Riviera concierge class versus penthouse

[juliet]

Just got off of the Riviera this morning.  Were in a Penthouse 2 and loved the extra room.  Lots of storage.  Didn't use the storage in the main part of the cabin as the walk in closet has more than enough room for hanging items as well as drawers.  There are also shelves and a rack for your shoes.  The cabin itself it wonderful.  If you can swing it, I'd do it.  Didn't use the butler much except he bought our breakfast every morning and snacks in the afternoon.  Would be fine without one though.  Sent out one bag of laundry (7 items).  All came back folded nicely.  Wouldn't suggest sending button down shirts as my husbands shirt was folded but he couldn't wear it as it needed pressing too.  Had enough shirts though so wasn't a problem for him.

Loved our first Oceania cruise and will be looking forward to more.

[Andee]

We're currently in  B3 veranda cabin on the Marina. So much storage that we haven't filled every drawer or cabinet, even though it's a 20 day (plus 6 days before and 4 after) cruise with temperatures expected to range from 48 to 98.

I agree that the closet placement is less than ideal, but one of us gets dressed while the other uses the bathroom, so it hasn't been a problem. 

Last cruise on the Marina, we took advantage of a great offer to upgrade to a PH. The extra space was definitely wonderful and the walk in closet was much bigger than our closet at home.

The included laundry was nice and our clothes came back nicely folded.

Never could figure out what to do with the butler other than give him DH's menu, rather than turn it in at breakfast. He did set up breakfast the one time we ordered it in our cabin, but room service would have been just fine.

I do miss being able to walk down the hall for coffee first thing in the morning. 

All in all, we'd only book a PH if it was a big bargain. 

[ORV]

9 hours ago, juliet said:

Just got off of the Riviera this morning.  Were in a Penthouse 2 and loved the extra room.  Lots of storage.  Didn't use the storage in the main part of the cabin as the walk in closet has more than enough room for hanging items as well as drawers.  There are also shelves and a rack for your shoes.  The cabin itself it wonderful.  If you can swing it, I'd do it.  Didn't use the butler much except he bought our breakfast every morning and snacks in the afternoon.  Would be fine without one though.  Sent out one bag of laundry (7 items).  All came back folded nicely.  Wouldn't suggest sending button down shirts as my husbands shirt was folded but he couldn't wear it as it needed pressing too.  Had enough shirts though so wasn't a problem for him.

Loved our first Oceania cruise and will be looking forward to more.

You also get 4 items pressed for no charge in a PH. 

[LHT28]

4 minutes ago, ORV said:

You also get 4 items pressed for no charge in a PH. 

Also in Concierge

but  I would probably go iron the  shirts  if  they looked that bad 😉

[Momtuck1113]

We’re booked in PH1 ..on Rivera - what’s the difference between ours and the other PH’s...not that we’re changing 😂 just curious 🤔⁉️

[ORV]

29 minutes ago, Momtuck1113 said:

We’re booked in PH1 ..on Rivera - what’s the difference between ours and the other PH’s...not that we’re changing 😂 just curious 🤔⁉️

Pretty much location. They will be mid ship and on a higher deck. Most PH's are the same with a few exceptions at the back of the 7th & 9th and maybe 11th floor. 

[Kingofcool1947]

On 9/23/2018 at 2:17 PM, laserboi said:

Any thoughts on the advantage of booking PH vs concierge class? Not sure if it's worth the additional $$ and have not cruised Oceania before. Would appreciate your insights all! Thanks,

LB

 

 

Go with the Owners Suite.   Only a slight bit more.   But well worth it.  👍

Edited May 23, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[Redtravel]

Book any cabin. A regular veranda cabin is big. It is more like a suite on most ships. Do not waste money on concierge. The lounge has papers, snacks,etc.  does nothing for me. Concierge and up gives you 3 free bags of laundry. You can buy these for less than the extra money to upgrade.  I book regular veranda cabins and am happy.

[pingpong1]

27 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

Book any cabin. A regular veranda cabin is big. It is more like a suite on most ships. Do not waste money on concierge. The lounge has papers, snacks,etc.  does nothing for me. Concierge and up gives you 3 free bags of laundry. You can buy these for less than the extra money to upgrade.  I book regular veranda cabins and am happy.

Or....Go to Walmart and buy an inflatable pool lounger, pick up a 6-pack of beer, and find the closest creek or pond nearest your house.  Inflate the lounger, climb on board with the beer, and float around in the pond.  Close your eyes, and pretend you're on a cruise ship.  Just think about how much money you've saved!

[Redtravel]

9 minutes ago, pingpong1 said:

Or....Go to Walmart and buy an inflatable pool lounger, pick up a 6-pack of beer, and find the closest creek or pond nearest your house.  Inflate the lounger, climb on board with the beer, and float around in the pond.  Close your eyes, and pretend you're on a cruise ship.  Just think about how much money you've saved!

Your comments are in poor taste.  I don't drink beer, shop at Walmart, or float anywhere.  I don't close my eyes and play pretend. 

Do not repond.

[cotto22]

23 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

 

Go with the Owners Suite.   Only a slight bit more.   But well worth it.  👍

There is a $4,000 pp difference on our cruise between the PH and Owner's suites. That is a little more than slight in my bankbook! I know I would really enjoy the Owners suite, however, I am not sure the price difference would be worth it!

[DeeniEncinitas]

On 5/23/2019 at 10:09 AM, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

 

Go with the Owners Suite.   Only a slight bit more.   But well worth it.  👍

We are doing 2 cruises on Riviera in PH 1’s. TA as well as 12 day med cruise 3 weeks later in The Med. TA for O suite is 4,000pp and our Med cruise would be 5,000 pp. more.

we enjoy a lot of travel and cruising and that would go towards another O cruise.

I agree swing it and enjoy a fabulous time in a Oceania suite.

This is our first time with O. We will be on HAL from our home San Diego doing a 16 day Panama Canal cruise to FLL and pick upO in Miami to take her over to the med.

Denise😊

 

[Chris86]

Hello. 

 

We are booked in a balcony..we just considered upgrading to concierge or penthouse.

 

Tbh neither appealed to us. The only extra benefit we truly liked of concierge was the laundry and even then we thought isn't it just easier to use the coin operated machine on demand or pay for that service if we really wanted it. 

 

Then we were quite disappointed with the penthouse. Although the room is larger its in the wrong areas for us. We would prefer a deeper balcony not longer. A larger bathroom not walk in closet. Little need for two armchairs at the end of the bed.

 

I'm sure we will try it one day but for now not interested enough

 

Only my two cents 🙂

 

 

[Paulchili]

43 minutes ago, Chris86 said:

Hello. 

 

We are booked in a balcony..we just considered upgrading to concierge or penthouse.

 

Tbh neither appealed to us. The only extra benefit we truly liked of concierge was the laundry and even then we thought isn't it just easier to use the coin operated machine on demand or pay for that service if we really wanted it. 

 

Then we were quite disappointed with the penthouse. Although the room is larger its in the wrong areas for us. We would prefer a deeper balcony not longer. A larger bathroom not walk in closet. Little need for two armchairs at the end of the bed.

 

I'm sure we will try it one day but for now not interested enough

 

Only my two cents 🙂

 

 

 

Of course, to each their own.

FWIW, the PH is significantly larger than the veranda cabin, the bathroom much larger (especially the shower), walk in closet is very nice but most importantly to us, PH has the ability to dine en-suite from any of the 4 specialties.

That said, upgrade from veranda to concierge is not worth it for US.

Different things are important to different people.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Paulchili

[HilsTas]

14 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Of course, to each their own.

FWIW, the PH is significantly larger than the veranda cabin, the bathroom much larger (especially the shower), walk in closet is very nice but most importantly to us, PH has the ability to dine en-suite from any of the 4 specialties.

That said, upgrade from veranda to concierge is not worth it for US.

Different things are important to different people.

 

The concierge cabins also now allow one to order from the Grand Dining Room menu - nearly as good as the specialties after a big day out somewhere - a plus for us.

[Ken the cruiser]

We only book A veranda cabins now as the last thing we want to do on a cruise is even think about doing laundry. We don’t usually use the lounge, but it comes in handy if we need to talk with the Concierge or pop by for a quick snack. Plus you get a free bottle of red or white wine or champagne. 

[Kingofcool1947]

2 hours ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

We are doing 2 cruises on Riviera in PH 1’s. TA as well as 12 day med cruise 3 weeks later in The Med. TA for O suite is 4,000pp and our Med cruise would be 5,000 pp. more.

we enjoy a lot of travel and cruising and that would go towards another O cruise.

I agree swing it and enjoy a fabulous time in a Oceania suite.

This is our first time with O. We will be on HAL from our home San Diego doing a 16 day Panama Canal cruise to FLL and pick upO in Miami to take her over to the med.

Denise😊

 

 

Sounds like a wonderful itinerary,

Enjoy.

 

 

 

[pingpong1]

It seems like it's the overall consensus (should be no surprise, here)  that if certain added features and amenities (that come with a more expensive stateroom) are "worth it to you", then go ahead, spend the funds, and get it.  If those added features/amenities are "not worth it" (the extra price, value for money, how fat your wallet is, etc.) to you....then don't get it!

 

It's somewhat a waste of time for any of us to be sitting on our living room couch (or wherever) and try to "guess" what might be "worth" the extra money to another person.....which was the whole point of my previous post (which apparently "offended" someone, or they chose to totally misunderstand it. Yikes!).  It's like someone asking you if "they" would enjoy going to "your" favorite restaurant...How would any of us possibly be able to answer that question?  Cruising is a totally discretionary expenditure.  No one "needs" to cruise (well, I guess some people think they do).  So, whether or not some added amenities/extra space would be "worth the extra money" to someone else, is a nearly impossible question to answer.  Best Regards.

[Mura]

PingPong, your earlier comment didn't bother me.  Perhaps an exaggeration of the theme of "you can always spend less" is all.

 

We choose these days to spring for the larger cabins.  We like the space and comfort.  When we were younger and first cruising, we went for the cheap seats.  I remember having bunk beds and a porthole on our Alaska cruise with Princess in 1990.  But our recent cruises on Oceania (with one exception when we accepted a huge downsell offer) have only been in suites, from PH to Vistas.   Once Oceania bribed us to switch cruises by upgrading from a PH on Regatta to a Vista on Marina (which we'd wanted to try anyway, that was back in 2011 when she was new) for no extra money plus more OBC, we were gonners.  For many people it's very true that once you try a big suite it's hard to go back to smaller accommodations.

 

But I absolutely agree that if you can't afford it, or just don't consider extra space or amenities worth it, you shouldn't do it.  For us, they are.  But we don't speak for everyone ...

 

Mura

[pingpong1]

Hi Mura - I always enjoy reading your posts and have gained quite a lot of good and valuable information, along with helpful tips from you since I started "lurking" around the Oceania board.  your insight, along with that of others, is what convinced me to give Oceania "a try" for an upcoming (first) cruise.  I'm sure I won't be disappointed. 

 

Of course, I was purposely exaggerating above, and the intent was to be somewhat humorous - I guess I "missed the mark"  😔. I'm sorry that one person didn't recognize that.  I wasn't "attacking" them.  That was actually the furthest thing from my mind.  A couple of posters where saying, " I can do without this", or "I don't need that", or "I would never pay extra money for "X", because I don't use it", etc., etc.  So, I (clumsily - I guess) described an extreme "alternative" - that would cost hardly any money at all - yet still provide a "cruising experience".  I look forward to your future posts!  Best Regards. 
 

[Paulchili]

2 hours ago, pingpong1 said:

It's somewhat a waste of time for any of us to be sitting on our living room couch (or wherever) and try to "guess" what might be "worth" the extra money to another person.....which was the whole point of my previous post (which apparently "offended" someone, or they chose to totally misunderstand it. Yikes!).  It's like someone asking you if "they" would enjoy going to "your" favorite restaurant...How would any of us possibly be able to answer that question?  Cruising is a totally discretionary expenditure.  No one "needs" to cruise (well, I guess some people think they do).  So, whether or not some added amenities/extra space would be "worth the extra money" to someone else, is a nearly impossible question to answer.  Best Regards.

pingpong - here is the original post (in case you forgot it):

 

Any thoughts on the advantage of booking PH vs concierge class? Not sure if it's worth the additional $$ and have not cruised Oceania before. Would appreciate your insights all! Thanks,

LB

 

It seems to me that OP was not familiar with the Oceania product and was asking for pros & cons and others have posted their opinions trying to help OP (who is long gone by now)

There are others new to Oceania that do not know the ins and outs of the different category cabins and benefits that come with them - hence all the opinions posted here about what comes with these categories of cabins.

In the end, OP & others, will decide what”perks” they want and what they don’t want or need but hopefully it is because they read about it here.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Paulchili

[Hawaiidan]

On 9/23/2018 at 3:50 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Small yacht sailors like us have to chuckle at the thought of Oceania's A & B cabins somehow being "too small" for a couple of passengers.

Yes......  I lived for 2 months on one.... a 42 and it was  Interesting      If you learn how to pack and travel then the even the insides have more space  than you need...  well I need.     What is truly funny is that people seem to  think the PH has a place for dining....    HA !!  a side table at the foot of the bed is  hardly beneficial.     However  eating anything but a candy bar in a A- C cabin is ok for 1 person     PH on Marina and Riveria  is terrible layout  in my opinion...

[Hawaiidan]

On 5/23/2019 at 1:09 PM, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

 

Go with the Owners Suite.   Only a slight bit more.   But well worth it.  👍

That sounds like a government budget explanation.........   "Slight bit more"       Love it , You should be in politics   

[Hawaiidan]

On 9/23/2018 at 7:56 PM, su-arizona said:

Square footage isn't everything....The location of the love seat and chair in the penthouse, stuck back in a corner, is not particularly useful IMHO. And the table at the foot of the bed was just something to trip over - not to eat on. I enjoy the walk-in closet, but much prefer the floor plan of the concierge cabin, where I can sit on the love seat and enjoy the view through the sliders. A 15 day advantage for booking the specialty restaurants is not a big deal, and I find the butlers more annoying than helpful.

 

Should also say that this is true for the O-class ships, where the bath is spacious in balcony cabins. On the R-class ships, the extra space and more spacious baths are clear winners!

you could not have said it better......................

[bbtondo]

I appreciate everyone's opinion on this topic.  I am new to Oceania and was very interested in the difference between a concierge balcony room and a penthouse.  It helped me with my room decision.  FYI I went with the Concierge Balcony and am happy with my choice!