Premium vs. Penthouse suites

[20165]

Hi, We just booked the premium suite, however it seems bigger than a Penthouse but it was cheaper.  The location of the premium cabins we booked seem good, front corners of deck 10, unless someone tells me that's a bad location. Cabins in red in the pic below.  so is there anything else that would make those cabins cheaper than a penthouse?

Thanks

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by 20165

[EDDY0827]

These cabins are at the "pointy end" of the ship; more movement and not as convenient to the activity areas of the ship would be my guess.

[Ken the cruiser]

We've not chose to book those forward-facing cabins for a few reasons. First, I don't believe they offer a fully covered balcony whereas a Penthouse on either side of the ship does. Second, if your cruise is taking you to a colder climate, say Antarctica or a Northern Lights cruise up above the Arctic circle in the Fall, sitting on the balcony could be a little chilly and breezy, especially when the ship is moving. One last reason is its forward location if your cruise encounters rough seas with 15-20+ foot swells. I call it the diving board. Now if you don't mind some movement of the ocean while in your cabin, then that may not be an issue. Anyway, that's my two cents on the subject.

[Dawniepoo]

I love those corner suites. I would take it!

[donswife]

The premium suites cost less due to location.  There is more movement,  but I was fine talking my bonine every day. It is also a long walk to many parts of the ship. Our balcony was fully covered (A101). We loved the layout and forward facing window with side balcony, and it was actually quite sheltered. There were cozy blankets in the cupboard. 

The first picture is the view from the balcony. 

[memoak]

We are fans of the aft facing penthouse suites. Not fond of the pitching that far forward. 

[dides]

We love Premium suites! The bedrooms are huge and love the window view. The balconies aren't as big but are double the length of a standard balcony, have lovely furniture and not overlooked.  We have never felt any extra movement, you might hear the anchor going down on the odd occasion. They are not too far from Sabatinis for suite breakfasts or the Sanctuary and Retreat Pool but one downside would be the trek up to the aft Concierge Lounge. Selection of pictures below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[memoak]

24 minutes ago, dides said:

We love Premium suites! The bedrooms are huge and love the window view. The balconies aren't as big but are double the length of a standard balcony, have lovely furniture and not overlooked.  We have never felt any extra movement, you might hear the anchor going down on the odd occasion. They are not too far from Sabatinis for suite breakfasts or the Sanctuary and Retreat Pool but one downside would be the trek up to the aft Concierge Lounge. Selection of pictures below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is a very very narrow balcony. Much prefer the penthouse aft suites especially those wrap around ones

[Upper Bob]

We also have a Premium Suite (C102) booked for the first time for a TA on the Enchanted later this year. We have stayed in an aft Penthouse, which does have a much larger balcony (though only the cabins on Dolphin and Baja have any cover, and then only partial). After touring a Premium we saw how much bigger the bedroom was than the Penthouse Suites (both aft and mid-ship) and loved the forward facing window. The Premiums have the same narrow covered balcony as the Penthouse cabins on Rivera deck (maybe even a little longer). I think the cheaper pricing is based on cabin location. We have stayed in the forward facing Reserve Collection Mini Suites on Marina and Lido decks and did not notice any appreciable “rocking” of the ship. Definitely a longer walk to concierge lounge but closer to the Sanctuary, theater, and spa (if you utilize those venues). It’s all a matter of perspective and we look it as an opportunity to walk off those splurges that we enjoy eating 😁.

[20165]

Thanks for the info everyone.  Sounds like location and a smaller balcony are the only negatives, but neither are issues for us.  In fact, we really wanted the window suite because we dont use the balconies but we couldnt get 2 on the same deck.  

Thanks again for the great info.

[cruzsnooze]

I had that cabin on the discovery earlier this year. I disliked it and tried to change cabins but it was a full sailing. The slanted ceiling made the cabin feel small. There were 2 very small closets. You couldn't sit at the desk and have someone get onto the balcony without getting up it's so small. The walk to the concierge was a mile long. The walk to anywhere was quite long. You may love it but I didn't. 

 

 

 

[2MellowCruisers]

We recently stayed in C102 on the Royal Princess.  It was our first time in a suite so it could be the initial “oooh,ahhh” but we loved the room.  We just booked the same room for a cruise next year on the Discovery.  Here are some of our observations.

 

 Balcony- It was covered but very narrow.  We like to play cards and have drinks on the balcony and had no problem but did have to maneuver to get in and out of the chairs.  It would get windy but if you stood a towards where it slopes down and is sheltered a bit, it was very usable when windy.  They supply blankets if needed.

 

Noise- We did hear odd noises once in a while, but figured it was the anchor and/or this little area that opens below where crew step out to monitor the ropes while docking and leaving port.  A long screeching/squeak.  Also, there is a crew area opposite your entry door.  That door slams every once in a while.  None of the really bothered us or our experience.  To some it might.

 

Front/Bedroom Window- We loved this.  We were in Alaska and stayed in our cabin at the glaciers.  Loved that we could see from the balcony and when the ship turns, we could look out the bedroom window also.  Also, while sailing we could stand or sit and just take in the view without the windchill.  The sun coming in the window did seem to make the cabin temperature go up and down so we did play with the thermostat a bit.  Also, if you are tall (DH), you can hit your head looking out the window.

 

Storage- We don’t bring a lot so for us there is a ton of storage.  A cabinet in the main room, with a safe.  Desk drawers and some table drawers.  The bedroom has a cabinet with four compartments to hang clothes and shelves behind the mirror door.  We will do some laundry while on a cruise, but if you have a lot of clothes, I can see how the closet could be too small.  Also, four large drawers and more storage for large items in the cabinet under the window that spans the length of that wall.

 

Bathroom- Having a separate large shower with both a hand held and wall nozzle was great.  Also, the water closet is separate.  Plenty of room for our toiletries.  The bathroom is also one of the reasons we want to book a suite again.

 

Room Steward- This was a first for us.  There is a room steward and an assistant steward.  They were great and responded to anything that came up but we rarely saw them.  They did let us know that they worked suites on multiple decks and gave us a card with a number to call if we needed anything.  The steward who worked on cabins next to us introduced herself to us in the hallway and said that if we need anything, to let her know and she would let our steward know.  We did let her know of one issue and our steward was on it and checking back later.  She was the one we saw all the time and would ask how everything was going.  The room stewards were great though, we just never saw them that much.

 

Location- It did seem like a long walk to most things.  We did go the concierge lounge a few times but it was a walk.  We figure it is a good thing to work off some of the food.  We didn’t feel too much motion on this cruise but I like the movement so for me, it would be a plus.  On a past cruise from San Francisco to Alaska, our cabin was in the center but we passed it one night in really rough seas and ended up at the front and could tell when we got to the forward area it was much worse than where our cabin was so that could be an issue for some

 

Sorry for the long-winded reply, we just got off a couple weeks ago and are looking forward to our next cruise in this cabin.  We want to try an aft cabin later.