Worth it to Upgrade?

We'll be on the Marina, first time, and first time on Oceania. Is it worth it to upgrade from a Verandah to Verandah concierge level ? What exactly do you get?

It is a personal choice depends on what is important to you

Some of the difference for Concierge are

Booking specialty restaurants at 60 days out instead of 45

free access to the spa deck

access to the concierge lounge

earlier boarding time

free tote bag

maybe others things but cannot think of them

check O website & compare the cabin Cat amenities

You also get a bottle of champagne, which I bring to a restaurant and trade for a bottle of wine.

There is also a change of room location, generally for the worst. But I've done the upgrade route several times and been happy.

Think about your itinerary. If it is very port intensive, will you make use of the spa deck? Does location matter to you? Are you exchanging a midship veranda stateroom location for a far forward or aft concierge location?

Lyn gave a good overview of the perks that come with concierge level; only you can determine if these perks are important and worthwhile. You didn't say if you are initiating the move or if an upsell was offered to you to make the move. Depending on which, cost then becomes part of the consideration.

Whatever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a great cruise. Oceania is terrific and our preferred cruise line.

Harriet

Think about your itinerary. If it is very port intensive, will you make use of the spa deck? Does location matter to you? Are you exchanging a midship veranda stateroom location for a far forward or aft concierge location?

For those reasons we actually waitlisted for an interior cabin when we booked (in a B4 now) and are still hoping it will clear.

Our itinerary is short and port intensive and it is unlikely we will enjoy our verandah enough to make it worth the extra $2800 it is costing. We have large verandahs at our pre and post hotels which we booked independently and for us, the extra cost is a consideration.

NO...but as mentioned....each couple/person has their own ideas about the added value. We feel the same way about this on other lines....eg. AZ, =X=, etc...but to each his or her own!! LuAnn

On our last Rivera trip we took an upgrade from an ocean view to an A1 for 200pp. I took it for the cabin location and veranda. The rest of the perks were not worth much to me.

We would be initiating it , cruisecountess, so I was referring to whether the extra cost was worth it.

Thanks for the clarification. You've received some excellent responses and explanations as to the perks that accompany a concierge cabin. Then it is up to you to determine if those perks are important. For DH and myself, we use the price differential from our ocean view cabin to defray excursion, wine, or souvenir expenses. It works for us; it may or may not for you.

Harriet

Start small.... then in the future you can have something to explore and or aspire to.

If you start on the high side... well you have little left and more on the down side in the future to expect.

If you started with a VW odds are you will appreciate it when you get a Mercedes....

We were on the Riviera on an upgrade to concierge. The at sea days the spa deck was closed due to high winds. The concierge was less than hospitable the only time I requested his services. Just an observation of this upgrade.

We booked the Concierge Level on our first Marina cruise, and, in retrospect, the uptick in cost did not seem to warrant it. It was a very port intensive cruise of Southern France and Italy, so there was really no opportunity to use the spa deck. The concierge lounge was a nice perk, but we only picked up a coffee drink from there occasionally. When we asked the concierge to try to get us a second night in Toscano, she was unable. We had no problem when we asked the receptionist in charge of specialty restaurant reservations. We elected not to book it for our upcoming cruise in July on Marina.

But, it is definitely a personal decision.

Ricki

My husband really likes the concierge level cabins. He likes going down to the concierge lounge in the morning to get coffee and goodies for us. I really don't care one way or the other but since it is only $100 pp from a B1 to an A4 on our cruise, we are going to do it. I totally agree it's a matter of personal preference. We had a good experience with the concierge attendant on the Marina last year and found her to be very helpful when we needed anything.