Concierge vs. Aqua Class. Which is a better choice

[varoo]

2 hours ago, catugirl said:

On our cruise January 5-10 we ate one night at a table for two in the MDR and we were less than two feet from the table next to us, so the closeness of tables is not limited to Blu.  Fortunately we enjoy talking to new people.

 

LOL!  That is a huge space, compared to the tables only a few inches apart that many of us have experienced. 

 

The waiters can't even walk between the tables, so in order to serve your table-mate, they need to walk all the way around the entire row to get to the other side of your table.

 

On a recent cruise, I noticed a nearby table for six.

Or at least it appeared to be a table for six.  It turned out actually to be three 2-tops, lined up together in a row, barely inches apart.

 

Chatting with the people seated there, they didn't even know the other couples  seated with them before they started the cruise.

By the end of the cruise, they were practically family.

 

 

As for Concierge vs Aqua Class, I would say that there are two major things to consider:

(1) the price difference

and

(2) which features matter most to you

 

If the prices are the same, or close, I would choose aqua just because eating in Blu is more appealing to me than anything Concierge Class offers.

 

Edited January 31, 2019 by varoo

[Ereggae]

On 1/30/2019 at 8:47 PM, D C said:

And we've eaten in Blu and enjoyed ourselves.  But we did notice that our conversation wasn't the same as it would have been if we had a more private table. 

Blu will be even worse after the "revolution" as they will be adding a lot more Aqua Class cabins on Deck 10 and making the Spa a lot smaller.

[Mimiya11]

BLU is the reason we choose Aqua.   We have done Concierge and see no valued added from a balcony cabin.  

Having said that, for an upcoming cruise we initially booked a balcony as the price difference for Aqua Class was crazy.  With a recent sale, we were able to upgrade for about $300 per couple more.  It was worth it for us for a 12 night cruise.  We enjoy  starting the morning quietly without having to deal with crowds at the buffet and prefer the smaller venue for dinner.  Yes the tables are close but as catugirl mentioned, so are the tables for 2 in the MDR.   And we never had a meal we didn't like in the 2 cruises we sailed in Aqua Class.  

[korryp]

So to be clear you paid an additional $50 a day to eat in BLU. Interesting. Done  Aqua a few times and to me the added cost is not worth it. The Spa did nothing for us and it was quite busy on sea days. I’d use the $600 to eat in speciality restaurants but that us just us and how we travel. 

[byronetta]

On 2/6/2019 at 11:46 AM, korryp said:

So to be clear you paid an additional $50 a day to eat in BLU. Interesting. Done  Aqua a few times and to me the added cost is not worth it. The Spa did nothing for us and it was quite busy on sea days. I’d use the $600 to eat in speciality restaurants but that us just us and how we travel. 

I think it was $300 per couple, so basically $12.50 per day per person to eat in Blu.  Much cheaper than a specialty restaurant.

[korryp]

10 hours ago, byronetta said:

I think it was $300 per couple, so basically $12.50 per day per person to eat in Blu.  Much cheaper than a specialty restaurant.

I think the amount depends on the cruise. I've  seen it much higher. Right now for one of our cruises the pre person difference is $700. Certainly makes it easier to save the money and eat in specialty restaurants quite a bit more often and splurge on all other things cruising related. 

[byronetta]

8 minutes ago, korryp said:

I think the amount depends on the cruise. I've  seen it much higher. Right now for one of our cruises the pre person difference is $700. Certainly makes it easier to save the money and eat in specialty restaurants quite a bit more often and splurge on all other things cruising related. 

Yeah, if it were much more, I'd get a dining package.  We did that last year (our first Celebrity cruise).  The main dining room looked so intimidating to me that I didn't want to eat in it.  We got a 5 dinner package and ate at the buffet 2 nights.  Our next cruise is in 2020, and I booked an AQ aft room specifically because it was only a little more than a sunset veranda.  I'm a little intimidated by Blu because it looks so very packed in, but I'll manage as long as they can seat me on the edge somewhere.

Edited February 18, 2019 by byronetta