First Time Celebrity & Blu

[WestLakeGirl]

Maybe, maybe not. Ask but don't be surprised if you can't

[calicakes]

Maybe, maybe not. Ask but don't be surprised if you can't

 

 

I always get the Shrimp Cocktail and french onion soup. Also, the left side of the MDR menu is always available in Blu. Steak, salmon, all the basic stuff.

[happy cruzer]

What about escargots?

[midwestchick]

We tried once to order something from MDR in Blu during a Bermuda cruise on the Summit (M-Class ship) and we were told it was not allowed "to prevent cross-contamination".

 

 

We were told the same thing on the Summit when the MDR was serving frog legs and Blu was not. I did ask, but did not receive. I still don't understand it.

[midwestchick]

What about escargots?

 

You can have them every night in Blu....no problem.

 

[UniPac]

I think Blu is one of the best perks of AQ. They are not open for lunch, only breakfast and dinner so you can always eat in the MDR for lunch. Once again, you can have your BLU waiter bring you anything you want from MDR.

 

Sorry but that depends on the sailing/ship/crew.

 

On our last cruise on the Solstice (Sydney to Hawai'i) we were told that it is not possible to order anything off the MDR menu.

[dkjretired]

I always get the Shrimp Cocktail and french onion soup. Also, the left side of the MDR menu is always available in Blu. Steak, salmon, all the basic stuff.

 

The items on the left side of the menu are basic but come from Blu and are prepared differently from the MDR.

[busybead]

OK, now I'm worried. My husband and I are in Aqua class, but our son and dil are not. Does this mean we won't be able to eat together in the MDR? I was under the assumption Blu was an option for us, not mandatory.

[UniPac]

OK, now I'm worried. My husband and I are in Aqua class, but our son and dil are not. Does this mean we won't be able to eat together in the MDR? I was under the assumption Blu was an option for us, not mandatory.

 

Just let the Blu and MDR staff know that you want to eat in MDR - no worries, that'll work.

However, you will miss some nice Blu menus :-)

 

So AQ guests can eat in Blu AND MDR, others not (except for suite guests as long as there is room and I think they have to pay USD 5 pp).

Edited August 6, 2015 by UniPac

[dkjretired]

OK, now I'm worried. My husband and I are in Aqua class, but our son and dil are not. Does this mean we won't be able to eat together in the MDR? I was under the assumption Blu was an option for us, not mandatory.

 

Blu is your assigned dining room, you will not have a seat assigned for you in the MDR. You will have to make arrangements once you are on board but it can be done. Some people just change to MDR which kills the main reason for booking AQ and others just do it on a daily basis.

Edited August 6, 2015 by dkjretired

[calicakes]

Blu is your assigned dining room, you will not have a seat assigned for you in the MDR. You will have to make arrangements once you are on board but it can be done. Some people just change to MDR which kills the main reason for booking AQ and others just do it on a daily basis.

 

 

If I was told I could not order something from Blu, I'd speak to the maitre'd. They are there to make you happy. Like the above poster said, Blu is the main benefit of AQ. I don't think I could eat in the MDR after eating in Blu.

[David Owl]

Whilst Blu is open seating, if you want to make sure of a window seat you need to be there when they open, or get lucky.

[lita24]

I am in AQ class, when I was booking my cruise I was told that if I want to go to MDR some nigts, I need to select Select for MDR and pre-pay gratuity, which I did - anyway you pay your gratuity before or on the ship (same amount), I am assuming since I have Select Dining I can show up at MDR at anytime.

[dkjretired]

I am in AQ class, when I was booking my cruise I was told that if I want to go to MDR some nigts, I need to select Select for MDR and pre-pay gratuity, which I did - anyway you pay your gratuity before or on the ship (same amount), I am assuming since I have Select Dining I can show up at MDR at anytime.

 

Absolutely incorrect. Your assigned dining room is Blu no matter whether you chose Select or Traditional dining. This is confusion caused by Celebrity because they have a very poor computer system. With that being said you can eat in the MDR if you contact the maitre'd assuming there is space available. Whoever gave you that information was incorrect and there was absolutely no need for you to pre pay your gratuities. Blu is anytime dining, just like Select.

Edited August 6, 2015 by dkjretired

[dkjretired]

If I was told I could not order something from Blu, I'd speak to the maitre'd. They are there to make you happy. Like the above poster said, Blu is the main benefit of AQ. I don't think I could eat in the MDR after eating in Blu.

 

You cannot order something from Blu in the MDR, sorry that's just the way it is.

[Fish Lover]

Oh for heaven sake. You are not chained to Blu.

I called Celebrity about this and this is what I was told:

 

We can eat in Select dining anytime we want. We merely pre-paid gratuities. I even made reservations for every day in the MDR when we are not otherwise going to specialty dining.

 

Blu is a perk, not a punishment. In the morning we'll compare menus and if we want Blu instead of the MDR, we'll cancel our reservation.

 

No one is harmed by this plan, despite what some posters have assumed. Gratuities are appropriately disbursed and no one will lose a seat in select.

 

People who wind up waiting to get into MDR select or Blu are just showing up. If you have called ahead in the morning ,you go to the reservation line and never wait more than a couple minutes to be seated.

 

As to "cross contamination", that is a ridiculous claim. There is nothing to cross-contaminate. It's not as though one kitchen is free of peanut allergens. Apparently whether you can order items off the MDR menu in Blu is dictated by whether the kitchen is convenient and doable from a staff perspective. The experiences vary. I will be sure to ask the Maitre'd before being seated if there is something I am interested in.

[WestLakeGirl]

Fish lover you have run into a typical Celebrity situation where shoreside telephone operators don't know what really happens on board.

 

If you book Aqua, Blu is your dining room, you do not have a place in the Main

Dining Room. Blu isn't something extra, it's your dining assingnment.

 

If you go to the dining room and see that Select is very busy, with perhaps a line of people waiting to enter, your presence makes that situation worse. Nobody who is not in Aqua can go to Blu to balance the numbers.

[dkjretired]

Oh for heaven sake. You are not chained to Blu.

I called Celebrity about this and this is what I was told:

 

We can eat in Select dining anytime we want. We merely pre-paid gratuities. I even made reservations for every day in the MDR when we are not otherwise going to specialty dining.

 

Blu is a perk, not a punishment. In the morning we'll compare menus and if we want Blu instead of the MDR, we'll cancel our reservation.

 

No one is harmed by this plan, despite what some posters have assumed. Gratuities are appropriately disbursed and no one will lose a seat in select.

 

People who wind up waiting to get into MDR select or Blu are just showing up. If you have called ahead in the morning ,you go to the reservation line and never wait more than a couple minutes to be seated.

 

 

As to "cross contamination", that is a ridiculous claim. There is nothing to cross-contaminate. It's not as though one kitchen is free of peanut allergens. Apparently whether you can order items off the MDR menu in Blu is dictated by whether the kitchen is convenient and doable from a staff perspective. The experiences vary. I will be sure to ask the Maitre'd before being seated if there is something I am interested in.

 

Sorry Fish Lover but West Lake Girl is correct, Celebrity's shoreside phone service is horrible and if you call five people, chances are you will get five different answers. As stated by many, Blu is your assigned dining room and you may only eat in the MDR if room is available. People have reported on this board that due to the popularity of Select Dining, some have been denied entry into Select.

 

And just to set the record straight, if you chose Select dining and are assigned to AQ it means absolutely nothing except that someone made you prepay your gratuities when it was not necessary. Blu is anytime dining all the time. If you do not believe me go back and check the previous dozens of threads on this subject as this has probably been the most asked about topic on this board since AQ was introduced. It's not your fault that you were accidentally deceived because Celebrity has a lousy computer system. Noted often in those dozens of threads.

 

Will you be able to eat in the MDR, probably but you never know.

 

If you asked a couple of years ago about ordering a MDR item in Blu the chances are you would probably get a positive answer. That apparently has changed and i know for a fact on my AQ cruise on Solstice it had changed.

 

By the way, I think the cross contamination excuse is BS.

Edited August 6, 2015 by dkjretired

[ghstudio]

Oh for heaven sake. You are not chained to Blu.

I called Celebrity about this and this is what I was told:

 

We can eat in Select dining anytime we want. We merely pre-paid gratuities. I even made reservations for every day in the MDR when we are not otherwise going to specialty dining.

 

Blu is a perk, not a punishment. In the morning we'll compare menus and if we want Blu instead of the MDR, we'll cancel our reservation.

 

No one is harmed by this plan, despite what some posters have assumed. Gratuities are appropriately disbursed and no one will lose a seat in select.

 

People who wind up waiting to get into MDR select or Blu are just showing up. If you have called ahead in the morning ,you go to the reservation line and never wait more than a couple minutes to be seated.

 

As to "cross contamination", that is a ridiculous claim. There is nothing to cross-contaminate. It's not as though one kitchen is free of peanut allergens. Apparently whether you can order items off the MDR menu in Blu is dictated by whether the kitchen is convenient and doable from a staff perspective. The experiences vary. I will be sure to ask the Maitre'd before being seated if there is something I am interested in.

 

Agreed, you reached someone who hasn't a clue what happens on the ship.

 

1) if you are in aqua, your assigned dining room is Blu...which is anytime dining and reservations are not accepted...you just show up.

 

2) You selection of early, late or select dining on your booking has nothing at all to do with what happens on the ship. It is only used by celebrity's antiquated billing system. If you choose select dining, you are billed for gratuities with your final payment. If you choose early or late seating, you are billed for gratuities on board. Repeating...this has nothing to do with anything to do with dining on board.

 

3) It's likely that the celebrity web system allows you to make reservations in select dining in the MDR, even if you are in aqua. However, if you would like to eat in the MDR, the blu Maitre d' should arrange it because on some cruises, they ask aqua passengers to dine with early or late diners due to "overbooking" of select. You don't just "go to select". However, in most cases, you'll ask the blu maitre d' and he'll say...go to select dining. We've never been told we can't eat in the MDR, but we have been asked to join late seating.

 

4) Focusing on select dining...on most ships, there are two lines...one for those with reservations and one for those who "just show up". A reservation only allows you to get in the reservation line...they don't hold a table for you as they do at restaurants at home. The person seating folks generally alternates between the reservation line and the "just showed up" line. Now on some cruises, for whatever reason, they ask everyone to make one line...and reservations are essentially useless...yes, this has happened on a few cruises.

 

5) You really don't need to cancel your select reservation (the one you shouldn't have been able to make in the first place)...again, they don't reserve a table...it's just a place in line.

 

I suspect you'll enjoy blu...the quieter atmosphere, the hot vs warm food that's served and so on. Beware of menu writers....some of the dishes, both in the MDR and Blu are not all that close to their description :) Your attraction to the MDR menu may be mis-based. But if you prefer to eat in the MDR, there should be no problem at all...just discuss with the blu maitre d' first.

[Fish Lover]

Well, I have reservations in select dining for every night at 6:45.

So far, it is exactly as the customer care person told me.

I see no reason to believe otherwise. It seems to me that some posters make assumptions, based on very little. I made very sure that if I booked Aqua class that we would not have to eat in Blu unless we wanted to. When I return from my cruise, I'll be sure to post an update based on my experience.

[ghstudio]

Well, I have reservations in select dining for every night at 6:45.

So far, it is exactly as the customer care person told me.

I see no reason to believe otherwise. It seems to me that some posters make assumptions, based on very little. I made very sure that if I booked Aqua class that we would not have to eat in Blu unless we wanted to. When I return from my cruise, I'll be sure to post an update based on my experience.

 

Au contraire....some of us posters are posting based on personal experience on multiple cruises in aqua...we've done 5 or six in the past two years and a fair number earlier... No one is suggesting that you have to dine in Blu...you are not trapped in Blu....but the proper way to eat in the MDR is to talk with the blu maitre d' first. I honestly don't know if it effects tips or just helps them manage the dining load...but that's the way to do it. The celebrity web/booking system should not allow you to reserve select dining time if you are Aqua..but then again, they shouldn't ask you if you want early/late or select dining either.

[dkjretired]

Au contraire....some of us posters are posting based on personal experience on multiple cruises in aqua...we've done 5 or six in the past two years and a fair number earlier... No one is suggesting that you have to dine in Blu...you are not trapped in Blu....but the proper way to eat in the MDR is to talk with the blu maitre d' first. I honestly don't know if it effects tips or just helps them manage the dining load...but that's the way to do it. The celebrity web/booking system should not allow you to reserve select dining time if you are Aqua..but then again, they shouldn't ask you if you want early/late or select dining either.

 

Same here, based on experience...

[calicakes]

Well, I have reservations in select dining for every night at 6:45.

So far, it is exactly as the customer care person told me.

I see no reason to believe otherwise. It seems to me that some posters make assumptions, based on very little. I made very sure that if I booked Aqua class that we would not have to eat in Blu unless we wanted to. When I return from my cruise, I'll be sure to post an update based on my experience.

 

This is hilarious( the entire conversation about Blu). Omg, World Problems!!

 

My dining time says 6pm. I was told by Crucon to just ignore it, Blu is anytime dining and the other 2x we sailed in AQ, we just showed up at Blu and were seated. We mostly show up around 6pm anyway because we don't like to eat too late. The first time we sailed, we were celebrating our anniversary and the staff made such a big deal about it. We got a special dessert, etc. It was very sweet.

 

I always ask for grits in the morning and I always get them. One morning we decided to try the breakfast buffet instead of Blu and it was like a cattle call. Blu is much nicer.

[WestLakeGirl]

Yes, experience not conjecture. If you don't want to believe us, you don't have to, but why come to Cruise Critic at all if not to learn from the collective experience?

[cruisestitch]

It is such a shame when travel agents and Celebrity CSRs don't properly and fully explain the various classes of staterooms and what each offers. Someone has misled at least two posters on this thread regarding Aqua and Blu. We have had earlier instances of passengers being told that tgey can make arrangements for their friends to join them in BLU (unless their friends are in suites, they can't). We have read posts from passengers who were told they can ask for a cot or crib for their child accompanying mom and dad in Aqua (it is only double occupancy). In this case passengers have been told that they don't have to eat in Blu, which is only partially true. Aqua passengers can make reservations in a specialty, can order room service, can go to the buffet. And perhaps can eat in the MDR but they do not have an assignment there in either Select or a traditional despite how it might appear when they seemingly can make MDR reservations. The website has a flaw, it allows these bookings but they are merely artifacts of the booking system of old which has never been updated to properly handle either Aqua or the new Suite Class. Sorry, but that's the way it is.