Eating in Blu if you aren't in Aqua Class

No, Concierge passengers may not dine in BLU, just as Aqua passengers can't dine at the embarkation Concierge-class luncheon upon embarking.

Solstice. We were taken aback at how noticeable the service difference was, as it felt very haphazard. There was little, if anything, polished about it. This came as a surprise as we had nothing but good experiences in the past at Blu on multiple vessels. We assumed Luminae service would be as good if not better. The sommelier tended to "hide" out of sight (we usually had to ask our waiter to find him after we placed our order), you could wait for minutes with several staff passing you at Luminae reception before even being given a nonverbal acknowledgment, let alone being told someone would seat you.

 

I don't consider myself fussy, and I'm sure this post makes me seem that way (;p), but Blu was a night-and-day difference. Everything about Blu was polished in its execution. Thankfully, we can still have the benefits of being in a suite with the stellar service of Blu.

 

I'll give Luminae another shot, as I realize experiences can vary greatly ship to ship and maitre d' to maitre d', but definitely won't wait as long to take advantage of Blu if we are disappointed again.

We will sail Solstice in a suite next March (Aus/NZ) so I'm hoping it will be up to the high standards of Luminae on other ships.

No, Concierge passengers may not dine in BLU, just as Aqua passengers can't dine at the embarkation Concierge-class luncheon upon embarking.

Which is such a stupid policy, just like taking away the daily bottle of water. Why can't they just open it to concierge and above? It's certainly not a space issue. People spending more should be accommodated unless they wish to open Blu for lunch. Makes no sense but perhaps saves cents.

I came looking for this exact information! We are on the equinox next march and there's me, my husband and our 8 year old daughter. We booked a c-1. My parents want to come on the cruise too but they will insist on an aqua room, specifically for blu. So we probably won't eat breakfast OR dinner with them :(

Which is such a stupid policy, just like taking away the daily bottle of water. Why can't they just open it to concierge and above? It's certainly not a space issue. People spending more should be accommodated unless they wish to open Blu for lunch. Makes no sense but perhaps saves cents.

I was in Aqua class on my last sailing and there most DEFINITELY was a space issue - got tired of getting beepers for BLU and if they opened it up to even more, it would be unmanageable.

Which is such a stupid policy, just like taking away the daily bottle of water. Why can't they just open it to concierge and above? It's certainly not a space issue. People spending more should be accommodated unless they wish to open Blu for lunch. Makes no sense but perhaps saves cents.

Blu is usually full when I dine in the evenings so adding another category of people would create issues. As it is now suite passengers are often turned away at prime time. Now breakfast has been slow .. but maybe I am up very early

Which is such a stupid policy, just like taking away the daily bottle of water. Why can't they just open it to concierge and above? It's certainly not a space issue. People spending more should be accommodated unless they wish to open Blu for lunch. Makes no sense but perhaps saves cents.

I agree with you.

Which is such a stupid policy, just like taking away the daily bottle of water. Why can't they just open it to concierge and above? It's certainly not a space issue. People spending more should be accommodated unless they wish to open Blu for lunch. Makes no sense but perhaps saves cents.

While I agree it is a "stupid policy" I get why they are doing it. Let's be honest, there just aren't that many perks to being in Concierge anymore and this was one they could create for free. Doesn't cost them a thing. People who are eating lunch are going to eat somewhere. If you look at the list of Concierge perks they are pretty thin. And if you are Elite or Elite Plus they are almost non-existent because you get them all anyway.

We will sail Solstice in a suite next March (Aus/NZ) so I'm hoping it will be up to the high standards of Luminae on other ships.

TeeRick: We spent over 30 nights on the Solstice last fall (Honolulu to Sydney and then onto Singapore). We were extremely pleased with the Luminae on Solstice. We had some specialty dining on those cruises (we had the highest number of loyalty points on each leg, had booked the Celebrity Suite when CSs had some included specialty dining and were invited to several officer's tables), and each time we were not in Luminae we were thinking that we wished we were.

But we have had a lackluster Luminae experience -- on the Equinox in 2015. Luminae had been introduced about five months earlier.

Which is such a stupid policy, just like taking away the daily bottle of water. Why can't they just open it to concierge and above? It's certainly not a space issue. People spending more should be accommodated unless they wish to open Blu for lunch. Makes no sense but perhaps saves cents.

If they were to open Blu to Concierge, then there would be little reason to pay more for Aqua; Blu, rather than the Persian Garden, is the reason most book AQ.

If they were to open Blu to Concierge, then there would be little reason to pay more for Aqua; Blu, rather than the Persian Garden, is the reason most book AQ.

I believe he was referring to the embarked luncheon -- opening it up to Concierge and above, not just CC. Of course, I could be wrong. Opening up Blu to CC and above would be insane. :eek:

I believe he was referring to the embarked luncheon -- opening it up to Concierge and above, not just CC. Of course, I could be wrong. Opening up Blu to CC and above would be insane. :eek:

Yeah, there were two policies in the post he was commenting on and thus his comment "stupid policy" was ambiguous. I was among several that apparent misread the comment. Thanks for your clarification.

TeeRick: We spent over 30 nights on the Solstice last fall (Honolulu to Sydney and then onto Singapore). We were extremely pleased with the Luminae on Solstice. We had some specialty dining on those cruises (we had the highest number of loyalty points on each leg, had booked the Celebrity Suite when CSs had some included specialty dining and were invited to several officer's tables), and each time we were not in Luminae we were thinking that we wished we were.

 

But we have had a lackluster Luminae experience -- on the Equinox in 2015. Luminae had been introduced about five months earlier.

Thank you for sharing your Solstice Luminae experience. I was not too worried about it. Some people on rare occasion do complain about Luminae or Blu but the vast amount of comments are always quite positive. .

I believe he was referring to the embarked luncheon -- opening it up to Concierge and above, not just CC. Of course, I could be wrong. Opening up Blu to CC and above would be insane. :eek:

That's how I interpreted the comment but it was confusing,

BLU should be for AQ only....suite guests now have their own space so no need to share, Staff is stressed so keeping it for AQ only would improve service at peak times,,,

I agree there is plenty of room in MDR for AQ to join embark lunch...but then it won't be a special perk for Concierge Class...they have to offer something to Concierge to encourage booking, ..maybe give them 1 free Concierge excursion choice per cruise,..

Not really. All of us are basically anti-buffet at dinner. I go on a cruise to meet people and dine in a convivial atmosphere. The buffet does not provide that. But thanks for the suggestion. I would say that my brother and his wife moved to Blu just to avoid the buffet at breakfast. I pretty much hate it then too but I can live with it. Ever since they pulled the trays, drives me nuts.

The buffet on the Summit is awful for any meal. We found ourselves eating in the MDR for breakfast every morning because the line for an omelet was incredible and the plated food was cold. It was actually a pleasure to eat breakfast in the MDR since there were very few passengers in there.

The buffet on the Summit is awful for any meal. We found ourselves eating in the MDR for breakfast every morning because the line for an omelet was incredible and the plated food was cold. It was actually a pleasure to eat breakfast in the MDR since there were very few passengers in there.

What is "plated" food in a buffet? We were on the Summit recently and 2 hints for hot breakfast food - go to the omelette station on the OTHER side (port) (much less crowded) and when you take your own stuff, dig down - the hot is on the bottom.

I believe he was referring to the embarked luncheon -- opening it up to Concierge and above, not just CC. Of course, I could be wrong. Opening up Blu to CC and above would be insane. :eek:

Yes I was referring to the special luncheon in the dining room for Concierge and Zenith cruisers. Suites have Luminae but AQ passengers cannot go to the MDR for lunch and Blu is not open. On embarkation day their options are limited to the ocean view cafe, spa cafe and sushi for $$$.

The buffet on the Summit is awful for any meal. We found ourselves eating in the MDR for breakfast every morning because the line for an omelet was incredible and the plated food was cold. It was actually a pleasure to eat breakfast in the MDR since there were very few passengers in there.

Our alternative on the M-class ships for breakfast or lunch is always the Aqua Spa. If that's your cup of tea, they do very well. We are granola, fruit types so it works for us. But I do like an omelet when I can get one. It's funny that I do more buffet stuff on 1 week cruises and more healthy stuff on two week cruises. Guess I figure I can do that for a week without having to kill myself to lose the weight after the cruise...but that's an entirely different thread. :D