Confused Junior Suite and concierge

[AAAMom]

Hi All,

I haven't posted since just after our April Voyager Cruise. We just booked April 2008 on the Liberty. My TA gave me the new RCL 2007-2008 brochure and it indicates that Junior Suite have access to concierge. Everything I've read is to the contrary. Is this a new change?

Thanks...

[AFT_LOVER]

for Concierge Lounge per the letter in the stateroom with key. Even express embarkation is for SUITES only which again is GS & up, but you do get the extra cruise credit.

[AAAMom]

So if that's the case, then what concierge is the brochure referring to? It indicates to go to page 118 for details and the only details are regarding access to the concierge lounge.

[KarinaGW]

So if that's the case, then what concierge is the brochure referring to? It indicates to go to page 118 for details and the only details are regarding access to the concierge lounge.

Sounds like they cut and pasted from the 2001-2002 brochure where they had the same typo. While I think it would be nice if any cabin with the word suite attached to its name had access, from what I understand, between existing suite access and the Diamonds/+, the concierge suites are already reaching more than capacity on some cruises

[negc]

If I were RCI I would put a large advertisement in the Help Wanted ads that says "Proofreader Wanted". ;) Unless they have decided to again change their policy regarding junior suites, those who book those rooms are not entitled to concierge services unless they are Diamond level (or above) members of C&A. However their latest brochures imply that junior suites are eligible for this amenity. The brochures says that guests in suites are eligible and then lists under the heading of suites: RFS, RS, OS, GS, and JS. When you go to page 118 as directed there is no disclaimer that indicates that JS guests do not qualify for the status. Look for a lot of controversy over this issue:rolleyes:

However, Junior Suites have always been considered suites as far as the check in lines are concerned.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

WELL SAID BILL...NEGC!!! As usual you have hit all the nails directly on the head!!! CLICK.:D

[dougp26364]

The best thing to do would be just ask. RCI changes things and not everyone in their organization can keep up with it. They also have a tendancy to put out bad information, which is more likely the case with the JS having access to the conceirge lounge. But I'd still ask and I'd take the brochure just to show them if they said no.

 

The JS cabin seems to cause more confusion than any other cabin. They really could have named it better. Maybe something like Deluxe Balcony cabin or just about anything without the word suite in it. The JS is more of a tweener cabin. Not really just a balcony cabin but not quite a suite either. Sort of like being 15 years old. You're not really a kid anymore but they won't let you have a drivers license. Or maybe 20 years old when you can do most things legal EXCEPT have a beer at the end of your work day.

[negc]

Thanks Ross. Rita wishes I were as handy with an actual hammer.:D

[AFT_LOVER]

even the luggage tags don't say SUITE as others have stated, so no priority embarkation. I was told JS is a larger D1 with a bathtub. Not a suite, but given the name.

 

They wanted $2500 for 10/15 Freedom, I said FORGET IT when a D1 was $799.

[negc]

Spoke to a reliable source at RCI and the section in the new brochures which seems to indicate that junior suite guests have access to the concierge is in error, as most of us thought. I suspect that RCI will rue the day that they let these brochures out the door.:)

[mommabean]

They probably cover their error in one way or another just as they do in their cruise contract. They can change your itinerary for any reason at any time. And they also state that they can change the C&A perks at any time. I bet it's written somewhere that they can change the perks of any suite or room type at any time. Where that would be written, I don't know. I've never read my entire cruise contract either. I don't care what it says, I'm going to cruise anyway. :)

[Radio]

So if that's the case, then what concierge is the brochure referring to? It indicates to go to page 118 for details and the only details are regarding access to the concierge lounge.

 

On Page 118 of the New Brochure, it states :

 

"Complimentary concierge service is available to guests booked in suites on select ships"

 

It did not include or deny Junior Suites though......

 

You will love the Voyager of the Seas...she is a beautiful ship !

 

Radio

;) ;)

[blklabfan]

even the luggage tags don't say SUITE as others have stated, so no priority embarkation. I was told JS is a larger D1 with a bathtub. Not a suite, but given the name.

 

They wanted $2500 for 10/15 Freedom, I said FORGET IT when a D1 was $799.

 

I just looked at my luggage tags and you are correct, no where does it say suite. never noticed that.

 

It does say" Lost luggage call........" Shouldn't that say "if found call....."?

If I lose it, I ain't gonna have it to look up the number:)

[negc]

On Page 118 of the New Brochure, it states :

 

"Complimentary concierge service is available to guests booked in suites on select ships"

 

It did not include or deny Junior Suites though......

 

You will love the Voyager of the Seas...she is a beautiful ship !

 

Radio

;) ;)

 

The problem is that nowhere on P. 118 do they list what categories are considered to be suites, while in the earlier section which is headed:Pick a Stateroom, Any Stateroom it categorizes rooms as: Balcony Suites, Balcony Staterooms, Ocean View Staterooms and Interior Staterooms. Junior Suites are listed under the Balcony Suites category and one of the features of the Balcony Suites is indicated by the following language: "Complimentary concierge service available on all Radiance and Voyager family ships* " The asterisk tells you to refer to page 118 for additional information and page 118 does not exclude junior suites when it describes the "concierge service available to passengers booked in suites on select ships". Further proof of their sloppy proofreading can be seen in the fact that the same sentence appears twice in that section: "Concierge service is limited to guests 18 and over after 5:00 pm"

[Elizanessie]

Guests now have to be 21 or over for Concierge Lounges after 5pm.

[mclou]

even the luggage tags don't say SUITE as others have stated, so no priority embarkation.quote]

 

I sailed on Vision out of Seattle in May in a JS. We got in line outside the terminal but a staff person was announcing that anyone in a suite could go to express check-in. We asked if a Junior Suite counted and she said absolutely so we followed her and were onboard in about 15 minutes.

 

Also, I'm sure our luggage tags actually did say SUITE as we talked about it when we put them on. Maybe the tags vary from ship to ship. This was my 1st RCI cruise so I don't have anything else to compare it to.

[aqhacruiser]

Hi All,

I haven't posted since just after our April Voyager Cruise. We just booked April 2008 on the Liberty. My TA gave me the new RCL 2007-2008 brochure and it indicates that Junior Suite have access to concierge. Everything I've read is to the contrary. Is this a new change?

Thanks...

 

This is very interesting! Now I have the 2006 brochure UPDATED it says on the cover for RCCL Caribbean, and Bahamas and Bermuda. I do not know if you would call this a brochure or not but mine is like a magazine size book. I received it about 7 weeks ago. The book does include cruises for 2006 AND 2007 dates. On page 20, it states under the suite catagory " complimentary concierge service available on all Radiance- and Voyager-family ships" Under the list of what you receive such as sitting room with sofa, phone, blah blah it does say in tiny print for additional information, please refer to page 86. Page 86 says nothing at all about any staterooms, it tells you what to bring, how to pay, etc. so page 86 is useless in regards to this subject. It than says available suites are Royal suite, owner's suite, royal family suite, grand suite, junior suite. So according to RCCL's book Junior suites are absolutely entitled to concierge service. Now on the website and in their printed material RCCL has 4 catagories of staterooms. Interior, oceanview, balcony and suites. A JS is a SUITE according to RCCL and they do list it under a cabin that is entitled to concierge service according to this book. There is about 100 sq. feet of difference in size compared to a top level balcony cabin, a full sitting area with 2 chairs and sofa, etc so there are some differences and of course it is more expensive and in my case it was 1000.00 and in a couple of the other cruises I have booked directly thru RCCL it's over 1000.00 difference I believe so it can vary based on the cruise you take. Don't forget the higher price the cabin the more expensive the insurance is also. I am going on the Explorer which is a voyager class ship. I booked the JS's based on what I read in the RCCL book that I received. So I do not know what is going to happen but I am bringing this book on board with me in October and I will find out! But if all I am going to receive for my extra money is a balcony room with a bathtub as someone else suggested I may as well downgrade my other 3 cruises in 2007 and I can save ALOT of money. I will DEFINTELY post the results on this issue when I return from my cruise and I leave 10/29. I am not into false advertising tactics so this will be interesting I guarantee you that. I thank the OP for bringing this to everyone's attention as I had no idea there would be an issue about it so I am now prepared.;) I am not going to bother to call RCCL as from what I read on these boards the information is never consistent that people seem to receive if they call RCCL. Besides I have their own printed book with me that I based my cabin selection on so they can explain what the deal is in person to me:D

[cruisenfever]

even the luggage tags don't say SUITE as others have stated, so no priority embarkation. I was told JS is a larger D1 with a bathtub. Not a suite, but given the name.

 

They wanted $2500 for 10/15 Freedom, I said FORGET IT when a D1 was $799.

Yes a JS is considerably larger than a D1......almost 100 sq. Besides the larger bathroom, there is a very, very large walk in closet and much more storage and shelving space. Besides a full size sofa bed, there are two large chairs, an ottoman and a round table. I would suggest that when you are the Freedom, you ask to see a JS cabin then you will see exactly how large they are.

 

As far as priority embarkation, before we were Diamond and staying in a JS cabin, we always had priority embarkation at all the ports.

[Radio]

The problem is that nowhere on P. 118 do they list what categories are considered to be suites, while in the earlier section which is headed:Pick a Stateroom, Any Stateroom it categorizes rooms as: Balcony Suites, Balcony Staterooms, Ocean View Staterooms and Interior Staterooms. Junior Suites are listed under the Balcony Suites category and one of the features of the Balcony Suites is indicated by the following language: "Complimentary concierge service available on all Radiance and Voyager family ships* " The asterisk tells you to refer to page 118 for additional information and page 118 does not exclude junior suites when it describes the "concierge service available to passengers booked in suites on select ships". Further proof of their sloppy proofreading can be seen in the fact that the same sentence appears twice in that section: "Concierge service is limited to guests 18 and over after 5:00 pm"

 

 

 

negc..

You are right.... That is what I was inferring. It is a little ambiguous.

 

Radio

;) ;)

[cb at sea]

even the luggage tags don't say SUITE as others have stated, so no priority embarkation. I was told JS is a larger D1 with a bathtub. Not a suite, but given the name.

 

They wanted $2500 for 10/15 Freedom, I said FORGET IT when a D1 was $799.

 

Our JS luggage tags have always said "Suite". We don't get concierge access, but the room is larger than a D1. Priority embarkation is a perk. (not that the luggage tags matter--you give your bags to the porter prior to check-in, so who sees it???? Just get in the "suite" line.)

[negc]

This is very interesting! Now I have the 2006 brochure UPDATED it says on the cover for RCCL Caribbean, and Bahamas and Bermuda. I do not know if you would call this a brochure or not but mine is like a magazine size book. I received it about 7 weeks ago. The book does include cruises for 2006 AND 2007 dates. On page 20, it states under the suite catagory " complimentary concierge service available on all Radiance- and Voyager-family ships" Under the list of what you receive such as sitting room with sofa, phone, blah blah it does say in tiny print for additional information, please refer to page 86. Page 86 says nothing at all about any staterooms, it tells you what to bring, how to pay, etc. so page 86 is useless in regards to this subject. It than says available suites are Royal suite, owner's suite, royal family suite, grand suite, junior suite. So according to RCCL's book Junior suites are absolutely entitled to concierge service. Now on the website and in their printed material RCCL has 4 catagories of staterooms. Interior, oceanview, balcony and suites. A JS is a SUITE according to RCCL and they do list it under a cabin that is entitled to concierge service according to this book. There is about 100 sq. feet of difference in size compared to a top level balcony cabin, a full sitting area with 2 chairs and sofa, etc so there are some differences and of course it is more expensive and in my case it was 1000.00 and in a couple of the other cruises I have booked directly thru RCCL it's over 1000.00 difference I believe so it can vary based on the cruise you take. Don't forget the higher price the cabin the more expensive the insurance is also. I am going on the Explorer which is a voyager class ship. I booked the JS's based on what I read in the RCCL book that I received. So I do not know what is going to happen but I am bringing this book on board with me in October and I will find out! But if all I am going to receive for my extra money is a balcony room with a bathtub as someone else suggested I may as well downgrade my other 3 cruises in 2007 and I can save ALOT of money. I will DEFINTELY post the results on this issue when I return from my cruise and I leave 10/29. I am not into false advertising tactics so this will be interesting I guarantee you that. I thank the OP for bringing this to everyone's attention as I had no idea there would be an issue about it so I am now prepared.;) I am not going to bother to call RCCL as from what I read on these boards the information is never consistent that people seem to receive if they call RCCL. Besides I have their own printed book with me that I based my cabin selection on so they can explain what the deal is in person to me:D

This issue arose several years ago when they recategorized staterooms and classified those which were previously Category C rooms a junior suites. For a limited period of time they allowed guests who had booked Junior Suites access to concierge services, because of a similar ambiguity in the language in their brochures. They did establish a definite cutoff date after which Junior suite guests were no longer permitted access to the concierge lounge. I suspect that when RCI realizes their error they will move more quickly than before to correct it. Somewhere in the brochure there is probably language that says that they reserve the right to change just about anything and that the language in their brochures is subject to such change.

Junior suites are well worth booking even without concierge privileges and, depending on the price difference, I would definitely prefer one to a D1 stateroom. It isn't worth getting bent out of shape over something that is very likely an error.:)

[AFT_LOVER]

and folks who were JS were upset that their luggage tags were not RED or say SUITE. The clerk stated that a JS is a larger stateroom & not a suite as GS + is. Then at the CL we heard bitching from JS folks who did not get a key to the CL & were griping & gain told they have a larger room, not a suite.

 

So it is time for RCCL to rename the JR Suite to maybe WANNEBE Suite? It is very similar to the mini suites on Princess, not a true suite. Sitting area is visible to the bed, not another room as a suite is.

 

Yes a JS is considerably larger than a D1......almost 100 sq. Besides the larger bathroom, there is a very, very large walk in closet and much more storage and shelving space. Besides a full size sofa bed, there are two large chairs, an ottoman and a round table. I would suggest that when you are the Freedom, you ask to see a JS cabin then you will see exactly how large they are.

 

As far as priority embarkation, before we were Diamond and staying in a JS cabin, we always had priority embarkation at all the ports.

[Lightsluvr]

There may have been a recent change, or it may differ by ship, but I am looking at extra luggage tags for our last two cruises, and both have the word "Suite" at both ends of the tag. (We were in JS on both cruises.)

 

For what it's worth...

 

LL

[Merion_Mom]

and folks who were JS were upset that their luggage tags were not RED or say SUITE. The clerk stated that a JS is a larger stateroom & not a suite as GS + is. Then at the CL we heard bitching from JS folks who did not get a key to the CL & were griping & gain told they have a larger room, not a suite.

 

So it is time for RCCL to rename the JR Suite to maybe WANNEBE Suite? It is very similar to the mini suites on Princess, not a true suite. Sitting area is visible to the bed, not another room as a suite is.

That's not much of a "suite definition". In a GS, there is no separate room; the seating area is just part of the same large quadrilateral that contains the bed. I've never been in an OS, so I can't speak about that.

 

And our JS luggage tags for the Sovereign DID say "suite" on them.

[dougp26364]

even the luggage tags don't say SUITE as others have stated, so no priority embarkation.quote]

 

I sailed on Vision out of Seattle in May in a JS. We got in line outside the terminal but a staff person was announcing that anyone in a suite could go to express check-in. We asked if a Junior Suite counted and she said absolutely so we followed her and were onboard in about 15 minutes.

 

Also, I'm sure our luggage tags actually did say SUITE as we talked about it when we put them on. Maybe the tags vary from ship to ship. This was my 1st RCI cruise so I don't have anything else to compare it to.

 

We were on Vision on Sept. 1. Since we've been on these forums for several years now and have sailed in a JS cabin more than once, it was something I paid attention to. Our luggage tags did not say suite on them anywhere. However, back in Dec. of last year when we sailed on Enchantment, the tags did say suite on them.

 

Of course, your luggage tags go with your luggage and not up to check in with you. So it really doesn't matter. What does matter is what they tell you at the pier. Some shore personel will allow JS cat. cruisers into the suite check in line, some won't.

 

It be be one of two things. Either the shore personel don't know either or, the suite line is very short and the regular line is very long. They could reduce check in congestion by moving JS cruisers into the suite check in line that might not be getting a lot of action at that moment. Besides, on Vision class ships, there really aren't a lot of true suites on the ship. If there isn't a lot of Plat. or better members on that sailing wanting to use the suite check in line, then that line would be wide open at certain times of the day. It would make sense to move JS cruisers into that line and out of the regular line.

 

As with most things in life, it not always good to assume and usually better to just ask.