Booked Apex for the January 21st to 28th cruise

[glenr]

It's been a number of years since I did a Celebrity cruise but I thought I'd try one on the new ship. Several questions I haven't found answers on yet. I'm in Aqua Class. It seems some ships include tips and drinks and some do not. Any clarity appreciated. I do like better wines and spirits. Aqua gives us access to Blu. Reviews here so far seem so so. How many nights (it's a 7 night cruise) should I plan at Blu and what would be the other top choices? Last cruise was Viking and I've done Seabourn before that so I'm used to decent food at dinner.

 

Thanks!

[jelayne]

Whether drinks, tips and wi-if are included does not depend on which ship.  
Celebrity changed their pricing structure recently and currently Suites and Aqua class include the drinks, tips and wi-fi.  Other cabin  categories have 2 pricing options Cruise Only or All Included.  So it depends on when you booked.
 

If you booked direct with Celebrity your booking confirmation will have some coding in the pricing that would indicate if you have the All Included.  If you post a couple of the codec lines we can probably decipher them for you.  
If you booked with a TA they should be able to clarify what your booking includes.

 

If you have the drinks included in your fare that would be the Classic Beverage package which cover drinks up to $ 9.  If you like nicer wines and more too shelf liquors you may want to upgrade to the Premium beverage package.

 

We have sailed in Aqua class many times and love Blu.  It is your assigned dining room for breakfast and dinner, it is not open for lunch.  Blu is the primary reason to book Aqua Class. It is smaller and not as noisy as the MDR and we feel the service is better.   There are also some fitness benefits with AQ. The cabins are identical to veranda and Concierge class cabins. 

[southernbreezes]

7 hours ago, glenr said:

It's been a number of years since I did a Celebrity cruise but I thought I'd try one on the new ship. Several questions I haven't found answers on yet. I'm in Aqua Class. It seems some ships include tips and drinks and some do not. Any clarity appreciated. I do like better wines and spirits. Aqua gives us access to Blu. Reviews here so far seem so so. How many nights (it's a 7 night cruise) should I plan at Blu and what would be the other top choices? Last cruise was Viking and I've done Seabourn before that so I'm used to decent food at dinner.

 

Thanks!

We take a Sky Suite or an Aqua Class every time depending on the price. We sailed on the Edge AQ in July and loved it. Blu is the best restaurant on the ship I feel...I could order off the Blu menu or any of the others...Main, Tuscany it was never a problem. As an added bonus the wine was wonderful and served in Riedel Wine Glasses! Lumina is very good but not as good as Blu.

[Cruise a holic]

1 hour ago, southernbreezes said:

We take a Sky Suite or an Aqua Class every time depending on the price. We sailed on the Edge AQ in July and loved it. Blu is the best restaurant on the ship I feel...I could order off the Blu menu or any of the others...Main, Tuscany it was never a problem. As an added bonus the wine was wonderful and served in Riedel Wine Glasses! Lumina is very good but not as good as Blu.

On the edge, blu is in a crowded hallway- so unless you get a good table away from the hallway- not so pleasant.  You also have an infinite balcony- like a regular cabin with a few "perks".  The regular cabins have access to three restaurants- you can rotate which is great and each restaurant has slightly varied menus, for example one has a greek theme.  I was in a Sky Suite and mostly dined in suite dining room and specialty restaurants, but the concept of the three dining rooms was great.  They are much smaller then the ballroom type dining in the regular dining rooms.  

We still prefer the suite deck and lounge on the edge class ships- and the extra space and storage nice

[southernbreezes]

27 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

On the edge, blu is in a crowded hallway- so unless you get a good table away from the hallway- not so pleasant.  

I really not sure what you are talking about. We saw no bad tables, sat just inside the entrance to the left a couple of times with no issues whatsoever. The hall way is outside Blu you walk inside the entrance.

Edited September 8, 2022 by southernbreezes

[Cruise a holic]

22 minutes ago, southernbreezes said:

I really not sure what you are talking about. We saw no bad tables, sat just inside the entrance to the left a couple of times with no issues whatsoever. The hall way is outside Blu you walk inside the entrance.

As your picture shows the restaurant isn’t enclosed.  Tables near the curtain can hear the peole headed towards Eden and some stores is very distracting when you are trying to have a quiet meal.  The window tables are much better if you get one.  On the S and M class ships Blu is an enclosed restaurant.  

[dreamer321]

On 9/7/2022 at 8:13 PM, glenr said:

...  How many nights (it's a 7 night cruise) should I plan at Blu and what would be the other top choices? ...

 

Thanks!

The most commonly recommended specialty restaurant is Eden, reserve online now, if you wait until you get onboard, there may not be any decent times available.  Le Petite Chef and Family has an animated show that projects on your table. Most frequent comment about it is that it's amusing once but no need to go back again. Fine Cut gets mixed reviews, primary complaint is the noise from the Grand Atrium.  Raw on Five is a sushi and raw bar.  Search the threads if that is something that would interest you.  Don't forget to try Le Grand Bistro for lunch if the $30 service charge doesn't bother you. You can also try Rooftop Garden Grill. How you split the nights between Blu and specialty restaurants really depend on your interests.