Is it Just me or is the Suite life not to Suite now!

[glcoop]

Maybe its time that the guy from Hotel Impossible takes a cruise.

[connes1]

Maybe its time that the guy from Hotel Impossible takes a cruise.

Now that would be a great show!!!

[megr1125]

Any cabin showing signs of age, especially suites, shows a lack of attention to detail from the Hotel Director on down.

 

Having had the opportunity to tour EX with the former HD, let me tell you, he missed NOTHING...someone missed a piece of tape from decorations, spots on mirror, a few things that everyone may or may not see...he saw them.

 

As a former hskp manager, I too notice things that he ubtrained eye might miss. So yes, it can happen.

 

A gentle reminder to a deck supervisor, if the cabin attendant does not have the cabin in perfect shape, should get things corrected. Believe me, no one wants to have to deal with their boss' boss' boss...

 

Sent from my Galaxy S5

[Iluvcruising2]

My husband and I sailed on the Indy last month in an OS and noticed RC is really going down hill in the Suites. Like I mentioned we were in an OS (not our first) and were very disappointed. There were numerous things I noticed that kind of put a damper on our vacation as we paid a lot of money to sail on this cruise. More than we have ever paid for an OS.

 

Sounds really awful. I would be upset if I had to go through this experience after paying good money for a suite.

[berylde]

We were 3 in an OS on the Vision in 2014.

The balcony only had lounges and straight chairs for 2. And a very small cocktail table. The OS balcony is huge. We asked for a third straight chair and a larger table so we could eat outside.

We asked the Concierge, housekeeping and the desk--we were told that none were available!!

 

We also had to ask for shampoo, etc.

Our cabin "done" twice a day, but never saw the attedant in-between.

The Cl very overcrowded

 

It was a very large cabin and balcony, but not much of a Suite experience

_

 

P.S.I forgot to mention what we found on embarktation day---------------

Their was a dirty T-shirt left on the balcony. And in the living area, a dish with water and a cigarette butt in it

 

_________________

[John&LaLa]

We were 3 in an OS on the Vision in 2014.

The balcony only had lounges and straight chairs for 2. And a very small cocktail table. The OS balcony is huge. We asked for a third straight chair and a larger table so we could eat outside.

We asked the Concierge, housekeeping and the desk--we were told that none were available!!

 

We also had to ask for shampoo, etc.

Our cabin "done" twice a day, but never saw the attedant in-between.

The Cl very overcrowded

 

It was a very large cabin and balcony, but not much of a Suite experience

_

 

P.S.I forgot to mention what we found on embarktation day---------------

Their was a dirty T-shirt left on the balcony. And in the living area, a dish with water and a cigarette butt in it

 

_________________

 

Smoking on the balcony. :eek:

[berylde]

I just copied and pasted but the part over the "P.S.", is not shaded blue. Don't know what I did wrong.

[Iluvcruising2]

We recently sailed on NCL Jade, in a 2 bedroom penthouse suite and I thought that the suite was in a very good condition, nothing like what was described by the OP here.

 

And the Jade isn't a new ship by any measure.

[EmpressofPurple]

This is terrible. I don't have the good fortune to sail in suites, but for those who do I feel the room quality should be exceptional.

 

I've written a bit on here about how I prefer "non-classed" ships (I.e., no separate venues/extra services for first class/queens grill/full suites)... that what you pay for with a suite is extra space and truly elegant accommodations, and share in the high quality service, activities, food and entertainment provided to all guests. However, for the premium price (and premium gratuity rates) that suite-dwellers pay, I truly believe that their accommodations should be spotless, kept up, well maintained and well serviced.

 

I'm appalled to hear about broken, dirty, stained sheets, couches, lights, curtains... frankly, I think that would be bad in any cabin, but suites in particular, because of the premium price, should be first on the list for upkeep, refurbs, etc., and should also have more experienced (and less overburdened) cabin stewards.

 

I hope this situation improves soon, and I'm glad to hear it is not fleet wide (Orr perhaps not even ship wide, just a few suites here and there).

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[Debde]

The sad thing about the Royal Family Suite......is the name. It has the interior of a JS in the master, and an E-2 for the second bedroom/bath. The living/dining area is not well laid out.

 

There is nothing fancy about a RFS, except maybe the price.

 

Rick

 

Nailed it!! Last few cruises our numbers have gone up by one and had to move from the OS to the RFS and I sure do miss the OS!!!

[emerald444]

I think you're right. Perhaps we should just save our money and do JS from now on.

 

We used to sail in only the big suites

We agree with you we really don't use any of the perks except the concierge lounge

Since the crowding now we only sail in the junior suites they are very nice and we go buy our own drinks with the money we save

Sorry but they went downhill when they

allowed children to run rampant

[PhDUnderTheSea]

How are the GS's on Allure holding up? We will be onboard prior to the dry dock.

 

Best-

 

Steve

[ltjn]

On our recent cruise on the Freedom we stayed in OS 1340. The stateroom had several issues that we tried to have taken care of. The first issue was the balcony slider would not completely seal, when the ship was moving we had an extremely loud whistle. The crew was unable to resolve the problem. Just annoying trying to go to sleep. The second issue was the phone that would not take calls. We were traveling with 15 family members and when ever they dialed our number it would say improper entry (they were dialing 1340) . We even had the concierge call and he had the same problem. That problem was never resolved. The third problem with lighting in Owners Suite, on several nights an electrician would have to be called because the lights had a high intensity flicker. I though maybe we were doing something wrong trying to turn the lights off. They eventually replaced all the rooms rheostats, and the problem went away. I know these were minor problems but they did become annoying.

 

My wife is a very patient person, and does not let things bother her. Not bad for a woman that runs a highly skilled trade construction crew (mostly men). However, she had enough of our stateroom attendant's attention to detail that she first approached the concierge about the problems. Initially, they were addressed, but slipped again. She actually searched out the Hotel Manager and complained. In our 23 plus cruises I have never seen her do this. She enjoys cruising to escape the stress of her job and daily routine. She looks for a little pampering!

 

I would have to say things are lacking in Royal's attention to details in the suites. Plus the problem with ship's propulsion system just seemed to aggravate the annoyances. We have stayed in suites on Celebrity and Princess and have a fair idea what should be expected, this cruise just did not deliver the "WOW."

 

I hope the speculation about how Mr. Bayley may change the recent history of Royal is on the money.

[travelgoddess1]

Interesting thread. My addition to the conversation is that communication to the right people, going up the ladder until you get the appropriate response, is the answer to onboard problems. Ideally, there should not be any problems, but if something in the cabin is not right, you need to report it to both the room steward and deck supervisor. If no solution, the Concierge should be able to get action on your issue. Lastly, the Hotel Director should get involved. If problems are not resolved onboard, follow through with a letter to corporate guest relations (copy Mr. Bayley).

 

We are "low maintenance" cruisers, but we also speak up when we have a serious problem, whether it is maintenance, dining, or service-related.

 

There *should* always be a pre-boarding email from the Concierge, and there should always be a letter in your cabin on boarding day, explaining your suite perks (including Labadee and Coco Cay cabanas). It's better to ask questions than to not know until after the fact that you could have had a particular perk.

 

On our last cruise, a lady we chatted with in the CL admitted she had missed many Suite perks because she had not read the letter she received in her cabin on boarding day.

 

BTW, if I'm going to be called names, I prefer "toadstool resting on a potted plant." :rolleyes:

Edited January 9, 2015 by travelgoddess1

[jules815]

On our recent cruise on the Freedom we stayed in OS 1340. The stateroom had several issues that we tried to have taken care of. The first issue was the balcony slider would not completely seal, when the ship was moving we had an extremely loud whistle. The crew was unable to resolve the problem. Just annoying trying to go to sleep. The second issue was the phone that would not take calls. We were traveling with 15 family members and when ever they dialed our number it would say improper entry (they were dialing 1340) . We even had the concierge call and he had the same problem. That problem was never resolved. The third problem with lighting in Owners Suite, on several nights an electrician would have to be called because the lights had a high intensity flicker. I though maybe we were doing something wrong trying to turn the lights off. They eventually replaced all the rooms rheostats, and the problem went away. I know these were minor problems but they did become annoying.

 

My wife is a very patient person, and does not let things bother her. Not bad for a woman that runs a highly skilled trade construction crew (mostly men). However, she had enough of our stateroom attendant's attention to detail that she first approached the concierge about the problems. Initially, they were addressed, but slipped again. She actually searched out the Hotel Manager and complained. In our 23 plus cruises I have never seen her do this. She enjoys cruising to escape the stress of her job and daily routine. She looks for a little pampering!

 

I would have to say things are lacking in Royal's attention to details in the suites. Plus the problem with ship's propulsion system just seemed to aggravate the annoyances. We have stayed in suites on Celebrity and Princess and have a fair idea what should be expected, this cruise just did not deliver the "WOW."

 

I hope the speculation about how Mr. Bayley may change the recent history of Royal is on the money.

 

 

We've booked suites for all of our cruises in 2015. It will be our first time sailing in a suite. An OS next week on Brilliance, and a GS in March on Liberty. If something doesn't wow us on these cruises, I may consider canceling the B2B we have booked for September in an OS on Freedom and going with another line; maybe Celebrity or NCL.

[SSVacation]

We always book suites, I can see truth to a lot of the complaints here, but there is a huge difference when you have the right suite attendant and Concierge.

The suites on the older ships do show the age but that is somewhat to be expected, not acceptable, but knowing the age of the ship when you book will help with the expectations.

Some of the other lines have been offering a better experience, and some even with a better price if you shop around.

With 5 cruises booked through this year we will be trying 2 of those on Celebrity in a CS, we have over 30 cruise on Royal, none of them a bad time, just think it's time to try another line.

[TexCruise371]

Interesting thread, we have an OS booked on Vision next month, GS on Radiance in August and GS on Adventure in November. Well see how they look on the older ships :confused:

[Cshgrand]

Denzil is the best!:D

 

 

For me this post nails it! So much of the experience is down to the concierge.

 

We have sailed maybe 10 times in GS or above and the three best trips were great because of the service we got being in suites. I can't even remember in detail the condition of the rooms, was on Adventure last Jan and the OS we had was fine inside. Just off Explorer which is about to go to dry dock and couldn't fault anything maintenance wise on the ship.

 

The over and above service from Suite concierges is what has stuck in my mind and that is still alive and well on Explorer at least. It's just a shame that that level of excellence is not fleet wide and that some of the practices from the best suit concierges are not formed into policy. Like with many other issues you read about on here, it is RC's lack of consistency which seems to be causing disappointments.

 

The CL was crowded (mine was the pre-teen child I saw in there so not overrun with them) but Denzil would make the effort to find seats, introducing people and getting conversations going which I know is actually what many of us go in there for.

[SuiteTraveler]

We cruised Allure in an Owner's Suite in November. From amenities, to the suites themselves, NCL outdoes RCCL in every way. It seems to me like RCCL has forgotten that offering layers of exclusivity, perks and amenities to those in suites is part of the attraction. Without that, there's no real incentive to cruise different levels of suites except to try them out as what is offered is identical across all suites. We had a great cabin attendant and a nice (not fabulous) suite, but other than that, it was a very mediocre experience. Luckily for RCCL I truly love Oasis and Allure and will keep cruising their newest ships, but as things currently stand, I'd never pay for more than a Grand Suite as RCCL doesn't give you any real value for your money in the larger suites other than a few more sq ft. Also the situation in the CL is a major turn-off. Between the terrible chardonnay served and the overcrowding we went once and never went back. Just a dreadful situation in the CL in every possible way.

[wolfganghowell]

I guess we must have extraordinary good luck. We have found the suite life to be improving, not decreasing. Certainly it varies. Some concierges are friendly and fun, others are a bit aloof and reserved. The breakfast is probably our favorite perk. Avoiding the Jammer and the MDR is a huge plus for us. The few requests we make are generally taken care of quite easily. Our rooms have always been fine as have our stateroom attendants. Even a few negative experiences were resolved to our satisfaction.

[skylight]

We usually choose Celebrity to cruise with and have a suite. We are going on Allure after the dry dock on May 31 in a Sky Loft Suite. I am not liking the reviews on food and service, but I will be going there to enjoy the cruise an all the Suite Perks ;) whatever they will be:D

[momofmab]

We were in an GS on Liberty this past April. Everything was clean and in working order and we enjoyed our time in the GS - however, we both commented on how suite level service on RCL is not quite what it is on NCL (on which we have cruised in an OS and Penthouse suites). On NCL, we definitely received special treatment from the moment we boarded the ship (the concierge greets you by name and escorts you to your suite). We also felt that the personal service received from our butler on NCL was a nice perk.

 

Our vacation certainly wasn't ruined by this and we will, of course, continue to cruise RCL but we'll probably go back to booking 2 balconies instead of a suite because to us, there really wasn't anything that stood out enough to justify the price difference.

[Paulette3028]

So, I'm curious. Just when is Independence of the Seas going thru refurb? My research on here shows it was in 2013. RCL's site says it is newly refurbished (not sure how accurate they can be).

 

Since I'm going on her in 9 months, and don't want to immediately precede or follow a drydock, I'm need to know if I need to reschedule.

 

Thanks.

 

As pointed out in another response in this thread, the next drydock for Indy, probably won't be for awhile. There are many threads about Indy, and several reviews -- that will give you there perspective on the ship.

 

Many people have only had wonderful experiences on her.

 

I take reviews, of all kinds, with a giant grain of Kosher salt. But read them all and then 'throw them all in the waste basket' and enjoy your own cruise.

 

DH and I are cruising on Indy, embarking on Valentines Day, 2015. I expect to have a terrific experience -- from the cabin to the promenade to the dining to the entertainment to the pool and ports.

 

Just sharing!

[Cruise from Calgary]

My husband and I sailed on the Indy last month in an OS and noticed RC is really going down hill in the Suites. Like I mentioned we were in an OS (not our first) and were very disappointed. There were numerous things I noticed that kind of put a damper on our vacation as we paid a lot of money to sail on this cruise. More than we have ever paid for an OS.

 

1. Pillows and mattress were old, soiled, and bloody. Husband and I were shocked that RC would use pillows that were obviously many years old. We had to ask our room steward for new ones.

2. Approximately 12 light bulbs on ceiling out. Curtain track was broken and hanging where you can separate the bed from the living room. We told our room steward right away and he never called maintenance. We finally took care of it ourselves on day 3.

3. No communication in the suite or from Concierge that there was a private beach on Labadee and that we could use it. Found out from our friends who are Diamond Plus and Pinnacles.

4. No free press on Formal Night.

5. Over crowding in CL and DL. Spent the whole time in the Viking Crown each night as it was impossible to get a seat in either lounge.

6. Suite was in subpar condition. Couches old and soiled and the suite did not look like it had been cleaned well in a long time.

7. Had to ask the room steward for shampoo, conditioner, soap each day. Is RC really losing that much money that they can't keep the suites fully stocked to last you a whole week? And, where did the slippers go?

8. The suite menu for room service has definitely dwindled. We were hosting a wine gathering in our room and there was really not much you could order for a party. On the Allure, we were able to order the artichoke dip and chips, wings, cheese and crackers and other items but the only thing we saw was the cheese plate. Our Concierge went out of the way when she heard we were having a party and when we got back to the room, our table was set with lots of goodies.

I could go on and on but just wanted to see if I am the only one who has noticed that the suite life is overpriced and the perks are going down way down hill.

 

Sure would be curious to know which OS this was? We have one booked for 2 weeks in February...:eek:

[mrsz]

For me this post nails it! So much of the experience is down to the concierge.

 

We have sailed maybe 10 times in GS or above and the three best trips were great because of the service we got being in suites. I can't even remember in detail the condition of the rooms, was on Adventure last Jan and the OS we had was fine inside. Just off Explorer which is about to go to dry dock and couldn't fault anything maintenance wise on the ship.

 

The over and above service from Suite concierges is what has stuck in my mind and that is still alive and well on Explorer at least. It's just a shame that that level of excellence is not fleet wide and that some of the practices from the best suit concierges are not formed into policy. Like with many other issues you read about on here, it is RC's lack of consistency which seems to be causing disappointments.

 

The CL was crowded (mine was the pre-teen child I saw in there so not overrun with them) but Denzil would make the effort to find seats, introducing people and getting conversations going which I know is actually what many of us go in there for.

 

I have to disagree with you on the suite experience on Explorer of the Seas. We had the Royal Suite for a two week cruise this November. We did not get the service from the concierge that I expected. He told us he was very busy with Pinnacle members. We paid a lot of money for this cruise and didn't get a third of the service that we get on Celebrity in a junior suite.

 

We had several maintenance issues. For instance two days of no hot water. There was a sewer smell in our bathroom. The best is when we tried to use our jacuzzi on our balcony and in the bathroom the water was the color of mud. This went on for days. We called maintenance and they said just run the water. We had to run the water in our tub every day for at least a half hour and it still was brown. When the tub was emptied there was brown scum and debris floating in tub.

 

We saved for a long time for this cruise for our 40th wedding anniversary and were extremely upset about the issues we experienced.

 

I am not a high maintenance person, but when you pay for the most expensive cabin on the ship you would expect it to be in perfect condition

 

We also were invited to a luncheon with the officers and found out that people in grand and owners suites were invited to eat with the captain. It doesn't matter if I eat with the captain or not it was just the principal .

 

If I were to book an expensive suite again it would definitely not be on Royal.