Is there any point booking Royal Suites any more?

I am presently on a resort holiday in Mexico with lots of time to kill by the pool and reading CC is part of my daily routine. Recent comments on the board are of patrons in Sky Suites having their butler to replenish there fridge with beverages using their Premium Drinks cards. On another thread, the question of whether the Shoreside Concierge contacts Sky Suites.

The point I am getting to is whether there is any value anymore in booking either the Penthouse or Royal Suites at significant cost difference is worth if many of the amenities previously part of the offering appear for higher suites are available if in a Sky Suite?

Has the difference between these suites just become one of space not amenity?

I ask because we have a RS booked for a 14 night Ireland & Iceland cruise in 2018 and I am starting to regret this and wonder if I should have booked a smaller suite. Maybe it is the tequila talking, but as we are UK based, we would forfeit our not in considerable deposit if we cancel. Now I have not sailed Celebrity since 2015 when I booked 2 Royal Suites for my family. Back then Sky Suites did not access Michael's but Celebrity has evolved which is good but can someone explain if there is still any difference for the cost.

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Not sure what thread you were reading where they said the butler is replenishing the mini bar. As far as the shore side concierge, I posted on that thread and the consensus is that only Celebrity Suites and above are contacted pre cruise, unless I missed something.

On our May B2B Equinox cruises in a Sky Suite, our butler filled our frig with our desired water, sodas, beers, and bottles of wine that were included in the Premium Beverage Package.

When in Sky Suutes we have not had our butler replenish our mini fridge & we always have the Premium beverage package whether or not in a suite. We have never been contacted by the Shoreside Conciegre.

In addition to twice as much space you are getting a separate bedroom, unlimited speciality dining, much better sparkling wine, a bar set-up, comfortable table to eat a meal at. Have a bit more tequila and you will be fine😉

Not sure if we will be on the same Ireland/Iceland cruise, but I will gladly exchange my AQ for you RS. :D To me, it's not about the perks (other than the dining), it's about the space. Wish we could have more, but not at those prices! :eek:

Enjoy your Royal Suite! ;)

OP, I think that you will still find the intangible/invisible perks that come with the higher level suite are still in place and, as someone else mentioned, you reain your second bathroom and dinning table.

If you questioned the value of the Celebrity Suite, I would be with you - especially on a S-class ship because, IMHO, those suites are so badly designed that I can see little value in them.

After having excellent butlers several times in sky and celebrity suites we were underwhelmed by the S class RS last time. The space, dining table, speciality dining and 2 bottles of spirits were great. Shoreside concierge didn't work. Only the 2 bottles of spirits were there nothing else. The butler was truly invisible. Saw him 3 times, 2 of those on the last day! Didn't even get the afternoon tea trolley( prior to its stopping). We rang one afternoon and a different butler brought us a couple of mixed plates up.

Luck of the draw I know so we are trying a M class PH in September for the suite and balcony but not getting our hopes up for that special service. Gutted that they have got rid of Ocean Liners as the main speciality restaurant that we would have dined in.

Re butlers...Experiences can differ across cruises....whilst we had a good butler on Equinox, we had an outstanding one on Solstice and then a stunning one on Eclipse! Alton Lady, if the butler hadn't visited first day, looked out for us as we left/returned to suite or popped into check on us second day I would be a little concerned and either phone him and express my concern or have a word with the Michael's Club host. We do use our butler although we are aware many guests do just want to be left alone...We would never wait so long in our cruise to register concern...

Re suites. I am totally in agreement with Project gal...whilst we feel there is significantly higher room 'value' between a RS and a Sky Suite we didn't like the CS. The only time we would book this room again would be if we were three adults traveling and a RS was not available.

Re perks....We do value the bar set up. I don't think butlers regularly set up the bars for Sky Suite guests with premium packages (on our last cruise a SS guest was asking us what we could ask for in a PH). I seem to think the OP on the thread you were referring to was traveling with a young child....I think the butler (possibly in liaison with the Michael's Club host) may have decided to do this as the couple would not really get the benefit of Michael's Club...Either that or the butler was one of the 'stunning' ones who genuinely was willing to provide beyond the expected....

Re is the upgrade from Sky Suite to RS worth it? Well there is the obvious bar set up, laundry and room size. There is also adequate space and privacy for a third guest. However, to again quote Project gal there are those intangible and invisible perks that do come with a higher suite...If we were on a port intensive cruise, just the two of us, I would consider a SS...I think they represent great value for money! If a significant part of my cruise was about being spoilt rotten and having every whim pampered to give me a RS or a PH!

Yorkshire Pudding, I seem to remember answering a question of yours in the past about the RS sofa bed...(forgive me if I am wrong!). If you do decide to consider swapping to a SS telephone Celebrity first rather than cancel...I seem to remember there is a way to change details of your booking and simply pay an administrative charge.

OP, I think that you will still find the intangible/invisible perks that come with the higher level suite are still in place and, as someone else mentioned, you reain your second bathroom and dinning table.

 

If you questioned the value of the Celebrity Suite, I would be with you - especially on a S-class ship because, IMHO, those suites are so badly designed that I can see little value in them.

Totally agree. They only way I book a CS is if we can get one with the larger balcony. Otherwise a SS2 is just fine. We get Michael's Club and Luminae which is our primary reason for booking a suite.

Re butlers...Experiences can differ across cruises....whilst we had a good butler on Equinox, we had an outstanding one on Solstice and then a stunning one on Eclipse! Alton Lady, if the butler hadn't visited first day, looked out for us as we left/returned to suite or popped into check on us second day I would be a little concerned and either phone him and express my concern or have a word with the Michael's Club host. We do use our butler although we are aware many guests do just want to be left alone...We would never wait so long in our cruise to register concern...

 

Re suites. I am totally in agreement with Project gal...whilst we feel there is significantly higher room 'value' between a RS and a Sky Suite we didn't like the CS. The only time we would book this room again would be if we were three adults traveling and a RS was not available.

 

Re perks....We do value the bar set up. I don't think butlers regularly set up the bars for Sky Suite guests with premium packages (on our last cruise a SS guest was asking us what we could ask for in a PH). I seem to think the OP on the thread you were referring to was traveling with a young child....I think the butler (possibly in liaison with the Michael's Club host) may have decided to do this as the couple would not really get the benefit of Michael's Club...Either that or the butler was one of the 'stunning' ones who genuinely was willing to provide beyond the expected....

 

 

Re is the upgrade from Sky Suite to RS worth it? Well there is the obvious bar set up, laundry and room size. There is also adequate space and privacy for a third guest. However, to again quote Project gal there are those intangible and invisible perks that do come with a higher suite...If we were on a port intensive cruise, just the two of us, I would consider a SS...I think they represent great value for money! If a significant part of my cruise was about being spoilt rotten and having every whim pampered to give me a RS or a PH!

 

Yorkshire Pudding, I seem to remember answering a question of yours in the past about the RS sofa bed...(forgive me if I am wrong!). If you do decide to consider swapping to a SS telephone Celebrity first rather than cancel...I seem to remember there is a way to change details of your booking and simply pay an administrative charge.

Dear Chemmo

You have previously response to a question on my first Celebrity cruise which was very helpful. My 17 year old son who is now 6 feet 4 inches and still growing, did find the sofa bed comfortable then, when he was a bit shorter. He will be doing it again.

Actually it was your response to that recent thread which caught my attention and hence the questioning the value in the RS.

We did not have a good butler on our first trip. Since my first Celebrity sailing, my husband and I without son, were in a Q2 on the Queen Mary but didn't like the experience so thought we would give Celebrity another try. A good butler does make a difference. On my current land holiday although in a suite the things that would come with a cruise holiday in the same size accommodation are noticeable absent.

As a good Yorkshire lass, I do care about value for money and maybe as Project_gal mentioned, it is the invisible benefits that make the difference. If I can get another reservation in Murano that may be good.[emoji1]

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After having excellent butlers several times in sky and celebrity suites we were underwhelmed by the S class RS last time. The space, dining table, speciality dining and 2 bottles of spirits were great. Shoreside concierge didn't work. Only the 2 bottles of spirits were there nothing else. The butler was truly invisible. Saw him 3 times, 2 of those on the last day! Didn't even get the afternoon tea trolley( prior to its stopping). We rang one afternoon and a different butler brought us a couple of mixed plates up.

Luck of the draw I know so we are trying a M class PH in September for the suite and balcony but not getting our hopes up for that special service. Gutted that they have got rid of Ocean Liners as the main speciality restaurant that we would have dined in.

Reading your reply made me feel so much better in that it isn't just us. My husband does not drink and we still have the bottles of Grey Goose and Patron unopened at home. The table is a lovely addition. I just wish you could have Luminae or Murano meals delivered. I would happily pay a delivery fee. We were told we could not.

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No value to me, but just try to get one. Obviously a value to enough people to fill them!

Not sure if we will be on the same Ireland/Iceland cruise, but I will gladly exchange my AQ for you RS. :D To me, it's not about the perks (other than the dining), it's about the space. Wish we could have more, but not at those prices! :eek:

 

Enjoy your Royal Suite! ;)

I believe that there is only one sailing in 2018 which my family is looking forward to particularly Iceland. I will start planning that trip when I return home.

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Dear Chemmo

You have previously response to a question on my first Celebrity cruise which was very helpful. My 17 year old son who is now 6 feet 4 inches and still growing, did find the sofa bed comfortable then, when he was a bit shorter. He will be doing it again.

 

Actually it was your response to that recent thread which caught my attention and hence the questioning the value in the RS.

 

We did not have a good butler on our first trip. Since my first Celebrity sailing, my husband and I without son, were in a Q2 on the Queen Mary but didn't like the experience so thought we would give Celebrity another try. A good butler does make a difference. On my current land holiday although in a suite the things that would come with a cruise holiday in the same size accommodation are noticeable absent.

 

As a good Yorkshire lass, I do care about value for money and maybe as Project_gal mentioned, it is the invisible benefits that make the difference. If I can get another reservation in Murano that may be good.[emoji1]

 

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Having previously cruised you know now what is standard service and what extras are of value to you.

Honestly, with a third adult in tow the RS is worth every penny for the increased space, second half bathroom and two separate sleeping areas. Quite simply the SS would be difficult, especially as you have experienced a RS.

I would honestly suggest pre cruise you really think about what you want from your butler and let him know clearly....if you feel he is not performing then let him or the Michael's Club host know what is missing. We did have some concerns last cruise as the afternoon tea service had gone. Not only do we enjoy afternoon tea we also find it a great time to 'touch base' with the butler. We would maybe 'tweek' our dining time or arrange with him full breakfast or coffee for the next day...he would ask if we had laundry....We need not have worried our afternoon tea came each day and although our butler could not always deliver it he would come each evening to collect the remains and we could have our conversations. Often only very small points, but so nice to be looked after...

I don't quite understand your Murano's comment? Were you restricted to number of visits? We confess to dining there three times last cruise, always at our favourite table, at our preferred time....We usually prebook our speciality dining with the shoreside concierge then confirm with the butler once on board.

Actually I had followed up on a tip from Project_gal to outline request in writing and provided these to Michael's concierge before boarding and telephoned to confirm. My MiL who travelled with us in another RS had undergone chemo just days before boarding and needed particular care. This was handled discreetly by all who had contact with her with MCC help for which we were very grateful. This is in part why we are trying Celebrity again. Unfortunately a change in health prevents her travelling with us again.

Regarding Murano. Loved the restaurant but we could not get a reservation on any of the last 3 days of our 14 night cruise. Around the time the butler disappeared.

I think my original post was not clear. I have no intention of giving up the RS for a SS. Just wondered in light of reading various threads recently if I had made a good value choice. Actually we had wanted to try a PS but these had both gone on by the 2nd day after this cruise was released when I booked. In fact all the suites were sold out 19 months before sailing.

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On my current land holiday although in a suite the things that would come with a cruise holiday in the same size accommodation are noticeable absent.

This is so true. We decided to try a few UK trips this year and really miss so much that we take for granted on a cruise.

Just try getting up and into the tub/shower each day in the sky suite as opposed to the nice, easily accessible dedicated shower in the Royal Suite and tell me there is no appreciable difference! Once we moved to the more spacious Royal Suite on Summit a few cruises back, we never considered returning to a Sky Suite. We have a delightful breakfast each morning delivered by our butler and enjoyed in a nice dining area....ahhh...that's all what you're paying for! To each his own but we're staying with the Royal Suite because we just wouldn't go back to the Sky suite again. Only our opinion!

With just the 2 of us a sky suites works best for us. Last January we were invited to 2 parties in the penthouse on Millie. We had the same butler as the penthouse and he one of the great ones. I did like the PH. I like having a sliding glass door where my bed is. If I was cruising with 3 or 4 in a suite I would book a suite above a sky suite.

Actually I had followed up on a tip from Project_gal to outline request in writing and provided these to Michael's concierge before boarding and telephoned to confirm. My MiL who travelled with us in another RS had undergone chemo just days before boarding and needed particular care. This was handled discreetly by all who had contact with her with MCC help for which we were very grateful. This is in part why we are trying Celebrity again. Unfortunately a change in health prevents her travelling with us again.

 

Regarding Murano. Loved the restaurant but we could not get a reservation on any of the last 3 days of our 14 night cruise. Around the time the butler disappeared.

 

I think my original post was not clear. I have no intention of giving up the RS for a SS. Just wondered in light of reading various threads recently if I had made a good value choice. Actually we had wanted to try a PS but these had both gone on by the 2nd day after this cruise was released when I booked. In fact all the suites were sold out 19 months before sailing.

 

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Hope you have a great cruise!

Keep looking out for a PH, they do sometimes come back up (although often at an elevated price). We did our first S class PH in May, it was fantastic! Whilst the RS continues to meet our every need the PH was a taste of pure fantasy....such a decadence of space and light! We have always loved the M class PH and were a little concerned incase the S class didn't wow us. It did give us a wow but in a very different way, two very different experiences.

Re Murano's I suggest you book on boarding the evenings you may want, you can always cancel if your plans change.

Sincere best wishes for your next cruise Yorkshire Pudding!

Yorkshire-Pudding, I totally agree with you (in all areas). We have been booking only RS & PS not just for the space, because there are usually just 2 of us, (although we DO love it) but primarily for the special treatment received in Michaels Club. MC used to be very private but now with all of the SS included it is very crowded. On our last cruise we often couldn't find seats and even if we did it took a very long time to get our drinks. None of the other perks really matter to us. I can buy all the bottles of liquor & all the specialty restaurant dinners on my own for much much less. We have now decided to only book SS on Celebrity. And we are going to another cruise line for our big suite options.

I love this thread. So much info here. Our next cruise is on Eclipse in December and we booked a RS as there was no other suite available. We normally book Sky Suites and our cruise next Spring is in a Sky suite. The one after that one is in a CS on Silhouette. I really hope I am not too spoiled by the RS this time.

Pat

I love this thread. So much info here. Our next cruise is on Eclipse in December and we booked a RS as there was no other suite available. We normally book Sky Suites and our cruise next Spring is in a Sky suite. The one after that one is in a CS on Silhouette. I really hope I am not too spoiled by the RS this time.

 

Pat

Pat

I hope you have a great cruise but please beware, many of us thought that we would book a RS just for one cruise - because it was too good a deal to miss, for a special occasion, .... You may well find yourself looking to see if you can upgrade your next two cruises.

I completely get where OP is coming from here -- it is not envy or sour grapes or whatever. At one time (I believe) you had to spring for the RS in order to get the real Suite Life on Celebrity. Now even the lowest Sky Suite gets the same benefits [although rumor has it that onboard personnel know which level of suite you are in and there are some unspoken benies at the upper levels...]. So the question now is: if we don't need all the space of an RS, what do we get for the extra $$$? To me, the CS is the sweet spot of the suite life. So I too would like to know what more I might enjoy in an RS.

... [although rumor has it that onboard personnel know which level of suite you are in and there are some unspoken benies at the upper levels...]. ... So I too would like to know what more I might enjoy in an RS.

That [what your wrote in brackets] is precisely the point. It is hard to be more specific because we have found, sailing in a PH [it is some years since we booked a RS], is that each cruise the crew manage to surprise us in a very personal way. The little extras are never the same and never something we would guess but always something very special.

Occasionally, we have also received a special extra pre-cruise. The most memorable is the year we were sailing from Miami on Miami Marathon day and we understood from our Roll Call that there could be difficulties reaching the port. Never having sailed from Miami before, I simply contacted someone at the Miami office to ask what was the best way to reach the port. It was arranged that two members of the Shoreside Concierge team to collect us from our hotel in their private car and take us to the port. We thought that this was wonderful only to have our expectations totally exceeded by being escorted past all the queue and onto the ship in no time.

It is hard to explain why but, once you have upgraded, it is very difficult to downgrade again.