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

[Hlitner]

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

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.  

Ok, I will digress from the usual humor (humour for you Brits) and get serious.  We have cruised on everything from the budget lines to some of the highest end lines (and much in between).  After decades of primarily cruising on mass market lines we held our breath and took our first cruise on a more luxurious line (I think the first time we did this was on Crystal).  And since that time we have dared to go on a few other luxury lines while we still continue to also cruise on the mass market lines.  What we found was a little surprising (to us).  With few exceptions, the folks we have met on the small ship luxury lines were more "down to earth" and less snobby then many we have met on the mass market lines.  Go figure.  That guy Buddy I mentioned who teased us about liking Princess was truly "teasing" and having a lot of fun with the entire snob thing.     

 

To be very honest we have moved towards the higher-end lines for several reasons.  In our experience the quality (in terms of cuisine, entertainment, service, etc) has been in a general decline on the mass market lines.   DW and I do like interesting/good cuisine and have always found the higher end lines to be somewhat better in that regard (you can call me a food snob).  I will admit that if I am going on a Seabourn, Silverseas, etc. I look forward to some decent caviar or lobster that does not taste like a rubber duck boiled in a salt bath.   And it is nice to get to a tender port and not be fighting with 4000 others to get ashore, waiting hours for a tender ticket to be called, etc.  And the thought of spending a few weeks on a ship that never has lines (queues for you Brits) makes me smile.    

 

We do not understand where "wealth" enters into the equation as we have met quite a few very normal folks on Seabourn (2 of whom have become long term friends).   I think equating smaller ship luxury with wealth is a misnomer because plenty of regular folks do splurge on those lines.  Besides, if they want to impress me with their wealth (it ain't going to happen) they should explain why they are not on their own 80 meter yacht :).

 

Hank

[jocap]

21 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Two weeks, hands down.  I cruise for where the ship goes, not where I sleep. My criteria are quiet sleeping quarters, cleanliness, healthful food and get me to the port in a timely fashion 

This is how we feel,... and if we cruise on Fred Olsen's old ship Balmoral, there's a bathtub included if you have a window in your cabin... What more could anyone want? 😄

[c-boy]

I've seen the suite life, I ain't goin' back  ☺️

Edited July 26, 2021 by c-boy

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, c-boy said:

I've seen the suite life, I ain't goin' back  ☺️

Not even for the chance of an inside  -- taking you places you only dreamt of seeing, but not offered with posher accommodations?

[c-boy]

like your

51 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Not even for the chance of an inside  -- taking you places you only dreamt of seeing, but not offered with posher accommodations?

 16 years alfoat, and like yourself. I saw many places I dreamt of .... and some I still have night mares about . 😄

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, c-boy said:

like your

 16 years alfoat, and like yourself. I saw many places I dreamt of .... and some I still have night mares about . 😄

But you would be willing to revisit them while sailing in a suite rather than seeing the Elyseian Fields or the gates of Heaven if it involved a simple balcony cabin??????????????????????????????

[DirtyDawg]

 One week in a suite or two weeks in normal cabin? Neither. 

  I'd rather have 11 seconds of weightlessness and get my Astronaut's wings even if its on a mass market line like Virgin Galactic. 😉 

[getting older slowly]

As people have commented.. it is not the type of cabin.....but the reason why they cruise...

 

 

As I remember one person said they cruise to get from A to B and didn't care for all things on a cruise ship......    everybody is different...... some people constantly need to see or do new things, not interested in going back to the same place.... it is like they're ticking off a list.... my mum is like this...

 

where as we are the opposite... and love going back to places we like and enjoy

 

To some it is not place ..but the journey.... ( like the Indian Pacific train across Australia )

 

Don 

Edited July 27, 2021 by getting older slowly

[evandbob]

For us, 2 weeks in a balcony over 1 week in a suite, if those are the only choices.  But if it's 2 weeks in an inside or ocean view vs. 1 week in a suite, we'll take the suite.

 

Let's remember that all suites are not the same, some are just a tiny bit bigger than a balcony cabin, others are more expansive, so knowing the size and type of the suite would factor into our decision making.

[iancal]

Depends on the ship.  Depends on the itinerary.

 

Happy in a balcony cabin.  Happier in a mini suite. 

 

But...it is all good.

Edited July 28, 2021 by iancal

[lissie]

1 hour ago, evandbob said:

For us, 2 weeks in a balcony over 1 week in a suite, if those are the only choices.  But if it's 2 weeks in an inside or ocean view vs. 1 week in a suite, we'll take the suite.

 

Let's remember that all suites are not the same, some are just a tiny bit bigger than a balcony cabin, others are more expansive, so knowing the size and type of the suite would factor into our decision making.

I'm pretty sure our inside delux cabin on Cunard is bigger than the inside space of a balcony 

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, lissie said:

I'm pretty sure our inside delux cabin on Cunard is bigger than the inside space of a balcony 

 

Just checked the Cunard website and the biggest Inside Cabin shows at around 200 sq feet. Our preferred line, all cabin are balcony, with the smallest being 270 sq feet.

[Joebucks]

On 7/26/2021 at 7:49 AM, Markanddonna said:

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.

 

That's pretty crazy. Yet, many people will fight to the death on everything that is "included" while neglecting the cost. I could buy almost anything out of pocket that I'd get at Haven, perhaps even choices I preferred more, at far less than half of the cost. Same with the suite too. What am I missing? A private pool or bigger room? A feeling that I'm not "nickle and dimed?" That doesn't have thousands in value to me. Certainly not at the expense of more travel, and more memories. The obsession over packages and bundles almost always results in higher costs. 

 

There's a common misconception that many of us not in the suites are because we can't afford it. When in reality, many of us in a less expensive room can afford it easier than some of the people in the suites. I'd rather do more travel or invest the money vs "splurging" on things that add little to my memories.

 

I always chuckle at the class discussions. What better way to take a stand against ships with classes and extra amenities at a cost than to choose a different class of ship that has less amenities. Or to pay 3x more to get everything you would have never wanted in the first place. The dislike for classes will never go away and certainly expands far beyond cruising. Some of us have learned to live past what other have, "what is fair", "why don't I have access to everything" etc and more at what makes sense for me.

[sverigecruiser]

3 hours ago, Joebucks said:

I could buy almost anything out of pocket that I'd get at Haven

 

I didn't knew that. How much does it cost to get access to the Haven restaurant, lounge and courtyard? How much does it cost to get the Haven priority embarkation and disembarkation?

 

We don't book a suite to get the better room so if we could just book a midship balcony and pay extra to get all perks we might do that instead.

[cruisemom42]

16 hours ago, evandbob said:

For us, 2 weeks in a balcony over 1 week in a suite, if those are the only choices.  But if it's 2 weeks in an inside or ocean view vs. 1 week in a suite, we'll take the suite.

 

Heck, I'd travel in the least desirable cabin aboard if it would get me to my top bucket list destination. 

[getting older slowly]

It is interesting the way some say but an inside cabin is all you need..... and isn't the destination the most important thing....

 

Well if the destination is king    why not fly ( or some other transport ) there and spend time there  as cruise ships generally only stop for a day  and don't go lots of places...  So one can get to see the place.

 

Also part of experience of being on a ship can be great enhanced by travelling in a suite........

 

It come back to why people live in different homes and drive different car..

 

Because everybody is different..... 

[K32682]

11 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

It is interesting the way some say but an inside cabin is all you need..... and isn't the destination the most important thing....

 

Well if the destination is king    why not fly ( or some other transport ) there and spend time there  as cruise ships generally only stop for a day  and don't go lots of places...  So one can get to see the place.

 

Also part of experience of being on a ship can be great enhanced by travelling in a suite........

 

It come back to why people live in different homes and drive different car..

 

Because everybody is different..... 

 

There are places like Antarctica that you can't fly to. There are also places like French Polynesia and Alaska where flying to one place means you miss out on the rest of it.

 

An inside cabin with only a port hole to look out of is certainly less expensive but part of the attraction of cruising is the sea and having a balcony is a must. 

[SelectSys]

27 minutes ago, K32682 said:

There are also places like French Polynesia and Alaska where flying to one place means you miss out on the rest of it

I have never visited French Polynesia on a cruise, but I have "Island hopped" on aircraft between the more popular Islands in both the Society Islands and the Tuamotus.  I think what I did on these trips exceeded my typical cruise experience as the time at each location was more than a typical cruise stop.   I do agree that sometimes a cruise is the only practical method to see certain areas.  For example, I want to take the cruise that goes to Marquesas where air travel simply doesn't exist.

 

Of course I missed things not being on the water as well as the views from the air of the islands are certainly different than those on a ship and go by much faster.  

 

38 minutes ago, K32682 said:

An inside cabin with only a port hole to look out of is certainly less expensive but part of the attraction of cruising is the sea and having a balcony is a must. 

Are you referring to some of the new TV screens that some inside cabins have that project a sea view?

 

BTW - I also book a balcony but know other people that book inside.  

 

56 minutes ago, getting older slowly said:

Because everybody is different....

Isn't that the truth!  That's why these discussions have no "right answer."

 

 

[Silver Sweethearts]

4 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

An inside cabin with only a port hole to look out of is certainly less expensive but part of the attraction of cruising is the sea and having a balcony is a must. 

 

To our knowledge, inside cabins are just that, and don't have portholes.

[pris993]

A cruise is a just that a cruise.  We generally book a mini suite, but have booked an ocean view when we booked at last minute and no mini suite available.  Did find we spend more time in our cabin and on balcony with mini suite vs ocean view.   Enjoyed both cruise experience but prefer mini suite if available. 

[K32682]

8 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

 

To our knowledge, inside cabins are just that, and don't have portholes.

 

Correct, I misspoke about inside cabins. Should have said "not even a porthole to look out of." 

[K32682]

12 hours ago, SelectSys said:

I have never visited French Polynesia on a cruise, but I have "Island hopped" on aircraft between the more popular Islands in both the Society Islands and the Tuamotus.  I think what I did on these trips exceeded my typical cruise experience as the time at each location was more than a typical cruise stop.   I do agree that sometimes a cruise is the only practical method to see certain areas.  For example, I want to take the cruise that goes to Marquesas where air travel simply doesn't exist.

 

Our Tahitian cruise went to the Marquesas which was what attracted us to the cruise in the first place. 

[bonsai3s]

Many years ago, we wanted to see the difference between all types of cabins. We booked a b2b2b2b, inside, oceanview, balcony, and in a suite.  Perhaps our mistake was booking the suite first.

 

JMHO, and some random thoughts:

* It felt like the best cabin stewards were assigned to the suites.

* On this particular small ship, all the inside and oceanview cabins were on the lower decks...2 or 3.

* No one really cared or even knew what type of cabin we were in...except for a few crew members.

* Food was relatively the same, the entertainment was the same, activities were the same...they were all outstanding no matter what cabin type we were in.

 

Bottom line for us: Having a large (aft) balcony in a suite was nice, but the "regular" balcony cabin was acceptable.  We didn't even mind the oceanview cabin...it was fun to at least have sunlight coming into our cabin.  The inside cabin...well, let me just say this: The cabin was so small that our bed was against the wall...I'd wake up constantly after accidentally bumping into the wall.  We have never booked an inside cabin ever since. 

 

Note: When we were much younger, and didn't have much money...we booked nothing but inside cabins.  Now that we are both retired, and saved some money...we usually book suites (balcony on longer cruises).  We are not getting any younger and you can't take that money with you when you die. Happy Sailing!

[Silver Sweethearts]

21 hours ago, SelectSys said:

I do agree that sometimes a cruise is the only practical method to see certain areas.  For example, I want to take the cruise that goes to Marquesas where air travel simply doesn't exist.

Covid-19 may have changed things, but believe it or not there is air service to and from Nuku Hiva (Marquesas).  The airport has the IATA code of NHV, and Air Tahiti is the prime carrier.

[SelectSys]

7 hours ago, Silver Sweethearts said:

Covid-19 may have changed things, but believe it or not there is air service to and from Nuku Hiva (Marquesas).  The airport has the IATA code of NHV, and Air Tahiti is the prime carrier.

Thanks!  I looked and Air Tahiti has flights to Nuka Hiva almost every day from Papeete.  The Air Tahiti sight says they serve 45 distinct destinations in French Polynesia and Raratonga.  It's actually quite an impressive network.

 

It has been very difficult for the airline according to this story with COVID although I would expect is crisis time again as this story is from January:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/434018/air-tahiti-gets-subsidies-extended-until-july

...The transport minister Jean-Christophe Bouissou signed an agreement to give Air Tahiti just over $US4 million to keep flying to 34 islands earmarked for cuts...