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Why book a full suite on Princess?

Jacqueline

By Jacqueline,
in Princess Cruises

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Jacqueline

Jacqueline

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i haven't sailed on Princess for many years. It was my line of choice for family sailing.

Now that it is just the two of us, and we can "go big", there seems to be little reason to book with Princess. The amenities are few and the price is about what one would pay on a luxury line. My guess is that Princess has made a decision not to fight for this part of the market. I could see if I was traveling with children and grandchildren that it would be nice to have a suite for the family to gather, but that's about it.

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AF-1

AF-1

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Posted
i haven't sailed on Princess for many years. It was my line of choice for family sailing.

Now that it is just the two of us, and we can "go big", there seems to be little reason to book with Princess. The amenities are few and the price is about what one would pay on a luxury line. My guess is that Princess has made a decision not to fight for this part of the market. I could see if I was traveling with children and grandchildren that it would be nice to have a suite for the family to gather, but that's about it.

 

Hello, are you asking why should someone book a suite; or saying you don't plan to book a suite if you sail with Princess?

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reedprincess

reedprincess

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Sorry for any confusion. My question was more to the point of what reasons are these to book a suite on Princess when I can sail on a luxury line for the same price or less.

Some people are loyal to Princess, and enjoy the space and amenities offered, and aren't concerned about what other lines offer. More power to them.

If other lines with more or different amenities appeal more to you - go for it. Lots of excellent cruise lines to enjoy, why limit yourself unless you choose too?

That's what's great about options - you can choose what suits you, while others choose what suits them.

Enjoy whatever line you choose.

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1emerald1

1emerald1

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Sorry for any confusion. My question was more to the point of what reasons are these to book a suite on Princess when I can sail on a luxury line for the same price or less.
Curious, what luxury lines are you referring too? I've checked out Crystal and Silver Sea and they are significantly higher priced than Princess.
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Eagle_and_hawk

Eagle_and_hawk

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Curious, what luxury lines are you referring too? I've checked out Crystal and Silver Sea and they are significantly higher priced than Princess.

 

Pretty much what we have always seen too. Some of these luxury lines start in price, about where Princess tops out with Vista & Penthouse suites.

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justafem

justafem

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We typically travel in the window suites. It's cheaper for 3-4 of us to share a suite than to book 2 insides and we get all the suite benefits.

 

Like you, our children are grown, but they still like to come with us.

 

I guess for us, SanFran is only a couple hours away, so that's our home port. We are limited by work schedules and getting us together, is a maximum once a year occasion. So why not travel in a suite!

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DandDM "Live from...." Rare

DandDM

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Sorry for any confusion. My question was more to the point of what reasons are these to book a suite on Princess when I can sail on a luxury line for the same price or less.

 

Coincidentally, I recently started a thread on the Azamara board inquiring if we'd miss our usually suite category on the main stream lines if we booked a veranda on Azamara. I was convinced by the responses and other research that the 'average' amenities on the smaller luxury ships were somewhat comparable with the suite perks on other lines. We ended up booking a Cuba cruise on Azamara.

 

But that said, I will miss the larger stateroom, balcony and bathroom. Specifically, the separate shower and bathtub room in Princess suites is one of my favorite perks! Since the ship is so much smaller, we were told that the lack of priority boarding and dedicated breakfast venue should not be an issue.

 

As far as price, we booked an Azamara Veranda under a pretty good promotion (double category upgrade), but it was still more per night than what we usually pay for a full suite.

 

Should also mention that the itinerary for this cruise blows away anything we could have done with our traditional lines and that was a huge factor in our decision.

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cflutist

cflutist

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Much better than it used to be, for sure. Is the food in the MDR any different for suite passengers ?

I am just to sure why one wouldn't sail on a luxury or semi luxury line and get all the amenities.

Suites get private breakfast in Sabatini's (anything cooked to order), with mimosas, fresh sqeezed OJ. They also dine in Club Class Dining with upgraded entrees, prepared pastas, and desserts.

 

We will be sailing on the Silversea Cloud to Antarctica and since we don't drink alcohol, we keep thinking that we will be subsidizing all those who drink alcohol onboard. Suites on Princess get complimentary day laundry not included on the Veranda suites on the Cloud. Can we ask our butler to do our laundry? Just kidding. Silversea supplies a parka, backpack, and water bottle while Princess does not.

 

The 15 night cruise on Silversea is twice the price of an Owner's Suite on a Pacific Princess 18 night to Norway.

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geoherb "Live from...." Rare

geoherb

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I've wondered the same thing. Many times we've met people in suites, though, who were sailing with extended families. They could use their suite as a gathering place for everyone. The large balconies are a plus for that.

 

Our goal is just to make it to the ship. We found out last month that we can survive 12 days in an inside cabin. That's a big improvement since DH once said that he could never go back to an ocean view after sailing in a balcony cabin.

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2pbears

2pbears

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I haven't found a luxury line that is lower priced than princess. Love to see some examples.

 

I think what OP is trying to say is now that they are not traveling with children there is no longer a need to book a suite and they can travel on one of the luxury lines in a smaller room at a price equal to or less than travelling in a suite on Princess. I totally agree with this thinking. While we have enjoyed Princess for years but recently have sailed Azamara and love the added amenities, which I think surpass the amenities included with a suite on Princess. Sure, it is nice to have the additional space, but we can get along with a smaller room if the upside is worth it.

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RocketMan275

RocketMan275

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I think what OP is trying to say is now that they are not traveling with children there is no longer a need to book a suite and they can travel on one of the luxury lines in a smaller room at a price equal to or less than travelling in a suite on Princess. I totally agree with this thinking. While we have enjoyed Princess for years but recently have sailed Azamara and love the added amenities, which I think surpass the amenities included with a suite on Princess. Sure, it is nice to have the additional space, but we can get along with a smaller room if the upside is worth it.

I've looked at Azamara in the past and I've not found the amenities to be all that enticing. Could you explain?

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WeAllLove2Travel

WeAllLove2Travel

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Coincidentally, I recently started a thread on the Azamara board inquiring if we'd miss our usually suite category on the main stream lines if we booked a veranda on Azamara. I was convinced by the responses and other research that the 'average' amenities on the smaller luxury ships were somewhat comparable with the suite perks on other lines. We ended up booking a Cuba cruise on Azamara.

 

 

 

But that said, I will miss the larger stateroom, balcony and bathroom. Specifically, the separate shower and bathtub room in Princess suites is one of my favorite perks! Since the ship is so much smaller, we were told that the lack of priority boarding and dedicated breakfast venue should not be an issue.

 

 

 

As far as price, we booked an Azamara Veranda under a pretty good promotion (double category upgrade), but it was still more per night than what we usually pay for a full suite.

 

 

 

Should also mention that the itinerary for this cruise blows away anything we could have done with our traditional lines and that was a huge factor in our decision.

 

 

 

What's your itinerary? How many days and which ports?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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Suites get private breakfast in Sabatini's (anything cooked to order), with mimosas, fresh sqeezed OJ. They also dine in Club Class Dining with upgraded entrees, prepared pastas, and desserts.

 

We will be sailing on the Silversea Cloud to Antarctica and since we don't drink alcohol, we keep thinking that we will be subsidizing all those who drink alcohol onboard. Suites on Princess get complimentary day laundry not included on the Veranda suites on the Cloud. Can we ask our butler to do our laundry? Just kidding. Silversea supplies a parka, backpack, and water bottle while Princess does not.

 

The 15 night cruise on Silversea is twice the price of an Owner's Suite on a Pacific Princess 18 night to Norway.

 

 

 

Not upgraded entree's. Same MDR menu and 1 additional entree each evening.

I get the same prepared pastas and desserts in the reg dining area.

 

 

The breakfast is awesome......

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Jacqueline

Jacqueline

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I'm sailing to Antartica also! I was looking at Silversea but ended up booking a ship called the Hanseatic, as it included South Georgia on the itinerary, It's considered a five star ship, on a German line, called Hapag Lloyd.

 

It seems like Princess suite benefits are comparable to those on HAL I just came off the Eurodam and that was a quite nice.

 

But, one is still left with the crowded pool and deck areas, the average quality of food, the lunch buffet and the crowds.. for $150-300 per day per person, no complaint. But once the per diems get up to $500 or so it's harder to take. For example, a seven night cruise on Oceana for a stateroom with a balcony can run $2800 or $400 per day per person. It's got a marble bathroom with a separate tub and shower and is a decent size cabin with excellent finishings and furnishing. And the lunch at the grill includes delights such as the lobster surf and turf, milk shakes, etc every day.

 

 

Some of my kids fondest memories are of our times on Princess and still miss the Princess Love Boat Dream that used to be on the dessert menu. Back then, they had more courses and tableside food preparation for everyone. Of course, it was also more expensive to cruise 17 years ago.

 

A good point was raised on itineraries. They can definitely be more imaginative on smaller ships... We were lucky enough to do most of the big cruises, including Tahiti, back when there was the Tahitian princess.

It's true that the are different lines for different times, I'm sure that when my daughter has a family, she will book on Princess.

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emairs

emairs

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We cruise suites on both Princess and Celebrity based on itinerary.

On Royal/Regal Princess the most expensive suite is comparable in size ( although the sleeping area is sectioned off) to the lower S1 suites on Celebrity Solstice class.

We are taking a TA cruise on the Regal this Saturday. We love the breakfasts in Sabatinis. Haven't tried club class dining yet.

However, other than the the basic suite amenities, we are only receiving the sip and sail promotion. Considering the fact that it is a TA, which is usually cheaper, it is very expensive. We love the aft corner suites with the large balconies, so we pay the price.

On Celebrity, we also book the aft corner S1 suites, with large balconies. However we receive much better amenities - premium drink package, unlimited internet, gratuities, onboard credits, Michael's lounge, with drinks, snacks, entertainment, Luminae suite dining room. For this reason, based on itinerary, we will cruise Celebrity.

 

 

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Sunviking

Sunviking

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To the OP: We were long time Princess cruisers, always in suites, and enjoyed every cruise. Then a few years ago we tried a Seabourn cruise and we haven't been back to Princess since. The regular cabins on Seabourn ships are at least the size of mini-suites on Princess ships but with better finishing touches. The bathrooms have two sinks and a separate shower. There is a nice sitting area. All beverages are included (wine, spirits, coffee,bottled water etc) Gratuities are included as well. There is no upcharge for any dining venue onboard. The biggest differences though in our opinion are the quality of the food and the level of service. On the smaller three Seabourn ships there are a maximum of 450 passengers and within a day or two the staff know you by name. If you have special requests for a meal, it can be arranged. On one of our cruises we stopped in Aqaba and took a shore excursion to Petra. On the return trip we stopped for a bathroom break in the desert and Seabourn had trucked out to that spot a chef and waiters and we had champagne, caviar and pate as a little snack (all included of course). Things like that can be done with only a few hundred passengers but wouldn't be feasible with a few thousand. They are the kind of things that make Seabourn special IMHO. When we began cruising with them, I compared what we had paid on our last Princess cruise in an OS suite and addied beverages, gratuities and specialty restaurant charges and I found the price difference to not be as much as I thought. The cabin price alone is not the total cost on a Princess ship and so a comparison can be misleading. Just some things to think about.

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cflutist

cflutist

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Not upgraded entree's. Same MDR menu and 1 additional entree each evening.

I get the same prepared pastas and desserts in the reg dining area.

 

 

The breakfast is awesome......

That is subject to interpretation.

Have you personally dined in Club Class Dining? Yes or No?

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getting older slowly

getting older slowly

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Posted

I think if you are asking the question why would you ? I feel you have answered it, which is no.

If you enjoy a suite and the perks, and feel the extra is the difference between a great cruise or just good cruise the answer is yes you go in a suite.

 

Purely it is up the person, it is a free world, and it great to have choices, yes would like to try different cruise lines but we avoid flying, so you go with what is on offer and enjoy.

 

In a suite on our cruise the cost was $540 ($430 us) per head per night for everything

compared as Ann said about Seabourne is around the round the same rate.

 

Cheers Don

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