Value of Blu for specialty dining?

What should Celebrity charge for Blu dinners and/or breakfast if it was a specialty restaurant?

Looking at Aqua Class, we see showers, Persian Garden, and Blu are part of the cost. What do you consider the value of dinner in Blu compared to Murano, Quisine, Bistro of 5, Tuscan Grille. What price would you pay per person to dine in Blu?

Eve

I think that you are trying to determine its "Value" within the price if an Aqua Class room, but that is an undefinable quantity, since you sometimes see Concierge and Aqua priced nearly the same. Sometimes there is a large price difference between them but not always.

Also, it is the assigned dining rooml for Aqua, unavailable to anyone other than suites (for now). It isn't a Specialty Restaurant and never will be unless something drastic changes.

For us, the greatest "value" of Blu is that it is a dedicated restaurant, just for Aqua class (and suites). It is a pleasant, convivial environment without the hustle and bustle of the MDR.

OD

you're asking an impossible question because no one knows what you value. If you like to eat when you want, a quieter dining room for dinner, a quiet sit down breakfast and your taste in food is not "meat and potatoes", then there's a value to Blu. If you like to have the same 8 people at your table each night and like a fixed dinner time...and you are more of a "meat and potatoes" type of person, you may prefer the MDR and you are wasting your money by booking aqua.

We're in the first group and we think aqua is worth at least $100 more per person over a C2 cabin. Obviously, your value may be very different.

It won't be a specialty restaurant so the question is perhaps not answerable

Even tho its not a specialty restaurant my value of the dinners would prob be about 15 to 20 per or about half of specialty cost as you can get all specialty restaurants I think for about 30 per day as other poster said my value for week would be about 100 per I got our jan cruise for only 20 more per cruise and thought that was fantastic and I jumped on it john

As stated at times Aqua Class can actually be priced equal or lower than Concierge Class even tho AQ includes all that Concirge offers, and more... Including Blu

Pricing is one of the reasons we will be in AQ for the first time on our upcoming cruise... It was cheaper than our usual C1 Cabin choice (lol, and the A1 still is going to be a Sunset Aft Cabin... Just up on Deck 11 vs Deck 7, 8 or 9 )

Blu is a Dining Room, and not a Specialty Restaurant... And I certainly do not expect it to compare to one... Just a DR serving "lighter / cleaner fare" as advertised is all I expect

Specialty Dining Restaurants with Celebrity are priced between $ 5 and $ 45 per person...

Interestingly when Celebrity allows Suite Pax to dine in Blu they have been charged $ 5 per person... ($ 5 x 7 Days = $ 35 a week per person) so that is where I would probably peg it at somewhere in the $ 35 to $ 50 value per person per week

Add in everything else that Aqua Class offers, and I'd say the upgrade is probably worth somewhere around $100 max per person over Concierge Class

Cheers!

Ps... After I've actually eaten in Blu, my view might change. But for now I know I would not pay more than $ 100 for the upgrade Concierge to Aqua ... Fact I got it for less than Concierge is the whole reason we are taking it / trying it out

I can only comment on what we (DW and I think) that Blu is worth. We have cruised in Aqua Class on 3 cruises (done many more in regular balcony cabins) and when calculating the value of Aqua we figure Blu is worth about $20 per passenger day. If the price difference between a regular balcony and Blu is more then that we do not even consider Aqua. In fact, we know a couple that booked one of the low category balcony cabins on the Silhouette, got a location better then the Aqua Class cabins (we hate being under the pool deck overhang), and saved enough money to pay for alternative restaurants every night of the cruise. Go figure. On our next Celebrity cruise (Eclipse) we came to a similar conclusion and swore off Aqua for a regular hump balcony. We will probably eat 4 or 5 meals in alternative restaurants and will still come out ahead. The only thing we will miss from Aqua are the footrests on our balcony...but such is life :)

As to Concierge, we would not even consider that class unless it was the same price we pay for a regular balcony.

Hank

We're booked in a regular balcony cabin for an upcoming cruise. The upgrade to aqua class was $900 per person. We've decided that we would save money and be happier paying for the Ultimate Dining Package at $58 per day (for two people) and have a choice of the specialty restaurants every night. The package will cost $58 x 14 days or $812 rather than $1800 for aqua class.

We'll have breakfast in the Tuscan Grill.

To me, the value of Aqua Class is primarily the Blu venue. For us, we would probably only pay maybe $100-$150 more per person for a seven day cruise to get Aqua Class. Beyond that, I would probably just get a balcony and buy a couple specialty restaurants. I have only sailed in AQ once, so am not a Blu expert. Based on our experience, I would say the food is better than the MDR, but not as good as a specialty restaurant. We prefer the ambiance, and love having breakfast there in particular.

........633 Days At Sea.......(497 on Celebrity)...and I'm counting all 7 days on the ill-fated Millennium even though my cruise was shortened!)

Ha! I was on that cruise also. I call it the Cruise to Ketchikan.

you're asking an impossible question because no one knows what you value. If you like to eat when you want, a quieter dining room for dinner, a quiet sit down breakfast and your taste in food is not "meat and potatoes", then there's a value to Blu. If you like to have the same 8 people at your table each night and like a fixed dinner time...and you are more of a "meat and potatoes" type of person, you may prefer the MDR and you are wasting your money by booking aqua.

 

We're in the first group and we think aqua is worth at least $100 more per person over a C2 cabin. Obviously, your value may be very different.

This.

Also, we consider every dinner and breakfast in Blu to be "special", so there is no need for use to book a specialty resturant.

We love Blu and consider it to be every bit as nice as a specialty restaurant (I realize that this isn't a common opinion). We think the food is delicious and well presented and the service is exceptional.

I love that there aren't "service stations" near the tables so you don't have to see/hear the clearing and clanging of plates. I love that we are greeted by name each evening when we arrive.

Because the tables are close together and it is a smaller venue, you'll see the same diners each evening. If you arrive at the same time as someone you've seen a previous evening, it is fun to share a table with them.

It is more quiet and intimate that the MDR and many times, you are able to get a window table.

The wonderful breakfast is just a bonus.

I'm not sure how much more I'd be willing to pay because so far we haven't paid much more than a regular balcony.

An Aqua cabin is $1080 per person more than we paid for our 1A in Nov for 11 days. Blu is not worth that, even with the Persian Gardens thrown in.

An Aqua cabin is $1080 per person more than we paid for our 1A in Nov for 11 days. Blu is not worth that, even with the Persian Gardens thrown in.

Wow. I know for sure I wouldn't pay that much more. I'd move on to an all inclusive line at that point if I didn't want a regular balcony.

Interesting question based mainly on opinion.

My opinion would be for the Blu Breakfast early Lunch meal it would be about the same cost as Bistro on 5, $8.00pp and for dinner somewhere between Bistro on 5 and Tuscan Grill, say $20.00pp. Only just my opinion for sure.

What should Celebrity charge for Blu dinners and/or breakfast if it was a specialty restaurant?

IMO Zero

based on our previous experience with Blu

In other words - we were not impressed

JK

We, on the other hand, just completed our first cruise in Blu and liked it very much. Was every meal perfect? No. But most were very good. And we really liked the refreshingly bright room, we enjoyed the seating, the intimate service (we thought you wouldn't get to "know" your waiters like in the MDR, but we got to know all of them in Blu {being a 14 day cruise helped}) - we never asked for a specific table or a specific server, they were all good.

But you got me curious as to the upcharge for our next cruise (I didn't pay much attention for our just-completed one, we knew we wanted to try it so that was that) - but we'll be paying $150 more for 9 nights, so I don't think that's too bad.

We did BLU once, we felt the only value was it was quiet and less crowded beyond that not impressed. We skip the MDR because it is too noisy and crowded. Therefore, we opt for breakfast in our cabin and a late lunch from the buffet that we also pick up and take to enjoy on our balcony.

We are very happy with a balcony or CC cabin, skip the MDR and BLU or any other specialty restaurant. The buffet has plenty of options, we don't cruise for food we eat better at home.

We are elite on X, booked on the Silhouette... checked out the menu in BLU recently, did not see any reason to change our approach. Sometimes when we are in port in the Mediterranean we pick up some favorite food items and bring those back to the ship.

As others have stated do well, it's almost impossible to to state a monetary value.

But if I had to put a value on AC based on Blu alone, I'd say $250 per person above CC fare for a week.

On a S class iI would value Blu between $20 to $30/pp. That is because of the Persain Gardens, breakfast and dinner in Blu, the shower, foot stools, better amemnities, bottle of champaign, smoothies, bottled water. If we have the drink pack it is on the lower end because those beverages are needed.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Besides the Persian Gardens being "better" on the S class (it would have to be, the M class is pretty lame), you get all the same amenities on the M (smoothies? you could order them at breakfast...or do you mean they were somewhere else?).

I'm curious, too, about the person who said they found Blu very loud (was it conversations? acoustics? music?) and crowded. Which ship was that? We just got off the Summit, Blu for the first time, and that was not our experience at all. Yes you were "conversation close" to your neighbor (or not), but the servers had room to maneuver between tables. Ever been to a New York restaurant where you literally are thatclose? That's what I was expecting so I guess my negative expectations made me pleasantly surprised at the reality.

It won't be a specialty restaurant so the question is perhaps not answerable

I think perhaps the OP is comparing what those in Aqua pay as compared to possibly getting a balcony or lower and then dining in specialty restaurants for the cruise. If the other amenities in Aqua aren't important, this is surely a valid question one might have.

The opinions of value average out to $20+ per person per day for dinner in Blu. Is a cruise fare in excess of $100per person per day for AquaClass excessive?

DH takes an early breakfast alone. On sea days, we seldom see each other before noon. I understand Blu doesn't serve lunch.

Access to the Persian Garden is available to all passengers by separate purchase. I'd go, he wouldn't.

The only reason for us to book AquaClass is for dinner in Blu at a quiet table for two. Is Blu good enough to pass on Murano or Tuscan Grille w/cover charges of $35-45 per person, or Bistro on 5 @$8 pp?

Thank you for the opinions about the value of dinner in Blu.

Eve

The opinions of value average out to $20+ per person per day for dinner in Blu. Is a cruise fare in excess of $100per person per day for AquaClass excessive?

 

 

 

DH takes an early breakfast alone. On sea days, we seldom see each other before noon. I understand Blu doesn't serve lunch.

 

 

 

Access to the Persian Garden is available to all passengers by separate purchase. I'd go, he wouldn't.

 

 

 

The only reason for us to book AquaClass is for dinner in Blu at a quiet table for two. Is Blu good enough to pass on Murano or Tuscan Grille w/cover charges of $35-45 per person, or Bistro on 5 @$8 pp?

 

 

 

Thank you for the opinions about the value of dinner in Blu.

 

 

 

Eve

Tables in Blu are sometimes close together, so they are quieter than a table for 8 in the MDR - but on occasion you are seated really close to others. if you sit by the window you will be very close - if you sit by the wall you will have more privacy.

I have eaten breakfast solo in Blu several times, so your DH could certainly take advantage of their breakfasts.

We would normally eat in specialty dining 3-4 nights each week. Last cruise we skipped specialty dining. We don't like to gorge ourselves but do like good food - so Blu provides just what we want.

The Persian Garden is sometimes surprisingly empty. We found it busiest on sea days, especially in the morning and when the weather is cooler. But last cruise we went up at about 4:30 pm on a chilly Alaska sea day and had the Garden to ourselves. My DH isn't a huge fan of the heated beds, but he does like the Relaxation Room (on 11) when he is looking for a quiet place to read.

If you're a bottled water drinker, you'll receive at least 2 bottles per day in the cabin. Some stateroom attendants will load you right up. We find that this alone can save us about $6 per day - so over $40 a week.

Ultimately, only you can decide what you will enjoy. Know that Blu is another dining room - you may have to wait (very rarely), and the food certainly is not the same as in Tuscan Grille or Murano - but it's really quite good. Now if you like multi-course, 'fancy' meals it may not be to your liking.

Good luck with your decision.