A poster on Cruise Critic is reporting that Celebrity has introduced a real embarkation day benefit for its Aqua Class guests, lunch/brunch in the Blu restaurant upon boarding. I’ve reached out to Celebrity to see if this is going fleetwide, but have yet to hear back. If so, this is a real enhancement for the Aqua Class product, which I’ve sailed twice and frankly would have a hard time booking another Celebrity cruise in another class of service. Yes, I love the Celebrity Aqua Class experience that much.

Embarkation can be stressful on a large ship, and stress is the one thing that should be most avoided on a cruise. The stress can come from dealing with the masses as they fight their way to the birthright “embarkation lunch” in the buffet restaurant. In fact, MrsMJ and I have taken to lunching at a favorite Miami restaurant prior to boarding our last few short get-away cruises and skipping the madness entirely, or if we are boarding a ship with alternatives to the buffet that are open on embarkation day we head there, even if it’s a restaurant with an upcharge.

Assuming this possible change for Aqua Class guests goes fleetwide, it’s one more reason to book an Aqua cabin with Celebrity.

-MJ, May 16, 2014