Aqua class worth it?

[Cruiscs]

Sailing on Silhouette for 11 nights in a regular balcony stateroom later this year. Considering upgrading to Aqua Class mainly bacause of access to Blu and Persian garden. The upgrade to Aqua class costs around $800 for two. The alternative is to buy a 5 night speciality dining for around $ 500-600. How does Blu compare to the other speciality restaurants onboard? 

[bikerunner]

Food is all subjective.  My nov dec cruise i didnt find anything special with the speciality reataurants overall.  They were good but not worth the upgrade over mdr  when i sail aqua i usually just stick with blu.  The persian garden pass is probably around 270 pp for 11 day pass. I use the peraian gardens at least once a day sometimes twice.   So blu the aqua rooms would be a move i fo.   But others dont see value in them   I assume your looking at doing a move up bid.  With that you have no control over room you could get as many of awua are inder pool area 

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, Cruiscs said:

Sailing on Silhouette for 11 nights in a regular balcony stateroom later this year. Considering upgrading to Aqua Class mainly bacause of access to Blu and Persian garden. The upgrade to Aqua class costs around $800 for two. The alternative is to buy a 5 night speciality dining for around $ 500-600. How does Blu compare to the other speciality restaurants onboard? 

for us - no for 2 reasons:

1) the location of the cabins - deck 7 is as high as we go and close to midship.

2) Dining - we eat as a couple every day at home and one of the highlights of cruising is sharing tables in the MDR (Select table of 6 ).

Not right or wrong just personal choice. 

[Dawnspring]

I love the Blu menus. I’ve enjoyed my meals there more than in Murano or Tuscan Grille. But food is very very subjective. I suggest checking out the menus online and deciding if it’s your kind of food or not. On constellation we could order from MDR menu as well.
 

I also loved the peaceful relaxed atmosphere at breakfast. 

 

persian garden on Constellation was meh. The hot rooms weren’t hot enough and it wasn’t an enjoyable space. I think a Persian Garden needs to have hot loungers with a sea view to be worth it. 
 

I’m doing a TA in November and sailing concierge to get the points to Elite status. Aqua was another £1,000 each and didn’t seem worth it. But if there’s a reasonable move up offer then we’ll take it. I’m thinking that the cost of 3 specialty restaurants for 2 plus one Persian Garden pass would be the break even price for us. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I loved Aqua on Summit this past summer. They spoiled me rotten in Blu - so much that when there was the chance to bump up to Aqua for a reasonable price (like after they automatically unbundled AI) for my cruise on the Beyond this coming summer, I jumped at it. I'm not really a specialty restaurants girl, so I can't help you there. But Blu alone was worth it to me.

[Mark_K]

Blu is not as good as a specialty restaurant, but you’re neglecting what for us is a big part of it.  Blu is an excellent place to get a nice, sit down, meal brought to you, breakfast.

[odysee]

We preferred Aqua for many years.

However for new booking 9 days on Eclipse, we concluded now ca USD 600 pp more for Aqua was not really worth it for us anymore and decided to go with C1 for location.  Maybe getting jaded after many cruises and too often same Blu menus  ?

Edited February 9 by odysee

[Lena11033]

As food is subjective I would say have you done it before and did you enjoy the food? I didn't find it great so I personally wouldn't do it but I know others love it.

[NMTraveller]

Definitely go for specialty dining.

 

We just sailed in Aqua in January.  We went to Specialty dining most nights and Blu for 2 or 3 nights.   We do like the Persian Gardens. 

 

The two tops in Blu are very close together.  Specialty dining has a better ambiance and better menus.

 

 

Edited February 9 by NMTraveller

[kwokpot]

5 hours ago, Cruiscs said:

Sailing on Silhouette for 11 nights in a regular balcony stateroom later this year. Considering upgrading to Aqua Class mainly bacause of access to Blu and Persian garden. The upgrade to Aqua class costs around $800 for two. The alternative is to buy a 5 night speciality dining for around $ 500-600. How does Blu compare to the other speciality restaurants onboard? 

The key to your decision is how often you plan to use the thermal suite. If you aren't planning on using it it every day then you are better off allocating the $800 towards specialty dining, which includes the Lawn Club Grill and the Porch. Blu doesn't serve lunch and TBH regarding breakfast the MDR serves a sit-down breakfast so there's ways to avoid the buffet for breakfast without staying in Aquaclass. Besides, eggs over easy and toast is going to be the same whether in Blu or the MDR. IMO breakfast is one of the least important meals of the three where it really makes a difference whether you're eating at the MDR or Blu or Luminae. 

[NMTraveller]

Also keep in mind that Blu is not open for lunch. I believe the specialty dining package includes lunch now.  That is if you get the package for the whole cruise.

Edited February 9 by NMTraveller

[Pinboy]

After being in Aqua Class a few times, the 5 night Specialty restaurant package, plus a full cruise Persian Garden pass would be a better value, thus, our choice.

Please note—In Aqua the tables ( for 2 ) are very close to each other, the food and service are excellent, really nothing to complain about.

 

 

 

[Spif Barwunkel]

Our cruising dollars spent reflect what makes our cruise enjoyable for us, not what will or won't add up to the exact to-the-penny cost. We enjoy Aqua, and do not partake of all the perks/benefits offered. Those that we consider to be sufficient justifies the worth our expenditure. Convenience plays a big part in our cruising enjoyment.  

 

     

 

 

[MarkWiltonM]

I have encountered a lot of people who used Move Up for Aqua class and they were disappointed with the location of their stateroom. But if you are a thermal-spa-type person it's probably the way to go. And I agree with the earlier poster that specialty dining isn't all that special. If you switch to Aqua Class, I'd save my money and eat in Blu.

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Our cruising dollars spent reflect what makes our cruise enjoyable for us, not what will or won't add up to the exact to-the-penny cost. We enjoy Aqua, and do not partake of all the perks/benefits offered. Those that we consider to be sufficient justifies the worth our expenditure. Convenience plays a big part in our cruising enjoyment.  

 

     

 

 

You're absolutely correct, everyone values how their money is spent in different ways. In this case the OP is conflicted in which way they should go and is specifically asking for advice and perspectives. 

[Cruiscs]

40 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

 And I agree with the earlier poster that specialty dining isn't all that special. If you switch to Aqua Class, I'd save my money and eat in Blu.

Murano and Tuscan are the same as MDR?

[Luvcrusn]

7 hours ago, Cruiscs said:

Sailing on Silhouette for 11 nights in a regular balcony stateroom later this year. Considering upgrading to Aqua Class mainly bacause of access to Blu and Persian garden. The upgrade to Aqua class costs around $800 for two. The alternative is to buy a 5 night speciality dining for around $ 500-600. How does Blu compare to the other speciality restaurants onboard? 

Blu is wonderful....but the food and service in Murano is waaay better. We  don't think the other specialty restaurants aboard are worth the cost. That being said given your cost differential, we'd opt for the 5 night dining plan and skip Blu.

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

Blu is wonderful....but the food and service in Murano is waaay better. We  don't think the other specialty restaurants aboard are worth the cost. That being said given your cost differential, we'd opt for the 5 night dining plan and skip Blu.

I like Murano.  Husband likes Tuscan.  We both like Blu.  He likes Spa.  I book Blu so I don’t go anywhere near the buffet.  I can eat in buffets at home and will drive 45 minutes to eat at one at home.

 

Last cruise in Blu we went to MDR for lunch.  Next one, we’ll eat at Luminae.

 

OP needs to look at Cruise Critic cabin reviews before deciding.

[Pinboy]

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

OP needs to look at Cruise Critic cabin reviews before deciding.

Makes very good sense— To sum up:

Don't select a cabin under the pool , the OVC ( Buffet) , the theatre or beside a cabin with a pineapple decal hanging upside down. 

 

[DLWood]

We went Aqua on Beyond in May last year on med cruise. It was a lot more expensive. Blu ambiance was nice but we don’t care for the type of food Blu serves so tended to order from MDR menu. For spa I used it three or four times but DH wasn’t interested. They market exercise equipment if avail but never got any. 
We’ll now book concierge and if it’s going to be a cooler weather cruise I will buy one pass for the Persian Gardens for me. And we’ll stick with the MDR because we don’t think the specialty is worth it to us non foodies. 

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, DLWood said:

We went Aqua on Beyond in May last year on med cruise. It was a lot more expensive. Blu ambiance was nice but we don’t care for the type of food Blu serves so tended to order from MDR menu. For spa I used it three or four times but DH wasn’t interested. They market exercise equipment if avail but never got any. 
 

The Blu tables are too close to have good ambiance in my opinion.    You end up dining with another couple.

[Bently57]

specialty dining is fine, and fun if you have OBC to use up.  But it's not worth paying extra for, in my opinion.  I like all the MDR.  I also like Blu and with Aqua you get that added as a choice (and also for breakfast).  Last cruise, we only did Concierge and it was a great time.  But on the Beyond, which is our next, we really like the Persian Garden setup on that style of ship, so we went with Aqua.

 

[whitbob]

We booked Aqua on our first Celebrity cruise, and were hooked.  For us it is the smaller dining room and the ability to request substitutions.  We enjoy most of the menus.  We also typically cruise once a year, so we aren’t repeating the Blu menu over and over.  DH is a picky eater, and we have found  it is easier to get a sauce changed, or veggie added without sending things back.  MDR waiters are busy, and getting the little changes right isn’t as easy as in a smaller dining venue.  Service in Blu has always been excellent.

 

As for the specialty dining package.  Silhouette is our favorite ship so far (1st E ship cruise coming next month), and the variety of specialties are part of that choice.  We looked at booking a b2b in veranda this fall and using the specialty dining package, pricing both.  We ended up sticking with Aqua, after reading several CC threads about getting reservations using the packages.  As I understand it, you cannot make your reservations until boarding with the dining package.  Is this correct?  Do others have good experiences with getting the times they want after boarding?  

[sofietucker]

On 2/9/2024 at 4:59 AM, Cruiscs said:

Sailing on Silhouette for 11 nights in a regular balcony stateroom later this year. Considering upgrading to Aqua Class mainly bacause of access to Blu and Persian garden. The upgrade to Aqua class costs around $800 for two. The alternative is to buy a 5 night speciality dining for around $ 500-600. How does Blu compare to the other speciality restaurants onboard? 

The Persian Garden on Silhouette has in total: a 5-bed heated-lounger room, a steam room and a sauna, plus 2 open (mixed gender) showers. So no fancy salt rooms, etc. as on the Edge-class ships.

 

Re: AQ, my comments from another thread, mentioning MDR but not the other specialties: 

We were in AQ on the Silly in January--usually get a suite, where you can choose to eat in Blu (reservations) along with Luminae, but they were all sold out and we liked the location.

Well, nope. The spa amenities were useless: the spa concierge is just the regular one; we already get a better discount with loyalty status; we don't take classes, free or paid; and the stateroom "spa amenities" we reserved were laughable--no room at all to lay out a yoga mat, use bands or weights. Plus no fancy water (discontinued).

 

Plus the room won't be any bigger than veranda or concierge, balcony quite small--and right under the noise of furniture being dragged about. BUT! The location makes it easy to avoid taking  the elevator as everything's just a deck up...

 

And re: the seafood in Blu, that was kind of a bust for us. The lump crab in the Crab Martini was mashed, tasted like tuna, and mixed with cucumber, not avocado as described. Saw mussels on the menu once, and octopus once. No clams (or as they spelled it in Venice, clambs)--but they had spaghetti vongole in the Lido.  And mussels up there in the Lido a few times--and scallop ceviche, and tuna crudo, etc., in coconut shells...

 

But they did have fish on the Blu menu every night. Shrimp and scallops occasionally (just as in the MDR, you can get shrimp cocktail every night--where they also have lobster on chic/formal night). It is less hectic and better service than MDR, though.

 

All that being said: Sushi on 5 is good if you like sushi and hotpots. Service was very slow (the officers eat there a lot, lol). Didn't eat in these restaurants on this cruise but on many others: Tuscan Grille is great but A LOT of food (they were pushers, lol). Murano yummy French. Little Petit Chef is fine but a super limited menu and really about the show--and your meal's pace is strictly controlled by that. Check their menu to see if that's what you want to eat, lol.

Edited February 10 by sofietucker