NEW Suite Upgrades....

[dodgeenterprises]

I'm not sure I would know what to do with a butler, I think I would feel uncomfortable with one

[legaljen1969]

Before ...

 

 

 

 

After ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's quite the old switcheroo there. It looks like the first picture was a balcony stateroom and the second was a very large suite. That is certainly NOT a before and after of the same type cabin.

[tnt10]

That's quite the old switcheroo there. It looks like the first picture was a balcony stateroom and the second was a very large suite. That is certainly NOT a before and after of the same type cabin.

 

Actually, from personal experience:

 

1st picture = JS

2nd picture = unk

3rd picture = unk

4th picture = OS (living and dining areas)

5th picture = RS (master bathroom)

6th picture = RS (balcony)

 

Were these really labeled as before and after of the same staterooms? If so, someone must have been very confused...

 

Happy Cruising,

TnT

[critterchick]

Actually, from personal experience:

 

1st picture = JS

2nd picture = unk

3rd picture = unk

4th picture = OS (living and dining areas)

5th picture = RS (master bathroom)

6th picture = RS (balcony)

 

Were these really labeled as before and after of the same staterooms? If so, someone must have been very confused...

 

Happy Cruising,

TnT

 

The first 3 pictures are of a balcony cabin. And Cuizer is being a prankster.;)

[Cuizer2]

Anxious to hear what the perks are for suites. 32 pages of speculation so far... Seems like it going to be like BOBO, nothing new or new prices to cover the cost of any new perks.

 

I would love to see free wifi, free drink package, and/or free specialty dining.

 

You can't see the wifi, free or paid. It is invisible.

[Cuizer2]

I guess I feel different, free internet does not interest me. I would prefer to see a butler

 

[Cuizer2]

That's quite the old switcheroo there. It looks like the first picture was a balcony stateroom and the second was a very large suite. That is certainly NOT a before and after of the same type cabin.

 

The new furniture makes the room look bigger. :D

[Cuizer2]

Actually, from personal experience:

 

1st picture = JS

2nd picture = unk

3rd picture = unk

4th picture = OS (living and dining areas)

5th picture = RS (master bathroom)

6th picture = RS (balcony)

 

Were these really labeled as before and after of the same staterooms? If so, someone must have been very confused...

 

Happy Cruising,

TnT

 

First three are all regular balcony cabins (actually the same balcony cabin). You got the other three correct.

[Cuizer2]

The first 3 pictures are of a balcony cabin. And Cuizer is being a prankster.;)

 

Me, a prankster??? :eek:

[Cuizer2]

If you want to see all the cabin photos, click on the link below ...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2203566

 

The balcony cabin photos start with post # 4.

 

The RS cabin photos start with post # 8.

 

The OS cabin photos start with post # 15.

[DebJ14]

I'm not sure I would know what to do with a butler, I think I would feel uncomfortable with one

 

We had a butler on Royal Olympic before they went bankrupt. He was fabulous.

 

We just had a butler on MSC Divina in the Yacht Club last month. Again, another fabulous experience with Aaron Pineda as our butler.

 

You would be amazed at how much your come to rely on them. A good butler anticipates your needs so you don't really need to ask for much. Within the first couple of days he figured out our schedule so whenever he needed to bring something to the cabin like more fruit or chocolate covered strawberries he always came while we were out of the cabin. Our New York Times was always hanging on the cabin door when we got up.

 

We also loved the escorts from the pier to the cabin, from cabin to dinner the first night (with an explanation of the elevator key cards as well as finding the private dining room for suite guests) and the escort to the front of the line at the gangway on disembarkation.

 

On MSC the butlers escorted the Yacht Club guests out to the pier for their tours and the head butler, Kamil, escorted us all the way to the door of the bus and made sure everyone had a seat.

 

Our butler also noted our preferences in the mini bar items and always brought extras of those things we ate and drank regularly twice a day (same with toiletries). Mini bar was complimentary and included snacks as well as soda, beer and alcoholic beverages.

 

Our butler had 9 cabins to take care of + a room steward to assist him. He also brought the room service. If you wanted a cocktail or cappucino you just called the butler and he brought it to the cabin.

 

He also circulated in the Top Sail lounge and up by the pool and Bar One checking on his guests. One afternoon up by the pool he walked by and waved and I didn't think anything of it as we always saw him around the Yacht Club. He noticed that the ice in our drinks was melted and without saying anything went to the bar and got fresh drinks as well as cold bottles of water. On MSC all drinks are included in the Yacht Club.

 

We have a Haven suite with a butler booked for January on NCL. It will be interesting to compare.

 

We always get at least a Grand Suite on RCCL and an aft suite on Princess. But, the service and perks on MSC in the Yacht Club make them look pitiful. FYI many of the YC guests we met were past Celebrity guests and they said MSC had Celebrity beat. One of our favorites in the Top Sail Lounge was a butler on Celebrity for 15 years before moving over to MSC. We loved our own personal butler, but all of the other butlers also went out of their way to take care of us.

[DebJ14]

I'm not sure I would know what to do with a butler, I think I would feel uncomfortable with one

 

We had a butler on Royal Olympic before they went bankrupt. He was fabulous.

 

We just had a butler on MSC Divina in the Yacht Club last month. Again, another fabulous experience.

 

You would be amazed at how much you come to rely on them. A good butler anticipates your needs so you don't really need to ask for much. Within the first couple of days he figured out our schedule so whenever he needed to bring something to the cabin like more fruit or chocolate covered strawberries he always came while we were out of the cabin. Our New York Times was always hanging on the cabin door when we got up.

 

We also loved the escorts from the pier to the cabin, from cabin to dinner the first night (with an explanation of the elevator key cards as well as finding the private dining room for suite guests) and the escort to the front of the line at the gangway on disembarkation.

 

On MSC the butlers escorted the Yacht Club guests out to the pier for their tours and the head butler escorted us all the way to the door of the bus and made sure everyone had a seat.

 

Our butler also noted our preferences in the mini bar items and always brought extras of those things we ate and drank regularly twice a day (same with toiletries). Mini bar was complimentary and included snacks as well as soda, beer and alcoholic beverages.

 

Our butler had 9 cabins to take care of + a room steward to assist him. He also brought the room service. If you wanted a cocktail or cappucino you just called the butler and he brought it to the cabin. It was like the old days of cruising. Our butler took the time to really get to know his guests. He never made you feel rushed and when he saw you he always took the time to check that everything was OK.

 

He also circulated in the Top Sail lounge and up by the pool and Bar One checking on his guests. One afternoon up by the pool he walked by and waved and I didn't think anything of it as we always saw him around the Yacht Club. He noticed that the ice in our drinks was melted and without saying anything went to the bar and got fresh drinks as well as cold bottles of water. On MSC all drinks are included in the Yacht Club.

 

We have a Haven suite with a butler booked for January on NCL. It will be interesting to compare the perks.

 

We always get at least a Grand Suite on RCCL and an aft suite on Princess. But, the service and perks on MSC in the Yacht Club make them look pitiful. FYI many of the YC guests we met were past Celebrity guests and they said MSC had Celebrity beat. One of our favorites in the Top Sail Lounge was a butler on Celebrity for 15 years before moving over to MSC. We loved our own personal butler, but all of the other butlers also went out of their way to take care of us.

Edited May 26, 2015 by DebJ14

[Soozgone]

We had a butler several times on celebrity...never used him for anything. Kind of a waste of money for us.

 

Nancy

 

 

 

We also have had a Butler, on 3 of our cruises. Like you, we really didn't feel that it added anything to our experience. It's more of a pretentious gimmick than a real benefit, I feel. The last one, we thanked very much, tipped well, and said that we wouldn't require any special services. He was delighted!

 

I'd much rather just have free internet, a couple of bottles of champagne, and a nice suite for my money.

[mconthehighseas]

You would be amazed at how much you come to rely on them. A good butler anticipates your needs so you don't really need to ask for much. Within the first couple of days he figured out our schedule .....

 

 

I have always found that when we book a suite, the cabin attendent performs many functions that a butler would, and most of the ones that s/he can't, the concierge takes care of.

 

I agree that Royal doesn't do as much as MSC does for its suite guests (no escort from the pier or to dinner, no unpacking), but I am not sure how much we would take advantage of those things if they were available.

 

I think we WOULD miss a concierge lounge if we didn't have one.

[John&LaLa]

We also have had a Butler, on 3 of our cruises. Like you, we really didn't feel that it added anything to our experience. It's more of a pretentious gimmick than a real benefit, I feel. The last one, we thanked very much, tipped well, and said that we wouldn't require any special services. He was delighted!

 

I'd much rather just have free internet, a couple of bottles of champagne, and a nice suite for my money.

 

Just because you don't know how to utilize a butler is no reason not to have one. Our beach condo has a bidet, never wanted one, but now I like it.

[sauvichick]

We had a butler on Royal Olympic before they went bankrupt. He was fabulous.

 

We just had a butler on MSC Divina in the Yacht Club last month. Again, another fabulous experience.

 

You would be amazed at how much you come to rely on them. A good butler anticipates your needs so you don't really need to ask for much. Within the first couple of days he figured out our schedule so whenever he needed to bring something to the cabin like more fruit or chocolate covered strawberries he always came while we were out of the cabin. Our New York Times was always hanging on the cabin door when we got up.

 

We also loved the escorts from the pier to the cabin, from cabin to dinner the first night (with an explanation of the elevator key cards as well as finding the private dining room for suite guests) and the escort to the front of the line at the gangway on disembarkation.

 

On MSC the butlers escorted the Yacht Club guests out to the pier for their tours and the head butler escorted us all the way to the door of the bus and made sure everyone had a seat.

 

Our butler also noted our preferences in the mini bar items and always brought extras of those things we ate and drank regularly twice a day (same with toiletries). Mini bar was complimentary and included snacks as well as soda, beer and alcoholic beverages.

 

Our butler had 9 cabins to take care of + a room steward to assist him. He also brought the room service. If you wanted a cocktail or cappucino you just called the butler and he brought it to the cabin. It was like the old days of cruising. Our butler took the time to really get to know his guests. He never made you feel rushed and when he saw you he always took the time to check that everything was OK.

 

He also circulated in the Top Sail lounge and up by the pool and Bar One checking on his guests. One afternoon up by the pool he walked by and waved and I didn't think anything of it as we always saw him around the Yacht Club. He noticed that the ice in our drinks was melted and without saying anything went to the bar and got fresh drinks as well as cold bottles of water. On MSC all drinks are included in the Yacht Club.

 

We have a Haven suite with a butler booked for January on NCL. It will be interesting to compare the perks.

 

We always get at least a Grand Suite on RCCL and an aft suite on Princess. But, the service and perks on MSC in the Yacht Club make them look pitiful. FYI many of the YC guests we met were past Celebrity guests and they said MSC had Celebrity beat. One of our favorites in the Top Sail Lounge was a butler on Celebrity for 15 years before moving over to MSC. We loved our own personal butler, but all of the other butlers also went out of their way to take care of us.

 

Thank you for including details about the MSC yacht club. I am interested in reading your comparison to The Haven. I am seriously considering MSC and a possible return to NCL, but only at the suite level. Since I have nothing else to compare it to except for Royal I know it can get better!

[weenie2]

I have only done one cruise, celebrity century in a royal suite. Best thing was personal escort to michaels club for lunch and verve clique champagne. Beats fighting it out at the buffet.

 

We are booked on ovation next yr in a grand suite. Would love similar boarding experience + specialty restaurants. Drinks package would be great too.

[weenie2]

Oops I meant personal escort embarkation to mics els club.

[Soozgone]

Just because you don't know how to utilize a butler is no reason not to have one. Our beach condo has a bidet, never wanted one, but now I like it.

 

 

I'm not sure why you would assume I don't know how to utilise a Butler?

 

My point was that I know what they do, but do not require what they provide. Their service does not enhance my experience of my cruise, and I prefer other types of suite benefits.

 

I have 2 bidets in my home, and I know how to utilise them too :D

[mconthehighseas]

I'm hoping they include free laundry for all cruises over 7 days

[lucymorgan]

I'm not sure why you would assume I don't know how to utilise a Butler?

 

My point was that I know what they do, but do not require what they provide. Their service does not enhance my experience of my cruise, and I prefer other types of suite benefits.

 

I have 2 bidets in my home, and I know how to utilise them too :D

 

+1

 

different people value different things.

 

i wouldn't like a butler - a good stateroom attendant is enough for me. I don't care for more intrusion into my holiday.

My father was in the military and was assigned a batman (with some similar duties to a butler), personal chef, driver, etc but my mother refused to have a batman as she preferred to look after him herself.

Edited May 30, 2015 by jenibor

[Sam.Seattle]

I'm hoping they include free laundry for all cruises over 7 days

Why "over 7 days" ?

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Anyone have any updates? Heard any rumors?

 

Just curious, as I just had a great experience in a suite on Oasis and I'm now looking into Allure. But the price is slightly higher, and I'm wondering if maybe it is because of new suite benefits that will be rolled out by that time?

Edited June 1, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[FloatMe]

Why "over 7 days" ?

Other lines offer suite guests free laundry service for suite guests for cruises of 7 days or longer. I'm guessing they believe most of us can reasonably pack for that duration of voyage without having to wear clothing items twice or after they have been soiled.

[RocketMan275]

Anyone have any updates? Heard any rumors?

 

Just curious, as I just had a great experience in a suite on Oasis and I'm now looking into Allure. But the price is slightly higher, and I'm wondering if maybe it is because of new suite benefits that will be rolled out by that time?

 

No one knows. No one can know. All is speculation.

 

You might want to check today's prices since the 30/30 sale just kicked in. I noticed some decent price reductions on suites. If you like the price, book it.