Suites?

[mom23guys]

There seems to be quite a lot of people on this board who are discussing suites, perks for suites, which suite to book. Is there a discount for suites for returning cruisers? Special discounts somewhere? What am I missing?

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

[garycarla]

probably would good to ask that in one of those threads, since those are the people booking them.

[ocean12ny]

We booked almost a year out (11 months) for the suite and the price has not gone down all year (we go next week). We chose the suite as this is the first family cruise and only plan on doing one with kids so we went with the suite not really knowing what is the difference. Our other family have balconies due to the price instead of Haven. I think people that are life cruisers rather do a few cruises instead of one cruise. Also it is a LOT cheaper if you travel on non- school holidays weeks off.

[perkydebrajean]

We definitely aren't wealthy! But do have a Haven suite booked for our next cruise. Will be my second cruise and my husbands first. Saving up for 2 years for this cruise.

 

Took me years to get him to finally agree to going on one. I'm hoping by starting him out in a suite that my chances of him going again will increase!!

[esp13]

I can't speak for everybody, but I'm willing to fork out the money for the perks. It is the cost of another cruise, but with my job it's not really possible to cruise every year. Some years I can and even did two last year, but now I'm booked out to December of 2014 for the next one. So, I can't really look at it and say if I do this, I could take two cruises this year or whatever.

 

Instead, a cruise is a luxury of sorts and, therefore, I'm willing to spend the money for the suite perks. But not everybody is in that same boat. I've cruised in balconys and minisuites and enjoyed them both. If I lived in Miami or NY where I could cruise more easily without the travel and/or had a different job, I might very well forego the suite in order to cruise more often. But that's not my situation. I also don't have kids that I have to pay tickets for as well.

 

One way I do make it more affordable is OBC. When I booked the 12/2014 cruise, I got $450 on OBC and will get more from my MasterCard points. That has the effect of reducing the effective price of the cruise for me so it's more like $1000 more total instead of $2000 more.

 

But, in the end, it's simply what works best for each person/family. Some things that are important/worth it to me are probably not important/worth it to others. I don't think it's really that different than those that opt for an inside room vs. a balcony room.

[Godiva830]

I wish there was a discount for repeat suite guests!! Lol :o

[perkydebrajean]

I can't speak for everybody, but I'm willing to fork out the money for the perks. It is the cost of another cruise, but with my job it's not really possible to cruise every year. Some years I can and even did two last year, but now I'm booked out to December of 2014 for the next one. So, I can't really look at it and say if I do this, I could take two cruises this year or whatever.

 

Instead, a cruise is a luxury of sorts and, therefore, I'm willing to spend the money for the suite perks. But not everybody is in that same boat. I've cruised in balconys and minisuites and enjoyed them both. If I lived in Miami or NY where I could cruise more easily without the travel and/or had a different job, I might very well forego the suite in order to cruise more often. But that's not my situation. I also don't have kids that I have to pay tickets for as well.

 

One way I do make it more affordable is OBC. When I booked the 12/2014 cruise, I got $450 on OBC and will get more from my MasterCard points. That has the effect of reducing the effective price of the cruise for me so it's more like $1000 more total instead of $2000 more.

 

But, in the end, it's simply what works best for each person/family. Some things that are important/worth it to me are probably not important/worth it to others. I don't think it's really that different than those that opt for an inside room vs. a balcony room.

 

Sounds like us. My husband doesn't get to take a real vacation very often and by the time we cruise it will have been 6 1/2 years since he and I went on a real vacation.

 

We booked almost 2 years in advance and get the $450 and then applied for the NCL Mastercard to earn some more OBC for the cruise.

[Reebster]

When I booked my upcoming Canada cruise on the Dawn, there was an American Express special offering $500 OBC for booking a suite and paying with my American Express card. Factoring that in with the prices at the time (suite prices have since gone WAY up for that particular cruise), it ended up being comparable to the price of a balcony cabin. We will easily spend the $500 on board, so we chose to go with the suite and its perks. Usually, though, we make the decision based on price and itinerary. If a cruise is port-intensive, we'll opt for a cheaper cabin.

[DMH15]

There seems to be quite a lot of people on this board who are discussing suites, perks for suites, which suite to book. Is there a discount for suites for returning cruisers? Special discounts somewhere? What am I missing?

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

 

Many people choose the NCL suite life for varying reasons. And we are all diverse in our finances, wants and needs.

 

I will tell you my perspective.

 

1. I would rather cruise less often but in a suite. Others prefer the reverse. To each their own.

 

2. I often cruise with mom. I am an early to bed/early riser. She is a night owl. She also likes the tv on a lot. I pay a lot to close a door. Haha.

 

3. I am divorced with no kids. Been at my job 22 years. Tons of PTO. Just sold my home of 30 years. Live in a downtown apt. My car is paid for. I like to spend my disposible income on world travel.

 

4. I enjoy the suite perks, the larger room and all that entails. So for me the value and price are a win/win.

 

Some people choose suites to celebrate a special event and are happy to return to a non suite. Some of us are hooked.

[CapeCodCruiser]

Don't tell my DH (cuz he'll never let me on CC again!) but reading all of the threads about suites and the perks made me want to book one! So I did! At first DH was like "WHAT???" but I keep telling him all of the little thing his butler will do - he is coming around!

 

Looking forward to being butled!

[1witchydiva]

Don't tell my DH (cuz he'll never let me on CC again!) but reading all of the threads about suites and the perks made me want to book one! So I did! At first DH was like "WHAT???" but I keep telling him all of the little thing his butler will do - he is coming around!

 

Looking forward to being butled!

 

At least you were kind enough to tell your husband. lol

 

I booked in 2011 and I have not told him or the kids. They will find out soon enough.... lol :)

[CapeCodCruiser]

At least you were kind enough to tell your husband. lol

 

I booked in 2011 and I have not told him or the kids. They will find out soon enough.... lol :)

 

Awesome surprise!

[tel2]

We do both depending on how many cruises in a given year. In 2011, we did one cruise in a suite. Last year, we cruised twice, once in a suite which was supposed to be our only vacation for the year, and then we got a great last minute deal thru CAS for a Bahamas cruise from NY that we couldnt pass up. That was in a balcony. This year, we had 3 cruises planned, and all were in a balcony because I could not afford to do that many in a suite. Then we had to cancel one due to work, and I upgraded the other 2 cruises to a mini suite. If the prices drop after final payment, I will try to upgrade one of them to a suite. I love the perks. My husband couldnt care less about the perks and finds having a butler intrusive, so he'd rather spend less and cruise more. Id certainly rather always cruise in a suite. We tend to spend more on the cabin if we have to spend less on transportation. We are looking at the Med for next year, and since it is so port intensive and the airfare is so sky high, my husband is pressing me to get an inside cabin, which isnt going to happen. But he would never go along with a suite for that trip. But believe me, we arent wealthy. We just plan pretty far in advance and make sure we put money aside for vacations.

Edited July 10, 2013 by tel2

[1witchydiva]

There seems to be quite a lot of people on this board who are discussing suites, perks for suites, which suite to book. Is there a discount for suites for returning cruisers? Special discounts somewhere? What am I missing?

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

 

Rich???? Hell no. :) Hubby and I both work full time. And I live in New York and pay 900 a month electric bills. :eek:

 

I have been saving and vacation and holiday club. It is four of us and even land vacations run into thousands of dollars. So, I save and we do a "nice" vacation every two years. The year in between, we do day trips or mini vacations-only a few days somewhere we can drive too. :)

[NauticalMom]

It's a matter of personal taste. Some people buy boats, some invest in timeshares, some go to Vegas annually, some cruise often, some not so often.

 

It's just a matter of how often you want to cruise and how much you want to spend! We cruise for the destination, so when I go, I want to enjoy my time on the ship. Some cruise for the gambling, social encounters or relaxed atmosphere and the destination is secondary.

 

Now that DH is retired, we will most likely choose off-season inside cabins so that we can make the most of those years! Especially when I put him in charge of making the plans! He loves sniffing out a bargain!

[Mom2B&Z]

We booked our first suite for our next cruise because we vacation with our boys, who will be 9&6 on that cruise. We have always had mini suites or balcony cabins, but with the boys getting bigger, there just isn't enough space. I would rather spend the money upgrading to a suite than book two adjoining balcony cabins. Plus with all the reports of Breakaway balconies being tiny, the suite gives us some nice outside space too.

If DH and I were to cruise alone, I would have a hard time justifying the extra cost of a suite, despite the perks. A balcony or mini suite would suit us just fine.

[punkincc]

There seems to be quite a lot of people on this board who are discussing suites, perks for suites, which suite to book. Is there a discount for suites for returning cruisers? Special discounts somewhere? What am I missing?

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

 

Suites on the POA and the newer NCL ships are pretty pricey. You can usually get a much better deal on a suite on an older NCl ship.

 

Our first suite was an SJ family suite on the Star, the lowest level suite available. The room was enormous. Floor to ceiling windows the width of the room. We had called to book a balcony, and the PCC told us we could get the suite for not much more. Only a couple hundred I think. It was a few months before sail date, I don't know if prices had dropped.

 

Our second suite was an aft-facing penthouse this May on the Sun to Alaska with seperate bedroom and huge deck. They were pretty pricey when we booked, so we booked an aft facing balcony. As prices dropped, we upgraded ourselves twice, first to an aft facing Mini and then when prices really dropped, we got the penthouse for less than $200 additional. The star's were aligned for us, and this certainly does not happen often.

 

You do get $300 OBC for suites when you book 9 mo out. We use our NCL MasterCard points to accumulate cash. And we often book with NCL first and then transfer the booking to a TA to get additional OBC, etc. I just transferred a booking today to get an additional $130 OBC in addition to the $70 I already had, and free gratuities ( $168 ). Throw in $100 HSN credit and it adds up.

 

My advise is to book what you can afford now and then watch for new sales or price drops.

[MMOMOM]

We always do the JS .... you don't get all the 'big' perks, but it's a suite none the less, so you get a few. Not sure what the deal is on NCL since we haven't cruised them yet, but for RCCI, HAL and CC it works for us. On RCCI you get the $200 off when booking as well as the double loyalty points with C&A and we like the extra room ... and early embarkation is nice as well. We are NOT rich and have to budget, so we shop the sales, (which is how we got our first JS) and have done the gty suite. Would be nice to get an upgrade sometime and experience the bigger ones .... but we're good with what we do! :)

[SissasMomE]

There seems to be quite a lot of people on this board who are discussing suites, perks for suites, which suite to book. Is there a discount for suites for returning cruisers? Special discounts somewhere? What am I missing?

For my first NCL cruise on the Pride the difference between a balcony and a suite is $2700 per couple. That's another cruise for us. Are regular balconies that bad that so many upgrade to suites or are most NCL cruises on this board just wealthy;). Inquiring minds just want to know the secret.

 

If you look at when the majority of them are sailing, that may give you an answer. Quite a few on here sail at off peak times, which means they are paying substantially less than someone who is sailing during a holiday or school breaks.

[SissasMomE]

Also the older ships are way cheaper than the newer ones.

[mom23guys]

So no extra off for returning guests. As you can see from my signature I cruise often so getting a great deal is always on my radar. Everyone's answers are great to give different perspectives. If we only did one big vacation every two years I'm sure we would upgrade but since we are retired sand like to get away frequently well stick to our balcony for now but I think I'll be on the lookout for a deal:):)

 

I knew that "rich" comment would get some responses. Everyone says that to us because we travel often but I just really shop for deals.

[1witchydiva]

Also the older ships are way cheaper than the newer ones.

 

Ya think???? Lol. I think the Breakaway was expensive, but I may be mistaken. I have only cruised ncl, and this will be our first suite. :)

[SissasMomE]

Ya think???? Lol. I think the Breakaway was expensive, but I may be mistaken. I have only cruised ncl, and this will be our first suite. :)

 

Price out the Dawn, Sun, or any of the older ones. They are way cheaper than what we are paying for the Breakaway. As my daughter said "you picked a brand new ship to try a suite??" LOL I don't care .... I am so glad I booked it.

[1witchydiva]

So no extra off for returning guests. As you can see from my signature I cruise often so getting a great deal is always on my radar. Everyone's answers are great to give different perspectives. If we only did one big vacation every two years I'm sure we would upgrade but since we are retired sand like to get away frequently well stick to our balcony for now but I think I'll be on the lookout for a deal:):)

 

I knew that "rich" comment would get some responses. Everyone says that to us because we travel often but I just really shop for deals.

 

I think that if we were retired, I would definitely prefer to travel more frequently. I believe I would feel as you do. Look for deals and stay happy in my balcony. :) I am new to cruising and I'm already hooked. :)

[SissasMomE]

So no extra off for returning guests. As you can see from my signature I cruise often so getting a great deal is always on my radar. Everyone's answers are great to give different perspectives. If we only did one big vacation every two years I'm sure we would upgrade but since we are retired sand like to get away frequently well stick to our balcony for now but I think I'll be on the lookout for a deal:):)

 

I knew that "rich" comment would get some responses. Everyone says that to us because we travel often but I just really shop for deals.

 

If you are going to do it, check out the early November cruises. You can get some really good deals at that time.