Brilliance of the Seas - Grand Suite 1600 or Junior Suite 1602? - advice please

[Houlagan]

Hello fellow RCI cruisers!

Just back from my very first cruise and LOVED it.  We were on a 12 night Anthem to the Caribbean and had a junior suite.  Put a deposit down for our next cruise in 2020 on Brilliance of the Seas and are choosing between a Grand Suite (Rm 1600) or Junior Suite (Rm 1602).  Both staterooms located in AFT of ship.  The difference in fare is about $500 per person ($1000 total), but the available Onboard Credit will be $600 if we choose Grand Suite -vs- $200 if we choose Junior suite. This means, after all calculations, to get into the Grand Suite we would be spending $300 more per person ($600 total).  Hope that makes sense.

I know this is a smaller ship than Anthem, so wanted to know thoughts on whether the "bump up" to Grand Suite will be worth it for us.  Can anyone comment on these rooms specifically? Balcony for Junior Suite 602 looks HUGE and I have seen posts that Grand Suite 1600 is an odd shaped room (doesn't bother me).  Anyone with experience cruising on Brilliance and benefits of Grand Suite over Junior, in general, please comment. 

Looking for any kind of advice or links to these specific rooms.  If you have another stateroom in this class that you'd recommend, instead of either of these, please advise.  Open to all recommendations. 

 

Much appreciated and can not wait to be at sea again!

- Lauren

 

Edited January 26, 2019 by Houlagan
additional fare/discount info added.

[Clarea]

Onlyou can determine if the perks are "worth it" to you.  If you want to know if the perks  are "worth it" to others, it would be good to mention the number of nights, itinerary, time of year, and total cost to upgrade from JS to GS.

 

See this for the perks of a Grand Suite or better:

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-the-suites-program

 

There is no reserved pool seating perk on Brilliance.

[Houlagan]

Thanks, Clarea.  Just edited to add difference in fares and current available onboard credits. It ends up being a total difference of $300 per person, so $600 total.  We will be cruising in October 2020 on 11 night Beantown and Beaches cruise repositioning Brilliance from Boston to Tampa. 

[kernow]

If it was me I'd take 1600 in a heartbeat for that price. We had 1600 on Jewel for the TA last Nov and it was easily our favourite cabin we've ever had (not had a big suite on Oasis class though). We've had regular GS on the side on this class and we much preferred this one. We're aft fans anyway so we loved the balcony, it's almost completely 'open' though which some may not like, but only overlooked right at the rail (we checked from Windjammer above!).

 

The only slight downside for some may be the bath, it's higher than those in a regular GS and on a rocky day I had to call DH to hold onto while getting out. My mum (who is in her 80's) would not have been able to climb in and out of the bath to shower.

 

The balcony on 1602 is nice and a more rectangular shape but we still loved 1600, plenty of room for a nice table and chairs and loungers.

 

Julie

 

 

[Clarea]

21 minutes ago, Houlagan said:

Thanks, Clarea.  Just edited to add difference in fares and current available onboard credits. It ends up being a total difference of $300 per person, so $600 total.  We will be cruising in October 2020 on 11 night Beantown and Beaches cruise repositioning Brilliance from Boston to Tampa. 

 

If you are not Diamond level or above, and you partake in alcoholic beverages, then I'd seriously consider the upgrade to GS.  You will have access to the nightly 3.5 hour free cocktail period in the Concierge Lounge, free room service including the ability to order off the Main Dining Room menu whenever it is open.

[Houlagan]

Thank you both for your input! 

Clarea, my boyfriend is not yet Diamond, but he will certainly be after the 2020 cruise and I just came back on my very first cruise and am only Gold.  We both do enjoy our alcoholic beverages, so the included cocktail period in the Concierge Lounge is certainly a plus. 

Julie, do you happen to have any photos to share of the cabin or balcony?  Do you remember how many chaises fit there?  I think I saw a video that showed 2 chaises, 1 table, plus 3 chairs.  We do enjoy our balcony time reading, drinking coffee, playing card games and backgammon.  From what I understand, it seems private from above unless you are standing right near the railing?  Did the noise from Windjammer outdoor tables bother you at all?  Sorry for all of the questions, but want to gather as much information that we can and really appreciate this forum.

 

Thanks 🙂

[George C]

We loved 1600 on brilliance did it on 12 day Europe cruise in 2016 September. The balcony is not big but did have two small chairs and two loungers , the grand suite layout was a little different than most and we really liked it. Loved the concierge lounge by far best we have seen, also really good breakfast at chops in the morning.  It was not noisy, long walk to get to elevators or stairs .

[kernow]

Cabin 1600 on Jewel

[kernow]

Balcony has 3 chairs, a table and 2 loungers. We didn't hear any noise from WJ and yeas balcony is private. The cabin is actually much bigger than it looks in pics (I was a bit worried about that before we went). I do have bathroom pics too, but bathroom looks just like the usual GS one.

 

The CL on this class of ship is really nice, much nicer than DL so worth it for that too.

 

Julie

[Houlagan]

Great photos, Julie!  I think this helps us to feel ALOT more comfortable considering the Grand Suite!  I think we got a pretty good deal booking it, but will keep an eye on pricing FOR SURE to make sure we can't do better.  I think the layout makes it feel a bit strange, but I feel like we would enjoy the extra space and perks very much.

 

- Lauren

[scorpluvsdolphins]

Just don’t get GS 1052. The family suite balcony next to you is super small and one person has no where to look but at you. The chair couldn’t even turn towards the ocean. And the noise from cleaning the pool deck every night was loud.