Would you rather cruise for one week in a suite or two weeks in normal cabin?

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

On mega ships, once you leave the special area, you are crowded, just like all the others. If staying within your special area, you only have a tiny ship.

 

 

And that's what I love about the ship within ship concept. I can be in the special area and get 100 % attention and when I'm tired of that I can leave and be a part of the masses without the pampering.

Edited July 26, 2021 by sverigecruiser

[getting older slowly]

so the question one week in a large cabin or two weeks in a cabin half the size  ???

 

Does this infer they are both the same outlay ??

( the large cabin cost twice as much .)

 

That is the Question ?

 

Also I think the OP was talking about being on the same ship.... not jumping ship... or cruise line...

 

To some their cabin is only a place to sleep   

to others it is their private sanctuary.

 

Or it could be asked... would you pay more for a much bigger cabin ???

 

For me    Yes. 

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

[Silver Sweethearts]

38 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

... I can be in the special area and get 100 % attention and when I'm tired of that I can leave and be a part of the masses without the pampering.

 

You would give up pampering to be a part of the masses?  Why sail in a special section then?

[sverigecruiser]

42 minutes ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

You would give up pampering to be a part of the masses?  Why sail in a special section then?

 

Because the pampering can be nice for a while but not necessary for two weeks.

 

I also want the better restaurant, priority boarding, less crowded sundeck, almost stressless disembarkation etc.  

[Lois R]

6 hours ago, Ashland said:

Thanks, but after all these years we'll stick to what's familiar to us. 

You are welcome🙂.  I was just giving another alternative.  I was familiar with Celebrity for over 15 years so I know what you mean........but I decided to move on from them a few years ago. In my case, I love the smaller vessels and more personalized service.

 

Different strokes🙂

[Markanddonna]

It depends on where I am cruising. In the Caribbean, I'd like a suite but if the ports are interesting (Europe, Asia, etc.) I would be happy in an inside. I find the Caribbean monotonous. All the islands start to look similar.

 

Your original question isn't quite accurate though. I just did a random pricing on a 7 day Med. cruise. The base inside was $1,182, a suite was $3814 and the Haven was $5,893. 

That means I could cruise for THREE weeks instead of one if I chose an inside and FIVE weeks I compared my cabin to the Haven.

[2wheelin]

10 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Assuming everything else is equal, two weeks would be preferable -- the imposition of "class" perks is one of the sadder developments in cruising - along with the degradation of what used to be an across-the-board quality experience.. As lines started cutting quality of food, service, and entertainment so they could hold down fares to attract more passengers, they decided it was necessary to offer a "superior" experience to those more interested in quality than low cost;   THEY SIMPLY TRASHED WHAT USED TO BE A PRETTY GOOD EGALITARIAN EXPERIENCE.

 

Of Course all else is rarely equal -- so I should specify that I  would prefer a week in  an inside on a small ship on a truly fine itinerary to a month in a grand suite in a Royal Caribbean Heffalump of the Seas or an NCL Circus Wagon on some blah Mexican coast cruise or a run of the mill Caribbean ho-hummer.

When we first cruised, the ship was the experience with great excursions thrown in. Food and service were excellent (remember waiters scraping the bread crumbs away between courses?). It was something we could never have/afford at home and truly memorable. We dressed up and shared tables with some of the most affluent and interesting people (one a millionaire who had escaped from German concentration camp). Now, I don’t need the crumbs removed but I do want a little bit extra than what I get at Perkins.

I am not so sure which came first—decrease in quality or specialty restaurants etc leading to deterioration in quality for the rest of the ship—or if they were simultaneous. I believe the cruise lines realized the profits to be made by charging extra for what was previously included and holding back costs by lowering the quality for those in the main part of the ship.

I won’t pay the cost of a meal extra for a specialty restaurant when I have already paid for meals which should be excellent. I detest private pools, private deck areas, and most of all sanctuary type areas with reserved chairs if you pay extra. If you have the money for that and want the extra attention you could sail on a ship that provides the service to everyone there. This class system is just a throw back to early sailing days when money made people snobs.

[Mary229]

I prefer life in an egalitarian state but don't mind others who enjoy the refinements of a privileged sailing.  For the rest of us there is still the old trick of befriending the neighbors who have a pool.  Often, traveling with my sister, I have been treated to the finer side of travel, it is nice but not important.

[K32682]

Week in a suite as long as the risk of onboard quarantine due to COVID continues to exist.  

[George C]

9 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

On our preferred premium/luxury line, we had shows in the Theatre every evening, a classical duo playing in the Atrium, a resident pianist in a lounge, a resident guitarist playing in a lounge and the ship's band in the nightclub after the show.

 

The Cruise Director and staff also produced individual shows, which were held in the Theatre and on a number of afternoons they performed in the Atrium.

 

Yes, we have access to all the entertainment and none of the venues are crowded. Most importantly - zero kids, as all pax are 18+.

 

On MSC, I assume when attending the evening show you must depart your special area, joining the sea of humanity.

 

By day, we have excellent lectures that focus on the history and culture of the area we are cruising. Prior to each port, we also have a port lecture that actually provides information on the port and not the cruise lines shopping partners.

 

 

MSC yacht club butler will escort you to reserved seats for shows. I do love having all passengers 18 and older, we do a annual charter cruise on Celebrity it is adults only and filled with some of the best music , several of the performers are in the rock and roll hall of fame, cruise is rock and romance, live music all day with interesting interviews on how they started and there interactions with people like the Beatles and Dylan etc. 

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

“Blowing the budget” does not have to be an inescapable thing.

 

FWIW: we use a formula I refer to as “net daily rate” to calculate the total DAILY cost of any significant trip away from home on a “door to door” basis. So, it includes everything from ground transfer to intercontinental airfare to cruise fare and options as well as added pre/post cruise travel.

The two elements of the whole “big trip” deal that often make it doable are the inclusive fares of premium/lux cruise lines and the best/most interesting different intercontinental start/end cruise ports that get the most out of bizclass airfare.

In essence, “bundling” multiple trips into the right single longer experience can make even “luxury” travel affordable.

 

Getting back to the essential question of this thread, however, my priorities are such that I would rather take, let's say, four trips a year -- with all the fabulous sites visited and memories generated that goes along with that -- than two trips that are twice as expensive.

 

Traveling under the "burden" of the solo supplement does not make cruising the good deal for me that it often can be for couples. And due to the very large number of variables in cruising it is difficult to get a true "apples to apples" comparison many times, because the "comparator" may not exist in real life. At least with the sort of cruises I'm interested in, it's rare that two cruises exist with the exact itinerary, number of days, number of ports and cabin categories. I can't for example, call Celebrity cruise lines on the phone and ask them to add another port in Greenland and two additional day to the cruise in order to create an equivalent choice. No, we have to book what's offered.

 

My travel style is such that I book inside cabins, I do not fly in business class.  So those comparisons would be meaningless for me if, in fact, some unnamed premium line offers a better deal. 

 

I spend a lot of time selecting my travel destinations and planning the trips. Here's one example of my thinking:  Oceania offers an annual itinerary to Iceland and Greenland that includes two of the three ports in Greenland I want to visit. However, it also departs from Europe and does several ports enroute to Iceland and Greenland that add no real value to me (already done them several times). Twice I've put down a deposit on that O cruise and twice (in two different years) I have canceled.

 

In the first instance I found a Hurtigruten expedition cruise that offered the same ports of interest but at half the cost to me (no solo supplement) and an environment I probably would've enjoyed more. Unfortunately due to COVID, the cruise was canceled.

 

In the second instance I found a cruise on line XYZ, a mass market line that I would not normally sail, but that has the exact itinerary I want (all 3 Greenland ports plus 3 in Iceland). And it will cost me about one-fifth of the cost of the O cruise. (One-fourth if you add in the extra days I will spend in Iceland first.)  Yes, they are in no way the same cruise. Yes I have to wait an additional year to take it. (Maybe not a bad thing given COVID conditions this year....) But in terms of what matters to me -- itinerary -- the XYZ cruise has the winning hand. And it has the added bonus of leaving me with the funds to also plan other trips in the same year without a financial pinch.

 

[zekekelso]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

In the second instance I found a cruise on line XYZ, a mass market line that I would not normally sail, but that has the exact itinerary I want (all 3 Greenland ports plus 3 in Iceland)

Sounds interesting. Would you be willing to share what cruise line this is? 

[Lois R]

Hi😀sounds like you are making the best decision for you😀I had no doubt😉

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

It depends on where I am cruising. In the Caribbean, I'd like a suite but if the ports are interesting (Europe, Asia, etc.) I would be happy in an inside. I find the Caribbean monotonous. All the islands start to look similar.

 

Your original question isn't quite accurate though. I just did a random pricing on a 7 day Med. cruise. The base inside was $1,182, a suite was $3814 and the Haven was $5,893. 

That means I could cruise for THREE weeks instead of one if I chose an inside and FIVE weeks I compared my cabin to the Haven.

And for the price of “The Haven,” you could book an actual premium/luxury ship.

[Markanddonna]

17 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

And for the price of “The Haven,” you could book an actual premium/luxury ship.

My point was that you could cruise for three to five weeks for a suite or Haven OR a luxury cruise. No need to insult cruise lines.

[navybankerteacher]

3 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

My point was that you could cruise for three to five weeks for a suite or Haven OR a luxury cruise. No need to insult cruise lines.

Some of them need critical comment.

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

My point was that you could cruise for three to five weeks for a suite or Haven OR a luxury cruise. No need to insult cruise lines.

The truth sometimes hurts.

[DirtyDawg]

2 hours ago, George C said:

MSC yacht club butler will escort you to reserved seats for shows. I do love having all passengers 18 and older, we do a annual charter cruise on Celebrity it is adults only and filled with some of the best music , several of the performers are in the rock and roll hall of fame, cruise is rock and romance, live music all day with interesting interviews on how they started and there interactions with people like the Beatles and Dylan etc. 

Sounds like a great cruise. Which Beatle did you get to meet, Paul or Ringo?

[Ashland]

7 hours ago, Lois R said:

You are welcome🙂.  I was just giving another alternative.  I was familiar with Celebrity for over 15 years so I know what you mean........but I decided to move on from them a few years ago. In my case, I love the smaller vessels and more personalized service.

 

Different strokes🙂

Been with RCI since the early/mid 1990's only branched out with Celebrity recently...baby steps.

[George C]

1 hour ago, DirtyDawg said:

Sounds like a great cruise. Which Beatle did you get to meet, Paul or Ringo?

No Beatles but many that played with them that had great stories like Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon, Paul wrote song world without love which John hated and Paul was dating Peter model sister and gave him the song he then produced albums for them under apple records Asher also produced James Taylor first couple of albums   , Badfinger singer was talking about George and playing at concert for Bangladeshi that nobody knew if Dylan was going to show up until the very end . We definitely look forward to this cruise yearly, we have met some of the artists in suite lounge and most are super friendly. Fun seeing the different artist playing together, Todd Rundgren who just went into hall of fame jammed with a few of them. 

[zekekelso]

13 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

I assume when attending the evening show you must depart your special area, joining the sea of humanity

As a proud member of the sea of humanity, I’m offended. Oh, wait, we are kind of annoying. Never mind. 

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

And for the price of “The Haven,” you could book an actual premium/luxury ship.

Yes, but not everyone would be satisfied with a premium (you use this term because you like "O" which does not fit as a mass market or luxury line) or luxury ship.  For some folks, the smaller ship premium/luxury ships lack the entertainment options they prefer.  Lets face it, if you go on a RCI Megaship you will have true Broadway style shows, world class ice shows, and some other decent live music options.  You are not going to get that on "O" , Seabourn, Silverseas, etc.  What we get on SB are a small group of decent singers, a laid back musical trio, a piano player.  For those of us who enjoy premium/luxury lines we learn to settle for what is provided as entertainment.  But many cruisers want a lot more so booking a high-end suite on a large mass market ship can offer the best of both worlds.

 

I will admit that when we have done MSC's Yacht Club we really loved all of our options.  When we got a little bored with the quiet luxury part of the ship we could exit into a large mass market ship with many more options then we would ever find on "O", Seabourn, etc.  It is a trade-off but there are plenty of cruisers that prefer all those extra options.   Personally, we enjoy it all whether it be a luxury line, premium line, or mass market.   DW and I still smile at a fellow passenger ("Buddy") who we met on Seabourn that had a lot of fun mocking us because we admitted to enjoying Princess.  We make no apologies.  Upcoming cruises on Seabourn, "O", HAL and Princess show that we walk the walk.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[zekekelso]

18 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

DW and I still smile at a fellow passenger ("Buddy") who we met on Seabourn that had a lot of fun mocking us because we admitted to enjoying Princess. 

And then there’s those of us who consider Princess to be one of them snooty expensive lines 🙂

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

DW and I still smile at a fellow passenger ("Buddy") who we met on Seabourn that had a lot of fun mocking us because we admitted to enjoying Princess.  We make no apologies. 

And that is my biggest objection to luxury travel.  I spent my whole life fending off family and friends who think luxury brands give status and accord "decorum".  

 

I am not interested in conforming to someone's idea of "what wealth looks like".  I am on vacation, yes, I am a civil, well-groomed person but that is the limit of my conformity.  

[Hlitner]

15 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

.......................

 

On MSC, I assume when attending the evening show you must depart your special area, joining the sea of humanity.       .......................

But once we get back in the rarified snotty atmosphere of the YC we can all sit around and talk about being exposed to all those cooties outside our enclave.   Surely you are old enough to remember those nasty "cooties."  

 

Hank