Is it worth the expense?

[rogfam]

Is it worth the extra $2000 plus per person to book a penthouse cabin instead of concierge level cabin for a 21 day cruise on the Sirena?

[Pet Nit Noy]

Is it worth the extra $2000 plus per person to book a penthouse cabin instead of concierge level cabin for a 21 day cruise on the Sirena?

 

People think the cost of the Penthouse cabin is money better spent than the cost of Concierge level in spite of the fact that PH is more expensive. The bigger stateroom, butler service and the ability to order dinners served in the room for a PH is seen as more appealing benefits than things like the Concierge lounge.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Pet Nit Noy

[sitraveler]

The question of whether the value is there is complex. But concierge on a R ship is the same as nonconcierge veranda, except for booking restaurants, excursions and boarding time. And the ability to get hot room service breakfast.

[bitob]

To us without a doubt. Everyone has different wants and needs.

 

 

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[Mura]

We like the extra space in a PH on the "R" ships -- although just having been in a Deck 6 veranda cabin on NAUTICA (having accepted an obscene downsell offer) -- we thought we'd be unhappy in the smaller cabin and really were not. Having said that, the extra $$ for a PH is worth it to us.

 

Only you can decide it if it's worth it to YOU.

 

We also value the ability to have breakfast or dinner in the room, which really isn't convenient in the smaller cabins. And the veranda holds a lounger (not a huge one) as opposed to a plain chair. As I said, there is just more space!

 

We personally don't really care about being able to book specialty restaurants sooner than others but that is important for others.

 

Mura

[Earl Rosebery]

We've been in a penthouse stateroom and a veranda stateroom X2 on Nautica.

The penthouse was definitely not worth the extra dosh. We wouldn't want to eat in our room and found the butler intrusive. We got all the specialty restaurant time we wanted.

[bitob]

Lol. We no longer want to cruise without a butler. To each his own

 

 

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[JimandStan]

What exactly constitutes value for money is perhaps even more personal than passion.

Some people look at the person that they Cruise with and imagine how delightfully intimate a private meal in the Suite would be-

 

Others look across the same table, and think, "Will you NEVER die?"

 

Quite naturally the experience......well.........varies.

[janecambridge]

Jimandstan...😂😂😂😂😂😂

 

We had an up sell from concierge to penthouse.I was dubious of even spending a total of £300 on that but my husband said yes straight away.

We were so happy when we first walked into that suite at the space and size.But we have no idea what cruising in a concierge or lower on Oceania is like.But the extra space comparing to other lowest suite cabins on other lines was in the end worth it.Did not sit on the sofa once.

Spa access....on a hot trip it was too hot for us up there.we spent some late afternoons up there just to chill,but unexpectedly the spa pool was too hot too.a bit of a let down there but can see it would be great on a cruise where air temperatures were lower.all suites have access to this..

Butler...we had a butler before,once on Regent,and we didn't take to it at all.This butler,we had,Lokesh,,was unintrusive,polite,good fun and always available.A true professional.Immediately on embarkation he kindly whisked away my husbands jacket for pressing and returned it a few hours later,ready for dinner.( should take 24 hrs).Once we settled down with the idea of using him,he was a great addition to our journey.

Early booking restaurants...we like to have a table for two so was very happy to be able to work that around our itinerary,so we could eat later on days we left port later to watch sunsets etc..

Food service in cabin...we loved the hot omelette for breakfast and peace and quiet before setting off on a long day of tours,just getting ready at our own pace.Red ginger one evening too,relaxed and intimate with our butler serving.Any choice,in any form off the red ginger menu.

Balcony..not really any bigger than usual but the seats were the best seats ever on a balcony,hence why we never sat on the inside sofa!

Executive lounge...unsure if there is any difference in that or concierge lounge.

Last minute luggage collection...not sure what that was about but we had to have luggage out by 10 pm...

Canapés...they were a nice nibble as long as you didn't want to have afternoon tea too,which we don't..but the fruit skewers were always poor.sandwiches were too,but the veg and dips,3 chicken wings and Mexican tortillas were very good.

 

We spent more time relaxing then we normally do on a cruise...

 

To sum it up.We were worried it was "just a butler" or "just a cushion on a balcony" etc. But all these things were there all day every day and really made our first experience of Oceania a great one..

Would I book a penthouse for an extra $2000 for 21 days,yes...for us who,like to spend time with others at activities,the bar and tours,but have our own time together when dining it is worth it,but having said all that we visited a concierge cabin and they were stunning too.We cannot compare but wouldn't hesitate to book a concierge or lower on a weeks trip.

Edited September 8, 2016 by janecambridge

[Paulchili]

Jane,

Just to clarify - you were in a PH on an O class ship (Riviera/Marina) if I am not mistaken. OP is on the Sirena - apples and oranges.

PHs on the O class ships are fantastic; on the R ships just "nice".

I would pay $2K for an upsell from concierge to PH on an O class ship for a 21 day cruise; not so sure if I would do it on an R ship (maybe).

[janecambridge]

Paulchili

Thank you for clarifying that.:)yes we were on Riviera.I had no idea there is a difference.Even more confusing for me now as we look at booking some sort of suite for a cruise in January/ February 2018.....:(

[rogfam]

Jane,

Just to clarify - you were in a PH on an O class ship (Riviera/Marina) if I am not mistaken. OP is on the Sirena - apples and oranges.

PHs on the O class ships are fantastic; on the R ships just "nice".

I would pay $2K for an upsell from concierge to PH on an O class ship for a 21 day cruise; not so sure if I would do it on an R ship (maybe).

 

We did have a PH Suite on the Marina for a 21 day cruise and loved it. However, now the choice is R ship, the Sirena. As you say, not apples and oranges.

[Iamthesea]

To us without a doubt. Everyone has different wants and needs.

 

We want it, and do we like the extra room that a Suite provides (Ok, I'll admit that I need it, too. :D) However, that $2000 pp upcharge that it would cost from our B3 (extra large veranda) to a PH was the money that we took to book a 12 night cruise to the Mediterranean leaving 3 months later. Also in a standard extra large veranda. Plus, we have $1000 left over!

 

What exactly constitutes value for money is perhaps even more personal than passion.

Some people look at the person that they Cruise with and imagine how delightfully intimate a private meal in the Suite would be-

 

Others look across the same table, and think, "Will you NEVER die?"

 

Quite naturally the experience......well.........varies.

 

Oh my goodness! Thank you for the chuckle of the week. :) I needed that!:D

Edited September 8, 2016 by Iamthesea

[wripro]

Very personal decision. For me, I wouldn't set foot on an Oceania ship if not in a PH. But that's me. And it's also the reason I don't sail them that often any more because a PH and all the other expenses entailed make O as expensive or more than a luxury line. But again, that's just me. Others obviously think differently.

[BabySis]

We did the penthouse on our first O cruise on the Marina and it was lovely. The cabin was huge. Our subsequent O cruises have been in "sunset" veranda cabins. We spend very little time in the cabin unless it is on the veranda.

 

For us, the PH means a hot breakfast in the cabin provided by butler. Not much else.

[RJB]

Very personal decision. For me, I wouldn't set foot on an Oceania ship if not in a PH. But that's me. And it's also the reason I don't sail them that often any more because a PH and all the other expenses entailed make O as expensive or more than a luxury line. But again, that's just me. Others obviously think differently.

Agree 100%. We love the PH on both the O and R ships. R are smaller, but much better than the regular cabins which we would never take. Just us. We feel the extra space is worth it. Again what we like. Each to his own.

[PaulMCO]

Agree 100%. We love the PH on both the O and R ships. R are smaller, but much better than the regular cabins which we would never take. Just us. We feel the extra space is worth it. Again what we like. Each to his own.

 

We hate the tiny shower on the R ships -- the PH on Sirena should have a full size shower instead of the tub -- and to each his own...

Edited September 8, 2016 by PaulMCO

[bitob]

We are experiencing upgrade creep as we get older. We first sailed in outside cabins because we are not big balcony users. We tried a ph and we never again were willing to give up the space or the butler. Now on longer cruises we want a vista on the r ships or an oc on the larger ships. Ph feeling small. We still rarely use the balcony but we love the comfort of the space and the indulgence that comes with a butler. Part of our plan to bounce our last check.

 

 

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[LHT28]

We did the penthouse on our first O cruise on the Marina and it was lovely. The cabin was huge. Our subsequent O cruises have been in "sunset" veranda cabins. We spend very little time in the cabin unless it is on the veranda.

 

.

what is a sunset veranda cabin??

[LHT28]

We have never had a PH so I cannot compare sizes

 

Would we spend the $2000 to get one ..NO

maybe if we got a reasonable upsell we would try one

 

BUT

We do not eat in the cabin unless we are ill

we do not need/want a butler

we do not need afternoon canapes there is enough to eat elsewhere

we like to socialize we spend too much time together at home ( I need a break) ;)

a walk in closet might be nice but we do not even fill the closets in the basic cabins

 

If you need/want the more space or the other amenities that come with a PH & have the $$

it is a personal choice

 

everyone has different priorities in life

[bitob]

I believe a sunset veranda is on celebrity

 

 

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[ChatKat in Ca.]

We moved to Oceania from Regent so our first cruise was Penthouse for Greek Isles on the Regatta

 

When we did the Baltic we knew we had little ship time - we'd be out everyday on tours so we did the Concierge Cabin on Nautica.

 

On Riviera we did a b2b in Penthouse from Istanbul to Miami - lots of cabin time on an ocean crossing.

 

On Marina, we did an East Coast/New England in a Concierge Veranda.

 

I just booked Nautica for two weeks in a Concierge Veranda for South Africa. I will have 7 weeks on Crystal in a Veranda cabin there and they are small but well appointed.

 

I tell you this because for use it depends on the cruise. I'd rather save the cash and take another cruise than buy the real estate if I am not going to use it.

[RJB]

We are experiencing upgrade creep as we get older. We first sailed in outside cabins because we are not big balcony users. We tried a ph and we never again were willing to give up the space or the butler. Now on longer cruises we want a vista on the r ships or an oc on the larger ships. Ph feeling small. We still rarely use the balcony but we love the comfort of the space and the indulgence that comes with a butler. Part of our plan to bounce our last check.

 

 

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Sounds like we are looking in the mirror. Just the way we started and would not go back.

[Mura]

As with Bitbob, we have suffered from "upward creep". And I don't doubt that increasing age is *part* of the reason.

 

When we first sailed on Renaissance, a Deck 7 veranda was just fine -- except for the shower! On our second cruise we discovered what is now called a PH on Oceania and loved it. For our last Renaissance cruise we were back to the "plain" veranda cabin because we were on the R7 which had eliminated the larger veranda cabins.

 

Once Oceania started up we pretty much booked PH cabins. Then came the first Marina cruise in 2011 where we were bribed to switch to a VS from our Alaska cruise PH on Regatta ... same price for a suite that would have cost twice as much if we'd ordered it to being with.

 

So since then we've pretty much been in VS or OC on the big ships. We will be in a VS on Sirena next month but when we downgraded to a B1 on Nautica in June (which I've mentioned before) we really weren't unhappy.

 

Even so ... we will tend to book the higher end cabins. If that means fewer cruises, so be it. (We've been an OS only once, on Regatta, and probably never will be again!)

 

When butlers first came along we thought we'd never use them. Then I tore my meniscus and was in a wheelchair, but we'd fortunately taken an upsell to an OS on Regatta (that was in 2005) and for the first time we really used the butler.

 

These days we use them, yes, but not to the extent that others do. I won't let anyone pack or unpack my bags and so far we haven't hosted cocktail parties in our suite. But we DO use the butler for booking extra specialty reservations if we want them (we don't always want them) ... we enjoy dining in the room when we're just do tired to get gussied up after a day on shore ... on occasion our butler has collected a forgotten bottle of wine from our room and brought it to the restaurant ...

 

So even though we never thought we'd use a butler, now we do.

 

Which is NOT to say that we don't understand the people who say they have no use for a butler. We completely grog that! I only suggest that we probably are not alone in first discounting the use of a butler and then later changing our minds ...

 

Mura

[donaldsc]

Is it worth the extra $2000 plus per person to book a penthouse cabin instead of concierge level cabin for a 21 day cruise on the Sirena?

 

I think that it is a total waste of money. In fact, I feel that except for certain specific cruises, anything above an outside view cabin is a waste of money. To me, a cabin is just where I sleep, not where I live in.. Just my opinion.

 

DON