Perks of suite compared to balcony on diamond level

[Tudorcruisers]

booked on serenade of the seas and we are diamond level with the c&a. It's for husbands 60th birthday so I thought booking a suite might be good. I looked at perks for suites and with the perks for diamond I'm not sure if it's worth the £'s it will cost. Certainly the accomodation will be better but we only sleep in the stateroom so that didn't really count.

 

Any other advice will be appreciated.

[Clarea]

One perk you would get with a GS or better is the ability to have "free" room service from the MDR menu.

[actuarian]

Most of the time, the value of the perks is less than the extra cost of a suite, especially if you are diamond and already have access to the diamond lounge and to priority boarding. A suite is worth the extra cost if the accommodation itself is important to you; the room is much bigger and has much nicer furniture. However, usually when I check prices, I can get a balcony room plus a dining package plus a drink package for less than the price of a Grand Suite. I would rather have the dining package and the drink package than the GS perks.

[grapau27]

Most of the time, the value of the perks is less than the extra cost of a suite, especially if you are diamond and already have access to the diamond lounge and to priority boarding. A suite is worth the extra cost if the accommodation itself is important to you; the room is much bigger and has much nicer furniture. However, usually when I check prices, I can get a balcony room plus a dining package plus a drink package for less than the price of a Grand Suite. I would rather have the dining package and the drink package than the GS perks.

I agree or get a Junior suite as you get a bigger room and balcony than a standard balcony plus a bath, coffee maker,kettle double C&A points and a lot cheaper than a full suite.

[island lady]

We were on one of the 11 night sailings in February. We are D+, my sister is a brand new Diamond. This was her

honeymoon cruise, so she booked into a GS, while we had a D1 balcony. She was able to use both the CL and the

DL, which was nice....since the DL was so very crowded, we enjoyed the quieter CL.

 

She was also able to order the full menu MDR for room service, as they enjoyed a romantic evening in their cabin one

night. They also loved being able to go to Chops for a nice sit down breakfast every morning. They enjoyed a nice

welcome aboard party for suites guests/Pinnacles.

 

One big advantage: She was escorted off the ship at disembarkation and right to the front of the line at customs as a suite perk. She was able to get to her vehicle early, as they were having mechanical problems, then still had to wait for us to get through the awful long lines to join up with them.

[BigMikefromTexas]

We were on one of the 11 night sailings in February. We are D+, my sister is a brand new Diamond. This was her

honeymoon cruise, so she booked into a GS, while we had a D1 balcony. She was able to use both the CL and the

DL, which was nice....since the DL was so very crowded, we enjoyed the quieter CL.

 

She was also able to order the full menu MDR for room service, as they enjoyed a romantic evening in their cabin one

night. They also loved being able to go to Chops for a nice sit down breakfast every morning. They enjoyed a nice

welcome aboard party for suites guests/Pinnacles.

 

One big advantage: She was escorted off the ship at disembarkation and right to the front of the line at customs as a suite perk. She was able to get to her vehicle early, as they were having mechanical problems, then still had to wait for us to get through the awful long lines to join up with them.

 

 

Suites (larger than JS) really are a matter of convenience. Done them several times. The extra room is nice, especially when visiting with friends and family. DW likes the larger bathrooms.

[knittinggirl]

That priority disembarkation perk is wonderful!

 

JS gets double C&A credit, and it's a nice size too.

 

Concierge Lounge is getting rare, since many of them are getting renamed to Suite Lounge and D+ are no longer getting access.

[actuarian]

I agree or get a Junior suite as you get a bigger room and balcony than a standard balcony plus a bath, coffee maker,kettle double C&A points and a lot cheaper than a full suite.

 

JS is great if you are just looking for more space and double C&A points. However, most of the other suite perks are for GS or higher (accept JS can have dinner at Coastal Kitchen on ships that have CK).

[frank808]

That priority disembarkation perk is wonderful!

 

JS gets double C&A credit, and it's a nice size too.

 

Concierge Lounge is getting rare, since many of them are getting renamed to Suite Lounge and D+ are no longer getting access.

How many ships have a suite lounge now? SL on oasis, allure, harmony, anthem and liberty. So 5 ships have a suite lounge compared to concierge lounge. It doesn't seem the cl or getting rare but they are being replaced slowly but surely.

 

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[grapau27]

Suites (larger than JS) really are a matter of convenience. Done them several times. The extra room is nice, especially when visiting with friends and family. DW likes the larger bathrooms.

We got a GS several years ago on Brilliance when we brought my wifes mam with us and the extra space was great and the overhang above the balcony allowed us to sit out on the balcony.

At that time the CL was along the corridor on deck 10 and the people were great but the room was tiny with no outside views,i believe they have moved the lounge so hopefully it is a better room.

[grapau27]

JS is great if you are just looking for more space and double C&A points. However, most of the other suite perks are for GS or higher (accept JS can have dinner at Coastal Kitchen on ships that have CK).

The down side is they are so much more expensive than a JS and unless you are going to spend a lot of time in the cabin it is hard to justify the extra cost even though we loved a GS we were on on Brilliance several years ago and i still have the photo of the GS as my laptop homepage.

[ARCruisinNana]

How many ships have a suite lounge now? SL on oasis, allure, harmony, anthem and liberty. So 5 ships have a suite lounge compared to concierge lounge. It doesn't seem the cl or getting rare but they are being replaced slowly but surely.

 

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Anthem still has a CL, so it's only 4 ships with a SL!

 

 

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[Milwaukee Eight]

With a GS you will get to meet Mario Reyes. To us the best Concierge in the Fleet. Maybe you can get him to play his bass with his friends in the CL. Walk off is great as well and generally not crowded as the DL.

 

 

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[John&LaLa]

Suites (larger than JS) really are a matter of convenience. Done them several times. The extra room is nice, especially when visiting with friends and family. DW likes the larger bathrooms.

Go all the way. YOLO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Milwaukee Eight]

Go all the way. YOLO.

 

 

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That's just not fair John spoiling us with the Royal Suite. [emoji57]

 

 

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[Tudorcruisers]

Now that looks amazing :)

[island lady]

Suites (larger than JS) really are a matter of convenience. Done them several times. The extra room is nice, especially when visiting with friends and family. DW likes the larger bathrooms.

 

 

Agree...the suites are nice. And can't beat the OS cabins with that "extra toilet" in the bathroom. ;)

 

The DH and I did GS cabins before we retired. Now we do JS cabins, which are just the right size for us. With the money saved between the cost of the two...we cruise more often now. :cool:

[island lady]

We got a GS several years ago on Brilliance when we brought my wifes mam with us and the extra space was great and the overhang above the balcony allowed us to sit out on the balcony.

At that time the CL was along the corridor on deck 10 and the people were great but the room was tiny with no outside views,i believe they have moved the lounge so hopefully it is a better room.

 

Yes, the old CL on Brilliance was near the elevators on deck 10. At that time there was no DL.

 

Now the CL (and the DL across the hall) is located on the VCL deck. The old CL was transformed into a family

JS.

[grapau27]

Yes, the old CL on Brilliance was near the elevators on deck 10. At that time there was no DL.

 

Now the CL (and the DL across the hall) is located on the VCL deck. The old CL was transformed into a family

JS.

Thanks for info about CL lounge.

[island lady]

Thanks for info about CL lounge.

 

You are most welcome! I never liked it there, it was tiny and always crowded. I love where it is now (the

old cigar bar). We especially love the U shaped bar for lively conversations in there. :)

[grapau27]

You are most welcome! I never liked it there, it was tiny and always crowded. I love where it is now (the

old cigar bar). We especially love the U shaped bar for lively conversations in there. :)

I know,it was not the most inspiring room and had very few seats and no outside views to talk about,but we always got lots of strawberries dipped in various chocolate and we got several invites from other suite guests to come over from the UK to visit US and Canada which we declined but the offers were very kind from a nice group of people.Some day we will get back on Brilliance and look forward to seeing the new lounges.

[I am pampered]

We probably made a mistake of booking a GS last year on the Indy when we brought the kids (11 and 14 at the time) with us on their first ever cruise. It was a perfect size for 4 (including a rollaway bed so they didn't have to share a bed). And the extra perks were great. Of course, now we can't go back to a non-suite cabin - the kids don't know how good they had it! We are sailing on the Oasis in July in another GS and can't wait!! We're excited for the better Suite Lounge, the bigger ship and the longer trip. We felt we couldn't fit everything we wanted to do in when it was a 4 night trip last year. We're so excited!

[Milwaukee Eight]

You will love the CK as well.

 

 

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[John&LaLa]

Agree...the suites are nice. And can't beat the OS cabins with that "extra toilet" in the bathroom. ;)

 

The DH and I did GS cabins before we retired. Now we do JS cabins, which are just the right size for us. With the money saved between the cost of the two...we cruise more often now. :cool:

Not a fan of this model. Much prefer nozzle in the bowl. [emoji6]

 

 

 

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[grapau27]

The suites are great if there are more than 2 of you in the cabin but a JS is usually great value and has most of the things we like eg bath,kettle walk in wardrobe bigger balcony and double C&A points.