Suites - how do you get one reasonably priced?

[ducklite]

We have cruised in large suites three times. This was when our son still traveled with us, and it was the only way to get privacy. We have good jobs and manage our money well. Once we started cruising with just the two of us, we stopped booking suites. On one cruise we booked a porthole cabin to be able to afford three weeks in Europe. It suited us just fine, and I would do it again in a NY minute.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

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.

 

Nice snag ! That's a great price. We booked a GS on Oasis for an April 17 cruise while onboard Freedom and I have been watching the price daily, it's gone up $1,300 so far so it doesn't look like I will be booking at a cheaper price. I love Royals sales.......

[rt1092]

We got real lucky. Last year we got a Royal Family Suite on the Enchantment 4 nighter for $962 total for 3 people. Worked out great 2 bathrooms, 2 separate bed rooms. Our only "gold card" so far.

Edited August 18, 2016 by rt1092

[gliles]

Apart from the obvious responses like work harder/get better job etc, and the fact one persons reasonable is another's excessive extravagance makes this highly subjective at best however this is more insight than anything else

 

I've looked at Suites on various cruise lines and I'm just trying to figure out how people actually afford these!!!

 

Take, for example, Navigator of the Seas Royal Suite on Deck 10 - the largest and only room of its kind on the entire ship (me and the missus had a quick peak on disembarkation and were in awe at its sheer size!!). So to stay in that room on board Navigator (bearing in mind it's not the technological smorgasbord that the Quantum or Oasis class ships are - and neither is it the newest generation of ship in currently in the fleet) yet to stay in the Royal Suite for 14 nights cost £19,444 (circa $25,047 at time of writing this) for 2 people on 12 May 2017

 

That is the same money as a entry level Ford Mustang V6 Fastback!!! I mean surely people aren't handing money over like that? Either cruising in a Suite stateroom is the prerogative of the global 1% wealthy population exclusively OR you are a high loyalty level member that has qualified for the largest discounts the cruise line is willing to offer. There must be ways of "blagging" yourself a cheeky discount on a suite stateroom?

 

I'm only a lowly Gold level CAS Member at the moment and the purpose of his thread is not to start a flame war against RCCL's Loyalty or lack thereof (there's plenty other threads that have done that for me!) however it is something I've always been curious about - yes I would love to experience one however struggling to realise why a 14 night holiday will cost the same as a owning a brand new sports car today!!

 

Anyone got any insider or even pro tips on how to sniff out a good suite deal?

 

Thanks!

 

 

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Thank you for asking that because I know for airlines, the front of the plane is filled with elite members and people using miles, etc not people paying the going rate so I have always wondered about this. Even if I made a TON of money, paying that much for a 7-day (or whatever) cruise just doesn't make sense.

[tallpaul86]

This has been by far and away one of my better forum threads I've ever started ever (if I dare be so self congratulatory!) and it's amazing the insight I am getting from this!

 

So to summarise it is this: -

 

1) look at prices regularly

2) if possible book as soon as the itineraries come out

3) roll the dice and hope you don't get snakes eyes (only kidding!)

4) decide whether the value for upgrading is worth it

 

So when I said in number 2 that you book them when the new itineraries come out, what month in the year does this normally happen?

 

 

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[John&LaLa]

This has been by far and away one of my better forum threads I've ever started ever (if I dare be so self congratulatory!) and it's amazing the insight I am getting from this!

 

So to summarise it is this: -

 

1) look at prices regularly

2) if possible book as soon as the itineraries come out

3) roll the dice and hope you don't get snakes eyes (only kidding!)

4) decide whether the value for upgrading is worth it

 

So when I said in number 2 that you book them when the new itineraries come out, what month in the year does this normally happen?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

March

[suesnake2002]

That's it? Just once a year, hmm mm. Very interesting!!

[trolleydolly]

We have snagged an OS on Indy for a 15 night transatlantic for £5000. This is for 3 of us. We thought that was a good price for that length of time though appreciate transatlantics are often cheaper. This is also over the Easter holidays. Happy with that! [emoji3]

[reedl]

...snip...

I've looked at Suites on various cruise lines and I'm just trying to figure out how people actually afford these!!!

...snip...

What is overpriced and seems extravagant to someone is a manageable expense for others. Imagine a senior executive at a medium sized corporation who makes something over $250k per year, plus bonus, stock, etc. which nets out to 350K per year. Also imaging his wife works and makes at least 100K per year. For them a $25K vacation is merely 6% of their annual income, which is manageable for them.

[bigque]

Wow, interesting thread! I didn't know there were so many people on here that book the big time suites! :cool:

 

We are going on Oasis next year and will be in a JS for the first time as I got a good deal for $2,800 for two. I always book when the itineraries first come out for the time of year we like to cruise which is in the fall specifically October and then I watch for price drops. We have only been on one cruise however where we received a price drop after the initial booking but on every other cruise we have been on the prices usually have increased after booking early.

[Big_G]

Wow, interesting thread! I didn't know there were so many people on here that book the big time suites! :cool:

 

We are going on Oasis next year and will be in a JS for the first time as I got a good deal for $2,800 for two. I always book when the itineraries first come out for the time of year we like to cruise which is in the fall specifically October and then I watch for price drops. We have only been on one cruise however where we received a price drop after the initial booking but on every other cruise we have been on the prices usually have increased after booking early.

 

That's a great price. We're booked on three, including Allure and Harmony, and have been watching the prices climb. You can't touch a JS for that price on any of them.

[cruisinck]

What is overpriced and seems extravagant to someone is a manageable expense for others. Imagine a senior executive at a medium sized corporation who makes something over $250k per year, plus bonus, stock, etc. which nets out to 350K per year. Also imaging his wife works and makes at least 100K per year. For them a $25K vacation is merely 6% of their annual income, which is manageable for them.

 

 

You are right. Although we don't make that much money but I only work to pay for my cruising habit :eek:. We take ski (spending our kids inheritance) vacations. Our kids are grown so we have started enjoying the finer things in life after sacrificing for the kids for so many years. :cool:

[bigque]

That's a great price. We're booked on three, including Allure and Harmony, and have been watching the prices climb. You can't touch a JS for that price on any of them.

 

Yes and since my initial booking it is now up to over $3,400 so it does not look like I will be receiving any price drops in the foreseeable future.

Edited August 18, 2016 by bigque

[tinkertwo]

What makes a JS better than a regular cabin? There is a bit of a price difference and I'm wondering what you get for the difference.

[Clarea]

What makes a JS better than a regular cabin? There is a bit of a price difference and I'm wondering what you get for the difference.

 

JS Perks:

 

Bathtub (may not be on Empress), walk-in closet (all but Vision class, Majesty, and Empress), dinner at Coastal Kitchen (Quantum and Oasis class only), priority check-in and boarding, tea kettle, coffee maker, bathroom amenities, robes, double C&A points.

[njm5378]

Book early to get the cabin, then price check daily to look for drops and verify the impact of sales. You cannot discount the subjectivity of "reasonable" prices. We have an Aquatheater suite on Oasis in October and paid just over $6k for 4 of us. Reasonable to me. We also have a RS on Navigator in January 2018 for a 9 day and paid $7600 for 4 of us including gratuities, also reasonable to me. Peak sailing time can cost exponentially more.

[PerferWarmWeather]

We had never booked a suite, but did find a GS on Harmony for$3,796 for two. We thought it was a good deal. Now the same cruise is selling for $9,276 for two.

[DebJ14]

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.

 

For us a suite has become a necessity as we spend most of our time in the cabin and on the balcony. We have resorted to this as an act of self preservation. The only times I have been sick over the past 10 years can be directly traced to people at our dining table on a cruise. Cruise after cruise there was someone who with a cold, getting over a cold or claiming it was allergies. We have retreated to a table for 2 and to our cabin and avoid indoor activities onboard. I still pay the price for an upper respiratory infection caught on a cruise in August 2012 that robbed me of my senses of smell and taste. A woman sat down next to me at breakfast and hacked all over me. She said that she had seen the ship's doctor and was on antibiotics. I got up and left, but the damage was done. By the time I got home I sounded exactly like her. Only problem was, the infection was a virus so the antibiotics she got on the ship were useless. I was sick from the end of August until early October and then on October 10, 2012 I woke up with no sense of smell. After spending a fortune on tests it was determined that the olfactory nerve was damaged by the virus. I can no longer travel alone because I need a food taster (I can't smell or taste if food is bad) and someone to detect smoke or noxious fumes since I can no longer smell either and could easily be overcome.

 

An inside is not an option as DH is claustrophobic. And, it would never have been X 10 because until this year DH was still working and vacations were limited. I do care about having the tub and big bathroom.

 

As for me, the Mercedes E class is of no importance whatsoever, but it is to my status conscious oldest son who drives one. I drove a Ford Focus for 10 years without a scratch even though we could have afforded a Bentley if we wanted. I now drive a Lexus RX 350, but only because it was the car that was the most comfortable after I blew a disc.

 

To each his own.

Edited August 18, 2016 by DebJ14

[DebJ14]

Thank you for asking that because I know for airlines, the front of the plane is filled with elite members and people using miles, etc not people paying the going rate so I have always wondered about this. Even if I made a TON of money, paying that much for a 7-day (or whatever) cruise just doesn't make sense.

 

We only fly first class and 99% of the time pay for the tickets. DH has a clotting problem and his doctor said the only way he can fly is in first class, although he recommends not flying if at all possible.

 

With an airline credit card and double miles for first class the miles do add up, so I was able to use 100,000 miles for one free first class ticket to Mexico on our last vacation.

[Kew Gardens Cruiser]

I have always just done regular balcony cabins in the past ( sometimes an AFT with a larger balcony)

When I went on the NCL Breakaway in May I tried to call their upsell number just to see what the cost was to do the Haven. I was able to do the Haven for $500 more per person ( upgrading from their mini suite category) and it kind of spoiled us. That cabin would normally cost around $7k-8k for two people had I booked it online

So when I was looking at doing my next cruise, the Oasis of the Seas in March 2017 I decided to bite the bullet and take a Junior Suite since we will be traveling with a 2 year old and could use the extra space and the extra large balcony was enticing. I paid about $500 more than what the balcony D cabins would have cost. However it is not a true suite and does not come with many of the suite perks

[Kew Gardens Cruiser]

We had never booked a suite, but did find a GS on Harmony for$3,796 for two. We thought it was a good deal. Now the same cruise is selling for $9,276 for two.

 

Wow that is a great deal. I was going to say that whenever I check the Harmony pricing it is usually over $2500 PP just for a JS

[PerferWarmWeather]

Wow that is a great deal. I was going to say that whenever I check the Harmony pricing it is usually over $2500 PP just for a JS

 

Yes, we thought so. We booked it in 2014.

Edited August 18, 2016 by PerferWarmWeather

[John&LaLa]

We only fly first class and 99% of the time pay for the tickets. DH has a clotting problem and his doctor said the only way he can fly is in first class, although he recommends not flying if at all possible.

 

With an airline credit card and double miles for first class the miles do add up, so I was able to use 100,000 miles for one free first class ticket to Mexico on our last vacation.

 

Most of the airlines are going to an upsell mode on the first/business class tickets now. No more free upgrades for the FF crowd.

 

Obviously points still work.

[Biker19]

Obviously points still work.

 

....most of the time.

[Baseball fan]

We were on a med cruise in the fall a couple years ago. We had paid for cheapest balcony cabin. Prices dropped after final payment, so we moved to a JS. Then again a couple weeks before sailing. We ended up with a GS. Loved it but I don't think it will happen again!!!