Grand Suite or Crown Loft Suite on Allure of the Seas

[George C]

We have done grand suites 7 times, on voyager, freedom , jewel and oasis class and always were happy with them , but I do prefer owners suite mainly because of  separate shower and tub. 

[stevekc]

We've done the grand suites 4 times and the Crown Lofts many more.

We (obviously) prefer the CL well over the GS.

The Crown Lofts have....

2 bathrooms for an easy starter.

Great location on deck 17 which is exclusive, quiet and wonderfully proximate to Coastal Kitchen

which is fabulous for espresso machine and tasty breakfast pastries, not to mention a short walk to dinner.

Huge WOW factor in cabin with spectacular views from anywhere in the room looking out the balcony.

TWO very attentive suite attendants as opposed to one in the GS, therefore they can do a better

job with your cabin in less time. 

Bear i mind the views and the quiet rooms are best on the side cabins, not the ones overlooking the sports deck.

But I would still opt for a Crown Loft with a sports deck view over any grand suite.

If the expense is reasonably achievable for you I would recommend doing it.

Steve

[bucfan2]

17 hours ago, molly361 said:

No way

Get the CL any way you can.  OP - Good luck deciding which end of the spectrum to choose.

Edited September 13, 2023 by bucfan2

[SuzD123]

8 hours ago, stevekc said:

We've done the grand suites 4 times and the Crown Lofts many more.

We (obviously) prefer the CL well over the GS.

The Crown Lofts have....

2 bathrooms for an easy starter.

Great location on deck 17 which is exclusive, quiet and wonderfully proximate to Coastal Kitchen

which is fabulous for espresso machine and tasty breakfast pastries, not to mention a short walk to dinner.

Huge WOW factor in cabin with spectacular views from anywhere in the room looking out the balcony.

TWO very attentive suite attendants as opposed to one in the GS, therefore they can do a better

job with your cabin in less time. 

Bear i mind the views and the quiet rooms are best on the side cabins, not the ones overlooking the sports deck.

But I would still opt for a Crown Loft with a sports deck view over any grand suite.

If the expense is reasonably achievable for you I would recommend doing it.

Steve

I completely echo these comments/thoughts.  We've been in GS and OS on multiple ships on multiple occasions.  While we were initially concerned about "feeling isolated" when we had the opportunity to book a side-facing CLS a couple years ago...all of the features and benefits of the CLS far outweighed anything else.  LOVED it and can't wait to book a CLS again.

[orville99]

17 hours ago, bgregan said:

1702 and 1756 are still available and they are both side suites. From my research it seems they may have a little smaller balconies but that doesn't bother us. 

We have stayed in both of those suites, and given the choice, I would pick 1756 - better layout. We have also stayed in 8260, and while we liked the GS cabin layout, the CLS gives you so much more room and features - like the walk in two person rain shower upstairs😎

 

BTW, for $800 total cost to upgrade, I would take the leap to the CLS. There really is no comparison between a GS and a CLS on Allure that would convince me to stay with the GS for that price.

[bgregan]

Thank you EVERYONE so much!!  We are leaning towards getting the Crown Loft.  You only live once right?  LOL

[bgregan]

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

We have stayed in both of those suites, and given the choice, I would pick 1756 - better layout. We have also stayed in 8260, and while we liked the GS cabin layout, the CLS gives you so much more room and features - like the walk in two person rain shower upstairs😎

 

BTW, for $800 total cost to upgrade, I would take the leap to the CLS. There really is no comparison between a GS and a CLS on Allure that would convince me to stay with the GS for that price.

This is great info thank you so much.  We are leaning towards getting the Crown Loft Suite. 

[orville99]

19 minutes ago, bgregan said:

Thank you EVERYONE so much!!  We are leaning towards getting the Crown Loft.  You only live once right?  LOL

Just a gentle word of caution, once you go CLS, it will be difficult to go back to anything else. Our first suite was a CLS on Harmony (right before the shutdown. Our second was a CLS on Allure right after the shutdown ended. Then we did a B2B in a GS on Allure - now I can't convince DW to sail in anything lower than a GS.

Edited September 13, 2023 by orville99

[orville99]

4 minutes ago, bgregan said:

This is great info thank you so much.  We are leaning towards getting the Crown Loft Suite. 

You will really enjoy it if you do. Items in a CLS that you won't find in a GS - two big screen TVs (one downstairs and a second one upstairs) Two full bathrooms (one downstairs with a shower, and another one upstairs with a two person walk in rain shower), Dining table w/two chairs on the first floor. lounge chair w/foot stool downstairs in addition to a full sized sofa, coffee table, and two ottomans, deep balcony (although not as wide as a GS), two top tier room stewards, downstairs closet (DW uses this one) and another upstairs for me, remote controlled curtains, and that's just the big stuff.

[Tree_skier]

10 hours ago, stevekc said:

TWO very attentive suite attendants as opposed to one in the GS

This was something I forgot about.  Having two doing twice a day service was a great perk.

[orville99]

10 hours ago, stevekc said:

TWO very attentive suite attendants as opposed to one in the GS, therefore they can do a better

 

25 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

This was something I forgot about.  Having two doing twice a day service was a great perk.

And they have significantly fewer cabins to service than the single steward for a GS on that class of ship (who gets an entire block of 20-25 cabins that can range all the way from one-a-day interiors and  balconies, to two-a-day JS and GS suites), so they are much more responsive to their guests

Edited September 13, 2023 by orville99

[ajtaylor29]

We LOVE the crown lost suites, so for me that would be an easy decision. Love the location, especially love having 2 bathrooms!!! Our first time (on Symphony) it was the back ones that face the sports areas and the aqua theater, and i actually liked that better than i thought i would. I still prefer the side facing cabins, but i'd take the rear-facing over a grand suite for sure!

[luckyinpa]

CLS are great and we prefer it to our 1BR aqua suite. even thought the aqua had 4 separate distinct seating options along the 100000 sq ft balcony. and the shower is better in the aqua

 

but being on 17 is like your own 'haven' as on NCL. super wide hallways (to get to the aqua we had to navigate 2 or 3 carts and lots many large laundry bags as well as tons of other people many times on a daily basis)

 

we heavily used the SL and CK where when in the aqua the SL just wasnt as easily accessible. we like to lug drinks back and stock up the fridge.  the wait for an elevator may be a bit longer but it's worth it to me. and just 1 flight down to pool/hot tubs. didnt go in the buffet or MDR a single time last trip. also leaving your room and being to your meal in 30 seconds is very convenient.

 

your 2 stewards literally just hang in the hall waiting for people to leave so they can attend to your cabin. super efficient and they've always been great. for full price id never face the rear of the ship because i value quiet and privacy but for a cheap upgrade id take any view.  also the 'express' elevator basically gets you first off the ship if thats important to you.

 

i never stayed in a GS but if they are the cabins with the high tub to crawl in then i wouldnt want it at all. but i may be thinking about another cabin. if i had to think of a negative of the CLS it's the counter space. but no reason not to book it.

[orville99]

3 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

i never stayed in a GS but if they are the cabins with the high tub to crawl in then i wouldnt want it at all. but i may be thinking about another cabin.

They are, and when we sail in a GS we always bring a tub mat because they are also very slippery (and small).

[bgregan]

Thanks to all the great advice here we decided to upgrade to CLS 1756 for our upcoming cruise.  We are super excited!!  Thank you to EVERYONE!! 🙂

[trihawks1]

We started with a Central Park balcony bc that’s what was available for December on Symphony.  We then upgraded to OV balcony which is what we usually book.  I debated to do Royal Up if offered to go to a suite.  Our sailing is basically sold out and OV balconies were $3,800 when we originally booked the cruise.  Since it is basically sold out, I doubt that a lot of suites will open up AND it is past final payment now.

 

Long story short, I bit the bullet and when a Grand Suite opened up I upgraded.  Yes I paid dearly!!!  My husband had triple bypass surgery in May and it made us cancel our April cruise 10 days before sailing.  Plus we celebrated 42nd wedding anniversary in August AND his early retirement last year.  So hubby doesn’t know…hopefully a big surprise. And the adult kids aren’t cruising with us for the first time since 2013.
 

Our GS is, lol, 8260!  I loved deck 8 on oasis in a JS…I wanted to also enjoy Coastal Kitchen and the Suite Lounge for the first time.  I didn’t want to chance not getting a GS on Royal Up…to me the cost is priceless. 

[George C]

11 minutes ago, trihawks1 said:

We started with a Central Park balcony bc that’s what was available for December on Symphony.  We then upgraded to OV balcony which is what we usually book.  I debated to do Royal Up if offered to go to a suite.  Our sailing is basically sold out and OV balconies were $3,800 when we originally booked the cruise.  Since it is basically sold out, I doubt that a lot of suites will open up AND it is past final payment now.

 

Long story short, I bit the bullet and when a Grand Suite opened up I upgraded.  Yes I paid dearly!!!  My husband had triple bypass surgery in May and it made us cancel our April cruise 10 days before sailing.  Plus we celebrated 42nd wedding anniversary in August AND his early retirement last year.  So hubby doesn’t know…hopefully a big surprise. And the adult kids aren’t cruising with us for the first time since 2013.
 

Our GS is, lol, 8260!  I loved deck 8 on oasis in a JS…I wanted to also enjoy Coastal Kitchen and the Suite Lounge for the first time.  I didn’t want to chance not getting a GS on Royal Up…to me the cost is priceless. 

Congratulations we have done several grand suites but looking forward to our first on deck 8 on November on another oasis class ship, I like the thought of being close to all the bars and restaurants in Central Park. 

[MaryEBS]

I've sailed in both the GS and the CLS and I would most definitely pay $800. for a side view CLS over a GS.  Nothing compares to the view afforded to you from the loft with the curtains open and the sun pouring in.  Deck 17 is so quiet and the aisles are so wide ... not to mention the proximity to the Suite Lounge and the Coastal Kitchen.