Just Booked a Penthouse Suite Did i make a Mistake

[docsdrillers]

The price was too good to pass up so i decided to splurge a bit and treat the family to a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

The reason i ask if i made a mistake is because we are very low key,non pretentious travellers who opted for a bigger room but not the whole package or expectations that come with this category.

 

We don't do formal nights and would decline the opportunity if invited to dine with the Captain....would i be insulting him if i chose to decline the offer.

 

Can we cruise in the Penthouse and be left alone or will we be pressured to participate in events that may not be to our liking or comfort level.

 

I'd love to hear from others who have travelled in the PH suite and just did their own thing and simply enjoyed the use of a much nicer and larger room.

[cruisestitch]

Pressured? No, not at all. If you get an invitation you aren't interested in, just decline. There are no expectations.

[PORT ROYAL]

The price was too good to pass up so i decided to splurge a bit and treat the family to a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

The reason i ask if i made a mistake is because we are very low key,non pretentious travellers who opted for a bigger room but not the whole package or expectations that come with this category.

 

We don't do formal nights and would decline the opportunity if invited to dine with the Captain....would i be insulting him if i chose to decline the offer.

 

Can we cruise in the Penthouse and be left alone or will we be pressured to participate in events that may not be to our liking or comfort level.

 

I'd love to hear from others who have travelled in the PH suite and just did their own thing and simply enjoyed the use of a much nicer and larger room.

 

Enjoy the space and time - But remember after the experience there may be no other way to Cruise. It is your cruise - enjoy it your way.

[steveweese]

Yes I am afraid you made a mistake but I can fix it for you. I will trade you my inside cabin and all will be fixed

[docsdrillers]

So glad to hear that...makes me feel better about our decision.

 

There are 3 Adults in our family and we were booked in a Royal Suite and for a very reasonable upcharge we were offered the PH.....too good to pass on the upgrade offer.

 

Pressured? No, not at all. If you get an invitation you aren't interested in, just decline. There are no expectations.

[docsdrillers]

Still smiling......

 

Yes I am afraid you made a mistake but I can fix it for you. I will trade you my inside cabin and the all will be fixed

[Wine-O]

Which class ship? If it's an M-Class, your huge balcony would be a great place to hold the Roll Call sailaway.

 

If it's an S-Class, still a great place to hold the Roll Call sailaway. :D

[docsdrillers]

Not a bad suggestion...would have to get DW to approve though :)

She always makes me go to the sailaway and Meet and Greet on my own....i'm the lesser shy one.

 

We're on the Silhouette in May.

 

Which class ship? If it's an M-Class, your huge balcony would be a great place to hold the Roll Call sailaway.

 

If it's an S-Class, still a great place to hold the Roll Call sailaway. :D

[Clydesmom7865]

Which class ship? If it's an M-Class, your huge balcony would be a great place to hold the Roll Call sailaway.

 

If it's an S-Class, still a great place to hold the Roll Call sailaway. :D

 

It is my dream to host that on my suite balcony one day with those little sandwiches with the crusts cut off (like they serve at the champagne high tea), cocktails, and other assorted snacks. Dare to dream.

[TeaBag]

You can also invite people to dine with you and be served by your butler. Which sailing is this so I can keep track?:D

Enjoy your cruise and may it exceed your Xpectations by a country mile.

[Maligator]

On a recent cruise in a RS, we were offered several invitations for various social events, but declined several. We never felt like we were insulting anyone. It was more like "it's here if you want it" instead of "we're wondering why you won't come." Felt no pressure to do anything. Enjoy your cruise.

 

EDIT: We took them up on the invitation to join the CE for dinner at the Captain's Table on one formal night. It was definitely a highlight. The CE was a warm and charming host and the other guests at our table were fantastic. We had a blast!

[PinotBlanc]

The price was too good to pass up so i decided to splurge a bit and treat the family to a once in a lifetime opportunity.

 

The reason i ask if i made a mistake is because we are very low key,non pretentious travellers who opted for a bigger room but not the whole package or expectations that come with this category.

 

We don't do formal nights and would decline the opportunity if invited to dine with the Captain....would i be insulting him if i chose to decline the offer.

 

Can we cruise in the Penthouse and be left alone or will we be pressured to participate in events that may not be to our liking or comfort level.

 

I'd love to hear from others who have travelled in the PH suite and just did their own thing and simply enjoyed the use of a much nicer and larger room.

 

 

IMHO, you used your wallet to buy your own perk. Congratulations on the splurge!

 

Participation aboard the ship is your choice. You may meet more new "friends" even a cabin-crawl invitation. Accept invitations or not just as you do on land.

 

Penny

[JFontaine]

I would relax and just go with the experience. Lots of opportunities will come your way in the penthouse. Most you can go for a few minutes and if you don't like it leave (tours, cocktail parties, etc.) - but chances are you will love it. As for dinner with the captain, I would keep an open mind. I find it great fun - from the free cocktails and wines, meeting new people, talking to the captain, great dinner service, a rose and photograph keepsake - just a night that you won't soon forget. You can rent a tux on board and women can wear black slacks and a fancy top. You are the honored guest, not the captain. Have a wonderful cruise.

[gelo7]

Enjoy.

[ClaudiaB]

If you get an invitation to eat with the captain (and you will, most certainly), I encourage you to think about going. We were asked last cruise and we hadn't even brought formalwear. Like you, we are pretty independent and don't like to call attention ourselves, so we thought about it, and didn't want to be unkind, so we decided to go. We were in an S1 cabin and for some reason our number had come up. My husband called the captain's club hostess and told her the situation and she arranged a free tux for him. It ended up being really fun, not at all stuffy, and we met some great people at the table. Turns out he could have just worn a sport coat as most everyone else at the table was too. Fun night, and the next day we all had a private tour of the bridge. That must have been a standard thing, and it was very interesting and something we had always wanted to do.

 

We made friends one cruise with the PH people and they showed it to us. Very down to earth people, not at all pretentious. They were celebrating a birthday so the orchestra's pianist came and played for them privately! They had people coming frequently about refilling the bar, refilling the fresh flowers, and they did get a lot more attention because they were in the PH. I don't believe you made a mistake at all! But do know that everyone will know your name and you will have the best service ever. But your wishes will be respected, however you want to go. There are just so many perks with the PH.

 

The room is gorgeous, and you'll just love it. Lucky you, have a fabulous cruise!!!

[Tommy3putts]

jealous!

[TeaBag]

Sorry, I forgot to say the invitation to join the Captain for dinner is a great experience. Only half of the people who were invited when we were, were dressed formally.

[Phxazzcruisers]

Definitely keep the Penthouse. We have booked the Penthouse on several of our cruises. As stated above, the only real issue is how small the other rooms seem after spending a GREAT cruise in the Penthouse !!! We traveled with several friends who were booked in othe rooms, and, because we always wanted to spend the time with them, declined to eat at the Captain's Table when invited. We never felt pressured, or felt that we insulted the Captain when we declined. Please take the Penthouse and reallly enjoy your cruise !!!!!

[docsdrillers]

I knew i could count on my fellow CC cruisers to set me at ease.

 

Thanks for everyone's input...we'll most certainly try and enjoy it to the fullest and do things our way or just go with the flow at other times.

 

I don't even take a sport coat with us and my DW and DD would look strange and out of place if i got a free tux rental:)

 

We sailed on our first X cruise last year in the RS suite and i told my girls don't ever expect this again because we were so spoiled by the experience..... i guess i was partly right:)

 

We found it quite awkward having a Butler and really didn't use him to the fullest since we didn't really know what he could do for us. So i figured that being in the PH suite with all the extra attention would be even more uncomfortable.

 

However after reading all your responses you reminded me that it's our vacation and to do as we please and at our level of comfort.

 

thanks again,

Amit

[flames9]

If ur on the May 22nd sailing we have a busy Roll call going!! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1607622&page=141

 

I hear ya not wanting to meet the Capt.......Maybe its because I'm an Ex Canadian Navy guy, but meeting a Capt or the officers that run a "ferry service" just does not excite me,lol Each their own. :D Enjoy the cruise.

[2theship]

If I understand correctly, you could also choose to order from the dining room menu and have it delivered to your suite. No worries whatsoever about what you're wearing!

[docsdrillers]

Sadly i'm on the May 11th cruise and have been reading your roll call with extreme envy:)....wow what an active bunch that puts our 14 pages to shame....the quietest roll call i've ever been associated with.

 

However thanks for the great info i gleaned from your Roll Call:)

 

The good news is that prices on our cruise were much much lower than yours which enabled me to get this great upgrade at a very reasonable cost....

 

If ur on the May 22nd sailing we have a busy Roll call going!! http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1607622&page=141

 

I hear ya not wanting to meet the Capt.......Maybe its because I'm an Ex Canadian Navy guy, but meeting a Capt or the officers that run a "ferry service" just does not excite me,lol Each their own. :D Enjoy the cruise.

[Dunmore2]

You'll love it Amit, but it is hard to go back to another room category.

 

We chose to dine with the captain, it was great. No pressure to participate though.

 

The sail away from the bridge was nice too, out of Colombia for us.

 

I can email you our photos if you like.

 

Enjoy!

[yvonneh]

Yes I am afraid you made a mistake but I can fix it for you. I will trade you my inside cabin and all will be fixed

 

I wish this forum had a "LIKE" button like Facebook!! :D

[skylight]

I have been thinking of going from our AQ room and upgrading to AQSuite on Reflection. After reading your posts I am going to do it as the price is very good. All I have to do now is pick a cabin number. Have a great cruise and enjoy your suite.