What would you pay to dine in Blu if it were a specialty restaurant?

[LB_NJ]

I'm asking because this is my round-about way of trying to figure out what Aqua is worth to us on a M class ship.

 

To us the only real benefit of Aqua would be Blu.  Also, given the location of Aqua cabins on M class ships they would mostly be worth less to us than regular Veranda cabins.

 

On M class ships Tuscan Grill is, for us, the only specialty restaurant we would dine in so a specialty restaurant package doesn't make sense on a cruise over a few days..

 

For comparison purposes Tuscan Grill seems to be about $50 per person plus gratuity.

[lv2cruisgrl]

So then why not base it on that, $50 pp.?   I would pay that to dine in there but not more than $50.

[keesar]

I would not pay $50 per person per meal  to dine in Tuscan Grill  Worth $30 to me.  As for Blu, I figure $15 per person per day because of the added breakfast.

[zitsky]

Hard to answer.  Do you want to sit in the buffet for breakfast or have it brought to your table?  Do you want lighter food served at dinner?  I'd pay $25 per day for it and I don't know what I *actually* pay for it.  It's pretty easy to compare a far with or without.  I do wish they served lunch on sea days but as I've said elsewhere then it would be called "Luminae".  And I don't think they want two restaurants that are that similar.

[Ken the cruiser]

A couple things to keep in mind. The Aqua cabin is a little larger than a veranda cabin and a Concierge cabin is a little larger than an Aqua cabin on a M-class ship. The Aqua cabin also has a walk-in shower whereas the veranda and concierge cabins only have shower/tub combinations. Personally, our favorite Aqua cabin on a M-class ship is one of the aft-facing ones, with the center one being the best.

 

As far as Blu goes, the menus are "healthier" than those found in the MDR. However, the big draw for us is the "anytime dining" option. As far as comparing the value of Blu's menus to that of specialty dining, there is none. In my opinion X now charges way too much for what they offer in any of their specialty restaurants. But I will add, the desserts in Blu are also "healthier", so we usually go up to the buffet to have a chocolate dessert most nights as they rarely offer them in Blu. 

[LB_NJ]

1 hour ago, lv2cruisgrl said:

So then why not base it on that, $50 pp.?   I would pay that to dine in there but not more than $50.

I am not sure I completely understand the statement.  Are you saying that you think Blu is equivalent in quality to Tuscan Grill?

[mrgabriel]

I agree that it's really difficult to value. In some ways it's a bit like specialty dining but then it's not because you can get to know the servers and there's a level of comfort in going to the same place for several meals over the course of a cruise. 

 

For us, the appeal isn't the food. We like Blu because: 

- we can show up whenever we want for breakfast or dinner

- we always get a table for two and it's more than 8" from the people next to us

- it isn't as noisy

- it's a smaller more intimate restaurant

- and like in main dining, the servers get to know you and what you like/dislike. 

 

For us, AQ's value comes from Blu. We don't use the Persian Garden that frequently, and we're okay drinking water from OVC or soft drinks from the daily CC happy hour.  

 

Given current prices, we've decided to do the math before we book another cruise - not adding any value for Blu but instead pricing a verandah then adding in the cost of buying drinks and paying for specialty dining for about 4 nights. 

 

 

 

 

[lv2cruisgrl]

17 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

I am not sure I completely understand the statement.  Are you saying that you think Blu is equivalent in quality to Tuscan Grill?

I haven't eaten in Tuscan in years. I have eaten in Blu, Luminae, Eden, and the steakhouse on the Edge class ships.

So if I didn't have a Aqua cabin would I pay to eat in Blu, yes. 

Edited December 4, 2023 by lv2cruisgrl

[wrk2cruise]

58 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

The Aqua cabin is a little larger than a veranda cabin and a Concierge cabin is a little larger than an Aqua cabin on a M-class ship.

 

Aqua and Concierge are the same size on M class.  Veranda are a little over 20 sq ft smaller.

 

58 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

The Aqua cabin also has a walk-in shower whereas the veranda and concierge cabins only have shower/tub combinations.

 

All balcony cabins on M class have shower only.  Suites have tub/shower combo.

 

Oh, maybe you were talking about Aqua Sky Suites which are 240+ sq ft and do have tub/shower, but also have access to Luminae which I would value more than Blu for service level alone.

 

And to answer the OP's question $10-$15 pp/pd.

Edited December 4, 2023 by wrk2cruise

[jean87510]

I'd pay the same price as Ocean view cafe.  

[Georgia_Peaches]

Though the menus in Blu were more appealing than Luminae on our recent cruise, I wouldn't pay extra to eat in Blu.  I found the MDR to be  nice with options that were very pleasing.

[Lena11033]

I wouldn't pay extra, I didn't really find the menu that appealing

[Ken the cruiser]

34 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Aqua and Concierge are the same size on M class.  Veranda are a little over 20 sq ft smaller.

 

 

All balcony cabins on M class have shower only.  Suites have tub/shower combo.

 

Oh, maybe you were talking about Aqua Sky Suites which are 240+ sq ft and do have tub/shower, but also have access to Luminae which I would value more than Blu for service level alone.

 

And to answer the OP's question $10-$15 pp/pd.

My “memory” stands corrected. Thanks for keeping me straight.

[LB_NJ]

1 hour ago, wrk2cruise said:

Oh, maybe you were talking about Aqua Sky Suites which are 240+ sq ft and do have tub/shower, but also have access to Luminae which I would value more than Blu for service level alone.

 

And to answer the OP's question $10-$15 pp/pd.

Thank you.  And yes I meant the regular Aqua, not the suites.

[someguyfl]

From our ship tour, the head chef said that Blu, Luminae, and the Speciality restaurants all operate their kitchens such that your order is cooked when you order, so they have a lot more control over how cooked something is.

 

For MDR, things are cooked in large batches, and therefore less control. Since some items will cook more than others due to thickness/hotspots etc, they need to time it that the least cooked item is safe, which means that the most cooked item from the batch will be a bit overcooked.

 

As far as ambiance, both Blu and Luminae felt like a fine dining restaurant as far as decor, wait staff training/attentiveness, wait staff uniforms...

MDR's food from my experience certainly isn't bad, but I'd say it's much more like a banquet hall than a fine dining experience.

 

I'd say that Blu is probably worth around $35/dinner and $15/lunch.

[kwokpot]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

As far as Blu goes, the menus are "healthier" than those found in the MDR. However, the big draw for us is the "anytime dining" option.

Maybe at inception the dinner choices at Blu may have been healthier but as it stands now it is most certainly not. The food at Blu can never be confused with Spa cuisine. You can look to the spa cafe for food items that are examples of healthy spa cuisine.

 

.Does Select Anytime Dining in the MDRs not work for you?

Edited December 5, 2023 by kwokpot

[Ken the cruiser]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

Maybe at inception the dinner choices at Blu may have been healthier but as it stands now it is most certainly not. The food at Blue can never be confused with Spa cuisine. You can look to the spa cafe for food items that are examples of healthy spa cuisine.

 

.Does Select Anytime Dining in the MDRs not work for you?

To be quite honest after our upcoming Galapagos cruise on the Flora, we won't be booking any Celebrity cruises in the next 3-4+ years. Their increased prices, minimal All Included perks (when compared to other cruise lines we book with), and their 5-11 day cookie cutter itineraries have caused us to move our business to PCL, NCL and HAL. But then we're in our early 70s, which is definitely not their target demographic. 

[zitsky]

28 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

To be quite honest after our upcoming Galapagos cruise on the Flora, we won't be booking any Celebrity cruises in the next 3-4+ years. Their increased prices, minimal All Included perks (when compared to other cruise lines we book with), and their 5-11 day cookie cutter itineraries have caused us to move our business to PCL, NCL and HAL. But then we're in our early 70s, which is definitely not their target demographic. 

Have you considered Viking?  Good ships and you’ll feel young again!!!

[Ken the cruiser]

4 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Have you considered Viking?  Good ships and you’ll feel young again!!!

No, we've worked too hard to get to Elite on PCL, 4-star on HAL, and Platinum on NCL so we can get all that free laundry!!  😂

[NMTraveller]

I am looking at their wine selections in Blu.  I am now thinking that they should pay me to dine there 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[zitsky]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I am looking at their wine selections in Blu.  I am now thinking that they should pay me to dine there 🤣🤣🤣🤣

No.  They will pay YOU to not dine there.  😎

[dlh015]

As mentioned above, I would pay the same as the OVC. 

 

I think the Blu hype is a triumph in marketing for X. Just my opinion of course.

[NMTraveller]

17 minutes ago, zitsky said:

No.  They will pay YOU to not dine there.  😎

My point was that if you were to count Blu as a specialty restaurant you would expect to see wines such as in the specialty restaurants.  Some of the $25 per glass wines.

 

IMHO saving the money and using it for specialty restaurants is probably a better deal...

 

I am in Aqua and still keeping my 8 nights of specialty dining.

Edited December 5, 2023 by NMTraveller

[mahasamatman]

I don't think I'd pay for Blu, and I definitely would not pay for Tuscan. I've made that mistake before.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

I am looking at their wine selections in Blu.  I am now thinking that they should pay me to dine there 🤣🤣🤣🤣

We get the same wines in Blu as we do in Luminae and recently better in  Blu.