Will RCL follow Celebrity and add suite class separate dining rooms

[Amtrac]

The class division of guests treads a dangerous line for the cruise lines. Recently we went on the NCL Getaway. I really looked forward to the ship and trying something different from RCI. Now NCL completely buys into this and there's complete portions of the ship unattainable to the average run of the mill cruiser. The result of that can be seen on the pool deck. They have one small pool for guests to relax in - one. Oh, there's plenty of other pools but you either have to be a haven guest (who get their own elevators btw) or you have to pay extra. What ends up happening is the pool deck becomes an overcrowded conglomeration of people, jammed in like sardines with about 200 people trying to get a swim in a pool designed for maybe 25 or 30 people. Its an absolute mess up there and to make matters worse there isn't a time that they don't have some stupid contest going on or music blaring. You can't hear yourself think and forget about getting a lounger up on the pool deck. I don't recall seeing any. Despite the great service and food on NCL, its a terribly designed cruise ship and a big part of that reason is that they have large chunks of the ship cordoned off for the suite elite. We had a great cruise but we won't go back on that ship because of the design of it. The Majesty of the Seas has more room and a more inviting pool deck than the Getaway behemoth.

 

 

 

Look, suite guests pay more so yea, I agree maybe they deserve more and they get that. They get a much better room, they get special embarkation and disembarkation lines, they get priority tendering and so on but that's where it needs to end. Limiting passengers to certain areas of the ship make the ship uninviting and unuseable.

 

 

 

Maybe RCI should just build a ship or two with only suite cabins and then the suite elite and go on there and do whatever it is they do. Leave the rest of the fleet to those who just want the best bang for their buck and want a nice cruise ship to enjoy a vacation that they saved good money for. We don't mind eating with the common folk.

 

 

 

They have that line: red/white funnel[emoji12][emoji12][emoji7] Sound familiar? Once you know what ships/ situation is you can go or not on that line. Unfortunately it's a business and you vote with your $$!! I seldom go to the pool area because it is so crowded. Unless you get there early or like the activities you stay away or pay a lot more and get a private area[emoji12][emoji12][emoji12]

[nbsjcruiser]

To be fair, there are 2 pools, plus a large splash area/pool for the little ones.

 

Yes, you're right there is a 2nd pool up by the water slides but its generally loaded with little ones who are using the water slides - I had forgotten about that one. To me its just not an inviting ship as far as the pool deck goes and there is nowhere for the average person to go to enjoy a relaxing dip in a pool like you could on any other ship I've been on. If you want that quiet relaxing time around the pool then you have to have a suite or pay extra. As I said, the Majesty, as old and small as it is, is a much more inviting ship on the pool deck.

[Big_G]

Not sure where aristocracy Comes into Play and where anyone brought this into Play before you.

 

In one word only but you've been around here long enough to understand my point. Otherwise I agree with almost all of your post.

 

 

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[nbsjcruiser]

This wouldn´t work for RCI. There are Suite only ships out there already. Of Course they are much smaller and have way less amenities than the big RCI ships. These ships work well for a certain type of cruiser. However RCI (and other mass market lines) is after a different demographic. They want to get the big bucks out of People who enjoy the exclusivity of their Suite areasm but also want all the amenities of the big ships, with flowriders, bumper cars, ice rinks, North star, i Fly, ......

 

It wouldn´t be sensible to offer all of this on a Suite only ship.

 

To get These peoples Money they Need to give them the opportunity of all this and mix with the masses, but at the same time give them an area to get away from the masses whenever they want to. It´s the Generation of cruisers that want to feel Special and Show it to others they are after.

 

Well, I was sort of tongue and cheek with my comment on a suite only ship but you make a great point. The only way the suite guests get their suite perks and private areas AND get to enjoy all that RCI offers (flowriders, Promenade, North Star etc) is if the mass cruisers pay for them. So in effect, cruise lines like NCL are biting the hand that feeds them. Come help us pay for all these nice things for all to enjoy but stay away from certain areas of the ship - you're not wanted here.

 

The other thing that does insult people is that there are many long term cruisers out there who have cruised many many times on their favourite line and have achieved a high loyalty level (diamond or diamond plus for example) and to tell them they can't use certain areas of the ship while someone who may be on their first cruise and may never come back get treated like royalty, is a slap in the face.

 

So for me, I hope RCI stays away from this nonsense. Give the suite elite their perks - better rooms, maybe butler service, priority tendering and so on but leave the ship open to all.

[Paulette3028]

Wow,so now people in a suite don't even want to have non suite people eating with them. Talk about class divisions

 

It has nothing to do with eating with non-suite passengers. It has to do with the improved food and service in a more intimate dining room.

 

There's always one. :rolleyes:

 

Suite guests pay a 'premium fare' for the choice of cabin they have made. Their cabin besides the added space and in some cases bathroom, different bathroom amenities, concierge for their exclusive use seems to make the extra cost worth it to some. Having their own restaurant for their use, is fine to me, where they would not have to make a dining reservation time and can walk in at any time, also offers its own additional benefit....what is disappointing to me is that the quality of the food has to be different (better). Food quality should be very good wherever you eat. Now the special restaurant for suite guests, should have 'different choices on the menu' but every dish made throughout the cruise, in every food location, should be made to the best satisfaction level possible. Poorly made food is unacceptable ANYWHERE on board.

[Amtrac]

Suite guests pay a 'premium fare' for the choice of cabin they have made. Their cabin besides the added space and in some cases bathroom, different bathroom amenities, concierge for their exclusive use seems to make the extra cost worth it to some. Having their own restaurant for their use, is fine to me, where they would not have to make a dining reservation time and can walk in at any time, also offers its own additional benefit....what is disappointing to me is that the quality of the food has to be different (better). Food quality should be very good wherever you eat. Now the special restaurant for suite guests, should have 'different choices on the menu' but every dish made throughout the cruise, in every food location, should be made to the best satisfaction level possible. Poorly made food is unacceptable ANYWHERE on board.

 

 

 

This is true! All food served onboard should meet a certain threshold but you pay extra for a chops or chefs table and that's okay too. You pay premium you should get premium. I've heard that can be hit or miss too[emoji12][emoji12]

 

 

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[Paulxyz2004]

Well, I was sort of tongue and cheek with my comment on a suite only ship but you make a great point. The only way the suite guests get their suite perks and private areas AND get to enjoy all that RCI offers (flowriders, Promenade, North Star etc) is if the mass cruisers pay for them. So in effect, cruise lines like NCL are biting the hand that feeds them. Come help us pay for all these nice things for all to enjoy but stay away from certain areas of the ship - you're not wanted here.

 

The other thing that does insult people is that there are many long term cruisers out there who have cruised many many times on their favourite line and have achieved a high loyalty level (diamond or diamond plus for example) and to tell them they can't use certain areas of the ship while someone who may be on their first cruise and may never come back get treated like royalty, is a slap in the face.

 

So for me, I hope RCI stays away from this nonsense. Give the suite elite their perks - better rooms, maybe butler service, priority tendering and so on but leave the ship open to all.

 

Well I´m not so sure who pays for what;) I can´t back this up with numbers but my guess is, it´s not the masses paying for the amenities to be enjoyed By the Suite guests, but more the other way round. Actually I think the Suite guests Keep fares in line for the masses.

 

It might be a News Flash for you, but RCI is already in full swing with the so called "nonsense". On Quantum class they have sun decks for suites that is keycard controlled. With coastal kitchen they have a restaurant which is suites only. On some ships the Viking Crown has been converteg into a Suite only Access venue. Some ships now have Suite Lounges.

Disclaimer: again to Keep Things simple I leave Pinncales out here.

 

RCI is not at the Point some other lines are at, but they get there full Speed.

[LMaxwell]

It has nothing to do with eating with non-suite passengers. It has to do with the improved food and service in a more intimate dining room.

 

There's always one. :rolleyes:

 

That's kind of rude. It *is* class division. Royal took away the signature feature of their ships, the VCL, on Oasis class and created a suites enclave. While many may agree suites should have certain benefits and access to areas that not everyone does, it was a clear division to bar guests from a signature lounge. Let us know when they graduate you out of Adventure Ocean :rolleyes:

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

....what is disappointing to me is that the quality of the food has to be different (better). Food quality should be very good wherever you eat. Now the special restaurant for suite guests, should have 'different choices on the menu' but every dish made throughout the cruise, in every food location, should be made to the best satisfaction level possible. Poorly made food is unacceptable ANYWHERE on board.

 

But the fact of the matter is, in most cases the food in CK will be better than the MDR. I'm not saying that should be the case, but most of the time it is. Same wth specialty restaurants.

 

Now I never said that the MDR food is bad. I just think CK is a step up. CK food = very good to excellent, MDR Food = good to very good.

[Dawniepoo]

This subject has me fired up. The mature side of me thinks, hey, you pay more you get more. But the immature side of me thinks THATS NOT FAIR (in my winiest voice possible). I sometimes get a case of the FOMOs- fear of missing out, and it irks me that we cannot, nor most likely will we ever, be able to afford a suite. My DH and I make a modest living and on a nurse's salary, it's not in the cards for us. Back in the day, it did not matter what room you were in, and everyone got the same level of service and food. Now, since we aren't of the calibre of cruiser that can pay that kind of money, we no longer get "special" service nor do we get high quality food. The all-inclusive aspect of cruising, and the one aspect that kept me coming back, is over. I NEVER thought I would say it because I've been cruising since I was a kid, but I'm wondering how much longer we will be cruising for vacations.

[reallyitsmema]

But the fact of the matter is, in most cases the food in CK will be better than the MDR. I'm not saying that should be the case, but most of the time it is. Same wth specialty restaurants.

 

Now I never said that the MDR food is bad. I just think CK is a step up. CK food = very good to excellent, MDR Food = good to very good.

 

The MDR food is being cooked in bulk, to feed the masses. The food in the specialty restaurants and in CK is being cooked to order. That makes a huge difference.

[nbsjcruiser]

Well I´m not so sure who pays for what;) I can´t back this up with numbers but my guess is, it´s not the masses paying for the amenities to be enjoyed By the Suite guests, but more the other way round. Actually I think the Suite guests Keep fares in line for the masses.

 

Interesting statement so I tried to look up some numbers for a Royal Caribbean ship. Unfortunately I couldn't find a breakdown of cabin numbers on any RCI ship but I did find a great breakdown on the Royal Princess from here: http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=400&pgtype=cabins

 

Now the numbers aren't going to be identical but I think its fair to assume that it would be fairly close percentage wise so lets examine the Royal Princess numbers

 

1780 Cabins

342 Inside cabins

730 Standard Balcony cabins

358 Deluxe Balcony

314 Mini Suites

36 Suites, which are made up of Owner's Suites (14), Penthouse Suites (14) and Premium Suites (8)

 

So 36 cabins out of 1780 or 2%

 

Now the Quantum has 2090 cabins. If the percentage of suites and above was the same for the Quantum as the Royal Princess then we're talking about 42 cabins that would get these suite perks. But lets double it to 4% just to see if your guess holds water - so 84 cabins.

 

Lets assume that on average a suite room is 3 times as expensive as the average of the lower class rooms. Suite guests would then make up about 12% of the cabin revenue on the Quantum on any given cruise. The other 88% comes from the common folk. Even if you want to say that a suite costs 4 times as much then 16% of the cabin revenue comes from suite guest and 84% from the rest. So lets be real generous here and call it a 80-20 split. Then you have to add to this things like free dinner in Coastal Kitchen, reduced prices on things like Cabanas at Labadee - I would pay close to $500 for one of them babies whereas a suite guest would pay about half that and lets not forget the free drinks in the suite lounge. Looking more like its the 80% subsidizing the 20% I would say.

 

This is the trickle down economics argument of cruising :)

[LMaxwell]

Unfortunately I couldn't find a breakdown of cabin numbers on any RCI ship

 

Cruisedeckplans.com has a break down for each category, ship by ship.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Lets assume that on average a suite room is 3 times as expensive as the average of the lower class rooms. Suite guests would then make up about 12% of the cabin revenue on the Quantum on any given cruise. The other 88% comes from the common folk. Even if you want to say that a suite costs 4 times as much then 16% of the cabin revenue comes from suite guest and 84% from the rest. So lets be real generous here and call it a 80-20 split. Then you have to add to this things like free dinner in Coastal Kitchen, reduced prices on things like Cabanas at Labadee - I would pay close to $500 for one of them babies whereas a suite guest would pay about half that and lets not forget the free drinks in the suite lounge. Looking more like its the 80% subsidizing the 20% I would say.

 

This is the trickle down economics argument of cruising :)

 

Can you share more about Suite Guests paying half of what other guests pay for a cabana on Labadee? AFAIK they pay the same rate as everyone else.

Edited August 7, 2016 by suzyluvs2cruise

[nbsjcruiser]

Can you share more about Suite Guests paying half of what other guests pay for a cabana on Labadee? AFAIK they pay the same rate as everyone else.

 

An over the water cabana at Labadee last time we were there was $495USD. Suite guests paid about $265 as I recall.

[venicia]

We are now retired and travel quite a bit. I'm trying to think of any place we have been recently that there are not available upgrades.....hmmm, flying, yep, there was business and first class as well as economy. Were the persons in business and first class treated differently, no, I don't think so, but did we have more perks. Yes, we got better food and drinks. I think the cost of our ticket probably covered some of that. Did we board before others, yes we did, probably since the price of the ticket was more than economy.

 

Checking into the hotel, we had a very nice ocean FRONT suite, were we treated differently? No, I don't think so. I feel we received the same courteous treatment that I saw others receive. Did we have more perks than persons that did not pay for the large suite, yes we did. (Our room was more expensive than those not in the same category)

 

Cruising, DH and I cruise in suites. Why, because the cabin is larger, this is the most important factor. Are we treated differently, I don't think so, but we do get more for what we paid then if we cruised in an interior cabin. Yep, Oasis and Quantum have Coastal Kitchen and it is reserved for suite guests. Again, our cabin is quite a bit more costly than an interior cabin or other category and paying a bit more provides a bit more.

 

We are fortunate after working long and hard we are able to enjoy the finer airline seats, hotel rooms, and cabins on ships.

 

I would only hope that all persons that take a vacation do it with the awesome knowledge they are seeing a different world than where they live.

If persons pay a higher price for amenities, they should not be criticized nor should the provider be criticized for providing this to them. They paid for it, why would you be upset about this?

[Life is Good Cruising]

An over the water cabana at Labadee last time we were there was $495USD. Suite guests paid about $265 as I recall.

 

We're in a GS on Anthem this October and these are the Cabana prices for Labadee:

 

Barefoot Beach - Standard Cabana $249.00

 

Barefoot Beach - Cabana Waterfront $325.00

 

Barefoot Beach - Over The Water Cabana $395.00

 

Barefoot Beach - Hilltop Cabana $325.00

 

Beach Cabana At Nellie's Beach $395.00

 

Beach Cabana - Over The Water At Nellie's Beach $449.00

__________________

[reallyitsmema]

Interesting statement so I tried to look up some numbers for a Royal Caribbean ship. Unfortunately I couldn't find a breakdown of cabin numbers on any RCI ship but I did find a great breakdown on the Royal Princess from here: )

 

The numbers you are looking for can be found here:

 

http://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/ships/

 

Doesn't really give a suite breakdown, however.

Edited August 7, 2016 by reallyitsmema

[suzyluvs2cruise]

An over the water cabana at Labadee last time we were there was $495USD. Suite guests paid about $265 as I recall.

 

We're in a GS on Anthem this October and these are the Cabana prices for Labadee:

 

Barefoot Beach - Standard Cabana $249.00

 

Barefoot Beach - Cabana Waterfront $325.00

 

Barefoot Beach - Over The Water Cabana $395.00

 

Barefoot Beach - Hilltop Cabana $325.00

 

Beach Cabana At Nellie's Beach $395.00

 

Beach Cabana - Over The Water At Nellie's Beach $449.00

 

Thanks for posting the current Cabana pricing. :)

[Life is Good Cruising]

Thanks for posting the current Cabana pricing. :)

 

Your welcome :)

[minn0315]

Your welcome :)

 

I guess that Pinnacle doesn't guarantee correct grammar. You're welcome.

[Siora7777]

I'm tired of class division. The dining area should be good enough for everyone, and all public areas as well, especially the pool areas where it's crowded anyway. If you want your own "suite dining" area order room service.

 

All this separation of areas does take away from the majority of cruisers who can't afford to be in a suite. All of us want to have a good time, eat good food and relax on our vacations.

 

It would be nice to be able to access all the customer areas and not be separated. To not have the ship divided and sectioned off so it's not accessible to most. I'd like to spend time with all my new friends together. I can't do that if we don't go to the same places.

Edited August 7, 2016 by Siora7777

[Life is Good Cruising]

I guess that Pinnacle doesn't guarantee correct grammar. You're welcome.

 

Thanks :eek: I guess you're perfect :rolleyes:

[CptSticky]

Thanks :eek: I guess you're perfect :rolleyes:

 

 

That or they don't mind violating CC's TOS

 

 

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[George C]

My last few cruises in a GS we had a suite area for breakfast and sometimes lunch would love to have a dinner option on Voyager class and Freedom class and other RCCL ships