Suite Perks on Carnival

[landslide902502]

Although we have cruised with Carnival before this trip in Magic is the first time we have booked a suite.  I was wondering other than the size of the cabin what "perks" are included.

[StolidCruiser]

You should have been made aware of the amenities at the time of booking.  Here is the canned "stuff" you get:

 

Exclusive Amenities

• Priority check-in, embarkation & debarkation
• Priority dinner reservations & main dining room time assignment
• Two complimentary large bottles of water
• Pillow-top mattresses
• Bathrobes

[landslide902502]

Thanks for the reply.  I was wondering if there were any unspoken perks beyond those you listed and wondered if the two bottles of water was per day or for the cruise.

[Linda the Book Lover]

2 minutes ago, landslide902502 said:

Thanks for the reply.  I was wondering if there were any unspoken perks beyond those you listed and wondered if the two bottles of water was per day or for the cruise.

The two bottles are per cruise. My daughter and I stayed in suites before on Carnival and basically you do not get much. In comparison to NCL and MSC which I stayed in the Haven and MSC YC, Carnival lags very far behind.  It would be nice if they even included full-meal room service at no charge but nope. I am hoping the new Panorama which we are booked on will give us something more. 

 

[landslide902502]

I saw something about free laundry but am not sure if that is current.

 

[TampaGambler]

Carnival is good is you are cruising on a budget, otherwise go to a larger line. The suite benefits are a joke, they cater to the budget minded cruiser.

 

[riffatsea]

We book suites on Carnival for the large real bathroom instead of having one the size of a small closet! It's nice to get on and off early and the large bottles of water last for several days.

It is true that on other lines suites get more privileges but then they also cost a lot more!!

 

[Pattywac]

42 minutes ago, landslide902502 said:

I saw something about free laundry but am not sure if that is current.

 

We had a suite in late April and one benefit was one bag of free laundry. Also priority boarding for water shuttle.

[Joebucks]

The #1 perk of the suite is telling everyone you have one

[TrinaLC]

Carnival misses the mark on this one. Not even extra points towards loyalty status, something common elsewhere in recognition of the greater cost relative to the suite. We’ve stopped booking suites on Carnival; almost always book them when we sail on other lines ...

[klfrodo]

Basically nothing. Then again, you paid basically nothing

 

On Royal, with a GS, you will get free internet for all parties in your cabin, private restaurant, private suite lounge with free drinks, a concierge to assist with reservations and such, reserved seating at shows, reserved chairs by the pool, priority embarkation, escorted debarkation, and a few others...…. however, you pay for this service by about double what you pay for a GS on Carnival.

[elcuchio24]

15 hours ago, landslide902502 said:

Thanks for the reply.  I was wondering if there were any unspoken perks beyond those you listed and wondered if the two bottles of water was per day or for the cruise.

 

The perks are very limited. BUT, the flipside is that often times a suite is only marginally more expensive than a balcony. 

[ShakyBeef]

 

20 minutes ago, TrinaLC said:

Carnival misses the mark on this one. Not even extra points towards loyalty status, something common elsewhere in recognition of the greater cost relative to the suite. We’ve stopped booking suites on Carnival; almost always book them when we sail on other lines ...

 

My feelings about the lack of Suite Perks on Carnival have evolved over the past several years of exclusively booking Suites with them.  I used to agree with TrinaLC and others, that Carnival's offerings in this category were subpar compared to other lines, and thus, I felt a little unappreciated by Carnival, and a tiny bit resentful. 

 

But I've since come around to feel more like klfrodo and elcuchio24 on the topic:

 

18 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

Basically nothing. Then again, you paid basically nothing

 

On Royal, with a GS, you will get free internet for all parties in your cabin, private restaurant, private suite lounge with free drinks, a concierge to assist with reservations and such, reserved seating at shows, reserved chairs by the pool, priority embarkation, escorted debarkation, and a few others...…. however, you pay for this service by about double what you pay for a GS on Carnival.

 

I loved the Suite Perks that DH and I got with our GS on our Royal cruise (especially the 'Suites only' breakfast at Chops every morning!) , but we did pay a lot more for that cruise than any Carnival cruise we've taken.  And we paid a lot more for that GS than any of the cabin categories below it for that same cruise.  We paid for those perks.

 

Similarly, we pay for our meagre Carnival Suite perks.  Appropriately, we don't pay much and we don't get much.  And that's OK with me.

 

At this point, we only cruise Carnival when joining friends or family on a cruise that they want to take (they have all chosen Carnival each time, so far), or to take our DDs on an easy vacation from our home port.  Baltimore only has two ships: Carnival Pride and RCI Grandeur of the Seas.  Although it happens to be our most frequently cruised line, Carnival is our least favourite.  In fact, we like it less and less with each new cruise bringing the realization of more cutbacks in the quality of the cruise product we have been getting.

 

All that said, here's why we only book Suites on Carnival, despite the lack of perks: we are upgrading our cruise experience for a reasonable amount of money.  We are getting a lot more space in our accommodations, a large bathroom with whirlpool tub, a larger balcony, plenty of storage space (I pack A LOT!), and a few little perks like extra bottles of water and Priority Boarding.  We also purchase FTTF, even though some of its features overlap with the Suite perks, for the same reason of a cheap upgrade to our overall cruise experience.  This way, we get to be with our loved ones on their choice of cheap cruise, while still having a little bit of the upgraded experience we want.  What we get is worth the price.  More perks would be nice, but are not necessary to keep me booking Suites on our Carnival cruises.

 

 

[RoperDK]

19 hours ago, StolidCruiser said:

Exclusive Amenities

• Priority check-in, embarkation & debarkation
• Priority dinner reservations & main dining room time assignment
• Two complimentary large bottles of water
• Pillow-top mattresses
• Bathrobes

 

18 hours ago, Pattywac said:

We had a suite in late April and one benefit was one bag of free laundry. Also priority boarding for water shuttle.

 

To us, the biggest benefit of a suite is the extra cabin size,  double sinks in the larger bath, and larger balcony. Usually the trimmings are nicer, too.  Most have granite counters throughout, wood entries, Murano glass lamps, and adjustable recessed lighting.   

 

The above quoted amenities are correct.  We also received a small bag of cookies delivered to the cabin.  If you are a past Carnival cruiser you will get 4 large bottles of water.  Two for the past guest amenity and two for the suite amenity.  That cuts down on having to order water for the room for us.

 

We've cruised in suites on Carnival for many years and they are slowly adding amenities, but as others have said, there is no comparison with amenities offered on other cruise lines.  It is very true that the price point is lower on Carnival.  When the Mardi Gras sails, those in Excel Suites will have more amenities, but there is definitely a higher price to pay for those suites.  

[landslide902502]

Thanks to all who have replied to this post.  We can't wait to get aboard.

[gnegron22]

I know on the upcoming Mardi Gras it depends on what suite you have and what you will get. I have a what they call a long mini-suite it will not get me the Unlimited access to Loft 19 that comes with the Excel suites. Yet I do have a longer room, and bigger balcony.