Aqua class worth it?

going on Exotic Southern Caribbean Cruise

Celebrity Eclipse

just wondering if the aqua class is worth it, The interior is only $1199 and aqua is $2199

It will be our honeymoon so just wondering... we been on about 6 cruises within the last two years but been on NCL epic and Gataway

RCL allures of the seas Holland america - which we werent a fan of

most of the time we just used the room for getting ready and sleeping since there is so much to do on the boat... never been on a celebrity cruise line so just trying to see if we would spend more time in our room or there are many things to do on the boat.

thanks for your help

If you don't normally spend time in your cabin, I doubt that you would begin spending time there because it is a Aqua class cabin. On the Eclipse (and other S class ships) the Aqua class cabins are the same size as a regular veranda cabin.

In my opinion the reason to book an AQ cabin is to dine in Blu, the dining room for Aqua passengers. The other amenities that come with Aqua are body sprays in the showers, nicer towels, thicker robe, access the Persian gardens, bottle of sparkling wine & a few other things. But the majority of people who book AQ cabins do so because they like to dine in Blu.

Since you normally book an inside cabin you may want to spend some extra $ and book a balcony. Coffee on the balcony in the morning or a glass of wine & relaxing on the balcony in the evening might have you spending more time in your cabin.

Some are quite happy in an inside room...the most inexpensive way to cruise. Others go nuts if they don't have some view of the outside so they pay for a small window. Then you step up to your own balcony...a small place for you to sit outside and enjoy the view, sit quietly (depending of course on your neighbors) for reading/etc. Finally, some like the extra space offered in suites. Something for everyone.

The usual question is whether aqua is worth the upgrade from a balcony or concierge cabin and the answer really depends on your view of dining on the ship. Aqua's main (and some would say only) benefit is that you have a private dining room called Blu which is much quieter and less hectic than the Main dining room. The food is arguably a bit better prepared and Blu has it's own menu with many choices. Most all tables are for 2 but they are close together so it's easy to strike up a conversation with the folks next to you (or not). Another advantage is a sit down breakfast vs looking for a table in the buffet area and trying to get what you want to your seat at the same time and hot which is almost impossible.

It comes down to a financial decision. I think having a balcony really makes a difference on cruises where sitting outside is enjoyable and personally, we put a high value on Blu for the atmosphere all the time and their excellent breakfasts. But it is a financial decision that only you can make.

going on Exotic Southern Caribbean Cruise

Celebrity Eclipse

 

just wondering if the aqua class is worth it, The interior is only $1199 and aqua is $2199

 

It will be our honeymoon so just wondering... we been on about 6 cruises within the last two years but been on NCL epic and Gataway

RCL allures of the seas Holland america - which we werent a fan of

 

 

most of the time we just used the room for getting ready and sleeping since there is so much to do on the boat... never been on a celebrity cruise line so just trying to see if we would spend more time in our room or there are many things to do on the boat.

 

 

 

thanks for your help

Hard to answer your question. All the outside cabins, except suites are basically the same, just the amenities in the cabin and in the case of AQ class you have a special dining room BLU only for AQ.

Really depends on how much you want to spend.

Given it is your honeymoon, I would say go for it - if you can afford it. You only have one honeymoon and you want it to be special.

Celebrity is more upscale than NCL, actually more like Holland America i.e., more classy with a younger group of passengers most likely. You did not say what you did not like about HAL, or RCCL.

If you are looking for a modern, upscale, classy experience then Celebrity will be a great line for a honeymoon.

Is it worth it ? Is truly a very personal decision.

I suggest that you take a look at the Celebrity Website where they list each Cabin Category and the perks that come with each of them (they build one onto the other as the levels go up... ie Aqua gets everything that Concierge offers and a bit more)

http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/staterooms

Personally, we have to have a Cabin with a Balcony. At what level ? Well that comes down to cost.

We love Concierge, and we have determined that for us the value of that over a standard balcony cabin works out to somewhere between $ 50 and $ 200 per person for the duration of the cruise, based on the perks that comes with Concierge that we feel are good value for us (Cabin Location - Priority Check In - Upgraded Cabin Amenities - Welcome Pkg - and those all important extra Captain's Club Points)

We are about to try Aqua on an upcoming cruise for the first time. We are doing so, because the price was right... infact booking an Aqua A1 was cheaper than a Concierge C1 (happens... as prices are based on availability / demand, when demand goes up, so do the prices).

Will I be spoiled by Aqua and the Blu Dining Room... ya it is a possibility.

Hope this helps,

Cheers!

PS... A Honeymoon is a once in a lifetime experience, and it will be good no matter what you choose... but personally I'd be willing to spend "a little extra" for it, so if I was in your shoes at least go from an Inside to a Balcony. There are some nice Balconies midship on the Eclipse near "the Hump" that have oversized balconies... in both the Concierge Category (C2) as well as Standard Balconies (1A)

Having a balcony compared to a inside is the same as trying to figure out what came first the chicken or the egg.

If you don't have a balcony you will spend more time out of your cabin because it is a dark and isolated area. If you have a balcony you may spend more time on it enjoying the privacy and other nice moments. So it is difficult to decide if it is really worth the extra cost. In one cabin you can't justify the cost because you only use it for sleeping, the other you can justify the extra because you will and do enjoy spending more time in it.

When comparing a inside to AQ it is different than comparing it to a regular balcony class. The cabins are basically the same but the perks are a lot better and different than those in any non AQ class.

It is your money and only you can decide what is important to spend it on.

You must be on the Nov 23 cruise. We are on that and in AQ. The price you are showing is for a AQ guaranteed if you look at the regular price it is over $ 3000 pp. That may help you decide if it is worth the extra.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

I would say , having done 2 cruises in Aqu, 4 in a balcony and one inside

I would say no

, Aqu is only worth maybe $10 a day over a balcony

I would rather spend $30 a day on the Ultimate dinner package where you get to eat in the specialty restaurant every day if you want something special

I do like the food in the MDR , so that is usually good enough for me :D

You need to look at the price and cabins, many AQ cabins tend to be in less desirable locations. I did AQ on a TA cruise last year on the Reflection, the cabin was nice but for the most part the other perks are really just fluff. Look at location and price then decide, but for me I cannot see cruising without a balcony. Everyone is different.

If it is your honeymoon treat yourself to a regular balcony and take a specialty dining pkg. it s the balcony that is more special than an inside, not the Aqua class dining.

We like Aqua because we like eating in Blu. It is smaller with much less noise and people. We also like the resort casual dress code at all times.

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I would expect that on your honeymoon you will be spending a lot of time in your cabin.

We did Aqua once, on an upgrade. We loved it, but other cruises we have booked later we stuck with a balcony. We like two week cruises and the price difference between a balcony and AQ is usually about $500 pp.

If the price narrows to $150 pp, we might go for it.

Blu is really nice but $1000 per person is a large premium.

That buys a lot of drinks and specialty restaurant dinners!

Not everyone cares for Aqua class. I personally prefer the MDR to Blu and don't get "hanging out" in the spa area if I'm not getting a treatment. If price is not an issue then I would book a suite for my honeymoon.

If you are working within a budget and are happy with an inside, that sounds like a good way to go. Not everyone gets much use out of their balcony-only you know if that's valuable to you. You can plan on extra champagne and specialty dining, etc. with your savings to celebrate.

Regardless, I personally would not pay anything extra for an aqua class cabin over a regular veranda, but would gladly pay extra for a suite.

If it is your honeymoon treat yourself to a regular balcony and take a specialty dining pkg. it s the balcony that is more special than an inside, not the Aqua class dining.

I think this is a great idea.....

We are huge fans of Aqua Class and regularly book it. We love dining in Blu and enjoy Persian Gardens regularly. Having said that, the price differential in your case is huge. Since you've sailed on lesser cruise lines in inside cabins, you would find a balcony cabin on the beautiful Eclipse glorious. Save your money and try some specialty dining. Or save your money so you're that much closer to your next cruise.:D

If you want to try Aqua Class sometime, keep your eye out for pricing where the difference isn't so big. Most of the time, we've only paid a small premium over a balcony cabin. We've never priced interiors so I can't speak to that.

I agree with Stipmom and look at the hump verandas some of which have larger balconies than any of the AQ. Most of the perks we are not interested in. Flowers/aromatherapy oils, rainshower, spa entrance etc. Don't need the champagne, we're bringing our own.

We chose cabin 9294 rather than dining in Blu. All our friends with us are in AQs but we couldn't see that Blu was worth the $700 difference. Rather sit out on our larger balcony. If those cabins were larger/w/larger balconies, we'd probably pay the difference, but not!

If you read the S class thread at the top of this page, you can check out all the cabins available and what the differences are.

I am waiting and hoping that we can snag an unbeatable deal on a suite and if that happens, we'll probably be hooked on them.

As newlyweds I would certainly spring for at least a veranda, it's special:D

We love Aqua Class for the sole reason of BLU. We love BLU, we love the flexibility, the smaller dining space, the near certainty that we will get a table directly at the window if we time our dinner correctly. An inside cabin is not for us. However, you didn't mention the price of a veranda. For your honeymoon, at the very least, I recommend a veranda. Private time on your balcony to us is simply fabulous, we love it.

In particular, we have come to love the sunset veranda cabins - those are the cabins that are in the aft - the very back of the ship - so you have a near panoramic fabulous view.

The conundrum though, is that on the Solstice Class ships, such as the Eclipse which you'll be on, there are no sunset verandas with Aqua Class. (Only the Millennium Class ships have aft cabins in Aqua Class). So, what to do........we have discovered that we love Select Dining ALMOST as much as we love BLU. If you aren't familiar with Select Dining on Celebrity, it's where you use the main dining room, but you eat whenever you want to eat. The Select Dining area is on Deck 4, port (I think it's port, at least, it was the last time we did Select). You have to prepay your gratuities, but we don't mind. We really don't care for the main dining seatings anymore - for us, we either go Aqua Class so we get BLU, or we book Select Dining.

So, for us, the choice comes to sunset verandas with the AMAZING near panoramic view but no BLU or Aqua Class with BLU, with a classic veranda view, meaning, a view from only one side. More and more, we are choosing the sunset verandas (aft) with Select Dining. The near wrap around view from our own private balcony is a keen magnet for us.

As you do your research, check it out, look at the prices, see what you think. I hope I helped and didn't confuse the issue more!

Have done this same cruise and we were in AQ. I like AQ and love Blu, but I am no longer willing to pay a "lot" extra for it. Remember, this cruise is very port intensive. (8 islands). You will probably be off ship all of those days. I did not feel AQ was worth it on this cruise. We were seldom in the room and really were not able to use the tile beds or relaxation room much. Did not always have time to go to Blu for breakfast. But it IS your Honeymoon. That is worth picking a really special room, so you might want to do AQ. Definitely go with a balcony in a nice location. You will have these memories forever (hopefully) and don't forget pictures. Have a great time!

We are going on that exact same cruise.

We chose Concierge class over Aqua. I personally would spend extra money on getting the balcony and some specialty restaurant meals. There is nothing better than having a cup of coffee early morning or a glass of wine at night out on your own balcony.

I think having a balcony really makes a difference on cruises where sitting outside is enjoyable and personally

We are big Aqua fans. Since we generally book balcony cabins, we compare those two categories as opposed to inside. But everyone should get the cabin they want to have. It is your vacation, do what you want to do.

We just returned from a Med cruise on which we had Aqua. The big difference is Blu. We think it is head and shoulders better than dining in the main dining room. For one dinner, we went to the Tuscan Grill with friends. It was good, but not as good a Blu, at least in our opinion. And, you can have breakfast there, too. It is one of those what do you like things, but we would say to go Aqua.

Ohiodoglover

We would never pay that much more for aqua. If you consider that on a 10 day cruise you could get the ultimate dining for 290.00 per person, which allows you access to the ship's best restaurants every night, including Bistro on 5 for lunch, it's a no-brainer to not spend $1000 for Blu, which we didn't even enjoy that much.

The cabin would be the same as any other balcony.

Save your money for something that gives you value.

We love Aqua Class for the sole reason of BLU. We love BLU, we love the flexibility, the smaller dining space, the near certainty that we will get a table directly at the window if we time our dinner correctly. An inside cabin is not for us. However, you didn't mention the price of a veranda. For your honeymoon, at the very least, I recommend a veranda. Private time on your balcony to us is simply fabulous, we love it.

In particular, we have come to love the sunset veranda cabins - those are the cabins that are in the aft - the very back of the ship - so you have a near panoramic fabulous view.

 

The conundrum though, is that on the Solstice Class ships, such as the Eclipse which you'll be on, there are no sunset verandas with Aqua Class. (Only the Millennium Class ships have aft cabins in Aqua Class). So, what to do........we have discovered that we love Select Dining ALMOST as much as we love BLU. If you aren't familiar with Select Dining on Celebrity, it's where you use the main dining room, but you eat whenever you want to eat. The Select Dining area is on Deck 4, port (I think it's port, at least, it was the last time we did Select). You have to prepay your gratuities, but we don't mind. We really don't care for the main dining seatings anymore - for us, we either go Aqua Class so we get BLU, or we book Select Dining.

 

So, for us, the choice comes to sunset verandas with the AMAZING near panoramic view but no BLU or Aqua Class with BLU, with a classic veranda view, meaning, a view from only one side. More and more, we are choosing the sunset verandas (aft) with Select Dining. The near wrap around view from our own private balcony is a keen magnet for us.

 

As you do your research, check it out, look at the prices, see what you think. I hope I helped and didn't confuse the issue more!

Good assessment. We have done concierge class on Reflection - maybe?? worth the extra for priority check in/departure. We had a Sky suite on Constellation that was awesome - aft, last cabin before penthouse on deck 6. Had a huge (long) balcony and the bath was absolutely huge. We were able to dine in Blu for $5 up chg. when we wanted and had the best meals. Don't know if Sclass allows suite guest to do that.

Our next cruise in Nov on Reflection we are in AQ Suite and plan to spend good time in gym, Solarium pool, Persian and relaxation areas, will dine at Blu while doing other speciality restaurants like Tuscan and Qsine. Bottom line-this cruise is for enjoying the ship not the itinerary. If I can convince my husband to do Greek Isles or Baltic, I would book veranda (balcony a must), and prob sunset now after reading post here. If touring is priority, no need for all the upgrades since focus is off ship.

Everyone will have a different opinion on the best class cabin, but it is totally a matter of personal preference and personal spending. For me, I'd rather not spend as much on the cabin, and have more available for the wedding, or for another cruise sometime between now and your first anniversary.

For me, I loved the balconies but really did not think it was worth the premium prices for the amount we used it. We are very happy with interior or oceanview, and have large areas of the ship to sit out on. If you like sitting in the sun, aqua class may not work for you (it didn't for us) because most of the cabins are under the overhang, so we still were out on the decks when we wanted to sit outside and relax in the sun.

A lot of the cabins are under noisy public areas of the ship. For a romantic evening I'd prefer not to hear the chairs scraping the pool deck, or music that was not to my taste. If you choose aqua class pay a lot of attention to room location.

I may be a minority of one re BLU, but we had dinner there (only once) on a recent transatlantic. The food was awful, and the service not as good as the food.

Not sure of the merits of Aqua Class, but I would advise against booking it for access to BLU.