RCCL vs NCL: Questions about suite pricing

[PTC DAWG]

On 6/28/2019 at 6:48 PM, Merion_Mom said:

LOL

[tomservo]

32 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

LOL

I thought that was funny too. But what better place to do a cost benefit analysis of suite offerings than Cruise Critic! 😁

[dodgestang]

1 hour ago, tomservo said:

For the sake of a more complete comparison, there are a few more fringe benefits to Star over Sky class:

 

Expedited Embark/Debark (vs Priority)

“Best Seats” (vs Reserved seating) at select venues

Priority Entrance to Onboard Activities

Chef’s Table included

Laundry and Pressing included

Stocked mini-bar in room

Duxiana Mattress/Pillows, Frette Linens

 

I’m not sure what the differences are for the first 2 items, maybe those who have experienced both can chime in. 

 

Expedited on/off - as soon as you show at the port...you are wisked onboard (if you got there early...then you go first)...when its time to leave..you say "I would like to leave at X' and then come to your room at the time, walk you off with all your bags, take you through whatever customs is needed and then follow you right to your waiting car service (well...I use a car service....probably would have left us at the curb if I had to run to the garage and get my own car)

 

Best seats - where ever you say you want to sit...is where you sit.  You want front row...you sit in front row.  No questions asked.  The only pecking order is if a star class suite higher than your own wants the exact center front row...you may be 3 seats to the left 😉

 

Other benefits...when you go to private island...first dibs on the best Cabanas 😉

[tomservo]

37 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

 

Expedited on/off - as soon as you show at the port...you are wisked onboard (if you got there early...then you go first)...when its time to leave..you say "I would like to leave at X' and then come to your room at the time, walk you off with all your bags, take you through whatever customs is needed and then follow you right to your waiting car service (well...I use a car service....probably would have left us at the curb if I had to run to the garage and get my own car)

 

Best seats - where ever you say you want to sit...is where you sit.  You want front row...you sit in front row.  No questions asked.  The only pecking order is if a star class suite higher than your own wants the exact center front row...you may be 3 seats to the left 😉

 

Other benefits...when you go to private island...first dibs on the best Cabanas 😉

 

Thanks for the insight, that sounds familiar now where Genies would go to shows ahead of time and drape stuff over seats to reserve them for people. I do like my idea for a "poor-man's" Star Class (irony), but I hope to work my way up to actual Star class at some point. 

 

Another question for Diamonds/Pinnacles - did you book suites less often after reaching those levels, since a lot of the benefits overlap? I was thinking I may not sail the Haven as much after I reach Platinum. 

[Glide_Path]

Think of the Genie as your NCL butler and concierge combined into one person.  Each Genie is assigned to 2-3 suites only.

 

Few more perks for star class 

-Star Bucks drinks are included.

-No additional food upcharge.  Lobster, steak, sushi along with hibachi... whatever.

-We were told on certain hours, you can cut the lines for various activities, laser tag, flowrider, slides.

-We were told by the genie to NOT use the wow bands, but to use the Key Cards.  For better or worse... you definitely get immediate attention by all the staff when they see the purple/black Star Class card.

-Daily laundry included.  Fill the laundry bag before room cleaning in the morning, returned to you by turn down same day.  Went home with almost no dirty cloth. 

 

Just be aware Genie's gratuity is additional. 

[goncruzn]

On 7/1/2019 at 11:55 AM, tomservo said:

 

How much would you spend on a Star class suite? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them for less than 10k. Have you gotten them for less than that?

I've gotten Star Class for less than that once, but I check rates a lot. Usually, we're right around the 10K mark. For example, last September on Allure, we had a Spacious 2BR Aquatheater Suite with 4 people for a total cost of $7331.52; this year we booked a 2BR Aquatheater Suite w/ large balcony (not the spacious one, but large nonetheless) for 3 people for $9012.50 but then upgraded to a Grand Panoramic for $10237.50. We have a 4 bedroom Villa Suite booked on Harmony next year for 4 people, for $11687.92.

 

The Spacious 2BR spacious AQ suite for $7331.52 was an unbelievable find for us. It was only about $200 more than the Crown Loft we had originally booked. We will probably never get anything that good again, but you never know. We jumped on the 4-bedroom villa suite last December when we saw the per person rate was under $3k. The Spacious 2BR AQ suites were even cheaper, but since we had already sailed in one on Allure, we wanted to try something different. How much each of us is willing to pay really boils down to personal preference. Because we have the suites, I would say we spend a decent amount of time in the room and on the balcony, so we do make use of it. Especially on port days when we've been out most of the day and are hot and tired, our balcony is a great place to relax and unwind.

Edited July 29, 2019 by goncruzn

[tomservo]

18 hours ago, goncruzn said:

The Spacious 2BR spacious AQ suite for $7331.52 was an unbelievable find for us.

 

That's nuts, I would book that in a heartbeat. Was it an upgrade, some kind of promotion, or just a regular price drop? I check prices fairly frequently on the Oasis class ships and I've never seen anything anywhere close. How far out from sailing were you when you booked it?

[goncruzn]

4 hours ago, tomservo said:

 

That's nuts, I would book that in a heartbeat. Was it an upgrade, some kind of promotion, or just a regular price drop? I check prices fairly frequently on the Oasis class ships and I've never seen anything anywhere close. How far out from sailing were you when you booked it?

This was MLK day, January 2018, so not sure if it was a special sale that day, but my sister was online that evening checking rates for our sailing (September 16, 2018) and saw it. She immediately called RCCL and at first they had trouble securing the room, but it then popped up and we grabbed it. We were so shocked we got that room for such a low price and so far in advance. I can only hope we'll be that fortunate again.

[tomservo]

51 minutes ago, goncruzn said:

This was MLK day, January 2018, so not sure if it was a special sale that day, but my sister was online that evening checking rates for our sailing (September 16, 2018) and saw it. She immediately called RCCL and at first they had trouble securing the room, but it then popped up and we grabbed it. We were so shocked we got that room for such a low price and so far in advance. I can only hope we'll be that fortunate again.

 

I’ll keep an eye out. Even right now the cheapest Star class for 4 on any Oasis ship is around 11k. If I find a good deal I’ll post about it, after I book it of course 😁

[goncruzn]

Believe me, this year on MLK day, I don't think I got any work done. I logged on every hour to check the rates!😄

They were definitely not as good as they were the previous year! You really just have to keep checking often because the prices can change even within the same sale. I'm sailing the Getaway next June, but haven't been able to get any good rates for The Haven suites as I have for Star Class on RCCL. I will keep at it though . . .

[tomservo]

18 hours ago, goncruzn said:

Believe me, this year on MLK day, I don't think I got any work done. I logged on every hour to check the rates!😄

They were definitely not as good as they were the previous year! You really just have to keep checking often because the prices can change even within the same sale. I'm sailing the Getaway next June, but haven't been able to get any good rates for The Haven suites as I have for Star Class on RCCL. I will keep at it though . . .

Summer is tough. I track Haven prices as well, what kind of room and rate are you trying to get? We sailed in the Haven on the Getaway this past April in an H6 aft suite (best cabin on the ship!), check out my review here:

 

 

[goncruzn]

Right now a Haven suite (H7) will cost me approximately $6K more for three people, almost twice as much as I'm currently paying.

 

Great review! Great insight into everything. I will definitely use it as I plan our days out for our sailing.

[tomservo]

6 hours ago, goncruzn said:

Right now a Haven suite (H7) will cost me approximately $6K more for three people, almost twice as much as I'm currently paying.

 

7k more than you're paying for Star Class? That's nuts, it must be because it's the summer. The 4 of us have an H8 (which is just an H7 with a connecting door) on the Bliss out of NYC in March 2020 for a hair under 6k. If we sail in the Haven I try to keep it under 1k/day for the 4 of us for standard itineraries. 

 

6 hours ago, goncruzn said:

Great review! Great insight into everything. I will definitely use it as I plan our days out for our sailing.

 

Thanks! I never got a chance to wrap it up with final thoughts, but it gave me an appreciation for how much work goes into those reviews.