Penthouse vs. Concierge

[TravelinGert]

2 hours ago, Kay S said:

I'm not sure what a dad-bod is, but my husband is 6'2" and he manages fine in an R class regular shower.   I'm short.  No problem for me.

I was trying to be polite about his spare tire, essentially. Like a lot of us he's put on a few pounds over the years. Mostly because I'm not exactly as trim as I once was, either. 😉

[lolawpb]

On the Vista, some of the penthouses also have extended balconies which we found to be very nice. We had a dining table and two loungers out there. I'm not sure what the regular balconies have. The bathroom is quite large and the shower very spacious so that's a plus along with the closet space. The entire suite is one of the largest and nicest entry-level suites that we have enjoyed on any ship. For us this is the most important as I am claustrophobic and wouldn't sleep well in a small cabin. We have always had a butler on our cruises and sometimes we use them a lot and sometimes not as much. This last trip was pretty simple so we didn't require much but our butler tried to do things for us anyway such as leaving snacks in the room and checking in frequently to see if he could be helpful to us. The big bonus was that I had no trouble getting reservations of my choice for the specialty restaurants. My friend is cruising in concierge soon and said she was not able to get the times she wanted so that might be a factor if those reservations are important to you.

[takemewithyou]

2 hours ago, lolawpb said:

On the Vista, some of the penthouses also have extended balconies which we found to be very nice. We had a dining table and two loungers out there. I'm not sure what the regular balconies have. The bathroom is quite large and the shower very spacious so that's a plus along with the closet space. The entire suite is one of the largest and nicest entry-level suites that we have enjoyed on any ship. For us this is the most important as I am claustrophobic and wouldn't sleep well in a small cabin. We have always had a butler on our cruises and sometimes we use them a lot and sometimes not as much. This last trip was pretty simple so we didn't require much but our butler tried to do things for us anyway such as leaving snacks in the room and checking in frequently to see if he could be helpful to us. The big bonus was that I had no trouble getting reservations of my choice for the specialty restaurants. My friend is cruising in concierge soon and said she was not able to get the times she wanted so that might be a factor if those reservations are important to you.

Do you have any pictures of the PH extended balcony or does anyone have any links for pictures?  Thanks.

[lolawpb]

9 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Do you have any pictures of the PH extended balcony or does anyone have any links for pictures?  Thanks.

Here are the few I took. We were on deck 7. From the deck plans it seems that there are a few more penthouses on 11 with those balconies and several concierge rooms with extended balconies on the other decks.

 

 

  

 

Edited April 15 by lolawpb

[lolawpb]

Here are some other photos of the Penthouse suite if anyone would like to see them. Note the space between the end of the bed and credenza which really shows how wide these rooms are. The shower is larger than it appears in the photos. 

 

Edited April 15 by lolawpb

[takemewithyou]

@lolawpb Those pictures are very helpful.  Thanks so much!

[maxamize]

We liked the new Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo the offer in the Penthouse Suites on Vista. 

[tipsygirl]

On 4/13/2024 at 3:21 PM, coolbluegreenseas said:

I have read the literature on Oceania’s site and scoured through here, but still undecided. TL/DR: Bucket list item for hubby. Trip is in October 2025 11 night Antiquity starting in Rome and ending in Istanbul. We tend to spend a lot of time on our veranda and enjoying each other’s company but do like to venture out. With this tiny bit of information in mind, is the suite worth it? The Concierge level is really, really nice, but the butler serving dinner from the speciality restaurants in the cabin sounds really luxurious. Does anyone have personal experience and thoughts? Thanks for any responsess.

We only travel on Oceania in a Penthouse Suite. Once you do it is hard to go back to Concierge. Love having a  Butler.

[coolbluegreenseas]

22 hours ago, ORV said:

Which ship are you considering? It makes all the difference. 

It is the Vista.

[coolbluegreenseas]

Thank you for the pictures! The larger bathroom is another plus. It is likely what I will do is use the same standard as when I have previously booked cruises: choose a cabin we will be absolutely happy in and if a good upgrade shows up, take it. But, if nothing comes our way, that is fine too.

 

Thanks everyone!

[ORV]

54 minutes ago, coolbluegreenseas said:

It is the Vista.

I was actually asking Traveling Gert which one they were talking about. For people new to Oceania they don't realize the difference in rooms and bathrooms between the R ships and the newer ones. 

 

All of the noise in this post about the small bathrooms and showers are moot points unless you're going on an R ship. That's why I keep asking people which ship. 

 

After reading your first post I would say you might want to consider how much you might want to eat in the room. The Concierge cat really doesn't have an acceptable place for eating, where the PH will. 

[Lastdance]

My biggest mistake(ha, ha, ha, and ha)was booking a suite on another brand.  Well, that was pretty much it for the rest of the cruises, a least for a while.  Now that the prices have exceeded my comfort level when booking b2b’s, I do one suite and one with a good-size balcony to compensate.  TBH, I rarely use my butler, but just call it opportunity cost...I have the opportunity to use him/her if I so choose, but still pay for the service...it was great with covid!  I am a newbie to Oceania, but my first cruise is a PH on Vista without the huge balcony. 😭   I am still hoping to snag one as I am a balcony girl, not for sunbathing though, but just to relax, nap and enjoy the sea air.

 

Choose wisely and enjoy!

 

 

Edited April 16 by Lastdance

[DoulaAnn]

On 4/13/2024 at 11:21 PM, DENIE said:

We had him unpack for us (very nice!)

What did he do in terms of unpacking? I feel a need to know where my things are in drawers and not everyone organizes that like I do. If he just hangs things that need hanging and puts shoes in the closet and bathroom items in the bathroom, I might take advantage of that (never have before and we've done PH a lot).

[DoulaAnn]

17 hours ago, Lastdance said:

I am still hoping to snag one as I am a balcony girl, not for sunbathing though, but just to relax, nap and enjoy the sea air.

Booking a big balcony usually means booking the minute the cruise opens for reservations. We've gotten them before doing that. What I don't recommend (at least in our experience) is taking one with the wrap-around balcony. It makes for a smaller room and a smaller closet (and the big closet is one of the perks I REALLY like about a PH).

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 minutes ago, DoulaAnn said:

Booking a big balcony usually means booking the minute the cruise opens for reservations. We've gotten them before doing that. What I don't recommend (at least in our experience) is taking one with the wrap-around balcony. It makes for a smaller room and a smaller closet (and the big closet is one of the perks I REALLY like about a PH).

The four “inside corners” extended balconies on Marina and Riviera (e.g., 7108) interior cabin size is exactly the same as the regular B cabins (recently changed to Concierge) next to them.

[DoulaAnn]

17 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The four “inside corners” extended balconies on Marina and Riviera (e.g., 7108) interior cabin size is exactly the same as the regular B cabins (recently changed to Concierge) next to them.

You are correct that there are Concierge big balconies. But the question was about PH vs. Concierge and that was what I was addressing the PH large balconies and siting 7130 vs. 7128.

[SATaxman]

32 minutes ago, DoulaAnn said:

Booking a big balcony usually means booking the minute the cruise opens for reservations. We've gotten them before doing that. What I don't recommend (at least in our experience) is taking one with the wrap-around balcony. It makes for a smaller room and a smaller closet (and the big closet is one of the perks I REALLY like about a PH).

How much smaller? We booked 7135 whap around balcony PH1 for a 14 day cruise. I saw a video of the Riviera one and the closet looks more than adequate for me a very overpacking kind of person. Just wish there were 2 sinks in the bathroom.

[DoulaAnn]

21 minutes ago, SATaxman said:

How much smaller? We booked 7135 whap around balcony PH1 for a 14 day cruise. I saw a video of the Riviera one and the closet looks more than adequate for me a very overpacking kind of person. Just wish there were 2 sinks in the bathroom.

It's more the size of a concierge room. It's been a long time since I was in a concierge, so can't compare the closets. I would say about 1/3 - 1/2 smaller.

[maxamize]

24 minutes ago, SATaxman said:

How much smaller? We booked 7135 whap around balcony PH1 for a 14 day cruise. I saw a video of the Riviera one and the closet looks more than adequate for me a very overpacking kind of person. Just wish there were 2 sinks in the bathroom.

We had 7135 on Riviera a couple of years ago. We also have had other PH suites on Riviera and the difference in interior size is not that different. 

[Lastdance]

1 hour ago, DoulaAnn said:

Booking a big balcony usually means booking the minute the cruise opens for reservations. We've gotten them before doing that. What I don't recommend (at least in our experience) is taking one with the wrap-around balcony. It makes for a smaller room and a smaller closet (and the big closet is one of the perks I REALLY like about a PH).

Is this the same on Vista?

[Yesimapirate]

I'm going to go in a different direction.   Of course I'm making some big assumptions but you say this is a bucket list trip and it's going from Rome to Istanbul.   Those are two of the most incredible cities in the world.

 

I would suggest the concierge room and take the savings and use it to do something amazing and memorable in Rome, Istanbul or one of the other ports.   There's so much history,  art, food and culture to explore. 

[DENIE]

3 hours ago, DoulaAnn said:

What did he do in terms of unpacking? I feel a need to know where my things are in drawers and not everyone organizes that like I do. If he just hangs things that need hanging and puts shoes in the closet and bathroom items in the bathroom, I might take advantage of that (never have before and we've done PH a lot).

DoulaAnn - we had an added "challenge" that my sister-in-law was traveling with us as well.  I had a chance to go to the room and happened to meet him in the hall.  I told him which suitcases were ours, and which suitcases were my SIL's.  He had a very logical, organized manner in which he unpacked, and I think we only moved a couple things.  One side of the closet was for my wife and I, and the other side was SIL's.  Shoes were divided evenly as well.  T-shirts, daily wear, undergarments, etc were also divided between the available drawers, with nothing mixed together.  He did a great job.  We ended up packing ourselves before disembarking since we already had to pack our evening bag. We will have them unpack on our next cruise too, I think! 🙂

[m1k2s3]

On 4/14/2024 at 12:03 AM, coolbluegreenseas said:

I appreciate the responses! As far as budget goes, I can make either work. What I hate to do is purchase a service and never really use it. Still, the larger cabin and bathroom just might be worth it. I have time to think this over.

 

Thank you so far!

We’ve done 7 Oceania cruises, 6 of them in a Concierge cabin ( Riveria and Regatta). Our last cruise was the exception when a week before our Papeete to Papeete cruise on Nautica in January this year, we got a really good offer to upgrade to a Penthouse.

Honestly, I don’t think I could go back to a Concierge cabin. Not that there’s anything wrong with them but like you, we like spending time in our cabin. So for us, the extra space in the cabin, including the larger bathroom, was what made the difference for us. I don’t think we made good use of having a butler ( he brought canapés each night, served us dinner one night from a specialty restaurant).

 

[takemewithyou]

Our only cruise in a PH, we had the butler bring specialty coffee and a pastry from Baristas almost every morning, he transported bottles of wine a couple of times to specialty restaurants for us, we had dinner from a specialty restaurant served once in the cabin (not course by course….he was too busy) and only one or two times we had canapés delivered, and he also delivered all our laundry to us.  
 

What else could we have asked for beyond all this?  I felt like it was quite a bit, but again, it was our first PH.

[coolbluegreenseas]

4 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

I'm going to go in a different direction.   Of course I'm making some big assumptions but you say this is a bucket list trip and it's going from Rome to Istanbul.   Those are two of the most incredible cities in the world.

 

I would suggest the concierge room and take the savings and use it to do something amazing and memorable in Rome, Istanbul or one of the other ports.   There's so much history,  art, food and culture to explore. 

Excellent suggestion. Something to chew over.