Suite Perks

[7960Ken]

We are new to Celebrity, having cruised with Princess at the Elite level. We have a Sky Suite on deck 12 reserved for August this year. I am curious about the "perks" of a sky suite. Once on the ship, what are the perks that make a real difference and what are the perks that don't add much?

[cruzzzinma]

Small restaurant venue with better staffing ratios - Luminae

 

Quiet private club - Michael’s - sometimes special activities

 

Michael’s Concierge - can do almost anything guest services or shore excursions desk can do.

 

Butler - some people ask for a lot and others do not. They can do a lot.

 

More, better space in cabin. Especially good when the weather is bad, everyone is inside, and the ship feels really crowded.

 

Go Best - if you suite includes Go Best with prepaid grats, beverage package, internet and $300 OBC, you really don’t have anything else to spend money on except shore excursions or the Spa.

 

Tipping with OBC - the Concierge has a magic form that allows you to tip you butler and statement attendant using OBC. You can’t use it for Luminae, the Concierge or the Sommelier. This was helpful to us because we’d booked on board and had $600 OBC.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've use our OBC to tip the wait staff in Luminae on our last 3 cruises. You need to specify Luminae and can add the servers names.

[Gonzo70]

We've use our OBC to tip the wait staff in Luminae on our last 3 cruises. You need to specify Luminae and can add the servers names.

 

I was told my last two cruises in a suite that Luminae pools tips and you cannot specify individuals for extra gratuity if you add extra gratuity to your on-board-account. We tipped in cash extra to the individual Luminae staff that provided us with best service. Not sure if they still were supposed to turn that in to be pooled, but figured that was best chance of rewarding individual people (in addition to praising them by name on comments post-cruise).

[bigbenboys]

The Michael's Club Concierge can book private tour for small groups with other suite guests. The butler setting up breakfast with a white table cloth on the balcony. For us the best perk was while cruising in Asia the butler picking up our passports for us, walking us in small groups through any on board customs (ie temperature scan or one on one meeting with customs) before any non suite guests. On tendering morning having the Micheal's Club Concierge take us down to the tenders. A roped off area in the theater on Evening Chic nights. The area opens to all about 10 mins before show time. Yes the Suite Life is very nice.

[tde1969]

We love Luminae. The service was amazing and just the attention to detail. We made friends with those sitting around us and by the end of the cruise we were hanging out with them even before and after dinner. We love to meet at Michaels club before dinner and grab a drink. It's nice and private and they would periodically have a musician playing before dinner. I had mentioned a certain wine that I liked that was not on the Menu and the next night they had it brought down from cellar masters for me to enjoy.

[Pantheral]

Agree with much that has been said already - Luminae is a great dining venue. Michael's is great for a quiet cocktail or two and the Michael's concierges are a terrific resource for just about everything! If you are tendering at any ports, the priority boarding can be a huge advantage. To me the the most underappreciated thing about a Suite is the extra space: bigger room, larger balcony, more storage space and a bigger bathroom.

[Georgia_Peaches]

The Sky Suites are great entry level staterooms for the suite class and offer all the perks of the more expensive suites without all the extra cost. I don't really have much use for a butler...too fussy for me, but I do enjoy having special access to Michael's Club and their concierge desk for reservations and such. One thing that I absolutely love about the Sky suite is the bathroom amenities by Bvulgari. Our cabin steward replaced them every day whether we needed them or not and they are really wonderful. You get all four perks as a suite guest which I think helps to take the guess work out of how much additional money I need to plan for while on vacation. I hope you enjoy your Celebrity experience!

Christina

[Straughn]

Unless I missed it, no one has mentioned embarkation day lunch in Luminae which makes it possible to avoid the herds up in the buffet. Also, on embarkation day, you can leave your carry on bags in Michael’s Club, under the watchful eye of the concierge, until your suite is ready.

[cruzzzinma]

We've use our OBC to tip the wait staff in Luminae on our last 3 cruises. You need to specify Luminae and can add the servers names.

 

Hmmm, they wouldn’t do that for me in November on the Solstice.

[George C]

We normally tip with each meal in specialty, do you normally get same waiter at Luminae? We do suites but this is our first time in a suite restaurant.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Hmmm, they wouldn’t do that for me in November on the Solstice.

 

We definitely put the extra gratuity on our sea pass and specified Luminae staff on Silhouette and Millennium. Maybe they just told us yes at Guest Relations but the gratuity was shared by the Luminae staff. Even though we had the same server at dinner, the assistants did rotate so they might share any extra tips, whether on the sea pass or given in cash. As I said on another post, I'm not concerned with the extra tip policy of Celebrity, I just tip as I see fit and if it is shared, so be it.:D

[garyl62]

All good points so far, one other thing that we really appreciate and even have said "that was worth every penny of the added cost for a suite" is debarkation. We'll go to Michaels, enjoy some conversation or a last drink, coffee, soda or something stronger, then when we're ready to go the concierge takes a group down, we all pick up our bags in a designated area and then walk right past the lines waiting for a customs agent, to a separate agent who quickly checks things out and we're out on our way to our transportation. Whole process takes less than 5 minutes including picking up our bags.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

All good points so far, one other thing that we really appreciate and even have said "that was worth every penny of the added cost for a suite" is debarkation. We'll go to Michaels, enjoy some conversation or a last drink, coffee, soda or something stronger, then when we're ready to go the concierge takes a group down, we all pick up our bags in a designated area and then walk right past the lines waiting for a customs agent, to a separate agent who quickly checks things out and we're out on our way to our transportation. Whole process takes less than 5 minutes including picking up our bags.

 

We've experienced this on some cruises. Do you mind telling me when your last cruise was, ship and disembarkation port? We booked an early flight for our upcoming cruise because it is nonstop so hoping for a similar experience. Thanks in advance.

[NCHPcruiser]

We normally tip with each meal in specialty, do you normally get same waiter at Luminae? We do suites but this is our first time in a suite restaurant.

 

Our experience during six cruises dining in Luminae has been that we get the same waiter with very few exceptions.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

The Sky Suites are great entry level staterooms for the suite class and offer all the perks of the more expensive suites without all the extra cost. I don't really have much use for a butler...too fussy for me, but I do enjoy having special access to Michael's Club and their concierge desk for reservations and such. One thing that I absolutely love about the Sky suite is the bathroom amenities by Bvulgari. Our cabin steward replaced them every day whether we needed them or not and they are really wonderful. You get all four perks as a suite guest which I think helps to take the guess work out of how much additional money I need to plan for while on vacation. I hope you enjoy your Celebrity experience!

Christina

 

It is not automatic that you get all 4 perks as a suite guest, particularly in a sky suite. It depends on the offer that went with your booking. I wouldn't want people to get their expectations up and then be disappointed. Some perks attach to the suite itself and not the booking, but that only applies to royal suites and the penthouse. And many travel agents do not understand this. I booked a January cruise at the last minute in a royal suite. The TA tried to sell it to me at the Go Best rate. I told her I would prefer the Florida resident rate since the perks attached to the suite, not the booking. She didn't believe me, but it was so. And considerably cheaper at the Florida resident rate.

[garyl62]

We've experienced this on some cruises. Do you mind telling me when your last cruise was, ship and disembarkation port? We booked an early flight for our upcoming cruise because it is nonstop so hoping for a similar experience. Thanks in advance.

 

The experience I described in disembarking was in San Juan on the Summit in March each of the past 2 years. Not sure how luggage is handled in other ports, but I'm pretty sure everyone can get escorted out pretty quickly if you leave from Michaels with the concierge.

[Gordoncruickshank]

We've use our OBC to tip the wait staff in Luminae on our last 3 cruises. You need to specify Luminae and can add the servers names.

I may take advantage of that when on the Silhouette as we have $600+ Obc for a 7 night cruise that we have premium becerage, unlimited internet, free gratuities an Luminae/Michael’s club. We are meeting friends on board and usually only do the Lawn Club.

 

Can you do this for the cabin attendant and butler?

[varoo]

.....Can you do this for the cabin attendant and butler?

Yes.

[Gordoncruickshank]

Thanks for the reply, I can see me having more us$ at the end of this cruise than expected!!

[eileenover]

All good points so far, one other thing that we really appreciate and even have said "that was worth every penny of the added cost for a suite" is debarkation. We'll go to Michaels, enjoy some conversation or a last drink, coffee, soda or something stronger, then when we're ready to go the concierge takes a group down, we all pick up our bags in a designated area and then walk right past the lines waiting for a customs agent, to a separate agent who quickly checks things out and we're out on our way to our transportation. Whole process takes less than 5 minutes including picking up our bags.

 

 

Lawrence, the English Michael's Club concierge, did that for us on one occasion and a queuing passenger took exception and hit him!

[GrayMaineCruiser]

All good points so far, one other thing that we really appreciate and even have said "that was worth every penny of the added cost for a suite" is debarkation. We'll go to Michaels, enjoy some conversation or a last drink, coffee, soda or something stronger, then when we're ready to go the concierge takes a group down, we all pick up our bags in a designated area and then walk right past the lines waiting for a customs agent, to a separate agent who quickly checks things out and we're out on our way to our transportation. Whole process takes less than 5 minutes including picking up our bags.

 

Totally agree with this post. We just did a Sky Suite on Summit couple of weeks ago, and this was a great perk, especially as you walk past the big snaking line and realize just how much time and standing around you have saved.

 

I'd also echo the Luminae and access to Michael's Club were great perks. One thing in particular I liked about Michael's Club is each day one of the musical acts on the cruise would do a special set just for the suite guests. Was a nice, quiet way to enjoy the music on board (and get a decent seat to watch). Can't say enough about Luminae, the food is excellent, but it's the wonderful, friendly service that seals the deal. As far as getting the same waiter, we didn't have the same waiter every night but if we asked, and if there was an open table in his area, we'd get the same person.

[WonderMan3]

All good points so far, one other thing that we really appreciate and even have said "that was worth every penny of the added cost for a suite" is debarkation. We'll go to Michaels, enjoy some conversation or a last drink, coffee, soda or something stronger, then when we're ready to go the concierge takes a group down, we all pick up our bags in a designated area and then walk right past the lines waiting for a customs agent, to a separate agent who quickly checks things out and we're out on our way to our transportation. Whole process takes less than 5 minutes including picking up our bags.

 

 

 

This seems to vary by ship and by terminal. What you described happened to us also last year on Eclipse in Miami except that it was a Celebrity rep not the Concierge who escorted us off the ship through the front door of Michael’s and out the main exit past other people waiting and then once in the terminal she put us in our own private line in Customs.

 

On Silhouette in Ft. Lauderdale a couple weeks ago it was different. We were escorted by the Concierge out the back of Michael’s Club into a debarkation line separate from the main line (which stretched all the way down deck 5 to the theater). Once our key cards scanned we walked the gangway along with non-suite passengers until we got into the terminal. Once there the terminal agents had all non-suite/Zenith guests have a seat in a waiting area while the rest of us were allowed to go down to baggage to get our bags and then into customs where there was no waiting. I know this scenario operated a little differently from our Eclipse experience as we debarked right after they announced debarking was starting while on Eclipse we debarked a bit later after the initial crowds had moved through.

 

 

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[warmwinds]

All good points so far, one other thing that we really appreciate and even have said "that was worth every penny of the added cost for a suite" is debarkation. We'll go to Michaels, enjoy some conversation or a last drink, coffee, soda or something stronger, then when we're ready to go the concierge takes a group down, we all pick up our bags in a designated area and then walk right past the lines waiting for a customs agent, to a separate agent who quickly checks things out and we're out on our way to our transportation. Whole process takes less than 5 minutes including picking up our bags.

 

This sounds fantastic. We'll be debarking in Bayonne/Cape Liberty and will have a car service pick us up to take us to Manhattan...it is so hard to pick a time because we don't want them to wait for us, and we don't want to hang around (as we've done in the past) waiting for them when I chose a too-late time.

 

Any guesstimates for a good pick-up time with a 7 am arrival? (yes, our hotel has been warned we're arriving early).

[Georgia_Peaches]

It is not automatic that you get all 4 perks as a suite guest, particularly in a sky suite. It depends on the offer that went with your booking. I wouldn't want people to get their expectations up and then be disappointed. Some perks attach to the suite itself and not the booking, but that only applies to royal suites and the penthouse. And many travel agents do not understand this. I booked a January cruise at the last minute in a royal suite. The TA tried to sell it to me at the Go Best rate. I told her I would prefer the Florida resident rate since the perks attached to the suite, not the booking. She didn't believe me, but it was so. And considerably cheaper at the Florida resident rate.

My last 6 sky suite experiences and my future booking on the Edge next April have all automatically included the 4 perks.