Suite queries

[ozzysdad]

I am looking for some advice please, although a seasoned cruiser with P&O I have only ever travelled in an inside cabin, I recently cruised with Marella and paid the extra for a junior suite, tbh the benefits were minimal but the extra square feet, spacious bathroom and large balcony were great to have, I am thinking of booking a suite for a cruise Azura on an early saver, what sort of perks would I get? Do you get priority check in at the airport for instance? The cost compares favourably with Marella I was just wondering whether you get more bang for your buck so to speak, also the suites I am looking at are on Riviera deck, can you hear anything from above, on Marella I had the snack shack above and had to report pans being thrown around on a couple of occasions, any helpful advice appreciated TIA.

Edited January 8, 2022 by ozzysdad

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, ozzysdad said:

I am looking for some advice please, although a seasoned cruiser with P&O I have only ever travelled in an inside cabin, I recently cruised with Marella and paid the extra for a junior suite, tbh the benefits were minimal but the extra square feet, spacious bathroom and large balcony were great to have, I am thinking of booking a suite for a cruise Azura on an early saver, what sort of perks would I get? Do you get priority check in at the airport for instance? The cost compares favourably with Marella I was just wondering whether you get more bang for your buck so to speak, also the suites I am looking at are on Riviera deck, can you hear anything from above, on Marella I had the snack shack above and had to report pans being thrown around on a couple of occasions, ant help advice appreciated TIA.

Frankly, the benefits aren’t that great, unless you fancy the idea of a butler, but you do get some additional space.  Personally, though, the biggest benefit, apart from the space, is the breakfasts in the Epicurean. A delightful way to start the day.  
 

This might help:

 

https://www.pocruises.com/accommodation/suites

[ozzysdad]

Thanks for the reply, is there a site where cabins reviews can be viewed? I'm specifically looking at R406 Caladonia Suite, are these mid ship cabins generally all the same layout on Azura?

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, ozzysdad said:

Thanks for the reply, is there a site where cabins reviews can be viewed? I'm specifically looking at R406 Caladonia Suite, are these mid ship cabins generally all the same layout on Azura?

Others here will give you far better advice than I can on the midships suites, but I think there might be some potential noise issues with some - we always go for the aft suites, but that might not suit everyone, particularly if any issues with movement.

 

Try googling that suite - it’ll probably bring up some reviews, and a search in these forums might do the same. 

[pete14]

16 minutes ago, ozzysdad said:

Thanks for the reply, is there a site where cabins reviews can be viewed? I'm specifically looking at R406 Caladonia Suite, are these mid ship cabins generally all the same layout on Azura?

In your first post you mentioned booking on an early saver fare. This category of fare does not give the opportunity to select your cabin, only the more expensive select fare does this.

Personally, as we prefer a private balcony to public areas, the larger balcony is welcome (rear suites may have the largest balconies), the extra inside space is appreciated and as Harry said, the breakfasts in one of the select restaurants are a highlight.

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, pete14 said:

In your first post you mentioned booking on an early saver fare. This category of fare does not give the opportunity to select your cabin, only the more expensive select fare does this.

Personally, as we prefer a private balcony to public areas, the larger balcony is welcome (rear suites may have the largest balconies), the extra inside space is appreciated and as Harry said, the breakfasts in one of the select restaurants are a highlight.

Good points, Pete. We’ve always been very picky about location, and wouldn’t chance the saver fare for that reason.

 

That extra space, inside and out, is the main advantage for us too, and we make a lot of use of the suite, as against public areas. Just such a nice place to relax in comfort, and makes a big difference to the overall enjoyment.

 

One additional benefit I’ve just thought of is that the room service menu is free, so if, for example, you return in the afternoon from a trip and haven’t lunched, you can have a pleasant lunch on the balcony.

[SeaJane]

1 hour ago, Harry Peterson said:

Good points, Pete. We’ve always been very picky about location, and wouldn’t chance the saver fare for that reason.

 

That extra space, inside and out, is the main advantage for us too, and we make a lot of use of the suite, as against public areas. Just such a nice place to relax in comfort, and makes a big difference to the overall enjoyment.

 

One additional benefit I’ve just thought of is that the room service menu is free, so if, for example, you return in the afternoon from a trip and haven’t lunched, you can have a pleasant lunch on the balcony.

Totally agree with you Harry. We usually go for a suite for the same reasons as you - we’ve had some lovely lunches on the balcony in the sun!
Additionally as we tend to go on cruises of 18 or 19 nights we’ve also sometimes taken advantage of being able to choose dinner from the MDR menu to be served in our suite for a change.

[Cruise Puss]

Having had Suites on every ship and in different locations, I would not recommend the Suites at the front of either Ventura or Azura, or those mid-ships as they have a large overhang.  The aft ones on both those ships are much better, although you have to be aware that some have large stanchions coming through the balcony. The ones on Aurora are the best, with Arcadia's coming second and Britannia's third. Iona's front ones are lovely, but the balconies are almost unusable due to the wind. Don't know about her aft ones as have not had one yet, but I gather they are lovely.

 

Having a Butler is wonderful and you should use him as much as possible - you don't get one at home.

 

We used to have breakfast delivered, but now you tend to go to another restaurant to have it.  It is lovely, but they have cut back in certain areas - the orange juice is now served in tiny glasses which last about 2 minutes, and if you order yoghurt it comes in a cocktail glass instead a bowl - in both instances you not now getting value for money.  However, it is lovely to have breakfast in a lovely quiet location.

 

One tip - if you have anything go wrong in the cabin tell your Butler, do not ring Reception - it will be sorted quicker.

 

Yes, you should get early embarkation and priority disembarkation - not sure about airports as we have not flown since 2006!  You will also get priority tender tickets if needed.

 

We have always loved having the space a Suite provides - we spend most of our time in our cabin - and I love baths so the jacuzzi baths are a delight (the ones on Iona light up as well!).

 

The cost of a Suite on most P&O ships is reasonable compared to Suites on other cruise lines, but you don't always get the same perks that you do with other lines, ie. bar set up, Concierge Lounge, etc.

 

All in all, I would recommend having a Suite on a P&O ship, especially as it's not massively expensive compared to other lines. (I'm not including Aurora here as her Suites are quite expensive, but worth it.)

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise whatever you decide to do.  🙂

 

 

 

[welshy74]

We had a suite on the Britannia this summer and thoroughly enjoyed it, however as this was a staycation cruise it was not at the normal price tag you would find on a normal itinerary.  

Obviously the space was a huge bonus, especially the bathroom which lovely.  Having the butler was nice, he would make sure we always had ice and lime for pre dinner G+Ts and we used him a lot for in room dining.  Also having breakfast in Epicurean was a real plus. 

Overall it was a lovely experience but not worth the price tags I have seen on some cruises.  

Biggest disappointment is there is no suite only bar or free access to the retreat which I think should be a given. 

[Cruise Puss]

4 minutes ago, welshy74 said:

We had a suite on the Britannia this summer and thoroughly enjoyed it, however as this was a staycation cruise it was not at the normal price tag you would find on a normal itinerary.  

Obviously the space was a huge bonus, especially the bathroom which lovely.  Having the butler was nice, he would make sure we always had ice and lime for pre dinner G+Ts and we used him a lot for in room dining.  Also having breakfast in Epicurean was a real plus. 

Overall it was a lovely experience but not worth the price tags I have seen on some cruises.  

Biggest disappointment is there is no suite only bar or free access to the retreat which I think should be a given. 

 

Absolutely agree with you that it would be nice to have free access to the Retreat, although there are a large number of Suites on Britannia compared to the other ships which could be an issue.

A bar set up in the Suite should also be included.

I agree a separate bar for Suite passengers would be nice, but I can hear complaints coming from those passengers not in Suites. It would be like the separate bar on Cunard ships for Grill passengers, the difference there is that everyone is used to it.

 

Did you have a front, aft, or side Suite?

[welshy74]

1 minute ago, Cruise Puss said:

 

Absolutely agree with you that it would be nice to have free access to the Retreat, although there are a large number of Suites on Britannia compared to the other ships which could be an issue.

A bar set up in the Suite should also be included.

I agree a separate bar for Suite passengers would be nice, but I can hear complaints coming from those passengers not in Suites. It would be like the separate bar on Cunard ships for Grill passengers, the difference there is that everyone is used to it.

 

Did you have a front, aft, or side Suite?

We had a side suite so balcony was quite narrow.  Not a big issue for us though. 

 

Don't know why people would complain?  Most cruise lines have a suite or top loyalty bar or restaurant.  

[Cruise Puss]

17 hours ago, welshy74 said:

We had a side suite so balcony was quite narrow.  Not a big issue for us though. 

 

Don't know why people would complain?  Most cruise lines have a suite or top loyalty bar or restaurant.  

 

They do indeed, but you know what people are like. For some reason, if you pay more for a better cabin, some people seem to think that you think you are better than they are - god knows why.  I'm pretty sure that if they won the lottery they would certainly go for a better cabin - why wouldn't anyone, they're lovely.

 

I can recommend the front Suites on Britannia.  The balcony is still narrow, but the bedroom is wonderful.  It is very large and has a front facing window that you can sit in front of and watch the World go by, especially if the weather is too inclement to go outside in.  There is also a wooden floored area between the lounge area and bedroom area which makes the whole Suite bigger.

 

We've had two aft Suites, one on B deck and one on F deck. The B deck ones have huge balconies that are now covered by a canopy.  When we had it that wasn't there, which did make it incredibly hot, so it is probably better with a canopy.  You have to careful which corner aft Suite you have as the layout of the patio doors from the bedroom on to the balcony is different on some decks making the bedroom darker, and, some of the corner balconies are slightly narrower than others.

 

Don't know if you've tried Arcadia, but her Suites are great.  The side ones are bigger, but don't have the large wrap-around balconies that the aft ones do, and some of the aft Suites are smaller than others, with not as much wardrobe space, C deck certainly being one.  I would definitely choose one of the side ones for preference.

 

Happy cruising! 🙂

 

[SeaJane]

2 hours ago, Cruise Puss said:

 

Don't know if you've tried Arcadia, but her Suites are great.  The side ones are bigger, but don't have the large wrap-around balconies that the aft ones do, and some of the aft Suites are smaller than others, with not as much wardrobe space, C deck certainly being one.  I would definitely choose one of the side ones for preference.

 

Happy cruising! 🙂

 

We like the mid ship suites on Arcadia especially on B deck. We had an aft one for a fjord cruise and the wrap around balcony was a wonderful way to appreciate the scenery.

The nicest suite we had was an aft one on Adonia ……………

[Cruise Puss]

7 hours ago, SeaJane said:

We like the mid ship suites on Arcadia especially on B deck. We had an aft one for a fjord cruise and the wrap around balcony was a wonderful way to appreciate the scenery.

The nicest suite we had was an aft one on Adonia ……………

Ah, little Adonia, what a wonderful ship. She was our favourite after Arcadia.

We went on her 3 times, all in rear Suites. Fantastic balconies and very private.

We went on her up the river to Sevilla twice. Absolutely amazing. Would love to do it again, but not many ships can get up the river. We also went to Bordeaux on her. Lovely City. We are going again this year, but on a Saga ship this time.

Miss her. Such a shame they have gone for purely large ships now.

 

[ozzysdad]

Well I have taken the plunge and booked a suite for a two week cruise (R406 Caladonia suite) on Azura, we opted for mid ship in the end as my OH isn't the best traveller, it looks in a fair location on the mid ship stairs and lifts, only snag may be being directly below lido deck but we shall give it a whirl, has anybody stayed in these mid ship suites on Riviera deck? there doesn't appear to be many Youtube cabin tours which is a shame but I like the look of the layout on Cruise Mapper, I think the sun on these suites will be minimal given the overhang covers all of the balcony but we will make the most of it. Thanks for all your advice.

[tim2go]

2 hours ago, ozzysdad said:

Well I have taken the plunge and booked a suite for a two week cruise (R406 Caladonia suite) on Azura, we opted for mid ship in the end as my OH isn't the best traveller, it looks in a fair location on the mid ship stairs and lifts, only snag may be being directly below lido deck but we shall give it a whirl, has anybody stayed in these mid ship suites on Riviera deck? there doesn't appear to be many Youtube cabin tours which is a shame but I like the look of the layout on Cruise Mapper, I think the sun on these suites will be minimal given the overhang covers all of the balcony but we will make the most of it. Thanks for all your advice.

When are you going? I have that exact suite booked for 16 nights in October this year.

[Pencil62]

 We booked a balcony cabin for a Caribbean cruise on Britannia in December 23 at launch. At the weekend we decided to upgrade to an aft suite using our remaining fcc. Unfortunately all the corner suites were taken but we managed to book one of the suites at the back on B deck. Our TA then rang back about 30 minutes later just to say there had been a complaint about that suite from 2017 that she could see on the system and did we still want to go ahead with the booking?  From following these threads for a year or two I assumed it was something to do with soot from the chimneys or vents or suchlike and remember someone saying canopies have been added to stop the problem. She confirmed this was the case and I thanked her for ringing back and told her to go ahead with the booking.   I am so glad I have used this TA since we started cruising in 2013. I'm not sure P@O or some other TA's would have been so honest.

[ozzysdad]

7 hours ago, tim2go said:

When are you going? I have that exact suite booked for 16 nights in October this year.

December this year for 2 weeks

[tim2go]

1 hour ago, ozzysdad said:

December this year for 2 weeks

If there's any way to remind me come the end of October, I'll give you a review.

[seapals2]

Which restaurant to P&O allocate for evening meal if you are in a suite.  
we have done Cunard grills many times and enjoy the grill restaurant whole experience.  
 

[wowzz]

26 minutes ago, seapals2 said:

Which restaurant to P&O allocate for evening meal if you are in a suite.  
we have done Cunard grills many times and enjoy the grill restaurant whole experience.  
 

Depends if you want traditional or anytime dining, but in essence, you muck in with everyone else! 

Suite passengers do however have a private dining room for breakfast.

[Harry Peterson]

30 minutes ago, seapals2 said:

Which restaurant to P&O allocate for evening meal if you are in a suite.  
we have done Cunard grills many times and enjoy the grill restaurant whole experience.  
 

No special arrangements for dinner, I’m afraid. Suite passengers are treated no differently from others.

[seapals2]

Seems much the same as Princess although they do have a concierge lounge that serves happy couple hour free drinks.  Breakfast was served is a specialty restaurant.  
Cunard Princess grill cabins pretty much just delux balcony grade but the added grill experience more than makes up for it. P&O seem to take the opposite approach where the cost is all about additional cabin space with little else not even discounted Retreat prices or cocktails.  
We wouldn’t have booked a suite but transferring a Caribbean sailing to a med sailing in Oct allowed us a better cabin grade for much the same price.  It will give us an opportunity to compare.  
 

[wowzz]

21 minutes ago, seapals2 said:

Seems much the same as Princess

I thought that Princess allocated a certain area in one of the MDRs for suite and club pax, with no reservations required and a slightly different menu.

[Mysticalmother]

On 1/17/2022 at 3:56 PM, Pencil62 said:

 We booked a balcony cabin for a Caribbean cruise on Britannia in December 23 at launch. At the weekend we decided to upgrade to an aft suite using our remaining fcc. Unfortunately all the corner suites were taken but we managed to book one of the suites at the back on B deck. Our TA then rang back about 30 minutes later just to say there had been a complaint about that suite from 2017 that she could see on the system and did we still want to go ahead with the booking?  From following these threads for a year or two I assumed it was something to do with soot from the chimneys or vents or suchlike and remember someone saying canopies have been added to stop the problem. She confirmed this was the case and I thanked her for ringing back and told her to go ahead with the booking.   I am so glad I have used this TA since we started cruising in 2013. I'm not sure P@O or some other TA's would have been so honest.

Pencil62…we had one of those B deck ( non corner) suites for a very sunny Staycation in July last year…we loved it! The balcony is huge! We wanted the corner suite on B deck as we had booked that fora cruise which was subsequently cancelled, but if booking again, I would seriously think about one of the two suites at the back instead. The only drawback is that you don't get full sun due to the canopy and obviously you cant chase the sun around the corner. Ive added a couple of photos ( I hope!) one from each direction. In the first, the sofa with blue cushions is out if shot behind the sun longers!We had friends next door so opened up the partition.