For Those Considering A Suite For The First Time. Not A Cruise Review

[amor1964]

Last week we were on the Dawn out of New Orleans, Western Caribbean. We are a family of seven, and enjoyed a Family Suite (5 of us) and a balcony (2 older boys) I had read many posts here regarding "the suite life" and I wanted to post our thoughts on the subject as first timers. We are very easy going people, and in general require no extra “maintenance.” This is not a trip review, ship review, praise, or bashing. I realize that many folks here have a history in suites, this is just our take on it. Your mileage may vary!:)

 

Honestly, the amenities were not something that I thought would be a big deal. We did not book the suite for the perks, but mostly for the suite itself. The size of the living area, and size of the bathroom. So with that in mind, here's my thoughts on the perks, and how they applied to us.

 

Priority luggage tags mailed to us: Nice not to have to print tags. Luggage arrived outside door at 3:00. So did the rest of the entire hallway. We just need our bags before dinner, so no big deal for us.

 

Pre cruise letter from NCL office listing items/services available by request. Such as pillow menu, coffee/tea preference etc. We asked for 2 extra temperature control pillows, no decaf coffee, empty fridge, half/half, and milk. A nice touch, all requests were completed.

 

Cruise day: "Greeter" in terminal saw that we were suite guests (she assumed all 7 of us) and walked us to a check-in agent ahead of the line. I told the agent that the boys were not in our suite, and she said no problem!, we can all check-in together. After completing that, she walked all of us to the VIP lounge to enjoy coffee, juice, and pastries. Within 2 minutes our Concierge introduced herself, gave us our envelopes regarding Captain's cocktail party and Cagney's breakfast/lunch info. A butler escorted (all of us) onto the ship, and to our cabin. All things that we asked for in the pre cruise letter were done perfectly. Also there were beautiful fresh flowers, and a fruit bowl with bananas, grapes, apples, and pears. Not something by themselves to sway us to a suite in the future, but certainly contributors to the experience as a whole. So, the boys in the balcony made it through all stops right along with us. From entering the terminal to being in our cabin was 15-20 minutes. The above pre cruise and cruise day amenities were fantastic. Definitely worth considering when we book our next cruise.

 

Embarkation day lunch in Cagney's: This one I had read and read about. How much folks look forward to this. Here's where (expectedly & understandably) the boys must go their own way. Lunch and service was excellent, but we never again utilized Cagney's for lunch. 4 port days made that tough. While on the subject of Cagney's, much to our surprise, breakfast each morning there was a real treat. Excellent, excellent. The food, the service, and the quietness away from the buffet. Very surprised as to how much this perk was enjoyed by us. Over the course of the week, this one may have meant more to us than any other suite amenity.

 

Concierge: As mentioned earlier, she introduced herself to us in the VIP waiting area. From that point on she knew us by name. She was at Cagney’s each morn to greet us, and walk us to a table. We (the 5 in the suite) never all ate together in Cagney’s, so one morning the boys joined us which was not a problem at all. I guess she just looked at the total we showed up with. We were not quite sure how she would be able to help us during the week, but she did do a great job when we did ask. We booked a shore excursion through her, and 3 dinners. We were 7 for dinner and availability according to the reservation screen was no obstacle. Our dining time requests were “No problem at all. Enjoy.” She also was the host at the Captain’s cocktail party, and greeted arriving guest to stagger their entry so all had adequate time with the Captain. She also conducted a disembarkation briefing for suite guests where she explained the options, and handed out priority tags. We now understand that the Concierge is THE go-to person while in a suite. As a side note: we had a plumbing issue for which I dialed reception. 15 minutes later she knocked on our door. She wanted to personally see if our issue was resolved. Obviously someone had made her aware.

 

Butler: I read as much as I could here beforehand, as I felt that this would be the biggest “difference.” As I mentioned earlier, a butler did walk us onboard, but not our butler. We met our butler within minutes of being in our cabin, before Cagney’s lunch. As expected, he showed us how to use the Lavazza machine. Gave us his card and pointed out the portable phone which we could carry around the ship to always reach him. He asked if we preferred any certain fruit, types of cookies, or sandwiches. Then directed us to Cagney’s and told us that he would see us later. Upon returning to cabin later, he had moved our luggage inside, and there chocolate strawberries, cookies, and finger sandwiches. We called on him for in-suite breakfast one morning. The night before we simply told him all that we wanted (not ordering from any type of menu) and it was served by him exactly on-time, and hot. He even made our coffees that morning. A word about the Lavazza machine…INCREDIBLE. This was one of our “no big deal” items before the cruise. Wrong. BIG deal for us! Outstanding coffee. Back to our butler: each afternoon he delivered the cookies, sandwiches, and some other special items that would be “Compliments of…….” He quickly noticed which sandwiches we preferred, which cookies, and which fruits. For the rest of the week our treats were adjusted accordingly. We asked for dvd movies twice, and an evening snack once. He “caught” me going to the buffet to get more milk to use in our machine, and from that point on we had a pitcher of milk in our fridge, and a small pitcher of half & half. He checked on us often and was a terrific person. All in all, we’re still a bit uncomfortable asking someone to do something that we can do ourselves. But we’re not willing to give up the afternoon treats! We enjoyed getting to know him as a person, more so than using him as a butler. He became family.

I thought long and hard about whether to add this part to this post, I hope that someone will find it beneficial (remember, your mileage may vary": His $300 tip was based on the week as a whole and what we had asked of him. Not X days times X people, etc. I don’t feel that we asked much at all, and very comfortable about the fairness. He was genuinely thrilled.

 

Misc perks: At our tender port we did an NCL excursion, so our priority tender tickets went unused. They were delivered the night before with a letter from the Concierge explaining that she would escort us to tender at whatever time we needed. Theatre: we prefer to sit in the center, so using the side balconies as suite guests was not for us. Note..there have been posts regarding what level of suites gains you access to balconies. On the Dawn, the reserved balconies are for ALL level of suites. Also we LOVED the “premium” toiletries, bath salts, cotton balls, and slippers. More small things that contributed.

 

Disembarkation: We used easy walk off so we did not use priority with Concierge. I do know that she was meeting guest in the lounge and personally walking them to the last card swipe station. No need to wait for a certain color luggage tag.

I’m sure that I have left out some things, and probably wrote more than needed. I just wanted to post something that I would have wanted to read as a first timer.

 

So, as a whole, we could go back to a mini suite or balcony if we had to, but mostly we would miss the super swift embarkation. Certainly miss Cagney’s breakfast, and the Lavazza machine. But as originally thought, the suite itself was by far the best perk. Simply the sq footage. For us, all of the other perks are “supporting actors” to the main star, the suite itself.

 

Thanks for reading!

[countess5]

Thanks for your thoughts, I like that your mileage may vary. That is a good way to say people all have their own preferences and experiences. :)

 

We are not first time suite people but we are first time NCL people. It was nice to read your comments on the service that was provided.

 

We sail on the Getaway in two weeks in a suite and are looking forward to the service and Haven.

 

The suite life is not for everyone, but trying it for the reasons you did and getting a good experience hopefuly keeps you in. :D

[Robynljt]

Thank you for this detailed feedback! We are booked in a family suite on the Dawn next month and although we have cruised in suites before, on other lines, the size of the cabin was really the biggest perk. It appears that NCL really puts forth the extra effort to exemplify a true suite experience!

 

So glad you enjoyed your trip and thank you for sharing!

[Guindalf]

I appreciate you taking the time - and how timely. We're in a suite on the Dawn sailing on Sunday!!

 

We, too, have had balconies and mini-suites in the past, but the deal we got was just too good to pass up. We got ours for just about what a concierge class balcony would have cost us on Celebrity for the same week - and that involved flights to San Juan where NoLo is a 9 -hour drive for us.

 

I'm a big coffee drinker, so I'm looking forward to having the machine in the room and, of course, all the extra space. We are actually in an SJ class suite so we do NOT have a balcony, but we do have floor to ceiling windows and just a short walk out to the pool deck (12).

 

Can't wait!

[tel2]

Hello

 

Thanks for your comments. We are not first time suite people, but our experiences in NCL suites have varied considerably from ship to ship. This was particularly helpful because we will be on the Dawn in a suite in two weeks and have never been on the Dawn before. Thanks.

 

Terry

[amor1964]

Thanks so much for the comments! This was an SJ (no balcony) with the wall of windows. I was a bit concerned about missing the balcony, but found it to be true what I had read.....did not miss it at all. Yes we were on deck 12 (12512) and the pool deck was a 30 second walk.

 

I should have said this in closing: It was absolutely worth it! For what the 5 in the suite cost, there was no decision to be made. Especially relative to the balcony cost for the 2 older boys. Coupled with a very nice OBC. Of course we all know how these fares fluctuate for time of year, to itinerary, to ship, and so on. For us on this cruise it was worth every penny. We expect to pay more next time, and now we have a benchmark of the value of a suite. At this stage in our lives (with 4 in college and 1 close) there IS a point in our minds of "being worth it" We will sail in a suite again, and we will gladly pay for all of the extras.

The coffee/cappuccino/espresso produced from the machine is fantastic. And the coffee at Cagney's in the morning was some of the best coffee ever. Enjoy!!

[Wildcatllamas]

I have sailed three times in suites on NCL and have one on the Dawn booked for 2016. In comparing them to Princess, Celebrity and Royal they win hands down in my book.

[pathubia]

Thanks for posting. We are in suite 12020 on the DAWN Jan 25. Ours has a balcony...next cruise we may skip the balcony after reading such rave reviews!! Thanks for posting. Is the IConcierge app up and running yet?

 

 

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[sassyredhat]

Love, Love, Love the NCL suite life. :)

Doing it again in a few weeks.

 

Patti

[Demonyte]

Is the IConcierge app up and running yet?

 

It seems that iConcierge comes to older ships only after drydock as it requires heavy updates on both ship's computer system and network base stations (iConcierge uses a separate WiFi network from the one used to access the internet).

 

Only ships that didn't have iConcierge originally (all older ships than megaships starting from Epic) but have it now, are Jewel and Pearl that have both been in drydock quite recently.

Edited January 14, 2015 by Demonyte

[pathubia]

It seems that iConcierge comes to older ships only after drydock as it requires heavy updates on both ship's computer system and network base stations (iConcierge uses a separate WiFi network from the one used to access the internet).

 

Only ships that didn't have iConcierge originally (all older ships than megaships starting from Epic) but have it now, are Jewel and Pearl that have both been in drydock quite recently.

 

 

Thank you!!

 

 

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[Sotermarler]

Great info! I had no idea I was missing all those perks being in a balcony. Im going to need a second job to support my new cruise habit!

 

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[TAYLORCPA]

I have to agree with you about breakfast in Cagneys. We did not eat breakfast there until the last two days but I wish we would have eaten there every morning! There was a good selection of items on the "buffet" plus hot, made to order items. YUM!

[Robert Peel]

I should have said this in closing: It was absolutely worth it! For what the 5 in the suite cost, there was no decision to be made. Especially relative to the balcony cost for the 2 older boys. Coupled with a very nice OBC. Of course we all know how these fares fluctuate for time of year, to itinerary, to ship, and so on. For us on this cruise it was worth every penny. We expect to pay more next time, and now we have a benchmark of the value of a suite. At this stage in our lives (with 4 in college and 1 close) there IS a point in our minds of "being worth it" We will sail in a suite again, and we will gladly pay for all of the extras.

The coffee/cappuccino/espresso produced from the machine is fantastic. And the coffee at Cagney's in the morning was some of the best coffee ever.

 

 

As many say after experiencing the Suite Life it would be tough to go back to an inside or balcony cabin,glad your whole family had fun. Sailing in a Penthouse Suite at months end and looking very forward to the perks.

[my_crib_too]

What a great post!!! Enjoyed reading.

 

Depending on the cruise and the cost of a suite, we would stay in anything from a nice inside to a suite.

[minn55441]

Thanks for the views on your suite. Great timing. I booked an aft balcony on the epic for my wife and I last spring. We are now only 2 weeks away and decided to take my son with and move to a 2 bed room suite in the Haven. I just booked it after reading your post. This will be our first cruise in a suite and like you I'm unsure how many of the perks we will really use.

 

Live and learn. You really never know until you experience it first hand.

[df5250]

Thanks for the views on your suite. Great timing. I booked an aft balcony on the epic for my wife and I last spring. We are now only 2 weeks away and decided to take my son with and move to a 2 bed room suite in the Haven. I just booked it after reading your post. This will be our first cruise in a suite and like you I'm unsure how many of the perks we will really use.

 

Live and learn. You really never know until you experience it first hand.

 

I've sailed many times in NCL Suites (once you go suite you cannot go back!) and the service is always great, but I sailed in my first Haven Suite on the Breakaway last summer.... (In my opinion...mileage) the Haven Suite experience and service was even better than the regular suites! Enjoy!

[bonvoyagie]

Thank you for your post, we are going to be in an 2 bdrm family suite on the Dawn in a couple of years. This will be our third suite and our 5th cruise on NCL. Last time we were in an SF Aft suite - the three of us were a bit tight - but a mini or a balcony would be way worse. We too are looking forward to the extra bdrm and living room.

[PlanoDebbie]

I started to get really excited until the OP mentioned how hard it was going to be going back to a mini-suite after this trip.

 

We just booked our first cruise with NCL in a mini-suite and I was thinking we were gonna be getting all these wonderful perks!

 

Oh well...

[SuiteCruisin14]

Thank you for posting, we felt the same about our first suite on NCL and now cruise no other line. Our suite cruises vary as we sometimes would rather cruise more often, (inside), than have the suite.

 

Going on the Dawn this summer and will book the SJ suite with our 3 Granddaughters. Very happy to hear there is amble room for all of us.

 

Lynda

[boopsahoy]

Thanks so much for the comments! This was an SJ (no balcony) with the wall of windows. I was a bit concerned about missing the balcony, but found it to be true what I had read.....did not miss it at all. Yes we were on deck 12 (12512) and the pool deck was a 30 second walk.

 

I should have said this in closing: It was absolutely worth it! For what the 5 in the suite cost, there was no decision to be made. Especially relative to the balcony cost for the 2 older boys. Coupled with a very nice OBC. Of course we all know how these fares fluctuate for time of year, to itinerary, to ship, and so on. For us on this cruise it was worth every penny. We expect to pay more next time, and now we have a benchmark of the value of a suite. At this stage in our lives (with 4 in college and 1 close) there IS a point in our minds of "being worth it" We will sail in a suite again, and we will gladly pay for all of the extras.

The coffee/cappuccino/espresso produced from the machine is fantastic. And the coffee at Cagney's in the morning was some of the best coffee ever. Enjoy!!

 

The Cagneys coffee is French Press. Delish! The first time I had it when I got home I bought a French press for myself! (Still not as good as Cagneys!)

 

DH and I usually get comped a balcony suite through Casino at sea and we always upgrade to a penthouse. For us the biggest perk is the Cagneys breakfast and lunch (We go almost every day) and the quick embarkation and disembarkation. Id give up the bigger room and balcony but not the Lavazza and Cagneys-and the butler is a very fun perk but I could live without him!

Edited January 15, 2015 by boopsahoy

[garycarla]

.... Lunch and service was excellent, but we never again utilized Cagney's for lunch.

 

While on the subject of Cagney's, much to our surprise, breakfast each morning there was a real treat. Excellent, excellent. The food, the service, and the quietness away from the buffet. Very surprised as to how much this perk was enjoyed by us. Over the course of the week, this one may have meant more to us than any other suite amenity. ....

 

Too bad you were not able to advantage of the lunch as well, it is just as great. At least it was for us.

[wjwolf]

Loved your post. 5 of us sailed in 2

connectors a year ago and then sailed in a Haven 2bd suite over summer. It's a world of difference. Really is the difference between staying in a Best Western - your in your own to make yourself comfortable and informed vs. staying in a 5* hotel with personal service all inclusive.

Your post was exactly our experience and although many people can't afford to stay in Haven, if you can swing it then it's really like being subtly pampered and enjoying an intimate cruise on a big cruise ship. Don't think we will ever sail standard again.

 

 

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[david_sobe]

Great review of NCL suite services. When I first saw the thread for some reason I was prepared for some disappointment. But glad that was not the point. Everything seemed to work seamlessly. It was textbook example of how things should work. NCL must feel good reading your review.

I agree with you that some of the suite experience is tiny details. But sometimes when all those tiny things add up, it does create a better cruising experience.

Glad you had a great time!

[amor1964]

Thanks for the views on your suite. Great timing. I booked an aft balcony on the epic for my wife and I last spring. We are now only 2 weeks away and decided to take my son with and move to a 2 bed room suite in the Haven. I just booked it after reading your post. This will be our first cruise in a suite and like you I'm unsure how many of the perks we will really use.

 

Live and learn. You really never know until you experience it first hand.

 

That is great! You will have a wonderful time. Enjoy!