Should I upgrade to a suite?

[PimpDaddy2Kool]

Honestly we didn't spend any time in the room other than to shower/change/sleep, so for us any room would have been sufficient.

[beachchick]

I'm booked on the Jewel in May, and am thinking about upgrading. Do the Penthouse Suites get Courtyard access? My understanding was that you had to get an "A4" or above to get the Courtyard.

 

Penthouses AE through AB to not have Courtyard access on the Jewel class ships. Apparently, Epic has a much larger Courtyard and more categories of Courtyard-eligible suites. But on Jewel, you must be in an A4, A3, AA, A2, or GV to have Courtyard privileges. The Courtyard is not designed to facilitate more passengers than that and is advertised as the "small ship within a ship."

 

beachchick

[DiBob]

We orginally booked a mini suite and an inside (II) for our family of 5 for our upcoming cruise....then NCL offered a special..passengers 3+ were $99....so for abt an addt'l $1600 we upgraded to an AB!

 

My kids are 16, 13 and almost 4 at sail date....very happy and know it will be worth it!

[Why Knot Me]

Another perk we've enjoyed is having small parties in our penthouse with friends we've met on the ship or from our meet and greet. Nothing better than calling the butler and having him deliver some bottles of wine, cheese and crackers etc. having fun with new friends, listening to Norah Jones.

[pcutrone]

I had my first owner's suite on the inaugural sailing of the Star in Hawaii back in 2001. Our experience was unique because it was the first time NCL had ever done that itinerary. It was a complete and utter disaster. After traveling 2 days in 20 - 40 foot seas to get to Fanning Island, almost half the ship couldn't get off due to the tender situation. Being that there were no local companies to help out, they had to use lifeboats. I don't even need to tell you how that went. People were screaming and yelling while they waited on extremely long lines to try to get off the ship. We had our concierge walk us off the ship and right on to a tender while all these other people were waiting. Of course, this was still early in the morning so I didn't know that they never got off the ship. NCL did offer everyone an OBC of $100, but that wasn't fair either. Even people who got off the ship and were able to enjoy Fanning Island got the credit. Not having the concierge and the butler on that sailing would have drastically changed our experience. Clearly that isn't the case anymore, as their itineraries are tried and tested, but I can assure you that NCL does suites better than any other mainstream cruise line. I have since sailed on the Gem and I do regret not getting a suite. If I sail NCL again, it would definitely be in a suite. On other cruise lines a suite gets you a larger room and that's about it, on NCL it gives you a very special experience. Even Disney, who does customer service better than anyone, cannot compete with NCL when it comes to suite perks. This is just my opinion and I respect that other people may feel differently.

[pfisted]

If you can afford it, it is WELL worth it! Our 3N aboard the Sky last spring was our 2nd suite, the first one being on Celebrity and we will NEVER sail them again! We had the two aft suites (my son & wife in one and DH, myself and DGD i the other. WOW! It was my son's first cruise and he was spoiled. He will never sail in anything less than a mini-suite again, and while we'd love to get a suite every cruise, DH & I have Dom Perignon taste with an M&R Asti Spumanti budget especially after paying for last year's cruise! We have an inside superior booked for or 14n holiday cruise because that's the only thing we can afford just now, but if we had an extra $1,000-$1500, you bet it would go on a suite!

 

I do recommend an aft suite. Why?

 

1. The balconies tend to be larger.
   
2. There is just something about watching the wake of the ship
   
3. You can see what is on BOTH sides of the ship as opposed to just in front of you and,
   
4. SPECTACULAR sunrises or sunsets!
   

One word of caution: aft is above the engines so you WILL know when you pull into port - bring ear plugs just in case. There is also a little bit more motion on the back. We enjoy being rocked to sleep though.

 

Now on to the benefits -

 

• The personal concierge on board NCL ships are unlike any in the industry. They are beyond belief! It seemed like we had a GPS on us because every time we turned around, there she was - not a snooping around or bothersome being there, but a making sure things were superb being there.
  

 

• 
  
  • Luggage taken in to your room ASAP - not just left at door. Our PC checked (unbeknownst to us) to make sure all of our bags arrived in our room and discovered that one of our bags was detained because of a case of bottled water for baby formula and for drinking. She took care of it without us even asking and it was delivered to our room, pronto!
    
  • Our 2nd night we didn't have res. for one of the specialty restaurants and there was no availability. Wouldn't you know, our PC popped up out of nowhere and told us that was no concern, went to the hostess, said we needed two tables ASAP. We overheard her being told there was no possible way that they were booked for the night. She said - MAKE IT HAPPEN. We were seated at two prime tables within five minutes.
    

[*]You are first off the ship at ports if you wish.

[*]You get your own personal butler at your beck and call.

[*]Upgraded breakfast and lunch at the specialty restaurants (no charge). YES, they are definitely better.

[*]Full room service menu including breakfast and an awesome afternoon & evening snack list

[*]LARGER, spacious rooms

[*]complimentary amenities from the spa

[*]robes

[*]thicker towels

[*]champagne waiting in room on day of departure

[*]When you decide to leave the ship the final day

• Your PC will take care of all paperwork and payments (you don't have to stand in line)
  
• Your PC will stop the LOOOOONNG line of passengers deboarding and allow your group to depart.
  

[*]The only complaint I have is this: You are so pampered with a suite, you won't want to go back to reality.

[*]Some suites have hot tubs in them as well.

I've probably left out a lot, but you get the picture!

 

I hope this helped! I really enjoyed reminiscing over our SKY Suite.

[DiBob]

Great post....! We have an AB on the Pearl...99 days!