New to RCC - Suite Questions

[HBCcruiser]

7 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

It’s funny how many NCL people are giving RCCL a shot with these summer sailings.  Like you, I’m well informed on NCL and Haven policies, but RCCL seems a entire new world.  

 

For me it is because RCI stopped sailing out of LA. Now that they are back, who knows! 😎😎

[3kidsncats]

9 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

 

For me it is because RCI stopped sailing out of LA. Now that they are back, who knows! 😎😎

Same — San Pedro is our home port

[George C]

20 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

It’s funny how many NCL people are giving RCCL a shot with these summer sailings.  Like you, I’m well informed on NCL and Haven policies, but RCCL seems a entire new world.  

What I do not like about rccl suite perks is there different on different class ships, I prefer celebrity which has a suite restaurant on all there ships. But rccl suites are really nice and rccl has great entertainment.

[3kidsncats]

1 minute ago, George C said:

What I do not like about rccl suite perks is there different on different class ships, I prefer celebrity which has a suite restaurant on all there ships. But rccl suites are really nice and rccl has great entertainment.

That has been a....... difficulty in booking decisions.  We will be on Adventure of the Seas, and it is a challenge to figure what to expect on this specific ship, especially with Covid related adjustments.  And their FAQ for what to expect post Covid ONLY references Royal Class suites, as if that is the only category one would want to know about.  I’m sure we will have a great trip, regardless, but I do like knowing ahead of time at least what perks come with my specific booking.

[HBCcruiser]

9 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

That has been a....... difficulty in booking decisions.  We will be on Adventure of the Seas, and it is a challenge to figure what to expect on this specific ship, especially with Covid related adjustments.  And their FAQ for what to expect post Covid ONLY references Royal Class suites, as if that is the only category one would want to know about.  I’m sure we will have a great trip, regardless, but I do like knowing ahead of time at least what perks come with my specific booking.

100% agree. We are on her July 17, 2021. I guess we shall learn more then. 😀

[George C]

9 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

That has been a....... difficulty in booking decisions.  We will be on Adventure of the Seas, and it is a challenge to figure what to expect on this specific ship, especially with Covid related adjustments.  And their FAQ for what to expect post Covid ONLY references Royal Class suites, as if that is the only category one would want to know about.  I’m sure we will have a great trip, regardless, but I do like knowing ahead of time at least what perks come with my specific booking.

I like the size of the adventure we did her sister ship voyager once and navigator 3 times all in grand suites, ship has a great ice show and there are really nice reserved seats for that show.

[HBCcruiser]

18 minutes ago, 3kidsncats said:

I’m sure we will have a great trip, regardless, but I do like knowing ahead of time at least what perks come with my specific booking.

I think you are sailing in August, correct? I plan on doing a “Live from...” review here on CC.  Hopefully I will be able to answer questions regarding new suite policies and perks.

[3kidsncats]

54 minutes ago, George C said:

I like the size of the adventure we did her sister ship voyager once and navigator 3 times all in grand suites, ship has a great ice show and there are really nice reserved seats for that show.

I’m fine with the “older” or “smaller” ships, and know several people that love the AOS — my husband and I were just talking about our honeymoon on the NCL Seaward, docked next to the Monarch of the Seas (largest at sea, at that point) and our ship looking like a toy in comparison.  One thing we’ve learned since then is there is a lot more involved in a great cruise than the technology or size of the ship.  

Edited April 27, 2021 by 3kidsncats
Typo

[3kidsncats]

42 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

I think you are sailing in August, correct? I plan on doing a “Live from...” review here on CC.  Hopefully I will be able to answer questions regarding new suite policies and perks.

Yes, we sail in August —- I will be watching for your live posts — thank you so much for doing one 😊

[RFerrington]

6 hours ago, HBCcruiser said:

Good to know. How would I reserve it though? On NCL you can reserve all of your dining reservations ahead of time. Should I wait until the concierge contacts me? Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve cruised with RCI. Excited though! 

You cannot reserve embarkation day lunch unless you’re in a full suite.  The trade-off for getting a discount with the UDP is that you must wait to book onboard.  I have never failed to get in at lunch on embarkation day.  I would suggest that you go early though.  If you are in a full suite you can have the concierge reserve your lunch when they reach out to you prior to boarding.

[Sailing12Away]

6 hours ago, 3kidsncats said:

It’s funny how many NCL people are giving RCCL a shot with these summer sailings.  Like you, I’m well informed on NCL and Haven policies, but RCCL seems a entire new world.  

For me it's not about the summer sailings, it's about the difference in how NCL handled our cancelled October cruise. We're up to 3 cancelled cruises from them, and they issued us 2 10% off certificates to use on rebooking. One was used to book the now since cancelled October sailing, and they're refusing to return that or issue another one so that I could book a replacement. 

 

So now I have an excess of Cruise Next certificates I may or may not use (already signed up for the FB group to try and sell them once I see what happens for our next booked NCL cruise), plus the cost to rebook the October sailing through them went up over 40% for my cabin.

 

Customer service with NCL has been full of lies and PR mumbo-jumbo, so I'm switching to a new cruise line. I get it, they're in recovery mode from not sailing for a year and costs go up - but just give me what I'm entitled to since you cancelled my cruise, not me cancelling it. So 3 cancelled cruises and only 1 used certificate for 10% off (if they cancel my next cruise with them as I suspect they will, then I'll be down to zero compensation for 4 cancelled cruises and a ton of CN certificates I have no desire to use).

 

I'm a bitter person, and I can hold a grudge a long time. With so many other companies out there treating their customers better there's no reason for me to stay loyal to NCL.

[Biker19]

40 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

With so many other companies out there treating their customers better

RCI may not be one of them.

[HBCcruiser]

3 hours ago, RFerrington said:

You cannot reserve embarkation day lunch unless you’re in a full suite

We are in the 2bd Grand Suite if that helps. 

[RFerrington]

1 minute ago, HBCcruiser said:

We are in the 2bd Grand Suite if that helps. 

Then you will be able to reserve your embarkation lunch (if there is such a thing when cruising resumes).  In fact, you will be able to make any/all dining reservations for the entire cruise, before you board.  Your Suites Concierge will contact you approximately 5 days before sailing (assuming the process is the same as it was before).  At that time you can let the Concierge know what dining reservations you want (including lunch if they are going to allow boarding early enough) and he/she will make them for you.  It's one of the really nice Suites perks.  It is my suspicion that this perk will be ever more important when cruising resumes b/c I believe that the restaurants will be reducing capacity and dining reservations are likely to be even more difficult to get than they used to be.  Being able to make reservations in advance is going to give you a big step ahead of the crowds.

[HBCcruiser]

12 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

Then you will be able to reserve your embarkation lunch (if there is such a thing when cruising resumes).  In fact, you will be able to make any/all dining reservations for the entire cruise, before you board.  Your Suites Concierge will contact you approximately 5 days before sailing (assuming the process is the same as it was before).  At that time you can let the Concierge know what dining reservations you want (including lunch if they are going to allow boarding early enough) and he/she will make them for you.  It's one of the really nice Suites perks.  It is my suspicion that this perk will be ever more important when cruising resumes b/c I believe that the restaurants will be reducing capacity and dining reservations are likely to be even more difficult to get than they used to be.  Being able to make reservations in advance is going to give you a big step ahead of the crowds.

Great information.Thank you! I wish RCI would publish better info regarding suite perks on different ships. It gets confusing. 

[RFerrington]

47 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Great information.Thank you!

You're welcome.  My pleasure

[George C]

here is a old email from concierge

 

 Dear Suite Guest,

It is my pleasure to welcome you onboard the beautiful Navigator of the Seas. We are honored
that you have selected Royal Caribbean International for your cruise vacation.

My name is Nadja Djurdjevic your Concierge onboard. I am available to assist you with any
special requests you may have throughout your cruise vacation. My hours in the Concierge
Lounge are daily from 8:00 am to 11:00 and 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

As a Suite guest, you are offered exclusive amenities and services not available to other
guests onboard Navigator of the Seas. For your convenience, here is a brief summary of those
services:

·        Use of the Concierge Lounge, Deck 9 aft
·        Spa Bathrobes for use onboard.
·        Upgraded amenities for the bathroom.
·        Complimentary pressing service for the first Formal night.
·        Continental Breakfast served daily in the Concierge Lounge, From 7:30 am to 10:00 am
·        Hors d’oeuvres, petit fours and complimentary bar setup served in the lounge every
        evening before and after dinner from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
·        A la Carte Breakfast served daily in Chop’s Restaurant on Sea Days from 8:00 am to 10:00 am.
        and in Port days from 7:00 am to 9:00 am.
       A la Carte Lunch served only in Sea days from 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm (limited options served).
·        Daily menus displayed and pre-ordering for your dinner wine.
·        Limited VIP lounge chair set-up near the Pool Bar area between Decks 11 and 12
        ( no chairs reservation ).
        Priority tendering escort upon request to the Concierge.
·        Full Dining Room room-service privilege (available when Dining Room is open).
·        Reservations for any of our specialty restaurants, sports activities, Shore excursions!
        Salon and Spa services, etc.
·        Our new additions i.e. Sabor, Giovanni’s Table, Izumi  Restaurant ,Chops Grille ,get
         booked early, to avoid disappointment we suggest you make your reservations early.
·        Arrangements for private parties.
·        Business services such as copies, etc.
·        Cocktail party hosted by the Captain (invitations will be sent).
·        Reserved VIP seats for production shows the suite area will be open 5 minutes prior
        to show time (please show Cruise Director’s staffs your Gold Sea
        Pass card at the entrance).
·        Reserved private seating during breakfast and lunch in Chop’s Grill restaurant (please see your service personnel for directions).
·        Access to the special VIP Barefoot Beach area in our private port of call of Labadee.

[HBCcruiser]

3 minutes ago, George C said:

Full Dining Room room-service privilege (available when Dining Room is open).

Thank you for sharing. What was the "Full Dining Room-service privilege?" Is that like room service?  

[George C]

32 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Thank you for sharing. What was the "Full Dining Room-service privilege?" Is that like room service?  

Others have limited options and are charged for room service, suites can order from full menu. We have only done breakfast from room service, remember those in owners suite have a dinning table in there suite.

[RFerrington]

59 minutes ago, HBCcruiser said:

Thank you for sharing. What was the "Full Dining Room-service privilege?" Is that like room service?  

Yes.  You can order anything from the MDR (all meals...breakfast, lunch and dinner) and have it delivered to your suite during normal dining room operating hours.  It has been my experience that it is very difficult to get the dining room to answer the phone to order your food.  I have always been hesitant to bother the Concierge with food orders...it seems so menial to bother them with such things....but sometimes that's the only way to get your order in !!

 

Another thing of note:  you  can order as much food as you want at no charge so if you want to have guests over to your suite and either feed them a meal or just have snacks to eat, you can do that.  If you plan on doing that it is my recommendation that you do not wait until the last minute to place such an order.  As I said above, I found it often difficult to get in touch with the MDR folks so in a special case where you want something specific at a specific time, I would ask the Concierge for help.  And another note about in-suite dining:  make sure that you ask for EVERYTHING that you want.  They will bring you exactly what you ask for and nothing more.  If you want glasses of water, lemon for your water, butter, jam, salt, pepper, sugar, tea you have to ask for those things.  They will usually ask you how many people are dining and bring you all of the plates and silverware that you need but if they don't ask, be sure and tell them that you want X plates and sets of silverware.

[PTC DAWG]

On 4/25/2021 at 11:44 AM, smokeybandit said:

1) With covid the app is in a state of flux. Don't put too much concern over the app right now

2) The Key is most certainly not necessary with the suite.

3) The suite happy hour may negate your need for the drink package, especially on Oasis class ships (which Jewel obviously isn't).  You can easily get 4-5+ drinks during the happy hour. 

 

Want does one do drinks the other 16 hours you are awake?  🙂

Edited April 27, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[Cigar King]

2 hours ago, RFerrington said:

It has been my experience that it is very difficult to get the dining room to answer the phone to order your food.

Not discounting your experience, but, mine has been the opposite.  Very responsive and they seta nice table as well.

[George C]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Want does one do drinks the other 16 hours you are awake?  🙂

Also the red wine offered in happy hour is really poor quality and other selections are limited.

[HBCcruiser]

Good to know. I have the DBP so not really worried about the happy hour drinks. 

[3kidsncats]

20 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

For me it's not about the summer sailings, it's about the difference in how NCL handled our cancelled October cruise. We're up to 3 cancelled cruises from them, and they issued us 2 10% off certificates to use on rebooking. One was used to book the now since cancelled October sailing, and they're refusing to return that or issue another one so that I could book a replacement. 

 

So now I have an excess of Cruise Next certificates I may or may not use (already signed up for the FB group to try and sell them once I see what happens for our next booked NCL cruise), plus the cost to rebook the October sailing through them went up over 40% for my cabin.

 

Customer service with NCL has been full of lies and PR mumbo-jumbo, so I'm switching to a new cruise line. I get it, they're in recovery mode from not sailing for a year and costs go up - but just give me what I'm entitled to since you cancelled my cruise, not me cancelling it. So 3 cancelled cruises and only 1 used certificate for 10% off (if they cancel my next cruise with them as I suspect they will, then I'll be down to zero compensation for 4 cancelled cruises and a ton of CN certificates I have no desire to use).

 

I'm a bitter person, and I can hold a grudge a long time. With so many other companies out there treating their customers better there's no reason for me to stay loyal to NCL.

I’m definitely glad I didn’t have anything booked in 2020, other than the Joy in early January.  I can imagine that it was not financially possible to give much in the way of cancellation “perks” given that every single cruise for over a year had to be cancelled — for me I wouldn’t care about that particularly.  But being able to rebook a replacement cruise at the same price as what was cancelled WOULD be an issue for me.  So I understand your frustration and why you are fed up.