Allure Aqua Theater Suite vs. Epic Courtyard Villa

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

We used to sail exclusively with RCL but then discovered the suite life on NCL and haven't been back in a while. We have been in the Villa area twice on the Epic and love the privacy and concierge/butler amenities - but the Allure has captured our attention. Before booking the Epic again I'm wondering if anyone has been in both the Aqua Theater Suite and the courtyard on the Epic and can share their opinion on the Aqua Theater Suite experience as it compares to Epic. Or if you haven't been on Epic, please share your thoughts on the Aqua Suite. We are grandparents, traveling with our adult son and daughter in law and their 5 year old.

 

Thank you!

[susie8862]

We used to sail exclusively with RCL but then discovered the suite life on NCL and haven't been back in a while. We have been in the Villa area twice on the Epic and love the privacy and concierge/butler amenities - but the Allure has captured our attention. Before booking the Epic again I'm wondering if anyone has been in both the Aqua Theater Suite and the courtyard on the Epic and can share their opinion on the Aqua Theater Suite experience as it compares to Epic. Or if you haven't been on Epic, please share your thoughts on the Aqua Suite. We are grandparents, traveling with our adult son and daughter in law and their 5 year old.

 

Thank you!

I think the reason you have not had a response from anyone is that most of us cannot afford these rooms..:eek:

[bajathree]

2 different animals you are comparing. The ATS is all about the balcony and experience of the Aquatheater. Royal doesn't do butler service like NCL...so don't expect any over the top service...your cabin attendant service will be pretty much the same level as any other cabin. You will have concierge service and access to the concierge lounge....which on Oasis/Allure is excellent....they have free drinks for lunch and in the evening as well as cooked to order breakfast and lunch.....look up on the web-site for all the enhanced suite perks.

With NCL suites it's more about service....As far as the Epic Courtyard ....I have not experienced it personally so I can't directly comment on it....other then to say from all the pixs of the courtyard itself that I have seen it doesn't do a thing for me....the space seems very confined to me and the cabin is to sectioned up. I have been in and seen courtyard cabins on other NCL ships and again, I didn't feel like it was very spacious.

[Tapi]

Haven't stayed on either one, but I can tell you what we could see from our lowly BV Boardwalk View stateroom.:o

 

The Aqua Theater Suites looked FANTASTIC. Huge balconies with views on 3 sides (side view towards the ocean, aft view towards the Aqua Theater, and side view towards the Boardwalk). Glass windows wrap around the entire suite.

 

Once again, can't truly comment on the actual suites, but I don't think you would be dissapointed with the Aqua Theater Suites.

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

2 different animals you are comparing. The ATS is all about the balcony and experience of the Aquatheater. Royal doesn't do butler service like NCL...so don't expect any over the top service...your cabin attendant service will be pretty much the same level as any other cabin. You will have concierge service and access to the concierge lounge....which on Oasis/Allure is excellent....they have free drinks for lunch and in the evening as well as cooked to order breakfast and lunch.....look up on the web-site for all the enhanced suite perks.

With NCL suites it's more about service....As far as the Epic Courtyard ....I have not experienced it personally so I can't directly comment on it....other then to say from all the pixs of the courtyard itself that I have seen it doesn't do a thing for me....the space seems very confined to me and the cabin is to sectioned up. I have been in and seen courtyard cabins on other NCL ships and again, I didn't feel like it was very spacious.

 

 

Thank you for your response - the information you provided is very helpful. I wonder if you can help with the following:

• If you have been in the Aqua Suite, was it roomy/comfortable enough for 4 adults?
  
• When you say "cooked to order breakfast and lunch" - is that served in the concierge lounge? It must be huge!
  
• How crowded does it feel on a full ship?
  

Regarding the Epic Courtyard, we don't spend much time there because the regular pool is so fantastic - but the special dining room and lounge are heavenly and the concierge is worth his weight in gold! And on the Epic, we love O'Sheehan's Sports Bar and the casino! Both are very large and O'Sheehans serves fun "comfort" food 24/7, which the kids like a lot.

 

Allure looks wonderful.......and is definitely more affordable. And the balcony looks like a fantastic experience.

 

Thanks

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

I think the reason you have not had a response from anyone is that most of us cannot afford these rooms..:eek:

 

I understand but you might be surprised at how affordable it can be in one of NCL's Garden Villa's (3 bedroom, 5,000 square feet) when you have 3 couples splitting the cost. And you are treated like royalty!

[fast ed]

I have been on Epic and am familiar with the room and service you mentioned. Good line and great ship. Absolutely loved the Epic. .... Having said that, and never sailing on Allure/Oasis, I would definately book the suite on the Allure to check it out. Everything I read would seem to indicate that this ship is also very special!

[susie8862]

I understand but you might be surprised at how affordable it can be in one of NCL's Garden Villa's (3 bedroom, 5,000 square feet) when you have 3 couples splitting the cost. And you are treated like royalty!

I will definitely keep that in mind. Great info:):o:)

[Cruising89143]

You can easily fit four adults in a ATS on the Allure. We had one of these on the Oasis and it was nice. The balcony is huge and one of the main reasons for booking. I have photos in my link below of the cabin. They are in the Oasis photos.

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

You can easily fit four adults in a ATS on the Allure. We had one of these on the Oasis and it was nice. The balcony is huge and one of the main reasons for booking. I have photos in my link below of the cabin. They are in the Oasis photos.

 

Thanks for the info and the photos! How was the casino? And was there a sports bar?

[susie8862]

Thanks for the info and the photos! How was the casino? And was there a sports bar?

 

Casino is great and yes there is a sports bar....on the promenade deck. It is set up a little different than the other sports bars on ships. They even have events, such as Karaoke.

[bajathree]

Thank you for your response - the information you provided is very helpful. I wonder if you can help with the following:

• If you have been in the Aqua Suite, was it roomy/comfortable enough for 4 adults?
   
  Absolutely
  
• When you say "cooked to order breakfast and lunch" - is that served in the concierge lounge? It must be huge!
   
  Yes....it is cooked to order in the concierge lounge....2 story lounge overlooking the boardwalk... absolutely gorgeous.
  
• How crowded does it feel on a full ship?
   
  The ship is wonderful at dispersing the crowds because there is so many different venues offering guests things to do at different times.....so other than the elevators getting a bit backed up at prime dinner times, the ship handles the amount of people incredibly well. Oasis class feels less crowded than Freedom class.
  

Regarding the Epic Courtyard, we don't spend much time there because the regular pool is so fantastic - but the special dining room and lounge are heavenly and the concierge is worth his weight in gold! And on the Epic, we love O'Sheehan's Sports Bar and the casino! Both are very large and O'Sheehans serves fun "comfort" food 24/7, which the kids like a lot.

 

Allure looks wonderful.......and is definitely more affordable. And the balcony looks like a fantastic experience.

 

Thanks

 

Gator has some great pix of a deck 10 ATS linked that you can look at....keep in mind that is the smallest ATS...deck 8 is the biggest...then deck 9 and 10 being the smallest....both in cabin space and deck space.

[Bobbye]

Thank you for your response - the information you provided is very helpful. I wonder if you can help with the following:

• If you have been in the Aqua Suite, was it roomy/comfortable enough for 4 adults?
   
  The living room area is nice. The master bedroom was ok, but doesn't compare to the master in the 2 bedroom villas on the Epic. The second bedroom in both is an inside. On Epic the bathroom of the inside is in the bedroom area. On the Oasis/Allure the bathroom is around the corner. So you have to leave your bedroom to reach the bathroom.
  The balcony in the Aqua Suites is great! The balcony on the Epic tiny, but you have all the private villa area to use to make up for it.
   
  
• When you say "cooked to order breakfast and lunch" - is that served in the concierge lounge? It must be huge!
   
  As someone else stated, the concierge lounge on the Allure and Oasis is huge. Very nice. The foodis ok, but doesn't match the breakfast and lunch in the Epic Suite area private dining room. The main plus with Royal Caribbean is the happy hour at night in the concierge lounge.
   
  
• How crowded does it feel on a full ship?
  As stated, it's a huge ship and people spread out. The only time we feel the crowds is in the Windjammer.
   
  

Regarding the Epic Courtyard, we don't spend much time there because the regular pool is so fantastic - but the special dining room and lounge are heavenly and the concierge is worth his weight in gold! And on the Epic, we love O'Sheehan's Sports Bar and the casino! Both are very large and O'Sheehans serves fun "comfort" food 24/7, which the kids like a lot.

 

Allure looks wonderful.......and is definitely more affordable. And the balcony looks like a fantastic experience.

 

Thanks

 

Allure is an amazing ship! It really depends on what you want which is better. If I ask my adult children they prefer the large Royal ships and loved the Allure. The GV on Norwegian they love -- but they want that moved to the Oasis or Allure! If just hubby and I we prefer the suite amenities and service on Norwegian. We've done both of those suites and enjoyed them in different ways.

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Allure is an amazing ship! It really depends on what you want which is better. If I ask my adult children they prefer the large Royal ships and loved the Allure. The GV on Norwegian they love -- but they want that moved to the Oasis or Allure! If just hubby and I we prefer the suite amenities and service on Norwegian. We've done both of those suites and enjoyed them in different ways.

 

Hi Bobbye,

We were in the GV next door to you on the Jewel in March this year and, I'm sorry to say, never met you and your family - and never even bumped into you in the foyer! That cruise went by SO fast and we had a wonderful time.

Cathy