Suite Class All Separate: How Do You Feel About That Concept?

[SantaFeFan]

I don't believe anyone sailing on NCL with The Haven or MSC with The Yacht Club...anyone staying outside of those areas would say their experience was diminished by the suite class passengers' experience. So what could possibly be diminished for either cruiser?

 

I'm sure people outside Haven or Yacht Club probably never even knew those exclusive areas existed.

 

It is quite logical. If a ship has 100,000 square feet available for public areas, and none it partitioned off for suite guests, then everyone has the use of what is in those 100,000 square feet . If that same 100,000 square feet area is partitioned off so 25,000 sq ft is only for use by suite guests, who represent only 12% percent of the total passenger capacity, then the remaining non-suite passengers, that larger 88% percent, now has only 75,000 sq ft available to use. That is a 25% loss of public area for the majority of passengers, making it more crowded for the "poor" people just to benefit of the rich.

 

Alas, that is pretty much the trend in society these days. :(

[suekay]

I've just had a light bulb moment😀. That is why the mdr on Constellation was so crowded that our waiter couldn't serve some on our table without walking around another table to reach them. I hadn't noticed this overcrowding when we were last on Constellation, but that was before Luminae

[Mynki]

I am trying to figure out how I feel about suite class being entirely separate, as that is the class that I book. My DH and I have been talking about that concept and whether we would like the class distinction or not? What are your opinions? I thought this was going to be part of the new Edge ship and I was right! I can see the pros and cons of this...

 

I've sailed in suite class and non suite class. I've never even considered class distinction! Walking around the ship you have no idea what cabin other people are staying in, and why would anyone actually care? :)

 

I think the new suite area is excellent. We all knew it was coming and it makes a lot of sense. I've watched 'suite class' evolve over the last couple of years and it's good to see Celebrity moving it forward now that they have a new ship design to work with.

 

Michaels Club and Luminae were always based on compromise as M and S class ships were not designed with a suite class in mind. So now they can deliver an experience like they advertise. IMHO the Celebrity experience has not always lived up to the standards they market, this is frustrating because with a little more effort they could have done. Things are different now though and I think the suite class experience will be even better with the new dedicated area. I'm hoping finding space around the pool and service at the suite area pool bar will be as it should be. If so then they will have nailed it.

 

Despite the newly released itineraries being about as dull as they could be. I'll be booking a suite on Edge later today and cancelling another cruise where we had booked Aqua Class, so in short I'm sold on the new concept.

[Mynki]

It is quite logical. If a ship has 100,000 square feet available for public areas, and none it partitioned off for suite guests, then everyone has the use of what is in those 100,000 square feet . If that same 100,000 square feet area is partitioned off so 25,000 sq ft is only for use by suite guests, who represent only 12% percent of the total passenger capacity, then the remaining non-suite passengers, that larger 88% percent, now has only 75,000 sq ft available to use. That is a 25% loss of public area for the majority of passengers, making it more crowded for the "poor" people just to benefit of the rich.

 

Alas, that is pretty much the trend in society these days. :(

 

I understand your train of thought and the way you are thinking. However as I've said before if non suite guests have as much space or even more on a square footage basis than they did with the original S class design then they are not impacted realistically. When it comes to amenities I can only see that non suite guests now have more on E class ships than they do on S and M class ships.

 

I've read a few comments on here and on the UK Facebook page, be under no illusions, a lot of the complaints being made by many about the two tier system are nothing but petty envy. Personally I think it's a good thing that people have choices.

[CEOofVacation]

It is quite logical. If a ship has 100,000 square feet available for public areas, and none it partitioned off for suite guests, then everyone has the use of what is in those 100,000 square feet . If that same 100,000 square feet area is partitioned off so 25,000 sq ft is only for use by suite guests, who represent only 12% percent of the total passenger capacity, then the remaining non-suite passengers, that larger 88% percent, now has only 75,000 sq ft available to use. That is a 25% loss of public area for the majority of passengers, making it more crowded for the "poor" people just to benefit of the rich.

 

Alas, that is pretty much the trend in society these days. :(

Looking at it another way, the suite class customers are subsidizing the "poor" people. If not for the suite class customers, cruise companies will need to increase prices across the board, otherwise they will go out of business.

 

The arrangement is not benefitting the "rich", but rather the "poor". :)

[QE2_Fan]

It's only as seperate as you want it to be - as a suite guest you can use the suite only facilities or any of the ships facilities. For those that don't have a suite I think it's great being seperate - they won't even know it's there so no need to react to these private areas as a 'class' barrier.

 

 

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[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Given that there are more suites cabins (% wise) on the Edge, and that there will be more areas devoted to them - I can't help but think that those travelling is standard accommodations and strolling about the public areas of the ship might feel a bit more crowding. Since this class of ship is slightly smaller than the Solstice class ships, yet is designed to hold roughly the same number of people - it would seem the passenger space ratio might suffer. Time will tell if overall design/layout changes can mitigate this or not.

 

Here's a page which addresses Passenger Space Ratios across many lines. See if you concur about which ships felt crowded to you compared to others. LINK

 

Tom

[dodger1964]

In a nutshell: People who would book suites love the concept. People who don't book suites have reservations about it. It's a simple case of the haves and the have-nots. If you "have" the money, then it is a step in the right direction. If you "have-not" the money, it's a step in the wrong direction. ....

 

I couldn't disagree more.

 

We don't book suites and are VERY HAPPY with the direction of X to expand the suites and their exclusive area.

 

Every suite passenger is helping keep my steerage cabin cheaper.

 

And it isn't a matter of if you "have" the money..it is how you chose to "spend" the money!

 

(as a side note, maybe they should have areas of the ship that suite passengers aren't allowed to enter??)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Interesting observation (on perceived "class separation")...

 

Many hotels now have a Concierge Level - where those staying on certain floors (for which they're paying more) can enjoy a lounge, perhaps evening cocktails, etc. I've never heard anyone (who was not receiving those benefits) either question or complain that they exist for others.

 

Likewise, when flying first class, it's pretty standard procedure that those individuals are going to be getting hot meals, free drinks, more comfortable/larger seats, and their own dedicated restroom (though that seems to be quite variable). Special lounges exist in many airports for high tiered frequent flyers.

 

Fast forward to a couple of Carnival sailings I've taken, since becoming Diamond with them - and my visits to their dedicated line at Guest Services for Platinum/Diamond guests (and now "Faster to the Fun" people too... those who have paid something like $50 to basically buy some perks). Well... twice I've had people make negative comments to me when I entered that line (from those waiting in the longer "regular" line). Comments like "you think you so special" :rolleyes: and the frequent stares/glares. It almost makes me think there's a percentage of Carnival cruisers who have no clue how the world of earned or purchased perks works.

 

So - these areas exist (ships, planes, hotels) because there's people willing to pay for the extra benefits. One can either accept this, or vote with their dollars if they feel slighted due to a sense of tiered classes. I personally think such things will continue to expand - as it's a source of additional revenue for businesses.

[TeeRick]

I like the suite area concept and Celebrity needs to do this on new ships to keep them competitive to other lines for those passengers willing to pay more for a cruise. Not everybody buying suites is wealthy. Some just want that once in a lifetime experience and save up for it. Perhaps a special occasion. I get a kick out of some referring to the entire rest of the ship as "steerage" as it all looks very nice and the service and food are generally excellent for everyone. Nobody is being locked behind gates in the lower decks like Titanic and being fed only scraps. I have sailed in suites and non-suites- always enjoy the cruise no matter what.

[chamima]

Given that there are more suites cabins (% wise) on the Edge, and that there will be more areas devoted to them - I can't help but think that those travelling is standard accommodations and strolling about the public areas of the ship might feel a bit more crowding. Since this class of ship is slightly smaller than the Solstice class ships, yet is designed to hold roughly the same number of people - it would seem the passenger space ratio might suffer. Time will tell if overall design/layout changes can mitigate this or not.

 

Here's a page which addresses Passenger Space Ratios across many lines. See if you concur about which ships felt crowded to you compared to others. LINK

 

Tom

 

 

The space/passenger ratio also concerned me but in thinking about it again there was a lot of what I think was wasted space on the S class ships.

All of those central areas surrounding the glass elevators (team Earth for example) were always empty. Reconfiguring that as usable passenger space might resolve a lot of space issues.

[Mynki]

The space/passenger ratio also concerned me but in thinking about it again there was a lot of what I think was wasted space on the S class ships.

All of those central areas surrounding the glass elevators (team Earth for example) were always empty. Reconfiguring that as usable passenger space might resolve a lot of space issues.

 

I think you're right. The designers have done a good job with the public areas on deck 13 and I imagine this deck to be very popular. I don't think it will appear overcrowded either.

[wildcats40]

This was our first cruise on Celebrity and we were not in a suite and were surprised in the obvious differentiation of the classes on the ship. I'm fine with someone paying more to enjoy a large stateroom and more personalized service but did not like the many ways the classes were separated on the Reflection. For example, we went to one of the more popular evening shows and a large section of the best seats were roped off for the suite guests. We got there very early and had to sit on the side behind a pole.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

This was our first cruise on Celebrity and we were not in a suite and were surprised in the obvious differentiation of the classes on the ship. I'm fine with someone paying more to enjoy a large stateroom and more personalized service but did not like the many ways the classes were separated on the Reflection. For example, we went to one of the more popular evening shows and a large section of the best seats were roped off for the suite guests. We got there very early and had to sit on the side behind a pole.

 

NCL and Royal hold theater seats as well. On our Epic sailing last week, I wouldn't say the couple of rows they held for Haven guests were "premium" spots. By ~10 minutes to showtime, they remove the hold/ropes, and others can pile in there as well (there's almost always several seats which open up at that point).

 

Of the lines we primarily sail, only Carnival holds no seats (unless it's for their Camp Carnival... then I see groups of kids getting some fairly desirable front row (upper tier) spots at some of the shows. Not a biggie, I try to put a distance between myself and the kids to begin with. :)

 

Tom

[dodger1964]

How do lines with the "suite only areas" handle visitors to the exclusive area?

[SantaFeFan]

I understand your train of thought and the way you are thinking. However as I've said before if non suite guests have as much space or even more on a square footage basis than they did with the original S class design then they are not impacted realistically.

 

And that's the point - "IF". I can't see that non-suite guests will have more space when the ship is slightly smaller, but with more space dedicated exclusively to suite guests. It's like having ten dollars in your pocket. If you spend one, I can pretty much predict that you won't have eleven dollars remaining. ;p

[SantaFeFan]

Looking at it another way, the suite class customers are subsidizing the "poor" people. If not for the suite class customers, cruise companies will need to increase prices across the board, otherwise they will go out of business.

 

The arrangement is not benefitting the "rich", but rather the "poor". :)

 

Oh, you mean like the first class passengers on a plane are subsidizing the coach class passengers? So I can now thank those first class people for the continuing deterioration of coach class experience sitting in smaller, closer together, thinly padded seats and paying for checked luggage and refreshments, all the while the first class cabin has ever larger convert-to-a-bed seats, included checked luggage and plenty of complimentary, drinks and decent tasting meals.

 

Yeah, that has been working out great for us coach class people. :rolleyes:

[BrendaJ]

I think Celebrity has moved in the right direction with the separate suite area. I would think that the separate pool will convince a lot of people that a suite is worth the money, although time will tell exactly how busy that area may be. Personally, we usually sail in verandahs, but have tried suites a couple of times and were blown away by the experience. In the old days, we said we'd never, ever spend the money for a suite, but since the advent of Luminae, we've certainly changed our minds.

 

I was quite prepared to book a verandah on the Edge, but after seeing the suite pool, and experiencing the chair hog situation on the S-class ships recently, we decided booking a suite for the Edge would be worth it. On a cruise like that, the ship is the destination for us, and we probably won't bother getting off the ship anywhere but Key West, since Jim hasn't been there before.

 

For a port-intensive cruise, and particularly for more interesting ports, a smaller ship is ideal. Azamara gives a great cruise but their old ships are a bit lacking; for the price, I'd much rather sail in a suite on Celebrity unless I was planning on being off the ship all day.

 

I do have some concerns about the possible lack of shade around the main pool on the Edge, but perhaps the virtual renditions of the area aren't showing the whole story. Until there are actually live photos of the ship, I think we'll have to give Celebrity the benefit of the doubt and assume they will ensure the main pool has a good mix of sun and shade.

 

All in all, I'm very excited to try a suite on Edge - I think Celebrity did an amazing job keeping details under wraps until yesterday, and the reveal knocked it out of the park for me. I can't wait to see the Edge!

[RDC1]

On the M- and S-class ships, they had to take space away from other passengers [parts of MDR for Blu and Luminae, Michael's Club first from everyone for the elites then from the elites for the suites]. On Edge, they have designed this in from the beginning. Luminae is in its own area on deck 12; the Retreat is in its own area on decks 15-16. That means there is no 'gated community' for suite passengers as on NCL and MSC, just a few areas reserved for suite passengers that most others will never even notice. Unless the reaction is pure envy, the only real question is whether there is enough space in all the other areas to accommodate the non-suite passengers at the same level (or better) than the older ships. And with the much larger number of suites on Edge, my guess is the answer is 'yes.'

 

The only way to know for sure is to take a look at the space. As you mentioned on the older ships they pulled space out of the general areas and made them private. That had a noticeable impact on the MDR and other places. Would be interesting to see an actual square foot analysis of the amount of public space per passenger, per non-suite passenger and the amount of private space per suite passenger as a comparison to existing ships. As well as a analysis of the dining space in the passenger capacity and sq feet per diner.

 

One item is the amount of deck space being consumed by the cabana's next to the pool. If that drawing is correct that will certainly make a major reduction in the amount of space available for regular lounge chairs.

[Host Jazzbeau]

And that's the point - "IF". I can't see that non-suite guests will have more space when the ship is slightly smaller, but with more space dedicated exclusively to suite guests. It's like having ten dollars in your pocket. If you spend one, I can pretty much predict that you won't have eleven dollars remaining. ;p

 

Celebrity had said the Edge ships would be slightly smaller than S-class, but in yesterday's presentation they now say Edge is 129,500 (vs. 121,878-125,366 for Solstice-Reflection). Edge has fewer passengers than Reflection. Space ratio goes from 41.2-42.7 (Reflection-Solstice) to 44.4 (Edge). So the minor areas devoted to suite guests (Luminae and Retreat) will still leave as much or more room for everyone else.

[Host Jazzbeau]

If you want lots of space as a non-suite passenger, I'm guessing Princess or HAL would be good choices: they don't reserve any areas for suite passengers, and their potential suite passengers are probably all looking at Edge now -- so if their ships aren't full, there will be lots of room! ;)

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Celebrity had said the Edge ships would be slightly smaller than S-class, but in yesterday's presentation they now say Edge is 129,500 (vs. 121,878-125,366 for Solstice-Reflection). ...

 

That's good news ! Up until yesterday I was going with the Wiki results on the Celebrity Cruises page, which had it at 119,000 as I recall ... they've since updated that as well.

 

Tom

[Lastdance]

I want to thank everyone for their personal perspectives and comments. It has provided a lot of interesting information, along with things to think about before cruising on the Edge. Only time will tell, but I am interested in the new concept!:cool:

[Mynki]

So I can now thank those first class people

 

Yes. It's nice to see a little humility on CC. Well done. And the next time you sail on a cruise ship, stop by the suites and thank those passengers too. (y)

[parallax]

Let them it cake.

 

There are distinctions everywhere. I assume those who have status in the Captain's Club and are opposed to "class distinctions" will forego their benefits in solidarity of non-members so we have a classless society.