Carnival Suites

[mahlerlover]

Can anyone tell me if there is any advantage to booking a suite as opposed to a balcony cabin? What perks, besides early boarding, are there? Thanks. I have a suite on hold until tomorrow but not sure if it is worth it.

[Jenniell]

It is a bit larger with a fridge and a whirlpool tub.

 

If you don't spend much time in your room it wouldn't be worth it.

 

We spend so much time in our room and on the balcony it is perfect for us. Plus it has the extra space for the kiddo and we don't feel as cramped or tripping over each other.

[KenMo]

What perks, besides early boarding, are there? Thanks. I have a suite on hold until tomorrow but not sure if it is worth it.

 

None.

 

Maybe early debark.

[latitude918]

I have a suite booked for my next cruise, which is my honeymoon cruise, in October.

 

To be honest, if it wasn't our honeymoon, I would have just booked a balcony. But at the time, it was only about a minimal difference between a fancy balcony and a suite, so the wife-to-be talked me into it; the whole "when-are-we-ever-going-to-do-this-again" thing.

 

But, as always, it is your cruise, not mine, so ymmv

[You Me & the Sea]

We've always booked a suite and love it. Early embarkation, whirlpool, extra space and sometimes a larger balcony. But then we (I-:)) spend a lot of time in the cabin or on the balcony so its worth it for us. Plus we tend to travel with other family in inside or smaller rooms so it gives us the space for them to hang out if we/they choose.

[jamscckmc]

Priority on and off, larger room with bathtub. That's all you get. You get more benifits with FTTF. On other CLs you get a concierge lounge with free drinks or a stocked included mini bar, laundry and other things depending on the cruiseline. Plus double cruise points. But the prices for suites are usually much higher on other CLs.

[Carnival Cutie]

Other people have mentioned the advantage of having a suite, full bathroom with whirlpool tub instead of just a shower, priority boarding and debarkation. I just upgraded to a suite for my anniversary cruise. Turns out with the sale it was cheaper for a suite than a balcony, in my case I had booked Early Saver in February and wound up paying an additional $30/person to upgrade. The price of our balconies had gone up since our original booking.

 

Only you can decide it keeping the suite is worth it. We had a suite a couple of years ago for another anniversary cruise and I loved it. The refrigerator was larger than the ones in the balcony cabins. More importantly the location of the cabin was ideal.

[DebJ14]

Other people have mentioned the advantage of having a suite, full bathroom with whirlpool tub instead of just a shower, priority boarding and debarkation. I just upgraded to a suite for my anniversary cruise. Turns out with the sale it was cheaper for a suite than a balcony, in my case I had booked Early Saver in February and wound up paying an additional $30/person to upgrade. The price of our balconies had gone up since our original booking.

 

Only you can decide it keeping the suite is worth it. We had a suite a couple of years ago for another anniversary cruise and I loved it. The refrigerator was larger than the ones in the balcony cabins. More importantly the location of the cabin was ideal.

 

We saved $100 per person by giving up the balcony we booked for a suite guarantee on the suite promo that ended yesterday. We like the extra room, larger bathroom, storage space. And, if the weather is lousy it is a nicer place to hang out in. Also, if you get sick and are quarantined I would rather be stuck in a suite than in any other type of cabin on a ship.

 

All our perks come from me being Diamond and DH being Platinum. If you want suite perks they try Princess, RCCL and NCL.

Edited July 24, 2015 by DebJ14

[bumbles]

The biggest perks (other than priority boarding and debark) are the bathtub and extra room. When you're taking a shower in the suite, the water doesn't get all over the bathroom floor if the sea is a little unsettled like it can in other rooms that just have the shower with the trough.

[D4]

We had an ocean suite 2 years ago on the Glory. We are glad we tried it, but to us it wasn't worth the extra cost. Two sinks was nice.

 

We are platinum so suite perks didn't matter.

 

We had a mini-suite on Princess and would book it again.

[Tapi]

I have a suite booked for my next cruise, which is my honeymoon cruise, in October.

 

To be honest, if it wasn't our honeymoon, I would have just booked a balcony.

 

 

We sailed on a suite for our honeymoon (on Royal Caribbean). Even though their list of perks and amenities is extensive, we considered it a waste of our money. That was 11 years ago and we haven't booked a suite ever since.

 

Our last cruise was to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (on Princess) and we booked the cheapest oceanview stateroom available. To be perfectly honest, this cruise was just as memorable (if not more) than our honeymoon cruise on a suite.

 

Before I spend money on a suite on Carnival, I would probably book a standard stateroom on a more upscale cruise line that provides me a better overall cruise experience.

[Boozebabe]

We've done suites a few times and it is my preferred cabin but not always the one we choose. First of all you have a larger bathroom with a tub instead of the tiny shower. It also has 2 sinks. Right outside the bathroom there is a dressing room with a vanity. I commandeer that area for my face painting and hair foo fooing. In that are there are also 2 closets also commandeered by me. Then there is a regular desk area. Also there is a 4 drawer chest of drawers. Theres also a 3 door closet next to the chest of drawers. Plenty room in there for all of hubbies clothes and the empty luggage too. Besides a large sofa there is a side chair. The balcony is longer because the cabin is wider. And theres plenty of other nooks and crannies for storage too. Its a lot easier maneuvering in a suite. Its more like a small regular hotel room.

[jimbo5544]

We sailed on a suite for our honeymoon (on Royal Caribbean). Even though their list of perks and amenities is extensive, we considered it a waste of our money. That was 11 years ago and we haven't booked a suite ever since.

 

Our last cruise was to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary (on Princess) and we booked the cheapest oceanview stateroom available. To be perfectly honest, this cruise was just as memorable (if not more) than our honeymoon cruise on a suite.

 

Before I spend money on a suite on Carnival, I would probably book a standard stateroom on a more upscale cruise line that provides me a better overall cruise experience.

OK, I was going to make a funny remark about your 10 year anniversary being better than your honeymoon;), but instead (guess I did anyway:)), and stealing the thread a bit, how long is the cruise on the QM2, it sounds interesting?

 

OP, we stay suites in Carnival about half the time. the extra room, tub, larger balconies are great (we will be in the Captains Suite on the Sunshine in 3 weeks), and while it is true that there not as many amenities as other lines, they are priced accordingly. Let us know what you decide.

[CAROLINARX]

We saved $100 per person by giving up the balcony we booked for a suite guarantee on the suite promo that ended yesterday. We like the extra room, larger bathroom, storage space. And, if the weather is lousy it is a nicer place to hang out in. Also, if you get sick and are quarantined I would rather be stuck in a suite than in any other type of cabin on a ship.

 

All our perks come from me being Diamond and DH being Platinum. If you want suite perks they try Princess, RCCL and NCL.

 

 

We are taking advantage of this promotion to try a suite. Do you know when cabins would be assigned? Thanks in advance

 

 

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[Tapi]

OK, I was going to make a funny remark about your 10 year anniversary being better than your honeymoon;), but instead (guess I did anyway:)), and stealing the thread a bit, how long is the cruise on the QM2, it sounds interesting?.

 

 

Get your mind out of the gutter. The comparison is strictly about the cruise experience. [emoji14]

 

QM2 is going to be a 7 day one way cruise that begins with an overnight aboard the ship in Quebec and then sails along the St. Lawrence River with a handful of Canadian ports of call, ending in New York City. That one is so far our that I'm not even thinking about it yet!

[dmdiver]

Never booked a suite myself. For me, it's not worth the extra money. If it were equal to a balcony due to a sale, that would be one thing. I don't take tub baths at home, so the tub means nothing to me. The extra space doesn't matter to me either, as hubby & I don't spend much time in the cabin anyway. When we traveled with our kids, it was cheaper to book two cabins next to each other than to book a suite - and that gave us 2 full bathrooms as well (and privacy). I think I might consider looking into a suite if I were going on a cruise that was 10 nights or more. Just have to think about that one if we ever are able to take that much time off work.

[Laurie S.]

We wouldn't cruise in anything but a suite, and only on Spirit class where we we get the separate rooms in the aftwrap.

[DebJ14]

We are taking advantage of this promotion to try a suite. Do you know when cabins would be assigned? Thanks in advance

 

 

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You never know when they will assign the guarantees. Sometimes it is well before sailing and other times we have seen it at the pier. Just keep checking your booking.

[DebJ14]

When we were younger being in a suite did not matter because we were always out and about the ship participating in activities. Now that we are older having a better cabin becomes more important since we rarely participate in activities on the ship and spend lots of time in the cabin and on the balcony. I wouldn't go without a balcony and if I can get a suite then the cruise is even sweeter. Also, on other lines you can order room service from the MDR menu, and on NCL you can even order from the specialty restaurants. We rarely use room service on Carnival, but use it extensively on other lines when staying in suites.

[jimbo5544]

Get your mind out of the gutter. The comparison is strictly about the cruise experience. [emoji14]

 

QM2 is going to be a 7 day one way cruise that begins with an overnight aboard the ship in Quebec and then sails along the St. Lawrence River with a handful of Canadian ports of call, ending in New York City. That one is so far our that I'm not even thinking about it yet!

 

 

Thanks, may take a look at it for us. Toured the qm2 in New York but the wife is a little squeamish about coming across "the pond" on her. Might work. You sound just like her about the mind out of the gutter comment......

[CAROLINARX]

You never know when they will assign the guarantees. Sometimes it is well before sailing and other times we have seen it at the pier. Just keep checking your booking.

 

 

Thanks for your response. We are about 72 days out. So I am sure it could be awhile. This will be our first suite of any kind. We are Platinum with Carnival so the perks we already have. As we get older enjoy the space also. We are celebrating our 35th anniversary a little late. Wanted to do the 11 day Journey cruise in Oct our actual anniversary is Aug 2

 

 

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