Suites just keep on selling out

Looks like the new perks for suites is helping the sales for most sailings. Cost has encreased by almost 1/3 and they are still hard to find and book.

Any thoughts?

My only thought is that the suite package with Luminae and Michael's Club is really very good. You're correct that they only get more expensive, but yet they are filling. We have been lucky enough to enjoy those perks on our last three cruises and can't wait till our next two on Eclipse.

Having said that it appears the X experience outside of suites seems somewhat less than what it once was......I can't say that for sure just see a lot of comments here and on reviews that areas like the MDR seem to have suffered since the roll out of the suite perks....at least many comments from veteran X cruisers appear to indicate this.....

Looks like the new perks for suites is helping the sales for most sailings. Cost has encreased by almost 1/3 and they are still hard to find and book.

 

Any thoughts?

The suite perks have been in effect for at least well over a year. While I'm sure it is a big reason people books suite, I think the suite experience as a whole is what keeps bringing people back.

I love the suite amenities, especially now with Luminae, and will always book a suite with Celebrity.

I book higher end suites, so they seem to hang around for quite awhile, but Sky Suites seem to move pretty well. I think they are a great deal with the 4 perks included.

You will find me in the cheaper seats;) I guess technically I could afford a suite I can't justify the cost. Even though Luminea is great I can still book a veranda, aqua or concierge and then eat in a specialty every night and still come in way less that a suite (usually). I'm not knocking the suites I wish I could justify the cost and if I could I would probably book them too. I hear the new ships will have more suites.

The beginning of last year was the 1st time in Sky Suites. We now live Suite Life. Our next 3 cruise in Aqua. But that might change. Then back to suites next 4 cruises.

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We used to stay in suites but, unfortunately, they are now out of our price range. Would love to try them again so I keep watching for bargains.

The suite life is indeed sweet. The addition of Luminae as well as the Go Best perks really sealed the deal. We have only ever done suites with Celebrity and would not book a cruise without one. Pricing is high but so are suites on other cruise lines like NCL and RCCL.

It is bothersome though that cruiselines always feel the need to decline food quality in established venues when adding new higher priced dining. Like when NCL went Freestyle in the early '00s, the food quality in the main dining rooms dropped as they introduced multiple specialty restaurants. And now Celebrity seems to be doing the same in its MDRs with the introduction of Luminae. I mean, just raise prices instead of lowering quality. If there is a good product people will pay for it as evidenced by the suites selling out consistently.

To me, it is a matter of choice. I love the suite life: Michael's Club; Luminae; the butler; the bathtub; the butler's pantry; the roominess; the perks.

I can't turn back now....

The Suite package on Celebrity is very enticing, and if the itinerary appeals I would put it on a par with Azamara. What I don't get is why people are willing to pay similar prices on e.g. Princess -- without any special dining room [even the new Club Class is a joke compared to Luminae]

What I don't get is why people are willing to pay similar prices on e.g. Princess -- without any special dining room [even the new Club Class is a joke compared to Luminae]

We find that Princess is, in general, more expensive per day than Celebrity for a comparable stateroom, at least on the itineraries we shop. About 80% of our cruises are on Celebrity and 20% on Princess. The reason we continue to cruise on Princess, despite the higher price is because they offer more, convenient West Coast itineraries than Celebrity.

It honestly amazes me how the suites sell out so quickly. Maybe a little bit of that is jealousy :). I have sailed once in a suite years ago, and decided to splurge on one on our upcoming cruise as the price was not that much higher than the AQ we were looking at (for a Suite GTY), which was unusual. The truth is that we are really priced out of that category in almost all cases. I guess if we did one or two vacations a year we could swing it, but now that we are retired we would rather do 3 or 4 cruises a year in AQ or similar than 1 in a suite.

What I really, really don't understand is how people put so much emphasis on the 'Go Best' option being such a good 'deal'. Do the math. I can get a good number of those same perks by booking through a well-known online TA, especially when they offer a discounted upgrade from Big or Better to Best. When I calculate it all out, it certainly is not cost effective to book a suite for that reason. On the other hand, I do understand liking Luminae, the butler, the extra space, Michael's etc.. etc. and can understand booking a suite for those perks. But a good deal? Not in my opinion given the pricing.

Interesting comments by all.

When you figure the cost per night aqua, plus specialty resteraunts and even adding in the beverage package you still come out less per night than most suites.

However that bedroom is really really nice if the 2 like us sleep at different times.

Best to do is shop the suites after final payment....if they are still available........lol

We found that once we ate in Luminae NONE of the specialty restaurants even compared. We even did a "Chef's Dinner" at a ridiculously high cost and found the food served to be inferior to what is served on a daily basis in Luminae.

It's just an excellent venue......

Having said that it appears the X experience outside of suites seems somewhat less than what it once was......I can't say that for sure just see a lot of comments here and on reviews that areas like the MDR seem to have suffered since the roll out of the suite perks....at least many comments from veteran X cruisers appear to indicate this.....

In the first place CC'ers just like to complain. The more they complain the more they "establish" themselves in their own minds as discerning cruisers.

In the second place, if you haven't been outside of the suite decks you really don't know.

DW and I have been on Equinox 2x in an inside and Reflection in a veranda in February 2016 and have not noticed any decline in the overall experience at all.

Of course, we don't go on the ship looking for things to complain about. You would think they're serving pig slop. As DW says, I don't have to cook the food, I don't have to clean it up, I don't have to make the bed, I don't have to listen to the phone ring from the office and I get to drink Mudslides. I guess that makes us undiscerning cruisers.

Enjoy your suite, you've most likely earned it.

I would love to book a sky suite for a 10 day Venice to Athens cruise next year, but it would be around 6800.00 more for the two of us, compared to our aft facing Aqua cabin. I just can't justify the cost. I too would rather spend it on an extra vacation.

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What I really, really don't understand is how people put so much emphasis on the 'Go Best' option being such a good 'deal'. Do the math. I can get a good number of those same perks by booking through a well-known online TA, especially when they offer a discounted upgrade from Big or Better to Best. When I calculate it all out, it certainly is not cost effective to book a suite for that reason. On the other hand, I do understand liking Luminae, the butler, the extra space, Michael's etc.. etc. and can understand booking a suite for those perks. But a good deal? Not in my opinion given the pricing.

Do people say that it is a "deal"? I'm not sure if you were referring to my post above as I used the word "deal" but I did not say it was a "good deal". I said having all those perks "sealed the deal" for us, meaning having all those things included for every suite booking we have made recently just confirmed that we want to stay in suite class.

I know that often you are paying more for those perks than their individual values, but for us it's a convenience thing. Being able to order any drink whenever you want without having to deal with signing slips and thinking about extra tips, or having the freedom to try a variety of drinks that you may not have before when you had to pay for each drink. And there are some days where I will go through quite a few bottled waters (especially the zero waters) in addition to alcoholic drinks so it will exceed the daily value of the beverage package. And we use a lot of internet during the cruise so the unlimited is a must have.

The thing that is annoying is with the top level suites. In PH, RS, RefS and SigS (I think) you get the premium beverage and internet included so those two benefits in the Go Best are redundant. The cost of those suites is so much more than the other cabins that they really should come up with two other perks to replace with. Of course as those suites appear to keep selling the cruiseline probably feels like why should they change it.

Do people say that it is a "deal"? I'm not sure if you were referring to my post above as I used the word "deal" but I did not say it was a "good deal". I said having all those perks "sealed the deal" for us, meaning having all those things included for every suite booking we have made recently just confirmed that we want to stay in suite class.

 

 

I know that often you are paying more for those perks than their individual values, but for us it's a convenience thing. Being able to order any drink whenever you want without having to deal with signing slips and thinking about extra tips, or having the freedom to try a variety of drinks that you may not have before when you had to pay for each drink. And there are some days where I will go through quite a few bottled waters (especially the zero waters) in addition to alcoholic drinks so it will exceed the daily value of the beverage package. And we use a lot of internet during the cruise so the unlimited is a must have.

 

 

The thing that is annoying is with the top level suites. In PH, RS, RefS and SigS (I think) you get the premium beverage and internet included so those two benefits in the Go Best are redundant. The cost of those suites is so much more than the other cabins that they really should come up with two other perks to replace with. Of course as those suites appear to keep selling the cruiseline probably feels like why should they change it.

They do get a perk that the other suites don't get, and a very good one IMHO, unlimited specialty dining!

They do get a perk that the other suites don't get, and a very good one IMHO, unlimited specialty dining!

Yes, and the bottles of alcohol in the cabin, etc. But those are amenities that come with the suite no matter what. If they are doing incentives like Go Best to encourage people to book those suites they should offer things that are not already included with the suite like spa treatments, shore excursions or a photo package. But, as I said in my previous post, if the suites are already selling well with the redundant items in Go Best then Celebrity would have no incentive to change that.

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I enjoy the suite life, mostly due to the S1 corner afts. I don't like the small separate bedrooms, as they are too claustrophobic for me. Also, I really don't drink very much( I guess I am not part of the norm)but I enjoy being able to eat in Luminae or Blu. Also, my DH and I enjoy eating early. Anyway, we do not back up the AQ guests.

Europe is my favorite place to cruise for history and culture. Yes, the suite bug bit me and so I splurge. Cruising and doing my own land tours that I plan are perfect for my DH and I. My DH is fine in any cabin, but the long walk, the gym and relaxing in a suite is fantastic and he does enjoy all the perks, but doesn't need them...

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Our friends had a Sky Suite on our January Reflection cruise. We were in a CC, as were 2 other cabins sailing with us. We like our CC or Aqua cabin well enough, but we were anxious to see what the suite experience was like. One in our party was wheelchair bound so they let all of us wait in the suite area to board. I wasn't impressed. Some juice and a small snack and not enough seats for everyone there. It was nice to get on first, but CC boarded very shortly after. We needed dining, spa, and excursion reservations so we headed to Michael's Club. Initially there was only one host so we were waiting through two guests to make their reservations. When it was our turn they had another host come with a laptop. At that point at least two other guests were getting impatient. It took us about 40 minutes to get all of our reservations made. Our friend's son actually went to the Shore Ex desk because he was afraid his excursion would sell out. He was back before we were done. Even though we all had the drinks package they said they could only serve the two suite guests. We understood. Our friend's were not really impressed with how long it took to do this. They never went back to Michael's Club. The one nice thing was that the host told us about the progressive BBQ dinner at the Lawn Club Grill so we booked that.

The Butler was very nice and he made a couple of changes to our dinner reservations. On formal night he pushed our wheelchair friend all the way to the theater. My friend did say that he was often on break when she tried to call him. He reserved seats for us for the show on formal night. Unfortunately they were in the front row of the balcony. I never sit there because of the plexiglass in the middle of my view. I'm either raising my head to see over it, or ducking to look through it depending on where the performers move on stage. We always found good seats on our own so the reserved seats weren't a perk in our opinion. We ate in Luminae one night. I am allergic to shellfish and ended up ordering off of the MDR menu. It was an excellent Beef Wellington. Otherwise the restaurant was nice, on par with the other specialty restaurants. Our friends only ate there twice. The room was very nice. The bathroom was very nice. I would love to have the room, but like another poster said, I don't know that I could justify the cost.

We always get the classic drink package for free, free pre-paid gratuities and enough OBC to cover 3 nights of specialty dining and upgrading our drink package. We don't use the Internet so getting the 4 perks is no biggie either.

After imagining how nice it must be to have a suite, I have to say that I no longer feel like I'm missing something. Don't get me wrong. If I saw a VERY good deal, I would take it just for the bigger room. Otherwise Celebrity has a very nice product and I will remain very satisfied with my CC or AQ room.

Please don't think I'm bashing suites. I can understand the appeal. I just don't find enough benefit personally to justify the cost. Our friends have booked S2 for our two future cruises, but only for the room size.

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Our friends had a Sky Suite on our January Reflection cruise.

Here's the thing though, your post bears absolutely no relation to the service we've received whilst actually staying in suites ourselves.

A line in Michaels Club? Well it's possible you may walk in to see the concierge when they are already dealing with other passengers, but as far as booking trips we just called her number (as a suite guest you receive a welcome pack with contact details), told her what we wanted to do and she called back shortly advising all was booked. That's a lot nicer than visiting the shore excursions desk!

We asked for a navigational bridge tour too. No problem at all.

Every time we've ever walked into MC the welcoming staff are there asking if they can serve you and genuinely seem pleased to do so. It's never busy, even now when afternoon tea is served you're seen to very quickly. So your desription here bears no resemblance to what we have experienced.

You claim their butler took a lot of breaks? These hard working people certainly deserve their breaks, but again, if we needed our butler we'd just make a call and he'd arrive in a couple of minutes. He have had one time where he was on a break but his number was diverted to a colleague who dealt with us immediately. So if you're trying to imply that the butler service is sub standard I can only state I don't believe this based on my own first hand, real world experiences.

Food is as we all know subjective. But if you chose to eat in Lunminae with your suite based friends on one night only, would it not have made more sense to check the menu before hand to ensure it was agreeable to you all. The staff will supply you with future menus for the duration of your cruise if you ask. You don't like shellfish, but Luminae NEVER has a shellfish exclusive menu. You can also go off menu if you ask as well as ordering from the MDR menu.

Finally, and this is what some people don't seem to understand, a suite gives you more potential to enjoy your cruise IF you take advantage of it. If you want a bridge or engine room tour, ask for it. If you want your butler to restock your mini bar with items you want you just tell them, use your concierge to make your cruise work as well as possible for you etc.

So, in short I see why they sell out quickly. That said, to go for an A1 to an S2 on our next cruise would cost an additional $418 per person per night on top of the cost of our A1 room. In my humble opinion it's not worth upgrading.

The reason why...

The reason why cruise ships have so many types of rooms and 'perks' attached isn't just about the shape of the ship it is about giving flexibility of choice to the maximum number of cruisers.

We can remember when all holidays (cruise and land based) were about going, seeing, doing...absolutely as much as possible. We had a great time! We always liked a nice room but itinerary was all important.

But time for us has moved to a more leisurely pace...we do still enjoy the sight seeing, the pre and post cruise city breaks but we value more our ship time....We love the suite life perks including Michael's Club, unlimited speciality dining, in room bar set up, premium drinks package, Luminae....

Choices...it is about what, for you, provides value for money.

kands6191 and others: If you are happy with the Celebrity MDR experience, the added cost of a suite will never make sense to you. But if Luminae is the only reason you would sail Celebrity, the cost comparison is not to CC or AQ but to Azamara, Oceania, Crystal, etc. That comparison makes a Sky Suite quite reasonable and a Celebrity Suite sometimes a spacious treat. But thankfully our system is based on choice, so while the title of this thread ("Suites just keep on selling out") is true, Celebrity offers many other choices at several different levels of luxury. I'm glad you have found those that appeal to you.

Our friends had a Sky Suite on our January Reflection cruise. We were in a CC, as were 2 other cabins sailing with us. We like our CC or Aqua cabin well enough, but we were anxious to see what the suite experience was like. One in our party was wheelchair bound so they let all of us wait in the suite area to board. I wasn't impressed. Some juice and a small snack and not enough seats for everyone there. It was nice to get on first, but CC boarded very shortly after. We needed dining, spa, and excursion reservations so we headed to Michael's Club. Initially there was only one host so we were waiting through two guests to make their reservations. When it was our turn they had another host come with a laptop. At that point at least two other guests were getting impatient. It took us about 40 minutes to get all of our reservations made. Our friend's son actually went to the Shore Ex desk because he was afraid his excursion would sell out. He was back before we were done. Even though we all had the drinks package they said they could only serve the two suite guests. We understood. Our friend's were not really impressed with how long it took to do this. They never went back to Michael's Club. The one nice thing was that the host told us about the progressive BBQ dinner at the Lawn Club Grill so we booked that.

The Butler was very nice and he made a couple of changes to our dinner reservations. On formal night he pushed our wheelchair friend all the way to the theater. My friend did say that he was often on break when she tried to call him. He reserved seats for us for the show on formal night. Unfortunately they were in the front row of the balcony. I never sit there because of the plexiglass in the middle of my view. I'm either raising my head to see over it, or ducking to look through it depending on where the performers move on stage. We always found good seats on our own so the reserved seats weren't a perk in our opinion. We ate in Luminae one night. I am allergic to shellfish and ended up ordering off of the MDR menu. It was an excellent Beef Wellington. Otherwise the restaurant was nice, on par with the other specialty restaurants. Our friends only ate there twice. The room was very nice. The bathroom was very nice. I would love to have the room, but like another poster said, I don't know that I could justify the cost.

We always get the classic drink package for free, free pre-paid gratuities and enough OBC to cover 3 nights of specialty dining and upgrading our drink package. We don't use the Internet so getting the 4 perks is no biggie either.

After imagining how nice it must be to have a suite, I have to say that I no longer feel like I'm missing something. Don't get me wrong. If I saw a VERY good deal, I would take it just for the bigger room. Otherwise Celebrity has a very nice product and I will remain very satisfied with my CC or AQ room.

Please don't think I'm bashing suites. I can understand the appeal. I just don't find enough benefit personally to justify the cost. Our friends have booked S2 for our two future cruises, but only for the room size.

 

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If I'm understanding you correctly you had a party of 4 staterooms, one which was a suite and you were all trying to use the MCC on embarkation day to make arrangements for your extended party and didn't understand when they wouldn't serve you from the bar in MC??

Only the suite guests are entitled to these services and to be in the "suites only" lounge. You shouldn't judge the experience by what you saw. I agree that if you are traveling in a suite with guests who are not in suites it can be difficult to fully take advantage of the "Suite LIfe"

"Our friends had a Sky Suite on our January Reflection cruise. We were in a CC, as were 2 other cabins sailing with us. We like our CC or Aqua cabin well enough, but we were anxious to see what the suite experience was like. One in our party was wheelchair bound so they let all of us wait in the suite area to board. I wasn't impressed. Some juice and a small snack and not enough seats for everyone there. It was nice to get on first, but CC boarded very shortly after. We needed dining, spa, and excursion reservations so we headed to Michael's Club. "

I agree with wrk2cruise. If I understand what you say in the above quote, three non- suite cabins were attempting to "to see what the suite experience was like" without paying for those services. I'm guessing as I read between the lines that the wheelchair bound person was not a suite passenger, and yet used the services of the butler to push him/her to the theater. And all four rooms used the reserved theater seats when only one room was entitled to that amenity. Perhaps you were also imposing on an overworked butler in other ways and therefore he became "unavailable"???

My husband also uses a wheelchair as he is a double amputee and we always stay in a suite not only because of the extra room but more importantly because of the many kindnesses and helpfulness that the staff extends to us. It's difficult to explain the numerous ways we have been helped and this service will continue to keep us coming back.