Suite query

[Manwithagoldenstick]

Hi. 

 

First-time post and a bit of a panic. 

 

My wife booked us a cruise on Iona the week after next. It was a surprise 30th anniversary for us and we're cruising with another (clueless) couple. 

 

We haven't cruised before but the other couple have done a few (balcony). We've booked a suite each but are all confused about 'suite benefits' as the other couple has spoken to cruisers who say that room service is free (food and no delivery charge), yet others say that's wrong and you are charged.

 

As it's our anniversary and the beautiful Fjords my wife planned on a romantic dining experience on the balcony a few evenings but I'm not sure if it's worth the extra cost if we need to pay. Our friends met a couple that was charged for water in a suite on Ventura. 

 

This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us (though if we enjoy we may join our friends on a balcony cruise again in the future). We don't want to waste money on stuff like food and drink that's included in the MDR just for a romantic experience. However, if food is included to eat in our suite, it would be a shame not to take advantage. 

 

I read the 'suite benefits' blurb on the P&O site but it covers stuff that we wouldn't use a butler for like unpacking etc. 

 

Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks. 

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

You may get different answers on this, and I’d be inclined to get a definitive answer from P&O, but our experience has been that there have never been any charges for room service, or for the food. We very rarely used it, because we prefer the company of others, but on the odd occasion when we’d perhaps missed lunch and wanted a snack of some sort it was always free. There is a bit of a myth about having to order via the butler, but room service know which the suites are and don’t charge - though one of the butlers may bring the food. There may be some menu surcharges though, clearly marked.

 

Things change though, and better to check first rather than run up an unexpected extra bill.

[Selbourne]

You don’t pay for room service food if you are in a suite. Furthermore (and this is more relevant for what you want to do) you can have full meals from the main dining room brought to your suite (or balcony) by your butler, which is far better for a more special experience. We dined on our balcony of our aft suite on Arcadia whilst cruising along a fjord, which was magical (but in August - weather might be a bit more changeable in May). 
 

Other than the above, the main suite benefits are the extra space, priority boarding (valuable on Iona) and the ability to have breakfast in the Epicurean restaurant, which is very pleasant. BTW, a fjord cruise is the best first cruise IMHO. I’m sure that you will have a fabulous time. 

[david63]

52 minutes ago, Manwithagoldenstick said:

Our friends met a couple that was charged for water in a suite on Ventura.

There will some cans (P&O don't use plastic bottles any more) of water in your suite at embarkation but if you want any more then you have to pay for them.

[Manwithagoldenstick]

Thanks, everyone. 

 

Ah, Selbourne, thanks for the tip. I think magical and special is what my wife is hoping for. 

[WestonOne]

We have suites very occasionally but room service of any kind was never charged for.  The single exception is if we decided to host a small party in the room, when we did get charged for the canapes and additional drinks.  I think most people would expect that to be charged, though,

[Manwithagoldenstick]

Thanks, Weston.

 

I think the other couple may be planning a small party so will pass your comment on. 

[smj777]

The water in your bathroom is perfectly drinkable and is the same as that served in the dining rooms and buffet. We fill a couple of plastic bottles from the tap and put them in the 'fridge so that they are nice and cold to drink.

[Harry Peterson]

26 minutes ago, smj777 said:

The water in your bathroom is perfectly drinkable and is the same as that served in the dining rooms and buffet. We fill a couple of plastic bottles from the tap and put them in the 'fridge so that they are nice and cold to drink.

Certainly it’s drinkable, but it tastes vile - which is probably why the coffee’s equally vile.  Better after refrigeration, as you say, for some reason. Desalinated water, maybe, or just the way it’s stored.

[Selbourne]

13 minutes ago, Harry Peterson said:

Certainly it’s drinkable, but it tastes vile - which is probably why the coffee’s equally vile.  Better after refrigeration, as you say, for some reason. Desalinated water, maybe, or just the way it’s stored.

Agree wholeheartedly. Straight out the tap just revolting 🤢 yet once it’s been in the fridge for 24 hours tastes fine. Odd. 

[Fionboard]

Always use water from the bathroom. Perfectly OK when chilled and tastes better than the tinned stuff. 

[Camberley]

We do suites on P&O and you definitely don’t pay for room service on a suite. BUT I recommend if you order it on the phone (rather that through the butler which can take a lot longer) you make it clear you’re in a suite - and then check your onboard balance: there have been a few occasions we’d been charged on error - but that was then swiftly erased. The room service menu is ok - but not at all special. Just free and decent fuel.

 

However, for a proper food/drink treat on the balcony etc, our previous butlers - including last month - have delivered food from some of the speciality restaurants such as Sindhu and Epicurean (there is their normal restaurant cost for the food in those cases). And the wonderful Epicurean breakfast on the balcony occasionally. To be honest, it’s the only service we use the butler for. The few times we have had those meals in our room/balcony we had let the butler know a day or so beforehand.

Mind you, breakfast in Epicurean itself each morning is wonderful: it is always very quiet, peaceful, none of the bun-fights/screaming families/harsh noise etc…you might get in the buffet. For us, the best way to start the day.

 

Personally the tap water is just dreadful flavour-wise. But it’s fine used for the lovely coffee pod machine you get. Just not lovely to drink as it is. But take your water bottles and fill up from the water station on Iona
 

 

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Camberley said:

Mind you, breakfast in Epicurean itself each morning is wonderful: it is always very quiet, peaceful, none of the bun-fights/screaming families/harsh noise etc…you might get in the buffet. For us, the best way to start the day.

We thought the same for our first few cruises in Suites, but then we realised that families with young kids or even babies also used suites and we had some bad experiences with noisy families and a screaming baby, so much so that we went to the MDR for breakfast instead!

[Camberley]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

We thought the same for our first few cruises in Suites, but then we realised that families with young kids or even babies also used suites and we had some bad experiences with noisy families and a screaming baby, so much so that we went to the MDR for breakfast instead!

Ah apart from one time (and very briefly), we’ve not had that experience: all have been very well behaved, with parents being competent in ensuring their kids toe the line or rather don’t make a loud fuss. And no baby issues. Rather than those sorts of parents who think it is fine for their kids to be loud, scream etc in venues they should be be, and then get offended if you tell their kids off for them.

 

But that one time a kid was a bit tantrummy and the mum at least had the sense to take it away with her rather than expect us all to suffer. 

[Selbourne]

43 minutes ago, Camberley said:

Ah apart from one time (and very briefly), we’ve not had that experience: all have been very well behaved, with parents being competent in ensuring their kids toe the line or rather don’t make a loud fuss. And no baby issues. Rather than those sorts of parents who think it is fine for their kids to be loud, scream etc in venues they should be be, and then get offended if you tell their kids off for them.

 

But that one time a kid was a bit tantrummy and the mum at least had the sense to take it away with her rather than expect us all to suffer. 

Indeed. When our kids were young they were never allowed down from the table during a meal and if one started creating (even as a baby when you can’t reason with them) one of us would take them outside until they had calmed down, so as not to spoil the experience for others.
 

Sadly, there are many poor parents theses days who see nothing wrong with allowing kids to walk around the table during meals (dangerous for waiting staff carrying food etc, as well as irritating for others) and wouldn’t even consider temporarily removing noisy children 😡

[davecttr]

22 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Agree wholeheartedly. Straight out the tap just revolting 🤢 yet once it’s been in the fridge for 24 hours tastes fine. Odd. 

Apparently if you leave the top off the bottle in the fridge the vileness evaporates overnight.

[Harry Peterson]

7 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Apparently if you leave the top off the bottle in the fridge the vileness evaporates overnight.

This is true. We use that trick for the pod machine in the suites.

 

But you’re still left wondering what it is, how it got there, and why’s it disappeared! 
 

And how they manage to distill the essence of it to use in the MDR/buffet ‘coffee’. 

[db51]

Iona has special water bottle filling stations which taste fine. The big platters from room service ( Indian, fish and Mexican) are all free in a suite and great for parties on the balcony. You get a bottle of champagne on boarding day, and canapés on formal nights. We asked our butler to bring the daily crossword and also asked him to get tickets for the limelight club for us and some friends ( who weren’t in a suite) and despite it being ‘sold out’ he managed it. Breakfast in the Epicurean on Iona is lovely, great views and very peaceful. If you want something which isn’t on the menu just ask. Get on early and book the ‘Gary Barlow’ 910? Might be 710! Club, and everything else that you can’t book until you get on. Don’t bother with the boarding vip lunch- it is chaos. Enjoy your suite - they are amazing, especially the bath. 

[livinforcruisin]

Just back from a suite on Azura.  All information in our suite stated room service was now chargeable, so did'nt bother.  I admit I didn't ask the Butler if this was the case as the documentation was clear, with no mention of 'free for suite guests'.

[Harry Peterson]

48 minutes ago, livinforcruisin said:

Just back from a suite on Azura.  All information in our suite stated room service was now chargeable, so did'nt bother.  I admit I didn't ask the Butler if this was the case as the documentation was clear, with no mention of 'free for suite guests'.

For what it’s worth, that was the situation in our suite when we were last on Azura - but the reality was that there were no charges. They just hadn’t bothered to provide the correct documentation in suites.

 

That may have changed, of course, but worth checking.

[itf]

On Arvia room service was definitely free in the suite when ordered via the butler, we did this several times on our April cruise. He also mentioned this during his initial introduction.

Edited May 15, 2023 by itf

[Windsurfboy]

The P&O website says free room service in suitr

 

Perks of a Suite include:

• A whirpool bath*
• Butler service*
• Larger dressing area
• Priority check-in and boarding (from Southampton)
• Daily fresh fruit
• Coffee machine
• Free room-service
• Exclusive restaurants
• Bathrobe and slippers
• Other exclusive touches
• Daily steward service
• Telephone
• Hair dryer and safe
• Tea and coffee facilities
• Air conditioning
• Vanity writing desk and chair
• Beds convertible to twin or king-size bed to suit your needs*
• Toiletries from The White Company
• Champagne and chocolates on arrival
• Canapés on embarkation and Celebration Nights

[terrierjohn]

On 5/14/2023 at 3:25 PM, Harry Peterson said:

This is true. We use that trick for the pod machine in the suites.

 

But you’re still left wondering what it is, how it got there, and why’s it disappeared! 
 

And how they manage to distill the essence of it to use in the MDR/buffet ‘coffee’. 

I find the P&O buffet coffee to be bitter, rather than vile, once diluted with hot water it's perfectly acceptable. The MDR coffee I usually find is much smoother, which made me assume it was a better coffee than the buffet one.

[daiB]

19 hours ago, livinforcruisin said:

Just back from a suite on Azura.  All information in our suite stated room service was now chargeable, so did'nt bother.  I admit I didn't ask the Butler if this was the case as the documentation was clear, with no mention of 'free for suite guests'.

As far as I know room service has always been paid for in a suite. Which is why the butler has always said go through him for everything then it is no charge. That is what the butler is for.

[daiB]

13 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I find the P&O buffet coffee to be bitter, rather than vile, once diluted with hot water it's perfectly acceptable. The MDR coffee I usually find is much smoother, which made me assume it was a better coffee than the buffet one.

I like the coffee in the buffet, I know I am odd! On the other hand I don’t like the coffee in the MDR.