Regular cabin or Concierge Verandah cabin?

[bzv143]

Looking at booking an 18 day Oceania Marina cruise and need recommendations and information from you wonderful CCers as we have never been on an Oceania cruise.

Should we book a regular verandah cabin, or bump up and book the least expensive Concierge Verandah cabin? Is the extra cost worth the upgrade? Other than the dedicated Concierge lounge, are there any special perks, or should we just save our money? Would the Concierge Lounge be better to have on such a lengthy cruise?

On another note, on Deck 7, there are cabins at front and rear with extended balconies. Anyone been in one of these cabins--and is the longer balcony a good thing or not?

THANKS for any info! :)

[Paulchili]

As you are not entirely new to CC, I encourage you to use the "search" function.

The topic of concierge vs veranda cabins and the topic of extended B4 balconies has been discussed here extensively and you should be able to find lots of useful info. There is no need to replicate those threads again.

If you need more help with search or have questions after you read about those topics, please post again.

[bzv143]

Thanks, Paul. I have tried doing a Search but only come up with Celebrity Cruise ship answers...:(

[sitraveler]

Concierge veranda and non-concierge are the same size. The extended verandas have been discussed, the major advantage is the deeper verandas can fit a lounge chair.

 

Concierge gives you access to the spa deck and early boarding. On Marina the concierge lounge is not that useful-Baristas has better coffees.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Just tried the search function- go the Oceania Thread , search there for extended verandas

Edited November 11, 2013 by sitraveler
searched

[bzv143]

What is the Spa Deck? Is it exclusive to certain categories?

[sitraveler]

The spa- which is on all the ships, has an open deck at the bow of the ship. Access is only to those who have the spa for treatments and those in concierge.

 

The Riviera has a thalassotherapy pool, the other ships Jacuzzis.

[LHT28]

The spa deck you can also buy a day pass if you want to go there to use the T-pool, loungers etc..

 

To get a conceirge cabin or not is a personal choice

if you want the tote bag, bottle of bubbly, hot breakfast option, use of the conceirge lounge, free use of the spa deck then spend the extra $$

 

The extended balcony cabins on deck 7 are the same size but the balcony is much larger ..however you will be overlooked from above ..if this does not bother you save some $ and book one of those

Edited November 11, 2013 by LHT28

[cathi]

We had one of the extended balconies on Riveria and loved it. The extra room allows for 2 lounge chairs as well as the regular chairs and table. We were lucky enough to get the first cabin so only had neighbours on one side at the front.

[Earl Rosebery]

Not worth the added cost.

[Paulchili]

Thanks, Paul. I have tried doing a Search but only come up with Celebrity Cruise ship answers...:(

 

Try these:

Here is a thread discussing concierge cabins:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1894488&highlight=concierges+cabins

Here is another one:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1802817&highlight=concierge+cabins

And another:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1860002&highlight=concierge+cabins

And one more:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1769368&highlight=concierge+cabins

That should be a good start :)

[billy.qc]

Concierge not worth it IMO. I have stayed in both conc.& B3 ext.balconiy and the larger deck with loungers is a 'perk' far better than a tote, bubbly, etc..and less $. I never felt looked upon as the persons in the cabins above tended to lounge at the pool, not having loungers on their reg. size balcony, plus there was ample privacy when seated nearer the sliding doors.

[OzAbroad]

This is personal thing and depends how much the concierge perks mean to you. For example on a cruise of 37 days I never used the spa terrace because it was always sunny and hot and I burn too easily. It is however a lovely place if you are more of a sun bunny. I did however find the lounge useful (more for the excellent services of the manager) than the coffee. Ideally choose a stateroom on the same level as the lounge otherwise I am not sure that you would use it much.

 

My advice is that concierge is probably worth it on a long cruise (12 days +) but of limited real value on a shorter one.

[computerworks]

We enjoy the Spa Terrace and use it every day of the cruise.

 

Those free passes alone almost cancels the uptick for Concierge class.

 

I have never sat in the C Lounge, but the convenience for espresso and snacks is a plus.

 

If either of these are attractive to you... then it is absolutely worth it.

If not, moot point. :p

[Kathy with a K]

Consierge class also allows you to book your specialty restaurant reservations earlier than regular verandah passengers. This may assist you in getting reservations at a more desirable time.

 

Kathy

[bzv143]

All of you have been great--gave me some good ideas to consider, so thank you!

Can I ask for a consensus--if going on a cruise of 18 days from Chile to Tahiti in December, would the Cat. B larger balcony be better, or would a Concierge class cabin for the extra amenities be more advantageous (i.e. Concierge Lounge, Spa Deck). There are not a lot of stops on this trip...:p so it is more ocean traveling across the Pacific.

[rallydave]

All of you have been great--gave me some good ideas to consider, so thank you!

Can I ask for a consensus--if going on a cruise of 18 days from Chile to Tahiti in December, would the Cat. B larger balcony be better, or would a Concierge class cabin for the extra amenities be more advantageous (i.e. Concierge Lounge, Spa Deck). There are not a lot of stops on this trip...:p so it is more ocean traveling across the Pacific.

 

Don't believe you will get a consensus either way. Some people want the extra amenities while others won't pay the extra money for an identical cabin without the amenities. That's why Oceania has the choices. Really no different than asking for a consensus for which cabin on the ship from inside to owners suite people want. There is no consensus otherwise the cruise lines would only have one type of cabin for everyone.

 

You really need to make up your own mind based on what YOU want. Don't let others who have different needs and wants dictate what you get and pay for.

[Paulchili]

You really need to make up your own mind based on what YOU want. Don't let others who have different needs and wants dictate what you get and pay for.

 

A voice of reason - yet again :)

[ginabab]

Hi

One of things we really liked about the concierge level was that when our tour got back at 2pm and didn't include lunch, there were always sandwiches and beverages available in the lounge.

Ginabab

[cutiepie43]

All of you have been great--gave me some good ideas to consider, so thank you!

Can I ask for a consensus--if going on a cruise of 18 days from Chile to Tahiti in December, would the Cat. B larger balcony be better, or would a Concierge class cabin for the extra amenities be more advantageous (i.e. Concierge Lounge, Spa Deck). There are not a lot of stops on this trip...:p so it is more ocean traveling across the Pacific.

 

We upgraded this year for our 18 day trip on Marina from Papeete to Lima. The offer was $100pp to go from a balcony (can't remember which cat.) to a Concierge room. If I could do it again I would save my $200, it was not the least bit worth it in my opinion.

[Paulchili]

Hi

One of things we really liked about the concierge level was that when our tour got back at 2pm and didn't include lunch, there were always sandwiches and beverages available in the lounge.

Ginabab

 

True, but aren't the Waves open till 4 PM?

[LHT28]

True, but aren't the Waves open till 4 PM?

Yes & then afternoon tea starts from 4 to 5

 

If that does not work room service ;)

 

Wonder if anyone goes hungry :confused::confused::confused:

[bzv143]

Again, this is why I love CruiseCritic. I get excellent advice from excellent cruisers! Based on the information you all gave me, I realized that 1) for me, Concierge perks were not that necessary; and 2) more than likely, there will be an upsell closer to sailing, so I can decide then if I want to upgrade. This saves me money--booking at a lesser price and then perhaps upgrading for a small fee. Kind of a No Brainer!

In addition, you great posters helped me decide to choose a regular verandah cabin DH and I will really like--one of the coveted four cabins on Marina that have extended balconies and that are opened on one side. I weighed the Pros and Cons of these cabins and decided the Pros, for us, outweighed the Cons (thanks, HawaiiDan).

So...I called my TA, and we are booked! Between air costs (Chile/Tahiti) and free internet and prepaid gratuities and $1500 OBC/cash back, this cruise is a BARGAIN! 18 days of sybaritic luxury...woo hoo! First time on Oceania...excited. :-)

[Paulchili]

I think you made a good choice and that you will enjoy both the cruise and the ship.

Down side - you may never go back to mass market cruise lines :)

[DOJO466]

We upgraded this year for our 18 day trip on Marina from Papeete to Lima. The offer was $100pp to go from a balcony (can't remember which cat.) to a Concierge room. If I could do it again I would save my $200, it was not the least bit worth it in my opinion.

 

There are times I like the upgrade especially when it comes to location. We just upgraded from B3 to A1. Went from Deck 7 to deck 10 aft where we can now walk to almost all the dining venues, no need for elevators which get way busy at dinner time, and good for the waistline to boot, but I will never again book a concierge initially, not worth it.

[bzv143]

PaulChili--we have all but given up large cruise ships. Our cruise line of choice has been Windstar. My TA has been pushing us to try Oceania, however, as she says that like Windstar, Oceania is not "stuffy"--more country club casual. And DH would prefer a somewhat larger ship for any kind of trans-ocean adventure. The particular cruise I just booked has lots of sea days, and most important for me (bucket list!), an overnight at Easter Island. Wow!