GOLD SEA PASS...is it wort it?

[DomesticEngineer]

Has anyone booked a grand suit or above and utilized there "gold card"? My family and I booked a grand suite and was told by Royal Caribbean about perks that come with having the room I.e gold sea pass. Does it really make a difference? Is the extras worth the the pay difference in room categories?

 

Thanks in advance for help.

[island lady]

Anyone that books a Grand Suite and above gets a gold colored card, along

with all Pinnacle members.

 

Only you can decide if the higher price is worth it for the extra perks.

[Clarea]

Has anyone booked a grand suit or above and utilized there "gold card"? My family and I booked a grand suite and was told by Royal Caribbean about perks that come with having the room I.e gold sea pass. Does it really make a difference? Is the extras worth the the pay difference in room categories?

 

Thanks in advance for help.

How much extra between the JS and GS? What ship? How many days?

 

Here are the perks:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=enhanced_program_for_suite_guests

[Fat Paul]

Yup, I always enjoy both the room and the benefits. However since becoming Diamond level and having similar benefits with the Diamond concierge a Jr. Suite can suffice.

[DomesticEngineer]

The cruise is for 7 days aboard Freedom of the Seas. can't remember the price difference. Thanks

[DomesticEngineer]

The cruise is for 7 days aboard Freedom of the Seas.

[Clarea]

The cruise is for 7 days aboard Freedom of the Seas. can't remember the price difference. Thanks

We would need to know the total price difference to form an opinion on whether the perks are worth it to us.

[pcutrone]

Unless the difference is more than you are comfortable with, it is absolutely worth it!

[JasonV1]

As to whether the perks are worth it, that is up to you.

 

Some will say the larger room is a must for 3 people on some boats, particularly Oasis class. Some want the extra points, others access to the concierge lounge/nightly Diamond event for the free drinks.

 

The priority seating isn't a big deal to me, nor are the reserved deck chairs (I prefer the Solarium). Priority boarding is nice but unless you are new to Royal (lines for people with not status seem the longest) I've never seen boarding take that long anyway.

 

I view suites as a treat, but not crucial to enjoying my cruise. I could upgrade to a W guarantee on my upcoming Allure cruise if I wanted, but that is a $1600 increase over my D3 balcony and not worth it (in my opinion, especially since I would likely get a Junior Suite which doesn't get nearly the same perks).

 

I do have a Grand booked next spring on the Adventure, which will likely be my first Grand Suite. Not nearly as expensive as a similar room on Oasis class boats, which seems to be the case for all other classes.

 

I would look at what the price difference buys you, and ask yourself how much time you really spend in the room. That is what I do, and it makes deciding fairly easy. For my upcoming cruise, I could get 2 of the most expensive drink packages plus eat in specialty restaurants all week, which is a pretty significant increase (for what it would cost to move to a W guarantee).

 

The cruise is for 7 days aboard Freedom of the Seas. can't remember the price difference. Thanks

[DomesticEngineer]

We would need to know the total price difference to form an opinion on whether the perks are worth it to us.

 

The price difference would be approximately $1500, from junior to grand. We went with grand for perks. This is our first time sailing so we are not croon and anchor members so we have no other perks.

[Cindy]

Has anyone booked a grand suit or above and utilized there "gold card"? My family and I booked a grand suite and was told by Royal Caribbean about perks that come with having the room I.e gold sea pass. Does it really make a difference? Is the extras worth the the pay difference in room categories?

 

Thanks in advance for help.

 

To me, unquestionably it's worth it. I enjoy many of the perks. Whether it would be worth it to you is a personal decision, based on your life style and the things you like to do.

[Big_G]

Anyone that books a Grand Suite and above gets a gold colored card, along

with all Pinnacle members.

 

Only you can decide if the higher price is worth it for the extra perks.

 

 

 

To me, unquestionably it's worth it. I enjoy many of the perks. Whether it would be worth it to you is a personal decision, based on your life style and the things you like to do.

 

Agree with Island Lady and Cindy. Only you can decide if it's worth it. We totally enjoy the suite experience but many cruisers only see the suite as a bigger cabin. They don't see any value in the perks.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Big_G

[papaflamingo]

As others have said it is up to you to decide. I have done a number of JS's and 2 GS and 1 Crown Loft. But they have all been great deals. We really book the larger cabins for the space. We did a 14 night TA in a GS and it was well worth it as it wasn't much more than a JS. But as for the perks, we are D+ so we get all the perks except the private sundeck or the private beach in Labadee or Coco Cay. We had that perk on Oasis in the CL and loved the private beach in Labadee. But not for $1500. The Concierge Lounge is a very nice perk at Happy Hour. There is also a separate dining area in the Windjammer which is nice. You will get other priorities, and the Concierge will be most helpful in booking things for you or taking care of problems. You also get separate seating at shows but we found it wasn't as desirable as regular seating. So, if you like the price, and like the extra room, then by all means get it. The perks are great, but I'd do it for the room.

[DomesticEngineer]

Thanks for all your responses. I think we made the right choice now. We are traveling with a two year old so the priority embarking itself will be worth it. :) my little one is impatient. Since we have never cruised we would probably be in a long line.

[Paulxyz2004]

To me those perks would never be worth $1500, but the Suite itself surely is.

[nolesrule]

I really enjoyed the suite perks, but I don't think I'd pay $1500 over the price of a JS for them, especially having a kid that young with me.

 

Last year the wife and I sailed in a balcony and a GS on our own, and in a JS with the 2 kids (7 and 4).

 

But I may change my opinion on that as the 4 of us and my mother in law will be sailing in a TS on Brilliance in 10 days.

[fishbonz]

Thanks for all your responses. I think we made the right choice now. We are traveling with a two year old so the priority embarking itself will be worth it. :) my little one is impatient. Since we have never cruised we would probably be in a long line.

 

There are many perks to the GS when you get on the ship see the concierge and ask for a list of them.

[39august]

No need to ask the concierge as there will be a welcome letter listing all the suite perks in the cabin upon arrival.

[DomesticEngineer]

I really enjoyed the suite perks, but I don't think I'd pay $1500 over the price of a JS for them, especially having a kid that young with me.

 

Last year the wife and I sailed in a balcony and a GS on our own, and in a JS with the 2 kids (7 and 4).

 

But I may change my opinion on that as the 4 of us and my mother in law will be sailing in a TS on Brilliance in 10 days.

 

We got an adjoining room for the kids. They will not be in our room. Just thinking about the options like having full menus when he has temper tantrum. 😁

[jellyfish39]

We were really lucky and managed to upgrade from JS to GS about a month prior to sailing for around $20 each! Then we were bumped up to OS by RCL. That was our only Full Suite experience and it was great. Really enjoyed the Concierge lounge before dinner drinks and appetizers (we are not Diamond so this was a new experience). the Concierge helped us with a few bookings, we also got a tour of the bridge, pre-assigned seating at shows - close to the front in a roped off area. We enjoyed using the lounge as a quiet place to read a couple of times and dropping by for specialty coffees during the day.

 

Was it worth it - for $20 each absolutely - we would probably have paid up to $200 each extra, but don't think it would be worth more, at least not to us. The gold card certainly seemed to get us extra attentive service - but as others have said check in was really not any faster than for anyone else. We were on Brilliance.

Edited March 10, 2014 by jellyfish39

[dln929]

Thanks for all your responses. I think we made the right choice now. We are traveling with a two year old so the priority embarking itself will be worth it. :) my little one is impatient. Since we have never cruised we would probably be in a long line.

 

I think you made a wonderful choice. Our first cruise was on the Voyager and we had a Grand Suite. It was quite the introduction to the world of cruising! I never regretted the extra money spent. Having all more space, the bathtub, the upgraded balcony furniture, etc. really made for a great cruise. I liked having the full menu too. We had sumptuous breakfasts and dinners served to us on white tablecloths out on our balcony. For convenience and elegance it could not be beat.

 

Meet with you concierge when you get on board and he or she will give you the rundown of all the perks that you are entitled to. Bon voyage!

[uncle John]

I hope when you go on the Freedom that Rahul is the concierge. He is the best one to help with any questions from dinner reservations to any service questions. Rahul will always stop and say hello and ask if you are ok or if you need anything. He definitely gets a good tip every cruise. That is a Gold Card perk that is worth a lot if you like service. The lounge is very nice also even though I spent most nights in Diamond Lounge with friends.

[RSLeesburg]

Thanks for all your responses. I think we made the right choice now. We are traveling with a two year old so the priority embarking itself will be worth it. :) my little one is impatient. Since we have never cruised we would probably be in a long line.

 

 

We did the same - booked GS for our first cruise with our 3 y/o. It is SO worth it :).

 

 

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[RCI Cruisers 004]

For us the perks are worth it, but we like to do our own thing and avoid crowds. We really like going to Portifino's for a quiet breakfast and avoid the crowd at WJ. And going to any show and getting priority seating or ordering room service off the full menu and enjoying it on the balcony ! Once you move up to a GS or better, it's hard to go back !