Is a suite worth it?

[Host Jazzbeau]

It probably doesn't change anything, but keep in mind that the BEST package includes the Premium Beverage package, while lesser packages only include the Classic Beverages.

[varoo]

5 hours ago, miched said:

We normally book AQ.  We splurged for a Sky Suite.   Luminae was OK.  The extra space was nice but we didn’t like the combo bath tub/ shower.   The rainfall shower head was nice.   The upgraded furniture on the balcony was nice but not that muck better than CC or AQ. 

 

We didn’t utilize the Butler at all.  It was probably our fault but I really have a hard time with someone doing somethIng  for me that I can easily do myself.

 

 

Sometimes this whole butler business reaches the point of absurdity.

The butler sees us returning to our room with ice cream, and immediately informs us that we should have called him to get it for us.

We  didn't even know we wanted ice-cream, or which flavors we wanted until we were standing at the ice-cream counter at the buffet looking to see which flavors were available at the time.

 

So at that point, are we (able-bodied people) expected to call him to come up there to get the ice cream and  carry it back to the suite for us?

 

We have never seen any good reason to have the butler escort us to our seats in the theater either.

Sometimes that fawning all over us gets to be a bit much.

The only times we appreciate having the butler is if we are tired, or not feeling well.  Otherwise, like you, we are generally "do it yourself" types.

 

While we do enjoy Luminae and the specialty restaurants, after a few days in a row dining at them, we are ready for a nice, quiet buffet dinner without all the pomp.  We find the food at the buffet in the evenings to be quite good.

Maybe we are just simple peasants at heart.

         

[4774Papa]

We always book a balcony, but on our Millennium cruise, Japan and China in 2015, we got a call from Celebrity offering us a large sky suite for $800 total.  We upgraded and loved the large cabin with large balcony and bathroom (had a tub and nice shower as well as double sinks).   The main benefit was dining at Luminae, which was great.  Only disadvantage there was that some of our cruise critic friends that we knew couldn't dine there, so we never dined with them.

 

We didn't use the butler much, but he came by every day at 4pm with snacks and tea.  He kept pushing sweets like cookies, which we tried to avoid.  We could have done without that.

 

Paying for a suite upfront would never be our choice.  We are happy with a balcony and probably would never upgrade to a suite, unless we had three in a cabin and the upgrade cost was low.

[miched]

4 hours ago, varoo said:

 

Sometimes this whole butler business reaches the point of absurdity.

The butler sees us returning to our room with ice cream, and immediately informs us that we should have called him to get it for us.

We  didn't even know we wanted ice-cream, or which flavors we wanted until we were standing at the ice-cream counter at the buffet looking to see which flavors were available at the time.

 

So at that point, are we (able-bodied people) expected to call him to come up there to get the ice cream and  carry it back to the suite for us?

 

We have never seen any good reason to have the butler escort us to our seats in the theater either.

Sometimes that fawning all over us gets to be a bit much.

The only times we appreciate having the butler is if we are tired, or not feeling well.  Otherwise, like you, we are generally "do it yourself" types.

 

While we do enjoy Luminae and the specialty restaurants, after a few days in a row dining at them, we are ready for a nice, quiet buffet dinner without all the pomp.  We find the food at the buffet in the evenings to be quite good.

Maybe we are just simple peasants at heart.

         

You have the same attitude that we do.   We don’t need the Butler to call and make dinner reservations.  I can call a lot easier and do it myself instead of using a relay.

 

The same for the host in Michael’s.  We were walking past the Guest Relations and seen no line.  Stopped and took care of business.  The host said that she could do that for us.  Next day we need to talk to her and had to wait about 30 minutes while she was waiting on others. 

 

We were walikng past the Future Cruise Desk.  Walked in and booked a cruise looking on the big screen sitting in comfortable chairs at a desk.  We were told by other suite guests that they had  reservations in Michael’s to book a cruise.   later during the cruise we seen another couple making reservations.  The couple and the planner were all hunched over in their chairs looking at a lap top.   There was also another couple waiting to see him.

 

The biggest let down was being escorted off the ship to disembark.  We walked past the   chckout point to go to Michael’s.  There wasn’t any line and we could have walked thru.  We continued to Michaels and waited there 15 minutes for the host to escort us off as we heard others about it being such a great perk..   All she did was walk us to the Checkout point where there was now a line that we had to get into.   About 30 minutes wasted for nothing.

 

This is our experience.  I am sure others will have a different opinion or experience. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

 

[phoenix_dream]

If I could afford it, I would book more suites just for the extra room in the cabin and the larger balcony.  As it is, we choose 2 cruises in AQ to one in a suite as we love both.  What I would miss if booking a suite is Blu.  Many like Luminae.  DH and I were not impressed, although the wine selection was better, as was the bread selection (DH is a bread fanatic).  In fact, the one time we tried it we ended up ordering off the MDR menu 3 or 4 times as the selections were a little too 'fancy' for us.  If we do go back to a suite one day, if still allowed we would probably eat our dinners in Blu rather than Luminae.  

[1025cruise]

Thanks everyone for their thoughts.

I didn't say I was opposed to eating in Luminae, just that the MDR was more than adequate for us. After looking at sample menus, I'd say we'd probably prefer to order off the MDR menu anyways. Same for the specialty restaurants. The menus just don't appeal to us, to spend the upcharge. In reality, the same for Blu, hence no need to book Aqua.

 

However, I gotta admit the thought of booking a S1 aft corner looks very nice. One of my favorite cabins was on the Carnival Valor. We had one of their L shaped cabins in the back. That meant a longer balcony, so there was a lounger on it. 

 

In the end, I suspect that I'll book a concierge cabin. Just was curious if anyone thought the price difference was worth it. From what I'm seeing, its probably too much of a difference, especially at this point with their being too many unknowns about what the ship will look like post drydock.

[grandgeezer]

2 hours ago, miched said:

You have the same attitude that we do.   We don’t need the Butler to call and make dinner reservations.  I can call a lot easier and do it myself instead of using a relay.

 

The same for the host in Michael’s.  We were walking past the Guest Relations and seen no line.  Stopped and took care of business.  The host said that she could do that for us.  Next day we need to talk to her and had to wait about 30 minutes while she was waiting on others. 

 

We were walikng past the Future Cruise Desk.  Walked in and booked a cruise looking on the big screen sitting in comfortable chairs at a desk.  We were told by other suite guests that they had  reservations in Michael’s to book a cruise.   later during the cruise we seen another couple making reservations.  The couple and the planner were all hunched over in their chairs looking at a lap top.   There was also another couple waiting to see him.

 

The biggest let down was being escorted off the ship to disembark.  We walked past the   chckout point to go to Michael’s.  There wasn’t any line and we could have walked thru.  We continued to Michaels and waited there 15 minutes for the host to escort us off as we heard others about it being such a great perk..   All she did was walk us to the Checkout point where there was now a line that we had to get into.   About 30 minutes wasted for nothing.

 

This is our experience.  I am sure others will have a different opinion or experience. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

 

 

We were recently in a suite on the Allure of the Seas last month. The priority disembarkation perk was the best of the bunch. The Concierge took of off the ship, and since we didn't have any checked luggage, right to the front of the line for Customs. The normal line was backed up past the area where you picked up your luggage.

[jagoffee]

4 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

Thanks everyone for their thoughts.

I didn't say I was opposed to eating in Luminae, just that the MDR was more than adequate for us. After looking at sample menus, I'd say we'd probably prefer to order off the MDR menu anyways. Same for the specialty restaurants. The menus just don't appeal to us, to spend the upcharge. In reality, the same for Blu, hence no need to book Aqua.

 

However, I gotta admit the thought of booking a S1 aft corner looks very nice. One of my favorite cabins was on the Carnival Valor. We had one of their L shaped cabins in the back. That meant a longer balcony, so there was a lounger on it. 

 

In the end, I suspect that I'll book a concierge cabin. Just was curious if anyone thought the price difference was worth it. From what I'm seeing, its probably too much of a difference, especially at this point with their being too many unknowns about what the ship will look like post drydock.

The Corner AFT S1 on the Solstice Class are very nice, but still not worth almost a  $1000 s day for two people.  Try the RS at that price.

[Hlitner]

On ‎12‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 1:22 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

Celebrity hasn't revealed many details about how Equinox will change in the Edge-ification process.  The most important is that all cabins will be replaced [they are modular] so all the furniture and finishes will be brand new [going from dark woods to the light color scheme of Edge], and a suites-only area called The Retreat will be added [apparently replacing the sports area on Deck 12].  Michael's Club will become part of the Retreat [but apparently staying in the same location, not near the deck 12 parts] and Luminae will get new decor [but again apparently staying in the same location].  Other public areas will also be redecorated, but ASAIK no details have been released on how this will change onboard experiences.  Equinox is the first S-class ship to get the changes, so we will find out in late May.

 

Going by past suite experience:  the benefits of a suite over CC are basically more room in the cabin and Luminae.  Since you've ruled out Luminae as a big draw for you, it's hard to justify the price of a suite.  [For us, OTOH, Luminae is absolutely worth it and the reason we only consider suites on Celebrity.]

All cabins will be replaced?  Paint me skeptical.  Yes, the cabins are indeed modular and dropped into place when a ship is constructed.  But no way are they going to completely disassemble a ship (which would mean removing all the top decks) so they can replace the "modular" cabins.  Just imagine replacing the "modular" cabins on the Plaza Deck.  They would have to literally strip away all the public spaces above and essentially build a new ship.  This would also mean disconnecting all the plumbing and electrical.  What is more likely is that they will make some internal cabin modifications, such as a new bedspread or perhaps even a mattress :).  And perhaps they will replace the furniture, although we think that Celebrity has become so cheap (they even eliminated free bottled water in Aqua Class) its hard to imagine them spending any more money then is absolutely necessary.

 

Hank

[miched]

Hank you are right.   From what we were told on a recent cruise the M class will basically be totally stripped to the hull and modules will replace the existing cabins. This came from Capt Kate during a Q and A. 

 

The S Class will basically get the make over like the M class did when it was Soltinized.  The cabins decor and furnishing may be changed but nothing drastic.  Looking at the schedule there isn’t enough time to totally change those ships even though they have modules.   The public areas will probably be changed the most.  

 

Looking  at the budget for the total revolution there is no way that every ship will be completely changed.

 

The only big changes that I can see in the S Classes are more venues with upcharges. 🤬🤑

 

Happy cruisng 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

[BNBR]

On 12/26/2018 at 2:50 PM, Jim_Iain said:

There's a major disadvantage to cruising in a suite.    You will find it hard to impossible to go back to non-suite room.   It is very addictive. 

 

I had the opposite feeling. After booking a couple of suites, it's unlikely we would ever book a suite again. The value isn't there. It's a testament to just how good regular cabins are, really.  Having a little bigger room and a couple minor perks made no difference in our enjoyment of the cruises and certainly didn't justify the thousands of dollars extra. 

 

Flying first class, on the other hand.... I can't go back to economy, I won't go back!

[LA_CA_GAL]

Luminae, loved it.

Michael's Club, great.  We were able to meet the Captain twice here and get pictures.

Express check in and out.  Great perk, especially when getting off the ship first.

Bridge tour.  The highlight.  Captain Alex on the Summit was great.  Took place sailing in the open sea.

Butler, nice perk, nothing great, but, he was able to take care of some special requests that I would not have gotten without him.

[dkjretired]

In your OP, you stated that Aqua has no interest for you, I was curious why.   Don't get pulled in with Aqua by the whole health thing because it's really advertising hype.  The important issue in AQ for most people in a very positive way is Blu as your restaurant.  A large majority of cruisers on this board rave about Blu and it is not really health food, what you get is a smaller more intimate restaurant with good food more cooked to order as opposed to banquet style in the MDR.

 

With that being said, a suite is wonderful treat for special occasions, we did one last year for our 35th wedding anniversary and I did it as a surprise for the wife.   Really enjoyed Michaels club, soon to be called the Retreat and Luminae was the closest to the MDR experience that we had when we first started sailing Celebrity in the early 90s.  Not quite there but pretty close.  

Edited December 28, 2018 by dkjretired

[1025cruise]

Blu is what doesn't appeal to us. We looked at the menus and just didn't find them appealing, versus the MDR.

[TeeRick]

To the OP- Yes a suite is worth it to me.  But it is a personal buying decision that only you can answer.

[grandgeezer]

4 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

I had the opposite feeling. After booking a couple of suites, it's unlikely we would ever book a suite again. The value isn't there. It's a testament to just how good regular cabins are, really.  Having a little bigger room and a couple minor perks made no difference in our enjoyment of the cruises and certainly didn't justify the thousands of dollars extra. 

 

Flying first class, on the other hand.... I can't go back to economy, I won't go back!

 

We flew first class on American, and never again. Talk about overpriced, over double the price of coach and the only thing of real value we got was a wider seat and more legroom. The meal was a joke. Would have been better off to buy something in the terminal and bring it on the plane.

[BNBR]

30 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

 

We flew first class on American, and never again. Talk about overpriced, over double the price of coach and the only thing of real value we got was a wider seat and more legroom. The meal was a joke. Would have been better off to buy something in the terminal and bring it on the plane.

 

Food has generally been good on my flights.  But more importantly, I'm a big guy with back issues. Coach seats are pure misery to me. I also book with points. 

[grandgeezer]

35 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Food has generally been good on my flights.  But more importantly, I'm a big guy with back issues. Coach seats are pure misery to me. I also book with points. 

 

I am a big guy too. We usually book exit rows or economy premium seats which make it livable. In defense of the food, it was a one stop flight with each leg being about 2 1/2 hours. Maybe if it would have been nonstop, the food would have been better.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

 

We flew first class on American, and never again. Talk about overpriced, over double the price of coach and the only thing of real value we got was a wider seat and more legroom. The meal was a joke. Would have been better off to buy something in the terminal and bring it on the plane.

AA is our least favorite major American airline (pun intended), primarily because of their frequent schedule changes, cancellations, etc.  But when it comes to Business/First Class one should consider that in the USA, domestic Business/First is somewhat of a joke if one is paying the full price.  It is similar within Europe (some would say worse).  Domestic Business/First essentially means getting a few more inches of pitch (leg room) and some extra width.

 

Where Business Class becomes more interesting and valuable is on longer International flights where you can book lay flat seats.  In addition you generally get 2 free pieces of luggage (up to 70 pounds each), access to some decent airport lounges, free booze (sometimes very good booze), and OK to good food.   One can use sites like Seat Guru (and even the airline's own site) to study seat diagrams and info....before booking.  With some cruise lines (Princess is one of the best examples) it is often possible to book Business/First at a huge discount.  For example, we recently booked one way Business Class from the USA to Rome for about $1000.  This includes our preferred lay-flat seats which keeps us relatively comfy and makes it possible to get a few hours of sleep on the long overnight flight.  The result is that we land somewhat rested and can enjoy the day without being severely jet lagged.  In a sense, paying the extra money for air gets us an extra day in Europe since flying coach usually leaves us a basket case :(.  

 

Hank

[BNBR]

Domestic first class isn't a "joke" compared to international. It's just a different product and priced accordingly. We generally pay around $500 for round trip tickets.  $3000+ for international. So of course it's not the same. 

 

Consider the price of domestic first is what coach would have cost in the 1970's accounting for inflation.  So it's a very fine product and good value, even at full fare, for what is offered.  

 

We get priority security, priority check in, priority boarding and priority off the plane. Welcome drinks, free cocktails and wine, a nice meal, large seats with all included entertainment and a bathroom just for our cabin. Includes bags, too, so factor that in to the cost. I think that's a reasonable value for the price compared to the misery of domestic coach. 

Edited December 28, 2018 by BNBR

[ZsuZsu]

We LOVE the corner aft Sky Suite on the Equinox!  That combined with the "Go Best" package make paying the cost of a suite worth it (ymmv).  We sail an S1 corner aft whenever possible- we love the quiet with very little foot traffic, that gorgeous aft view, and dining in Luminae.  I get a little nervous in crowds, so having the butler to bring cappuccino and breakfast to eat on the balcony is fabulous!  We spend a lot of time on the balcony and enjoy the smaller dining room, so the cost is worth it to us.

We also sail in "regular balcony" cabins- love them, but tend to spend more on specialty dining as the MDR gets a bit crowded for me....

Enjoy whatever you choose- it'll be great whatever decision you make! 

[Host Jazzbeau]

16 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

I had the opposite feeling. After booking a couple of suites, it's unlikely we would ever book a suite again. The value isn't there. It's a testament to just how good regular cabins are, really.  Having a little bigger room and a couple minor perks made no difference in our enjoyment of the cruises and certainly didn't justify the thousands of dollars extra. 

 

Flying first class, on the other hand.... I can't go back to economy, I won't go back!

 

Funny, we are just the opposite:  love suites, actually prefer Premium Economy to Business/First [the food and service up front are so lavish that we can't get any sleep!]

[1025cruise]

Probably going to book this weekend. Still up in the air...

[Lastdance]

Just do it!  Then you can choose to never do it again...Corner afts are our favorite too, otherwise it is just a little more room...I do not think you will!

Edited December 29, 2018 by Lastdance

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, 1025cruise said:

Probably going to book this weekend. Still up in the air...

I would guess that you won’t book an S2 suite at almost $1000 a day, so I am not sure why you are still “up in the air”.  I am a little surprised that you are still considering that option.  As I said previously if you can get a RS at that price, it might be worth it.

 

Good luck.