Royal Suite Class program - Roll Out Date?

[Teach2pre]

We are in the 2 bedroom Aqua Suite in August on Oasis. I'll be doing a live review with lots of pictures. Looking forward to meeting our Genie and having a great week onboard!

[klepton]

If the genie really can make all the speciality dinner and show reservations happen for us without us having to do it before hand, that's a good start.

 

This was really a non-factor to me, as I have no problem booking in advance and will probably do so even in the SLS. Unless there are certain time blocked out for online booking, I guess in that case having the Genie will be nice.

 

The best part about having a butler on NCL was getting specialty dining in our suite. That just worked really well for us with the kids (especially DS3). Our butler brought food for the kids from the main dining room, brought us our nice dinner, and then when the kids were done they could watch TV or do something else while we finished our steaks. If our Genie can do that for us, they'll be worth their weight in gold for us.

 

I'm also curious to see about the signature experiences. The website specifically calls out getting to the Flowrider before it opens to everyone. Not sure if there are special session for suite guests or if the Genie will just help you arrange private lessons.

 

Matt, as I type this I am literally laying in my bed of our SLS. We have stayed in it on 80% of sailings on Allure and Oasis. When we sail we are either three or two people. We have paid high rates for this cabin and have paid below normal rates for this cabin.

 

I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts between the two SLS cabins. I booked 1724 (aft) on the Harmony, because that's all that was available. But I keep an eye out to see if 1722 (port side) will come available. My hunch is that we'd like the full ocean view better than looking out over the deck, but nearly every review I've seen on CC that compares the two on Oasis/Allure, people say they prefer the aft view. I'll probably stick with what I have, but curious which you prefer if you've stayed in both.

[kccrzr]

Hmm... so "Complimentary Thermal Room Access" has become "1-day Thermal Room Access". That's unfortunate...

 

Agreed! One of the reasons we booked a sky class suite was because my daughter wanted to go to the spa thermal room every day. :(

[MattInFLL]

[quote name=A&L_Ont;49420381

 

I am doing a live review right now on Allure and haven't said what cabin we are in. I will be doing one periscope cabin crawl' date=' but have not announced it in the thread yet. If you are curious follow me at @Andrew_1720 and you will get to see the cabin. We you have 1718 port view booked we have also stayed in it and I can photos a couple of photos for you. The layouts are practically the same on Allure and Oasis with a few small differences. I would assume Harmony will be very similar.

 

The review is Live on the Allure March 13-27 -- High tides and great vibes. If you haven't read any come on over and join us virtually. I am soon to go and scope sailing into Saint Martin.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app[/quote]

 

 

Thanks ! I've never done periscope but will check it out. We had a CLS and grabbed 1720 when we confirmed Star Class would be on the ship for our sailing. I had been looking at prices for a while and there was no real difference to other similar sailing pre- suite class. Prices seem more dependent on time of year.

 

Whoever asked about the reservations. Because specialty restaurants are complimentary - you can't book them ahead of time in the cruise planner (because it will charge you). But they sent a flyer to travel agents yesterday assuring them that there would be no issue for their clients to get the reservations they want through the Genie.

 

Oh and the spa pass. I agree that cutting it to one free day seemed a little cheap. But I really didn't like the thermal room on this class of ship (or Anthem). If you've experienced thermal spas on Celebrity or Princess or even other Royal ships, it's a let down IMHO on Oasis and Allure. So it was a benefit I was unlikely to use.

[Robenno]

I have called Royal about ever 2/3 weeks asking if they had any updates finally this week notice they have changed and updated the brochure. We booked the 2 bedroom aqua theater back in Feb 2015 and we were excited to hear about the extras. I will be on the 2nd or 3rd cruise with the genie. I plan to do as much as possible to utilize all the perks.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[jonj]

A concierge posted this link. It takes yo to the new Suites Program brochure.

 

http://loyaltoyoualways.com/service/royalsuiteclass/

 

If I am reading this correctly is the in room dining no longer available for the Sky Class? We were looking forward to ordering dinner in the room one night

[Clarea]

If I am reading this correctly is the in room dining no longer available for the Sky Class? We were looking forward to ordering dinner in the room one night

You can still order dinner from the MDR menu if you have a Grand Suite or better.

[jonj]

You can still order dinner from the MDR menu if you have a Grand Suite or better.

 

What if you are on a ship without a MDR? We are on Anthem

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

What if you are on a ship without a MDR? We are on Anthem

As I understand it, you can order from any of the complimentary main restaurants (Silk, American Icon, Chic etc) but everyone must order from the same place - so you can't order one main from one place and on from another.

[little britain]

May 1st has been the target date for sometime. In my flyers for my clients that i got directly from RCI, they also say May 1st is the rollout.

 

But RCI announced that the would begin a trial on the Ovation's April sailings

 

http://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/royal-caribbean-adds-new-three-night-ovation-of-the-seas-itinerary/

 

 

 

http://www.express.co.uk/travel/cruise/646385/Skydiving-bumper-cars-circus-Royal-Caribbean-cruise

 

 

 

hope that helps!

Has anyone seen any updates (or denials) that Suite class will be offered on all ex-UK sailings ?

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Has anyone seen any updates (or denials) that Suite class will be offered on all ex-UK sailings ?

 

According to the US website when going through to book (checked UK and doesn't seem to show on there), when you get to the point of selecting a Royal Suite class cabin, under the description it has 'The Royal Suite Class Program will be applicable on sailing’s beginning Apr 14th.'

 

In the same place but on a Harmony cruise it states 'The Royal Suite Class Program will be applicable on sailing’s beginning May 22nd'

Edited March 21, 2016 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[klepton]

As I understand it, you can order from any of the complimentary main restaurants (Silk, American Icon, Chic etc) but everyone must order from the same place - so you can't order one main from one place and on from another.

 

So you can't eat specialty restaurant meals in your suite with the Royal Genie? That's kind of a bummer... we really enjoyed that service on NCL.

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

So you can't eat specialty restaurant meals in your suite with the Royal Genie? That's kind of a bummer... we really enjoyed that service on NCL.

 

I don't know about that. I was merely answering about Sky Class and what I had heard regarding the MDR equivalent restaurants for Quantum Class. I am sure you probably could with the Genie but I personally don't know.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Cruisingthesuitelife

[klepton]

I don't know about that. I was merely answering about Sky Class and what I had heard regarding the MDR equivalent restaurants for Quantum Class. I am sure you probably could with the Genie but I personally don't know.

 

Ok, thanks for the clarification!

[MattInFLL]

All it says for Star Class is "In Suite Dining" - we just don't know what that means yet.

 

So here's a question that hopefully won't devolve into the usual tipping back and forth:

 

Assuming you are the type inclined to tip your room stewards, etc. above and beyond the included gratuities - what are we thinking for a 24/7 Royal Genie who is supposed to make this a very personal cruise experience?

 

That time we had the top villa on Norwegian Star, we asked the concierge for a tipping suggestion for our butler, and then even tripled that amount - and I assure you it was not a small amount of money - and our up-until-that-point always charming butler all but disappeared for the remainder of our last night and final morning. He was clearly not happy.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

All it says for Star Class is "In Suite Dining" - we just don't know what that means yet.

 

So here's a question that hopefully won't devolve into the usual tipping back and forth:

 

Assuming you are the type inclined to tip your room stewards, etc. above and beyond the included gratuities - what are we thinking for a 24/7 Royal Genie who is supposed to make this a very personal cruise experience?

 

That time we had the top villa on Norwegian Star, we asked the concierge for a tipping suggestion for our butler, and then even tripled that amount - and I assure you it was not a small amount of money - and our up-until-that-point always charming butler all but disappeared for the remainder of our last night and final morning. He was clearly not happy.

 

I've read enough comments here on CC to know that the amount tipped is all across the board. From (always) nothing "extra" above the base tips, to $500. I've no doubt that some people probably tip north of that.

 

In the past we've given anywhere from $50 to $100 additional to the butler, and usually $0 to $50 for the concierge - as we've never really asked anything of them. On the Celebrity cruise we were just on we ended up giving the concierge $150 and the butler $200, plus $40 each to the two cabin stewards. Everyone seemed genuinely appreciative. We upped our regular amount to the butler and concierge as they were both very friendly and helpful on multiple occasions.

 

We were able to get into any specialty restaurant at our desired time with a few hours notice - doing this a couple of times. The concierge actually went off the ship at the first port to get flowers for Cheryl after I inquired about where the flowers were (that I ordered online). They had no record of it, and I was not upset by any means. It was a very nice gesture, one which caught us off guard when they appeared out of nowhere that afternoon! Our butler was always there right on time with our breakfast orders (perhaps half the mornings of our cruise we enjoyed breakfast on our balcony). Plus, he was able to make some other special request items "appear".

 

I hope that we did not come across as cheap - though I'm really not sure of proper amounts or guidelines. I'd really like to know what their range/average is so that I can tip appropriately based on their service. By the way, I did confirm with our butler that the concierge did not use his own $ for the flowers. If he had, that was not an inexpensive arrangement - in St. Thomas or anywhere!

 

 

I'd think it bad manners to react negatively, as yours may have done - just because they thought you under tipped. Is there any chance you just didn't cross paths with him again, or perhaps he became ill?? Just trying to be optimistic. I'm guessing you tipped in the hundreds? What was the guy expecting... a grand or something ? :eek:

 

The shore side concierge who we dealt with before the cruise was most helpful as well - I'm going to send a little something her way as too. I'd guess that they rarely get much for their efforts, other than "thanks" and their take home pay.

 

Tom

Edited March 22, 2016 by Tom-n-Cheryl

[MattInFLL]

I was thinking that Royal hasn't really had butlers like this before so this could be a new topic, but then after reading your post, I see your point in that Celebrity has butlers.

 

But the Genies seem more like the top butlers on NCL. Our butler there was meant to basically be available 24/7 and get us anything we wanted. And he was only assigned to the two villas. I am assuming they will have more than one Genie for the Star Class suites

 

And yes, we did tip in the hundreds. The concierge was insistent on there being no need to tip. But after I pressed him, he gave a number, and, as I said, we tripled it. I wish I could say that our butler may have just had something come up, but there was a huge change in attitude before he disappeared. I just don't think he was happy. And I really don't think we were that demanding. My first job out of college I was a bellman/concierge in a luxury boutique hotel - I know demanding :)

 

Anyway, I guess we can play it by ear and see how the service pans out.

[klepton]

In the past on NCL I have started at a base of $5pp/day for the butler, and nothing for the concierge. The butler base is to cover the behind the scenes stuff he does, keeping the room stocked with soda, bringing the daily snacks, taking care of reservations, etc. Then anything additional we use them for I add on accordingly. I figured $5pp for any meals he brings us in our suite, or most other special requests. For the 4 of us on a 7 day cruise, this ends up being somewhere between $250-$300. On our last cruise our butler seemed genuinely appreciate of the tip.

 

Same deal with the concierge, anything I've needed extra I keep a tally in my head and tip accordingly. This is far more variable, one time it was $20, another time $150.

[Sccrkeepr]

According to the US website when going through to book (checked UK and doesn't seem to show on there), when you get to the point of selecting a Royal Suite class cabin, under the description it has 'The Royal Suite Class Program will be applicable on sailing’s beginning Apr 14th.'

 

In the same place but on a Harmony cruise it states 'The Royal Suite Class Program will be applicable on sailing’s beginning May 22nd'

 

May 1st has been the target date for sometime. In my flyers for my clients that i got directly from RCI, they also say May 1st is the rollout.

 

But RCI announced that the would begin a trial on the Ovation's April sailings

 

http://www.worldofcruising.co.uk/royal-caribbean-adds-new-three-night-ovation-of-the-seas-itinerary/

 

 

 

http://www.express.co.uk/travel/cruise/646385/Skydiving-bumper-cars-circus-Royal-Caribbean-cruise

 

 

 

hope that helps!

[MattInFLL]

In the past on NCL I have started at a base of $5pp/day for the butler, and nothing for the concierge. The butler base is to cover the behind the scenes stuff he does, keeping the room stocked with soda, bringing the daily snacks, taking care of reservations, etc. Then anything additional we use them for I add on accordingly. I figured $5pp for any meals he brings us in our suite, or most other special requests. For the 4 of us on a 7 day cruise, this ends up being somewhere between $250-$300. On our last cruise our butler seemed genuinely appreciate of the tip.

 

Same deal with the concierge, anything I've needed extra I keep a tally in my head and tip accordingly. This is far more variable, one time it was $20, another time $150.

 

I like your system for the butler. I could see that working well for us, because we will have two friends in a CLS and I suspect they will be in our cabin a few times and that's a good way of compensating for anything related to that. Thanks!

 

As you and Tom both say for the concierge - it really depends. Sometimes all they have done is smile and nod as you enter the lounge and sometimes they have really helped with something or tried to make you feel extra welcome.

[klepton]

I like your system for the butler. I could see that working well for us, because we will have two friends in a CLS and I suspect they will be in our cabin a few times and that's a good way of compensating for anything related to that. Thanks!

 

As you and Tom both say for the concierge - it really depends. Sometimes all they have done is smile and nod as you enter the lounge and sometimes they have really helped with something or tried to make you feel extra welcome.

 

That's precisely why I do the per person amounts. Sometimes we take the kids, sometimes not. And on our last cruise we had a bunch of family cruising with us and our butler did a good job taking care of everyone. In my mind, he should be tipped for every person he's taking care of, not every room. Sounds like you're thinking along the same lines.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Initially, in all the Royal Suite Class materials I can recall, they referred to the ULTIMATE BEVERAGE PACKAGE for the Star Class. Now I'm seeing it listed as including the UNLIMITED BEVERAGE PACKAGE.

 

Are these two things one and the same ??

 

Tom

[Clarea]

Initially, in all the Royal Suite Class materials I can recall, they referred to the ULTIMATE BEVERAGE PACKAGE for the Star Class. Now I'm seeing it listed as including the UNLIMITED BEVERAGE PACKAGE.

 

Are these two things one and the same ??

 

Tom

No, not the same. There are 4 different variations of unlimited beverage packages.

 

Keep a copy of this:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Suites/15045958_Royal_Suite_Class_Selling_Guide.pdf

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

No, not the same. There are 4 different variations of unlimited beverage packages.

 

Keep a copy of this:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Suites/15045958_Royal_Suite_Class_Selling_Guide.pdf

 

Thanks.

 

I just love the inconsistency of it all! ;)

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Something tells me that Johnny Rockets is not included in the "Complementary Specialty Restaurants", but it's worth asking! :D

 

Tom