Dining in BLU

[cheryl20772]

BLU is the everyday restaurant for Aquaclass breakfast and dinner. When you book aquaclass, always pick a time early or late for dining.

 

If you so choose "Select" dining on your reservation, you will be assigned to the main dining room (MDR). This is very confusing and the confusion can continue even after you are on the ship.

 

We found two communications in our cabin on check in. We did choose late dining on our reservation; so we were in BLU.

 

First a letter in an envelope:

 

 

 

So, we were given our assigned late dinner reservation, but at the same time, we were invited to eat anytime between 6 and 9:30 PM.

 

Also in the mix of papers we found on our bed in the stateroom was this little note in another envelope:

 

 

So, on embarkation day, we had a confirmation of our seating time for dinner and a reminder that there is a dress code... which when we turned over the note, we found this:

 

 

Which is fine... except, if you look at the ports of call you will see that we were sailing the Eastern Caribbean! :D

[marieps]

Cheryl for the information. This is the first I've heard that choosing early seating in the MDR actually makes a difference when Blu is the assigned dining room. We chose early in CC class, then upgraded to AQ and Blu.

Do you suspect we'll have a "confirmed" reservation between 6:30 and 7:30 each night?

[madelinerose]

Cheryl, amazing, isn't it? :D:rolleyes:

[cheryl20772]

Cheryl for the information. This is the first I've heard that choosing early seating in the MDR actually makes a difference when Blu is the assigned dining room. We chose early in CC class, then upgraded to AQ and Blu.

Do you suspect we'll have a "confirmed" reservation between 6:30 and 7:30 each night?

It seems to me that the confirmed reservation is for the first night. After that, if you want reservations you can arrange it with the maiter d' in the BLU restaurant. We never made further reservations and just went to eat when we wanted to anytime after 6 PM.

[Friscorays]

We had the same letters in our stateroom on the June 20, 2010 sailing of the Solstice. We went and spoke to the person at the front desk at Blu the first day and were told reservations were not required or accepted. We showed up whenever we wanted during the dining hours at Blu all nights and were seated without a problem.

[Going Coastal]

This all sounds much more complicated than it actually turns out to be. The staff in Blu is so accommodating that they quickly adjust to your personal habits. After the first night you will feel like it is your personal dining room with all your best friends.

[FinelyCruising]

I don't think its complicated at all. You have two options, let them know which you prefer; set dining time or open dining. Its great the way they have handled this venue!

[Lois R]

I can't wait:D I just got an AQ cabin and am so looking forward to

Blu:)...Cheryl, how was dinner?:D and breakast?:)

[The Viking]

Just found my answer. Sorry for the post

[cheryl20772]

I can't wait:D I just got an AQ cabin and am so looking forward to

Blu:)...Cheryl, how was dinner?:D and breakast?:)

You will want to try everything and end up not being able to eat another bite :D

 

I highly recommed the short ribs and the smoked tuna. Get your omlet any way you like for breakfast. The service will complete the job of totally spoiling you.

[bighairtexan]

Cheryl, thanks so much for posting the actual information that was in your cabin. Celebrity probably could make it a bit clearer, but after what you scanned and your explanation, I think everyone should "get it." Appreciate the time you took to do this.

[dkjretired]

I don't think its complicated at all. You have two options, let them know which you prefer; set dining time or open dining. Its great the way they have handled this venue!

 

 

 

For the second time, I think I have to disagree with you due to the number of TAs who know nothing about the procedure and the confusion it has caused many people on this board. They don't have a problem once you are on board but the procdedure where you pick Select Dining and then are assigned to the MDR and not Blu is very confusing. They may call Blus dining flex but it suspiciously sounds like Select which is why so many people find out about this first on these boards....

[FinelyCruising]

For the second time, I think I have to disagree with you due to the number of TAs who know nothing about the procedure and the confusion it has caused many people on this board. They don't have a problem once you are on board but the procdedure where you pick Select Dining and then are assigned to the MDR and not Blu is very confusing. They may call Blus dining flex but it suspiciously sounds like Select which is why so many people find out about this first on these boards....

 

Hi Don - I don't mind if you feel a need to disagree with me; I can't help it if TA's don't know their products. I booked AQ on the Celebrity site for our cruise in October (we are taking our 'kids') and knew what I needed to do. IMHO it will probably be very helpful to many to have detailed discussions that break down the mysteries and explain the ease of Blu dining options and how to book them.

 

Blu still remains a Specialty Dining Venue and those venues are open seatings. Using that as a rule, if a guest wants a fixed dining time, the option exists. Its highly flexible in its approach to AQ guests. The Celebrity website does not lay it out as clearly and as simply as that, but what I learned from the paperwork that they are issuing in-cabin from this thread suggests that they mean to make it clearer while on board.

 

It may be helpful to point out that Select Dining is always and only related to the MDR, augmented by the fact that its location is contained in the MDR. As most of us who are aware of AQ know, Blu is in its very own location and is not part of the MDR at all.

 

By now TA's should know the difference between Select Dining and Blu. Its pretty darn close to two years old.

[dkjretired]

Hi Don - I don't mind if you feel a need to disagree with me; I can't help it if TA's don't know their products. I booked AQ on the Celebrity site for our cruise in October (we are taking our 'kids') and knew what I needed to do. IMHO it will probably be very helpful to many to have detailed discussions that break down the mysteries and explain the ease of Blu dining options and how to book them.

 

Blu still remains a Specialty Dining Venue and those venues are open seatings. Using that as a rule, if a guest wants a fixed dining time, the option exists. Its highly flexible in its approach to AQ guests. The Celebrity website does not lay it out as clearly and as simply as that, but what I learned from the paperwork that they are issuing in-cabin from this thread suggests that they mean to make it clearer while on board.

 

It may be helpful to point out that Select Dining is always and only related to the MDR, augmented by the fact that its location is contained in the MDR. As most of us who are aware of AQ know, Blu is in its very own location and is not part of the MDR at all.

 

By now TA's should know the difference between Select Dining and Blu. Its pretty darn close to two years old.

 

TAs should know the difference but based on the number of threads and posts on this, they apparently don't....I am doing AQ again next month and really looking forward to it as it is a full week, the last cruise was only four days. I hope you enjoy your cruise and AQ.

[Lois R]

You will want to try everything and end up not being able to eat another bite :D

 

I highly recommed the short ribs and the smoked tuna. Get your omlet any way you like for breakfast. The service will complete the job of totally spoiling you.

 

Hi Cheryl, I LOVE omlettes:D and ribs and tuna. Wondering if I should

cancel my reservations to Murano's and Tuscan Grille. What do you

think?

[FinelyCruising]

Lois we are only doing Specialty one night, and on night 3. We are cancelling our second specialty reservation. Everything on the menu looks good to us, but we think the MDR is very good too!

[FinelyCruising]

TAs should know the difference but based on the number of threads and posts on this, they apparently don't....I am doing AQ again next month and really looking forward to it as it is a full week, the last cruise was only four days. I hope you enjoy your cruise and AQ.

 

Thanks, you too!!!

[dkjretired]

Lois we are only doing Specialty one night, and on night 3. We are cancelling our second specialty reservation. Everything on the menu looks good to us, but we think the MDR is very good too!

 

Same here, we're only doing one specialty, I like to do it on the first night, usually not crowded.....

[FinelyCruising]

Don, what is the arrangement with the bottled tea, is it left chilled in the cabin?

[Lois R]

Well now...this is definitely giving me some food for thought:D:eek:

[dkjretired]

Don, what is the arrangement with the bottled tea, is it left chilled in the cabin?

 

Yes, but we also had a pitcher of tea as well as the bottled water. I think some of this depends on your steward. We had unlimited waters but others have said they were limited to two a day...

[Lois R]

Yes, but we also had a pitcher of tea as well as the bottled water. I think some of this depends on your steward. We had unlimited waters but others have said they were limited to two a day...

 

Hi Don, ohhhh...you get iced tea too?:D:)

[FinelyCruising]

Yes, but we also had a pitcher of tea as well as the bottled water. I think some of this depends on your steward. We had unlimited waters but others have said they were limited to two a day...

 

I have heard that it has been limited too. Thanks for the notes on the tea! My kids think they are in an inside. It should be fun to surprise them.

[cheryl20772]

I have heard that it has been limited too. Thanks for the notes on the tea! My kids think they are in an inside. It should be fun to surprise them.

Each morning when the steward tidies up the room, the pitcher tray will be restocked with two bottles of water, the ice bucket will be refreshed, and the pitcher will be filled with fresh herbal tea. It's was only stocked once a day in the morning when we were on Solstice. We didn't use the bottled water until our first time ashore; so we just put the bottles from the first day in the mini fridge. By the next day we had 4 bottles; so took out the two in the fridge for use and put the 2 new bottles in there for the next time we needed some. We didn't use the water every day and at the end of our cruise we had 4 to carry home. Our bottles were clear colorless plastic with pink caps and this is what the label says:

 

We had plenty of water, and I'd be willing to wager that our steward would have been happy to give us some extra if requested.

[cheryl20772]

Hi Cheryl, I LOVE omlettes:D and ribs and tuna. Wondering if I should

cancel my reservations to Murano's and Tuscan Grille. What do you

think?

Hi Lois, Guess I slipped a cog on my other post because it was trout that was smoked and not tuna :D Anyway, it was the best fish I ever ate!

 

If you have eaten in those other specialty restaurants before, you might want to just stay with BLU. It's special every night.