Somewhat unusual suite question

[20165]

We are booked on allure this September in an owners suite cabin with an adjoining balcony cabin for our two sons. Given the fact that our sons are 9 and 6, my wife has to be listed on one cabin with one of my sons and I have to be listed on the other cabin with the other. We have done this 2-3 times in the past with no problems, however, this is the first time we have done it with a suite so im wondering if anyone knows how rcl is going to handle only 2 of the 4 of us having the ‘gold’ cards for the extra suite services such as early boarding, tender tickets, etc? Are they going to deny the other two of us, basically me and my oldest son, those services?

thx

[cb at sea]

I doubt it, since you are a family....You won't actually be staying in the non-suite cabin, right? So, the first thing you need to do is get the correct cards for you and your son...put YOU in the suite and the kid in the adj. room...so everyone has the correct cards.

 

The "adult in each room" thing is for booking purposes only...once onboard, they don't care who sleeps where.

[ducklite]

I have to disagree. If everyone booked in a suite thought it was OK to just add one or two others onto their perks, be it priority tendering, lounge access, show seating, or any other capacity controlled perks, it would lead to everything being overcrowded.

 

When I cruise I choose a suite so I don't have to wait in lines, etc., and it would tick me off if I couldn't get onto a tender because the other suites each brought along extra people who weren't suite guests. It's not like there is an infinite amount of space.

[20165]

Interesting, we have never tried to change our cards. My wifes worked on one cabin, my worked on the other and it was never an issue given we could get to either cabin once inside through the adjoining door. And yes, my wife and i stay in the OS and my sons will be in the other cabin.

[toots13]

If you have a connecting door you shouldn't be required to have an adult in the kids room - at least we have never been required to do so as long as the're connecting. You will probably want your wife registered in the suite so she can have concierge lounge access which is very nice on Oasis and Allure. In terms of boarding, they allowed our whole family to board at the same time with us who were in a suite. However, they were not allowed any other suite perks on board like lounge access or reserved seating.

[LeeGrant]

if one of the adults are booked in the second room there is no guarantee that they will get the suite benefits.

 

of course the concierge may be able to sort it out though - but no guarantees

[marci22]

I had the same suite issue on a recent cruise, and when I emailed to ask, I was told that minor children will have the same suite benefits as the parents.

 

If you feel uneasy, I would send an email to Royal's customer service. The woman who called me back was a higher level executive.

 

As long as one of you shows the gold card you should be ok. Once you have met the concierge, he will know your wife and it won't be a problem if she has a non-suite card.

 

They realize that families with young children sometimes book an extra room and they don't want to penalize you for that.

[marci22]

I have to disagree. If everyone booked in a suite thought it was OK to just add one or two others onto their perks, be it priority tendering, lounge access, show seating, or any other capacity controlled perks, it would lead to everything being overcrowded.

 

That is absolutely ridiculous. They are travelling with young children as a family. They will not be broken up for perks.

[ducklite]

That is absolutely ridiculous. They are travelling with young children as a family. They will not be broken up for perks.

 

I don't think it's ridiculous at all. What happens when 25 suites are booked like this? All of a sudden you've got an awful lot of extra bodies taking up seats that rightfully belong to those who paid to book in a suite.

 

Like I said, I'd be ticked if I was denied a seat at a show, in the reserved area at the pool, in the lounge, on a priority tender, etc. because of people who were not spending the money to stay in a suite. Parents can book a category of suite that will accommodate their whole family if they don't want to be broken up. Or they should "step down" and use what the passengers booked in the lower category cabin are entitled to.

[pltag]

This is a tough one ....... I guess none of us are sure what the "official" position will be.

 

One the one hand, I can see why it should be a strict policy that only suite passengers get the benefits, no exception. But, that makes no sense to me in a case like this because that means if the OP chose to put ALL 4 of his family in the Owner's Suite they all get the benefits, but he/she goes to the extra expense to book the adjoining cabin .... and that somehow might mean they DON'T ????

 

That doesn't seem right!

[ducklite]

This is a tough one ....... I guess none of us are sure what the "official" position will be.

 

One the one hand, I can see why it should be a strict policy that only suite passengers get the benefits, no exception. But, that makes no sense to me in a case like this because that means if the OP chose to put ALL 4 of his family in the Owner's Suite they all get the benefits, but he/she goes to the extra expense to book the adjoining cabin .... and that somehow might mean they DON'T ????

 

That doesn't seem right!

 

So that means using your criteria that a family of eight can book a suite and a connection non-suite cabin and take up eight as opposed to four seats. What if it were mom and dad and two kids in the suite, and grandparents and two kids on the non-suite? Should the kids get to join but not the grands? It's a slippery slope, Where do you draw the line? What about the others who book suites and play by the rules and then get shut out or inconvenienced because the rules were broken for people not in suites?

[BILLSFAN83]

So that means using your criteria that a family of eight can book a suite and a connection non-suite cabin and take up eight as opposed to four seats. What if it were mom and dad and two kids in the suite, and grandparents and two kids on the non-suite? Should the kids get to join but not the grands? It's a slippery slope, Where do you draw the line? What about the others who book suites and play by the rules and then get shut out or inconvenienced because the rules were broken for people not in suites?

 

 

I think the concept of this being their children needs to be understood. Much like the Crown & Anchor Program established...

 

"Same member status as the parent after your child's first completed cruise". While this isn't apples to apples, exactly, parents work/earn/spend to a higher status and their children received it (if though they were never on those cruises).

 

Its not a slippery slope because not everyone is going to be in these situations. These are minors, and dependents - not friends, aunts and grandparents.

[midwife1021]

So that means using your criteria that a family of eight can book a suite and a connection non-suite cabin and take up eight as opposed to four seats. What if it were mom and dad and two kids in the suite, and grandparents and two kids on the non-suite? Should the kids get to join but not the grands? It's a slippery slope, Where do you draw the line? What about the others who book suites and play by the rules and then get shut out or inconvenienced because the rules were broken for people not in suites?

 

:rolleyes: There aren't very many suites with connecting balconies, that if you just said families with minor children staying in a connecting cabin would get the benefits that wouldn't really significantly amp up the number of people weaseling away benefits you don't feel they should get. Perhaps if there are more 2-bedroom/family suites it wouldn't necessitate families booking a suite with a connecting balcony cabin.

[ducklite]

:rolleyes: There aren't very many suites with connecting balconies, that if you just said families with minor children staying in a connecting cabin would get the benefits that wouldn't really significantly amp up the number of people weaseling away benefits you don't feel they should get. Perhaps if there are more 2-bedroom/family suites it wouldn't necessitate families booking a suite with a connecting balcony cabin.

 

What if the cabin is across the hall and not connecting?

 

And the thought of adding 2BR suites becomes a problem because that's wasted real estate if they can't be sold. The OP could have booked his entire family in the RS and still had privacy for the parents and two bathrooms--why didn't they do that?

[20165]

What if the cabin is across the hall and not connecting? And the thought of adding 2BR suites becomes a problem because that's wasted real estate if they can't be sold. The OP could have booked his entire family in the RS and still had privacy for the parents and two bathrooms--why didn't they do that?

 

Because its not available for less than 5+ guests. And across the hall is not an option because my kids are 9-6 yo. That just doesn’t make sense. the rooms need to be adjoining.

 

Now, i have gotten some information since posting this. One of the respondents recommended that we put both adults in one room and you can do that as long as they are adjoining so that solves the problem of both my wife and i having the suite card which it good. Our travel agent is verifying with RCL that our kids won’t have any problems as long as they are with us.

 

Now, i will say i believe there should be an exception for this situation because i could have easily booked the 4 of us in the OS and that would have given all of the OS privileges and save me about $3k so im guessing that RCL should accommodate this request.

 

thanks

[capt110]

isnt the os big enough for four two little ones dont take up of room why two rooms?

[ducklite]

Because its not available for less than 5+ guests. And across the hall is not an option because my kids are 9-6 yo. That just doesn’t make sense. the rooms need to be adjoining.

 

Now, i have gotten some information since posting this. One of the respondents recommended that we put both adults in one room and you can do that as long as they are adjoining so that solves the problem of both my wife and i having the suite card which it good. Our travel agent is verifying with RCL that our kids won’t have any problems as long as they are with us.

 

Now, i will say i believe there should be an exception for this situation because i could have easily booked the 4 of us in the OS and that would have given all of the OS privileges and save me about $3k so im guessing that RCL should accommodate this request.

 

thanks

 

I booked the RS for THREE guests. So someone is giving you incorrect info.

 

And having spent over $8K on the RS for three people, I would have been ticked off to say the least if we couldn't get a seat we were entitled to because people not staying in suites were sitting there.

[Starry Eyes]

You do not have to book that way. As the cabins are next door, the two adults can book the suite with the two kids on alined reservation next door. Adults get the CL access, as they would wish. Concierge can figure out offer (or not) the other little extras to the kids based upon demand.

[g8rmomx2]

I don't think that there is any logic behind constructing a ship with suites with connecting cabins (not adjoining, not across the hall, but connecting) and not considering that as an enlarged suite. We've sailed in Royal Family Suites, and we've sailed with a Grand Suite and connecting balcony room. There were three of us in these two rooms. We had one more room for a single across the hall, but I knew that that was not qualified for suite perks. We payed for all rooms, and had the same credit card attached to all cruisers. When I emailed the concierge on the Freedom ahead of time to ask if we were all considered suite guests, he never answered my email. I assumed that meant no. I wasn't wrong. On the second day, when I stopped by to make sure, he told me that only the two of us in the Grand suite could use the lounge, not our son in the connecting room. So, we went to the very uncrowded lovely lounges around the ship for our happy hour, and let it go. I do think that it's poor corporate policy, but that's just my opinion. And, to be fair, you may get different answers on different ships, and you may get a different answer if you are friends with the concierge or captain. Although we are frequent cruisers we don't spend much time in the concierge or diamond lounges, so we really don't have relationships with the staff.

[bajathree]

Because its not available for less than 5+ guests. And across the hall is not an option because my kids are 9-6 yo. That just doesn’t make sense. the rooms need to be adjoining.

 

Now, i have gotten some information since posting this. One of the respondents recommended that we put both adults in one room and you can do that as long as they are adjoining so that solves the problem of both my wife and i having the suite card which it good. Our travel agent is verifying with RCL that our kids won’t have any problems as long as they are with us.

Now, i will say i believe there should be an exception for this situation because i could have easily booked the 4 of us in the OS and that would have given all of the OS privileges and save me about $3k so im guessing that RCL should accommodate this request.

 

thanks

 

That is exactly what I was going to post to do. Royal will not issue you all Gold Cards...only the ones in the actual suite will get them....the 2 most important people to have the gold cards (for suite privilege) are going to be you and your wife...since you have minor children they pretty much have to honor any suite perks to them as long as they are with you;)

[g8rmomx2]

We, too, booked the Royal Family Suite with just three passengers. If they're not booked, I've seen them open them up to as few as 2 when the cruise gets closer.

[ducklite]

We, too, booked the Royal Family Suite with just three passengers. If they're not booked, I've seen them open them up to as few as 2 when the cruise gets closer.

 

I booked the RS (not RFS) a good year out, no questions asked.

 

The RS sleeps five, there is a private bedroom (not just a curtain) with a king bed. There is a murphy bed in the living room area, as well as a queen sleeper sofa.

 

There are two bathrooms, the one off the bedroom is lavish with a soaking tub and very large walk in shower, the one off the foyer has a toilet, vanity/sink, and generously sized single shower.

[ducklite]

That is exactly what I was going to post to do. Royal will not issue you all Gold Cards...only the ones in the actual suite will get them....the 2 most important people to have the gold cards (for suite privilege) are going to be you and your wife...since you have minor children they pretty much have to honor any suite perks to them as long as they are with you;)

 

Why? They don't have to allow you to bring the kids into the lounge. And they can certainly tell you that you have to sit elsewhere in the theater or pool area rather than the seats reserved for suites. You aren't being forced to leave the kids behind, you still have access to deck chairs and theater sets, just not those reserved for suite guests.

[drarill]

 

Now, i will say i believe there should be an exception for this situation because i could have easily booked the 4 of us in the OS and that would have given all of the OS privileges and save me about $3k so im guessing that RCL should accommodate this request.

 

thanks

 

Just what I was thinking!!! It is a great deal for RCCL!! you can easily book the OS for the four of you and all will be given suite privileges. BTW, we had an OS on the Oasis and is rally a big and comfortable room for a family of four. :)

[pltag]

So that means using your criteria that a family of eight can book a suite and a connection non-suite cabin and take up eight as opposed to four seats. What if it were mom and dad and two kids in the suite, and grandparents and two kids on the non-suite? Should the kids get to join but not the grands? It's a slippery slope, Where do you draw the line? What about the others who book suites and play by the rules and then get shut out or inconvenienced because the rules were broken for people not in suites?

Your slippery slope ........ is SLIPPERYER (new word) :) than mine!

 

Your example does not make a lot of sense. First of all, I'm not sure how many are allowed to occupy say .... the Royal Family Suite, but that might be the ONLY suite that allows EIGHT registered passengers ..... if any.

 

The OP is booking a family of 4 with two relatively young children. It would be very "normal" to book this family into an Owner's Suite by paying the 3rd & 4th passenger rates. Let's assume (rather safely) that the additional Balcony Cabin will cost more than the 3rd & 4th person rates. If the OP is NOT given suite privledges for his family, then he is in effect being penalized for going to the extra expense.

 

This does NOT makes sense to me.