Blu, Worth the Upgrade?

[jackdiamond]

In my opinion, if the fare difference is as much as $75.00, per day per couple then that is a fair deal.

Also, there are essentially no children running up and down the halls, you have free bottled water, and ice tea, and unlimited access to the Persian Gardens, and the Relaxation Room.

[bjs1234]

May be we have been spoilt - we have only done aqua class when cruising with celebrity. perhaps we might consider CC with the ultimate dining package next time as that sound quite a good idea.

[stipmom]

Just got off the Reflection for our second time in Aqua. Enjoyed it much more on the Silhouette. On our next cruise we are going to do a regular veranda and with the savings dine in more specialty restaurants.

[farm girl]

Just got back from being on the Reflection Feb 1st in Aqua Class. Last year we had a regular balcony room. We ate at Blu twice for breakfast and once for dinner. My husband was not that excited about their food. I liked the atmosphere because it was small and quaint. I am more about that then my husband. I did not notice the food being any different from the MDR. We loved the Tuscan Grill so we ate there twice and Murano once. We used the Persian Garden once and it was okay but I enjoy my room balcony more. We paid around $600.00 total to upgrade to Aqua Class so we will not do this again. We will pay a little more and get a suite or pay less and get a regular balcony room and use the Speciality Restaurants. I did enjoy the free fresh squeezed juice in Blu but the rest of the time I paid the $3.00. We like sitting outside for breakfast so Blu was not worth it for us but I can see why others like it so much. You get more attention and the service is outstanding.

[Martini Queenie]

We strictly book Aqua class primarily for Blu. We love the dedicated dining room, the servers are all fantastic - very friendly. Although the tables are close, you have the opportunity to converse with wonderful people or keep to yourselves. I would not classify the food as "healthy" but the portions are a normal size. I know everyone has their own opinion on the food, we always thought our breakfasts and dinners were great. We were on Reflection and did not feel that it was ever at capacity, although we do eat a little later on a cruise - around 8 PM. That said we maybe waited 10 minutes tops.

[youwash]

I think I would upgrade for the shower panel alone!

 

Ok, I also love Blu. We have crossed over and will have a hard time ever going back.

[gk at the beach]

Blue is nice but not really any different than MDR except portion size. Tried AQ on two sailings and ended up eating in MDR half the time anyway, as we just weren't all that impressed by Blue. No better or worse than other dining options

Instead I found the specialty dining venues a better quality meal, and even after eating at them 6 or more times a cruise still found it less expensive then booking the AQ fare

 

You may or may not think Blu alone is worth the extra cost of Aqua Class, but Blu is very different from any main dining room we have seen in 10 cruises. Blu is a small, quiet, elegant restaurant, with excellent service, much like a really good restaurant in any major city. Main dining rooms on Celebrity are excellent, but they are very large, fairly loud, with scores of waiters trying to serve hundreds of diners at the same time. If you are travelling with a large group or with kids, I can see how you may prefer the main dining room, but Blu is a very different dining experience.

[summer slope]

I had booked a Veranda room and was upgraded for free to Aqua. Thank you all for your posts. I am excited for my first cruise on Celebrity. We will see how it compares to HAL, my favorite.

[ghstudio]

When looking at the price of aqua cabins (really any cabins), take into account the perks offered by your TA that are in addition to those given by Celebrity...and be aware of the 1 category upgrade offered any captain's club member.

 

We just booked an A1 for less than a C3 when you take gratuities into account. The C3 with free upgrade to C2 had no gratuities; the A1 at the A2 price had free gratuities. It worked out saving us $75 a person to book the A1 over the C3 with free upgrade.

 

There are lots of fare options...you just have to work through them, working with the perks offered by the TA's and the perks offered by Celebrity.

[CSGuy44]

On our recent two week cruise my wife and I, along with five other couples, booked Aqua class and we could not have been happier with our choice. The food in Blu was among the best we've had on any cruise we've ever taken. Our waiters were outstanding, we never really waited to be seated, the atmosphere was quiet, with six couples we were always given the same two tables except for breakfast when we all arrived at different times, in which case we sat with other couples, and horrors, we got to meet other cruisers and interact with them. Oh yes, we booked another two weak cruise in Aqua class for next March. Others may have their own thoughts, but we have never been disappointed In Aqua.

[bluewhite]

We strictly book Aqua class primarily for Blu. We love the dedicated dining room, the servers are all fantastic - very friendly. Although the tables are close, you have the opportunity to converse with wonderful people or keep to yourselves. I would not classify the food as "healthy" but the portions are a normal size. I know everyone has their own opinion on the food, we always thought our breakfasts and dinners were great. We were on Reflection and did not feel that it was ever at capacity, although we do eat a little later on a cruise - around 8 PM. That said we maybe waited 10 minutes tops.

 

Martini Queenie,bye the way love the name. I'm hoping you can answer this question for me. Is Johnnie still the assitant head waiter in Blu. We have enjoyed him vey much on our two last Reflection cruises.

[Lightngsvt]

I started this topic back in February and I can now answer my own question and the answer is............... yes Blu is worth it. My wife was very happy with Blu and I would recommend it if ti isnt an outrageous upgrade. On Reflection the tables are that close together so you can talk to other couples or have your private time. Service and food were excellent all except one night where the service was unusually slow. Armando was excellent though!

 

We've booked a 10 day next March on Equinox in A1 so yes, we have drank the Blu "kool-aid".