Suite perks...

[COCKYMARK]

Trying to decide on either a JS or Grand....someone with info on these appreciated. are the perks much better in a grand?

[malson]

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-rooms/royal-suite-class

 

Amenities are about halfway down the page. JS is Sea. Grand would be Sky.

 

Also, https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-royal-suite-class

Edited October 30, 2021 by malson

[erinsmom03]

It also depends on which ship class, as to whether or not they have the different classes for suites.  But in general, JS doesn't get as many perks. I don't mind though, I love JS!

 

[topnole]

7 minutes ago, COCKYMARK said:

Trying to decide on either a JS or Grand....someone with info on these appreciated. are the perks much better in a grand?

Depends on the ship.  It varies greatly between the newer and older classes.  

[COCKYMARK]

It will be on Allure thanks!

[erinsmom03]

Allure does have the different classes of suites. So the links above will tell you the differences.

[Cigar King]

Personally I think the best perk of the GS .vs. the JS is the extra room.  Sure things like access to the lounge are nice, but ultimately for me I am booking because of the room, not the perks.

[George C]

With grand suite you get concierge, suite restaurant costal kitchen for all meals, free drinks in suite lounge during happy hour, free water, cheap wine and beer for most of the day, in the past we also got reserved seats for all the shows, I heard that they may have temporary stopped that , I am hoping that it will be back before my allure cruise in a month . Also concierge will walk you off the ship at end of the cruise, nice bathroom with double sinks. 

[Karma5]

I always get a grand suite on the mega ships such as Allure better benefits. On the rest of the ships I always get a Jr suite.  It all depends on what you want and how much........................

[COCKYMARK]

What all will concierge do for you?

[smokeybandit]

Unless you are just chasing points, I'd never book a JS

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, George C said:

in the past we also got reserved seats for all the shows, I heard that they may have temporary stopped that , I am hoping that it will be back before my allure cruise in a month .\

What they're doing now is giving suite guests early access to shows to pick their seats -- this allows you to sit where you want and still have social distancing.

[cured]

2 hours ago, George C said:

With grand suite you get concierge, suite restaurant costal kitchen for all meals, free drinks in suite lounge during happy hour, free water, cheap wine and beer for most of the day, in the past we also got reserved seats for all the shows, I heard that they may have temporary stopped that , I am hoping that it will be back before my allure cruise in a month . Also concierge will walk you off the ship at end of the cruise, nice bathroom with double sinks. 

You also get free wifi for everyone in the sky suites.

[George C]

1 hour ago, COCKYMARK said:

What all will concierge do for you?

He can help with any problems or issues, he can make reservations at restaurants etc.

[rhblake]

Here is a hart of the perks for each category:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-the-suites-program

 

You will notice that the JS gets very few perks

[orville99]

We also utilize the in suite dining from the MDR menu 1-2 times a week. Typical suite week: 1-2 specialty restaurants, 1-2 in suite dinners, and the rest CK. The one thing that we actually like about the app is that we can pre-plan our dining before we board by looking at the daily menus for each restaurant and deciding which one looks better for each evening. 

[topnole]

23 hours ago, COCKYMARK said:

It will be on Allure thanks!

Coastal kitchen and the suite lounge are a very nice perk and absolutely add a lot of value for us.  Best views on the ship for every meal you want.  The suite

lounge bar offers free beer and wine from about 11-11 each day (pre Covid at least).   And free wifi is something that is really nice too saving us two internet plans.  The concierge use to walk you off the ship on final morning but not sure now with Covid protocols.  That was a really nice perk.  On allure I’d go GS.  

[AustinCruise]

21 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Unless you are just chasing points, I'd never book a JS

I tend to book a JS. I think it’s a nice price point and nice space now that I’m diamond and have those c&a perks.

 

I used to book GS / OS. Now mostly JS.  I’ve only been on Mariner, navigator, liberty, and independence - so limited suite perks vs the “bigger” ships. I mention it because I might do something different on the larger ships. 

 

The thing I miss most is the reserved seating by the pool & priority tendering but the savings makes up for it.  Of course, that depends on specific pricing. I will happily pay more for a GS - but not thousands more. 
 

 

Suite concierge can be helpful if you have special requests. But generally I book everything in the app now and find that works well. Especially on a trip where there are a few folks that tend to monopolize the concierges time.   One example where they helped was getting a private flow rider session setup (no, it wasn’t free).

 

Edited October 31, 2021 by AustinCruise

[DCPIV]

On 10/30/2021 at 4:06 PM, COCKYMARK said:

What all will concierge do for you?

 

The concierge is pretty much Guest Services (other than getting a new card or making change), Shore Excursions, and Maitre d' wrapped up into one and can save you a tremendous amount of time with that sort of thing.  The couple of times we've had major problems on a cruise, it also was excellent to have a Concierge to deal with.  Even if you have an issue that requires actually getting down to the Guest Services desk or that the Concierge otherwise cannot handle, chances are good that the Concierge will be able to facilitate resolution by making an introduction or appointment or something like that so that you aren't just stuck in what could be a long, slow line.

 

Yes, you may find some folks seeming to monopolize the Concierge's time with one thing or another during hours in the Suite Lounge.  The solution to that is to bring up your issue to the Concierge earlier via phone call (either speak directly or leave a message).  

[bobmacliberty]

We also book a GS or better on Oasis Class and JS on the older/smaller ships where the added benefits for a full suite aren't as great.  We don't book a JS to chase points...we do it for the added space (bigger room, bigger bathroom with tub, walk-in closet).  We were on Allure recently in a CLS and did not need to separately purchase a drink package or internet.  

 

Concierge walk-off was not a thing when we cruised (Sept 19) due to Covid.  Not sure when it will be reinstated. Early seating for suites didn't seem to be a thing either in the main theater as we would show up early and everyone was already being seated.  They did check our seapass for early seating in the Aquatheater, which allowed us to sit in the center section with few seats due to distancing.  

 

We did use the Concierge to book specialty dining but I probably could have done that just as easily on the app.  We also tried to use the Concierge to fix a problem with OBC but he couldn't fix it.   Our TA fixed it instead.