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Would you pay extra for luxury accommodations and amenities on a mainstream ship?


Would you pay a premium for luxury accommodations and amenities on a mainstream ship?  

177 members have voted

  1. 1. Would you pay a premium for luxury accommodations and amenities on a mainstream ship?

    • Yes, I'd definitely pay extra
      38
    • No, if I want a luxury cruise I'll go on a luxury line
      87
    • No, it's simply too expensive for our budget
      28
    • I might consider it
      24


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A relatively new concept in cruising is the inclusion of dedicated areas onboard big ships that offer a luxury-style cruise amidst the wider ranging features and amenities of a big ship -- such as NCL's Courtyard and MSC's Yacht Club. Does it appeal, and would you pay for the experience? Vote in our poll and be sure to post your opinion too!

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I pick my cruise line for what they offer in genreal. If I want a luxury experience I'll book a luxury line.

 

When I'm outside of my stateroom why would I want to exclude myself from the general population and all the regular venues?

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I pick my cruise line for what they offer in genreal. If I want a luxury experience I'll book a luxury line.

 

When I'm outside of my stateroom why would I want to exclude myself from the general population and all the regular venues?

 

Good point. I have to agree with you on this one.

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I like Holland America deluxe suites. Not like NCL or MSC - the only restricted access area is the Neptune Lounge, with concierge. There are other perks like free laundry/dry cleaning. We've had dinner served course by course on our balcony. Great beds, great cabins, lots of space for 3.

 

I find the service on HAL (even in inside cabins) to be excellent, and at the suite level it's both excellent and very personal.

 

So far, this has been the best fit for my family. Less expensive than 6*, more options for 1 week cruises than the 6* lines, but better than other mass market experiences.

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We always sail in a Deluxe Suite on HAL ships and pay a premium to do so. We have sailed a great many times in those suites and it is worth every bit of it for us.

 

We don't wish to sail Seabourn, Crystal, Silversea.......

 

We wish to sail HAL but to do so comfortably and with extra amenities.

So, we buy them. :)

 

Choices....... it's all about choices. ;)

 

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I like Holland America deluxe suites. Not like NCL or MSC - the only restricted access area is the Neptune Lounge, with concierge. There are other perks like free laundry/dry cleaning. We've had dinner served course by course on our balcony. Great beds, great cabins, lots of space for 3.

 

I find the service on HAL (even in inside cabins) to be excellent, and at the suite level it's both excellent and very personal.

 

So far, this has been the best fit for my family. Less expensive than 6*, more options for 1 week cruises than the 6* lines, but better than other mass market experiences.

 

:) We were posting at the same time, Fannish, but obviously agree about HAL. :)

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I was upgraded to a suite on Princess and I have sailed in an obstucted view on Crystal and THERE'S NO COMPARISON! Outside of the suite on Princess the experience is no different than for someone in an inside cabin. Outside of the obstucted on Crystal the experience is no different than someone in the largest suite.

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I think that a lot of people are willing to pay something extra to enjoy these touches. Celebrity's Concierge Class is one example. We tried it once, and the little touches like hors d'ouvres and fresh flowers delivered daily to our cabin were OK, but quite frankly, we got sick of the Room Steward knocking on our cabin door. It wasn't worth the extra cost for us, but I'm sure that it is for many others.

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I wouldn't be willing to pay for the most expensive suite on a ship, but we usually book a suite for its additional space and balcony.

 

In my opinion, having a private balcony changes the overall cruise experience so I won't take a cruise without one.

 

On the other hand, I wouldn't be willing to pay extra for an identical cabin just for additional amenities. For example, Celebrity's Solstice has identical cabins for its balcony, Aqua Class, and Concierge Class Cabins. Therefore, if I book a cruise on Solstice it will be either a standard balcony cabin or a sky suite.

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Sorry, but I just don't think you can take a mass market ship and turn it into a Seabourn or Crystal experience. Once you step outside your little "luxury" area, you're still on a mass market ship with their mass market food and service. So unless you include private dining in their extra cost alternate dining room every night, you're still getting nothing more than a mass market cruise with a couple of extra things that you're paying for.

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Sorry, but I just don't think you can take a mass market ship and turn it into a Seabourn or Crystal experience. Once you step outside your little "luxury" area, you're still on a mass market ship with their mass market food and service. So unless you include private dining in their extra cost alternate dining room every night, you're still getting nothing more than a mass market cruise with a couple of extra things that you're paying for.

 

 

The point is there are some of us who want comfort and space and extra amenities and are willing to pay for them.

 

But NOT ALL OF US who can afford and book high priced suites WANT a Crystal or Seabourn experience. We do NOT.

 

We want to sail HAL and that is why we have 58 cruises with them. If we wanted Crystal, we would be booking them. The prices we pay are definitely high enough to pay for a nice level cabin on Crystal if that is what we want.

 

Why is it hard to understand that not everyone who books a pricey cabin on HAL would want to spend that money on a different cruise line? We get the service/cruise experience WE want. We get the experience WE want right where we are.

When staying in land hotels, we stay at The Ritz, Four Seasons and the like. In Rome, we 'stop' at The Hassler. We understand superb service, finest experience.

 

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Sail7seas - No need to get upset. Kitty9 was giving her opinion which answered the question. I read what you had to say and you also answered the question, in fact you said choices its all about choices. So why get upset if someone disagrees with your opinion.

 

Personally, my experience on HAL has been less than perfect. It turned me off to booking a luxury cabin on any mainstream cruise line. The service on other mainstream cruise lines has been better, but that was not the question. Because of my experience with HAL I answered the question that I would not book a luxury cabin on a mainstream cruise line. FYI, I have a cruise booked on HAL later this year because of the itinerary but not in a luxury cabin, so we don't have to get into a HAL conversation. No one is questioning the fact that you have been more than happy with your experiences.

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Sail7seas - No need to get upset. Kitty9 was giving her opinion which answered the question. I read what you had to say and you also answered the question, in fact you said choices its all about choices. So why get upset if someone disagrees with your opinion.

.

 

 

If you think I sound upset, it is because I am tired of someone telling those of us who spend the higher end sums for the largest cabins, we should be booking a higher end cruise line.

 

If we wanted to, we would.

 

It insults us as it sounds as though we would not be able to figure out for ourselves there are more luxurious cruise lines which offer a very 'priviledged' experience. I have been invited to Silversea and have experienced it. Not for us. Crystal is ABSOLUTELY not to our taste. Seabourn I have not experienced but have no desire to now......maybe at some future time.

 

The experience we get on HAL is fantastic..... It is the best we would get anywhere for that which WE want.

 

It tires me to repeatedly 'defend' our choice for booking the most costly cabins on what some call a less than deluxe cruise line.

 

Beats me why I haven't stopped posting to these threads about this subject.

 

Time I did just that. ;)

 

 

 

 

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Sorry, but I just don't think you can take a mass market ship and turn it into a Seabourn or Crystal experience. Once you step outside your little "luxury" area, you're still on a mass market ship with their mass market food and service. So unless you include private dining in their extra cost alternate dining room every night, you're still getting nothing more than a mass market cruise with a couple of extra things that you're paying for.

 

Just for your edification -- at one time Delux suite passengers on HAL did not have to pay to have dinner in the Marco Polo or Odyssey Restaurants now called the Pinnacle Grill.

Sure wish HAL would go back to that for we Delux passengers.

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I like having the option to pay for the little extras - as long as it doesn't mean that there is a corresponding drop in the standard level of service to create an artificial differential. In other words, don't make it like the airlines where you have a choice of cattle class, oops, I mean coach, and first class.

 

There are times we want the extras, and times that we are fine with what is standard. It's good to have a choice. Occasionally we want the extras that come with a suite, but often find them unavailable. If I could get something similar in cabin categories below the suites, we probably would jump on board.

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Sail7seas - thanks for the explanation. I just hate when people criticize each other. Sometimes I don't feel like not posting anymore when someone slam an answer which I feel is harmless and I am trying to be helpful. In this case, I never look at boards regarding luxury cabins so I did not realize this is a much discussed topic.

 

Obviously we all enjoy cruising and we are generous enough to share our time and our opinions with each other.

 

Happy cruising!

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Sorry, but I just don't think you can take a mass market ship and turn it into a Seabourn or Crystal experience. Once you step outside your little "luxury" area, you're still on a mass market ship with their mass market food and service. So unless you include private dining in their extra cost alternate dining room every night, you're still getting nothing more than a mass market cruise with a couple of extra things that you're paying for.

 

My sentiments exactly.

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The point is there are some of us who want comfort and space and extra amenities and are willing to pay for them.

 

But NOT ALL OF US who can afford and book high priced suites WANT a Crystal or Seabourn experience. We do NOT.

 

We want to sail HAL and that is why we have 58 cruises with them. If we wanted Crystal, we would be booking them. The prices we pay are definitely high enough to pay for a nice level cabin on Crystal if that is what we want.

 

Why is it hard to understand that not everyone who books a pricey cabin on HAL would want to spend that money on a different cruise line? We get the service/cruise experience WE want. We get the experience WE want right where we are.

When staying in land hotels, we stay at The Ritz, Four Seasons and the like. In Rome, we 'stop' at The Hassler. We understand superb service, finest experience.

 

 

 

Why in heaven's name are you slamming me????? I didn't give my opinion towards anything you said. It's MY OPINION, which I am entitled to, unless you can't understand that. You have your opinion, and you make your opinions very well known, and I have mine, simple as that. You like HAL, and that's great for you. You can afford expensive suites on HAL, and again, good for you. I was simply expressing MY OPINION that I personally don't see the need to pay for extra amenities on a mass market line. In case you didn't notice, I never mentioned any line, didn't slam HAL or any other line. FYI, I cruise all lines, not just Crystal. As a matter of fact, I'm going on Navigator of the Seas in a month. So calm down and allow people to voice their opinions, just as you express yours. We don't have to agree with each other's opinions, but it's a good idea to respect every opinion regardless if we are of the same mind or not. And, who said you have to defend your choices? I sure as heck didn't. I could not care less what you book or what suite level. It makes no difference to me if you book the most expensive suite as that's your choice. But as I continue to say, Cruise Critic is an opinion-based forum, and you cannot slam people for having a different opinion.

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If you think I sound upset, it is because I am tired of someone telling those of us who spend the higher end sums for the largest cabins, we should be booking a higher end cruise line.

If we wanted to, we would.

It tires me to repeatedly 'defend' our choice for booking the most costly cabins on what some call a less than deluxe cruise line.

Sail

I agree with what you are saying although our preference is for different cruiselines. I like to spend some of my time relaxing in "my own space" including a private balcony so the extra room the higher end cabins provide are my preference (and the extra perks are a nice touch.) I also enjoy the energy that I've found on mainstream cruise lines. For me it is the best of both worlds.

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Mass market cruise lines are more family oriented than luxury lines.

 

That is another reason why some people who could afford to sail on luxury lines would rather have a suite, or even a few suites for family members, on a mass market cruise line.

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Why in heaven's name are you slamming me????? I didn't give my opinion towards anything you said. It's MY OPINION, which I am entitled to, unless you can't understand that.
I think Sail was expressing a sense of frustration that many of us who choose to use mass-market lines feel. There is a segment of the cruising population that believes anything included in the cruise fare that they do not personally use is being subsidized by themselves for the benefit of others. Their belief seems to be that they could save even more if those items were available for an added charge.

 

This reduces the services available to the bare minimum. Want room service? Pay extra. Want a soda? Pay extra. And then, if anyone suggests that an enhanced service package would be nice, accusations of a return to the "class" system are tossed about.

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We will pay for some, not all. On Celebrity we upgraded to Concierge Class but it was only $10.00 more per person for the week, and it was worth it just for the bottle of real French Champagne that was waiting and chilled upon embarkation.

 

On HAL there is now an option for unlimited laundry and pressing. So, last year we paid $100.00 for the stateroom for this for 10 nights and would do it again.

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