Owner's Suite.......I think this is good Deal, but is it?

[ksmcali]

Hey all, I'm new to RCCL but not to cruising. I've sailed Premeire and Commodore (both long gone), Carnival, Holland America, and Norwegian. My husband and I would like to try RCCL next and I've been scouting prices recently for a cruise out of Galveston on the Voyager. We were planning to book a Grand Suite, as we always enjoy the suite perks (one thing that's definately lacking in Carnival) We planned to cruise RCCL in late 2010, as we have another Carnival cruise booked in November. BUT.....(here's what I need advice on)......I noticed that for one of the January 2010 sailings their offering what looks to be a fantastic deal on the Owner's Suite. There are 5 Owner's Suites left and their offered at $1788 pp and a 3rd person rate of $489 (my DD 2yo will be going with us). The total price would be less than I was planning to pay for the much small Grand Suite.

 

As I mentioned before, I'm new to RCCL and not sure if this is as good of a deal as I think, or if its something that comes along occasionally if your looking for it. If we chose to take the cruise, we'd most likely postpone our Carnival cruise to later next year and take RCCL in January. Any insight you can give would be appreciated.

[CAT GIRL]

Looks like a good deal to me. I just checked my past invoices and

I was on the Voyager on 1/11/09 and we paid $2340 pp before

taxes for an OS.

I would not recommend a hump OS on this ship as the balcony is

TINY.

[land lover]

This is a great price and the OS is beautiful on Voyager Class ships..... this fall I have seen the 3rd person even go down to 199. If I were you I would book now to secure the price. I was looking at one in Dec. and the pricing has already gone back up to 2799....but it can always go back down.........

 

RCI...has improved benefits for the suite guests and with a 2yo reserved seating for some venues might be a benefit.

[KuffMUp]

I have only been in a Junior Suite on the much smaller Rhapsody. It was about 1 1/2 regular rooms wide. We booked a Grand Suite for our upcoming cruise and originally booked an Owners Suite for the second leg of our B2B. We ended up cancelling that to stay in the same suite for both legs so I'm afraid we won't get to experience an owners suite. It does look huge though and think with three would accommodate you well. Plus the main bed is somewhat in it's own room. The OS for our November/December trip is $1799 which was just reduced by about $300 per person. If it weren't for the hassle of changing rooms, I would have definately stayed in the bigger one.

[critterchick]

If that's a 7-night or longer cruise I would say that's an excellent price for an OS. We sailed in one last week thanks to a last minute upgrade and I was thoroughly spoiled by all the space. We had 1320 on Mariner, which is on the hump and had a huge balcony. But the Mariner and Voyager have difference balcony configurations, so I would trust somebody who has sailed on Voyager about balcony size.:)

[sheilb4]

Book it! I think thats a great deal...I have been in OS a few times and always paid much more!

[ASeaPrincess1]

If that's a 7-night or longer cruise I would say that's an excellent price for an OS. We sailed in one last week thanks to a last minute upgrade and I was thoroughly spoiled by all the space. We had 1320 on Mariner, which is on the hump and had a huge balcony. But the Mariner and Voyager have difference balcony configurations, so I would trust somebody who has sailed on Voyager about balcony size.:)

Jean,

I know you were supposed to be in a JS, and were going to report back on the coffee pot situation...remember?;)

Then you got an OS..........well, I JUST booked an OS! On Mariner 10/25. 1314. Right next door to the one you had...(it was occupied:()

The prices are unbeatable!

So, tell me all about it!!!

I have had a GS, so I know about the French Press and fruit basket and all....anything else I need to know about?

Any noise issues from Windjammer?

I have actually been inside this cabin, so I know the particulars about it.

I was just wondering what other perks are available.

[ksmcali]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I've used these boards religiously over the past three years. I don't post often, as I have found that most all of my questions have already been asked and answered, and the search engine finds it for me. I will be in touch with my travel agent tomorrow. To postpone our November cruise and book our first RCCL. Can't wait to give RCCL a try. The only disappointment in all this is, I thought I was cruising in just 2 more months, now I have to wait 4. Oh well, I'm sure the Owner's Suite will be worth the wait.

[GSuitesailing]

You will love the Owners Suite! Congrats on the great price. Enjoy!

[critterchick]

Jean,

I know you were supposed to be in a JS, and were going to report back on the coffee pot situation...remember?;)

Then you got an OS..........well, I JUST booked an OS! On Mariner 10/25. 1314. Right next door to the one you had...(it was occupied:()

The prices are unbeatable!

So, tell me all about it!!!

I have had a GS, so I know about the French Press and fruit basket and all....anything else I need to know about?

Any noise issues from Windjammer?

I have actually been inside this cabin, so I know the particulars about it.

I was just wondering what other perks are available.

 

Oh, yeah.....

 

The OS was unbelievable. I spent a lot of time in there because it was so big. I just loved it!

 

They don't have the French presses anymore - they have a standard hotel-style coffee maker that only makes one cup at a time, and a hot water kettle. They supply coffee, tea & nondairy creamer (yech - I got some half & half from the Windjammer).

 

The bathrobes are nice - they're a waffle-patterned terrycloth, so lighter than the ones I've had before, but heavier than the waffle weave.

 

They had a cocktail party that was allegedly hosted by the Captain and senior officers. The Captain parked himself at one table and nobody came by to say hello in our section of the room. Plus there weren't any "senior" officers there (DH can read the uniforms). But it did not matter. We probably scared them off with our fun.

 

My favorite perk was being able to order room service for breakfast on disembarkation day. I hate going to the dining room with an indifferent staff or throwing elbows at the WJ, so being able to put out my hang tag the night before was fabulous.

 

Our cabin was below the ladies' room going onto the pool deck, and yours will be too, I think. I could hear flushing (WHOOOOOOSH) from the living room, but not from the bedroom. Eventually it became white noise.

 

The CL was nice, although I'm afraid you'll have Allan (we had Fernando, the Concierge God as far as I'm concerned). The reserved seating at the ice show only works if you show up 10 minutes early - it was full of non-suite people by the time we came in and I wouldn't let the waitress kick them out for us. I didn't sit by the pool, but the reserved seating there is on one of the stepped sections between 11 & 12. Probably only about 30 loungers, and they were pretty full on the sea days. The theater seats are center balcony.

 

On disembarkation morning there's a dedicated lounge, but we just had our breakfast and then headed for Deck 4 to exit. A tip: use the forward elevators, which will let you out right at the exit.

 

Oh, and 1314 is just a scooch smaller than any of the OS cabins that show as square on the deck plans. I'd vote for 1300, 1330 or 1600. Just my 2 cents...

 

You'll love it!

[Seatravelers]

Definitely go for the OS. I will be in one on the Freedom on Sunday, can't wait, lol.

[tnt10]

Oh, yeah.....

 

 

My favorite perk was being able to order room service for breakfast on disembarkation day. I hate going to the dining room with an indifferent staff or throwing elbows at the WJ, so being able to put out my hang tag the night before was fabulous.

 

 

Could you elaborate?

I didn't think there was any room service on disembarkation day..... Is this a new suite perk? Could you order anything, or just from a small selection?

Thanks for the information!

Happy Cruising,

TnT

[ASeaPrincess1]

Oh, yeah.....

 

The OS was unbelievable. I spent a lot of time in there because it was so big. I just loved it!

 

They don't have the French presses anymore - they have a standard hotel-style coffee maker that only makes one cup at a time, and a hot water kettle. They supply coffee, tea & nondairy creamer (yech - I got some half & half from the Windjammer). As long as I have my coffee....

 

The bathrobes are nice - they're a waffle-patterned terrycloth, so lighter than the ones I've had before, but heavier than the waffle weave.

 

They had a cocktail party that was allegedly hosted by the Captain and senior officers. The Captain parked himself at one table and nobody came by to say hello in our section of the room. Plus there weren't any "senior" officers there (DH can read the uniforms). But it did not matter. We probably scared them off with our fun.

 

My favorite perk was being able to order room service for breakfast on disembarkation day. I hate going to the dining room with an indifferent staff or throwing elbows at the WJ, so being able to put out my hang tag the night before was fabulous. That sounds great!

 

Our cabin was below the ladies' room going onto the pool deck, and yours will be too, I think.:eek: YIKES!! I could hear flushing (WHOOOOOOSH) from the living room, but not from the bedroom. Eventually it became white noise.

 

The CL was nice, although I'm afraid you'll have Allan (we had Fernando, the Concierge God as far as I'm concerned). The reserved seating at the ice show only works if you show up 10 minutes early - it was full of non-suite people by the time we came in and I wouldn't let the waitress kick them out for us. I didn't sit by the pool, but the reserved seating there is on one of the stepped sections between 11 & 12. Probably only about 30 loungers, and they were pretty full on the sea days. The theater seats are center balcony.

 

On disembarkation morning there's a dedicated lounge, but we just had our breakfast and then headed for Deck 4 to exit. A tip: use the forward elevators, which will let you out right at the exit. What if I don't want to get off????

 

Oh, and 1314 is just a scooch smaller than any of the OS cabins that show as square on the deck plans. I'd vote for 1300, 1330 or 1600. Just my 2 cents... I can handle a "scooch"...;) I was in this cabin for our last cabin crawl, so I think it will be adequate...:) I just wanted one on the hump.

 

You'll love it!

And I know I will...

Thank you so much for the information. I hope I have the honor of sailing with you someday.

 

And to the OP, sorry to hijack your thread....:eek: ooppps

But I think you made a great choice and it is worth the wait. You will love Royal Caribbean.

[critterchick]

Could you elaborate?

I didn't think there was any room service on disembarkation day..... Is this a new suite perk? Could you order anything, or just from a small selection?

Thanks for the information!

Happy Cruising,

TnT

 

It's a full suite perk as of September or so. Also you can order off the dining room menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner - they change out the lunch & dinner menus daily. We did have eggs benedict in the cabin one morning - mmmm!

 

And I know I will...

Thank you so much for the information. I hope I have the honor of sailing with you someday.

 

And to the OP, sorry to hijack your thread....:eek: ooppps

But I think you made a great choice and it is worth the wait. You will love Royal Caribbean.

 

the honor would be mine. And the toilet flushing isn't so bad. It took me a little while to figure out what it was. You'll be more under the soft serve ice cream, I think, anyway!:D

[bartelbee]

Jean, breakfast in the room that last morning sounds wonderful. We didn't realize that you could order room service so we went to the Suites disembarkation area in Chops, where they had a pretty decent buffet set out--bacon/sausage, eggs, fruit, pastries, etc. BTW, taking your food from the Windjammer and eating in the specialty restaurants is another suite perk--it was so calm and peaceful in there, compared to the noise and confusion of the Windjammer.

kmscali--if I could afford it, I'd book the OS every cruise.

[critterchick]

Jean, breakfast in the room that last morning sounds wonderful. We didn't realize that you could order room service so we went to the Suites disembarkation area in Chops, where they had a pretty decent buffet set out--bacon/sausage, eggs, fruit, pastries, etc. BTW, taking your food from the Windjammer and eating in the specialty restaurants is another suite perk--it was so calm and peaceful in there, compared to the noise and confusion of the Windjammer.

kmscali--if I could afford it, I'd book the OS every cruise.

 

I forgot about that one - yes, it was wonderful to have a little extra service for breakfast & lunch.:)

[ASeaPrincess1]

the honor would be mine. And the toilet flushing isn't so bad. It took me a little while to figure out what it was. You'll be more under the soft serve ice cream, I think, anyway!:D

Gee...thanks.....:o

And I would much rather be under an ice cream machine than a latrine!!!:eek:

Funny, because the deck plans make it look like the restroom is above 1330.

Oh well....I am going on a cruise!!!:D

[SamFritz]

If the price looks good for you then Go For It. DW and our two sons were upgraded to an Owner's Suite on the Enchantment two months ago. It was fabulous. Lots of room, great surprises and BEAUTIFUL! My only disappointment is that our upgrade came on a four day cruise.

[Debde]

Savings on suites in January are real good right now.

I also jumped on that wagon and gave myself, probably, the once and a lifetime upgrade to an OS!!!

Criitterchick-thanks, think I'll do the half and half thing from the WJ too!!! ;)

[ksmcali]

After all the excitment of finding a great rate, getting great feedback on this board, and deciding to jump on the Owners Suite, it didn't work out...... In the process of confirming all the changes with my travel agent (postponing Carnival cruise, booking RCCL cruise), my DH put the brakes on. It seems the week we were going to go with RCCL, is the same week of year end financial reviews for his company, and as he works for a Fortune 500 company, he can't miss it. So, I'm heart broken. I was so excited about the Owner's Suite. On the plus side, I will be cruising in November in a Penthouse Suite with an extended balcony, so all is not lost. I'll be keeping an eye out for a great deal in second half 2010, and maybe I'll still get that Owner's Suite after all. Thanks again for everyone's help.

[hooked-on-travel]

ksmcali, I want to point out, too, that if you're traveling with a 2 y/o there are big differences between Carnival and RCL. At 2 your DD can go to the drop-off kids club on Carnival. For RCL, the entry age is 3. RCI has other things 2 y/o's can do, but it's all parent-supplied supervision...no drop-off. For me, that hasn't been a big deal b/c DD didn't do daycare and so wasn't ready to go off for a kids club at 2 y/o, but you may as well understand that difference so you can decide when you're ready to try RCL.

[ksmcali]

ksmcali, I want to point out, too, that if you're traveling with a 2 y/o there are big differences between Carnival and RCL. At 2 your DD can go to the drop-off kids club on Carnival. For RCL, the entry age is 3. RCI has other things 2 y/o's can do, but it's all parent-supplied supervision...no drop-off. For me, that hasn't been a big deal b/c DD didn't do daycare and so wasn't ready to go off for a kids club at 2 y/o, but you may as well understand that difference so you can decide when you're ready to try RCL.

 

Thanks for the advice. We're actually in the same position as you, DD doesnt do daycare, so we were going to test the waters with Camp Carnival, but not set plans for it. That's why RCCL sounded so good, because they did provide a "playtime" with designated play area and toys for us to play with DD. Carnival only offers that for under 2, so we won't be able to utilize it on our November cruise. Oh Well! At least we're cruisin and we'll get around to RCCL soon, hopefully!

[ASeaPrincess1]

After all the excitment of finding a great rate, getting great feedback on this board, and deciding to jump on the Owners Suite, it didn't work out...... In the process of confirming all the changes with my travel agent (postponing Carnival cruise, booking RCCL cruise), my DH put the brakes on. It seems the week we were going to go with RCCL, is the same week of year end financial reviews for his company, and as he works for a Fortune 500 company, he can't miss it. So, I'm heart broken. I was so excited about the Owner's Suite. On the plus side, I will be cruising in November in a Penthouse Suite with an extended balcony, so all is not lost. I'll be keeping an eye out for a great deal in second half 2010, and maybe I'll still get that Owner's Suite after all. Thanks again for everyone's help.

OH NO is right! Sorry your plans didn't work out. But there will always be a next time...for sure.

If it's any consolation, after I booked my October cruise, DH informed me that it would be the week of the World Series.

God forbid my Dodgers make it this year...........:eek: