Is a suite worth it?

Hi,

Never sailed with Azamara before. But looking.

I am wondering if a suite is worth it?

The club world owner / ocean suite is more than double the continent suite. Is it really worth more than double?

The continent suite appears to have a tiny balcony, and the suite itself looks small compared to suites on Celebrity and RCI.

Just wondering if it is really worth it, or does one have to go for the largest suite in order to really enjoy having a suite?

Hi,

 

Never sailed with Azamara before. But looking.

 

I am wondering if a suite is worth it?

 

The club world owner / ocean suite is more than double the continent suite. Is it really worth more than double?

 

The continent suite appears to have a tiny balcony, and the suite itself looks small compared to suites on Celebrity and RCI.

 

Just wondering if it is really worth it, or does one have to go for the largest suite in order to really enjoy having a suite?

This is a very personal question that only you can answer and depends on your personal expectations. However, the regular suites have a very small bathroom and if you are even considering a large suite the regular suites would not be in contention. The Continental (CC) suites are 50 % larger (3 regular suites equal 2 CC suites). The bathroom and balcony are larger and these suites are quite comfortable for two passengers (except the renovation removed a closet which makes no sense). The Ocean and World suites are MUCH larger. They are very nice two-room with full double balconies and one large bathroom. I have not personally seen them since renovation. There are some extra perks with these cabins (a dinner and an excursion IIRC). It really depends on YOUR expectations. You might look at the new Spa suites- larger but not double the price of the CC suites. I think most passengers will say the cabins are smaller than those on other lines, but other factors (ports, overnights, staff, included drinks, included tips and fellow passengers) more than compensate for cabin size.

I used the CC suite for all my cruises but this summer when i tried the spa suite which on a norm is 2 grand more.

The CC lost a closet- but made low deep drawers that i do not like. i got tired of reaching down to get my clothes- everything was below knee length. for me i missed the old bathroom cabinet . i like hiding things. no more counter space.

the size of =cabin about 250 sq feet including the bathroom.

the spa suite has a huge bathroom-two sinks-4 small drawers- 7 shower head shower plus hand held. extra storage in the toilet room.

the negative is 4 closets but not one is all storage. i like having a lot of folded things and bathing suits and small things take up space.. lighting in that cabin is great

big suite is two rooms with one large bathroom. they pulled a toilet fro make room for seperate tub and shower. sounds like not a big deal but the toilet as far from the bed as possible and if you are sick it might seem forever. but i do like the bathroom. forgot to check storage there and in cabin.

I would cruise far less often, to get a suite. I was in 6088, and to me it was the perfect location. There were six big drawers plus one desk drawer (there was a post right in the way of a second desk drawer) in the bedroom. In the bathroom, there was a small shelf right under the mirror, then a shelf way down below the sink; not a lot of storage in there, but I use bags so I could put them there.

Life is too short to not enjoy what ever you want. If you can afford it and not cause you any financial pains, go ahead. :D:D:D:D;)

We too would stay home if we could not be in real suite aft.

We prefer to cruise less often but to be comfortable. The extras, space and service may not matter to others.

I like the suites on AZ for two major reasons: First the extra space. We spend a lot of time in our cabin and really enjoy the extra space. Note that there are not a lot of quiet public spaces to sit and hang on an AZ ship, so we retreat to our private suite for the peace and quiet. Second, suite travelers have unlimited free access to the 2 speciality restaurants where, IMHO, the food quality is quite a step above that in the Discoveries main dining room. We've had some success in negotiating an upgrade and thus avoiding the payment of the full fare for the suite. However this is certainly not guaranteed, especially for a popular cruise.

I felt the regular Veranda cabin was adequate but a little tight, and really didn't like the tiny shower (and clingy curtain). We had a chance to visit a Club Continent suite – it was just wider enough to really feel more spacious and the bathroom really benefits from the extra room. Note that you have a choice of tub or shower when you book a CC; some people feel very strongly one way or the other [we would take the large shower].

We are perfectly happy in our Veranda cabin.

Yes, a suite would be nice, but we simply can't justify the cost. We don't spend a huge amount of time in our cabin, but when we do, we find it quite fine. We enjoy the wide variety of public areas to sit and read, enjoy the scenery, people watch, chat with others, etc. We were just on a 15 night cruise and had 60 minutes free internet, which, combined with free WiFi we found in each port, was just fine. We had a meal in each of the specialty restaurants and, having had amazing food and service at both the MDR, the buffet and The Patio, probably won't pay the premium cost on future cruises.

That being said, if the upgrade fairy comes along for either of our upcoming cruises, we will happily accept.

We are perfectly happy in our Veranda cabin.

 

Yes, a suite would be nice, but we simply can't justify the cost. We don't spend a huge amount of time in our cabin, but when we do, we find it quite fine. We enjoy the wide variety of public areas to sit and read, enjoy the scenery, people watch, chat with others, etc. We were just on a 15 night cruise and had 60 minutes free internet, which, combined with free WiFi we found in each port, was just fine. We had a meal in each of the specialty restaurants and, having had amazing food and service at both the MDR, the buffet and The Patio, probably won't pay the premium cost on future cruises.

 

That being said, if the upgrade fairy comes along for either of our upcoming cruises, we will happily accept.

Interesting.

We agree totally with your assessment. While others perhaps choose to cruise less and pay for a suite, that extra room in a stateroom or its bathroom doesn't mean much to us in terms of our priorities. We are much more focused on the itinerary.

When we were in a CC Suite, we couldn't think of much use for our very personable butler, and we only ate in a specialty restaurant twice. But clearly there are others for whom those perks really matter.

Our experience is also very different from that of the poster who stated that there are few quiet public places. We don't find many areas that are inundated with either loud music, or conversation for that matter.

For example, the Discoveries bar, the outside deck area, the Living Room and the Library are, except for some individual events, in our judgement perfectly suitable as reading areas.

And we prefer the nice blue colour on our sea pass card. :)

However, again in agreement with TravelBugM, should we be offered the inexpensive upgrade once more, we would certainly take advantage of it.

It's just not as big an issue to us, as when we are on a Celebrity ship.

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Our experience is also very different from that of the poster who stated that there are few quiet public places. We don't find many areas that are inundated with either loud music, or conversation for that matter.

 

For example, the Discoveries bar, the outside deck area, the Living Room and the Library are, except for some individual events, in our judgement perfectly suitable as reading areas.

The itinerary will influence your experience on this. On our Norwegian Fjords cruise nobody spent much time at the pool or on their balcony, so the interior public spaces were always full. We would have enjoyed our cabin much more if there had been comfy spots for both of us to relax [that curved couch was only usable by one person, and not really good even for that].

The itinerary will influence your experience on this. On our Norwegian Fjords cruise nobody spent much time at the pool or on their balcony, so the interior public spaces were always full. We would have enjoyed our cabin much more if there had been comfy spots for both of us to relax [that curved couch was only usable by one person, and not really good even for that].

I called it an oversized chair that i could enjoy. but for two people. I use to love my CC cabin- not as much now. lost storage and not a lover of the new bathroom.. I tried the spa suite and found i spent even more time in there in good weather than befoire.. it also has a chair that takes up space .

We get a Club Continent Suite so that we can have a bathtub (actually it has a shower, too, over the tub-- the classic tub/ shower combo). On the other hand, many who book CC suites love the large walk-in showers. If you prefer one set-up over the other, be very careful to make sure your particular CC suite has the bathroom set-up that you prefer! As others have said, CC suites do have the perk of dining at the specialty restaurants being included, and we make good use of them, and use our included computer minutes and laundry bags. We don't make use of the butler service. As we spend little time in our suite, we've never considered getting an Owner's suite or a new Spa suite or another larger suite category than CC. Another perk of the CC suites and above is that use of the thalassotherapy pool and lounge chair area is included-- good if it is a sea day in warm weather and the main pool area is crowded/busy. Overall though, there are almost no crowds/lines on Azamara-- which is why we like it! ;)

Get what works and is worth it to you-- you will love Azamara. Very friendly and accommodating staff and nice fellow pax, too.

If you can afford to upgrade from a balcony to a Club Continent Suite I think it's worth it for the extra space and amenities. 50% larger doesn't sound much, but it makes quite a difference in the cabin. Love the new walk in shower bathroom. A real improvement. The big suites are very nice, but there are some design and detail issues that are irritating. They could have done better with them in the refurb. Having said that they are still a very nice space and the CWs have excellent balconies, especially the lower down the decks you are.

I should add that I spent a LOT of time in my suite, curled up on the sofa reading books. The purpose of my cruise was to completely destress, so the ship was my destination. If there were a bunch of ports that I wanted to get out and see, I could probably easily manage with a Club Continent Suite. I can't manage without a bathtub.

We've done suites twice, along with regular veranda rooms. The standard club suite gives you about 2 or 3 extra feet of leg room between the edge of the bed and the wall and the desk is a bit longer. The bathroom is definitely larger, and you are less likely to destroy an elbow or toe when you turn in the shower. The balcony is also about 3 feet longer. But those 3 feet aren't all that noticeable. You also will get a tub in the suite, NA if a regular room. Now the FANCY suites are a world unto themselves. People we traveled with in April were upgraded to Owners level, and we did have a nice party in their small apartment. That said, they were at the front of the ship, and we had rough waters out of Miami, and they were on a roller coaster, and not happy about it. If ya got the money and the kids don't need shoes, what the hell. Sadly, I can no longer afford the price difference for the suites, they have gone through the roof, and IMHO they are definitely not worth the difference in price. The perk of complementary dining in Aqualina or Prime C is easily made up by paying the surcharge. At a minimum of $3-4,000. per head for 3 feet of extra space, I'm booking steerage. Conclusion: yes, hands down, the suites are nicer than the regular rooms. Yes, you get complementary upgraded dining. Yes you get tea served in your room daily, should you happen to remember to be in your room at tea time. But all of these perks are easily available to non suite passengers. Happy sailing. I'll take an inside room next to sick bay or the laundry on Azamara any day over any room at any price on one of those 6,000 passenger shopping malls they call a cruise ship. My 2 cents, hope it helps. (My 3 cents: save the money, book a second cruise while you are onboard!)

We just got off the Quest. Our first time on that line. We had 8053 suite. Very nice but not as large as most Penthouse suites. The balcony is long but very narrow. It had a table & 3 chairs. No room for a lounger. The bed is comfy & very nice linens. There is no sofa or love seat. I like to lay on the sofa to read, so missed that. There are 2 chairs instead. One is fabric kind of wing back. The other is awful! Heavy, half mooned shaped chrome. Great for a large size person. Very heavy to move! [emoji107] a desk chair is what we used most. Really, no comfortable place to sit & relax. The TV is really nice directly across from the bed. They kept playing the same movies in the room over & over. If you wanted a movie from from the list, it was $12.99 charge. They did have a movie in the Caberat Lounge in the afternoon. They replaced the bathtub with a great shower. However, there are no grab bars in there. The seas became very rough on our transatlantic. About 3 a.m. I walked in to the bathroom & was thrown into the sink vanity. I broke a rib, very painful. Saw the ship's doc, was given an x-Ray to confirm fx. Was taken to an Er as soon as we got to the next port. Finally, got some pain meds. the ship is very nice. Wonderful cruise director, Russ. Food was o.k. But not as good as Oceania IMO. We had very nice service in our suite.

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We just got off the Quest. Our first time on that line. We had 8053 suite. Very nice but not as large as most Penthouse suites. The balcony is long but very narrow. It had a table & 3 chairs. No room for a lounger. The bed is comfy & very nice linens. There is no sofa or love seat. I like to lay on the sofa to read, so missed that. There are 2 chairs instead. One is fabric kind of wing back. The other is awful! Heavy, half mooned shaped chrome. Great for a large size person. Very heavy to move! [emoji107] a desk chair is what we used most. Really, no comfortable place to sit & relax. The TV is really nice directly across from the bed. They kept playing the same movies in the room over & over. If you wanted a movie from from the list, it was $12.99 charge. They did have a movie in the Caberat Lounge in the afternoon. They replaced the bathtub with a great shower. However, there are no grab bars in there. The seas became very rough on our transatlantic. About 3 a.m. I walked in to the bathroom & was thrown into the sink vanity. I broke a rib, very painful. Saw the ship's doc, was given an x-Ray to confirm fx. Was taken to an Er as soon as we got to the next port. Finally, got some pain meds. the ship is very nice. Wonderful cruise director, Russ. Food was o.k. But not as good as Oceania IMO. We had very nice service in our suite.

 

 

 

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Wow! Some horrible bad luck! And not a quasi-luxury experience. Thanks for posting this. And I wish you a speedy recovery and better luck!

What a terrible experience, I can't imagine the pain (I have bruised ribs in the past and that was horrible)!

FWIW, they have discontinued the tea in the afternoons unless you request it; people were not there and a lot of food was being wasted.

As a solo, I pay extra; I had booked a Club Continent Suite at 150% supplement. Somehow, my travel agent got me an aft suite for basically the same price I had already paid. The cruise wasn't selling out, and I had a choice of aft or forward, and more than one of each. I guess timing was everything. Now I am so spoiled.

We just got off the Quest. Our first time on that line. We had 8053 suite. Very nice but not as large as most Penthouse suites.

 

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Azamara don't claim these as Penthouse suites, going back in time they were listed as Sky suites which was Celebrity's equivalent to mini-suites but with most full suite perks. Incidentally Princess have always referred to these cabins as mini-suites.

However Oceania do refer to these as Penthouse suites on their R ships and these would be an identical size although probably smaller than other lines Penthouse suites.

Sorry to hear about your injury, having twice broken a rib I can appreciate just how painful it is.

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FWIW, they have discontinued the tea in the afternoons unless you request it; people were not there and a lot of food was being wasted.

 

 

 

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Interesting it was still being served on Journey in early September, maybe one of the regular posters onboard Journey at the moment can confirm if it's been stopped there as well.

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That IS interesting! The first day, I waited and nothing. The second day I questioned my butler and he told me, then I saw it on the ongoing television information channel. Then the next day, he brought me T.E.A., I've never seen so much food. After that, we agreed that I would fend for myself.

If i was in cabin on a cooler day-Norway-Iceland- I wanted some place a sandwich. .but now we the new LR tea service and tapas there is much less need .I know I used it in N Z on a sea day.. But I can eaiser go to the LR. If i wanted to rest i would call the butler and ask or tell him at breakfast. it is only one cup not even a small pot.

Interesting it was still being served on Journey in early September, maybe one of the regular posters onboard Journey at the moment can confirm if it's been stopped there as well.

 

 

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No, it hasn't stopped here. Day one, one of the first questions asked of me was about afternoon tea. Even if I'm not here I have a standing order of mint tea and cookies left. To be honest on a port intensive cruise I don't really need afternoon tea, but it's nice to have a little something left. I'm in a suite on deck 8. If you are on 7 or 6 you need to let your butler know at the start so he comes down with it. Well, that's been my experience.

No, it hasn't stopped here. Day one, one of the first questions asked of me was about afternoon tea. Even if I'm not here I have a standing order of mint tea and cookies left. To be honest on a port intensive cruise I don't really need afternoon tea, but it's nice to have a little something left. I'm in a suite on deck 8. If you are on 7 or 6 you need to let your butler know at the start so he comes down with it. Well, that's been my experience.

being on 9 you need to ask too. but in hot weather rarely want it. .now in Norway i will want it every sea day.. i might be resting not want to get dressed for it. I do love the fact LR has it-one flight up.