Suites - how do you get one reasonably priced?

[DebJ14]

They are so over priced all the time.

 

On RCCL you can get a suite at a more reasonable price if you book them when deployments are first released. We have gotten several Grand Suites for very reasonable prices, but they were booked very early. On our Jan 2017 cruise they sold out super fast, probably because they were initially offered at about $1339 per person. On our Jan 2018 cruise there were still some available the last time I looked, but the prices were already climbing and each successive sale they are still higher than what we booked. With our Diamond discount they are an even better deal.

 

On NCL if you want the Haven you need to also book very early. The price on the 2 bedroom jumped by $2000 before they finally sold out of them.

 

On Princess we book early and ride the price down. On our cruise on the Caribbean Princess in January we originally booked the suite for $1699 about a year before the cruise. There were 3 price drops before final payment and we ended up paying $1249.00 per person and got $200 OBC (including special past guest pricing).

 

The other way we have gotten good prices is after final payment.

 

In 2014 on a cruise over Labor Day on the Navigator we switched from a GS to a Royal Family Suite for only $100 more for the 3 of us. We made the switch about a month before sailing. Not only had they dropped occupancy restrictions, but they dropped the price significantly since they had sold none of the RFS category on that sailing. It was wonderful to have all that extra room and the 2 bedrooms and bathrooms and the huge balcony.

 

We have also gotten some great deals on the suites on Carnival. They occasionally have a "Suite deal" where a suite guarantee is significantly reduced. Got one for a cruise last November and it was $225 cheaper than the balcony we had booked. We ended up paying $650 for an Ocean Suite. Got one for an upcoming cruise next month during a sale. It was on sale for $500 per person less than they originally offered.

[BlueHerons]

A friend just booked a penthouse on Norwegian for $5,000 that normally goes for almost $20,000 because she knows higher ups.

[AmberTeka]

We book early and often have been the lucky recipients of a RCI website glitch where it has given us the wrong price. Once we got the royal family suite for 5 people for a 12 day cruise at a cost of just under $5k AUD. They had to honour the price under Australian law. Going on a Christmas cruise this year in another Royal family suite for the same price as an inside room... We just keep checking prices and grab one when the price is right. Hubby calls me obsessed with price checking so often but it means we can get a good deal.

 

 

Ditto. I live in Florida but we must share a long ago ancestor somewhere. I check prices several times a day. I am retired. Political. So I am on Internet anyway. A Big TA Agency is my favorite place to go. One day, while browsing, I found a Balcony on FOS for $719. On final payment day..same cabin was over a $1000. Still is....e, Nice one by elevators. Called. Booked it immediately. Cabin had been bought by that Agency and they were selling them off cheap. ONCE A New Year's Eve Cruise on Princess for $699 each. Found it online eyes popped. SHIP was being moved to Ft. Lauderdale on short notice. This was in August. So fares for first few weeks were low. Cabin we sailed in cost hundreds of dollars more by the time we sailed. Great Cruise too.

BOOKING Early. I have one booked on Carnival for Fall Aug. of 2017. Booked when they first released them. 8 day to S.Caribbean...ALREADY Price is over $200 PP for us than I paid. Booking Early SAVES every time. .

ONLY suite we had was call to pay a little more and upgrade. We did. Loved it. Like a balcony just as much.

CHECKING prices every day...............Not that often.........but sometimes you find a deal .......and it is Terrific.

 

We are going on HAL in March. needed cabin for DD, SIL, GC.....Prices for O.V. horrible. We had a casino rate ( huge surprise. Thrilled. Took 30% off of cheapest balcony fare......) So check. Check. Dummy Booking on website. Check. It Came. G Cabin. Large O.V. with tub for GC. Partially Obst. ( could see none if any) Saved me over $800. LAST CABIN in that category.

 

We are all addicts are we not?

Edited August 16, 2016 by AmberTeka

[troykahack]

They are so over priced all the time.

 

I suppose that is based on ones perspective, income, amount of time one has to take a vacation, and how they would like to spend that time.

 

When applying current casino Club Royale discount, GS become nearly the same price to us as a SBL (nearly to us is again a perspective).

 

My lady works very hard and long hours, including weekends and after hours. When she decides to take time off from her business, she wants to turn off the phone, relax, and enjoy her time away from the business.

[CubsFanRS23]

As someone who only sails in GS or higher, I can tell you the price will never be lower than when they first start taking bookings (1.5-2 years in advance). Doesn't matter BOGO or whatnot, it's NEVER cheaper than that first booking -- not in my experience anyway.

 

Note: It's not just subjective, I always use ********** to track cabin prices on all my cruises and ones I think I might be interested in.

[John&LaLa]

I suppose that is based on ones perspective, income, amount of time one has to take a vacation, and how they would like to spend that time.

 

When applying current casino Club Royale discount, GS become nearly the same price to us as a SBL (nearly to us is again a perspective).

 

My lady works very hard and long hours, including weekends and after hours. When she decides to take time off from her business, she wants to turn off the phone, relax, and enjoy her time away from the business.

 

Club Royale is kind of like share holder discount. The vast majority of folks don't qualify for those discounts

[cruisinck]

I believe first you have to consider what you are willing to pay. Say for example if you book a balcony on Oasis/Allure for $2400 are you will to go up to $6000 for a GS or higher. We are on Oasis on 8/27 in a Sky Loft Suite booked in June with a Senior rate and paid $7000 for the 2 of us. We also have the presidential suite (4 bedroom) on Harmony in January that we booked June 2015 and for 8 people the total was $12,500.

 

We live close to PE are still working but the kids have flown the coupe so we usually travel when all the kids are in school. Plus I am one of those that check prices a few times a day.:cool:

[jules815]

We book early, watch for price drops, and sail in the Fall. (week after Labor Day has become a favorite time to go)

[mom2tcdx2]

@hitcharide thank you for your honesty!! I work in a UK call centre for a major UK TV company and despite the good salary, I just end up getting all subjective on a suite (hence the mention of the mustang reference above!) when prices of a stateroom start creeping toward the wrong end of a four digit (almost five digit) sum total!

 

Again I'm asking a very subjective question when it comes to affordability (and rightfully not disclosing that on the Internet is rather wise!) however I was merely trying to wrap my head around how people get those suites, particularly the Loft class and Royal suites in particular!!

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

They make a whole lot more money than I do. I couldn't even begin to dream of booking a cruise in a suite on Royal. Carnival has the closest suite prices that I can afford, which pretty much rivals a balcony in terms of cost on Royal.

[cincicruisers]

Our experience has been that most times suites are least expensive when the cruises are first released.

 

Also, check the weekly sales flyer:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/sales/royal/Multi_Dest/Special_Offers/rci_sales_event.pdf

 

I've seen occasional good prices for suites in that flyer.

 

How do I subscribe to receive the weekly newsletter?

[Clarea]

How do I subscribe to receive the weekly newsletter?

There is no subscription, you just have to click on the link weekly, usually every Thursday afternoon.

[RFerrington]

Club Royale is kind of like share holder discount. The vast majority of folks don't qualify for those discounts

 

However, UNlike the shareholder discount, those of us who qualify for the Club Royale discount are allowed to actually use it !

 

:p:p

[jamesr3939]

I must disagree that suites are cheapest when they first come out. We had an OS on the Oasis during Spring Break 2015 and my brother had a CLS. We weren't going at first due to the cost being $8500. Within two weeks the price on both the OS and CLS dropped to $5800 so we booked.

 

We have wanted to do a south Pacific cruise RT from Los Angeles. Princess was doing it, but recently dropped it for 2017. However, I was tracking the prices for 2015 and 2016 just to see how they fluctuated; anticipating the 2017 schedule that never materialized. The prices for suites were all over the board from week to week.

 

If you really want to try a suite I would shop all lines, all itineraries, and dates. I would avoid holidays (dah!). I would track prices as far in advance as you can and even troll the roll calls on CC and ask people what they paid and how it fluctuated. I did that and got some great suggestions. As the supply dwindles the price goes up, so track how many suites are still up for sail (get it) and that will also give you an idea on how prices will react.

 

Our very first suite was a Grand Suite on Liberty OTS. $ for $ the best buy.

Edited August 16, 2016 by jamesr3939

[tlatrice]

There is no subscription, you just have to click on the link weekly, usually every Thursday afternoon.

 

Learn something new everyday! I'd been checking my junk mail folder thinking I must not be high enough on the food chain because I never get this flyer!

 

I've now bookmarked it! Thanks!

[jamesr3939]

We are on Oasis on 8/27 in a Sky Loft Suite booked in June with a Senior rate and paid $7000 for the 2 of us. We also have the presidential suite (4 bedroom) on Harmony in January that we booked June 2015 and for 8 people the total was $12,500.

 

So a CLS for this Halloween is currently $5600 (not a bad price). Wow how did you get the PS for that price. I would have booked that for our Halloween cruise rather than two OV balcony and the OS.

[cruisinck]

So a CLS for this Halloween is currently $5600 (not a bad price). Wow how did you get the PS for that price. I would have booked that for our Halloween cruise rather than two OV balcony and the OS.

 

 

Pure luck in that price. It was during a 30/30/30 sale and before the new suite perks.

[mistshar]

I am glad and happy for cruisers who can afford the very expensive suites. We are so excited that for our cruise in April we were able to get a Grand Suite that we could afford. Of course one reason we could afford it is that we had to cancel last year because DH got sick so we are combining that cruise money and the money for next year in order to get the suite.

 

We booked really early and got a pretty low price. After that it went down a little and got that reduction also.

 

In 2018 we booked an Ocean Suite on Carnival Breeze and got a good price on it as well. I planned to get a balcony but the only accessible balconies available were at the very front and we didn't want those. They had the accessible Ocean Suite so we got it.

 

Whatever you cruise in it is great to be cruising! Have a wonderful time!

[RCI Cruisers 004]

We book as soon as prices are released and then watch the price as often as we can to see if it drops. Also if we are fortunate to be onboard after the new prices are out, we will book onboard to save a little.

[1ParticularHbr]

We book as soon as prices are released and then watch the price as often as we can to see if it drops. Also if we are fortunate to be onboard after the new prices are out, we will book onboard to save a little.

 

We do the same. Booking early, with our Diamond discount, we have twice snagged Grand Suites for under $2500 (total for two) on Adventure. First time was our Feb 2016 cruise, next is our Oct 2017 cruise.

[kandj05]

Our experience has been that most times suites are least expensive when the cruises are first released.

 

Also, check the weekly sales flyer:

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/sales/royal/Multi_Dest/Special_Offers/rci_sales_event.pdf

 

I've seen occasional good prices for suites in that flyer.

 

Bob, does a person type in weekly sales on RCI'S website to find that great information?

[Clarea]

Bob, does a person type in weekly sales on RCI'S website to find that great information?

Jackie, I don't know if you can get to the flyer via some link on the website. Someone was nice enough to post the URL here many years ago.

[mirp]

I have googled going going gone for Royal and gotten a link for the sales flyer.

[mcatmcat]

I don't believe the 1% [emoji383]go out in a cruise let me myself clear they do but in private yacht[emoji925]For me paying[emoji385] for a suite is a big no in a cruise. I'm rarely in the room, I don't care about the big bathroom [emoji369]or the double points which if you do the math you can get more points going interior x10 than the points you will get from just one suite sailing.

 

On the other hand a Mercedes E class [emoji594]is a complete necessity for the safety of my family [emoji128]but I will find many people that will tell

Me that a Toyota Camry is all they need.

[Tin can]

We like to book a suite if we can (afford to) but if we can't then we have gone from a Grand Suite on one cruise to an inside on the next. Its life I guess :)

 

I've found that suites are at the best price when the itinerary is first announced. From then the price is very volatile, well at least when booking on the UK website.

 

We are in a GS on our upcoming Navigator cruise and I've been monitoring the price, the biggest falls in price have been at the end of the 'promotions' that Royal constantly has. When the free drinks select package finished the last time about a month or so ago it dropped by £1k per person instantly and is now back up to more than it was.

 

If you miss the initial intinary release price then I would recommend booking at what you feel is a good price, what ever that is of course :p

 

.

[AmberTeka]

This was a very interesting thread. I enjoyed reading all of the comments.