Suites?

At least you were kind enough to tell your husband. lol

 

I booked in 2011 and I have not told him or the kids. They will find out soon enough.... lol :)

( sorry for long answer...)

Ditto..... Here's my situation

1) having kids, cruising is the best of both worlds versus any other vacation. The kids have fun, I have fun, and my husband has fun. Everyone has something to do on a cruise that they love in a balcony or a suite.

2) Unfortunately... my husband does not like to cruise as much as me(Family Cultural Pressure..everyone in his family talks negative about cruising, as my husband is the only one that can swim in his family , since I taught him during our marriage., and his origins are West Africa .) I was confused because the whole Country is surrounded by water!!!!:eek:..anyway, recently I have started booking Suites to keep his interest up with the luxury to outweigh the" family cultural perspectives".

3) Plus, every time I book a cruise.. im like "Diva" above.... I NEVER EVER EVER!!! tell my husband, as he would find a million other uses of things I could be spending my money on:o!! It would be the main topic of discussion for 7 months....smh!:( since I'm in control of my 'vacation destiny" if left to him, he would go "NOWHERE":mad: !!. So I book it and start mentioning the real cool things on the ship no other ship has!!.. And he always comes around!!! he's a lot of fun to go out with , otherwise, i would go by myself.:D

Another thing to remember if there are more than 2 people then it can work out a good deal, say 4 or 6 of you, only the first 2 pay full price the others can get half price or even less depending on age, it can work out a good price.

Here has been my family's experience regarding this topic... In past 2 years our family of 4 has cruised on Princess, RCCL and Carnival in balcony staterooms. While we enjoy the cruising, we did not enjoy the difficulty in trying to get a lounger in the morning,(because of the race to throw a towel and a magazine on the chaise at 7 a.m.) the over crowded pools and hot tubs and the difficulty with specialty restaurant reservations and crowds at many of the dining facilities.

Then we cruised on NCL in a suite in the Haven.... For us, the higher price is well worth the value that it has added to our vacation.

Priority embarkation & disembarkation, priority show seating, private dining and lounge areas, private pool area and shaded cushioned cabana chaises, private sun deck and 24/7 butler service. Now there is no going back for us. Unfortunately our kids are in high school and we need to cruise during peak weeks of Christmas and Easter breaks which is extremely expensive. But again, totally worth it to us.

I love you used the word VALUE as I did. It really is the best explanation.

I have friends who cruise a lot and are well off. But for them they put little or no value on the suite perks. So they choose balcony or mini suites.

Easy as that.

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

We're certainly not wealthy, but we enjoy pampering when we get the chance to get away for a while. We often choose to stay in concierge accommodations. Unlike people who have the leisure time to cruise three or four or more times a year, the premium for us is TIME, so we choose to spend the extra money to splurge when we do cruise.

Can you have fun cruising without being in a suite? Sure. But if you want to be pampered fully, you get that in a suite.

DML

No, we are not rich, but we were lucky enough be in a 2-bedroom suite on NCL Jade last November. We received an upsell call from our TA two weeks before our cruise and just couldn't resist. For $700 more, we switched from an aft balcony to the penthouse suite. Having a few sea days on this cruise made it worthwhile. I doubt that we will pay the actual fares for a suite in the future but it was an unforgettable experience.

There seems to be quite a lot of people on this board who are discussing suites, perks for suites, which suite to book. Is there a discount for suites for returning cruisers? Special discounts somewhere? What am I missing?

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

Some people who book suites are wealthy, some have a lot of disposable income and minimal expenses and others like to live beyond their means.

Everyone is different and has their own priorities. I'd rather lose the money in the casino and buy "a jewel" (and book a regular cabin) than have a butler put a basket of candy in my room.:)

Some people who book suites are wealthy, some have a lot of disposable income and minimal expenses and others like to live beyond their means.

 

Everyone is different and has their own priorities. I'd rather lose the money in the casino and buy "a jewel" (and book a regular cabin) than have a butler put a basket of candy in my room.:)

Actually it is nothing about having a butler put a basket of candy in my room..surely you realize this?

It's mostly about having a bit more real estate in a cabin and some additional comforts. And the cost out of my pocket is no more than what most people are paying for a "regular" cabin.. in fact after the OBC.. it was CHEAPER....because it is split with 3 others (not everyone's piece of cake, I get it).

It's one thing if you're spending 3 days on a ship, quite different when it's 7-10-14 etc...nice to be able to spread out.

Again - there are assumptions that are ALWAYS made about people who spend extra money on a suite...in reality it may not be any extra money:D Sometimes it's done to (GASP) SAVE MONEY !

We have gotten a suite since we tried out first one... We vacation once a year, we are far from rich... We both work full time and this is our one treat year. We give up things all year for this and it is our X-mass gift to our family that we go.

I would prefer to cruise once a year in a suite vs twice in a smaller cabin.

Its just a personal choice.

It's mostly about having a bit more real estate in a cabin and some additional comforts. And the cost out of my pocket is no more than what most people are paying for a "regular" cabin.. in fact after the OBC.. it was CHEAPER....because it is split with 3 others (not everyone's piece of cake, I get it).

We ran the numbers. When we travel with our kids (one of whom is adult and the other two still under 18, but not for long), it will be cheaper for us to get a suite than to travel in two separate smaller cabins. So, I get this entirely.

For what it's worth, I think MsTabbyKats was really oversimplifying the situation when she said: "Some people who book suites are wealthy, some have a lot of disposable income and minimal expenses and others like to live beyond their means." Okay, she's named all of three possibilities there. CactusFlower named a fourth.

I can name a few more, from personal experience/experiences of friends. Some people save up for several years for a big vacation. It's not that they are living beyond their means or that they are wealthy but rather that they budget for their dream vacation and make it happen, which is living WITHIN their means. The other I can name? Sometimes people have a windfall of some sort and wish to take a high-end vacation. It's not living beyond their means, because they certainly HAVE the means to take the vacation, even if they don't do so on a regular basis.

I planned for over a year for our luxury vacation, but that doesn't mean we were overextending ourselves. We do one big vacation a year (time constraints) and plan to make the most of whatever we do. That's our budget. But we don't fall into any of MsTabbyKats' pigeonholes, since we're not wealthy, we do have a lot of expenses with three kids, and we're not living beyond our means. We simply budget the type of travel we do.

DML

Yeah, the butler bringing me candy isn't even in the top 100 reasons that I choose to cruise in a suite.

Before my first suite last December, I never thought I would care much about the butler or concierge. I just wanted the bigger room and balcony. And that's still the case for the the most part. I booked the suite on the Getaway in my signature below because I wanted a bigger room and balcony to enjoy. If the only room available had been one of the forward facing suites with tiny balconies, I would have probably gone with a regular room in one of the areas with large balconies.

But I won't deny enjoying the perks that come along with the suite. This will be my first Haven experience, but on the Pearl, I loved Cagney's for breakfast. I enjoyed having an expanded room service menu on lazy days. I enjoyed having some priority options through the concierge (disembarkation, reservations, etc.). My life is pretty simply 99% of the time and I work pretty hard for the disposable income I get. So yeah, I have to admit it's nice to be spoiled for a week.

And don't worry, American Airlines promptly reminded me I wasn't all that special when my cruise was over. So, it's not like the suite life goes to my head or anything. :)

At the moment, on the UK site, an aft Penthouse on the Jade for a 7 day trip next August is £90 more than the aft mini suite.

Considering you get $300 OBC for booking 9 months out it means the Penthouse is effectively cheaper.

I do get the "I'd rather cruise more often than pay for a suite" idea. However, at this point in my life (and the rest of my family's, with the exception of my retired mom) no matter how much money I had, I would be cruising once every two years. I get two weeks vacation. We spend one week at the Jersey shore as a family in the summer and one week in February or March alternating between Disney and a cruise. Maybe when I retire (hopefully) in nine years, and I can afford the time for multiple cruises during a year, I'll abandon the suites -- in my years of cruising I've sailed in everything from a TINY inside cabin on the old Monarch of the Seas (117 sq. ft. no less!) to the Royal Loft on the Oasis of the Seas, and never, ever had a bad cruise vacation. But for now, during those two little weeks a year, I need all the pampering I can get!

I really do get the "at this point in my life "comment;)

We are retired...and we cruise about once each 12-18 months...We have been doing suites (last 2 and one coming up)...and really do enjoy the extra room and perks...:D

Re query if there is any discount/perk for being a repeat cruiser on NCL, there sometimes is....look for a LATITUDE code for select sailings. It's one more way to save a bit when booking or re-booking, or if a sale DASH, etc. sale comes up after you've booked but before final payment.

Re comment that you don't get OBC by booking through a TA, that's not true. We get NCL's OBC for booking a suite, the AARP 5% discount for booking 9 months or more out, and sometimes an AARP 10% discount is offered. Look for the sales, do the math, then have your TA work with NCL to get the cheaper price. It works for us. And often your TA can give you additional OBC.:)

My TA always gets us a cheaper price and OBC... would not travel with out them.

The OP is looking at suites on the POA. Cabins on the POA cost twice as much as other cabins, in my experience, and I doubt there are many discounts. My B6 balcony on the POA last week cost only $1 K less than the OS on the Jewel we sailed last year. (our TA got a great discount on the OS, it's true).

My two cents: save your $$$ on the POA, and go see Hawaii. You won't care about the cabin. Any other ship, if you are flexible, try for a deal on a suite. An OS is an amazing cabin.

el henry

With 4 kids I took advantage of the kids sail free sale. Now the 6 of us are sailing in one room and saving money at the same time.

With 4 kids I took advantage of the kids sail free sale. Now the 6 of us are sailing in one room and saving money at the same time.

We did the same thing with 4 kids, great value, the price of our cruise has increased over $3,000 since we booked.

There seems to be quite a lot of people on this board who are discussing suites, perks for suites, which suite to book. Is there a discount for suites for returning cruisers? Special discounts somewhere? What am I missing?

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

Speaking only for myself, of course, our upcoming cruise is in celebration of a huge milestone. As such we felt it deserved going first class. We've always scrimped and shortchanged ourselves and pampered our children. This is one time where OUR being pampered is in order. Also, some people prefer to cruise less often but with a higher class cabin, while for others more cruises with lower category cabins is their preference.

There are no wrong ways to cruise, only personal preferences.

BTW, we usually have a balcony stateroom and have always been happy with it.

I would also rather cruise less often and go in a suite

I usually travel alone and I like the solitude of breakie and lunch in Cagney's

Also enjoy the Haven since I am not a big fan of crowds which sounds ridiculous because there are people everywhere on a cruise

Enjoy

We looked at booking 2 connecting rooms or a suite that can sleep five and it was not significantly more, but I'm sure that varies according to the ship and time of year.

But, the perks of cagney's and priority tendering are pluses for us too. First time we've sailed this way, we'll see if it's worth it!

Re comment that you don't get OBC by booking through a TA, that's not true. We get NCL's OBC for booking a suite, the AARP 5% discount for booking 9 months or more out, and sometimes an AARP 10% discount is offered. Look for the sales, do the math, then have your TA work with NCL to get the cheaper price. It works for us. And often your TA can give you additional OBC.:)

It is true that I don't get any OBC when booking through a TA.

(I know that the OP has no reason to use a Swedish TA but my reply was about how we can afford a suite and it's not because of discounts and high OBC because we don't get any discount or OBC.)

We looked at booking 2 connecting rooms or a suite that can sleep five and it was not significantly more, but I'm sure that varies according to the ship and time of year.

 

But, the perks of cagney's and priority tendering are pluses for us too. First time we've sailed this way, we'll see if it's worth it!

I am of similar mind....

I too priced connecting cabins for a family of 8, sailing on the POA. It was much cheaper for my family to book a suite. Go figure? Our first time in a suite and not because we're rich, but because it was more economically feasible for our needs. Me, DH & My 4 adult children (over 18) and two toddlers. I booked before prices increased in January/2013. When the children sail free promo was offered, I jumped all over it which saved me $1,200. Even though NCL made me rebook to get the promo & sliced my $300 OBC in half (I was no longer 9 mos out), it was still cheaper to go the "suite life" route and the perks are just icing on the cake!

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My mom passed and left us with the means to do one blow out vacation. It's especially needed now with my DH's recent stage 4 kidney cancer diagnosis (still praying we don't have to cancel knock wood) so no, not rich....but 7 of us travelling together gave me the justification to book the big boy....something we'll remember for all time.

My mom passed and left us with the means to do one blow out vacation. It's especially needed now with my DH's recent stage 4 kidney cancer diagnosis (still praying we don't have to cancel knock wood) so no, not rich....but 7 of us travelling together gave me the justification to book the big boy....something we'll remember for all time.

Good for you, my Aunt told us several years ago to start making memories. So glad we took her advise. Life is so very short.