Benefits of suites?

[BethV114]

Hi all. I was wondering if someone could explain to me the benefits, if any, of suites (other than that they're obviously larger!). I'm considering surprising my husband with an upgrade to a suite (GS) on our upcoming honeymoon on the Liberty 5/19. They're pretty expensive, though, and I wanted to get some input to see if the extra $$ is really worth it.

 

Thanks in advance for the help. :D

[crock921]

my understanding is that the biggest difference is size, location, and a tub. Instead of the tiny shower stall, you get a full tub and shower. The room is obviously larger, and they are usually higher up on the ship. There is also a concierge service I believe, but that may only be on certain ships and certain suites.

 

You are pretty much paying for a hotel-room sized cabin witha full bath though. Hope this helps. Any suite addicts care to weigh in?

[cb at sea]

Have you considered a JS??? They are quite roomy, with a tub, so the bathroom is larger and a great walk-in closet (on the larger ships). It's a very comfortable way to cruise, without breaking the bank! Of course, you won't get concierge service with a JS, but is the concierge perk worth the extra money for a GS??? That's up to you! In a JS, you will still get priority boarding, and lots of space and comfort!

[PollyannaFlwr]

We don't do the "major" suites, we do a Junior Suite which gets you a bathtub and a walk-in closet. Most importantly you get a bathtub.

[sisocialworker]

and an extra cruise credit...closer to diamond +++

[BethV114]

What exactly does concierge service entail? Sorry, but I'm a newbie and this will be our first cruise, so I'm just trying to understand the rather large price difference. Another possibly silly question - Is there some type of a lounge available to guests booked in suites (i.e. something similar to the club room/lounge you might find when booking a certain level of room at a Westin or similar hotel).

 

Thanks again for the help!:D

[Boo Boo]

From the RCCL website (realy a first stop for information regarding RCCL...)

 

Q: What amenities are included in the Concierge Club service?

 

A: Diamond-level and above Crown & Anchor Society members and guests booked in the Grand Suites or above can now take advantage of the Concierge Club. Available on the Enchantment of the Seas® and all Voyager and Radiance-class ships, Concierge Club guests will receive this complimentary service that provides assistance with any special requests they may have while sailing. As a Concierge Club guest, you will be offered amenities and services not available to other guests including: A dedicated Concierge who is available to assist with anything you require

Twenty-four-hour a day use of the Concierge Club Lounge

Continental breakfast every morning† and open bar & hors d'oeuvres every evening available in the Concierge Club Lounge

Assistance with reservations for Portofino Italian restaurant & Chops Grille Steakhouse

Assistance with Explorations! Bookings

Assistance booking appointments for Salon or Spa treatments

Priority tickets for the ice skating show

Assistance with the arrangement of private parties

Personalized Discover Shopping advice

DVDs and CDs available to borrow during the Concierge's hours

Pre-ordering of your dinner wine

Business services (faxing, copying, etc.)

[Boo Boo]

As far as whether a GS is worth it over a JS, then it all depends on how much it costs and whether you can afford it.

 

The GS is a bigger cabin, has a much bigger and better appointed bathroom, a bigger balcony, the concierge service & lounge and a number of other little amenities and treats (like wine/champagne in your cabin when boarding and chocolate covered strawberries and other treats delivered to your cabin some nights). It is great and really spoiling yourself and I think it would be wonderful for a honeymoon cruise (when you might be "enjoying your cabin" a bit more ;) ). I would do it, but it all depends on your budget/finances (to lots of people, it isn't worth it).

 

Boo

[isujim]

Forget the perks.................

 

It's the room man.........it's the room............you won't believe the room you'll have in a GS.........

 

Only you can decide if you can afford it and it is worth the money.:)

[CruisinMommas]

When you book a grand suite or higher you get the use of the concierge lounge. He/ she will help you with tickects, make reservations for specialty restaurants. You can do this yourself if you want. You get to use this lounge 24 hrs. You will get continental breakfast in the a.m. and a special coffee machine is there for you to use. In the evening there are free drinks and canapes. In your suite you will get cheese tray, fruit tray and covered strawberries several times during the cruise. You both will get robes to use during the trip. It is a wow factor. Are you going to spend a lot of time in your cabin or are you going to be out and about?

We love the gs because of the extra room. Sometimes we use concierge and sometimes not. The extra $$ could be used for something else but I do love a gs. That being said, we will be in in a js for our next cruise because of the $$$. I wll be better able to judge the extra $$ after this coming cruise.

[CruisinMommas]

Forget the perks.................

 

It's the room man.........it's the room............you won't believe the room you'll have in a GS.........

 

Only you can decide if you can afford it and it is worth the money.:)

I agree already.

You will be sailing with friends of mine in August. We were thinking of sailing then but are sailing to the same area on the 31st of that month. There was a big savings so we squeezed this one in.

[BethV114]

Now this is what I was looking for!:D I know the room is bigger, but I really wanted an idea of the extra perks, if any, associated with the GS. It is a bit expensive, but I can technically afford it if I think the extra price is worth it. From the info I've received this morning, it seems like upgrading will really wow both myself and my husband, and make our honeymoon that much more special. He's been mentioning that he would love it if we could stay in a suite, and I don't want either one of us to ever think back on our honeymoon and wonder what it would have been like if we had done things differently. Thanks so much for the help!

 

If anyone else out there has any other info on suites, please keep it coming! I'm sure it will help not only myself, but other newbie cruisers as well. :D

[Boo Boo]

It is a bit expensive, but I can technically afford it if I think the extra price is worth it. From the info I've received this morning, it seems like upgrading will really wow both myself and my husband, and make our honeymoon that much more special. He's been mentioning that he would love it if we could stay in a suite, and I don't want either one of us to ever think back on our honeymoon and wonder what it would have been like if we had done things differently.

 

If you can, then I would upgrade. Honeymoon is special and (hopefully) you only have one... When I got married we had a great honeymoon, but we have had a LOT better holidays since (we didn't have that much money when we first got married). If you can push the boat out (pardon the pun) and this occassion, then it is worth it.

 

If anyone else out there has any other info on suites, please keep it coming! I'm sure it will help not only myself, but other newbie cruisers as well. :D

 

It is a bit pointless doing it for other newbies - they don't tend to read/search threads like this, they just post the exact same question again. I have answered "your" exact question at least 3 times in the past couple of weeks on this board... so it is sort of a "one off" answer for you...

 

Boo

[isujim]

 

It is a bit pointless doing it for other newbies - they don't tend to read/search threads like this, they just post the exact same question again. I have answered "your" exact question at least 3 times in the past couple of weeks on this board... so it is sort of a "one off" answer for you...

 

Boo

 

Ahhhhhhh......such is the nature of cruise critic:D

[Boo Boo]

Ahhhhhhh......such is the nature of cruise critic:D

 

Indeed... it sort of tells me that I have been around too long - each week is like a "ground hog" day of the previous week (you see exactly the same questions - sometimes the exact same question on a page of the board twice!)...

 

My advice to any new people on the board is:

- check RCCL's own website for answers to fact based questions (i.e. "how much do I tip?", "what is included in concierge service?" etc)

- browse a few pages of this board and use the "search" function to find anything you are specifically interested in.

- if you don't find what you are looking for, post the question.

 

Sometimes you get new and interesting questions. :).

 

I think these boards are far more useful for "experience"/"opinion" based questions than fact based questions (which you are generally better off looking at RCCL's website - like the concierge services I listed above, I went to RCCL's website, searched, copied and pasted... all of which the OP could easily have done). Of course, though, when you ask for opinions and experience you often get every answer under the sun (many of which will conflict ;) ). But that is life :) (be boring if we all liked the same things).

 

I think the special thing about this thread is that it is a "honeymoon cruise". Although I would upgrade to a GS even if it wasn't a honeymoon cruise, I think you really want to go all out for your honeymoon... :)

 

Boo

[threeofus]

The GS is huge - with so much storage you will unpack and still have empty drawers or shelves. No how often does that happen?

 

There is a heavy drape that you can pull across the bedroom area at night and it completely separates it from the living area.

 

The balcony is also very large.

 

The bathroom is like a regular bathroom - not like an airline bathroom where you can barely move. I think there were two sinks.

 

The perks - great!

 

What more can I say. If you can afford it and you feel it's worth it go for it. If not...who cares you can still have a great cruise.

[raina*faith]

We are going on a 9 day and I'm suprising my husband with one. It will be a big difference from the balcony we're used to.

[Suzanne74]

Since it is your honeymoon and you said you can afford it, I say go for it. The concierge service is nice for you so you won't have to wait in line for ice tickets, and get them to make all your appointments for you. The robes are great, the extras in the room are nice too as well as loungers on the balcony. You can also order some extras from RCCL (wine, champagne, decortations) but overall I think the GS is all you need.

 

Have a great honeymoon.:)

[paggerscorvette]

and an extra cruise credit...closer to diamond +++

 

I really hate to ask this, some people dont have much patience on this, but here goes. How do I find out where my cruise credits are? We were in a JS last month, when I pull up my reservations, there is nothing there.

this was our first cruise. Thanks for your help.

[crock921]

well i did not know you got double credits for doing a JS. I may have to look into one. I have a pretty sweet room already set up, but if I can get a good price, it may be worth it.

 

 

as far as where yoru credits are, they are on your my cruises page. they can take a few weeks to show up on there. if you are concerned, call rccl and they can help you through it. my finacee never got heres, so we called and they adjusted her account.

[elleluv]

I really hate to ask this, some people dont have much patience on this, but here goes. How do I find out where my cruise credits are? We were in a JS last month, when I pull up my reservations, there is nothing there.

this was our first cruise. Thanks for your help.

 

Did you sign up for Crown and Anchor? If so, have you received your C&A Member Card with your Member No. in the mail yet? Once you have the number you can create a "My Cruises" account at the RCCL site or if you already have a "My Cruises" account, you should be able to add the number to your account. Then you can check your cruise credits online.

[BethV114]

Thanks everyone for the insight. I was really hoping to get some personal thoughts on the benefits of booking a suite, rather than the boilerplate that Royal Caribbean gives on their website. The info you have all provided has been invaluable and I decided to take the plunge, so to speak, and cough up the extra $$ for the GS. I was already counting down the days until this trip, so I don't know how I'll be able to stand the wait now. And since I'm trying to do this as a surprise for my husband, I hope that keeping the anticipation and excitement bottled up for weeks doesn't kill me! LOL:D :eek: :D

[Pologuy]

Now this is what I was looking for!:D I know the room is bigger, but I really wanted an idea of the extra perks, if any, associated with the GS. It is a bit expensive, but I can technically afford it if I think the extra price is worth it. From the info I've received this morning, it seems like upgrading will really wow both myself and my husband, and make our honeymoon that much more special. He's been mentioning that he would love it if we could stay in a suite, and I don't want either one of us to ever think back on our honeymoon and wonder what it would have been like if we had done things differently. Thanks so much for the help!

 

If anyone else out there has any other info on suites, please keep it coming! I'm sure it will help not only myself, but other newbie cruisers as well. :D

Hi Beth -- We are on the same cruise ( 5/19 ) as you -- welcome aboard. You will love the Grand Suite, it's def woth the money, we had one on our last cruise aboard BOS -- We love all the extra's associated with the Suites, we are in the Presidential Suite for the 5/19 cruise. You should join us on the " Liberty of the seas - 05-19-07 - Inaugural Cruise-cruise critic message board". There is a huge group of your fellow shipmates there all chating up a storm. Hope to see you there.

[Boo Boo]

Thanks everyone for the insight. I was really hoping to get some personal thoughts on the benefits of booking a suite, rather than the boilerplate that Royal Caribbean gives on their website. The info you have all provided has been invaluable and I decided to take the plunge, so to speak, and cough up the extra $$ for the GS. I was already counting down the days until this trip, so I don't know how I'll be able to stand the wait now. And since I'm trying to do this as a surprise for my husband, I hope that keeping the anticipation and excitement bottled up for weeks doesn't kill me! LOL:D :eek: :D

 

I honestly don't think that you will be disappointed. A JS would have been great, but a GS will be perfect!

 

Hope that you have a great wedding and a fantastic honeymoon - hopefully you will post a trip report when you get back :)

 

Boo

[Puffinater]

Good choice...Honeymoon should be as special as you can make it. Enjoy!!