If you could only afford a suite once....

[jabrown40]

I am thinking of upgrading to a suite for our March 2017 cruise. This is a bit of a leap for us. We are currently in Aqua. It is a seven day Eastern Caribbean, and I already planned one dinner - the chef excursion in St. Maarten, followed by a private dinner that evening. We will be eating in San Juan for another dinner because of the evening port time another night. We only have three days in port, the rest at sea. It would be 2600.00 more for the seven nights. However, in August 2017, we will be on the Silhouette for a twelve night British Isles cruise. (Also AQ) That difference in price is huge - 5300.00. Very port intensive however. I did the math, and know the difference between the daily rates for each person. But considering itineraries, what do others think? When would the suite be most appreciated? (I know the obvious answer is "both", but really, just one!)

[awhfy]

If I could only do one I'd pick the most sea days

[tomcruiser1234]

You get all the perks but you don't have the separate bedroom.

 

Best value for the money now

[QE2_Fan]

I've always thought if I would splash out on a suite it would be an itinerary with lots of sea days. To give a chance to enjoy the Suite, the verandah and all related perks (Luminae, Michaels Club) etc. I'm not sure on a port intensive itinerary you will maximise the $$ splurge. I would love to have one on a transatlantic sailing [emoji1]YMMV.

 

 

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[Lucie Renee]

I too would chose the transatlantic crossing to really spend time in the suite and luxuriate. Enjoy.

[Lucie Renee]

Oops, I read that wrong...I vote for the cruise with the most sea days. It is very nice to lounge on the big balcony.

[jabrown40]

I guess I was concerned with only 5 nights in luminae, but I would probably get a few more lunches!

[AZNative2000]

I guess I was concerned with only 5 nights in luminae, but I would probably get a few more lunches!

 

Don't forget the 7 breakfasts too!:D:D

 

But there are so many other things to enjoy with the suite as well. The butler brings afternoon tea and reserves your seats at the evening show.

 

IF I had to choose just one of your two, I'd do the $2600 one. To me, this would allow you to sample the suite life at the lower cost.

 

The port intensive one, would not allow you as many chances to (as Lucie Renee says) luxuriate.:)

 

Get ready to be spoiled forever!;)

 

Cheers!

Edited April 14, 2016 by AZNative2000

[chemmo]

Remember to consider other factors...

 

S1 suites are at the rear of the ship, not the best position for rough seas which you may get on your British Isles cruise.

 

Do you have drinks packages on both cruises? Michael's Club could save you a lot of money if you do not have a package on one of your cruises.

 

Tendered ports, suite queue jumping is very useful...

 

If you upgrade to a suite on your first cruise is there a possibility prices may come down on your second enabling you to then upgrade to a suite - how many suite rooms are left on this cruise?

 

As others have said all other things being equal go for the one with most sea days!

 

Enjoy!

[OCruisers]

If you really want to book a suite, think you'd enjoy it more when you have the most sea days. :)

[Lastdance]

The opportunity in itself is a wonderful experience, but it also makes you want to do it again and again...not that it's a bad idea, because it is so nice to have the extra space. For me it is also the S1 location. Such a wonderful view too.

I also vote for the number of sea days, along with the price. I have never sailed in an S2. Good luck choosing, but don't go overboard(no pun intended) with your rationalizing. In addition, location is important too!

Good Luck[emoji844]

[roxievegas]

we had the same problem. i booked at B2B2B and chose the shorter of the three to book the suite - because of the cost. We paid an additional $2,000 for 9 nights, but got all perks instead of two that we were original getting. And we got additional OBC from the travel agent due to the higher cost of the cruise. So after factoring in all the stuff i figured we paid only $1,000 to upgrade (so I told my hubby)

[jabrown40]

That's so funny! My husband tells me to never let him know how much it all costs! I can get all four perks right now with a suite, plus I have an extra 200.00 OBC from Celebrity as a thank you for our first sailing a month ago. We did book this thru a TA, I'm hoping they will just let me upgrade. You all have convinced me to go for the 7 day Caribbean. Now I'll just have to read these boards to find out all of the benefits! I think I'm going to leave it as a surprise for DH. Thanks everyone, I'm super excited!

[richstowe]

I am thinking of upgrading to a suite

 

It would be 2600.00 more for the seven nights.

 

That difference in price is huge - 5300.00.

 

Option A non-suite savings = 1 extra cruise

 

Option B non-suite savings = 2 extra cruises

 

My vote (and only my vote) is neither !

 

Whatever you decide , sounds like a great problem .

[garyl62]

Not sure what level suite you're looking at, but as someone else posted, the sky suite will be less of an upcharge and give you all the extra's that come with all of the suites. As for the debate of lunch in Luminea on port days, it took us 3 days to learn this, but suite guests can eat for free in Bistro on 5 on port days since Luminea is not open. We did this twice and while it was not the same, we enjoyed it. We stretched our budget to a suite a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed it. We booked a 2 more trips and while I would love to experience a Celebrity or Royal, I'm content with the Sky because I can probably handle that level a lot more times than a "once in a lifetime" upgrade to something else. I realize I may not be answering your original question, but the other thing to understand is while the price difference is a lot, you are also comparing a 7 and 12 day trip. If it is really something you can only afford to do one time, but you can afford the 12 day trip then do it. You'll have 5 more days of enjoyment! If you do it on the 7 day trip and save some $ so you can maybe afford to upgrade again on your next 7 day trip I'd do that instead.

[jabrown40]

Richstowe, I get your point, but since I still work, I only get so much vacation time anyway! Otherwise, I'd agree with you and just take another vacation. Sigh.... As my son often says, "First world problem!" As you can see by my signature, we have three cruises planned for the next three years, so we're very blessed to be able to even do that. I would definitely do a sky suite.

[Project_gal]

Just a word of warning: upgrading your accommodation for "just one cruise" does not always work [you may find a suite "essential" for all future cruises]:D

[chemmo]

Just a word of warning: upgrading your accommodation for "just one cruise" does not always work [you may find a suite "essential" for all future cruises]:D

 

.....Never a truer word!

Edited April 14, 2016 by chemmo

[shipshape sam]

Lots of great advise!

 

I too would think that a TA would maximize the usage of the physical suite. The access to other venues and perks would also be nice.

 

 

We travel typically with others and thus, have had issues in past with segregating ourselves due to just Captains Club functions/access. Maybe a TA suite when we were traveling by ourselves though.....Maybe.

 

Have a great cruise and suite experience! :)

[Rob the Cruiser]

My response is in no way meant to be sarcastic but it may seem to be...

 

If a person needs the advice of strangers to help justify purchasing a product, even if it is well within their means rather than being "a bit of a leap", they probably will end up having buyer's remorse.

[BosoxI]

Remember to consider other factors...

 

 

 

Do you have drinks packages on both cruises? Michael's Club could save you a lot of money if you do not have a package on one of your cruises.

 

That's a good point but it is very limiting. There are other bar venues that are attractive, and, really, MC can be like a tomb. The worries about its being overcrowded with Sky Suite passengers were unfounded in my experience.

[jabrown40]

I didn't take it as sarcastic, but I do value the experience and opinions of others. That's what these forums provide- I read reviews for many purchases I make so that I can make a more informed choice. I don't want to spend extra money every cruise on a suite, but now that we've been on a celebrity cruise in an Aqua cabin and loved it, we know that we will be taking many more in the future. Will I try it once? Yes. That's why I value hearing others' opinions - their experience. I'm not questioning whether or not to spend the extra money. Just the itinerary which optimizes the benefits.

[shipshape sam]

I think you hit the nail on the head.

 

I too ask for opinions from total strangers. Do I consider their thoughts? Yes. I also read articles written by total strangers, I go to websites hosted by total strangers, I go to cruise forums and interact with total strangers, etc.....

 

Whatever you do, I would think it is your decision. Have a great cruise!

[Cruise a holic]

We treated ourselves to a sky suite and now cannot sail in anything else but a sky suite. We also had the opportunity to upgrade to a Celebrity suite- which is a big leap! If you book on board , you can sometimes get great deals on an S2 with many freebies. We then watch the rates of the cruise at it tends to change very often and then upgrade to perhaps an s1. In addition, if the rates decrease before you pay in full your TA or Celebrity can match the new lower rate. We once got a sky suite for a total of $500 more on a two week Eclipse cruise the the AQ cabin we were booked in. Well worth it!!! But you must be flexible and call and or watch the rates often.

 

If I could make a "jump" I would love a two week cruise on the Silly or Reflection in a penthouse suite . However since we like to cruise a few times a year, that might not happen in this lifetime! LOL.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Cruise a holic

[4774Papa]

We upgraded to a Sky Suite on Millennium out of Japan last Fall. Loved dining in Luminae. The suite was nice, spacious with large balcony and bathroom had double sinks and separate shower and tub.

 

Still, we only had to pay $800 for both of us to upgrade. We would do that again in a heartbeat. However, pay for a suite up front. No way. The suite was nice and Luminae was great, but DW and I agreed that we would have been happy in our usual balcony. We usually do two overseas trips a year and don't do the Caribbean. We like port intensive cruises.

 

We do like TAs and have the Eclipse booked for Fall 2017, but again a suite is just too much money for the difference. That is our view, that others might not share, but there it is.