Food Quality in Blu Restaurant

[sabrefan]

Currently booked on the Solstice in March 2025, Hong Kong to Singapore in Aqua Class. Seeing some negative food reviews for post covid Celebrity cruises. Just wondering if this is also true in the Blu Restaurant? 

[Cruise a holic]

Haven't sailed in Aqua class in a few years.  However now the additional cost above balcony IMO not worth it- would rather get well located balcony cabin and dine nightly in Speciality restaurants.  

Blu ambiance better then MDR.  Enjoy your cruise.

[NutsAboutGolf]

7 minutes ago, sabrefan said:

Currently booked on the Solstice in March 2025, Hong Kong to Singapore in Aqua Class. Seeing some negative food reviews for post covid Celebrity cruises. Just wondering if this is also true in the Blu Restaurant? 

 

We're a year and a half away, perhaps ask again when you're within a few months of your sailing for the most up to date info

[keesar]

1 hour ago, sabrefan said:

Currently booked on the Solstice in March 2025, Hong Kong to Singapore in Aqua Class. Seeing some negative food reviews for post covid Celebrity cruises. Just wondering if this is also true in the Blu Restaurant? 

Food quality continues to be excellent in Blu.  You will not see as many nightly  choices as in the MDR.  Lately, they have been increasing the offerings  of birds i.e.quail, pheasant, etc..  We have been pleased, especially with breakfast.  

[TXranchgal]

Just off the Summit in BLU.  The food choices sometimes were a bit sparce but since we could order from either the BLU menu or the main dining menu - we were always happy with what we oredred.  The meals were tasty but a bit over salted.  We love BLU for breakfast and dinner.  

 

[Cruisegirl6]

We were on the Beyond and the Edge the this year and Blu menu we were unable to ask for the MDR items like onion soup or ceasar salad, and the menu was very limited.  The items were not appealing to us and unlike the MDR where you can get chicken/steak/salmon every night we were unable to get any of those items.  Blu was very noisy in both cruises so we only dined one evening in Blu on each cruise and our service both times were so so, I have no idea why people rave about it as we found the MDR so much better in service, items offered and food tasting better.  We are booked on the Equinox and will give it a try, but from what I hear on this class of ship we are allowed to ask for the "everyday items" on the MDR, if this is true it will work out perfectly for us, if not, we be back in the MDR.

The spa stuff included in Aqua for us was useless a joke, because the treatments you still have to pay for but the only thing we did like about Aqua was the shower in these class of ships, the best shower in all our other 98 cruises we taken.  I would take Aqua for the showers, but unsure if those showers are in the class of ship we are currently booked on.

[zitsky]

I’d like to hear from someone who spent more than one day in Blu.

[tigervixxxen]

We spent 11 nights in Blu on Equinox over the holidays. We didn’t find the food any better than the MDR in general, sure a couple dishes were (a couple of the salads with chicken or salmon were standouts for me and the lobster they serve in the cream sauce) but it was nice to choose between their menu plus the MDR menu. We had no issue doing this btw, waiters were happy to do it but they also waited for us to inquire about it. I believe the difference is in the E class ships the kitchens are not close together but on Solstice this should also be no problem. 
 

Our overall thoughts on Aqua was having more amenities was nice but nothing was actually “better” per se. I didn’t book any specialty restaurants because I thought I wouldn’t want to miss Blu, I was dead wrong about that. We even ate in the buffet one night instead. A lot of folks love Blu and it is a beautiful restaurant but is it better food, not in my opinion. Also the puréed veggies they served every night with the bread was strange. Not that it was a problem or anything but it gets pretty funny after 10 nights of having puréed carrots or beets on the table. 

 

I can confirm the Equinox has the extra shower heads that are at body height position, which I think are the special ones. As far as service, I thought it was fine in Blu. Nothing noteworthy either way other than they brought the wrong dish once or twice but it was efficient enough. 

Edited September 18, 2023 by tigervixxxen

[hcat]

A diff opinion on BLU. we are fans!

 

We ate in BLU on the  BEYOND to get a break from Luminae.( the menu and  that facility .not to our liking..)

 

BLU was excellent from beginning to end. Nice breads and spreads, .large firm shrimp cocktail with tangy sauce, great soup,  a well prepared meal with tip top food and wine service. We dine early so no noise issues.

 

Have been in BLU on EDGE  pre Covid.. good food and service but poor location, no view.

 

The thermal suites on EDGE were very nice but we prefer the layout and various  "rooms" on S Class ships. Loungers are not in a  sunny room as they were on EDGE

 

We have always enjoyed AQ Class since it started,   including BLU compared to the din abd crowds of the main  MDR .(  We have enjoyed an SV with 4 mdrs also.)  We are  .booked again for  AQ Class on  ASCENT..

 

 Glad there are choices..even with cutbacks!

[miched]

Totally agree with Hcat. .    The Thermal lounge isn’t that great.  The loungers are in the sun and aren’t that comfortable.   On one cruise we were in AQ on the Edge and didn’t really care for the IV.  Blu was nice.  I don’t need a window table and we never ask for one.  Over rated.   There is nothing to see at night when dark or they pull the drapes to kept the sun out.  Plus it is hotter by the windows.  
 

The menu in Luminae on the beyond has a lot to be desired.  We were in a SS and would  dine in the other restaurants 

 

The perks in a suite are nice but not that nice to spend  all of the extra money over AQ.  
 

I also like the S class better for AQ.  A cabin with a balcony, nicer Blu dining  room and the Persian Garden is nicer.    Also like the Martini Bar and WCB better on the S class along with the Sky Lounge.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[hcat]

agree about S Class..After we cruise on Ascent ..we are heading back to S Class for a .short cruise on Silhouette.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

The thermal suites on EDGE were very nice but we prefer the layout and various  "rooms" on S Class ships. Loungers are not in a  sunny room as they were on EDGE

 

We found the thermal suites on Edge to be very crowded when compared to S class.

[StopTheWorld]

Sailed in Aqua Class twice this year (Solstice and Reflection). Loved Blu! Service wasn’t great on Solstice (suspect there was a lot of new staff) but great on Reflection last month. 
We like the smaller dining room and find the menu options nicer. I’m vegetarian and there were always options on the Blu menu for me, but was offered the vegetarian menu from the MDR each night for more choice. 
We tried the MDR one night to dine with friends. The food was ok but the service was way way slower than Blu. 

[Cruise a holic]

6 hours ago, miched said:

Totally agree with Hcat. .    The Thermal lounge isn’t that great.  The loungers are in the sun and aren’t that comfortable.   On one cruise we were in AQ on the Edge and didn’t really care for the IV.  Blu was nice.  I don’t need a window table and we never ask for one.  Over rated.   There is nothing to see at night when dark or they pull the drapes to kept the sun out.  Plus it is hotter by the windows.  
 

The menu in Luminae on the beyond has a lot to be desired.  We were in a SS and would  dine in the other restaurants 

 

The perks in a suite are nice but not that nice to spend  all of the extra money over AQ.  
 

I also like the S class better for AQ.  A cabin with a balcony, nicer Blu dining  room and the Persian Garden is nicer.    Also like the Martini Bar and WCB better on the S class along with the Sky Lounge.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

We can agree to disagree- no comparison IMO to Luminae.  The suite lounge on the Edge- even better on the Apex- and Beyond are fabulous.  Also the suite deck is so worth the upgrade!  So many perks for the suite guests even entry level.  I think the AQ perks overall aren't worth it IMO.

[Mimiya11]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

We can agree to disagree- no comparison IMO to Luminae.  The suite lounge on the Edge- even better on the Apex- and Beyond are fabulous.  Also the suite deck is so worth the upgrade!  So many perks for the suite guests even entry level.  I think the AQ perks overall aren't worth it IMO.

 

Agreed.   After sailing on the Apex in AQ this past March, we are done with AQ on any ship.   

The cost differential is not worth it for us as we found that the Blu menu is nothing special (we used to think otherwise) and the limited amenities in AQ would all be better spent on specialty dining.    

We are however looking forward to our second suite experience (first on Apex) next month.   

[Cruisegirl6]

13 hours ago, zitsky said:

I’d like to hear from someone who spent more than one day in Blu.

I only spent one day in Blu on the two different ships because of the lack of items and the choices were not to our liking.  A lot of pasta dishes are offered.

[thebutlerdidit]

24 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

I only spent one day in Blu on the two different ships because of the lack of items and the choices were not to our liking.  A lot of pasta dishes are offered.

I wanted to see how the menus in Blu had changed since I was last there in November. They look the same, and I see plenty of choice. Ribeye, osso bucco, duck, branzino, short ribs…lots of favorites. 
 

I wouldn’t worry about the menu. I have noticed the need to ask for every darn thing that Aqua cabins are supposed to include. I’m sure that’s cutting costs for X. I hate to have to keep asking. I’m not hard to please, but IMO if you’re doing your job you’d have the promised items in place. I do understand that the sparkling wine isn’t iced upon arrival. It’s not pretty when the bottles sit in the ice bucket and lose their labels. 

[Luvcrusn]

We love Blu on the S-class ships, but with the current cost differential in fares between Aqua and verandah we won't book Aqua. Instead, we book verandah and dining package. 

[HS2BS]

In the last eight months we have done: Summit aqua - November, Beyond oceanview - December, Reflection Aqua - January, Summit aqua, April. There was a marked difference in Blu on the Summit between November and April. In November we rarely asked for the mdr menus and were satisfied with most of the offerings that we didn’t eat in a specialty restaurants. In contrast, April (12day & Blu was over crowded with Long wait times) cruise we asked for the main dining room menus every night as meats were well done(short ribs should be renamed “fatty ribs”), fish portions were skimpy and a shrimp cocktail only had three shrimp. We did eat at Tuscan on two night to a great and filling meal that was served with attention that was lacking in Blu!

We have two more cruises booked this year, October Equinox, December Beyond, neither in aqua; then switching to Princess for a b2b on Enchanted. In April we will again try aqua in the Eclipse on a 14 day from Rio to Bayonne, and Ascent in October without aqua.

Over all after effigy plus Celebrity cruises, we have seen the quality in the Blu restaurant decline in food choices, more people in the same space, and service spread thinner.

 

Hal

[Lena11033]

I was in AQ in March on Summit, I honestly did not like the food they had. I had better food on Beyond in MDR. I've booked another cruise for Apex for next year, based on the food offering I've stuck with a solo room rather than spend the $ to upgrade.

[Harborgirl246]

Just off Equinox and Blu. Loved the ambiance and staff. Full ship and never had to wait for a table for 2. Bread basket and waters delivered promptly.

Found the menu sufficient most nights, except for last night, we ordered our favorite turkey dinner from the MDR. First time ever, the turkey was not tender.

Always able to get shrimp cocktail (6) every night.

We haven’t done AQ on Edge class, but always satisfied on other ships.

 

[thebutlerdidit]

I just realized that I’ve only been in Aqua on S-class ships: Reflection, Eclipse, Silhouette, Equinox x 3. I loved Blu on all of my sailings. 

[hcat]

hmm, after reading through this thread although we will be assigned to BLU on ASCENT,  kind of glad we booked 3  nights for dinner at Specialty venues (EDEN, FINE CUT and ROOFTOP GRILL)

 

May also try the Buffet if we have a full day excursion with large lunch.

 

I think variety is a good idea...and although we've been on E Class previously, EDEN and FINE CUT will ve new for us.

 

BLU for a quiet  breakfast is def a plus!

[Mike45LC]

Christmas 2022 on Solstice, I was very disappointed with Blu. 

 

When I tried breakfast there, service was so slow that the pancakes were cold when served.  And the wait staff forgot to bring butter for the pancakes,  By the time frozen butter was finally provided, the pancakes were both cold and hard.  I found the buffet to be much better.

 

Most of my dinners came from the MDR menu.  The "clean spa menu" (or whatever they call it) is not to my taste.  

[hcat]

Hoping Ascent will be better staffed and supplied than older ships

.  But if the downgrades are  fleetwide, it will all be mediocre!