Suite addicted!

[joyride]

Just wanted to give you all the chance to say "I told you so!" We finally experienced our first Suite on the Crown in April, and now (like you all predicted) - I'm stuck.

 

I am definitely telling myself that I don't "have to have" a suite. But, that philosophy does not explain why I just booked a Suite for the CB next year and put us on the waitlist for one on our upcoming TP cruise!

 

It wasn't just the room - it was many things! The awesome bathroom and tub. My first night taking a hot jacuzzi bath with the little blue eye thingies resting like cool cucumbers on my tired eyes. Our awesome balcony and Ultimate Balcony dinner - along with the other awesome dinners on the huge balcony ordered from the dining room menu. Oh - and the laundry/dry cleaning - I just went ahead and put stuff out almost every day - so everything stayed clean the whole trip. I still overpacked!

 

And, maybe it's just me, but room service was so darn attentive. Anything we wanted - delivered on time or early and always with a smile.

 

Our last night we had some folks over for drinks and ordered some ice and extra glasses - which they brought along with several complimentary appetizers that we didn't even ask for!

 

Plus, we had some great get togethers with our fellow cruise critics. We packed a blender and room service was very generous with ice and strawberries whenever we needed them! I actually left the blender for our room stewart - who was also awesome!

 

Yes, I'm hooked! It is probably true that these extra little perks are not really valued equally to the extra price paid for the suite - but I have to put this in perspective. I only get to vacation once or twice a year and the rest of the time I commute over an hour each way and work 10-12 hour days. So, I think I'm worth it!

 

So, if you have been thinking about splurging for a Suite - go for it!!! Just be sure to book really early or I may already have beat you to it! :):):)

[mhugcat]

Hi

 

I read your earlier post that you had booked a Vista Suite and have been eagerly waiting to hear all about it. sounds lovely.

 

I have also booked a Vista Suite on the Emerald with my boyfriend. He has never crusied before and I have never been in a suite. Sounds awesome.

 

We will be on Emerald deck on the Emerald and I have read that the balconies are not that big and some have an obstruction. Don't think any of that will bother us though.

 

Did you order canepes. I have seen pictures of those strawberry ones.:D

[mipps]

looking forward to ours on the TP

I near had a coronary when DW told me how much she spent on our holiday but after reading all the threads here on all the perks she now gets extra hugs and kisses

 

:)

[Coral]

Joyce,

 

I did about 5 suites in a row and they switched back to regular cabins/minisuites. I really haven't had problems doing such.

 

I probably would not book a suite on a port intensive trip such as Canada/New England. I had a suite booked for a coastal but cancelled it because when in the Caribbean you use the suite more but on port intensive trips, it seems like a waste of money IMO.

 

If in the Caribbean when there are port days, that makes sense but if you only have one port day, it doesn't make sense to me to pay more for a cabin.

 

Theresa

[Laurab23]

Had a suite last year on the Crown and booked just a balcony for our upcoming cruise. I know it will be a letdown but better a cruise with just a balcony than no cruise at all!

Laura

[CruiseChico]

I booked a mini for my wife on mothers day back in 95. I thought it would be a one time experance. HA!!! We're hooked. Loved the sweet suites. We only get to cruise about every 3-4 years so we save and really enjoy the balconey. Next year we're booked on Sapphire in a premium suite aft. It's so worth the extra$$$$!!!!!

[Katie333]

Ohhh, I'm so jealous! We just made the leap from oceanview to balcony on our last 2 cruises and we already can't go back from that. I fear the progression to mini to suite ... I think it would be best just to look straight away at the suite price and NOT the inside price that is the normal starting point. If you don't *see* the difference between them then maybe it won't feel too bad?

[TrojanJulez]

Hey Joyride! Glad you enjoyed the suite! I'm totally jealous! Our first cruise was in a balcony, and our upcoming is in an inside with 3 people (but better than no cruise at all!), and I'm a little worried about the change - plus our first cruise was Disney, so that was already a larger-than-normal cabin. Either way, I'm just happy to be cruising again! I'm hoping that one day we'll be able to afford to "move up" - I'd love to be in a suite! :D

[AAAAmerican]

Suite Life is the best.:cool:

[Pam in CA]

I agree that suites are sweet! We had suites for our Golden cruise in February and it was wonderful to have a place to go to away from the crowds (it was too cold to be outside or even in the covered Calypso pool area for days so it was very, very crowded with people looking for things to do). We loved it so much, we booked mini's for our Baltic cruise next summer and we're waitlisted for mini's on our Sapphire cruise next April although we have Caribe balconies so it won't be the end of the world if we don't get mini's.

[Geema]

What do you get in a VS? Do they give you appetizers every night? I heard about the free laundry. Also, is there a mini-bar set up? We're considering the Caribbean Princess in the fall and a VS sure looks nice :) .

Also, is there a pull out sofa for a 3rd person? We have always had a regular balcony and mini-suites when travelling on Princess, but we are thinking of taking our son this time so a bigger room looks attractive.

[joyride]

Geema - Yes, you get canapys every night. After the first day you get a little menu where you can order what you want each day and what time you want them delivered. This includes various ones with shrimp, cheeses, ham, cavier or chocolate covered strawberries.

 

If you are planning on bringing your son, I think the Suite set up would work great with a third or forth person. The sofa makes into a bed and their is actually a heavy curtain that you could close to give you and your husband privacy in the bedroom area.

 

You get a one time mini-bar set up which included beer, sodas and several liquors. We didn't like some of the liquors, so we had our cabin stewart switch them out for ones we do like - it was not a problem.

 

We did Personal choice dining. The first afternoon we received a call from the dining room asking us what time we would like to have a table reserved for us in the personal choice dining room and for how many. We made a standing reservation for 7:30 - but we ended up only going to the dining room a couple of times. We liked having dinner on the balcony - enjoying the wake of the ship and the beautiful sunsets. Also, we didn't spend 2-3 hours at dinner like you do in the dining room. This gave us time to make it to a Movie Under the Stars or an earlier show.

[Geema]

Thanks, Joyride! Just what I wanted to know! (That room service on the balcony sure sounds nice!)

 

Does the CB have new bedding or is it too new of a ship to get any? I thought I heard they were getting new bedding but maybe it was sheets, etc.

 

Maybe I missed it, but are there dvd's to pick from?

 

We are Platinum on Princess - any extra off for that? (we've done RCI the last two and they have $$ off for Platinum).

 

Sorry for all the questions but we are seriously thinking of booking the CB.

[luvs2travl]

Thanks for the great review, Joyride! DH and I have an aft suite booked on the Sapphire for our next 2 cruises (Alaska in June and Australia/NZ in February). Not that we needed to get any more excited, but your overview hit on all the things I was hoping would make the "suite life" worthwhile.....the great bathroom, the laundry & dry cleaning service (to save on the packing), the great in-cabin service and the balcony dining. SO very glad you enjoyed everything to the max - as it should be enjoyed!! We are certainly going to do the same.

 

One question - we have been advised that with booking a full suite, we will get priority embarkation and debarkation. Was that perk granted to you as well? Or did you not notice a difference. Not a big deal really...just curious.

 

Happy future cruising & here's to the "Suite Life"!! :D

[cruzkitty]

Welcome to the "Suite Life" Joyride!! I, too am addicted. We also work hard, play hard, and only cruise once a year, so it's sooo worth it to us!:p

 

I am thinking about reserving the UBD in Sept on the CB. Is the price $99 each? I can't remember. We will be in an Aft Suite, and hoping this will be a good location for the UBD.

 

Thanks for the Review!!

[can786]

It is great to hear your excitement and your feeling that it was worth the extra cost to upgrade to the suite. I also decided to splurge for a suite for my upcoming Sea Princess cruise with my mom. We were originally booked in a minisuite (which are especially nice on the Sun class ships) but I decided that my mom deserved the full suite since she has had cancer surgery twice in the last 7 months (after 18+ years of being cancer free). She knows that we are in the full suite but I've got her believing that we got a free upgrade from Princess and I am paying the difference in fare for us both since she would insist on paying for the upgrade if she knew. Since the cancer is oral cancer she sometimes has problems eating some foods so I thought it would be nice to be able to get the full dining room menu and have it in our room. She has been so upbeat through all of her problems and has truly been an inspiration to me that the least I can do is treat her to a suite this cruise. We are both very excited about being in the full suite.

[AliceJ]

It is great to hear your excitement and your feeling that it was worth the extra cost to upgrade to the suite. I also decided to splurge for a suite for my upcoming Sea Princess cruise with my mom. We were originally booked in a minisuite (which are especially nice on the Sun class ships) but I decided that my mom deserved the full suite since she has had cancer surgery twice in the last 7 months (after 18+ years of being cancer free). She knows that we are in the full suite but I've got her believing that we got a free upgrade from Princess and I am paying the difference in fare for us both since she would insist on paying for the upgrade if she knew. Since the cancer is oral cancer she sometimes has problems eating some foods so I thought it would be nice to be able to get the full dining room menu and have it in our room. She has been so upbeat through all of her problems and has truly been an inspiration to me that the least I can do is treat her to a suite this cruise. We are both very excited about being in the full suite.

 

Cathy:

 

What a great treat for your Mom!!! She's very lucky to have such a nice daughter. You'll love the suite - we've been in suites twice and just loved it both times. Have a wonderful time!!

[CruiseChico]

I was wondering about internet service in a full suite? I read somewhere that its provided. I'm sailing on the Sapphire and it would be wonderful, if true. Sounds like we won"t have to leave our room !!!

[JotWorld]

I was wondering about internet service in a full suite? I read somewhere that its provided. I'm sailing on the Sapphire and it would be wonderful, if true. Sounds like we won"t have to leave our room !!!

 

We are in a Sweet Now on the Pacific Princess (51 Days) Sydney to Anchorage, & Yes the Internet is all Free, still. ;)

We will be going back to Reg Balconies after the 102 Day World Cruise next year and I hope we don't get to spoiled in the meantime.:eek:

Bill:)

[kymburley]

Ohhh, I'm so jealous! We just made the leap from oceanview to balcony on our last 2 cruises and we already can't go back from that. I fear the progression to mini to suite ... I think it would be best just to look straight away at the suite price and NOT the inside price that is the normal starting point. If you don't *see* the difference between them then maybe it won't feel too bad?

 

Well. I take vacation only once every 4-5 years or more. My husband went to the Persian Gulf in January & I went into a strange place. So, to take care of that problem I booked the Diamond. Started at an ocean view. Called TA back and said I need a balcony. Got irritated because email from husband in Persian Gulf wasn't coming fast enough so called TA back again and said I need mini suite. Got irritated more, because still no communication from husband and called TA to get a VS. VS was not available, ended up with a PH!!!!!!! :D :D :D

 

I'm trying to be a very good girl ;) and not book a suite for the Caribbean Cruise on the Caribbean Princess in September when he gets back, but alas, I may have to get it!!! Those strawberries, and tea, and giant balcony, and flowers, and fruit, FREE internet, FREE laundry... it's too much to ignore. Rgh! If only someone would provide these things at home for me... :D

[kymburley]

One question - we have been advised that with booking a full suite, we will get priority embarkation and debarkation. Was that perk granted to you as well? Or did you not notice a difference. Not a big deal really...just curious.

 

Happy future cruising & here's to the "Suite Life"!! :D

 

You have to know to get into the priority check in line. I think it's labeled Elite/Premium or something like that (it's what I remember at San Pedro). I never cruised Princess before and didn't know what that meant - was looking for a sign that said priority check-in/suite, or something like that. I got in the regular line, but I checked in online and there were only 2 or 3 people in front of me. I thought the lady doing the check in would see that I was in a suite and would direct me where to go. I got "hearded" into a room to await my number (13) to be called. There was no drink or snack or anything. They hadn't even started calling numbers yet. It looked like it was going to take a long time. Long story short, I found a security guy who eventually let us go on ahead of our numbers being called.

 

There is a priority disembarkation lounge for Platinum/Suite guests. It has juices, coffee, tea, and some sweet breads. Totally not crowded and quite comfortable. I enjoyed this perk.

[kymburley]

I was wondering about internet service in a full suite? I read somewhere that its provided. I'm sailing on the Sapphire and it would be wonderful, if true. Sounds like we won"t have to leave our room !!!

 

Internet is FREE, but ONLY in the internet cafe. If you connect your laptop to the wireless connection you will be charged $0.50 per minute & it's SLOW... Also, on the Diamond there was no wireless connection in the cabins.

[Seal]

Haven't had much time today--need to pack, pay bills etc--plus get some work done--just took a look at cruise critic and who do I see--Guess Who??

 

I broke my thumb on the Crown about the 2nd day and it hurts like H***

when holding a pen.

 

We leave tomorrow night for Papette--I hope to be ready to leave about 6pm tomorrow--very excited with the suite--especially when I saw so many pictures of it--better than I thought it might be

 

Hope all is well

 

Nancy:D

[mhugcat]

If you get into the priority check in line as a suite passenger are you then taken onboard before every one else for pre cruise drinks and snacks.

Thanks

Christine

[Krazy Kruizers]

joyride

 

So glad you experienced your first suite. You'll not want to cruise any other way now.