SUITE PERKS (Compared): Carnival, NCL, Princess, Celebrity

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

Glad that you had a great time, even with some of the surprises or disappointments.

 

 

 

I understand what you are saying, but it almost implied (and I don't think that this was your intent) that they, conversely, may not have treated someone with respect.

 

Tom

 

You are correct I did not mean to make it sound like they did not treat people with respect. I came into this thread because someone reposted it on RCCL thread under "Some people Amaze me" and it made it look like the person staying in the Aqua theater suite was bashing it because they mistakenly paid double for the Tips, because they did not pay attention that they already pre paid. Check out the RCCL thread SOME PEOPLE AMAZE ME! they mad it look like they were the OP of the thread on Carnival. Please excuse my post!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

You are correct I did not mean to make it sound like they did not treat people with respect. I came into this thread because someone reposted it on RCCL thread under "Some people Amaze me" and it made it look like the person staying in the Aqua theater suite was bashing it because they mistakenly paid double for the Tips, because they did not pay attention that they already pre paid. Check out the RCCL thread SOME PEOPLE AMAZE ME! they mad it look like they were the OP of the thread on Carnival. Please excuse my post!

 

I understand how things like this can happen. A few years ago I made a comment about all the "official CC cruise" threads, and shortly after that came across a "round the wagons" and "attack him" post by a CC'er who I have, fortunately, not seen around in quite some time.

 

After that I became more aware that some here on CC seem to have a "pack mentality"... oh well!!

 

Tom

[carbreylynn]

Wow great list. Thanks for the info!!

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

I understand how things like this can happen. A few years ago I made a comment about all the "official CC cruise" threads, and shortly after that came across a "round the wagons" and "attack him" post by a CC'er who I have, fortunately, not seen around in quite some time.

 

After that I became more aware that some here on CC seem to have a "pack mentality"... oh well!!

 

Tom

 

 

As you can see by my post this is new to me. I read more than I post. People get way to involved on the threads, and I usally like to take it in and keep it to myself. Some can be really hateful, as you can see. I think I will remain in the background!

[NanciRDH]

I posted a question on the RCL forum. But no answers. Does anyone have ANY useful info on the family suite? I am looking at it for my parent's 50th in 2013. They don't have prices out yet but was wondering if anyone had any idea of the cost and if it is worth it. I would really like the family, my DH and I two teen boys and my parents to be together.

 

We have one of the RFS booked in December on Allure, I will have some info on that ship's RFS for you after that, but here's what I know right now. Pricing depends on the ship, season and itinerary...I looked into the RFS on Serenade to Alaska in 2009, and it was more than 2x than my upcoming cruise...we opted for connecting JS for the 5 of us instead. This is one of the suites you usually can't book online, but I have seen it there on occasion, especially close to the sail date. Not sure of the arrangement for the ship you're interested in, but on Oasis class it sleeps 8, 2 of whom are on a sofa in the living room, and there is a connecting balcony cabin to increase the suite by another cabin if desired. The master bath has a tub, but not a jacuzzi tub like some of the other bigger suites.

 

We haven't had our whole family in anything bigger than connecting JS before, we always get 2 cabins when all 3 kids cruise with us. DH wanted a suite, (we usually save that for the cruises without the kids, lol) he said to see what I could find when we decided to cruise again...I had been looking at a GS/D balcony connecting cabins, and decided to check the price on the RFS, and it fell into our budget so that's what we did. I might not have done it otherwise. I'm sure we'll enjoy the perks, but I'm not a suite snob, I'm a balcony snob. :D

[TTinAZ]

Thanks Nanci for that and I will be looking for your report!:)

[jacsar]

Wow. Just wow. To save myself from an anxiety attack (is it the anonymity that allows people to say such presumptuous things or would you really say these things in person), I just skimmed over all these comments and I'll address the ones that stand out. I have a two year old so a sense of humour is a requirement but some of this stuff is hard to shrug off.

 

First off there were 7 of us booked in the suite including two seniors and my two young daughters. I went through my invoices and admit that I was wrong in our final tip total, it was just shy of $1000 and that includes the extra gratuity we paid to our room steward who we quite enjoyed.

 

We did know going in that we would likely never use the dining room. Why? A personal choice. Two young kids, dedicated meals in a not exactly casual venue (for girls who want to only eat hot dogs and macaroni), was not what we wanted. We wanted to try other venues and we had other family on board (not in a suite) and we enjoyed many informal meals in the windjammer and elsewhere. It was fantastic and casual and just what we wanted. FYI if you read the fine print, if you choose my time dining you must prepay your gratuities which is why it wasn't an option not to pay, but we did not know that at the time, it was simply added to our bill and we paid it without checking. Which was the lesson learned on my part that I already stated. We ate in the dining room once for the Dreamworks breakfast. That's it. As for cost of cover-charges, whether 150 CP was $40 or $50 the exact amount isn't the point, the point is that they're not insubstantial and I would have liked at least one meal at a speciality restaurant included as a perk.

 

We attended the following shows: Blue Planet, Chicago, How to Train your dragon (on ice) and watched the Aquatheater shows from our deck. We showed up early, scanned our gold cards and were not directly to speciality seating at these shows. I am told that VIP seating is only available for certain shows. Perhaps we missed those, and don't get me wrong, our seating was fine but we saw no special areas in our experiences and if I hadn't posted here I would still never know that anyone had experienced otherwise.

 

When we attended the one VIP event we were invited to we were approached by a fellow who told us that our suite was his responsibility but that we hadn't been in when he came to check on us. This was the Thursday of our cruise. I expected that once we had met him, chatted amiably while having a good time at the event, that we would see him again. We didn't. Was he our concierge or another member of the team? I don't know and never had the opportunity to find out. I suppose we will need to disagree on the fact that yes, I did in fact, expect at least one person (concierge or whatever the title) to come to our room and say hello. They may have 100 suites on the ship but they had 1 week and many different ways to do it.

 

 

As for toiletries....hmmm...let's be honest. I didn't 'need' more lotion or soap. In all my past cruise experiences if the toiletries were opened at all, new ones were set out. In fact, this is pretty much standard in every hotel room too. Didn't happen this time in our suite. Was it the fault of my suite attendant or the standard policy of RCI, I have no idea... that's why I mentioned it. If you think the issue was whether or not they were available then you missed the point, which is not having to ask. Also, in general the brand may have been acceptable but tiny squeeze bottles of the standard items are hardly luxurious. Princess used bottles and had spa like amenities.

 

You know, I think my point was lost here. I searched this forum when we came home because I wanted to know if my expectations were unreasonable. I don't feel 'entitled' but I was underwhelmed by the whole experience. Were you trying to shame me about posting on the RCI forum? I hate to burst your bubble, but I didn't even check to see which thread I was on when I posted. I just posted where it fit. Why would other RCI cruisers think it's funny that someone's experience in a suite was less than stellar or that they didn't experience the VIP treatment other's claim to have had, or even that we had to wait in line behind adults getting their faces painted?

 

Look, we did pay a lot for what we thought was a service that would 'knock our socks off'. We didn't get that. I'm sorry if that offends you somehow. I wasn't walking around angry and we had a great time. I just think the suite perks weren't worth the price we paid and in general were less than we had experienced prior. On the bright side maybe some of you who have only sailed RCi can look forward to an even better experience on other cruise lines!

 

Oh and in addition (nothing in particular to suites)... yes, in my opinion, there should have been a kid's first type priority for face painting and balloon animals. I think there should also be a family viewing area for the parades as the little ones can't see over the adults. I think it's great if adults want their faces painted and balloon flowers AND to ride the carousal all day. Great, but have a heart. Kids have limited patience and these things are big deals to them.

 

 

Ok now...be kind.

[DrLookGood]

Wow. Just wow. To save myself from an anxiety attack (is it the anonymity that allows people to say such presumptuous things or would you really say these things in person), I just skimmed over all these comments and I'll address the ones that stand out. I have a two year old so a sense of humour is a requirement but some of this stuff is hard to shrug off.

 

First off there were 7 of us booked in the suite including two seniors and my two young daughters. I went through my invoices and admit that I was wrong in our final tip total, it was just shy of $1000 and that includes the extra gratuity we paid to our room steward who we quite enjoyed.

 

We did know going in that we would likely never use the dining room. Why? A personal choice. Two young kids, dedicated meals in a not exactly casual venue (for girls who want to only eat hot dogs and macaroni), was not what we wanted. We wanted to try other venues and we had other family on board (not in a suite) and we enjoyed many informal meals in the windjammer and elsewhere. It was fantastic and casual and just what we wanted. FYI if you read the fine print, if you choose my time dining you must prepay your gratuities which is why it wasn't an option not to pay, but we did not know that at the time, it was simply added to our bill and we paid it without checking. Which was the lesson learned on my part that I already stated. We ate in the dining room once for the Dreamworks breakfast. That's it. As for cost of cover-charges, whether 150 CP was $40 or $50 the exact amount isn't the point, the point is that they're not insubstantial and I would have liked at least one meal at a speciality restaurant included as a perk.

 

We attended the following shows: Blue Planet, Chicago, How to Train your dragon (on ice) and watched the Aquatheater shows from our deck. We showed up early, scanned our gold cards and were not directly to speciality seating at these shows. I am told that VIP seating is only available for certain shows. Perhaps we missed those, and don't get me wrong, our seating was fine but we saw no special areas in our experiences and if I hadn't posted here I would still never know that anyone had experienced otherwise.

 

When we attended the one VIP event we were invited to we were approached by a fellow who told us that our suite was his responsibility but that we hadn't been in when he came to check on us. This was the Thursday of our cruise. I expected that once we had met him, chatted amiably while having a good time at the event, that we would see him again. We didn't. Was he our concierge or another member of the team? I don't know and never had the opportunity to find out. I suppose we will need to disagree on the fact that yes, I did in fact, expect at least one person (concierge or whatever the title) to come to our room and say hello. They may have 100 suites on the ship but they had 1 week and many different ways to do it.

 

 

As for toiletries....hmmm...let's be honest. I didn't 'need' more lotion or soap. In all my past cruise experiences if the toiletries were opened at all, new ones were set out. In fact, this is pretty much standard in every hotel room too. Didn't happen this time in our suite. Was it the fault of my suite attendant or the standard policy of RCI, I have no idea... that's why I mentioned it. If you think the issue was whether or not they were available then you missed the point, which is not having to ask. Also, in general the brand may have been acceptable but tiny squeeze bottles of the standard items are hardly luxurious. Princess used bottles and had spa like amenities.

 

You know, I think my point was lost here. I searched this forum when we came home because I wanted to know if my expectations were unreasonable. I don't feel 'entitled' but I was underwhelmed by the whole experience. Were you trying to shame me about posting on the RCI forum? I hate to burst your bubble, but I didn't even check to see which thread I was on when I posted. I just posted where it fit. Why would other RCI cruisers think it's funny that someone's experience in a suite was less than stellar or that they didn't experience the VIP treatment other's claim to have had, or even that we had to wait in line behind adults getting their faces painted?

 

Look, we did pay a lot for what we thought was a service that would 'knock our socks off'. We didn't get that. I'm sorry if that offends you somehow. I wasn't walking around angry and we had a great time. I just think the suite perks weren't worth the price we paid and in general were less than we had experienced prior. On the bright side maybe some of you who have only sailed RCi can look forward to an even better experience on other cruise lines!

 

Oh and in addition (nothing in particular to suites)... yes, in my opinion, there should have been a kid's first type priority for face painting and balloon animals. I think there should also be a family viewing area for the parades as the little ones can't see over the adults. I think it's great if adults want their faces painted and balloon flowers AND to ride the carousal all day. Great, but have a heart. Kids have limited patience and these things are big deals to them.

 

 

Ok now...be kind.

 

I understand that you did not feel like you got what you paid for, some of it might have to do with you not knowing what to expect.

 

For reasons unknown to me, your expectations were not entirely realistic. For example, RCCL does not provide butler, you get regular room steward, whom you should not expect to see most of the cruise - he is there to clean your room, not be at your beck and call. If you wanted to see concierge, you should have gone to concierge lounge. I don't believe RCCL ever promises concierge making house visits.

 

I agree with you regarding adults not letting children see the parade. RCCL probably should designate family area for parade watching or control crowds more. However, I disagree with you that kids should have priority for face painting and balloon sculptures - this service is available to everyone. Your complaining that adults wanted face painting is analogous to D+ complaining about kids in CL and stating that kids should not be sitting the chairs in CL, because there are not enough for everyone.

 

I also hope that you did not expect to get priority for face paining just because you were in a suite. (In you original post I felt like you were implying that you should have gotten priority based on your suite status.) RCCL does not advertize this as a suite perk.

 

Overall, while I understand your feelings - a lot of frustration could have been avoided if more attention was paid to what RCCL provides for their suite members.

 

In addition, I don't understand why you did not address your issues on the ship (the toiletries, the sitting arrangement at the shows, ...). You could have had much better time, because some of the problems could have been fixed.

 

Gratuity: Even though you did not utilize MDR, you utilized other dining areas, such as WJ, your gratuity covers people working in all dining venues. In addition you gratuity covers room steward. I agree with you, toiletries should have been replenished (not necessary replaced if opened but still not empty). I assume that room steward adequately cleaned your suite, so I would be shocked if you argued that he did not deserve standard gratuity. My point is that even if you did not utilize MDR, you still received services which should be covered by gratuity.

Edited September 28, 2011 by DrLookGood

[dnl_in_Illinois]

Wow. Just wow. To save myself from an anxiety attack (is it the anonymity that allows people to say such presumptuous things or would you really say these things in person), I just skimmed over all these comments and I'll address the ones that stand out. I have a two year old so a sense of humour is a requirement but some of this stuff is hard to shrug off.

------------ snipped --------------

Ok now...be kind.

 

I started to type responses to your first discussion that, while I didn't agree with all that you said, I did relate to what you said. This time I followed through.

 

We have sailed on several cruise lines -- perhaps not as much as some but we have always had one of the better or best suites on HAL, Oceania, NCL and RCCL. While I gave our recent cruise on the Oasis a glowing review (where we had the exact same ATS as you had - 9330) none of the review had much to say about the extra perks or service we received as a suite guest. Bottom line -- there wasn't much.

 

We enjoyed free cocktails in the concierge lounge a couple of times so RCCL gets high marks for that. For what it's worth, while seated in the concierge lounge we did note that people with children were not allowed to bring the kids in during cocktail hour -- so for them the perk was not relevant. We were invited to cocktails on the heliport which was a special thing. And we were invited to cocktails in the early afternoon with the captain and other suite guests. All nice.

 

Our cabin steward also had responsibility for other cabins that, as you know, were not suites. He did an adequate job but frankly was not knowledgeable about "things" and always forgot to leave the dining room menus. This is only a comment, not a complaint. The point is, no special treatment.

 

On the Oasis the suite guests were advised that the Izumi specialty restaurant, located next to the Windjammer was reserved for suite guests. On the two occasions we tried to use it, it was overflowing with people who could not find seats in the Windjammer. I asked about that and was told "we are just trying to accomodate people". That is fine - in fact good - but don't tell me that I have a perk and then not follow through.

 

As to the special seating for the shows -- our experience was that the "special" area was not all that well policed. We really didn't care all that much except for when we went to the ice show we made it a point to get there very early, and the seats were mostly filled and not enough for the 6 of us. I make an assumption here -- but I did not think the people who populated those seats were suite guests. Again - no big deal but the follow though by the ships staff was incomplete.

 

My feeling is, that while my grand children 11 and 12 years, their parents and I had a great time - - the suite experience was not as good as I have had on other ships that tend to do a lot more for their suite guests. Although the memory is vague, we may have had a somewhat better experience on the RCCL Freedom where we had one of the Owner's suites. I do recall the suite itself was extra special and we were close to the concierge lounge.

 

Next time -- try the NCL Epic. Great family suites in the courtyard and we were treated very special -- kids and all! We're next in one of the Garden Villa Suites on the NCL Pearl and looking forward to that experience.

 

My thoughts and done.

[DrLookGood]

I started to type responses to your first discussion that, while I didn't agree with all that you said, I did relate to what you said. This time I followed through.

 

We have sailed on several cruise lines -- perhaps not as much as some but we have always had one of the better or best suites on HAL, Oceania, NCL and RCCL. While I gave our recent cruise on the Oasis a glowing review (where we had the exact same ATS as you had - 9330) none of the review had much to say about the extra perks or service we received as a suite guest. Bottom line -- there wasn't much.

 

We enjoyed free cocktails in the concierge lounge a couple of times so RCCL gets high marks for that. For what it's worth, while seated in the concierge lounge we did note that people with children were not allowed to bring the kids in during cocktail hour -- so for them the perk was not relevant. We were invited to cocktails on the heliport which was a special thing. And we were invited to cocktails in the early afternoon with the captain and other suite guests. All nice.

 

Our cabin steward also had responsibility for other cabins that, as you know, were not suites. He did an adequate job but frankly was not knowledgeable about "things" and always forgot to leave the dining room menus. This is only a comment, not a complaint. The point is, no special treatment.

 

On the Oasis the suite guests were advised that the Izumi specialty restaurant, located next to the Windjammer was reserved for suite guests. On the two occasions we tried to use it, it was overflowing with people who could not find seats in the Windjammer. I asked about that and was told "we are just trying to accomodate people". That is fine - in fact good - but don't tell me that I have a perk and then not follow through.

 

As to the special seating for the shows -- our experience was that the "special" area was not all that well policed. We really didn't care all that much except for when we went to the ice show we made it a point to get there very early, and the seats were mostly filled and not enough for the 6 of us. I make an assumption here -- but I did not think the people who populated those seats were suite guests. Again - no big deal but the follow though by the ships staff was incomplete.

 

My feeling is, that while my grand children 11 and 12 years, their parents and I had a great time - - the suite experience was not as good as I have had on other ships that tend to do a lot more for their suite guests. Although the memory is vague, we may have had a somewhat better experience on the RCCL Freedom where we had one of the Owner's suites. I do recall the suite itself was extra special and we were close to the concierge lounge.

 

Next time -- try the NCL Epic. Great family suites in the courtyard and we were treated very special -- kids and all! We're next in one of the Garden Villa Suites on the NCL Pearl and looking forward to that experience.

 

My thoughts and done.

 

I just want to note that as of several weeks ago RCCL changed their policy regarding children in CL during cocktail hour - they are now allowed with their parents. This was done based on the feedback of families who paid very large amount of money of the suite, but could not use that significant perk.

 

You might also be interested to see reactions of D+ and childless suite guests regarding that policy - fascinating reading.

[dnl_in_Illinois]

I just want to note that as of several weeks ago RCCL changed their policy regarding children in CL during cocktail hour - they are now allowed with their parents. This was done based on the feedback of families who paid very large amount of money of the suite, but could not use that significant perk.

 

You might also be interested to see reactions of D+ and childless suite guests regarding that policy - fascinating reading.

 

That of course is the whole dilemma! Especially if the children were very young and cranky. I wonder if they will ever change their policy of allowing people to take their cocktails out of the concierge area?

[skeezix]

I booked an aqua theater suite on the Oasis I have to agree with jascar's post as we had the same experience with some variations of course. There is one difference though, we didn't have kids so our issues were not with not using the dining room. I will have to back him up in that compared to other lines you do not get the same value when booking a suite. I always book suites and am a loyal royal cruiser, I knew what to expect and in the aqua theater suite they fall short. I think it is because they are all by themselves at the back of the ship, they are forgotten suites. It's best to only booked these if you have no expectations of service. The placement is the best, love the balcony, the service sucks. We addressed the many issues onboard and Royal came through for us, we will be giving them another chance this coming January to "make things right" if we see the same again we will be spending our future vacations on another cruise line.

[Buranogal]

Hi Tom and Cherie Silly ? does complimentary mean no charge. And does your list of suite perks include AQ? Thanx Liz

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Hi Tom and Cherie Silly ? does complimentary mean no charge. And does your list of suite perks include AQ? Thanx Liz

 

Complimentary would mean no charge. Think of it as "included" in your fare.

 

No, suite perks are not enjoyed by Concierge or Aqua Class cabins - though they do have their own list of perks/amenities. HERE is a link which details those!

 

Tom

[dnl_in_Illinois]

I have read about -- but didn't focus on the subject of vouchers. Do I understand it right that you can attain these vouchers to provide extra tips, for example, to your room steward? Or to tip your butler or concierge? Just what are these vouchers otherwise used for?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I have read about -- but didn't focus on the subject of vouchers. Do I understand it right that you can attain these vouchers to provide extra tips, for example, to your room steward? Or to tip your butler or concierge? Just what are these vouchers otherwise used for?

 

I have no idea - perhaps someone else can chime in!

 

Tom

[debster11]

You know if I could afford a suite I wouldn't be cruising with Carnival.

[JaniceB]

Wow, lines other than Carnival do offer many more perks to suite passengers. I am booked in my first suite on Carnival. I really only booked it for the balcony since I am taking my first Alaska cruise and cabin 4237 was available. Since it is basically a covered balcony with side vistas I thought I would enjoy it more than a regular balcony.

[missvanessawilliams]

Wow! Thanks for the info. I'm super excited DH and I booked the PH suite on X now. We always book ES on CCL just for the space and balcony, but now we actually get to experience true perks on X. Others have been saying how crazy we were to spend the extra money on suites just for the 2 of us.

[ilovetexas]

I'm glad this thread found it's way to the top again. I've never even considered a suite due to cost but this is my 10th anniversary year so maybe I'll price some. I've also never really given serious thought to NCL (standard cabins on CCL are bigger) so perhaps I should look into that as well.

 

Regardless of the outcome, it's great information and I appreciate you putting it together for us, Tom. :)

[smac1988]

Hi All,

 

I am just off of Carnival Imagination, and had my first suite after 7 prior cruises with everything from interior -balcony. The interior, oceanview and balcony rooms are well priced for you to have fun and have a decent affordable room depending on what you would want to spend. However, this time, I was immediately disappointed with the room and the balcony.

 

We knew it was an obstructed view, and truly we weren't disappointed that a life boat blocked a bit of our view, we could still see plenty. What we were disappointed with is that the balcony was too narrow to even turn the chairs so that you were looking out over the water (they had to be sideways). We couldn't sit on the balcony, and barely could stand because it was full of furniture you couldn't use. The room cost us twice what the interior would cost, and we thought there would be benefits and be worth it. The only other benefit was the VIP check in, and there was no line in the terminal anyway.

 

We were with a party that was in one of the porthole rooms on the main deck. Their room was as large as ours, and cost a bit less than 1/2. If we were to do it again, that is what we will do. The fridge in the suite also only had soft drinks as it's minibar. When we went to Alaska on Carnival Spirit, we paid for a balcony room, that had a very roomy balcony we spent hours a day on, and a minibar stocked with beer as well as soft drinks. This was more what we expected.

 

Reading this thread, I am willing to consider a suite again on another line, but never again with Carnival. It is not worth the additional cost at all.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Reading this thread, I am willing to consider a suite again on another line, but never again with Carnival. It is not worth the additional cost at all.

 

I know what you mean -- though we'll still go for that periodic aft corner suite on Spirit class ships, all others (ESPECIALLY the suites on the Fantasy class ships you are referring to) are nothing special.

 

I hope you had a good time otherwise!

 

Tom

[philatiger]

edit

Edited April 26, 2012 by philatiger

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

edit

 

Happy Anniversary! :)

 

Tom

[ripjerry95]

NCL also has the "Haven" a private courtyard area and private dining! Can't wait to experience the Suite life on the Epic in 2014.