Have you sailed in a Sky suite on Ascent? worth the price?

[dleahy4444]

Have you done the Retreat on the Ascent? We are booked in a sunset veranda stateroom so we already have a nice balcony. We don’t have the drink package and will rely on our Elite happy hour and comped casino drinks. We have the opportunity to bid on a Move Up to a sky suite. My understanding is that if we win the bid we will not get the drink or internet package but have access to the retreat lounge, sun deck and restaurant. What has been your experience on the Ascent? Was the Retreat worth it? 

[CruiseRQA]

Have not been on the Ascent but have been in suites on Apex and Beyond and would expect a similar experience. 

 

My answer?  It depends.   If finances are not issue then yes, go for the suite.   We like the Luminae and the lounge and spend much time lounging in the outdoor spaces of the Retreat.   The pool and hot tops can get busy just like in the regular part of the ship.

 

If finances are a consideration then it would depend on the price difference.  I think if you are comfortable with the price difference than it's worth it.   If it is a stretch financially then I don' think it would be worth it.   The Retreat is nice but it isn't a life changing experience as compared to the rest of the ship.  

[PTC DAWG]

IF you win move up bid, you will get drinks in the retreat lounge also.  I like the extra "elbow room" in the SS vs a regular balcony.  

[Tyler414]

Ascent is currently on its maiden voyage, there were two short “preview” cruises before the current maiden voyage, so very limited folks in Retreat so far. Georgia Peaches was in Retreat on one of the previews and has a live tread that is still active.  

[Illsticktocrusing]

I was in a MC-Sky Suite during the first preview cruise.  I did have all the perks, so I was not reliant on going to the lounge for drinks as I have done in the past. When I have won a move-up bid to a Sky when I did not have drink package or only the classic, I used the lounge for drinks A LOT 🙂 (grab and go for soft drinks, water, premium coffee).  By the second night, they knew what I typically liked to order.   We like dinning in Luminae and the retreat deck is not a noisy as the rest of the outdoor spaces.  Like most would say, if you like you current room (sunset veranda) then I would stay put.  

[dleahy4444]

12 minutes ago, Illsticktocrusing said:

I was in a MC-Sky Suite during the first preview cruise.  I did have all the perks, so I was not reliant on going to the lounge for drinks as I have done in the past. When I have won a move-up bid to a Sky when I did not have drink package or only the classic, I used the lounge for drinks A LOT 🙂 (grab and go for soft drinks, water, premium coffee).  By the second night, they knew what I typically liked to order.   We like dinning in Luminae and the retreat deck is not a noisy as the rest of the outdoor spaces.  Like most would say, if you like you current room (sunset veranda) then I would stay put.  

Thanks for your reply. I do like the fact that we currently have the regular balcony, but the SS room is bigger and nicer. I’m on the fence. Money is certainly a consideration for us, so the upgrade would need to be worth it to stretch our budget. 

[jelayne]

 You do not get the beverage package or wi-fi,  But you do get drinks in the Retreat Lounge, but not Luminae or the Retreat Sun Deck. 

We have been sailing in SS on E-class ships for the past 8 cruises.  We are not fans of the Luminae menu so we only eat dinner there about 1/2 the time, the 4 MDRs offer more options for menu items than Luminae. 

The Retreat Lounge is nice but most evenings after 6:30 or 7 it is dead, so not a place to hang out, have a couple of drinks and meet others. 

With the changes to the Sky Suites we have started booking SVs.

 

[Cruise a holic]

Sailed in a sky suite on the Edge and on the Apex.  Well worth it!  It is a ship within a ship concept.  Loved the suite sun deck!  Great service in Luminae.  The suite lounge is one of my favorite places on the ship.

 

You also have a "real" balcony which is so much nicer then a window that is on the Infinite balcony including AQ cabins..  We also enjoy special dinners in Eden and the Steak house.  Other perks also offered to suite guests.

 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by Cruise a holic

[kwokpot]

You didn't mention how much you're planning on bidding. For the record we did a SS on the Apex which was our first experience in Retreat and we loved it. If you're price conscious it all boils down to the amount you're bidding and whether the added costs are worth it to your for the experience. Break it down by day and them see if it seems reasonable to pay $X/day/cabin for the Retreat Class experience. 

[dleahy4444]

7 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

You didn't mention how much you're planning on bidding. For the record we did a SS on the Apex which was our first experience in Retreat and we loved it. If you're price conscious it all boils down to the amount you're bidding and whether the added costs are worth it to your for the experience. Break it down by day and them see if it seems reasonable to pay $X/day/cabin for the Retreat Class experience. 

We would bid near minimum but it’s still pretty pricey especially since it is a new ship. We probably won’t win anyway, but then again you never know. We have to make sure that even at minimum bid, the additional cost is worth it for us. I’m leaning towards it, the husband is not. We cruise and travel quite a bit so we need to consider our travel budget as a whole. It’s a tough decision since money is a consideration. Are the upgrades worth funds we can put towards another trip? Personal decision, I know, so I’m looking for advice here. Is it a can’t miss or just ok? 

[kwokpot]

34 minutes ago, dleahy4444 said:

We would bid near minimum but it’s still pretty pricey especially since it is a new ship. We probably won’t win anyway, but then again you never know. We have to make sure that even at minimum bid, the additional cost is worth it for us. I’m leaning towards it, the husband is not. We cruise and travel quite a bit so we need to consider our travel budget as a whole. It’s a tough decision since money is a consideration. Are the upgrades worth funds we can put towards another trip? Personal decision, I know, so I’m looking for advice here. Is it a can’t miss or just ok? 

A couple of things to consider. First off do you feel you'll spend time using the Retreat lounge? What that boils down to is will you enjoy spending time relaxing and drinking in a private lounge or are you more interested to be among everyone else, especially on a brand new ship? The Retreat Lounge doesn't have regular entertainment so it won't be like sitting in the Grand Plaza or Eden listening to live entertainment. If those are things you enjoy doing nightly that would limit the amount of time you spend in the lounge. Same goes for the Retreat sundeck. Do you think you'll enjoy being outside in a private area away from everyone or you prefer the energy of the main pool deck?

Have you been on an E-Class ship? If not then maybe this isn't the best time to upgrade since you'll be interested in checking out all the great venues on the whole ship. If you've already experienced an E-Class ship then there's less 'need' to experience all the different venues since you're already familiar with them. 

Edited December 4, 2023 by kwokpot

[dleahy4444]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

A couple of things to consider. First off do you feel you'll spend time using the Retreat lounge? What that boils down to is will you enjoy spending time relaxing and drinking in a private lounge or are you more interested to be among everyone else, especially on a brand new ship? The Retreat Lounge doesn't have regular entertainment so it won't be like sitting in the Grand Plaza or Eden listening to live entertainment. If those are things you enjoy doing nightly that would limit the amount of time you spend in the lounge. Same goes for the Retreat sundeck. Do you think you'll enjoy being outside in a private area away from everyone or you prefer the energy of the main pool deck?

Have you been on an E-Class ship? If not then maybe this isn't the best time to upgrade since you'll be interested in checking out all the great venues on the whole ship. If you've already experienced an E-Class ship then there's less 'need' to experience all the different venues since you're already familiar with them. 

Thank you. Very insightful. I have been on the Beyond and the Edge in regular verandas and it was fine overall. On an earlier trip I was on the Edge in the Retreat area and loved it. But part of that may have been that it was just after Covid reopening and the ship was pretty empty which was nice and we met a fun group of people who also had suites. Had a sky suite on the Millennium but only used the sun deck once because of weather. But I am a sun lover and would use the sun deck weather permitting. 
I’m sure whatever we do I’ll have a great time

[lv2cruisgrl]

We have done Retreat on Apex and Beyond, loved the sky suites on them!  However at today's prices, No way, not worth it in our opinion. 

Edited December 4, 2023 by lv2cruisgrl