Penthouse on Insignia worth the price?

[meandbc]

Booked on Insignia for 7 day Caribbean.  Currently in a B2 balcony. I use a scooter that will be jammed into my cabin.  Are the PH amenities and size worth the extra $1000 for the upgrade?  Looking forward to your thoughts.

[LHT28]

a PH will have a bit more room   but check if the scooter will fit  through the doorway on either cabin

plus there is a step up to the washroom ..not sure if it would be a problem for you 

 I know the H/C are only insides on deck 4  but might be worth pursuing one of those

[pinotlover]

Is a $95 1er Cru Burgundy worth the price over a $35 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir?

 

Even though I might elaborate on that topic at length, the answer is still a matter of your personal taste, and palate, and outlook on a number of topics.

 

Want my recommendation? If you can afford the PH, go for it. That tiny bathroom in the regular cabins on R ships can be an issue for many. If you can’t afford the PH it’s moot anyway.

[Mura]

For us, the price difference is worth it.  For plenty of others, it isn't.  As Pinot says, it's a matter of what works for you.

 

Thinking back on the veranda cabins as compared to the PH, it will certainly be easier to find a place for your scooter in the PH.  While the veranda rooms aren't teensy, I think it could well be difficult to find a convenient place to put the scooter. And for obvious reasons they don't want them stashed in the hallway.

 

Mura

[Go-Bucks!]

4 hours ago, LHT28 said:

a PH will have a bit more room   but check if the scooter will fit  through the doorway on either cabin

plus there is a step up to the washroom ..not sure if it would be a problem for you 

 I know the H/C are only insides on deck 4  but might be worth pursuing one of those

 

The PH has much more open space than a veranda cabin and a wider door. All non-accessible bathrooms have a step up to them. The much larger shower in the PH cabin is wonderful and a shower chair fits in easily. 

 

But only you can decide if the extra cost is worth it to you...it definitely was to my friend and I who had one for the 2019 world cruise. 

[meandbc]

Thanks everyone.  Now I just need to decide.

[wripro]

Have you asked about a handicap PH?

[StanandJim]

2 hours ago, wripro said:

Have you asked about a handicap PH?

There aren't any.  

[RJB]

On 7/22/2019 at 5:39 PM, meandbc said:

Booked on Insignia for 7 day Caribbean.  Currently in a B2 balcony. I use a scooter that will be jammed into my cabin.  Are the PH amenities and size worth the extra $1000 for the upgrade?  Looking forward to your thoughts.

At this point I do not think any of the R ships are worth the price compared to the O ships.  Cabins are tiny and the dining options do not compare.  Others may not agree but that is the way we feel.  Except for  special  ports, like Cuba was I will not go on the R ships again.  They were great in their time but that has passed.  Need to move on to better ships.  

[Classiccruiser777]

48 minutes ago, RJB said:

At this point I do not think any of the R ships are worth the price compared to the O ships.  Cabins are tiny and the dining options do not compare.  Others may not agree but that is the way we feel.  Except for  special  ports, like Cuba was I will not go on the R ships again.  They were great in their time but that has passed.  Need to move on to better ships.  

 

Respectfully disagree. We love the R ships and three of our next 4 O cruises will be on the R ships. The Next refurbishment was wonderful.

 

You’ve repeatedly made your preferences known regarding the R ships, perhaps it’s time to move on.

[Mura]

It's been pretty clear that there are many here who prefer the "O" ships and (just?) as many who prefer the "R" ships.

 

We like them both and won't refuse an "R" ship itinerary just because cabins are smaller, restaurants are fewer ... and etc. If we had to say which we prefer, we wouldn't be able to answer.  For many others, there is a definite preference.  No one is wrong whatever  the opinion.

 

But for someone who needs to store a scooter or wheelchair, I'd say that the larger ships are preferable.  (Of course a wheelchair can be folded up when necessary.)

 

I don't know (since I never researched this) how handicapped rooms are handled on Marina/Riviera.  I'd assume they are built to modern regulations regarding this, whereas the "R" ships were built in an earlier time.  Hence, the tub or a step up into the bathroom on the "R" ships even in a handicapped accessible cabin.

 

When we were planning on a Marina TA for this past April my travel companion who has a prosthetic leg (below the knee) she could have handled the shower just fine, but getting into the bathroom would have been more difficult.  (Not impossible for her, just more difficult.)  But this was a regular PH, not a handicapped accessible room.

 

Mura

 

[Kingofcool1947]

On 7/22/2019 at 2:39 PM, meandbc said:

Booked on Insignia for 7 day Caribbean.  Currently in a B2 balcony. I use a scooter that will be jammed into my cabin.  Are the PH amenities and size worth the extra $1000 for the upgrade?  Looking forward to your thoughts.

Yes.   Have you sailed in a Oceania PH before?  Night and day from a B2.   More space for you and scooter.  It is not that much more money.   And, if a PH is within your budget.  Well worth it. You will love the extra space and perks.

Life is short, and you may die tomorrow.  Make the best of it before Death comes for you.

Enjoy your cruise.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Kingofcool1947

[LHT28]

Mura 

they have removed the tub in the H/C cabins on the recent refurb

Bob posted some pics of the bathroom on the RTW thread

[RJB]

12 hours ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

 

Respectfully disagree. We love the R ships and three of our next 4 O cruises will be on the R ships. The Next refurbishment was wonderful.

 

You’ve repeatedly made your preferences known regarding the R ships, perhaps it’s time to move on.

Just answering the question.  Each post deserves  a reply to it. 

[StanandJim]

1 hour ago, RJB said:

Just answering the question.  Each post deserves  a reply to it. 

Many people approach this issue with an eye to the bells and whistles available on the R ships, themselves.

This is short sighted in my view,  as sailing  in the company of 600 versus a few thousand is a radically different experience and the option for doing so is are rapidly disappearing from the marketplace, particularly at Oceania's price point.

In short the most, the newest and the shiniest are perpetually available somewhere-

Sailing on a quality small to mid sized cruise ship is not going to be an option for most of us, after the R ships are gone.  Sail thoughtfully.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 24, 2019 by StanandJim

[meandbc]

Ok, decided to go for it and upgraded to a PH.  I have cancer and you only go around once.  I love the R class ships.  I can manage the shower lip just fine.  I'm going to surprise my hubby once we get to the port.  

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, meandbc said:

Ok, decided to go for it and upgraded to a PH.  I have cancer and you only go around once.  I love the R class ships.  I can manage the shower lip just fine.  I'm going to surprise my hubby once we get to the port.  

enjoy  the cruise

 

 It is  about a 6" step up to the  W/C 

[StanandJim]

25 minutes ago, meandbc said:

Ok, decided to go for it and upgraded to a PH.  I have cancer and you only go around once.  I love the R class ships.  I can manage the shower lip just fine.  I'm going to surprise my hubby once we get to the port.  

Good for you!

Treat yourself!!!

Mother used to tell me that the worst thing that any of us can be is the Richest person in the Cemetery~ 

[Mura]

12 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Mura 

they have removed the tub in the H/C cabins on the recent refurb

Bob posted some pics of the bathroom on the RTW thread

Thanks, Lyn.  I've been aware of the plans to remove tubs in general, I just wasn't thinking about the H/C cabins when I posted.

 

My bad I guess.

 

I'm one who is unhappy with the removal of tubs, but in the case of the H/C rooms it makes a lot of sense.  Several years ago we wanted to travel with my BIL and SIL but he'd been incapacitated by a stroke and there was no way he could use a tub, so we cancelled those plans.

 

Mura

 

[LHT28]

15 minutes ago, Mura said:

I'm one who is unhappy with the removal of tubs, but in the case of the H/C rooms it makes a lot of sense.  Several years ago we wanted to travel with my BIL and SIL but he'd been incapacitated by a stroke and there was no way he could use a tub, so we cancelled those plans.

 

Mura

 

I was surprised they had tubs in the H/C  cabins on the R ships 

They look more  H/C friendly  now  ...at least on Insignia

[JPR]

We wouldn’t cruise on an R ship except in a PH cabin. Lower categories are just too tight, particularly the bathroom/shower. That said, the PH on the O ships is our sweet (suite?) spot. We only use the R ships for particular desirable itineraries that are not otherwise available on Marina or Riviera.

[Go-Bucks!]

4 hours ago, Mura said:

I'm one who is unhappy with the removal of tubs

 

You might not be if you saw them! They're huge (can fit 2-3 people in them)...and we had a shower stool in ours which made shaving legs so easy. And if the ship was rocking, it was nice to be able to sit down. 

[Go-Bucks!]

5 hours ago, StanandJim said:

Many people approach this issue with an eye to the bells and whistles available on the R ships, themselves.

This is short sighted in my view,  as sailing  in the company of 600 versus a few thousand is a radically different experience and the option for doing so is are rapidly disappearing from the marketplace, particularly at Oceania's price point.

In short the most, the newest and the shiniest are perpetually available somewhere-

Sailing on a quality small to mid sized cruise ship is not going to be an option for most of us, after the R ships are gone.  Sail thoughtfully.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we're docked next to Freedom of the Seas (one of Royal's behemoths) with a hoard of 4,600 people! No thank you!!  I really appreciate our little Insignia ship even more.  🤩

[Mura]

25 minutes ago, Go-Bucks! said:

 

You might not be if you saw them! They're huge (can fit 2-3 people in them)...and we had a shower stool in ours which made shaving legs so easy. And if the ship was rocking, it was nice to be able to sit down. 

For me, that's not pertinent.  I prefer tubs because of my bad knees.  There are times when I need a good soak in a tub.  When I tore my meniscus a day before boarding we were fortunate to be in an OS on Regatta ... so I was able to soak and use the jets to help my kneed.  Even with a torn meniscus I was able to get in and out of the tub without much difficult.

 

A shower just doesn't work for me (no matter how large it is) when I'm having knee problems.

 

Mura

[RJB]

5 hours ago, StanandJim said:

Many people approach this issue with an eye to the bells and whistles available on the R ships, themselves.

This is short sighted in my view,  as sailing  in the company of 600 versus a few thousand is a radically different experience and the option for doing so is are rapidly disappearing from the marketplace, particularly at Oceania's price point.

In short the most, the newest and the shiniest are perpetually available somewhere-

Sailing on a quality small to mid sized cruise ship is not going to be an option for most of us, after the R ships are gone.  Sail thoughtfully.  

My reply was the R ships vs. the O ships not 6000 passenger monsters.  Just saying there is much more on the O ships and that is what we like.  Been on the small ships a bunch of times and had a great time until the O ships came out and then we changed and love the fact that we did. Each to his own.