Owners Penthouse Suite - Carnival Ecstasy

[dpacattack]

Upgrade fairy called and offered the Owners Penthouse Suite for an additional $1800. Is this a good deal? There are 5 of us currently booked in a OV room. The pics they sent look really nice but $1800 is a lot of money to me. Do you all think it's worth the splurge? Not sure if we would even spend enough time in the room to enjoy it.

[bwg03]

Not for $1800. Not worth it.

[SHICHIDAN]

They are all we use so we feel they are.

 

Roomy at roughly 1000 sq ft, many many windows, great watching pool deck activity and the balcony is not noticed by many.

 

Privacy is excellent because no one pays any attention to its location.

 

It has always just been PH 1 or 2 to us. Then owners this and that started being thrown around. We enjoy the Royal Suites on RCCL much more for many reasons but these do just fine also.

 

If you pay it make sure they provide walk to suite service and walk off ship. They mix it up but usually bring us through crew staircase before regular boarding. Ask for a ships tour while she is mostly empty.

[kmc500]

Upgrade fairy called and offered the Owners Penthouse Suite for an additional $1800. Is this a good deal? There are 5 of us currently booked in a OV room. The pics they sent look really nice but $1800 is a lot of money to me. Do you all think it's worth the splurge? Not sure if we would even spend enough time in the room to enjoy it.

 

What does it work out to, $72 pp, per day for a five day cruise? Not cheap, but the difference between what you have booked and this room is incredible.

 

I would do it in a minute, particularly if I were travelling with four others. My wife and I had S1 (or PH1) on the Inspiration in 2010, and we would have had it again if we could have arranged it on our last cruise in March of this year, except Carnival changed ships from Ecstacy to Elation, and the Elation does not have PH1 and PH2.

 

Many will say it is not worth it; it certainly was to us!

 

Kevin C

[joepeka]

This board's resident experts on Fantasy class Owner's Suites (Tom-n-Cheryl) have said that Carnival's price point on those cabins is $400 per person per day (he didn't say if the usual 3rd, 4th, etc. passenger reduced cabin price applied or not). So based on that (but not knowing how much you paid for the OV) and the fact you have five people, I think $1800 total is a pretty decent deal.

[travler27]

OK, I don't seem to be able to find these rooms on any deck plan or in any booking search. Can somebody help me out?

[keyguide]

OK, I don't seem to be able to find these rooms on any deck plan or in any booking search. Can somebody help me out?

No you will not find them.

[joepeka]

They aren't bookable online and you won't see them on any deck plan however if you look at a deck plan, on deck 12 (Sports deck), the large grey semi-circular area that kind of wraps around the atrium is where they are located. That semi-circle is split in the middle, with one suite occupying each half.

Edited August 8, 2012 by joepeka

[Joeychgo]

I would say no. For $1800 (or less) you can get a second cruise for 2.

[forwardcabin]

They are really nice suites--very spacious with a big screeen TV, separate bedroom, sitting room, bar, and large bathroom. We saw S1 when another couple were upsold to it on the Carnival Ecstasy when it was still in Galveston. Later in the cruise, they told us it was not excactly the best deal. The balcony was very small and there was a lifeboat right in front of it. They said the water was very rusty coming out of the faucets. In addition, the A/C didn't work well. The suite is also located directly under the jogging track and got lots of noise from joggers early in the morning. They could never seem to find their cabin steward and cabin service was not performed even when requested. It is also located at the top of the atrium where there are no other cabins near. They told us they would never take that upsell deal again.

[ray98]

Ehhh....depends on your finances and how much disposable income you are willing to burn. It the same cruise no matter what cabin you are in. I would rather take a back to back cruise before I would spend that amount on an upgrade.

[nwcruiselover]

In a way it sounds tempting just for the experience of being in such a grand suite. But I wouldn't spend that kind of money for the experience, especially on a 5-day cruise. Nancy

[foxesden1]

pix?

[Mulege]

They are all we use so we feel they are.

 

Roomy at roughly 1000 sq ft, many many windows, great watching pool deck activity and the balcony is not noticed by many.

 

Privacy is excellent because no one pays any attention to its location.

 

It has always just been PH 1 or 2 to us. Then owners this and that started being thrown around. We enjoy the Royal Suites on RCCL much more for many reasons but these do just fine also.

 

If you pay it make sure they provide walk to suite service and walk off ship. They mix it up but usually bring us through crew staircase before regular boarding. Ask for a ships tour while she is mostly empty.

 

 

Wow! All that for $1800 more. Really, those perks suck. Go on a ship with real suites like NCL or Celebrity. Honestly, going through the crew staircase before regular boarding and getting a ship tour, big deal.

[k2excursion]

If you search on youtube, you'll find some videos. They really do look spectacular. Having a view of the whole pool area, plus the ocean, seems like it would be incredible. If I only had to put forth $360 to get it, I'd splurge and do it. But if I'm paying more than just my share, I wouldn't. As nice as it would seem, that's just too much, even if it is on par with what they are usually asking.

 

Friends of mine (group of 3) paid about $600 each for a grand suite on a sister ship, and they really loved it. I did too, as I was a frequent visitor. Some of those rooms can sleep 5, and give you quite a bit of room, much much much more than an OV. If you want to splurge, maybe look into getting one of those. Some of them have an extended balcony (category ES): 115 sq.ft. instead of 70.

Edited August 9, 2012 by k2excursion

[tea4ular]

The suites on NCL & RCI are far superior to those on Carnival. I wouldn't pay $1800 more for a suite on Carnival.

 

But then I'm cheap!

[MuffyKismet]

We had the PH1 on the Imangination 2 Decembers ago. For only $800.00 more (we originally were on the Rivera deck inside cabins for $230 pp. There were only 3 of us in the PH1. The room itself was huge but a few things we didn't like....

 

The sports deck was directly above us and so early early in the morning and late late in the night we could hear chairs being moved all around and of course that is the jogging deck as well.

 

The balcony was to the side and slightly obstructed view with a life boat infront of it, hardly ever went out on it.

 

The 3rd person had to go through our room to go to the bathroom, there was only one door going into the huge bathroom but it was in the main room. They def should have made another door from the living room area where the 3rd guest slept to get to the bathroom!

 

I am glad we did it to say we did it! And it was a decent deal for only $800.00 more but I would NOT do it for $1800 more!!!! yikes!

 

We are NOT in the room much anyway, so a bit of a waste really.

 

the ceiling to floor windows all along the front facing the lido deck was pretty dang cool! :D

[mao1djo1]

i think it is worth it.

We have it on September 20th 2012

[bbohbbneedacruise]

OK, I don't seem to be able to find these rooms on any deck plan or in any booking search. Can somebody help me out?

Here is a video tour.

 

There are pictures on this CC post..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=16496841&postcount=15

Edited September 12, 2012 by bbohbbneedacruise

[bbohbbneedacruise]

OK, I don't seem to be able to find these rooms on any deck plan or in any booking search. Can somebody help me out?

here you go

[lsw9658]

We had the Owner's Suite on the Fascination from September 1 to September 6. Because we were traveling with family, we decided to go for it. Been called about it twice before and always turned it down. Did we enjoy it? Yes. It is lovely, nicely decorated and the bathroom is fabulous. Would we do it again? No. It was certainly worth the $1,700 we paid because we used it as a family gathering spot for the whole cruise. We played cards, listened to music, danced, laughed and had a great time. The downside, apart from the cost, was the noise from the deck above us (chairs and jogging), plus the suite was very warm. To keep it comfortable, we kept the curtains closed the whole time. I think if someone "gets the call" and can afford it, go for it. I am so glad we did it, loved the little bit of extra attention, but for just the two of us, the Grand Suite is perfect.

[misstopgun]

I would pay that to upgrade for two of us. With five in a cabin, heck yeah!

 

On our cruise coming up the GS is $1500 more than the 8k we have booked. Now make it a PH and I will bite in a hearbeat!

[jimbo5544]

We actually got upgraded (read that as free) to Penthouse1 on the Ecstasy several eyars back, right after they initiated the platinum program. When asked why we got it, they responded that we were one of the two platinum parties on the ship. Great room(s).

[nccutter]

Sept 9 2016. Just got off the Carnival Ecstacy and stayed in PH1. Here's what we got for our 1890.00 dollar upgrade. We did get walked up to the suite. That's it. We had to get off just like everyone else. I put the room service request on the door every single day just requesting a pot of coffee for the next morning. The request was NEVER picked up, so I got dressed and went and got it myself. The last day I called room service and requested a pot of coffee for the next morning. It never arrived either. The room was nice, no doubt about that, but I believe I could have found it on my own and for 1890.00, I would have rather had an inside cabin with coffee at the door every morning than the nice room and NO coffee. There were abolutely NO perks other than the nicer room for the 1890.00. You live and you learn, I will continue to cruise with Carnival, but I will never make the upgrade mistake again.

[Bookbug53]

Ehhh....depends on your finances and how much disposable income you are willing to burn. It the same cruise no matter what cabin you are in. I would rather take a back to back cruise before I would spend that amount on an upgrade.

 

 

Or better yet, how much discretionary income. :p