How much would you pay to upgrade to a Vista wrap-around Suite?

[cruising with the family]

We are on the 10-night Carnival Pride sailing from Barcelona and got a call to upgrade to the Vista wrap-around balcony suite.  The upgrade is an additional 2/3rds (66%) of what we paid for the balcony room.  Just wondering if it is worth pursuing.  How much extra would you pay for this upgrade?  I've never stayed in a suite!

[CarolSW]

I think the wrap around balcony is usually worth the upsell cost.  It is often 2-3x the size of typical balconies, and you get 2 views - side and aft.  A corner aft is my favorite cabin.  
 

That said, I would NOT pay $1k more for it, but if it is $400, I’d do it.  Anything less than that is an absolute no-brainer YES IMHO.

Edited April 26, 2022 by CarolSW

[jslev9]

2 hours ago, cruising with the family said:

We are on the 10-night Carnival Pride sailing from Barcelona and got a call to upgrade to the Vista wrap-around balcony suite.  The upgrade is an additional 2/3rds (66%) of what we paid for the balcony room.  Just wondering if it is worth pursuing.  How much extra would you pay for this upgrade?  I've never stayed in a suite!

 

I think we're on your sailing, got the call, and debated the same thing. We ended up deciding against it because of how port heavy the sailing is -- yes, there are three days at sea but there are seven days that are *full* days in port. We felt like we'll be doing so much sightseeing that we'll be exhausted when we get back on board so we couldn't justify the pricy upgrade. If this was a Caribbean cruise, though, I think it'd be a different story.

Edited April 26, 2022 by jslev9

[cruising with the family]

4 minutes ago, jslev9 said:

 

I think we're on your sailing, got the call, and debated the same thing. We ended up deciding against it because of how port heavy the sailing is -- yes, there are three days at sea but there are seven days that are *full* days in port. We felt like we'll be doing so much sightseeing that we'll be exhausted when we get back on board so we couldn't justify the pricy upgrade. If this was a Caribbean cruise, though, I think it'd be a different story.

That's what I'm thinking, too, although the balcony would be awesome on those 3 days, and the extra space in the bathroom would also be nice (i'm taking my 21-yr old daughter with me, and she brings lots of makeup, etc.).

[jetsfan58]

Save your money and enjoy the Cruise where you are assigned. 

[Bostwick girl]

When we heard the Spirit was coming to Jacksonville for a few cruises replacing the Ecstacy, our PVP advised us to go ahead and book Ecstacy and we’d be automatically changed over. So we got a balcony room.  Well, when the room assignments for Spirit came out, I was totally shocked that we had a Vista Suite with the wrap around balcony on deck 7! We’ve never had a suite either, let alone the vista suite! It was awesome and we enjoyed it immensely! We will probably never get one like that again, but if I were in your shoes, I believe I’d take the upgrade!

 

[LaRue1975]

The Vista suites on the Spirit class ships are very special, a true suite with separate bedroom and living room, dressing area and large bath with jacuzzi tub. The balcony is spectacular, best cabin by far we have ever stayed in. I would be very tempted to take that upgrade. 

[KmomChicago]

Considering we’re halfway through a 7 nighter and just realized the mirror over the desk lights up, I’d say this upgrade is worth very little. We simply don’t spend any real time in the room and it’s not why we cruise in the first place. 

Of course, your mileage, budget, and needs may vary so only you know if the math works. 
 

I would point out, the original booking was good enough for you or you wouldn’t have bothered, so don’t get manipulated/fooled into something you didn’t necessarily want in the first place. There are endless other ways to spend that $$ onboard or you can just save it and not look back regretting that you went over the original budget.

[sparks1093]

We received an upsell call about 3 weeks before our cruise on Legend in February. The offer to move from a balcony to a Vista suite was $300 total. We jumped on it.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

11 hours ago, LaRue1975 said:

The Vista suites on the Spirit class ships are very special, a true suite with separate bedroom and living room, dressing area and large bath with jacuzzi tub. The balcony is spectacular, best cabin by far we have ever stayed in. I would be very tempted to take that upgrade. 

 

On all decks except 5, where it's a single large open room.

 

If the VS in question is on deck 4, I'd happily pay double (balcony rate) for it. We've stayed in 4228/4237 multiple times (many years back) and LOVED IT! 

 

 

Tom

[reeinaz]

I had an aft wrap in my last cruise and barely used it because it was too shady/cool. Also, the people in the aft balcony next door could look right into my cabin because of the way the separating balcony wall slants. I’m not sure if they could see in but I could see them plain as day from the bed, so I ended up keeping the curtain over the door closed the entire time. With that said, I booked another aft wrap for a 2024 cruise. I will say that I got amazing deals for both. I don’t think I’d pay the typical price for one. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

3 minutes ago, reeinaz said:

I had an aft wrap in my last cruise and barely used it because it was too shady/cool. Also, the people in the aft balcony next door could look right into my cabin because of the way the separating balcony wall slants. I’m not sure if they could see in but I could see them plain as day from the bed, so I ended up keeping the curtain over the door closed the entire time. With that said, I booked another aft wrap for a 2024 cruise. I will say that I got amazing deals for both. I don’t think I’d pay the typical price for one. 

 

What ship/deck?

[reeinaz]

6 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

What ship/deck?

Conquest deck 7

[Linsuesue]

14 hours ago, LaRue1975 said:

The Vista suites on the Spirit class ships are very special, a true suite with separate bedroom and living room, dressing area and large bath with jacuzzi tub. The balcony is spectacular, best cabin by far we have ever stayed in. I would be very tempted to take that upgrade. 

We just got off the Pride this month and had stayed in a deck 4 Vista View cabin-4237. It had a tub in it, but it was not a Jacuzzi. We have stayed in the same suites on the Spirit and Miracle, and those had Jacuzzis last time we were on them. #4237 and #4228 are our very favorite cabins, and we book them whenever we can!

[Eli_6]

Somewhat depends on which sailing.  I think it is worth it, but then again I booked one of those for my Pride sailing at the normal price. We are in an adjoining Vista wrap suite and aft balcony for the late July UK sailing. With that said, if you are on the BCN to Dover cruise probably not because that cruise is non-stop (AMAZING) ports and you will literally never be in your room at all. 

[ETHS1965]

19 hours ago, LaRue1975 said:

The Vista suites on the Spirit class ships are very special, a true suite with separate bedroom and living room, dressing area and large bath with jacuzzi tub. The balcony is spectacular, best cabin by far we have ever stayed in. I would be very tempted to take that upgrade. 

This is our first and probably our last Vista suite on our cruise around Great Britain on the Pride in August.  We are taking our adult grandson (6 foot 5 and 250 pounds) with my husband and myself.  We thought he could use a little privacy and we could all use a little more room!  My next cruise after that is in an ocean view room!

[gsilva]

On a ten night I would pay 500 extra. We stayed in a wrap around on a Panama cruise worth every penny. On a port intensive cruise I think still worth it just for the extra space when you are in a relax mode before dinner.

[LaRue1975]

9 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

On all decks except 5, where it's a single large open room.

 

If the VS in question is on deck 4, I'd happily pay double (balcony rate) for it. We've stayed in 4228/4237 multiple times (many years back) and LOVED IT! 

 

 

Tom

Yes, that balcony is amazing! We loved everything about the suite, we have done the Caribbean and Alaska. It was actually too hot to sit out on the balcony most of the daylight hours in the Caribbean but the nights were spectacular, we were on the 7th deck both cruises. This was in 2007 and 2008, I definitely want to book the 4th deck next time, the shade and shelter from rain would make the experience even better. We sailed the one way from Vancouver to Whittier and our friends were in the Vista suite on the other corner of the 7th deck. We spent a ton of time on our balconies together, when the naturalist came on the speaker to announce wildlife sightings we would run to the other balcony if we were on the wrong side. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and if we ever do another Alaska cruise I would only book a Vista Suite. 4th deck for sure, it rained the entire day we were viewing the glaciers, we were pretty wet and cold but it was still wonderful! 

[LaRue1975]

6 hours ago, Linsuesue said:

We just got off the Pride this month and had stayed in a deck 4 Vista View cabin-4237. It had a tub in it, but it was not a Jacuzzi. We have stayed in the same suites on the Spirit and Miracle, and those had Jacuzzis last time we were on them. #4237 and #4228 are our very favorite cabins, and we book them whenever we can!

Our Vista Suites were on the Legend out of Tampa and the Spirit to Alaska, I am pretty sure they both had Jacuzzi tubs. This whole post got me thinking about those cabins and I realized Miracle is our here in LA now so I started looking at those cruises, the 5 day looks like something we might enjoy if we could get another Vista Suite. 

[LaRue1975]

1 hour ago, ETHS1965 said:

This is our first and probably our last Vista suite on our cruise around Great Britain on the Pride in August.  We are taking our adult grandson (6 foot 5 and 250 pounds) with my husband and myself.  We thought he could use a little privacy and we could all use a little more room!  My next cruise after that is in an ocean view room!

That’s a good idea, the Vista suite is a true suite and you will get privacy. The living room and bedroom are both small but there is a dressing area, walk-in closet and bathroom in between the two rooms. There is a TV in both and they both have a door to the balcony, it will be perfect for you, enjoy! 

[EngIceDave]

I think I am on that same cruise, Pride out of Rome, Oct 21?

 

We're deck 8 aft balcony already, so no call for us....but it's a casino comp anyway....so.....

[Chunky73]

On 4/26/2022 at 1:57 PM, cruising with the family said:

We are on the 10-night Carnival Pride sailing from Barcelona and got a call to upgrade to the Vista wrap-around balcony suite.  The upgrade is an additional 2/3rds (66%) of what we paid for the balcony room.  Just wondering if it is worth pursuing.  How much extra would you pay for this upgrade?  I've never stayed in a suite!

 

38 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

I think I am on that same cruise, Pride out of Rome, Oct 21?

 

We're deck 8 aft balcony already, so no call for us....but it's a casino comp anyway....so.....

don't 

 

38 minutes ago, EngIceDave said:

I think I am on that same cruise, Pride out of Rome, Oct 21?

 

We're deck 8 aft balcony already, so no call for us....but it's a casino comp anyway....so.....

don't have an answer but can tell you I almost booked one for $4,000 for a 7 night cruise which is a lot lower than the normal price. on the exact date of Carnival's 50th anniversary they had a crazy sell that only lasted 2 hours. I booked a cloud 9 Suite for half the normal cost, just so you know it is possible to get deals if they don't sell.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

21 hours ago, gsilva said:

On a ten night I would pay 500 extra. We stayed in a wrap around on a Panama cruise worth every penny. On a port intensive cruise I think still worth it just for the extra space when you are in a relax mode before dinner.

 

Yep, compared to a regular balcony -- worth its weight in gold.

 

Tom

[SDPadreFan]

On our first Med cruise on RCCL's Brilliance we just did an inside cabin for the 12 days. It was very port intensive and the money we saved on just having an inside cabin went for some incredible tours as well as souvenirs from every port. The inside cabin was fine and we really didn't even think about not having a balcony (or even a window). We spent hardly any time in our cabin save for sleeping, getting ready for the port day, getting ready for dinner and evening shows. Our 2 or 3 "at sea" days, we just hung out in the common areas, slept in or took an afternoon nap to recover for the next "in port" experience. It was really a non-stop 10 day event (or so it seemed). I would do the same thing again for a Med Cruise.

 

That said - we did book a 12 night Baltic Sea cruise for July 2023 on the Pride and did opt for an extended balcony. 2 reasons for doing this. (1) With 4 "at sea" days I think we will get some use out of the balcony because the scenery will be somewhat unique and we have never been to that area. Temperatures should be mid 60's to low 70's during July. (2) We booked the cabin during the dirt cheap pricing of the "You only Turn 50 Once" sale. This was a replacement for the 15 night Hawaii we had booked and lost due to COVID - that was a replacement for the 16 night Mardi Gras New York to Florida repositioning that we lost due to shipyard delays. We ended up actually getting back about $2500 from the earlier canceled Hawaii cruise and we still have $600 OBC for the Baltic Cruise. So that $2500 will help pay for airfare from San Diego to London and a pre-cruise hotel.

 

We have a bowling alley balcony for our upcoming 10 day to Alaska on Miracle in June. We had 29 cruise days scheduled during COVID that we lost. Booked 29 new cruise days to replace them in 2022/2023 and got back close to $3900 (difference between fully paid old and new cruises) and we still have $600 OBC for each of our upcoming 3 cruises. Made some serious lemonade from the COVID lemons we were dealt.

Edited April 29, 2022 by SDPadreFan

[gabbygal99]

On 4/28/2022 at 8:56 PM, SDPadreFan said:

On our first Med cruise on RCCL's Brilliance we just did an inside cabin for the 12 days. It was very port intensive and the money we saved on just having an inside cabin went for some incredible tours as well as souvenirs from every port. The inside cabin was fine and we really didn't even think about not having a balcony (or even a window). We spent hardly any time in our cabin save for sleeping, getting ready for the port day, getting ready for dinner and evening shows. Our 2 or 3 "at sea" days, we just hung out in the common areas, slept in or took an afternoon nap to recover for the next "in port" experience. It was really a non-stop 10 day event (or so it seemed). I would do the same thing again for a Med Cruise.

 

That said - we did book a 12 night Baltic Sea cruise for July 2023 on the Pride and did opt for an extended balcony. 2 reasons for doing this. (1) With 4 "at sea" days I think we will get some use out of the balcony because the scenery will be somewhat unique and we have never been to that area. Temperatures should be mid 60's to low 70's during July. (2) We booked the cabin during the dirt cheap pricing of the "You only Turn 50 Once" sale. This was a replacement for the 15 night Hawaii we had booked and lost due to COVID - that was a replacement for the 16 night Mardi Gras New York to Florida repositioning that we lost due to shipyard delays. We ended up actually getting back about $2500 from the earlier canceled Hawaii cruise and we still have $600 OBC for the Baltic Cruise. So that $2500 will help pay for airfare from San Diego to London and a pre-cruise hotel.

 

We have a bowling alley balcony for our upcoming 10 day to Alaska on Miracle in June. We had 29 cruise days scheduled during COVID that we lost. Booked 29 new cruise days to replace them in 2022/2023 and got back close to $3900 (difference between fully paid old and new cruises) and we still have $600 OBC for each of our upcoming 3 cruises. Made some serious lemonade from the COVID lemons we were dealt.

I think we are on the same sailing! 12-night Pride on July 9, 2023 out of Dover? We booked a Vista on deck 4, I can’t wait!!!