Am i in the minority here?

Do people actually cruise in Verandah cabins? I frequent this site daily, and all I seem to read about is Aqua cabin this and Concierge class that. I am in a Verandah cabin on the Summit. For my sailing there is quite a price difference to bump up to either CC or Aqua, so I guess I am content with my little balcony. I have never been on X so it will be a new experience for me regardless, but is there any value to upgrading??

We usually book oceanview cabins but for our Summit cruise in April, we had a Verandah cabin. My parents had a Concierge cabin and I really couldn't see that much advantage. Their cabin was a little bit larger and they got canapes in the afternoon. I wouldn't have paid more for the Concierge but I was glad to have the balcony.

Do what you're comfortable doing and don't worry about peer pressure. :)

We've been on 11-12 cruises and every one was in an "ordinary balcony/veranda" :D

Now I really feel like I'm in the minority as I've never sailed in anything above an ocean view :P

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I found this information about Summit staterooms: http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/Celebrity-Summit

There are 315 Concierge, Aqua and suite cabins.

There are 764 Verandah, Oceanview and Interior cabins.

So you're definitely not in the minority, even though it feels that way sometimes on Cruise Critic. :)

Having sailed inside, balcony & concierge class, I'd like to make a bold statement. There is no appreciable difference or value to upgrading to me between a balcony and concierge class. Yes in concierge you get some canapes delivered in the afternoon, they are really nothing to write home about. Oh and you must be waiting for them in your room to get them delivered. :eek: There are a couple of umbrellas available for you to use in case of rain (it never rains and who wants to carry an umbrella around with them all day). There is a cheap pair of pocket sized binoculars that are laughable for sighting objects from your balcony. You get priority boarding, which was no different from regular boarding at the time we embarked and you get a bottle of sparkling wine which we did not drink. The only decent perk realized was additional captains club points based on nights cruised in concierge. I probably left out some other perks which were so un-amazing to us, I already forgot! :D So are you missing anything? Not really. My personal opinion is to stay put and have a great cruise. Enjoy wherever you stay and know that you will arrive at the same time as everyone else!

Some find the locations of the Concierge cabins more desirable.

We love having a balcony, but also like to be as far aft as possible. Off the stern is great but not necessary. We pick a balcony cabin with the location we want, then look at what category it's in. On Celebrity it is usually a Concierge Class cabin or a regular Balcony cabin, and we're fine with either. We have never sailed in Aqua Class. Twice we have splurged on suites for longer itineraries that were also a celebration of some sort.

The extra perks for Concierge Class are nice, but not a deal breaker for us. We do like the extra points for the CC cabins, though.

Don't worry about what the Jones' are doing. Enjoy your cruise.

Do people actually cruise in Verandah cabins? I frequent this site daily, and all I seem to read about is Aqua cabin this and Concierge class that. I am in a Verandah cabin on the Summit. For my sailing there is quite a price difference to bump up to either CC or Aqua, so I guess I am content with my little balcony. I have never been on X so it will be a new experience for me regardless, but is there any value to upgrading??

We have a regular verandah (2C) for our upcoming cruise. We lucked out and snagged one of the Sweet 16 cabins, so the balcony is about twice the size as the regular balcony cabins.

I've cruised in inside, outside and balcony cabins on other lines, and will usually book a balcony - as long as the price difference isn't crazy. In this case, and with the added perks, it was absolutely worth doing a balcony.

I could never justify paying for concierge or aqua class - it's just not worth it to us.

This is also our first time on X, and we're really looking forward to it!

I've seen more commentary about people travelling in Balconies, CC don't get a lot of appeal generally, which is why they've tried to make it more appealing at times, or sometimes the price comes down a lot.

18 or 19 cruises and we've done one inside and one full suite. The rest are in normal balcony cabins.

The only times we sailed in CC was to get an aft cabin on Summit. Otherwise, we would have been happy with a regular ol' verandah. A few nicer perks, but nothing worth the extra price other than the location.

Do people actually cruise in Verandah cabins? I frequent this site daily, and all I seem to read about is Aqua cabin this and Concierge class that. I am in a Verandah cabin on the Summit. For my sailing there is quite a price difference to bump up to either CC or Aqua, so I guess I am content with my little balcony. I have never been on X so it will be a new experience for me regardless, but is there any value to upgrading??

On the Summit, I would ONLY book a standard verandah but to each his own. My reasons are, 1) concierge class, imo, is not worth it unless you are trying to bump up your captains club points and 2) the Persian Gardens on the Summit kind of stink last I was on it. NOTHING like the PG on the Solstice class.

On other ships, I again, book verandahs shooting for 1A's for the bigger balconies. However, if the price difference was only a few hundred more, I would absolutely go to Aqua because I am addicted to their Persian Garden and when I was in a suite, once, I enjoyed BLU. However, lately, the price has been more like $500+ more so I simply book the verandah and get the spa pass which is what I am doing this November.

Good Luck!

P.S, there is an awesome odd shaped balcony on the SUmmit that I had, I want to say it was the 6th floor. Privacy is compromised, but if you don't care about that, the space was enormous.

Don't worry about what the Jones' are doing. Enjoy your cruise.

Exactly

At the end of the day if the balcony has me, my wife, some wine and a great view. That's desirable enough and more for us.

We always like a veranda but frankly the CC cabins just aren't worth it unless the price is almost the same as the balcony cabin.

I like having a footstool and the extra points with our CC last year. Otherwise, we didn't find any extra value worth paying more for. The canapes were so bad it was almost funny, the binoculars are a joke and the upgraded amenities--I couldn't tell a difference.

I'm not much interested in Aqua class as i have a distinct feeling we wouldn't like Blu, especially my husband.

P.S, there is an awesome odd shaped balcony on the SUmmit that I had, I want to say it was the 6th floor. Privacy is compromised, but if you don't care about that, the space was enormous.

Might be these do a search for Celebrity Summit Sweet sixteen

The canapes were so bad it was almost funny...

Ask for the cheese and crackers plate instead.

We love having a balcony, but also like to be as far aft as possible.

Having traveled in everything from an inside to a suite on X, we firmly believe that the best value for us is a standard balcony. The CC amenities sound a lot better than they are in reality, which is pretty meaningless. The only plus is the extra points towards elite status. I feel that CC is a total waste of money and is just a great sales job by Celebrity. Many will say that the cabins are in better locations, but there are standard veranda cabins in identical locations just a floor or two lower in most cases.

We prefer dining at a large table so Blu held no appeal to us. We usually book after final payment date to get the best deal, and while we prefer midship cabins, we take what we can get for bargain prices. So you are not alone!

Many people book in Aqua Class so that they can dine in Blu. Many seem to prefer it over the MDR. Regarding CC cabins, besides the extra captain's club points, the recent promotions have a lot to do with why people are booking them at an alarming rate. If you booked a CC or higher cabin, you got all 3 of the 1-2-3 or pick your perk promotions. So you got the alcohol package, the gratuities and the 300 in OBC. On our upcoming 10 night sailing in November on the Equinox, we originally booked an OV cabin. After figuring out what we were going to spend on gratuities, upgrades to premium alcohol package, and 1 or 2 nights in specialty dining, we were able to book a C3 for only 100 bucks more. We then used the free captains club upgrade to snag a C2 with the larger balcony on the slant off of the hump.

We have a regular verandah (2C) for our upcoming cruise. We lucked out and snagged one of the Sweet 16 cabins, so the balcony is about twice the size as the regular balcony cabins.

 

I've cruised in inside, outside and balcony cabins on other lines, and will usually book a balcony - as long as the price difference isn't crazy. In this case, and with the added perks, it was absolutely worth doing a balcony.

 

I could never justify paying for concierge or aqua class - it's just not worth it to us.

 

This is also our first time on X, and we're really looking forward to it!

but we are sailing with Celebrity for the first time in March next year (Solstice to South Pacific) and in fact this will be our 3rd cruise.

What is a Sweet 16 cabin? We booked with the recent VIP double upgrade where we paid the price of an Inside and get a Balcony guarantee cabin plus the Classic Beverage package each. So we are really (cabin wise) in a similar position to anyone who books a 2C (I think).

but we are sailing with Celebrity for the first time in March next year (Solstice to South Pacific) and in fact this will be our 3rd cruise.

 

What is a Sweet 16 cabin? We booked with the recent VIP double upgrade where we paid the price of an Inside and get a Balcony guarantee cabin plus the Classic Beverage package each. So we are really (cabin wise) in a similar position to anyone who books a 2C (I think).

The sweet 16 cabins are on M class, you will be sailing

On the more modern Solstice class ship, all cabins are the same

Size, when you are allocated your cabin check where it is

you can move to another cabin within the same category

if it's available and is in a better location, the 2c cabins on the

hump 6240/6242 are fantastic, also be aware that cabins on the

Port side (odd numbers) will be above the smoking area on Deck 5.

There is a sticky at the top of the Celebrity board that has reviews

Of S class cabins, another tip, watch out for price drops you may be able

to upgrade to a higher category, but be careful that you don't lose any

Perks that you have with your existing booking

Just seen you are in Aus, different conditions like the UK,

You will have difficulty upgrading, but you still should be able

to change your cabin once allocated, not too sure how bookings work

where you are.

What is a Sweet 16 cabin?

You're going to be sailing on the Solstice, which is a S Class ship, so the Sweet 16 cabins will not come into play for you since they are only located on the 4 M Class ships. Below are posts that give a numerical listing of larger balcony cabins as well as the sweet 16. The second post shows a picture of what 8 of the cabins look like from the side of the ship. They basically are 2C cabins with a double sized balcony.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=32297303&postcount=2

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=32301657&postcount=3

OP

No need to be content with your 'little balcony.'

Book a 1A, the balcony is huge.

The only time we ever booked CC was on the final sailing on Century, which was later redeployed!

At the time of booking, Captain's Club members were given a one category upgrade and of course there are extra Captain' Club points, which was my reason for booking the CC.

We changed the cruise to Eclipse , Baltic Capitals and the prices were considerably higher as Century had been classed as a repositioning cruise.

I choose 6214 1A- a mid ships cabin and I can't think of any better position.