Sky Suite - Suite Life?

[Jane2357]

I've had a S1 once - and of course loved the location, larger cabin and butler service - it was worth the extra cost. Now that the new Suite Life will come into play in spring of '15 is anyone else thinking that the Sky Suites won't have as much appeal? Yes you'll be able to dine in the suite dining room but you won't be allowed into Michael's. If you meet new friends in the suite dining room and they want to meet you for a drink you'd have to tell them you can't get in to Michaels. :o Which makes me think that the Celebrity Suite may now be more desirable. Do you think this could have a downward effect on Sky pricing as people move up to the Celebrity Suite causing those to rise in price? What do all you number crunches predict?

[Mickb]

Interesting.

We were going to book a Sky Suite on the Eclipse's transatlantic sailing on 1st Nov 2015. At this stage 16 months in advance, there was only one port side S1 suite available. ( port side is the sunny side on this route) but this was one of the smallest and didn't appeal. Our TA advised us to upgrade to a CS suite for the reasons you stated. Unfortunately all the port side CS on this sailing are already booked so we are now sailing in a port side CS on Equinox from Barcelona a few days earlier.

Our TA said that people are not so interested in the Sky Suites since the change was announced.

[Orator]

I've had a S1 once - and of course loved the location, larger cabin and butler service - it was worth the extra cost. Now that the new Suite Life will come into play in spring of '15 is anyone else thinking that the Sky Suites won't have as much appeal? Yes you'll be able to dine in the suite dining room but you won't be allowed into Michael's. If you meet new friends in the suite dining room and they want to meet you for a drink you'd have to tell them you can't get in to Michaels. :o Which makes me think that the Celebrity Suite may now be more desirable. Do you think this could have a downward effect on Sky pricing as people move up to the Celebrity Suite causing those to rise in price? What do all you number crunches predict?

 

The special restaurant, Butler, reserved theater seating will still be appealing to many. It could come down to price and availability of Celebrity Suites. Drinks can be removed from Michael's Club so that one could always meet with friends not in Michael's Club and still enjoy their free drinks. Listening to what Dan Hanrahan said a few years ago and what Michael Bayley is saying now I truly believe that prices for all categories will increase. Suites will increase even more with the addition of the new Suite restaurant.

[koolforkatz]

I've had a S1 once - and of course loved the location, larger cabin and butler service - it was worth the extra cost. Now that the new Suite Life will come into play in spring of '15 is anyone else thinking that the Sky Suites won't have as much appeal? Yes you'll be able to dine in the suite dining room but you won't be allowed into Michael's. If you meet new friends in the suite dining room and they want to meet you for a drink you'd have to tell them you can't get in to Michaels. :o Which makes me think that the Celebrity Suite may now be more desirable. Do you think this could have a downward effect on Sky pricing as people move up to the Celebrity Suite causing those to rise in price? What do all you number crunches predict?

 

I just sailed in my first Sky Suite and am thinking of booking another one - quickly - because my thought is if the suite-only restaurant gets great reviews, it will only increase the demand on all suites and the prices will go up.

 

I didn't give it a second thought last cruise that I couldn't get into Michael's. Plenty of other places to go have a drink. It was the extra space and pampering that I really enjoyed. :D

[Jane2357]

Our next booked cruise is British Isles 8/15. 14 nights in a Concierge costs us almost as much as our 2/14 - 14 night Caribbean. As we have awesome aft cabins I'm not interested in going to a suite but am considering a Celebrity Suite for Alaska in '16 - a Sky Suite would have done fine but now I don't think that I would be happy about the extra expense and being denied the lounge. Great marketing X to get some of us to move up a rung. :o

[Orator]

Our next booked cruise is British Isles 8/15. 14 nights in a Concierge costs us almost as much as our 2/14 - 14 night Caribbean. As we have awesome aft cabins I'm not interested in going to a suite but am considering a Celebrity Suite for Alaska in '16 - a Sky Suite would have done fine but now I don't think that I would be happy about the extra expense and being denied the lounge. Great marketing X to get some of us to move up a rung. :o

 

I have been in Michael's Club for three cruises. The drinks are nice, but you could get a Premium package and save money. Breakfast is not a great feature that should attract anyone to book. An Aft cabin for Alaska would be a plus. Honestly, Michael's Club is really not worth the extra money.

[OCruisers]

We enjoyed having a Sky Suite and would book one again. There are plenty of places to have a drink and socialize. :)

LuLu

[Jane2357]

I have been in Michael's Club for three cruises. The drinks are nice, but you could get a Premium package and save money. Breakfast is not a great feature that should attract anyone to book. An Aft cabin for Alaska would be a plus. Honestly, Michael's Club is really not worth the extra money.

 

Ahhh but how could I ever meet up with you then? ;)

[thebutlerdidit]

I just booked our first sky suite in part because of the new restaurant. (And in part because the 50 Bonus Points in conjunction with the Sky Suite will bring us up to Elite). We started out with Celebrity in a Concierge cabin and loved the MDR. Then we sailed Aqua Class and loved Blu. We're hoping that the suite dining room will really bowl us over.

 

Anyhow, we booked for late April of next year, so I hope they have all of the bugs worked out by then.

[Orator]

Ahhh but how could I ever meet up with you then? ;)

 

On an S Class ship there is a lounge just outside Michaels Club. Little further to go on an M Class ship. People take drinks and join their friends all the time. I've seen people without drink packages stop in before going to dinner and taking a wine with them. They would also take a drink from Michael's Club and join their friends at Elite Hour. Michaels Club is very rarely crowded. Michael's Club would not be worth a premium price to me. The Suite restaurant might be another story.

[vtcruising]

This has been our quandary since sailing in a wonderfully-located sky suite for the first time recently. The friends we met pre-cruise on our roll call were in a CS and were in Michael's quite a bit - they seemed to enjoy the whole experience in there, not just the free drinks. The husband invited my husband in for a drink early in the cruise and my DH really enjoyed it in there (he never was invited again - not sure if our friend was told that he wasn't allowed to bring in friends, as is the policy I thought, or if he just didn't want to invite him back :)).

 

I have booked the next cruise in a CS - the price difference wasn't that much for 7 day cruises so thought we'd give it a try. It will be interesting to see if it is worth it for us to give up the great location of the corner aft sky suite for the experience of Michael's. I think I will still prefer the sky suite, but we'll see. I hate to say it, but I wonder if they will eventually have an upcharge for those in the sky suites to get into Michael's. :)

[Orator]

This has been our quandary since sailing in a wonderfully-located sky suite for the first time recently. The friends we met pre-cruise on our roll call were in a CS and were in Michael's quite a bit - they seemed to enjoy the whole experience in there, not just the free drinks. The husband invited my husband in for a drink early in the cruise and my DH really enjoyed it in there (he never was invited again - not sure if our friend was told that he wasn't allowed to bring in friends, as is the policy I thought, or if he just didn't want to invite him back :)).

 

I have booked the next cruise in a CS - the price difference wasn't that much for 7 day cruises so thought we'd give it a try. It will be interesting to see if it is worth it for us to give up the great location of the corner aft sky suite for the experience of Michael's. I think I will still prefer the sky suite, but we'll see. I hate to say it, but I wonder if they will eventually have an upcharge for those in the sky suites to get into Michael's. :)

 

He was most likely told by the Doncierge that guests were NOT permitted.

[vtcruising]

He was most likely told by the Doncierge that guests were NOT permitted.

 

I suspect you are right.

[jagoffee]

I've had a S1 once - and of course loved the location, larger cabin and butler service - it was worth the extra cost. Now that the new Suite Life will come into play in spring of '15 is anyone else thinking that the Sky Suites won't have as much appeal? Yes you'll be able to dine in the suite dining room but you won't be allowed into Michael's. If you meet new friends in the suite dining room and they want to meet you for a drink you'd have to tell them you can't get in to Michaels. :o Which makes me think that the Celebrity Suite may now be more desirable. Do you think this could have a downward effect on Sky pricing as people move up to the Celebrity Suite causing those to rise in price? What do all you number crunches predict?

 

Actually I think the new dining option will make the SS more valuable and thus more expensive or at least they will be purchased instead of being upgrades.

 

The different in price for the CS is significant for the CS and above suites, but they will certainly be more attractive with the new benefits. Although I have always enjoyed the Michael's club and the new VIP concept is a good one I am not sure it is worth the extra cost for me. Even paying for a drink package would be less expensive. But I can see where it will be for some people and it will certainly result in more suites being sold and less upgrades IMO. Actually my wife and I prefer the SS over the CS because of the lack of ocean view from the bed.

[bighairtexan]

I have to agree w/ Orator. We're doing a Celebrity Suite in 2015 (Rome/FLL) more for the extra room on a TA (all those sea days can be pretty cold for the balcony). And I have to say the idea of the Suites only restaurant intrigues me. But honestly I am not dying for Michael's. I rarely used it for Elite events and doubt that I'd be using it much when it's for suites only. Certainly I wouldn't pay a premium over a Sky Suite b/c of Michaels. It's the separate living area on the longer cruise that swayed me the most, then the suite restaurant, then the afternoon tea etc. Michael's club is way down on my list. I wouldn't pay much extra at all for that privilege.

[scotslizzy]

Like the other posters here I travel in a suite (mostly) for the extra room and not the free drinks as we get the premium package due to our love of martinis and the overall ambience of the martini bar in the evening.

 

Previously when we used the Sky Lounge as Elite members I always thought that it was used to get as much "free" alcohol as possible.

 

Having stated this I will be curious about Michael's Club on our next cruise this Sept and will avail myself of the service on our first day to see what I make of this additional offering.

 

Scotslizzy

[Cruising89143]

This has been our quandary since sailing in a wonderfully-located sky suite for the first time recently. The friends we met pre-cruise on our roll call were in a CS and were in Michael's quite a bit - they seemed to enjoy the whole experience in there, not just the free drinks. The husband invited my husband in for a drink early in the cruise and my DH really enjoyed it in there (he never was invited again - not sure if our friend was told that he wasn't allowed to bring in friends, as is the policy I thought, or if he just didn't want to invite him back :)).

 

I have booked the next cruise in a CS - the price difference wasn't that much for 7 day cruises so thought we'd give it a try. It will be interesting to see if it is worth it for us to give up the great location of the corner aft sky suite for the experience of Michael's. I think I will still prefer the sky suite, but we'll see. I hate to say it, but I wonder if they will eventually have an upcharge for those in the sky suites to get into Michael's. :)

 

I think you will enjoy the CS. We had previously booked the Royal on past cruises but on our last cruise which was a very port intensive 13 night Med cruise we decided to try a CS with the large slanted balcony on the EQ. We actually liked it much better than the RS due to the lack of space on the balcony of the RS. The RS has a whirlpool tub that takes up so much space and not something that we use. Guess some do and like it but not us. I would prefer more space to move around.

 

We came home and changed our two upcoming cruises to a CS with the slanted balcony. Perfect size stateroom IMHO. Even with the new suite perks that will be added it was not worth paying for the RS verses the CS for us.

 

As for Michaels, I think that they should test one ship in the M and S class with allowing those in a SS to have access. It was dead on our last cruise. With so many having the drink package they use the other bars as did we.

Edited July 2, 2014 by cruisingator2

[LewiLewi]

Our last cruise in April was in a Royal Suite. We had the use of Michael's club but didn't use it because our friends were not in a suite, and could not join us there. Others who did use Michael's enjoyed the perks; special entertainment, Officer parties, food and drinks and the socializing with other suite guests. This is very similar to the Neptune Suite concept on Holland America lines where guests in Neptune Suites have their own lounge. Also, the hostess in Michael's club was there to help with any special services or any problems that suite guests had.

I think that with the new suite dining room, Michael's will be used more often as a place to get together pre dinner and during the day. It does sound elitist, but it seems that this is the direction thst Celebrity is taking.

[cle-guy]

It does sound elitist, but it seems that this is the direction thst Celebrity is taking.

 

As does the Captain's Club loyalty program itself: "Elite", "Elite Plus" LOL :D

 

How long has the program been around...? Not really a new direction at all.

[vtcruising]

I think you will enjoy the CS. We had previously booked the Royal on past cruises but on our last cruise which was a very port intensive 13 night Med cruise we decided to try a CS with the large slanted balcony on the EQ. We actually liked it much better than the RS due to the lack of space on the balcony of the RS. The RS has a whirlpool tub that takes up so much space and not something that we use. Guess some do and like it but not us. I would prefer more space to move around.

 

We came home and changed our two upcoming cruises to a CS with the slanted balcony. Perfect size stateroom IMHO. Even with the new suite perks that will be added it was not worth paying for the RS verses the CS for us.

 

As for Michaels, I think that they should test one ship in the M and S class with allowing those in a SS to have access. It was dead on our last cruise. With so many having the drink package they use the other bars as did we.

 

Thanks for your thoughts! It's good to hear that you enjoyed the slanted balcony of the CS - we will have 1122 on Reflection, which is slanted.

 

Interesting idea to test the waters with the SS passengers having access to Michael's on one ship. The only cruise we have been on with Michael's as a VIP lounge was a TA, without the free beverage package - it looked quite busy at times in Michael's. It seems we hear that it is empty on many cruises, so you are likely right that it could be related to the free beverage packages.

[cle-guy]

 

Interesting idea to test the waters with the SS passengers having access to Michael's on one ship.

 

I think this is a terrible idea. It's one of the few differences other than cabin size between the Sky Suites and others.

 

Most other cruise lines call the Sky Suite a Junior Suite. To me a true suite has a door and a wall separating the bedroom from the living spaces.

 

Let the Sky Suite stand alone as a bridge between standard cabins and proper suites, and leave it value-priced as well for those wanting a lot of the Suite perks, but not the full price those all come with. I'm actually surprised they are even allowing Suite Dining Room access as a perk of the Sky Suite, certainly that's done just so they can add a price increase to the cabin fare with good conscience. Adding Michael's club also, would add even more to the cabin fare itself this limiting even further the distinction between it and other suites.

[Orator]

Thanks for your thoughts! It's good to hear that you enjoyed the slanted balcony of the CS - we will have 1122 on Reflection, which is slanted.

 

Interesting idea to test the waters with the SS passengers having access to Michael's on one ship. The only cruise we have been on with Michael's as a VIP lounge was a TA, without the free beverage package - it looked quite busy at times in Michael's. It seems we hear that it is empty on many cruises, so you are likely right that it could be related to the free beverage packages.

 

Michael's Club just doesn't have the space to do as you suggest.

[Ma Bell]

I think this is a terrible idea. It's one of the few differences other than cabin size between the Sky Suites and others.

 

Most other cruise lines call the Sky Suite a Junior Suite. To me a true suite has a door and a wall separating the bedroom from the living spaces.

 

Let the Sky Suite stand alone as a bridge between standard cabins and proper suites, and leave it value-priced as well for those wanting a lot of the Suite perks, but not the full price those all come with. I'm actually surprised they are even allowing Suite Dining Room access as a perk of the Sky Suite, certainly that's done just so they can add a price increase to the cabin fare with good conscience. Adding Michael's club also, would add even more to the cabin fare itself this limiting even further the distinction between it and other suites.

 

Maybe they should only allow suite perks for two people from each cabin as well, and by all means, don't allow any of those big parties for friends in the larger suites, after all, those people aren't paying for the use of the suite. To be really fair they should figure out who is paying more per person and then just let the top spenders in.:o Maybe they could also add in those who spend a lot in the casino or love to buy expensive bottles of wine.;):rolleyes:

 

Seriously...I'm sure Celebrity can figure out who deserves what.

[cle-guy]

Maybe they should only allow suite perks for two people from each cabin as well, and by all means, don't allow any of those big parties for friends in the larger suites, after all, those people aren't paying for the use of the suite. To be really fair they should figure out who is paying more per person and then just let the top spenders in.:o Maybe they could also add in those who spend a lot in the casino or love to buy expensive bottles of wine.;):rolleyes:

 

Seriously...I'm sure Celebrity can figure out who deserves what.

 

I don't agree at all or propose any of these ideas, but that's just me. Certainly all people in authorized cabins should have access to the perks that that cabin comes with. And as to suite guests hosting gatherings, it really doesn't cost the cruise line anything, all they are doing is bring a tray of canapé's or appetizers that would have otherwise been on the buffet to the cabin (which also lessens crowding in the other venues...), and additionally the suite guest has paid 10k to 15k for a royal or penthouse suite on a 7 night sailing versus an inside cabin that sold for $999, so there's a bit of wiggle room in that fare to cover that, and oh yeah, that is in fact an authorized perk of the suite, even those in SkySuites.

 

In effect, they are only allowing the top spenders in, being the true suites and Zenith members who have probably spent literally hundreds of thousands of dollars on cruising over the years, and certain "VIP's" who are known to send business or are potential big business spenders, so that part I do in fact agree with. So their threshold for that seems to be above the standard fare of a Sky Suite starting with the Celebrity Suite, so this is actually a good idea.

 

Getting access to Michael's is very simple, book a Celebrity Suite or higher category and you are in. Book anything less, and you aren't allowed. Just like BLU, if you want access to it, pay more than veranda and concierge and get Aqua or a Suite.

 

A line needs drawn somewhere, it's been drawn between Celebrity Suites and Sky Suites. Celebrity has already determined who deserves what. :D

[Ma Bell]

I think you can see I was just making absurd remarks but I think the sense of entitlement is getting to be a little overblown. Most of the people who sail regularly in suites or are Zenith or close to being there don't find it necessary to broadcast their status.

 

It's nice that they are trying to offer a better experience to people in Suites, but they will certainly be charging a lot for perks that really aren't costing them much.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Ma Bell