RCCL newbie and suite info

[Harriet75C]

Travelling on Liberty in a two bed grand suite in August with my husband and our two girls.  Husband an I are seasoned cruisers but mainly Princess although have done one or two on other lines,, and haven't sailed RCCL before.  

 

I know all the info is online about what's on the ships but it's always difficult to know how that translates into reality. 

 

What are the best perks about being in a suite on RCCL (on one of the ships that doesn't have Royal Suite Class) and what kind of things can you expect the room attendant to do?  For example, on Princess it says you can ask the suite butler to unpack and pack cases for you, but it never really seemed like that was a real thing I could have asked so it was one of the listed items that didn't really translate into reality.  

 

And - do they do the towel animals that some of the other lines do?  I've raved about them to my kids, so it'd be great if they do them   🙂

 

On Liberty, is it worth getting the unlimited dining package?  What are the speciality restaurants like?

 

And are there any insider tips for getting the best out of the holiday, being first timers to RCCL.

[wdwkings]

Background - We did the sister ship Freedom in a suite back in November and have done suites on the ships with the Royal Suite program, but have not sailed with Princess.

 

Expect that you may find similarities between the two lines and some details could be better or worse but that can be influenced by your own personal preferences.  
 

I’ll start off with the unpacking, that is listed for some places but sorry I would never take advantage of that, I like to be able to find my stuff.  On the Freedom class ships, the stateroom attendants are good and do as much as they can but they are not butlers.  They do a great job and likely will setup towel animals.  
 

You will have access to a suite lounge and there are small bites there in the morning and afternoon, as well as cocktails in the evening.  The concierge will be in there and you will get an email from them a week or two before the cruise to setup any request.  You can have them make dining reservations at that time.  If you add the deluxe beverage and unlimited dining packages your cruise will be as close as you can get to Star Class on a non-Royal Suite ship.  We added the UDP but a drink in the lounge before or after dinner was enough for us.  The lounge and concierge are probably the biggest pluses, early boarding is nice and if you have a table in the suite you can do dining in room.

 

Hope that helps some and have a good trip.

[Cigar King]

42 minutes ago, Harriet75C said:

what kind of things can you expect the room attendant to do?

They're basically going to clean your room.  If you need something, ask.  They'll let you know if they can help.  The concierge can also assist in that regard.

 

44 minutes ago, Harriet75C said:

do they do the towel animals that some of the other lines do?

Sure.  Let them know the kids like them and you'll have more animals than the zoo.

[RFerrington]

Even in Star Class I have never asked (or expected) my room attendant or my genie to pack or unpack for me.  That’s just something I need to do for myself.

 

One of the nicest suites perks for non-Suite class ships, IMO, is breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants every morning.  It’s a nice way to start the day to avoid the mania of the WJ or even the MDR.  Another nice suites perk is complimentary room service which includes ordering from the MDR menu whenever the MDR is operating.  I can’t remember if the 2BR GS has a dining table (but I think it does) but even if it doesn’t, you can usually enjoy a reasonably comfortable meal on the balcony.

 

Room attendants are just room attendants and will do your normal room service things but nothing extraordinary. You will likely get a few towel animals along the way.

[firefly333]

There are some threads on the happy hour suite lounge. There are finger foods. Hot and cold. Cucumber with shrimp. Small red peppers packed with cream cheese. Wings or meat balls. Stuff like that and pretty much unlimited drinks starting at 5 pm. Some were talking about ordering a glass or 2 of wine and carrying it to dinner where it's not free. Early dinner is 530. Imo the lounge clears out about 530 except for those getting their money's worth of drinks. 

 

In the morning there are pastries and fruit and a specialty coffee machine. Latte and cappuccino and machachino ..espresso. I think suites also have a coffee maker. I saw the brand but dont have a picture. I think breakfast on liberty was 730 to 930. After that they put away the yogurt and donuts and put out some cookies. Liberty was as good at keeping the coffee machine going as on grandeur. I was in the suite lounge on liberty when the diamond machine was broke. Its quiet. 

 

Happy hour socializing imo the best perk. Some rcl stewards are learning tiny towel animals not just the big ones. I love the new tiny ones. 

 

[Cigar King]

2 hours ago, RFerrington said:

One of the nicest suites perks for non-Suite class ships, IMO, is breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants every morning.

I agree this is a nice perk.  I have found that it can often be crowded, especially on departure day.

[rudeney]

I've never sailed RCCL except in a suite, so I don't know what you get from the suite stateroom attendant that you wouldn't get in a standard cabin.  Our attendants always give us a card with their number on it tells us we can all anytime for anything we need.  Of course I would never call outside of "normal" hours and have really only used that a few times.  They do cleaning and make the beds in the morning, and turndown in the evening (including takedown and setup of the sofa bed if needed).  They keep us stocked with ice, and will usually check on us if we are in the room during the day to make sure we have everything we need.  We've always had towel animals - some more elaborate than others.  

 

As mentioned, one of the best perks is getting to eat breakfast in a specialty restaurant.  Liberty should be like others where you eat in Chops, which is adjacent to the Windjammer buffet.  I often get a plate and the buffet and take it into Chops, because the buffet there is very small.  

 

I like having access the concierge, who can do most anything Guest Services can do and more.  Basically, if you do need Guest Services, you won't have to wait in that line.  Instead, go see the concierge and it it's happy hour, enjoy a cocktail if you do have to wait behind another suite guest being helped.  If you are going to do the UDP, use the concierge to make your reservations.  As mentioned, you should get an email from the concierge about a week before the cruise and you should get those reservations take care of then to get what you want.  You may also find that sometimes (but not always!) the concierge can work magic to get you on a shorex or other activity that shows as sold-out.