Are Suites Worth The Money?

Having spent a lot of time during the past few weeks researching cabins and prices for the 2018 cruises, I got to thinking, are suites worth the money. J813 has balconies starting at £4449 and suites at £8449. Is it really worth another £4000 each for a suite? Please discuss............:)

Having spent a lot of time during the past few weeks researching cabins and prices for the 2018 cruises, I got to thinking, are suites worth the money. J813 has balconies starting at £4449 and suites at £8449. Is it really worth another £4000 each for a suite? Please discuss............:)

It wouldn't be for me, but I am from Yorkshire and we are renowned for being tight.:)

The suites on our upcoming Caribbean cruise are around £500-£600pp extra......nowhere near as expensive as the example above. Does anyone think that is worth paying?

That's compared to a balcony price.

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Having had a Suite on every P&O ship I would say it depends on what you expect.

They vary in size tremendously, but all have the same facilities.

Aurora's are the best in my opinion, especially the penthouses and side ones. Adonia's Penthouses were also extremely large, but she is not on the agenda at the moment. Arcadia's side ones are large (& my favourite) but the bedroom and lounge area is all one room - you don't have a curtain even to separate them. The aft one's are lovely, but smaller inside, but their balconies are wonderful! Oceana's are very nice, especially the balconies which are large and extremely private. Azura's are very nice, but I would only go for an aft one as the side one's have a huge overhang above them; I would not consider the front ones. Britannia's are nice and very modern in comparison to the others, but they are certainly the smallest inside, and the side ones have much much smaller balconies (in depth) compared to all the others.

Other than size, the amenities etc are the same.

They do all offer Butler service of course. We use a Butler all the time, but not everyone likes them. If you felt you would not use one that much then maybe a Suite would not be worth the extra money.

There are a number of things that having a Suite will give you, however, that ordinary cabins don't.

A Butler!

Priority Embarkation - you will always get given a 12:30pm boarding time.

Priority tickets for the tenders

CD player (not on all ships though)

Coffee Machine

Fruit replenished regularly

A jacuzzi bath & separate shower

Priority for the size of table you request in a Club dining restaurant

Your Butler will be able to speak to the Select Dining restaurants to get you a table

Priority disembarkation - you can get off when you wish

Wine list and Restaurant menus provided in your Suite

The Butler will bring you the Britain Today newspaper

In-Suite dining for lunch and dinner

Hot breakfast brought to your Suite

Separate breakfast location if not eating it in your Suite

For us, these things certainly do warrant paying more, but you may not agree.

Any other questions do please ask.

Happy Cruising! :)

Thanks for that, although I misread the cost. They are £600 more, but on a saver price. I've already booked a Select fare, so can't 'upgrade' to a saver fare. This would make it far too expensive. But I can dream! [emoji3]

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We've just returned from Ventura having been upgraded from a superior deluxe balcony to a suite. Having booked the Superior deluxe for extra space as we were a party of 3 adults, the extra space in our suite was much appreciated, especially being able to curtain off the lounge area for extra privacy. We struggled to find much for our butler to do (preferring to do our own unpacking). The canapes were a treat each evening, but as we were only one deck from the buffet, not really necessary. Priority embarkation and tendering saved a lot of waiting around and the spa bath was an additional luxury. Champagne, fruit, robes, slippers, atlas & binoculars we would have had with Superior deluxe anyway. For us the best perk was breakfast in Epicurean - a lovely way to start the day, and would have been even nicer had it been warm enough to sit at one of the outside tables.

However, much as we enjoyed our suite, we wouldn't pay double the balcony rate for one.

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It's such a personal decision - can you afford it - will you spend a lot of time in your cabin - do you want the extra space that it provides etc. etc. No-one can give a definitive answer. We have been lucky in that apart from one cruise we have always had a mini suite or a suite. This has been our choice - we could have cruised more often if we had had a balcony cabin, outside or inside one. For us yes it's worth it. We do tend to spend a lot of time in our cabin - hopefully out on the balcony. We enjoy being able to have a cooked breakfast served in the cabin if we wish, same goes for lunch, we can choose anything we wish from the main restaurant menu - useful when returning from a morning trip.

If you like entertaining in your suite - having your table companions in for a pre-dinner drink, for example, the butler will arrange everything - extra glasses, extra canapes and will also serve if you wish him to. Very rarely do you find suites advertised at a saver or early saver price - it does happen but not very often. On our forthcoming cruise in January the suites were all sold out a while ago.

So it's really all down to personal choice.

Having spent a lot of time during the past few weeks researching cabins and prices for the 2018 cruises, I got to thinking, are suites worth the money. J813 has balconies starting at £4449 and suites at £8449. Is it really worth another £4000 each for a suite? Please discuss............:)

I hope you have put in a booking I have a feeling this cruise will sell out very quickly.

On a TA web site a suite is now showing at more that the price you quoted by £500. Perhaps it is an error but it's odd.

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I hope you have put in a booking I have a feeling this cruise will sell out very quickly.

 

On a TA web site a suite is now showing at more that the price you quoted by £500. Perhaps it is an error but it's odd.

 

 

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Price now showing £9999. No prices for any other grade of cabins. P&O site still showing original price. Perhaps there has been a rush for pre registrations. Or could it be a computer ******* up. :) :)

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The only time we have had a suite was when we managed to get a guarantee suite at a giveaway price and we were fortunate to be allocated the penthouse suite on Azura.

Although we really enjoyed the extra space and perks we did not feel that it would have been worth paying the full price which would have been about £8,000 more for the two of us.

We have since booked superior deluxe cabins a few times and we really like them for the extra space and larger bathroom.

Price now showing £9999. No prices for any other grade of cabins. P&O site still showing original price. Perhaps there has been a rush for pre registrations. Or could it be a computer ******* up. :) :)

 

 

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I think that is likely to be a mistake, as J813 is not open to booking (other than Caribbean members) until tomorrow. Fluid pricing is due to kick in at 10am, then we will see a clearer picture of sales :)

I think that is likely to be a mistake, as J813 is not open to booking (other than Caribbean members) until tomorrow. Fluid pricing is due to kick in at 10am, then we will see a clearer picture of sales :)

Tomorrow will tell.

We are not looking at this one however.

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I think that is likely to be a mistake, as J813 is not open to booking (other than Caribbean members) until tomorrow. Fluid pricing is due to kick in at 10am, then we will see a clearer picture of sales :)

I paid £7,339 for a 'B4' grade suite after various discounts.....Only two years to wait to see if it's a good deal or not?:)

I paid £7,339 for a 'B4' grade suite after various discounts.....Only two years to wait to see if it's a good deal or not?:)

Our B4 suite went up +2K per person (when you take into account OBC, future cruise and agent discounts). We paid about the same as some of the later balcony prices. It all depends on the cruise, but booking ahead on day 1 for USA and Canada for us was definitely worth it - hope it works out that way for you, but ultimately if you are happy with cabin and price then it doesn't matter too much [emoji1360]

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Our B4 suite went up +2K per person (when you take into account OBC, future cruise and agent discounts). We paid about the same as some of the later balcony prices. It all depends on the cruise, but booking ahead on day 1 for USA and Canada for us was definitely worth it - hope it works out that way for you, but ultimately if you are happy with cabin and price then it doesn't matter too much [emoji1360]

 

 

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I'm always happy with what I pay, otherwise I wouldn't pay it :D

Having had a Suite on every P&O ship I would say it depends on what you expect.

 

They vary in size tremendously, but all have the same facilities.

 

Aurora's are the best in my opinion, especially the penthouses and side ones. Adonia's Penthouses were also extremely large, but she is not on the agenda at the moment. Arcadia's side ones are large (& my favourite) but the bedroom and lounge area is all one room - you don't have a curtain even to separate them. The aft one's are lovely, but smaller inside, but their balconies are wonderful! Oceana's are very nice, especially the balconies which are large and extremely private. Azura's are very nice, but I would only go for an aft one as the side one's have a huge overhang above them; I would not consider the front ones. Britannia's are nice and very modern in comparison to the others, but they are certainly the smallest inside, and the side ones have much much smaller balconies (in depth) compared to all the others.

 

Other than size, the amenities etc are the same.

 

They do all offer Butler service of course. We use a Butler all the time, but not everyone likes them. If you felt you would not use one that much then maybe a Suite would not be worth the extra money.

 

There are a number of things that having a Suite will give you, however, that ordinary cabins don't.

 

A Butler!

Priority Embarkation - you will always get given a 12:30pm boarding time.

Priority tickets for the tenders

CD player (not on all ships though)

Coffee Machine

Fruit replenished regularly

A jacuzzi bath & separate shower

Priority for the size of table you request in a Club dining restaurant

Your Butler will be able to speak to the Select Dining restaurants to get you a table

Priority disembarkation - you can get off when you wish

Wine list and Restaurant menus provided in your Suite

The Butler will bring you the Britain Today newspaper

In-Suite dining for lunch and dinner

Hot breakfast brought to your Suite

Separate breakfast location if not eating it in your Suite

 

For us, these things certainly do warrant paying more, but you may not agree.

 

Any other questions do please ask.

 

Happy Cruising! :)

Hi we are thinking about a suite on Britannia - within the price do you get any drinks in your cabin i.e. Soft drinks, wine etc, I cannot find anything that mentions drinks, we are going on Cunard and the fridge is kept stocked daily with whatever is your preference 🙂

IMHO I do not think the prices P&O charge for the suites are good value for money and the food they serve in the main restaurants are not good enough to pay the price of a suite just for the size of your cabin and breakfast in speciality dining restaurants. Think the suites are much better value on Cunard as you get better food in your own restaurants and other services you do not get on P&O.

Hi we are thinking about a suite on Britannia - within the price do you get any drinks in your cabin i.e. Soft drinks, wine etc, I cannot find anything that mentions drinks, we are going on Cunard and the fridge is kept stocked daily with whatever is your preference ��

Cunard are quite some way above P&O.

I'm afraid the only thing you get with P&O in a Suite is bottled water! Not good I know. There is, however, a coffee machine, and the ones on Britannia are easier to use.

We think that they should provide at least one bottle of whatever spirit you want, and we always point this out on the questionnaire, but, as yet, they have not provided one.

They do need to increase the perks that you get in a Suite to be in line with other cruise lines. I would not expect the same kind of things that you get on a six star line like Seabourn, but some extras would be nice.

The Suites on Britannia are nice, but, as mentioned before, not huge. Lots of hanging space and drawers. The balconies on the side ones are long, but narrow. The balconies at the rear of the ship, overlooking the wake, are bigger, especially on B deck. We had B724 last summer where the balcony was enormous - big enough for a table to sit at, two chairs, two loungers and a two seater settee! It was a joy! :D

Any other questions do ask. :)

IMHO I do not think the prices P&O charge for the suites are good value for money and the food they serve in the main restaurants are not good enough to pay the price of a suite just for the size of your cabin and breakfast in speciality dining restaurants. Think the suites are much better value on Cunard as you get better food in your own restaurants and other services you do not get on P&O.

I agree, the perks you get aren't good enough, but the price of a Queens Grill Suite on Cunard is an awful lot more than most of the Suites on P&O!

You do get more on P&O than just breakfast in a separate restaurant and a larger cabin!

Quite correct queens grill in August, on QE not the top cabins £600+ pppn. Same type of cruise within a week of QE on P&O £277 pppn

You cannot compare the two. I would expect a great deal more than I get on P&O to justify that outlay.

What a silly comparison in the first place.

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Suites are very few and far between, when you look at booking a cruise on the internet quite often the first cabins to sell out are the "inside" and "suite" variants. In my estimation the inside cabins are amongst the first to sell out because they are the cheapest and savvy cruisers know that they are often bigger and you spend most of time elsewhere on the ship. This is therefore an excellent way of experiencing an increased number of cruises as you are sailing economically. Suites also sell out very early because there are not many of them and certainly at the top end ships only have the one Royal, Presidential or Owners type suites whatever the cruise line calls their top suite. There will only be one of them typically. People who book into the top suites will likely have a huge budget, I mean enormous. These people do not think twice about paying huge sums of money for cruises. Many people think about a "once in a lifetime" long cruise in a grand suite, other people think of this type of cruise as an annual holiday or even more often. They might likely be thinking do we really want to go in just a Balcony Cabin, goodness no.

Regards John

Suites are very few and far between, when you look at booking a cruise on the internet quite often the first cabins to sell out are the "inside" and "suite" variants. In my estimation the inside cabins are amongst the first to sell out because they are the cheapest and savvy cruisers know that they are often bigger and you spend most of time elsewhere on the ship. This is therefore an excellent way of experiencing an increased number of cruises as you are sailing economically. Suites also sell out very early because there are not many of them and certainly at the top end ships only have the one Royal, Presidential or Owners type suites whatever the cruise line calls their top suite. There will only be one of them typically. People who book into the top suites will likely have a huge budget, I mean enormous. These people do not think twice about paying huge sums of money for cruises. Many people think about a "once in a lifetime" long cruise in a grand suite, other people think of this type of cruise as an annual holiday or even more often. They might likely be thinking do we really want to go in just a Balcony Cabin, goodness no.

 

Regards John

Or they have to use a scooter and do not want to take an adapted cabin.

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Quite correct queens grill in August, on QE not the top cabins £600+ pppn. Same type of cruise within a week of QE on P&O £277 pppn

 

You cannot compare the two. I would expect a great deal more than I get on P&O to justify that outlay.

 

What a silly comparison in the first place.

 

 

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Sorry but I am going on QE in October in a QG suite for less than £230pppn for a 12 nt cruise so that blows that argument out of the water and when I booked it I compared with prices of suites on P&O and there was not a lot of difference so it was a no brainer all soft drinks free in your suite replenished daily, one bottle of spirits per person, dedicated restaurant with far superior food and the option and encouragement to order "off menu" which compared to P&Os food is laughable.

Sorry but I am going on QE in October in a QG suite for less than £230pppn for a 12 nt cruise so that blows that argument out of the water and when I booked it I compared with prices of suites on P&O and there was not a lot of difference so it was a no brainer all soft drinks free in your suite replenished daily, one bottle of spirits per person, dedicated restaurant with far superior food and the option and encouragement to order "off menu" which compared to P&Os food is laughable.

If you want to check the figures I looked at were for 2018. Aug / Sep. So no my argument is not blown out at all Both cruises are ex Southampton. Not easy to make a comparison as Cunard cruises are mainly fly cruises.

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It's always first class with me, I simply do not do second class; simple as that. I earn a relatively huge enough amount of money for this not to be an issue whatsoever and can do about ten a year easily. Well that's enough about posting letters at 64p and 55p, first and second class down the Post Office. The savings would only be 90p per year. This is well within my postage budget.

Now my cruising budget, that's a different thing, I earn a small amount of money in comparison to cruise fares either in inside cabins or suites so I cannot do as many as ten per year. Some people have an enormous disposable income a guy I know prices up his holidays at about £40,000 for the four of them and cabin price differentials are going to be as trivial as postage stamps to them. If you are really undecided about whether paying for a suite is worth the extra cost; then it is already encroaching in your mind, same as mine, on value for money and therefore to you it is not worth paying the extra.

Regards John