Best Suite Perks Ranked

[MileHighAko]

The question about order MDR to your suite got me thinking in new ways about suite perks. I'm curious how others would rank the suite perks in order of most valuable and most used.  For me, I'd rank them this way:

 

1. Large room & large balcony (we typically book aft corner and like having a table & chairs to use)

2. Concierge Lounge and helpful Concierge

3. Breakfast at Sabatini's 

4. Club/reserve class dining

5. Fruit bowl that has fresh fruit each day

6. Laundry service

7. MDR food as room service (breakfast, lunch, & dinner)

8. Bottled waters refreshed each day

9. Specialty dining first night

 

I imagine 360 dining will join the list after our cruise on Discovery next month.

 

What about you? How would you rank things?

[JSandage]

We have booked our first full suite for our May 2024 cruise. We have always been in mini-suites before and tried Club Class dining for our Alaska cruise in 2019, loved it!!

 

My ranking based on what we are really looking forward to:

 

1. Large room and large balcony

2. Club class dining

3. MDR room service - especially for breakfast on the balcony

4. Bottled water every day

5. Fruit bowl

6. Laundry service

7. Canapes every evening

 

We don't really care about specialty dining or breakfast at Sabatini's. Not sure if there is a concierge lounge on Island Princess. We didn't have a chance to try the Elite/Platinum lounge on our 2021 cruise on the Sky Princess even though it was our first cruise as Platinum members - maybe we'll get a chance this next time. 

[franktown]

The room and space and the bathroom is the main reason we book a suite and since Club class was added the second reason.

[MJC]

1. Large room & large balcony (we typically book aft corner and like having a table & chairs to use)

2. Priority embarkation

3. Club/reserve class dining

4. Breakfast at Sabatini's

5. Included minibar

6. Bottled waters refreshed each day

7. Laundry service

 

The cabin trumps everything IMO. We cruise the Grands and haven't been on any of the newer ships. We'll be on the Island for the first time this year.

 

We always get specialty dining on first night through our credit card. It is nice when the food is good. After more than once experiencing a terrible crush resulting in cold, overcooked food, we stopped going to Crown Grill and now choose Sabatinis, which is much quieter with better service on 1st night. Then again, we have superior steakhouses here so we aren't missing much by doing so.

 

 

 

 

[Clampram]

Our first suite booking is next week. We did have a minisuite but I bid on a suite and got it!

 

After studying suite locations on Royal P I bid for one of the suites in the concierge lounge area as that appealed to me. I need my coffee in the morning and the idea of just grabbing a couple of cups from the lounge sounds good. The Sabaitini's breakfast sounds good. I can not sit still long enough in the MDR for breakfast........it's just tooooo sloooowww for me. Getting my jelly 20 minutes after I got my toast is not the way I can start the day....it is good....just too dragged out.

After 2 weeks on the Royal I will have a better idea of which perks are the best for us

 

[nwnittany]

1. Large room & OK balcony (we've only  booked the front suites.  great windows, meh balcony)  
2. Club/reserve class dining
3. Concierge Lounge and helpful Concierge (a nice get-away)
4. Laundry service (a biggie for DW)
5. Mini-Bar setup, and bottled waters refreshed each day
6. Priority boarding/waiting areas
7. Specialty dining first night
8. Fruit bowls, canaps
9. Breakfast at Sabatini's (two suite cruises, haven't used...lol..I know, I know)
10. MDR food as room service (breakfast, lunch, & dinner)

[jeromep]

1 hour ago, Clampram said:

Our first suite booking is next week. We did have a minisuite but I bid on a suite and got it!

 

After studying suite locations on Royal P I bid for one of the suites in the concierge lounge area as that appealed to me. I need my coffee in the morning and the idea of just grabbing a couple of cups from the lounge sounds good. The Sabaitini's breakfast sounds good. I can not sit still long enough in the MDR for breakfast........it's just tooooo sloooowww for me. Getting my jelly 20 minutes after I got my toast is not the way I can start the day....it is good....just too dragged out.

After 2 weeks on the Royal I will have a better idea of which perks are the best for us

 

Wow, I've never encountered MDR breakfast to be that slow, but there is a first time for everything.

 

Suite breakfast, usually in Sabatini's, but it can vary from ship to ship, is a sit down experience, but the number of pax that are being taken care of at any given time is much smaller than what the MDRs may handle, although I suspect that most non-suite cruisers are probably just doing buffet breakfast anyway.

 

That said, we usually spent about an hour with breakfast in Sabatini's, but we also were not in a hurry.  After a couple of days with breakfast in Sabatini's the staff would know your customary order and would be prepared to put it in immediately.  They were always happy to mix it up if you weren't in the mood for your usual.

[geoherb]

 

1. Breakfast at Sabatini's 

2. Large room & large balcony 

3. Specialty dining first night

4. Concierge Lounge and helpful Concierge

5. Laundry service

6. Club/reserve class dining

7. Bottled waters refreshed each day

8. MDR food as room service (breakfast, lunch, & dinner)

9. Fruit bowl that has fresh fruit each day

 

 

 

 

[ddgg]

I'll be in a Regal penthouse suite leaving this Sunday (3/26). This will be my first cruise in a suite and looking forward to it! I've looked at the list of full suite perks and have several questions:

 

1. Do you have to make advance reservations for the specialty dining on the 1st night? (medallion app not letting me make any reservations right now.)

2. Do you tip the concierge?  How much?

3. How long to get your laundry back?

4. Do you get free access to the lotus spa thermal hydrotherapy pool?

5. How, when, where do you get the "welcome glass of champagne"?

6. Are the "chef's 'welcome goodies' on embarkation evening" the same as the canapes you can request on subsequent evenings? 

Are these in your cabin or in the concierge lounge?

  

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[memoak]

Remember the concierge only exists on Royal class ships 

[ddgg]

Regal is royal class

[MileHighAko]

49 minutes ago, ddgg said:

I've looked at the list of full suite perks and have several questions:

1. Do you have to make advance reservations for the specialty dining on the 1st night? (medallion app not letting me make any reservations right now.)

- YES. If you're not able to make reservations ahead of time, just pop in at the concierge after you board and ask them to do it.

 

2. Do you tip the concierge?  How much?

That's totally up to you. If you find them helpful, feel free to pass them some cash, but don't feel obligated to.

 

3. How long to get your laundry back?

We usually put our laundry out before the evening turn-down, and it's back the next day at the evening turn-down. If I need an item sooner, I ask for it and they've accomodated.

 

4. Do you get free access to the lotus spa thermal hydrotherapy pool?

No

 

5. How, when, where do you get the "welcome glass of champagne"?

Usually they have glasses of champagne waiting for you when you first enter your room.

 

6. Are the "chef's 'welcome goodies' on embarkation evening" the same as the canapes you can request on subsequent evenings? 

Sometimes, but usually we find something a little extra, like desert bites or chocolate strawberries, etc.

 

Are these in your cabin or in the concierge lounge?

In your cabin. And there are always snacks and small bites in the lounge in the AM and evening.

 

Have fun!

[LadyL1]

On 3/19/2023 at 8:38 PM, Clampram said:

e Sabaitini's breakfast sounds good. I can not sit still long enough in the MDR for breakfast........it's just tooooo sloooowww for me. Getting my jelly 20 minutes after I got my toast is not the way I can start the day....it is good....just too dragged out.

You really must try Sabatinis for breakfast!, perhaps early in the cruise or a cooler morning,  or you will not know what you are missing.

The service is so dedicated there is no waiting: everything arrives just when needed as if by magic. Order what you like, it is no problem for the staff. You will find only a few people in the restaurant, as those outside suites cannot buy a place setting,  even for something special.

The restaurant is truly first class in every respect.

Edited March 21, 2023 by LadyL1

[voljeep]

not ranked 1 - but the separate shower and tub is very nice - we don't do mini's because of the shower/tub combo.

[Clampram]

3 hours ago, LadyL1 said:

You really must try Sabatinis for breakfast!, perhaps early in the cruise or a cooler morning,  or you will not know what you are missing.

The service is so dedicated there is no waiting: everything arrives just when needed as if by magic. Order what you like, it is no problem for the staff. You will find only a few people in the restaurant, as those outside suites cannot buy a place setting,  even for something special.

The restaurant is truly first class in every respect.

Definitely!! And it sounds like it will be the polar opposite of MDR breakfast

[Tak8]

1.Breakfast at Sabatini's 

2. 1st night specialty dinner

3. Thermal suite on ships that have it

 

After top 3, hard to decide.

[Shirt-man]

They need to add the reserved seating at production shows since you get it with the Princess Premier.

 

Suites are the best. Great service, extra room, Club Class dining, Sabatini's, Specialty dinner, laundry if you are not elite.

[XBGuy]

1. Lots of cabin space--living area, storage area.
2. Concierge Lounge--makes my list even though it is not available on all ships.
3. Complimentary first night specialty restaurant dining.
4. Glass of Champagne on embarkation--provides us with glasses that we fill with the Sparkling Wine that we brought onboard to enjoy during sailaway.
5. Fruit Bowl.  (Biggie for me.)
6. Bottled water refresh.  (Biggie for Mrs. XBGuy.)
7. Laundry service--we send it out in the evening and it always has been returned the next evening.
8. Expanded room service menu.
9. Floral arrangement in the cabin--usually orchids.
10. Chocolate-dipped strawberries that seem to appear irregularly.

[dides]

5 hours ago, voljeep said:

not ranked 1 - but the separate shower and tub is very nice - we don't do mini's because of the shower/tub combo.

This is close to one of our top reasons - the roomy, more powerful, shower with a glass door and no flapping curtain 😀.   

[nini]

Not all suites have larger balconies. Be careful.

[Guardsy]

22 hours ago, MileHighAko said:

1. Do you have to make advance reservations for the specialty dining on the 1st night? (medallion app not letting me make any reservations right now.)

- YES. If you're not able to make reservations ahead of time, just pop in at the concierge after you board and ask them to do it.

 

2. Do you tip the concierge?  How much?

That's totally up to you. If you find them helpful, feel free to pass them some cash, but don't feel obligated to.

 

3. How long to get your laundry back?

We usually put our laundry out before the evening turn-down, and it's back the next day at the evening turn-down. If I need an item sooner, I ask for it and they've accomodated.

 

4. Do you get free access to the lotus spa thermal hydrotherapy pool?

No

 

5. How, when, where do you get the "welcome glass of champagne"?

Usually they have glasses of champagne waiting for you when you first enter your room.

 

6. Are the "chef's 'welcome goodies' on embarkation evening" the same as the canapes you can request on subsequent evenings? 

Sometimes, but usually we find something a little extra, like desert bites or chocolate strawberries, etc.

 

Are these in your cabin or in the concierge lounge?

In your cabin. And there are always snacks and small bites in the lounge in the AM and evening.

 

Have fun!

#4, free access to the spa thermal pool..........everything I have says suiteholders do have free access to it.  Saved me $259 PP on our upcoming cruise.

[milolii]

#4. Spa access:  We were given access to the lotus spa thermal pool on the Royal last month.  I was surprised. It was listed in the perk letter we found in the room. We took the letter with us, showed it to the staff and were given access cards.   I thought this was limited to a some of the older ships. See below.  
 

The pdf states (in the link below) only available on Caribbean, Crown, Emerald,  Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire, Island  and Coral.  So if on one of them great.  Maybe it was the concierge on our Royal cruise.

 

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/PrincessSuite_eFlyer.pdf

Edited March 21, 2023 by milolii

[MileHighAko]

15 minutes ago, Guardsy said:

#4, free access to the spa thermal pool..........everything I have says suiteholders do have free access to it.  Saved me $259 PP on our upcoming cruise.

 

4 minutes ago, milolii said:

#4. Spa access:  We were given access to the lotus spa thermal pool on the Royal last month.  I was surprised. It was listed in the perk letter we found in the room. We took the letter with us, showed it to the staff and were given access cards.   I thought this  was limited to a some of the older ships. See below.

 

Awesome! That's good to know! :) 

[getting older slowly]

Suite  Why ?

 

Bigger Cabin

 

Club Class is Good along with Suite Breakfast

 

Free Laundry is good last cruise was 24 hr turn around\

 

The only way we travel

 

Cheers Don

[amypete]

Oh where to begin! Love the SPACE inside and out. Including the big bathroom! 

 

Sabatini's for breakfast

 

Club Class Dining

 

Laundry for the hubs. I don't send mine because I for sure pack enough and I don't want anythign to shrink! ESPECIALLY on a cruise, LOL

 

Champagne the first day, even with the beverage packages. It's just a nice touch.

 

Bottled water is almost unlimited

 

Great room service!

 

(Our last cruise before....was a suite. Our last cruise was in January and we were with friends on balconies on Caribe. I love my friends but I sure did miss my suite! Next one up in October! ) 

 

Crown Grill the first night! It's like a welcome home.