What cabin class do you "usually" book

[chuckroast1]

We don't have as much much cruise history as a lot of you (about to take our 6th cruise) but we have always done balcony cabins of one form or another. We are operating out of comfort zone a little and doing a Royal Suite next month but that's only because our Sister in Law is sharing with us and the cost difference for us plus her with a single supplement (in two cabins) isn't that much.

 

We'll see if this spoils us though for future sailings!

[firstplacechef]

We've been in all cats. except for inside. But on our last cruise, a 16 day PC transit we booked an inside. Did we miss the balcony or extra room in a suite? Not really and we saved between 1200-3500.00! That allowed for some great excursions and an extra week in LA to enjoy. We were across from the Sky Suites and heard nothing but complaints from the neighbors about their rooms. We loved ours and service was wonderful. BTW, we also had dinner at the Captains table one night. :)

[benjoon]

:D Ditto to the previous post. Sometimes a suite for very special occasions. I am mildly claustrophobic, so my aversion to insides has nothing to do with "Status"; I completely understand and agree with those who book an inside because they only sleep/shower there.

 

I too am mildly claustrophobic. I love to see the ocean and now always book a cabin with a balcony.

 

We are a family of 3 and find it more comfortable to book a suite. We like the space and don't book for the extra perks.

[cruzngrl]

Have had OV, CC, and Balcony...Prefer Balcony but our next two is OV and that works..As long as I am on the ship I am happy. Would even consider an inside if that meant getting my feet on the ship. DH on the other hand only wants balcony and had to really work to get him to do the OV but since it meant a btb we did go that route...only because we were travelling with others and were trying to be mindful of their budget as this is their first time cruising. otherwise it would have been a balcony...

[Phxazzcruisers]

Our first cruise was CC and we really enjoyed it. Must have a balcony, love the fresh air and eating breakfast on the balcony. Went from that to Aqua Class and really loved Blu. Then got a Penthouse at a smoking deal and LOVED it. Stay in Penthouses for spacial occasions and get to eat in Blu. Next cruises we will try the Royal Suite. Looking forward to Suite Specials next year. We are very fortunate that we can travel this way and really enjoy it.

[journeymore]

My first cruise in 1990 was an inside with 3 other people. I have since cruised OV, balcony, AQ & cc. My next 3 cruises I have booked are all insides. I plan to retire in the next few years and since I usually cruise solo, I'm learning to just get on the ship. I hope to upgrade if the price is right but will be happy with the insides.

[Project_gal]

Our first cruise was on Celebrity in Concierge Class. We actually choose Celebrity from a shortlist of lines because they offered the little luxuries of CC. These turned out to be disappointing and we found dressing for formal night in a choppy North Sea challenging in the space. On the day we returned home, we booked our next cruise in a Sky Suite. Long before we sailed, we upgraded to a Celebrity Suite - no longer remember why! Loved that suite on Millennium. At the time, each CS on Millie had different décor and ours was wonderful - sort of Art Deco meets Out of Africa! So, despite the bedroom being flooded and the problem being handled very badly on board, we were hooked. Loved having a butler who was the one person who reacted correctly with the flooding issue.

 

We understand that cruising economics is different for everyone. In our case, due to our particular situation, it costs us a great deal of money before we step foot on a ship. It makes no sense to spend two or three or more times as much getting to the ship as on the cruise itself. The peripheral costs [especially insurance], for us, are so high that we cannot cruise as often as others who no longer work. So, when we do, we splurge on our accommodation.

 

Since that second cruise, we have always booked suites. Initially CS but, when a great rate came up, upgraded to a Royal Suite. Loved the additional space but still thought that there were pros and cons for both on M-class ships. We would probably kept to these two classes until we made the mistake of booking a PH on Eclipse for a special celebration. The PH was just a totally different experience and we upgraded to a PH for our next cruise [already booked] as soon as one became available. The three cruises we currently have booked [up to January 2016] are in a PH. We do no know how long we will both be able to keep cruising/travelling and have decided that we may as well spend the money now, while we can, than to save it for cruises we may never get to take.

 

Having said that, we do question how much we spend on a cruise and ask if we could really justify the expenditure. We may have stopped cruising BUT Celebrity has introduced their new Suite Class and if it meets our expectations...

Edited May 11, 2014 by Project_gal

[Antonintassie]

Hi

We have and would in the future only book suites as we enjoy the space and privacy that this gives us ,we can stay in our cabin if we choose or move about the ship.

[MicCanberra]

Veranda or Balcony. I have tried Concierge and didn't feel it was worth it. I am trying a Suite next cruise but until then I think Balcony wins for value.:D

[USVI-4-me]

We live in Florida. The sweet life is here year round.

We don't need a suite vacation aboard a ship.

 

Inside cabins are my first pick for less fabric/drapery due to allegies & asthma.

 

Dh books depending on price. Dh will take balcony cabins with no desire to stay in the cabin, just an open view of the sea when dressing. He gets the side of the bed close to the window.:)

 

GHStudio: Are you noting where voters live? Do cold climate cruisers want more space when aboard?

 

-Marisa

Edited May 11, 2014 by USVI-4-me
droppd an a

[ghstudio]

GHStudio: Are you noting where voters live? Do cold climate cruisers want more space when aboard?

 

-Marisa

 

I'm really not tracking the individual posts, I was just curious about cabin choices as a very rough and inaccurate view of board participant demographics. I'm not trying to make any judgments from this...just curious if we are representative as we talk among ourselves. Do I vaguely recall another poll here on captain's club levels? (if not, it would be another interesting poll).

 

From the poll, we have a smaller percent of inside/outside cabin participants than I would have thought. Of course, you can't equate that to folks with less disposable income...some who cruise extensively enjoy inside/outside cabins for various reasons. The suite response seems to support my observation that we have a high number of suite guests participating here. I don't know if this is new or due to folks interest in the recent changes.

[miched]

You don't have my option that is apparently low class as Celebrity don't want those that are in the suites to associate or mingle with those that are in what I can afford. :rolleyes:

 

 

🚢🍸🍻

[vulcan1971]

You don't have my option that is apparently low class as Celebrity don't want those that are in the suites to associate or mingle with those that are in what I can afford. :rolleyes:

 

 

🚢🍸🍻

 

What an odd statement to make.

 

Sent from my Samsung Note 2 on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network

[ginaRAWR]

Because we only sleep/shower/change there and aren't claustrophobic, we book insides on every cruise with one exception. We got an oceanview this time so we could get the drinks package included. I don't count getting upgraded to an oceanview for free on MSC because we did have the inside cabin booked and didn't do anything to change the cabin category. It was quite nice to find out, but a bit of a waste when my sister would get angry at me for opening the curtains because she enjoyed the all-inclusive package too much the night before...

[Leviathan2772]

I've sailed in everything from an inside to a royal suite. Haven't done an ocean view yet, but have that booked for my next cruise. Depends on the price, the itinerary, and whether or not I'm sailing solo.

 

Agree! Price dependent for me. I wait till suite prices go down. Maybe a last minute deal or just go on those weeks that are cheaper.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

[quote name='cruisingator2']We book suites. We are at the point where we enjoy the larger stateroom and balcony. We are happy that X has stepped up to the plate on improving suite perks.[/QUOTE]

This goes for us also.

[rubydoobydoo]

I have had insides, ocean view and concierge balcony

Our choice depends entirely on price, I would rather be in an inside cabin than at home if that was all I could afford

If I could I would pick concierge all the time, never had any better than that so I don't know any different, but I would still be happy in a balcony anywhere on the ship as there is nothing like waking up to a new view each morning

On our last trip to the Fjords last week, I was up and down all night being amazed at the views, they were just stunning

[rubydoobydoo]

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[msweebee]

We book suites, CS and Royal, for the 2 of us for the increased square footage, separate bedroom, larger bath and because we can. Bookings are now based upon ports visited interspersed with sea days. I do not find the Butler of any real benefit except when traveling with family (in CC cabins) having him set up dining table for 8 for breakfast. I guarantee that any other passengers would not know our stateroom accommodations unless they saw us at door or made note of status on keycard. Look forward to trip in fall on Summit to see how new perks are. We have never eaten dinner in Blu as it was made difficult many years ago and even the Butler could not seem to help. Breakfast though is quite enjoyable.

I am puzzled by the numbers/percentages result as it certainly seems that many many more passengers are disturbed on other threads by Michaels being repurposed. We enjoyed Michaels on both Constellation and Millennium but always found it virtually empty on S class ships except for when Perry Grant it at the piano on Eclipse. Could it be that many of the negative comments about new suite benefits are from Sky Suite occupants since X did not include Sky Suites in the recent suite perks... Please no angry responses, this is not an accusation just noting the high number of suites responses compared to number of other cabins on Celebrity ships

[PartyAllDaTyme]

[quote name='ghstudio']I'm really not tracking the individual posts, I was just curious about cabin choices as a very rough and inaccurate view of board participant demographics. I'm not trying to make any judgments from this...just curious if we are representative as we talk among ourselves. Do I vaguely recall another poll here on captain's club levels? (if not, it would be another interesting poll).

From the poll, we have a smaller percent of inside/outside cabin participants than I would have thought. Of course, you can't equate that to folks with less disposable income...some who cruise extensively enjoy inside/outside cabins for various reasons. The suite response seems to support my observation that we have a high number of suite guests participating here. I don't know if this is new or due to folks interest in the recent changes.[/quote]

I'm puzzled as to why you asked what class people usually sail in, then ask in the poll what class they have booked next or sailed in last. We usually sail in Veranda, but chose Concierge for our last cruise because it was a special occasion. We may very well choose Coincierge again, but depending on the ship and the price.

[ClaudiaB]

Typically S1

If not that, then Aqua Class.

[ghstudio]

[quote name='PartyAllDaTyme']I'm puzzled as to why you asked what class people usually sail in, then ask in the poll what class they have booked next or sailed in last. We usually sail in Veranda, but chose Concierge for our last cruise because it was a special occasion. We may very well choose Coincierge again, but depending on the ship and the price.[/QUOTE]

I'm wasn't looking for an exactly correct number....just a feel for who's active here. In order to let everyone respond reasonably, I tried to give some broad guidelines on how to pick their category. I think we're getting a reasonable view that the folks here are "relatively high end cruisers", the target for "modern luxury" marketing. We may actually be more of that group then a real cross section of passengers. Interesting data....and a bit of a surprise to me.

[MicCanberra]

Over 25 % for balcony cabins. I suppose they are the most numerous on most of the ships.:D

[deelastcre]

We always book Concierge Class. After our next cruise, we will start booking balcony cabins. I don't think the amenities are worth the extra money for these cabins.

[vulcan1971]

[quote name='ghstudio']I've been seeing more and more postings from folks who book suites....and I'm somewhat curious what mix of folks we have active on Cruise Critic. Just sort of confirming that we have a broad cross section as we discuss topics rather than a strong bias from one area. If in doubt, post the cabin you have booked on your next cruise, or if you don't have one booked, indicate the cabin type you had on your last cruise.[/QUOTE]

I actually have all my cruises and room category types for past/future cruises listed in my signature. My preference to book a particular type of stateroom really varies on things like availability at time of booking, price, destination, and whether a "special occasion" is the purpose of the sailing. Also, frequency of the itinerary previously cruised and port intensive itineraries are a factor.

Example #1, the 11 day Southern/Eastern Caribbean itinerary I took contained 8 port stops. Given that we were going to be so active and off the ship, I felt we were best served booking an inside cabin. We saved plenty of money and didn't feel we missed anything by not being in a balcony room. It actually allowed us to spend more time up top on public deck areas and enjoy the ship amenities.

Example #2, the first two transatlantic voyages (first on RCCL, second on Celebrity), we decided to book a larger category of room to give us more space for the longer voyage. Because we were traveling with more "stuff" in general (3-4 weeks total travel), having more room and storage came in very handy. On RCCL, we booked a Junior Suite and on Celebrity we booked an Aqua Suite so we could also try out our first experience in Aqua Class. Both were very sensible decisions and looking back we would do it again. This year we are trying a standard Aqua Class room, but we will know how to best pack for this trip given our prior experiences.

Example #3, I had never been all that impressed with the suite life and the associated perks on Celebrity. My research about the Haven on NCL always had my attention. I decided to book it when I celebrated my 40th birthday because the price was right, and the itinerary took us to new ports of call. It was truly an experience never to be forgotten. The room was amazing, the butler was quite impressive, the on-board concierge exceeded all expectations for service, and the private Haven experience worked well for us. I still think that a Haven suite experience on NCL far exceeds my enjoyment of an Aqua Suite on Celebrity, but I am going to give Celebrity one more try in 2016 to try out their new "suite experience" amenities. With that said, it is more affordable for me to book in the Haven on NCL than a suite on Celebrity.


At the end of the day, no set category for me... it really does depend on a number of factors influenced primarily by cost and itinerary.