Is a Sky Suite worth the premium over AquaClass?

[colocop004]

We love the Suite Life and truly love the perks offered by Celebrity. We are currently on the RCI Freedom of the Seas in a Grand Suite. It has been a great cruise, but unfortunately RCI just misses the boat when it comes to Suite perks and I definitely miss having a butler. Just booked out next cruise back on Celebrity for next year. I al already excited for that cruise!!

 

 

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[colocop004]

Just out of curiosity since I’ve never sailed with a butler before, what are demands people make to butlers?

 

 

 

I would not call them demands, more like requests. We have hosted on board parties in our suite and the butler set them up, ordered the cocktails and apps and it was great! Because we were in a Royal Suite and had the beverage packages, all we had to pay for the was the bottles of wine served, but all the beer and sodas were included on the packages.

 

We also request hot tea for me and coffee for DH every morning, and some mornings breakfast also.

 

We do not utilize the parking and unpacking, but we do use our butler for all on board reservations and requests.

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

We were lucky to upgrade to a Celebrity Suite on Connie in the Med last year -- and the "Suite Life" has kept Celebrity in our future travel plans when otherwise Azamara might have totally eclipsed it [pun intended]. Now when I look a Celebrity sailings, I only look at suites...

 

Luminae was so good (food and service) that we were never tempted by the specialty restaurants -- and our waiter even suggested that if we wanted a really nice steak, he could arrange Filet Mignons for the next night [we did, he did, and they were terrific!]. Michael's was very quiet and they kept inviting us on the evenings with live entertainment, but it worked best for us as the office of the Suite Concierge and as a quick stop for a drink before heading into the Theater [much faster than ordering a drink there]. We didn't like the reserved seat location in the Theater, but thankfully Celebrity's theaters are large enough [i'm looking at you, Princess :evilsmile:] that you don't need reserved seats. Priority tenders and dis/embarkation are nice too. And the Butler kept asking us if there wasn't more he could do! We decided to have a little party for the folks on our Roll Call shore excursions, and he took our bottle of free champagne to chill and brought lovely hors d'oeuvres -- and acted like it was the least he could do! Totally spoiled us! [Now if only Celebrity had itineraries as adventuresome as Azamara...]

[Cruise a holic]

We love the Suite Life and truly love the perks offered by Celebrity. We are currently on the RCI Freedom of the Seas in a Grand Suite. It has been a great cruise, but unfortunately RCI just misses the boat when it comes to Suite perks and I definitely miss having a butler. Just booked out next cruise back on Celebrity for next year. I al already excited for that cruise!!

 

 

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You need to try a suite on the Harmony of the Seas. While we didn’t have a butler, we did have access to the suite deck It has a terrific bar, hot tub, plenty of comfortable seating and free cabanas. We were very impressed. looking at the edge diagrams and videos, looks like they will have similar suite amenities. While on RC we didn’t have a personal butler, we had two concierges that made reservations for us for dinners etc. Also as suite guests we had open access to all shows.

 

We still enjoy the Celebrity life as it caters to an adult crowd.

[Corgi Girl]

IMHO, I prefer a suite. I've done Aqua and loved it and love Blu. The biggest reason I prefer suites is that disembarkation is painless. At least it has been for us.

[TeeRick]

On Celebrity an often overlooked suite perk is being able to access the butler, Michael's Club Concierge and now the Suites Manager to do just about anything and everything for you. You never need to go to Guest Relations- the MC Concierge will handle all requests and issues - no waiting in line. The MC Concierge will also issue your Shore Excursions - again no need to wait in that line. The Butler will make all your dining reservations in Specialty Restaurants. You will get escorted directly to tenders without waiting in line at tender ports. You will get escorted off the ship to baggage claim and customs when you depart. You are pampered! I have sailed JR Suites and Grand Suites on RCL - no comparison - the experience is so much better on Celebrity.

[sippican]

On Celebrity an often overlooked suite perk is being able to access the butler, Michael's Club Concierge and now the Suites Manager to do just about anything and everything for you. You never need to go to Guest Relations- the MC Concierge will handle all requests and issues - no waiting in line. The MC Concierge will also issue your Shore Excursions - again no need to wait in that line. The Butler will make all your dining reservations in Specialty Restaurants. You will get escorted directly to tenders without waiting in line at tender ports. You will get escorted off the ship to baggage claim and customs when you depart. You are pampered! I have sailed JR Suites and Grand Suites on RCL - no comparison - the experience is so much better on Celebrity.

 

You have been very fortunate indeed to have MC Concierges who were able and willing to do so much for you. I understand this is the norm. We have only had one opportunity up to this point (more to come) and our first MC was usually MIA and failed to follow through on three simple requests. I am looking to forward to seeing a good one in action!

[bEwAbG]

The MC Concierges and Butlers have been hit or miss for us, too. Some are great. Some are ok. One kept referring us to Guest Relations.

[jelayne]

We have sailed the majority of our cruises on X in Aqua, with a few Suites thrown-in.

 

We enjoy Luminae but dislike Michaels Club. We are enjoy the extra space and ask very little of the Butler. We do enjoy the priority tendering, debarkation and other perks. We cruise 3-4 times a year so value for our money is our priority.

 

We will be in a S1 on our upcoming B2B at a cost of $720 per night for both of us. First leg has 4 perks 2nd leg is repo so no perks. We chose the suite because these cruises are in Asia & Middle East so the priority passport handling, debarkation, immigration, etc we think are worth the expense.

 

This summer we are booked on a 12 Europe in AQ at $475 per day with 4 perks. We looked at a S2 but that was $1,100 per night- for us the Suite isn’t worth a extra $675 a night.

[Lastdance]

So very true. I went back and checked the cost of our S2 in 2014 (before perks) and it was about half of what our cost was this past September (with all 4 perks) its a good thing the perks are "free":rolleyes:. Also, our C1 this past Feb (Mardi Gras) was less than half of the S2 and there was a "premium" built into the C1 as it was the Mardi Gras cruise.

 

 

 

At the present time we travel 3 timers per year for approx. 4 weeks at a time. Our children live outside the country so we visit them each once per year and they visit us once per year. We incorporate a cruise into one of those trips; and we also do the tourist thing and travel and sightsee; however, we find we can travel at a cost per day no greater than the cost of an aqua or concierage room, and in some places significantly lower per day without compromising.

 

 

 

We realize at some point in time the kids will return to Canada and then we will probably revert to concierage or aqua to do as you say - travel for twice as many days at the same cost.

 

 

 

It is a blessing to be able to have the flexibility.

 

 

 

I totally agree with you that many things determine the class of a cabin. We love S1 corner afts, not only for size, but forlayout and duration of cruise. We also choose our cabin based on our total trip too. We love our cruise at the end, but sometimes it works out best in the middle or first. Also, the length of the cruise and ports are both important, along with port intensive itineraries. However, we love the wake of the ship and all the perks, even though we do not drink all that much. TA’s are wonderful in a suite. My DH and I have two corner aft suites booked on the Edge for a different suite life with all the new enhancements!

 

AQ is fine, but dining has been either great or awful in service for us! Luminae is more consistent, but it also depends on the ship!

 

Pricing could price us out completely from suites, so we would book AQ or C2 depending on cabin location and ship!

 

 

 

 

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[SJS-TX]

Definitely, we only book Sky Suites all the perks are worth the upgrade!

 

 

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[LA_CA_GAL]

The extra cost of suites has risen dramatically since the introduction of Luminae.

 

We cruised Summit to Bermuda September 2017.

 

I originally booked Aqua Class, and after doing price checks, it looked like I could upgrade to a Sky Suite for about $700. Called my TA, and yep, that was the deal, so I did it.

 

We had Captain Alex, and he was incredible. We got to meet him a number of times in Michaels Club, and the highlight was spending time with him on the bridge tour. Spending time on the bridge of a cruise ship with the Captain sailing at sea is something I will never forget.

 

We are very low maintenance and only used the butler for room service breakfast a couple of times. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know the butler would bring it, I would just call room service and place the order, John our butler would deliver it, and set up linens and silverware on the balcony table.

[kris816]

“We are very low maintenance and only used the butler for room service breakfast a couple of times. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know the butler would bring it, I would just call room service and place the order, John our butler would deliver it, and set up linens and silverware on the balcony table.”

 

We usually tip the crew member who brings our room service. We are in a sky suite for the first time this month. If the Butler brings our room service should we tip him extra each time? We had planned on tipping him at the end of the trip.

[Cruise a holic]

“We are very low maintenance and only used the butler for room service breakfast a couple of times. As a matter of fact, I didn't even know the butler would bring it, I would just call room service and place the order, John our butler would deliver it, and set up linens and silverware on the balcony table.”

 

We usually tip the crew member who brings our room service. We are in a sky suite for the first time this month. If the Butler brings our room service should we tip him extra each time? We had planned on tipping him at the end of the trip.

 

Yes tip at end of the trip

[Mynki]

We've only ever had very good to excellent service from our butlers, MC concierge and the Luminae teams.

 

All of our requests have been dealt with promptly and professionally and so think that suite life on Celebrity is very good.

 

We've also sailed Aqua Class and found Blu to be good. I see occasional complaints about the food quality and service but so far we must have been lucky because Blu has been a good experience.

 

Is it worth the price upgrade? :D Well, it all depends on the price. I've see popular Asian cruises where a S2 suite was just over $400 per person per night more. So on that 14 day sailing I'd have to say that the additional $5600 + price premium is not worth it for me, especially on an M class ship where the rooms only offer an additional 50 sq ft. Especially when an A1 with beverage package, grats and $500 were included against the regular 4 suite perks.

 

On the flip side I've seen Caribbean sailings after final payment date where the upgrade from an A1 to an S2 was just $50 per person per day with better perks. In that case, you'd be mad not to upgrade IMHO.

 

If you do book a suite however, you'll not have to worry about lines at guest relations, shore excursion desks etc. Nor will you be queueing for dinner. Having sailed aqua class and suite class I really do see Celebrity as a two tier line. Whilst non suite class is comparable to other mainstream lines, suite class is certainly a significant step up.

[hvbaskey]

Our last five Celebrity cruises have been in various Suites (Sky Suites; Celebrity Suite; Penthouse). Our next cruise, we are booked in an Aqua Class cabin. I will be blogging the comparison during the cruise.

 

Why after 5 cruises in the Suite Life would we do the switch? well? we nabbed an AQ cabin at an incredible price point and in a nutshell with the perks that we received (2 with booking, OBC from an on board booking that paid for a third, and loads of $ from the TA that more than covered the fourth) - now the only difference was “room size, a butler, MC, and Luminae”. The net difference (all monetary perks now being equal); was > $500 / day for the “room size, a butler, MC, and Luminae” and this was for a 15N cruise (do the math) - and this was for an SS2 cabin (entry level Suite) on an M-Class ship.

 

Although we were twitching at the thought of not having a Suite for such a long cruise (and yes, we have been spoiled!) - we know what Suite Life is all about and we could not justify the extreme net price difference (reiterating, we are loaded up with all 4 perks) to have “a slightly larger room (SS2), a butler, MC, and Luminae”.

 

Saying all of that, as mentioned above, I will be blogging the different experience in 3 weeks time - of whether we chose wisely, or not! however, I do believe - we will be just fine and have an outstanding cruise, regardless of whether we are in a Suite, or not; with over $8000 savings in our pockets to spend on incredible, private excursions during our travels.

 

For us, it was the extreme net price difference that guided our decision to try Aqua Class from having the Suite life for the past 5 cruises.

 

Heather

[VaJoeCool]

Although we were twitching at the thought of not having a Suite for such a long cruise (and yes, we have been spoiled!) - we know what Suite Life is all about and we could not justify the extreme net price difference (reiterating, we are loaded up with all 4 perks) to have “a slightly larger room (SS2), a butler, MC, and Luminae”.

 

Saying all of that, as mentioned above, I will be blogging the different experience in 3 weeks time - of whether we chose wisely, or not! however, I do believe - we will be just fine and have an outstanding cruise, regardless of whether we are in a Suite, or not; with over $8000 savings in our pockets to spend on incredible, private excursions during our travels.

 

For us, it was the extreme net price difference that guided our decision to try Aqua Class from having the Suite life for the past 5 cruises.

 

Heather

 

Thanks Heather. I look forward to your follow-up posts on this thread.

[Lastdance]

Wow! Those suites must be high, as AQ for our next European cruise is just 1,000 less than a suite.

I think you made a very wide decision!

 

 

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[kjwinston2019]

OOOOOOOh to live the "good Suite Life." We have been on Sky Sites twice. We even took a Family room once, for just the two of us. (We added our daughter later) What we missed was having the Sky Suite on the side of the ship. We LOVE the Aft. In our up coming adventure we have gone back to the Aft, but concierge class. Now when your room assistant comes to introduce themselves if a "starter" tip is given they could do exactly what the Butler does. Room service is better, etc. Think of it a "specialty" restaurant but in the room. The first time we did this we got the upgrades like heavier towels, better pillows, and super room service.

 

Now back to the Butler! I have notice the better you communicate with your butler the better they are. I am sorry for those who had bad experience with there Butler, but ours have been wonderful! We had breakfast every day on the balcony, (which we still will in the Aft.) and he asked what time. We asked him a good time late in the morning, and he advised us a good time so he could serve us. Yes if they are organized they are there to serve you. He then suggested our afternoon tea time which we also took advantage of. He then came back to pour pour our drinks every afternoon on the balcony: Had to take a picture of that. I cherish that. As one blogger said, they have lots of other suites and just work with them and they will be there for you.

 

We also gave 2 parties for we bought bottles of wine and champagne ahead of times as gifts for ourselves and he and another from room service served cheeses, fruits and our beverages. Wonderful! I though I was a millionaire.

 

Now is it worth the extra $300 for two a day? I have to agree, that the butler service is super, the dinning room experience will be fantastic, for they see your in a suite when they seat you the first few times, but the most important thing I liked was getting ahead of the crowds getting on and off the ships. Tenders, on the ship first and last day! So smooth.

 

I love the fact that Michael's club is now included. That also would be a great perk. (for the guy who said the service was slow, it is meant to be, but I just took my glasses to the bar person and they then would check on us when they could.). We will miss Michael.

 

Things have changed since the last time we were on our last cruise, we only go every 5 years for our anniversary, but we try to go first class as much as we can afford. $3000 is a lot to ask for in 10 days, but if I had it...YOU BET I would go Sky Suite plus. For those who can afford it ...ENJOY!

[warmwinds]

Just to clear something up for me that I'm not sure about since I've never sailed in a suite and don't feel like searching for such common terms:

 

Is there still, or was there once, something about certain lower end suites not getting all the suite perks? I seem to remember that from a few years ago, or my memory could be faulty.

 

Do all suites on all classes of ships all receive the same benefits?

[Lastdance]

Heather, I do think you answered all of your own questions!!! You seem to have it all together! If you stayed in a corner aft on S class, it was an S1, though I have never been in an S2 M class though...

 

Would you be willing to help me with a dilemma that I have regarding my next cruises, as I have been pondering many of the same questions, but my DH always says that you only live once...?

Thanks!!!

 

 

 

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Edited December 3, 2017 by Lastdance

[Lastdance]

Wow! Those suites must be high, as AQ for our next European cruise is just 1,000 less than a suite.

I think you made a very wide decision!

 

 

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That is 1,000 for the entire cruise!

 

 

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[GrayMaineCruiser]

We will be cruising Celebrity for first time in January, we've been with Royal up until now. I had originally booked Aqua but the price on the Sky Suite guarantee dropped so much I couldn't pass on the upgrade. Only ended up being a $300 difference. Our last cruise on Royal was in a Grand Suite so we were a little spoiled with the extra room and the concierge lounge, so looking forward to experiencing Michael's Club.

[miched]

Just to clear something up for me that I'm not sure about since I've never sailed in a suite and don't feel like searching for such common terms:

 

Is there still, or was there once, something about certain lower end suites not getting all the suite perks? I seem to remember that from a few years ago, or my memory could be faulty.

 

Do all suites on all classes of ships all receive the same benefits?

 

All suites lately have been receiving all 4 perks and that depends on the promo and sailing. TAs don’t get all 4 perks and sometimes a special sale pricing doesn’t include them but are available at a extra cost that usually makes it more than it was before the special price.

 

As for other benefits the higher end suites have a few other benefits that aren’t included in the lower ones.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🛳🇺🇸🌅

[Gonzo70]

Just to clear something up for me that I'm not sure about since I've never sailed in a suite and don't feel like searching for such common terms:

 

Is there still, or was there once, something about certain lower end suites not getting all the suite perks? I seem to remember that from a few years ago, or my memory could be faulty.

 

Do all suites on all classes of ships all receive the same benefits?

Sky sites used to not receive Michael's Club access, but they have for a while now. They get dinner in Luminae and a butler, so most of the major perks.

 

The top suites (Royal and higher) receive some extra perks lower suites don't receive such as unlimited specialty dining, two bottles of liquor with bar set up in suite, a bottle of premium Champagne and free access to beverages in mini bar (they also get premium beverage pack and unlimited wifi even if the Go Best promo isn't in effect). Top suites also often receive extras (though no guarantee of this) such as unlimited free laundry, dinner with the Captain or a senior officer etc.