PH Suite on Regatta

[wally_bushy]

We are cruising Alaska in May15 and would like some feedback on the refurbished Penthouse Suites.

We usually "survive" on a balcony but a good price and itinerary made us jump at this option.

I have now been following CC avidly for a while and hope the usuals reply.:)

[Mura]

I can't speak to the refurbished suites, but a PH is our first choice on the "R" ships. We find them very comfortable, especially with the larger bathroom.

 

On one occasion we had an upsell to an OS, on one other we opted for a VS (both about the same time, back in 2005-2006, I just wanted to see what they were like) and we loved them -- they made it hard to return to a "mere" PH. But in the end the PH is our preferred accommodation.

 

On the "O" ships our first 3 cruises were in one OC and two VS, but for our next cruise we are returning to a PH.

 

The PH on the "R" ships is very comfortable and more spacious. It may depend on how happy you have been in the veranda suites and what kind of a bargain you have.

 

One comment I've always made is that the PH is wider enough that if you both want to go across the room, there is room to do so. In the standard veranda, one of you will have to wait. Plus there is a tub + shower as opposed to that tiny shower.

 

It depends on what you want or need. As far as we are concerned, storage space on the "R" ships isn't much different between the PH and the standard veranda cabins.

 

Oh, yes. There is more room on the veranda just as there is more "cross-over" room in the room itself. The PH veranda can take a couple of lounge chairs whereas the standard veranda just has ordinary chairs. I'm not sure how much different we're talking in width -- maybe five feet? But those five feet DO make a difference, at least to me.

 

Mura

[wally_bushy]

Mura

I think you mentioned the things that appealed to me.

The extra walk through looks good and I as much as we love the R ships the bathroom is for one person only :(

BTW you were one of the usuals who came to mind :)

[cruisingxpert]

We were on the Insignia in Nov after the refurbishment in PH 8056. Lovely square shaped room. I liked the layout of the room better than the Riviera penthouses but I missed the larger bathroom and walk-in closet of the Riviera penthouses.

 

 

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[wally_bushy]

Great photos and it is certainly roomier (as Mura said)

We have 8043 which should be the same configuration.

Another question... does the TV swivel or is it meant to be watched from the chairs not the bed?

[globevest]

Great photos and it is certainly roomier (as Mura said)

We have 8043 which should be the same configuration.

Another question... does the TV swivel or is it meant to be watched from the chairs not the bed?

 

It swivels but not much. It can be watched in bed......the one on the far side of the bed has a reasonable view......the near side view is not good. Best to push the TV parallel with the wall after viewing as it can be a little dangerous if it it left sticking out at an angle when going to the bathroom during the night.

[wally_bushy]

It swivels but not much. It can be watched in bed......the one on the far side of the bed has a reasonable view......the near side view is not good. Best to push the TV parallel with the wall after viewing as it can be a little dangerous if it it left sticking out at an angle when going to the bathroom during the night.

 

That's OK for me..that is my side of the bed:D

There is probably going to be viewing from the balcony anyway!

[TKS]

The PH's on Regatta are about 4-5 foot wider than standard balcony cabins (same depth), with an extra window, so the room is lighter. There is a full size sofa instead of a love seat, and the table with two chairs is large enough for a dinner, as long as you don't get carried away. The room feels much more open. The closet is similar in size to the balcony suites, but there is about twice as much drawer and counter space. The tv position is not ideal, but we don't watch much so it's not a problem for us. There is a small mirror/shelf by the entry door - a good place for a final check before you leave the cabin and a great place to leave cabin card and other things you don't want to forget.

 

And of course, the butler can be used to your advantage if you like. We loved having coffee/tea delivered each morning to wake us up, and it was fun to have a small party in the room with canapés delivered by the butler when we requested.

 

Only you can decide which cabin is best for you. For a port intensive itinerary maybe a balcony is fine, but if you have more sea days the additions in the PH are really nice.

Edited January 13, 2015 by TKS

[SAS-sy]

We were just in a PH Suite on the Regatta last month. Although, I have never seen a regular balcony/veranda suite, we found the PH just wonderful. Having a butler was a pleasure. He couldn't do enough for us. Nothing was ever too much and he told us to order from the specialty restaurants which was most pleasant. We chose Toscanna for our meal, and it was just perfect. We also ate breakfast in the PH most days. For us that was a good way to keep the calories down because there was nothing to tempt us just walking past.

 

Being that we were going through the Panama Canal (which was awesome), there were lots of sea days so the extra space was particularly nice, I do think that the verandas are small even in PH. I would stay in a PH suite if I had the opportunity in a quick minute. We were a few doors down from the suite you mentioned.

[Jancruz]

We are cruising Alaska in May15 and would like some feedback on the refurbished Penthouse Suites.

We usually "survive" on a balcony but a good price and itinerary made us jump at this option.

I have now been following CC avidly for a while and hope the usuals reply.:)

 

Just an FYI, there is a combination tub shower so you must climb into the tub to take a shower..

Jancruz1

[findacruise]

We have been in a PH suite on several longer cruises on R ships. We very much enjoyed having the extra space. One word of caution about location. We found the PHs located under the Terrace cafe where the elevator area is can be a bit noisy in the early morning with sound of carts. Also, sometimes if you are directly under the pool, you can hear them moving the deck chairs and cleaning very early. Our favorite PH location

 

I know this doesn't bother some people if they get up early anyway, or aren't light sleepers. Just wanted to pass on on experiences.

 

Also like having the extra space in the bathroom.