestitch]

Make sure you know what an “infinite verandah” is and is not

[dleahy4444]

16 minutes ago, stevenr597 said:

When my wife and I cruised on the Solstice Class Ships we always booked “Aqua Class” because of “Blu”.  However we do question what would be the best choice in respect to a 7 day Caribbean Cruise in the new Edge Class Boats…specifically Aqua Class, Concierge Class, or Deluxe Verandah. 

What are one’s thought and experiences about the experience they have had on these difference classes.

Thanks for your thoughts. 

I’m assuming that this will be your first time on the E class? I find the food in the 4 main dining rooms to be very good. However they don’t honor a traditional dinner seating. If you get anytime dining you can make reservations on the app but available times fill up fast. I’ve been on several E class cruises and have experienced lines to be seated. On my next cruise I am booking Aqua class to have a designated restaurant. You are probably aware the the room and veranda size are the same in the classes you referenced. The difference is in the location and the amenities 

[Shellyd22]

I can’t give advice from experience but when I was pricing cruises for my Beyond April sailing, Aqua class was significantly higher then just a infinite veranda room. I know they try to fluff up the amenities on the booking site but seems to me the only real difference is access to Blu and thermal suite. It would’ve been cheaper for me to just book infinite veranda and add on specialty dining and I think that’s the route I would’ve went if we didn’t book Retreat. Maybe we would use the thermal suite a couple times but doesn’t seem the value is there for the extra cost. Guess it depends how much more it is for your sailing. Also I don’t see much benefit to concierge. Welcome lunch in mdr sounds nice but I would rather just go to raw on 5 or le grand bistro on emkartion day. 

[mrgabriel]

We always sail in AQ and had our first E-class experience last week on Ascent. I agree with @cruisestitch that you need to research the cabins and exactly what type of balcony is included. For us, the infinite verandah was a big disappointment because of the way that we use the balcony. Some people really like it, we did not. 

 

We ate in Blu most breakfasts and evenings and enjoyed it. We never use the Spa and have always paid the higher price for Blu. In the future, we'll price it out. And we wouldn't rule out an oceanview cabin if the price differential meant that we could eat in specialty dining several times. 

 

 

[Mrs_Tiki]

DH and I have enjoyed sailing Aqua Class on several of the Solstice-class ships. There, we loved Blu’s clean cuisine, and found the placement, decor, and views from the venue on S-class ships most impressive. Being seated next to the windows and having unobstructed views of the water was always a treat!

 

We were lured away from S-class by the excellent Retreat experience on the new E-class ships, but have done one cruise in Aqua on Apex in late 2022 and another in an Aqua Sky Suite on Beyond last spring. We found the food and service in Blu to be comparable to the S-class ships, but the venue somewhat less enjoyable. On Apex (and Edge), the windows look out onto lifeboats. While the lifeboats have been removed on Beyond, the view of deck space is still lacking compared to Blu on S-class. I have heard that outdoor seating has been added on Ascent but will not see it for myself until we board in a few weeks.

 

I agree that you should check out posts here and YouTube videos critiquing the Infinite Veranda design. DH and I liked the feeling of extra space in the cabin, but could understand it would be a disappointment if one were expecting a traditional balcony.

 

We are looking forward to a cruise in Aqua on Equinox later this year. For us, Blu is worth the premium price on S-class, but we would probably not do it again on an E-class ship. 

Edited January 1 by Mrs_Tiki

[devinc]

Does AQ (Eclipse) have any advantage on choosing an embarkation or debarkation time?  This will be our first voyage with X.  TIA

[cruisestitch]

No, no advantage

[hcat]

On 1/1/2024 at 10:46 AM, stevenr597 said:

When my wife and I cruised on the Solstice Class Ships we always booked “Aqua Class” because of “Blu”.  However we do question what would be the best choice in respect to a 7 day Caribbean Cruise in the new Edge Class Boats…specifically Aqua Class, Concierge Class, or Deluxe Verandah. 

What are one’s thought and experiences about the experience they have had on these difference classes.

Thanks for your thoughts. 

BLU was best on BEYOND..had a better view than on EDGE. But it  will be an Infinite Veranda cabin which is an interior space with a moving window.  We don't mind it but is not an outdoor balcony.  Access to thermal suite is included but we were not overly impressed..compared to S Class.

 

A Sunset Veranda would be our choice on any E Class ship...has a real outdoor balcony, is a larger stateroon and has access to 4 included  mdrs. Long walk aft but great views!

[Poconolady]

We do Aqua on the older ships and SV on Edge class ships, we are not fans of the infinate verandah, and feel that the four dining rooms on Edge class give a little variety to our dining. SV’s are great as long as.you don’t mind the walk to the central elevators. 

[PMT51]

Our one and only experience with Aqua Class was on the Edge in Feb 2023. We loved the infinity verandah, but nothing else in our experience has convinced us to spend the extra for AQ again. Blu was nice, but so were the MDRs. We actually ate more suppers in the MDRs than Blu. Also, in general we did not like the Edge, so are not looking to sail on E class in the future.

[flvol77]

On 1/1/2024 at 1:53 PM, Mrs_Tiki said:

DH and I have enjoyed sailing Aqua Class on several of the Solstice-class ships. There, we loved Blu’s clean cuisine, and found the placement, decor, and views from the venue on S-class ships most impressive. Being seated next to the windows and having unobstructed views of the water was always a treat!

 

We were lured away from S-class by the excellent Retreat experience on the new E-class ships, but have done one cruise in Aqua on Apex in late 2022 and another in an Aqua Sky Suite on Beyond last spring. We found the food and service in Blu to be comparable to the S-class ships, but the venue somewhat less enjoyable. On Apex (and Edge), the windows look out onto lifeboats. While the lifeboats have been removed on Beyond, the view of deck space is still lacking compared to Blu on S-class. I have heard that outdoor seating has been added on Ascent but will not see it for myself until we board in a few weeks.

 

I agree that you should check out posts here and YouTube videos critiquing the Infinite Veranda design. DH and I liked the feeling of extra space in the cabin, but could understand it would be a disappointment if one were expecting a traditional balcony.

 

We are looking forward to a cruise in Aqua on Equinox later this year. For us, Blu is worth the premium price on S-class, but we would probably not do it again on an E-class ship. 

 

Thanks for your post 

 

We have only sailed in the Aqua Class and only on S-Class - well, our next three or four Celebrity cruises are on the E-Class. 

 

We got aggressive with our move-up offer for our cruise in 4 weeks because it was our anniversary, and we use our balcony a lot. I don't think we will be happy with the infinite balcony. 

 

If we can get a decent move-up offer for our June cruise, we may try it, but if not, we will do the Aqua class and make adjustments to future bookings from there.  

 

I could see us going the way of the Sunset Veranda moving forward. 

[chismrules]

First time on Celebrity, and we are booking the Aqua rooms. Do you have a set time with Blu or make a reservation each day? Also if we want to eat in the reg. dinning room, can we do that and if so what do we need to do. Also my sister read that if you wanted something that was on the main dining room and you were eating in Blu you could ask for it. Is this true? Thanks Debbie

[WestLakeGirl]

20 minutes ago, chismrules said:

First time on Celebrity, and we are booking the Aqua rooms. Do you have a set time with Blu or make a reservation each day? Also if we want to eat in the reg. dinning room, can we do that and if so what do we need to do. Also my sister read that if you wanted something that was on the main dining room and you were eating in Blu you could ask for it. Is this true? Thanks Debbie

blu is open seating so no reservations or set dining times
 

The answers to your second questions will vary depending on which ship you are on.  Which have you booked?

[chismrules]

Thank you, we are on the Reflection April 7, 2024

[LB_NJ]

On 1/8/2024 at 7:14 PM, WestLakeGirl said:

blu is open seating so no reservations or set dining times
 

The answers to your second questions will vary depending on which ship you are on.  Which have you booked?

What about Constellation?

[cbfb]

On 1/2/2024 at 3:22 PM, hcat said:

BLU was best on BEYOND..had a better view than on EDGE. But it  will be an Infinite Veranda cabin which is an interior space with a moving window.  We don't mind it but is not an outdoor balcony.  Access to thermal suite is included but we were not overly impressed..compared to S Class.

 

A Sunset Veranda would be our choice on any E Class ship...has a real outdoor balcony, is a larger stateroon and has access to 4 included  mdrs. Long walk aft but great views!

Totally agree! We just got off a SV on Beyond and it was probably the largest veranda cabin we have had. It was a beautiful, quiet location with an amazing balcony and view. My only disappointment was not having a lounger on the balcony. Steward refused citing a passenger hurt themselves once. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[wallysdtr]

7 hours ago, LB_NJ said:

What about Constellation?

You can order from the main dining room on the Constellation when dining in Blu.  My understanding is that the kitchens are right next to each other.