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

[Guindalf]

Back from the Dawn in our first SJ suite today!

Too tired to update, but will post a full review as soon as I can keep my eyes open!

[djmess]

Just returned yesterday from our first ever Suite Experience in a 2 bdrm Haven on the Getaway!

All I can say is, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!!!!

I'm an avid cruiser, but always cruised insides and an occasional balcony. my philosophy has been to cruise more often. Well, to be honest, I think I'm changing that opinion. Already looking at a late 2016 cruise in another Haven Suite. I may be cruising less often for the extra special treatment in the years to come.

My upcoming cruises for the rest of 2015 will stay as booked. OV and Inside. I actually checked out prices to upgrade and even balconies are definitely not in my budget for the rest of this year. Now saving money to Suite it up in late 2016!!!!! May book in the next day or so to take advantage of the packages offered.

[pjg05001]

Just a note: we sailed on the dawn a couple of weeks ago in a suite and noticed that they had changed the reserved seating in the theater to only Owner's Suite and Garden Villa guests. I'm not sure why the change from your sailing (the balcony was maybe only 1/4 full during the most popular shows) but they were strict about not letting other suite guests in.

[Friend100]

We are considering the 2-BR suite on the Dawn (which doesn't have Haven). How does that compare to a newer NCL ship that has the Haven 2-BR suite? What are the main differences?

[Guindalf]

[quote name='pjg05001']Just a note: we sailed on the dawn a couple of weeks ago in a suite and noticed that they had changed the reserved seating in the theater to only Owner's Suite and Garden Villa guests. I'm not sure why the change from your sailing (the balcony was maybe only 1/4 full during the most popular shows) but they were strict about not letting other suite guests in.[/QUOTE]

I don't know what happened on your cruise but there was one row of seats that had this limitation but all the rest of the left side of the balcony was for ALL suite guests. I'm guessing maybe you had someone working the area that didn't know the rules - or you misunderstood.

[pjg05001]

[quote name='Guindalf']I don't know what happened on your cruise but there was one row of seats that had this limitation but all the rest of the left side of the balcony was for ALL suite guests. I'm guessing maybe you had someone working the area that didn't know the rules - or you misunderstood.[/QUOTE]

No, I did not misunderstand. The signage was very clear. Since the previous time I sailed on the Dawn, there was only a section of seats reserved for the Garden Villa/OS guests, I asked the concierge (Karabi) about the change. She told me the signage was correct and that unless you were in an OS or GV, you were not allowed in the balcony. She said she might make an exception on a case by case basis, but it wasn't important enough to me to bother her about it again. I don't think you and I were on the same sailing, so clearly the concierge instituted a change. I don't know why this is the case. Perhaps it is based on how many people are staying in the various suites?

[LaCal]

Thank You for your great review about your suite

We've stayed in 2 suites on ncl so far with a third one coming up in March and pray our Butler will be as good as the one you had

We are very easy going people but our last butler didn't introduce himself till the 2nd day and when I stated there would be a few mornings we'd like Bfast in the suite the first response was I'm very busy and have X amount of suites and some are in the front n some in the back of the ship :eek

Well if that's true they need a new system....he did bring diff snacks n made sure the ice was filled

When we did order Bfast he did deliver it on time but we just never got that friendly/family feel from him like u guys did with your butler

Our first butler was the same way :(

Well hopefully the third times the charm and I'll post back the beginning of April and let everyone know

[Loucat]

We are just off NCL Sun and had a forward penthouse suite. We had all of the perks mentioned without the butler phone. We enjoyed breakfast in LaCucina (we have also sailed on a suite on Dawn); loved it.
We did tire of the same menu for lunch so wound up trying the MDR for a change.
Butler and concierge were exceptional as were all of the crew. It was one of the best sailings among all of our cruises.
No, we cannot go back so we sail one time less as we would prefer the exceptional service on both Dawn and Sun.

[Kcruiser2014]

I also excited to read this! I have just booked an SJ on Dawn for jan 2017 under the new March promo. $3200 incl taxes and port fees for 6!! Includes UDP, UBP, prepaid grats and $200 OBC. Now, I'm thinking of adding an inside for two more. Since I am thinking that 6 might be a stretch, I am wondering if I can double book 2 of the ones in my room into the interior, so they get suite benefits, but we also have an extra room. Anyone know if that can be done?

[tawaik]

Thank your sharing your experience. I will experience my first suite in October of 2016. It is good to know that some special requests can be filled. I'm sailing with my BFF and my BFF/sister and we are looking forward to this experience.

[missintuitive]

[quote name='Kcruiser2014']I also excited to read this! I have just booked an SJ on Dawn for jan 2017 under the new March promo. $3200 incl taxes and port fees for 6!! Includes UDP, UBP, prepaid grats and $200 OBC. Now, I'm thinking of adding an inside for two more. Since I am thinking that 6 might be a stretch, I am wondering if I can double book 2 of the ones in my room into the interior, so they get suite benefits, but we also have an extra room. Anyone know if that can be done?[/QUOTE]

With prices like that, plus the reduced deposit that's showing up, I may book that cruise as well. I'm booked in a suite on gem later this year in a two bdrm with 6 but it's twice that cost (which was not a bad deal considering that it came out to be similar to booking to balconies).

OP thanks for this post! This is my first time on ncl and a suite but not my first time in a suite.

[mama4five]

So glad I saw this post. We are booked for the Dawn out of NOLA in December and it answered so many of the questions I had. Especially since we have a similar family make up with 5 college/high school aged kids. Originally I had booked an SJ & SD but for some reason the ones I booked did not have the murphy bed so I changed it to a DOS and a Mini Balcony. I asked about the VIP embarkation with another non-suite room booked and they said it should not be a problem. Glad to hear of your first hand experience with it. This will be our very first cruise and though DH is still apprehensive, your report has got me excited beyond belief! Thanks for taking the time to post!

[pathubia]

[quote name='mama4five']So glad I saw this post. We are booked for the Dawn out of NOLA in December and it answered so many of the questions I had. Especially since we have a similar family make up with 5 college/high school aged kids. Originally I had booked an SJ & SD but for some reason the ones I booked did not have the murphy bed so I changed it to a DOS and a Mini Balcony. I asked about the VIP embarkation with another non-suite room booked and they said it should not be a problem. Glad to hear of your first hand experience with it. This will be our very first cruise and though DH is still apprehensive, your report has got me excited beyond belief! Thanks for taking the time to post![/QUOTE]

We had a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suite(SC?) on the DAWN in May with the adjoining mini suite, we were all able to board with VIP embarkation and there was no problem (that was in Boston, but should be ok in NOLA too). We had 3 20 year olds, one 18 year old and a 17 year old....GOOD LUCK!! LOL!!

[AndyT3]

Wonderful post! We are looking at a suite on the Dawn next year. This has definitely influenced our decision to go with a suite!

[mama4five]

[quote name='pathubia']We had a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom suite(SC?) on the DAWN in May with the adjoining mini suite, we were all able to board with VIP embarkation and there was no problem (that was in Boston, but should be ok in NOLA too). We had 3 20 year olds, one 18 year old and a 17 year old....GOOD LUCK!! LOL!![/QUOTE]

Great! Another confirmation! Our group consists of a 23, 22, 20, 17 & 14 year olds. What happened to my little babies?! :(
What about priority tender? Did you have any experience with that? Or the special seating in the theater?

[pathubia]

[quote name='mama4five']Great! Another confirmation! Our group consists of a 23, 22, 20, 17 & 14 year olds. What happened to my little babies?! :(
What about priority tender? Did you have any experience with that? Or the special seating in the theater?[/QUOTE]

The cruise with all the kids (not all ours, lol) was to Bermuda, we didn't have to tender there, but we were all allowed priorty disembarktion the first day in Bermuda. The concierge met the suite groups in the Star bar and escorted us down a service elevator. We all were there as a family and we werent questioned on who was in the suite and who wasn't. On our cruise this past January, we did tender in Belize (but it was just the two of us)....We were left priorty info in the suite. It was the same, we met in the Star Bar and escorted by the concierge and the butlers down to deck 4 and the tender.

When we were on our cruise in October, we were diverted to the Bahamas and had a day at Great Stirrup Cay. We tendered there. We werent in a suite, we were in a mini, but we had booked a couple of excursions so we were able to be on the first tender with the suite pax, due to an early excursion. That time we had to show our excursion tickets to get on the first tender. :cool:

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='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![/QUOTE]

Good info on the suite life: Our daughter, granddaughter, and great plus 2 others are just off the Jewel Haven suites. They had mixed feeling: yes,all loved the eperience. Well ggdaugher is too young to know the difference between one cabin and another. She just had fun with other kids and in the pool. Our daughter said she can't imagine going back to a regular balcony but our granddaughter had a little different view: she loved the perks, the size and all that went with suite cruising, would do it again in a second for the right price,but certainly would be happy in any other type of cabin as well. I just wish I could have been on the cruise with them to judge for myself: I was supposed to be, but knee replacement took presidence over a cruise.