Why do I want to book concierge vs balconies?

[ghstudio]

We have booked the top balcony cabin and I am probably missing something, but other than cabin location, why should I book concierge?

 

 

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[Petoonya]

A very frequently asked question. Here's a thread with a lot of good replies.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2487716&highlight=balcony+vs+concierge

[LHT28]

I do not know

Because you can ???

 

I booked a concierge cabin because it was the only Cat left in my price range & DH likes to use the hot tub on the spa deck

 

YMMV

[Paulchili]

If you are asking me - you don't want to book the concierge. For us it is not worth it - for others it may be.

See the thread posted by Petoonya (and search for others on this topic).

[Harters]

We booked concierge for our recent cruise. It brings a few fairly minor benefits. Oceania is not a cheap holiday. We had booked because we were celebrating a special occasion, so the minor benefits were a nice addition (and not too expensive bearing in mind the total cost of the cruise). I am not convinced that the benefits were worth it and in the fairly unlikely event that we book another Oceania cruise, I doubt we'd go concierge. That said, my companion in life was more impressed with the concierge benefits, so I may be over-ruled.

[ORV]

We have booked the top balcony cabin and I am probably missing something, but other than cabin location, why should I book concierge?

 

 

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Why book the top balcony cabin? Other than location they're all the same, with the exception of some B3's with bigger balconies.

 

If spending extra money I'd go for the PH.

[lais]

I have had both concierge and regular balcony. On a short cruise or port intensive cruise a regular balcony is fine. On a longer cruise I really enjoyed the concierge lounge (but our cabin was very close to the lounge. If it were further away I probably wouldn't go out of my way to go there) and we really enjoyed access to the Terrace. I haven't experienced a Penthouse as yet and I am sure that is fabulous no matter the length of the cruise. Out of our cruises with Oceania we have had regular balcony one time and concierge on the others and I didn't feel it was worth it on the 10 day cruise.

[OzAbroad]

On longer cruises concierge makes more sense. On a 37 day South American and Pacific cruise we had a concierge stateroom and felt it was worth it. We were near the lounge and used it less for sitting in and more for arranging tours, bookings etc with the concierge staff who were very helpful. Also cruises that might involve a number of long port day tours concierge is also nice for the hot breakfast. On the R ships for some the extra specialty restaurant bookings may also be valuable. But only if the cost isn't too high.

[Mura]

What usually happens is that you find different answers and for someone who hasn't used Concierge, etc., before, it can be hard to figure out what YOU would like.

 

We usually are PH or above (mostly PH) but last June we accepted a downsell to a B1. Our memory of these cabins, especially after a number of years in higher cabins, was that we wouldn't enjoy it. But we did. It was fine. Yes, the bathroom was tight but it wasn't awful. Closet space was more than adequate, even in the bathroom. (This was a 14 day cruise if that matters.)

 

Still, if you are in a veranda cabin (I think only the "A" cabins get the hot in-room breakfast), for us it wasn't useful. When we are in a PH we order breakfast in our suite on days when we have tours booked. Otherwise we go to the MDR for breakfast. But when we were in the B1 cabin, we went to Terrace for breakfast.

 

Many people are critical of the "benefits" for concierge, and I think I tend to agree. Now, if you want access to the spa, then it can be valuable. But for *US* the smaller space in a concierge cabin negates the value of having a hot breakfast in the room. There just isn't enough room.

 

On the few occasions when we ordered a late lunch in from Room Service I ate at the computer table and DH ate at the small table in the room. If that's okay for you, then you won't mind the narrow space.

 

Just my thoughts.

 

Mura

 

(In looking back at the recent comments before I hit SEND, Concierge is slightly better on Marina or Riviera than it is on the smaller ships. I rarely use the lounge when on the bigger ships but it's nice to have a fall-back if you missed lunch and want a snack. This isn't available on the "R" ships which I would think makes concierge less desirable there. And many people on the "O" ships never use the lounge at all ...)

 

 

Mura

[srdancer]

2 cruises on Marina in B1, chosen for midship location and staterooms only above and below.

Have A1 on Sirena for Cuba cruise next year because midship and concierge only balcony category with staterooms both above and below.

Can book specialty restaurants 60 days ahead instead of 45 if in concierge.