I believe there are benefits to being in a suite that aren’t even listed. Example, I went on a Princes cruise and for what ever reason I was upgraded to a fabulous suite in the front of the ship (separate bed room, separate living room, massive wrap around balcony, etc.). Really very nice. The zipper on my big piece of luggage broke leaving me no way to seal the bag. I called to see if they had luggage repair available (expecting that I would pay what ever the price was). They came got the luggage. The next day the luggage was returned completely repaired, inkling things I handed even mentioned (tears in the fabric and such). It looked almost new. And I never received a bill for this service. I summed it up to being the suite for the cruise.
... one torn zipper could cause a delay tho ... it was not their first luggage problem ... I think ...but so glad... they solved your problem... that's just how Princess does things ...
Gary, you absolutely nailed it with your assessment. Having sailed in a suite and mini-suites, I find that a mini-suites have enough room and that choosing the RIGHT location is more important that a little more room. Great job once again!
Gary - Part Two of my upper-crust Suite experience: On a recent Princess cruise (Feb 2020), I visited the Concierge Lounge each night. One night the Captain sat with me, and I had a 30 minute one-on-one private chat with him, while drinking 'courtesy' champagne all the while. He also solved a mystery which my Suite attendant couldn't: almost daily there was a horrendous metallic scrapping sound which must have been heard throughout the forward 5th of the ship. My steward couldn't figure it out. However, the Captain knew instantly what it was! The lowering & raising of the anchor in each port. Who better to solve a cruise question??
I’ve been on a few of the really big Norwegian Cruise line ships. I loved my balcony room located halfway between the front and the back and halfway from the top to the bottom it was Deck 9on the escape for example. One of the most stable rooms really let you enjoy your time without the ship shaking all around you. I had visited some hired more prestige sweets during my cruises and in rough water it was hard to keep balanced. Also agree about the noise I wouldn’t want to overlook a pool deck or any sort of club environment. I really enjoy my peace on cruises
If the people are expecting us to have money, just because we have booked two suites, they are going to be disappointed. This is a once in a lifetime vacation we have been saving for. It's probably our last family vacation (the 4 of us) as our oldest is graduating from college in May. We've had 2 big vacations in the past 22 years. One time to Myrtle beach and one time to Virginia Beach. Otherwise, we stay home for vacations and do outings like escape rooms. Don't worry though, we will not be stiffing the staff. Have already prepaid gratuities but probably won't be tipping much cash beyond the porters and room service. Originally I booked adjoining obstructed view balcony cabins but decided I wanted space for a table and chairs to play games at on sea days and (ghodforbid) we get quarantined. That meant a suite and wanted the kids next door, so that meant 2 suites. The upgrade is our birthdays and anniversary gifts for 2022. So...while we are not poor, we are not rolling in dough. We are on carnival and there is none of the separated dining/lounges/decks he spoke of. Which is fine by me. I booked in October for June and upgraded in January. I think the only perks we really get are included bottles of water for the room and laundry service. Which I won't use because I need to use free/clear products. I plan on using the do-it-yourself laundry at least one time so can pack less. Other perk is at the port. Dedicated area for checking in and priority boarding. Which is cool, but not necessary. I upgraded for the room to put in a table and 4 chairs. We will have that in the kid's room as we are big game players. The couch/chairs will be left in our room for just lounging. And, the best part.. The giant balconies! So excited! It may turn out, as others have mentioned, we may not stay in our rooms and the space may be wasted. But, the 4 of us have never been on a cruise so wanted all options.
My wife and I have been on 15 or so cruises. A couple from San Francisco to Hawaii and one Trans Antlantic to Ireland and Scotland.. We love the mini suites. A little separation so one of us can get a nap or read and the other can watch television. Gotta have a balcony for the sunrises and sunsets as well as enjoying sailing in and out of ports in our bathrobes if we want. One unusual thing about us is we both like the swaying of the ocean while sleeping so the front and back of the ships are fine with us. Princess is our cruise line of choice. Happy cruising.
The biggest plus is the extra perks like upscale restaurants and dedicated lounges. The biggest issue I find with cruising in larger cabins than the standard balcony cabins that I think affects our cruise is how you spend your time. I have found the bigger the cabin the more time I just spend in my cabin. It's as if I feel I need to use the extra space I paid for. This can cause me to miss a lot of interaction with other passengers, which is one of the things I like about cruising. The final downside is paying for a suite would cost about as much as paying for two in a balcony cabin.
@@MC-td4ol - This might be someone who didn't just spend their "Lunch Money" to book that "Suite" I suspect, so that's why they felt A Need to "Enjoy it to the fullest!" But, *I* have spoken with people, on our Cruises, that prefer the "Inside Cabins" since they enjoy so much of the rest the ship offers, and only "Come Home" to their room, for "Rack Time" to use a Military term!
I’ve been on 4 cruises (all Atlantis charters). I am a budget traveler and have to pay quite a bit for airfare and night before hotels. I live in Idaho (USA) so air is expensive. My travel friend and I prefer to get an inside cabin. Neither of us spend any time in the cabin preferring to be out and about the ships. Inside cabins, while small, give you complete darkness for those late mornings after a late late night or a midday nap if you desire (I prefer a shady spot on the sun deck for a nap). The money we save allows more specialty dining, excursions and of course cocktails! I wouldn’t turn down a suite or balcony, but only as a free upgrade. I hope more ships follow the inside studio cabins with dedicated lounges like on Norwegian. Really enjoy your videos and you have me considering a European River Cruise in the near future.
Do the APT European river cruise. Best ever cruise. Every single thing included in the cruise, every day trip, wine sampling in the Rhine etc. Only 160 on board so you have plenty space . gym, swimming pool. The best cruise I've ever been on.
Do the APT European river cruise. Best ever cruise. Every single thing included in the cruise, every day trip, wine sampling in the Rhine etc. Only 160 on board so you have plenty space . gym, swimming pool. The best cruise I've ever been on.
This was one of your most interresting video's ever, and it is very perceptive of you to actually ask/ conclude how much more complicated Cruising actially become depending on amount spent. OK we all know that cruising on Cunard in Princess grill, Queens grill is clearly different from other classes on Cunard, but that is sort of expected because of the very 'retro' (...sorry, CLASSIC!) experience Cunards product indeed is, but that you are faced with similar issues on Princess and Celebrity (and indeed even NCL) is more than surpricing. Sure, if you spend more, you want more for rhe money. However, for someone who has never cruised in anything more luxurious than a balcony cabin, I was convinced that anything bigger (such as suits) was really only about space. Im not interrested in my own butler anyway, but the big difference is not just an exclusive lounge, bit all the extra ship space and even exclusive pools, jacuzzi and even restaurants. ...that surpriced me. Thank you so much for this video.
Cruising has really changed. I took my kids were young. Had bathtub in the room. Free room service for food and drinks. Ordered complete meal at 10:30 pm. Room steward was great.
I don't understand the opening premise... having money does not prevent you from booking a cheap cabin. The primary benefit of money is that more money gives you more options.
I think the premise is that the more spending power you have the line between good value and quality become blur as over a certain threshold you might be over paying for something that could cost less in a different ship.
Agree totally. I’ve dabbled in a few luxury suites including a two story one with my brother and his wife. Great space. But when I travel solo a balcony cabin in the right location is the way to go. You did a great job comparing all of the suites. I enjoyed you video.
Thank you for the interesting and informative narrative for booking a suite on the various cruise lines. Alas, I will never be able to do my own personal comparison due to the enormous expense of a suite. It is amazing how fortunate I feel now to simply be cruising again since Covid has entered our world and our personal lives.
We were lucky to enjoy both types of suites with Norwegian. A big room with divider type on the Norwegian Pearl, and a true, huge two room suite with French doors on the back corner of the Norwegian Sun in Alaska (!). More than anything we appreciated the fine foods served in the surcharge restaurants converted to VIP rooms for breakfast and lunch, and the Lavazza they provided in the cabin. We barely had room for dinner. But this was in the olden days (2007-8ish) when cruising was still picking up, and Norwegian offered to upgrade us from standard balcony the week before sailing for $50-$100 per cabin per day to fill an empty cabin. Ah those long gone, halcyon, affordable days...
Gary- Just like buying a car: You can get a Chevy Spark, a Toyota Camry or a Cadillac CTS. All have 4 wheels, an engine and will get you from A to B. How you want to get from A to B is entirely dependent on your wallet. We have had Ocean Views, Balconies and a Mini-Suite. Had enough “Inside Cabins” when I was in the service. From what you showed in the video, Suites are for the cruisers who want space, isolation and pampering and are willing to pay dearly for it. For what Suites cost, you can get 2-3 Balconies. I would rather cruise more frequently in an Ocean View or Balcony. The wife does like the bath tub in a mini suite, but is the extra money really worth it? That depends in the cost differential and the cruise length.
We have always booked a Neptune suite (always midship) on Holland America- and it is the best. Large (big enough to hold a cocktail party for 8 couples), a special suite lounge, huge balcony, hotel grade bathroom, early embarkation, late disembarkation, service beyond special, lots of closets, and other perks: laundry service, mimosas for breakfast, and now on their three newest ships: club orange, a dedicated restaurant. Yes, it is more expensive, but we prefer 10 days in the lap of luxury than any other vacation. It is fabulous
The segregated 'ship within a ship' concept is just the revival of the old class system. And this is what in the land of long ago would have been called "first class" or "saloon." On which note I subscribe to the traditional definition of the term suite, which involves three essential elements. First is a separate bedroom. So if the bed is part of the living room, or sitting area, even if its is off to one side, it's not a true suite. The other two components are a stand alone sitting area and en-suite bath and water closet facilities. This latter feature is not an issue on modern ships as all cabins come with that. But back in the land of long ago even first class passengers in all but the most luxurious staterooms had to use communal bathrooms and water closets. The presence of other features like an in cabin dining table or bar are nice but don't effect the definition of a true suite.
Interesting to see the experience in detail. Thank you. However, with so many people in party mood on board - I can't ever imagine myself enjoying a cruise. Instead, give me a cottage at a quiet lake - any time :)
Or a comfortable tent and a few amenities. I'll take a secluded primitive campsite overlooking the west side of the lake, far enough away from the RV crowd. I've seen far too many times that monetary wealth does not equal class ! We're not party animals, nor antisocial. Rather we're selective. I couldn't enjoy a cruise. Especially as much as it costs. And then you have the "tipping" issue. From what I'm seeing on a lot of videos, despite being charged for gratuities along with the price of the tickets, sounds like everyone who isn't a uniformed ships officer is expecting a tip .....
As a solo traveler, my regular cabin has effectively twice the space as couples have. And as I buy the specialty dining packages I don't need a dedicated restaurant for suites.
It’s really not fair when us solo travellers eat half the food and take up half the space of a couple.. however discovering this led me to the best adventures of my life xx
... I understand the moneys expected when rooms are double occupancy ... versus solo travelers ... however the question remains ... " Do you want this boat ride or not " sometimes we just have to buck up and shell out for what you really want tho ... go solo in a balcony seems worth it ...
Interesting review, Gary. Thanks for taking some for the team and suffering through the experiences for our sake. :D The location - whether it's a cruise or a hotel - definitely IS key, for us at least. We always choose midships & lower decks for less noise and smoother sailing. Since we don't spend much time in our cabin during the day we don't spend the extra on suites - and, on some ships, balconies seem to be carved out of the space you would otherwise have inside your cabin anyway - so we're happy to save the money and stick to exterior 'oceanview' style cabins. As for the private dining & decks, etc ... It's nice, of course, but a bit too hushed and reverential for our taste. We're pretty good at finding quiet corners on board to chill in if we really feel like it. We're not too far from Houston so, for convenience sake, we usually just grab a Carnival cruise and they've all been fun so far. One very nice feature on a few of their newer ships - the Breeze' for example - Nice 'Deluxe' oceanview cabins, which have the usual shower, basin, loo combo, PLUS a very handy bath & basin combo as well. That's been a big time saver for us as a couple, and I'm sure it's a big help for families as well. So we'll stick to our oceanviews, unless we get free upgrades.
My wife and got an upgrade to an Accessible suite on our first ever cruise on the Celebrity Constellation. Fantastic for us, but location wise not so good! It was on the 9th floor, just under the expanded upper deck with restaurants and... The tabletennistable! Because of the wider upper deck, almost no view to the sky and that while we were cruising the Norwegian fjords... And during the night, until 02:00 AM noise from the upper deck, including scraping of deckchairs being stacked for the next day. The extra space and the perks (select dining and a butler!) made up for a big part, but if we are ever going to select a suite, we will lookout for the right spot. On our next cruises, I selected cabins the wise way. Between other ones!
Gary, I love your videos! I’m a solo cruiser and the most important items for me are balcony, excellent food and service, and excursions. Finally, I don’t want to be skewered on the single supplement charge.
Great critique, and like you I agree that cabin location can trump everything else. I upgraded this past November to The Haven on the Norwegian Epic for a 15 day Transatlantic. The Ship within a ship concept included a private restaurant, lounge, pool and even a sundeck exclusive to Haven passengers. The truth its, while I appreciated the private respite from the overcrowded pool area, I actually enjoyed visiting the main public decks for both dining and entertainment, and even for the daily people watching that we all do. My fellow Haven guests were very nice on the whole, but i found they sometimes chatted about the price of things a bit much. I never had anything requests for my butler at all, So I'm sure he was bored with me or very relieved.
You are absolutely correct on the suite locations on the ship! We we're on the MSC Meraviglia forward hot tub suite on deck 17 and we both got motion sickness on a rough sea night! We have been on 74 cruises and for the first time this happened....
Thanks for laying out the advantages of a suite. Given the high costs, we’re not interested. We’re “out and about “ folks and the room is just for that little bit of sleep we get! Agree on other videos to avoid the area below the gym or above the engine room!
Glad you mentioned the Butler, and what is his purpose? Ours mainly just barged in whenever we returned to the cabin, and anything we mentioned, he'd just disappear and, we assumed shout at the room steward, who would pop in and sort everything.
Nice video. That Saga suite looks very nice. I have heard on Norwegian if you are in the aft Haven suites you do not get access to the Haven compound. I don’t know why anybody would sail on Princess, as they seem to be a very poorly run company that does not care about their customers at all.
Great review, Gary. I would love to see you put a pencil to the suites and evaluate the cost vs. benefit (i.e. to a balcony). Value is a key component when I cruise.
I love the Haven suites on the newer Norwegian Cruise lines ships. The dedicated restaurant is the best I have had on any ship suite I have sailed on. Just wonderful.
I love Suites! Only tried NCL and Holland America. Priority embarkation is nice. The extra space is great, the bathrooms are bigger and often have jetted tubs, balcony is bigger, the espresso machine is nice to have, the bottled water and champagne are nice, mid afternoon delivered snacks are great. More space to put clothes. I love the restaurants and lounges on the NCL Havens. Dedicated elevator. No crowds around the pool and hot tub, dedicated sundeck. You can actually use them. Good/reserved seating at the shows. The concierge escorts you to your tours. an area separated from the rest of the ship that only Haven guests can access. Nice and quiet. Love love love it! You also get two cruise points for every night to boost your latitudes rewards. On HAL, the Pinnacle suite was nice, it had a dedicated concierge lounge with a small buffet through out the day. Lots of the same perks as the Haven on NCL but no dedicated restaurant. Both included laundry service and shoe polishing. Unless there is a Haven or something similar, I’d probably do a regular balcony cabin.
I agree with everything you said, especially about the Sky Princess. I noticed the disappointing location too. And I once met a man who had a suite under the ice cream parlour! He was almost in despair.
@@Penny-ts5ec Yes, and it is quite common, and is why I never take a guaranteed cabin with the chance of an upgrade, as the upgrade may be a better cabin in a horrible location.
My experience of the ship-within-a-ship suites is that they are not for me. I travel alone and if you REALLY want to feel alone, do the ship-within-a-ship experience. I think part of the problem for solo travelers who are extroverts is that these experiences are attractive to people who don't want to socialize with other passengers. And that includes their fellow suite passengers. Now I've only done this three times on three different cruiselines but every single time, I quickly abandoned the ship-within-a-ship area and joined the rest of the passengers. I want strangers at my table who I can socialize with. The passengers in the "common" areas were FAR more willing to socialize with you and actually would even initiate conversations with you. And being a single straight male, ALL the single straight women (almost all of them widows) are in regular cabins and not the suites. [And it seems like all of them really turn on their charms when they find out you're single, straight, and sailing alone.] In the ship-within-a-ship areas, the ONLY time someone kinda sort of socialized with me was during the "happy hour" and then it was only to buy me a drink along with everyone else in the bar. And I never encountered solo travelers in these areas. All were married and traveling as a couple. And Gary was 100% correct that the suite locations are horrible. Unless you like riding a mechanical bull, avoid the suites like the plague. Yes, the suites are more spacious but that just means you see and feel how the ship is really rocking and swaying even more. And Gary is again 100% right that your "butler" isn't anything special. Just a fancy name for a cabin steward and oddly one that rarely interacts with you. I've gotten FAR more help when I was in regular cabins from their cabin stewards than I got from the suite's "butler" and definitely saw them more. Now, yes, you see the captain of the ship FAR more in the ship-within-a-ship area but, sorry, that's not that big of a deal for me. Yes, all the stuff in the suite's refrigerator is complimentary but here's a tip: you can take soda pop cans back with you from the common area and put them in your cabin's refrigerator. Shortly after I started cruising, what I did was simply ask my cabin steward to remove all the stuff from the refrigerator as I will be loading it up with stuff I bring back from the restaurant and bars. I've never had a cabin steward that didn't immediately do that once I left. One time I told one of them this upon boarding and by the time I got back from the muster drill, the refrigerator was empty. Good thing as I had already picked up six different soda pops from the bar on my way back, which I simply tossed into my rucksack. [I always get the soda pop package as I don't drink alcohol but do like my fizzy water.] But now I simply email the cruise ship this request before I even board and never has the refrigerator been anything but empty when I come aboard. So, NOPE, this experience is not for me and I doubt I'll ever try it again. And, yes, I regularly get offered a free upgrade to them. That's how I experienced it the three times that I did. Now I thank them but politely turn down the offer.
I cannot afford this level of comfort. However, another great review and comparison of the various lines. Thank you Gary for breaking your back to get us this important information!
Lol..They know YOU are coming ..They crue knows all about YOU before you come. I remember at my restaurant I always waited on vips. Your VIP #1 because you are a critic , advisor and have a huge following 😀 👍
We have gone on several cruises, started out with an ocean view cabins, have had balcony cabins and our last cruise was a 30 day cruise on Holland America’s Amsterdam in a Neptune Suite. I am glad that we upgraded to the bigger cabin on that cruise as we had quite a few days at sea and I get overwhelm with anxiety with too much noise that can be created by crowds. We also had an exclusive lounge for the Neptune Suite guests which had concierge service which we were thankful for, since my husband needed a dentist. They were able to contact one before we arrive in the next port, making it much easier on us.
We always choose a mini suite on Princess. And we do choose the room for location. We like being near the elevators and the laundromat. But the main reason is the tub/shower (no shower curtain clinging to you! 😳). Plus I spend a lot of time in the room reading and relaxing.
My rule of thumb has been, if I'm cruising with one or two friends, then we get a balcony. With three friends, we upgrade to a suite, since four in a stateroom is a wee bit too much. Three, however, has worked out well and really keeps the costs down. We prefer the aft extended balconies on Carnival, since you get MUCH more balcony room (enough for a table, two chairs AND a lounger) without much of an up-price...and of course Carnival's staterooms are among the largest standard cabins at sea. For our group of four, we opted for a Grand Suite on Royal's Independence of the Seas, but it failed a few of the suite definitions in THIS video. It was still nice, but since it was a full charter we received virtually no perks...not even complimentary room-service.
As in real estate, location,, location, location! We booked the owners suite on a small river cruise. As you mentioned it was in the front of the ship and because of that the balcony was smaller than a regular balcony room due to the narrowing of the bow! Lesson learned.
Just got back from a cruise on the Celebrity Edge. Splurged on a sky suite. Fantastic! Plenty of room, access to Luminae and plenty of personal attention. Our suite was smack in the middle of the ship. The Steakhouse restaurant produced the best dinner in 60+ cruises. I am now so spoiled I may be addicted to the suite life.
Excellent as ever, Gary. I share the same value of cabin location being quite important. Princess does seem to be the perfect mix of, say, a mini suite, and midship location where you are above and below other cabins, not a pool deck or lounge, or completely forward or aft. Good segment ☺️
Thanks as always for watching and taking time to comment. Sure you know how much I appreciate it. Definitely likeminded on the location front. My next cruise on Friday is Princess and meets these !
For me the best value is a space I can go that is quiet and relaxing. I get overwhelmed by too many people for long periods of time. Not sure I could stand a cruise without a balcony really.. I'd feel too confined.
Me too. I have ASD and I really don’t fancy having a public meltdown. So a balcony is a must. Then I can have the views, the sounds and the peace. Crowds can be overwhelming and if there’s piped music or Bluetooth speakers, noise can also be iffy.
@@andreagriffiths3512 I do not have ASD that must be challenging and extra frustrating, but I am sensitive to constant or really loud music or repetitive noises if I am not able to escape as necessary. For me I enjoy it when I am rested and expecting it but I need to be able to go rest when I have had enough. I am empathic as well so too much "people energy" just drains me.
@@VictoriaGates it sounds like you may be an ambivert, someone who can be happy in a social sphere and even thrive within it but afterwards you need your retreat space to unwind and detox from what is, often, a stressful time. I'm rarely seeking out social situations myself and yet when I do everyone can't stop saying how outgoing and fun I am... it's honestly weird. I'm just being normal. But I love to have private space.
Great video. We typically always purchase two adjoining balcony suites. One for us and the other for our 2 kids. Now that the kids are older this is the 1st time they won't be coming with us for our 12 day December cruise. I might be tempted to use the savings for a larger suite, but fear my wife might get used to all that extra pampering. ;)
It really depends on what you're looking to do on the ship. I always find myself spending a lot of time in my room so having an upgraded comfortable room means a lot. I also really like the extra perks like dedicated lounge/restaurant and priority seating for shows and they're the main reason I gravitate towards suites over balconies now. I only went to the main dining room once on my last cruise. I also don't use the butler or concierge.
Greetings Gary, I just subscribed to your channel after checking out a few of your videos, all were of excellent quality and content. My only experience in cruising is as a Guest Entertainer where most often, my accommodations are in the bow/Crew areas. While massively upgraded from the regular Cruiseline employee cabins, mine in that area never had balconies. On two occasions I was assigned a regular cabin, one outside and one inside, both midship and that area offered a remarkable contrast in the overall sailing experience. Looking forward to your future videos, Cheers, Marc
The (24/7) concierge lounge (for Grand Suite pax and above) on Royal Caribbean ships has a latte/espresso machine. Before we were (randomly, thanks RC!) upgraded to a Grand Suite, we cruised in Junior Suites. That meant I had to wait till 6 a.m. for coffee service to begin at the buffet deck (outside the buffet). Yeah, I'm weird as hell, and am up-and-about by 5 a.m. when cruising (I sleep in till 9 at home!) . No concierge there, but the machines were always kept ready. I could go in and get my morning double-latte in my travel mug, and then wander the beautifully still-and-empty ship, watch the sun come up, and take amazing photos while I drank my morning beverage. By 8 or so, I'd swing by the buffet and pick up breakfast for me and my husband, then head back to the suite, await his awakening, and have a lovely breakfast with him. Superb way to cruise!
We may try a Suit like one of those .....As a TREAT!! But We really don't spend more than maybe 20% of our time in the Cabin.....Most times it's GO.GO.GO...
Having watched many of your videos this AM, and being someone in the travel industry myself, I can understand how hoise can be a problem when traveling! Can I suggest that you try some of the many, varying noise canceling headphones and/or sleep systems? They may help you find your travel experience to be quieter and perhaps more pleasurable? They will likely sponsor your videos as well!
Gary, I have watched many of your videos and find them spot on, so find it puzzling to find you ignore one of the key benefits of the suites versus the standard cabins. On a recent ( pre-Covid) trip to the Antarctic on the Silversea Explorer, we discovered that our suite offered daily laundry service. On that trip we found that invaluable because of the amount of clothing required daily to survive the weather. We now make this a key determinant for accommodation selection once cruising returns to Australian waters. Cheers and thanks for your entertaining series.
Great point. Many suites include laundry but not all unfortunately! Like on my current Ponant Antarctica, the suite does not have free laundry. Which seems an easy missed perk!!
Very interesting. I’m so glad you did this video. We always book a suite. I hope you will do the same comparison on other cruise lines. I disagree with one point. I much prefer a suite at the stern with a full wrap balcony. At the stern you have a views port, starboard and aft. And I enjoy watching the effects of the propulsion. The added white noise just reminds me we are at sea. Great video.
Great video, Gary. Thank you for spending that time and money to make the comparisons. I think it is worth noting that it is a different experience when you are cruising with others or/and have more days at sea. The more people in your room, the more space you like. Also, what type of cruise? We prefer longer cruises with more days at sea, where a bigger, private balcony will be used more. We preferred our suite experience on Royal Caribbean versus balcony experience. But we also cruised with 4 of us (includes myy son and mother) in our cabin, and others friends/relatives in other rooms, so we often hung out in our suite. We also loved having access to the main dinning room menu for room service, along with breakfast in our cabin every day. In the end, I guess it really depends on what kind of experience you want. We are more private, slow paced, and love to enjoy our rest, while watching the ocean. It helps us recharge when going back to work. Okay. Also worth noting is that we also cruised on an older ship for the suite experience. Not one of the mega ships. That might make a difference for our choice.
You included a lot of the reasons why we like to book suites. Our suite experience is with Royal and the Oasis class ships. We love the fact that we don't have to wait in lines to embark and disembark like the non suite owners do. Also, we always get reserved VIP seating at the shows (as long as we have a reservation). This is a wonderful perk. We also like that we get a choice of pillow types in the suites. The California Kitchen restaurant for Suite owners is wonderful too.
We upgraded to a suite one time. We usually get at balcony cabin. The suite was nice, but we decided it wasn't really worth it for us. We mostly just use the room for sleeping. The service wasn't better fir us because we ways tip the cabin crew generously, and get extra service. We usually buy a premium dining package and eat at specialty restaurants for dinner.
Vista suite on Riviera, Oceania is our favorite. Huge outdoor deck at bow of ship with outdoor tv and small jacuzzi. Deck extends from center of ship around the side a bit. Also comes with your own gym - treadmill, stationary bike. Lots of extras on board too as well as butler. When you get a chance.....
Love the video, very informative! One thing I wanted to comment on. You should not have turned down the Sky Suite! I had the same concerns you did about the noise from Pool and Movies under the Stars. We actually went the end of December through News Years! We're 65 yrs old and I do like quiet when I go to bed. We had 11 days in that Suite. It was wonderful. No issues! I've never used a balcony so much!!!!❤ We have reserved Sky Suites now 3 times. Please try it, if only for one time!❤
TYVM! (This is a comment in jest to help your SEO; great channel!) 1) I care about location a bit less because few on the planet care as much about cabin location as much as you. (but you are educating me) 2) The real takeaway from this is how to recast (to myself and friends and family) trying out suites as an experiment, not an indulgence. It's for science! ----- I do see SWS vs not-SWS as pretty different. Suites on a luxury line seem to be "just" a nicer room albeit noticeably nicer. Whereas SWS on a mega-ship like Bliss-class allows you to avoid *a lot* of crowds, lines and hassles. So there the suite life is not just what you get but what you avoid.
We have fallen in love with the Haven on Norwegian. The ship within the ship really delivers the correct balance of opulence and "big ship stuff" (many restaurants, many activities etc).
Went on a Xmas cruise on QM2 ship was good, the best place in the evening was the pub, but was to small for the amount of people who wanted to use it, there was a lack of entertainment. We also went on one of the trips to Hamburg found that to be better as we were on board for a shorter period. Also found it hard to get a seat at breakfast.
You are very right about location. I was in a grand suite on Royal Caribbean. Every night between 10 and 11 pm the food grinders and trash compactors, which were directly outside of our cabin would kick on and it was so noisy we had to leave the room during those times. Called several times but nothing was ever done about it. Finally at the end of the cruise I complained and was given a 50% refund (in cruise credit of course) for future cruise. Most people will say, "Well we don't spent a lot of time in our room". That's probably because you have a crappy room. You'd spent some time in it if it was a nice room. Just don't get it near the trash compactors.
I guess I'll just have to do my best to find the right suite according to location. I'm most definitely going to purchase two of them. We now have four children and my wife would just live the extra space on sea days. I'm a very sociable person. I'll strike up a conversation with no problem. If you don't seem to be in the mood for conversation then no sweat off my back, I just move on. I love cruising. It gives me everything right there and I do not have to find something to do. It's all planned out. For twenty one years of Army life- structure is the key word. I like to know the (W's). Especially when and where. In there. Thanks for your videos. This gives me a further excuse to make several suite purchases over the next few years.
We had 1 suite on a Carnival ship a few years back. We liked being able to board early and our cabin was ready, the priority disembarking, restaurant reservations and dedicated line at guest services were nice. The suite itself was OK. We will book a suite again but on a much nicer ship like NCL or Celebrity.
Best cruise to me is: standard balcony cabin but all perks of best class. Food, roomservice, restaurants, private deckarea, etz. Rif-raf and brats can party in common folk area. I don't need any huge cabin or butler.
I agree with your point that suite locations may not be ideal 6:35. When I booked a suite on the Allure, both the fancy two-floor loft suite was available, and the owner's suite, both at the same price. But the loft suite overlooked an activity area at the rear of the ship and stood directly above the buffet, while the owner's suite was 5 decks lower and midship.
One piece of advice I was given, location is the important thing. Middle of the boat on the lower decks has the least amount of movement. And it doesn't matter how fancy the room is because you're almost never in it. Do you miss out on the perks? Yup. But its not like you're going hungry just because you booked a window room, or heaven forbid an interior.
as a couple we spent 3 hours or more per day of non sleep time in the cabin, I might want to go back there to read in peace. Or a nap or relax. So a balcony at least is a preferred. I could not stand an inside cabin, where one does not know if it is day or night or where one is.
See if you can get the kids an inside cabin right across from your outside cabin if they’re old enough. We did that with our young teen and it was great.
Wife and I were in the NCL Breakaway's Haven. The smallest 'suite' they have. Went ashore one day on a hot Caribbean day and the soles of my leather sandals literally fell off. When we got back to the ship I asked the Haven Concierge if they could had some glue that I could use to put them back together. Shortly after the Butler called and asked if he could swing around and pick them up. They were returned to us the next day fully repaired.
Well done as always. I recently cruised in a Crystal Cruises Penthouse Suite. This is. Suite that is over 500 sf. My feeling was the same as yours. I did not need all that space. The next suite down was the penthouse. It was 350 sf. That would be perfect. Next thought. Crystal is a luxury brand. The entire ship is like the NCL Haven (Which I love) on steroids. When you are out of your suite, everyone is treated the same. This made the suite life a bit less needed. My evaluation concluded, for my needs, the “Ship-Within-A-Ship” concept works best for me. You get the best of both worlds. Quiet with luxury and all the options a big ship has to offer. My family of four (All adults) will be cruising on the NCL Joy in the Owners Suite at the end of the month. First time for my adult children in the Haven. That will be interesting. Thanks for all you do.
Gary -- spent this September in a suite aboard the Oceania Marina, and our butler, Titus, was like a member of the family! There were times it was uncanny how he anticipated things my partner or I might want or need. We might not ever do that again, but that one time...aces!
Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas Royal Suite is amazing until you hit a little rougher water. The Royal Suite is right behind the bridge and there is a lot of felt movement.
I know of people who just love the larger ships. Then they'll book Norwegian and be part of the Haven suites so they can be by themselves. I would be happy if lines returned to my first cruise ship the Sun Viking. I think sometimes as they get larger they start to have smaller "area only" places aboard.
@@NaNa65. Yes the good news was we were on their 14 night cruise. The bad news was I gained a pound a day. But the service was some of the best I ever had. And the food . . .
It took me 2 weeks to appreciate Butler service! My Butler was "VJ" from India (on Oceania's 'Marina' ship). For 2 weeks, I was too uncomfortable to ask him to dote on me as if I was royalty. But in the 3rd week, here's what he did for me: when I dined in-suite, for a single meal, he brought me dishes from EACH Specialty Restaurant of my choosing (Prime Rib from the steakhouse restaurant, Chinese food from the Ginger Restaurant, etc.) - all for the same single meal in my suite! Secondly, I met a group of women who had a lesser cabin, and they invited me to join them in the steakhouse restaurant one night. When I got there, the ladies told me they were forbidden to have any guests, "unless I (me) have a Butler!" One call to "VJ" and the red carpet was rolled out!! Better table (for all of us) and much better service. For my final week, VJ took care of me like I just cannot describe.
I believe there are benefits to being in a suite that aren’t even listed. Example, I went on a Princes cruise and for what ever reason I was upgraded to a fabulous suite in the front of the ship (separate bed room, separate living room, massive wrap around balcony, etc.). Really very nice. The zipper on my big piece of luggage broke leaving me no way to seal the bag. I called to see if they had luggage repair available (expecting that I would pay what ever the price was). They came got the luggage. The next day the luggage was returned completely repaired, inkling things I handed even mentioned (tears in the fabric and such). It looked almost new. And I never received a bill for this service. I summed it up to being the suite for the cruise.
... one torn zipper could cause a delay tho ... it was not their first luggage problem ... I think ...but so glad... they solved your problem... that's just how Princess does things ...
Wow, I had that happen but I wasn't on a cruise, hope you gave a good tip.
Gary, you absolutely nailed it with your assessment. Having sailed in a suite and mini-suites, I find that a mini-suites have enough room and that choosing the RIGHT location is more important that a little more room. Great job once again!
Gary - Part Two of my upper-crust Suite experience: On a recent Princess cruise (Feb 2020), I visited the Concierge Lounge each night. One night the Captain sat with me, and I had a 30 minute one-on-one private chat with him, while drinking 'courtesy' champagne all the while. He also solved a mystery which my Suite attendant couldn't: almost daily there was a horrendous metallic scrapping sound which must have been heard throughout the forward 5th of the ship. My steward couldn't figure it out. However, the Captain knew instantly what it was! The lowering & raising of the anchor in each port. Who better to solve a cruise question??
The captain knew what caused the noise. That's great. But solving your problem is a different matter. Anchors have to be dropped and lifted.
I’ve been on a few of the really big Norwegian Cruise line ships. I loved my balcony room located halfway between the front and the back and halfway from the top to the bottom it was Deck 9on the escape for example. One of the most stable rooms really let you enjoy your time without the ship shaking all around you. I had visited some hired more prestige sweets during my cruises and in rough water it was hard to keep balanced. Also agree about the noise I wouldn’t want to overlook a pool deck or any sort of club environment. I really enjoy my peace on cruises
If the people are expecting us to have money, just because we have booked two suites, they are going to be disappointed. This is a once in a lifetime vacation we have been saving for. It's probably our last family vacation (the 4 of us) as our oldest is graduating from college in May. We've had 2 big vacations in the past 22 years. One time to Myrtle beach and one time to Virginia Beach. Otherwise, we stay home for vacations and do outings like escape rooms. Don't worry though, we will not be stiffing the staff. Have already prepaid gratuities but probably won't be tipping much cash beyond the porters and room service. Originally I booked adjoining obstructed view balcony cabins but decided I wanted space for a table and chairs to play games at on sea days and (ghodforbid) we get quarantined. That meant a suite and wanted the kids next door, so that meant 2 suites. The upgrade is our birthdays and anniversary gifts for 2022. So...while we are not poor, we are not rolling in dough.
We are on carnival and there is none of the separated dining/lounges/decks he spoke of. Which is fine by me. I booked in October for June and upgraded in January. I think the only perks we really get are included bottles of water for the room and laundry service. Which I won't use because I need to use free/clear products. I plan on using the do-it-yourself laundry at least one time so can pack less. Other perk is at the port. Dedicated area for checking in and priority boarding. Which is cool, but not necessary. I upgraded for the room to put in a table and 4 chairs. We will have that in the kid's room as we are big game players. The couch/chairs will be left in our room for just lounging. And, the best part.. The giant balconies! So excited! It may turn out, as others have mentioned, we may not stay in our rooms and the space may be wasted. But, the 4 of us have never been on a cruise so wanted all options.
My wife and I have been on 15 or so cruises. A couple from San Francisco to Hawaii and one Trans Antlantic to Ireland and Scotland.. We love the mini suites. A little separation so one of us can get a nap or read and the other can watch television. Gotta have a balcony for the sunrises and sunsets as well as enjoying sailing in and out of ports in our bathrobes if we want. One unusual thing about us is we both like the swaying of the ocean while sleeping so the front and back of the ships are fine with us. Princess is our cruise line of choice. Happy cruising.
The biggest plus is the extra perks like upscale restaurants and dedicated lounges. The biggest issue I find with cruising in larger cabins than the standard balcony cabins that I think affects our cruise is how you spend your time. I have found the bigger the cabin the more time I just spend in my cabin. It's as if I feel I need to use the extra space I paid for. This can cause me to miss a lot of interaction with other passengers, which is one of the things I like about cruising. The final downside is paying for a suite would cost about as much as paying for two in a balcony cabin.
Good points !!!
Well said. My opinion also. Been there, Done that.
Agree
Ummmmm, why not just get up and leave your "larger" cabin? Simple solution!
@@MC-td4ol - This might be someone who didn't just spend their "Lunch Money" to book that "Suite" I suspect, so that's why they felt A Need to "Enjoy it to the fullest!"
But, *I* have spoken with people, on our Cruises, that prefer the "Inside Cabins" since they enjoy so much of the rest the ship offers, and only "Come Home" to their room, for "Rack Time" to use a Military term!
I’ve been on 4 cruises (all Atlantis charters). I am a budget traveler and have to pay quite a bit for airfare and night before hotels. I live in Idaho (USA) so air is expensive. My travel friend and I prefer to get an inside cabin. Neither of us spend any time in the cabin preferring to be out and about the ships. Inside cabins, while small, give you complete darkness for those late mornings after a late late night or a midday nap if you desire (I prefer a shady spot on the sun deck for a nap).
The money we save allows more specialty dining, excursions and of course cocktails! I wouldn’t turn down a suite or balcony, but only as a free upgrade. I hope more ships follow the inside studio cabins with dedicated lounges like on Norwegian.
Really enjoy your videos and you have me considering a European River Cruise in the near future.
completely agree with you! happy sailing!
Do the APT European river cruise. Best ever cruise. Every single thing included in the cruise, every day trip, wine sampling in the Rhine etc. Only 160 on board so you have plenty space . gym, swimming pool. The best cruise I've ever been on.
Do the APT European river cruise. Best ever cruise. Every single thing included in the cruise, every day trip, wine sampling in the Rhine etc. Only 160 on board so you have plenty space . gym, swimming pool. The best cruise I've ever been on.
This was one of your most interresting video's ever, and it is very perceptive of you to actually ask/ conclude how much more complicated Cruising actially become depending on amount spent. OK we all know that cruising on Cunard in Princess grill, Queens grill is clearly different from other classes on Cunard, but that is sort of expected because of the very 'retro' (...sorry, CLASSIC!) experience Cunards product indeed is, but that you are faced with similar issues on Princess and Celebrity (and indeed even NCL) is more than surpricing. Sure, if you spend more, you want more for rhe money. However, for someone who has never cruised in anything more luxurious than a balcony cabin, I was convinced that anything bigger (such as suits) was really only about space. Im not interrested in my own butler anyway, but the big difference is not just an exclusive lounge, bit all the extra ship space and even exclusive pools, jacuzzi and even restaurants. ...that surpriced me. Thank you so much for this video.
Cruising has really changed. I took my kids were young. Had bathtub in the room. Free room service for food and drinks. Ordered complete meal at 10:30 pm. Room steward was great.
Many of those perks still exist today at no extra cost. Cruise lines do differ though. And sometimes only suites have bathtubs.
I don't understand the opening premise... having money does not prevent you from booking a cheap cabin. The primary benefit of money is that more money gives you more options.
precisely
It's a "bold" statement that piques curiosity. That's all
當然，若是我沒有經濟節約，就能任性選擇套房了。同人不同命的道理，永遠存在🧐
I think the premise is that the more spending power you have the line between good value and quality become blur as over a certain threshold you might be over paying for something that could cost less in a different ship.
Touché 👌
Agree totally. I’ve dabbled in a few luxury suites including a two story one with my brother and his wife. Great space. But when I travel solo a balcony cabin in the right location is the way to go. You did a great job comparing all of the suites. I enjoyed you video.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the interesting and informative narrative for booking a suite on the various cruise lines. Alas, I will never be able to do my own personal comparison due to the enormous expense of a suite. It is amazing how fortunate I feel now to simply be cruising again since Covid has entered our world and our personal lives.
Another splendid video. Add it to the long list of fantastic content from Mr. Bembridge!
Thanks so much 😀 Great to hear you enjoyed
We were lucky to enjoy both types of suites with Norwegian. A big room with divider type on the Norwegian Pearl, and a true, huge two room suite with French doors on the back corner of the Norwegian Sun in Alaska (!). More than anything we appreciated the fine foods served in the surcharge restaurants converted to VIP rooms for breakfast and lunch, and the Lavazza they provided in the cabin. We barely had room for dinner. But this was in the olden days (2007-8ish) when cruising was still picking up, and Norwegian offered to upgrade us from standard balcony the week before sailing for $50-$100 per cabin per day to fill an empty cabin. Ah those long gone, halcyon, affordable days...
Location is the most important thing!
💪🏻😎
Awesome as always, Gary!
Cheers
Glad to hear we agree 😀😀😀 Thanks for watching !
yea, same as when buying a house.
Errrm, only when you have the money to be able to book FIVE cruises at a time!
Gary- Just like buying a car: You can get a Chevy Spark, a Toyota Camry or a Cadillac CTS. All have 4 wheels, an engine and will get you from A to B. How you want to get from A to B is entirely dependent on your wallet. We have had Ocean Views, Balconies and a Mini-Suite. Had enough “Inside Cabins” when I was in the service. From what you showed in the video, Suites are for the cruisers who want space, isolation and pampering and are willing to pay dearly for it. For what Suites cost, you can get 2-3 Balconies. I would rather cruise more frequently in an Ocean View or Balcony. The wife does like the bath tub in a mini suite, but is the extra money really worth it? That depends in the cost differential and the cruise length.
Okay, now I am jealous. Great topic, great video. Please continue to sprinkle in these glimpses into the high end options in cruising. Thanks.
Thanks for watching! And the feedback
We have always booked a Neptune suite (always midship) on Holland America- and it is the best. Large (big enough to hold a cocktail party for 8 couples), a special suite lounge, huge balcony, hotel grade bathroom, early embarkation, late disembarkation, service beyond special, lots of closets, and other perks: laundry service, mimosas for breakfast, and now on their three newest ships: club orange, a dedicated restaurant. Yes, it is more expensive, but we prefer 10 days in the lap of luxury than any other vacation. It is fabulous
Gary I agree with all your points! Lately I have been going on Celebrity in Sky Suites that give me access to The Retreat and the restaurant Luminae.
The segregated 'ship within a ship' concept is just the revival of the old class system. And this is what in the land of long ago would have been called "first class" or "saloon." On which note I subscribe to the traditional definition of the term suite, which involves three essential elements. First is a separate bedroom. So if the bed is part of the living room, or sitting area, even if its is off to one side, it's not a true suite. The other two components are a stand alone sitting area and en-suite bath and water closet facilities. This latter feature is not an issue on modern ships as all cabins come with that. But back in the land of long ago even first class passengers in all but the most luxurious staterooms had to use communal bathrooms and water closets. The presence of other features like an in cabin dining table or bar are nice but don't effect the definition of a true suite.
Interesting to see the experience in detail. Thank you.
However, with so many people in party mood on board - I can't ever imagine myself enjoying a cruise.
Instead, give me a cottage at a quiet lake - any time :)
Or a comfortable tent and a few amenities. I'll take a secluded primitive campsite overlooking the west side of the lake, far enough away from the RV crowd. I've seen far too many times that monetary wealth does not equal class ! We're not party animals, nor antisocial. Rather we're selective. I couldn't enjoy a cruise. Especially as much as it costs. And then you have the "tipping" issue. From what I'm seeing on a lot of videos, despite being charged for gratuities along with the price of the tickets, sounds like everyone who isn't a uniformed ships officer is expecting a tip .....
Great review. I agree completely. MSC Yacht Club was awesome. But the highest deck and all the way forward. Luckily we had calm seas.
Definitely! When I did it years ago we didn’t …….
As a solo traveler, my regular cabin has effectively twice the space as couples have. And as I buy the specialty dining packages I don't need a dedicated restaurant for suites.
Great points 😀
Good idea with added dinning
It’s really not fair when us solo travellers eat half the food and take up half the space of a couple.. however discovering this led me to the best adventures of my life xx
... I understand the moneys expected when rooms are double occupancy ... versus solo travelers ... however the question remains ... " Do you want this boat ride or not " sometimes we just have to buck up and shell out for what you really want tho ... go solo in a balcony seems worth it ...
Interesting review, Gary. Thanks for taking some for the team and suffering through the experiences for our sake. :D
The location - whether it's a cruise or a hotel - definitely IS key, for us at least. We always choose midships & lower decks for less noise and smoother sailing. Since we don't spend much time in our cabin during the day we don't spend the extra on suites - and, on some ships, balconies seem to be carved out of the space you would otherwise have inside your cabin anyway - so we're happy to save the money and stick to exterior 'oceanview' style cabins. As for the private dining & decks, etc ... It's nice, of course, but a bit too hushed and reverential for our taste. We're pretty good at finding quiet corners on board to chill in if we really feel like it.
We're not too far from Houston so, for convenience sake, we usually just grab a Carnival cruise and they've all been fun so far. One very nice feature on a few of their newer ships - the Breeze' for example - Nice 'Deluxe' oceanview cabins, which have the usual shower, basin, loo combo, PLUS a very handy bath & basin combo as well. That's been a big time saver for us as a couple, and I'm sure it's a big help for families as well. So we'll stick to our oceanviews, unless we get free upgrades.
Not really going to affect me. Balcony is fine as I treat the room as somewhere to store gear and crash.
My wife and got an upgrade to an Accessible suite on our first ever cruise on the Celebrity Constellation. Fantastic for us, but location wise not so good! It was on the 9th floor, just under the expanded upper deck with restaurants and... The tabletennistable! Because of the wider upper deck, almost no view to the sky and that while we were cruising the Norwegian fjords... And during the night, until 02:00 AM noise from the upper deck, including scraping of deckchairs being stacked for the next day. The extra space and the perks (select dining and a butler!) made up for a big part, but if we are ever going to select a suite, we will lookout for the right spot. On our next cruises, I selected cabins the wise way. Between other ones!
Gary, I love your videos! I’m a solo cruiser and the most important items for me are balcony, excellent food and service, and excursions. Finally, I don’t want to be skewered on the single supplement charge.
Great critique, and like you I agree that cabin location can trump everything else. I upgraded this past November to The Haven on the Norwegian Epic for a 15 day Transatlantic. The Ship within a ship concept included a private restaurant, lounge, pool and even a sundeck exclusive to Haven passengers. The truth its, while I appreciated the private respite from the overcrowded pool area, I actually enjoyed visiting the main public decks for both dining and entertainment, and even for the daily people watching that we all do. My fellow Haven guests were very nice on the whole, but i found they sometimes chatted about the price of things a bit much. I never had anything requests for my butler at all, So I'm sure he was bored with me or very relieved.
You are absolutely correct on the suite locations on the ship! We we're on the MSC Meraviglia forward hot tub suite on deck 17 and we both got motion sickness on a rough sea night! We have been on 74 cruises and for the first time this happened....
Thanks for laying out the advantages of a suite. Given the high costs, we’re not interested. We’re “out and about “ folks and the room is just for that little bit of sleep we get! Agree on other videos to avoid the area below the gym or above the engine room!
Glad you mentioned the Butler, and what is his purpose? Ours mainly just barged in whenever we returned to the cabin, and anything we mentioned, he'd just disappear and, we assumed shout at the room steward, who would pop in and sort everything.
😀😀😀 I thought the same !
Nice video. That Saga suite looks very nice. I have heard on Norwegian if you are in the aft Haven suites you do not get access to the Haven compound. I don’t know why anybody would sail on Princess, as they seem to be a very poorly run company that does not care about their customers at all.
Great review, Gary. I would love to see you put a pencil to the suites and evaluate the cost vs. benefit (i.e. to a balcony). Value is a key component when I cruise.
I love the Haven suites on the newer Norwegian Cruise lines ships. The dedicated restaurant is the best I have had on any ship suite I have sailed on. Just wonderful.
The ship-within-ship experience is bringing back the traveler classes of ships like the Titanic…
I love Suites! Only tried NCL and Holland America. Priority embarkation is nice. The extra space is great, the bathrooms are bigger and often have jetted tubs, balcony is bigger, the espresso machine is nice to have, the bottled water and champagne are nice, mid afternoon delivered snacks are great. More space to put clothes. I love the restaurants and lounges on the NCL Havens. Dedicated elevator. No crowds around the pool and hot tub, dedicated sundeck. You can actually use them. Good/reserved seating at the shows. The concierge escorts you to your tours. an area separated from the rest of the ship that only Haven guests can access. Nice and quiet. Love love love it! You also get two cruise points for every night to boost your latitudes rewards. On HAL, the Pinnacle suite was nice, it had a dedicated concierge lounge with a small buffet through out the day. Lots of the same perks as the Haven on NCL but no dedicated restaurant. Both included laundry service and shoe polishing. Unless there is a Haven or something similar, I’d probably do a regular balcony cabin.
I agree with everything you said, especially about the Sky Princess. I noticed the disappointing location too. And I once met a man who had a suite under the ice cream parlour! He was almost in despair.
That was terrible planning on the cruise line!! How awful!!
@@Penny-ts5ec Yes, and it is quite common, and is why I never take a guaranteed cabin with the chance of an upgrade, as the upgrade may be a better cabin in a horrible location.
Gary you have the best most informative videos you are by far my go to person when I need an informed opinion on cruising.
Thanks! Great to hear 😀😀
Thanks for explaining Suite dining we are trying 1st time in March
My experience of the ship-within-a-ship suites is that they are not for me. I travel alone and if you REALLY want to feel alone, do the ship-within-a-ship experience. I think part of the problem for solo travelers who are extroverts is that these experiences are attractive to people who don't want to socialize with other passengers. And that includes their fellow suite passengers. Now I've only done this three times on three different cruiselines but every single time, I quickly abandoned the ship-within-a-ship area and joined the rest of the passengers. I want strangers at my table who I can socialize with. The passengers in the "common" areas were FAR more willing to socialize with you and actually would even initiate conversations with you. And being a single straight male, ALL the single straight women (almost all of them widows) are in regular cabins and not the suites. [And it seems like all of them really turn on their charms when they find out you're single, straight, and sailing alone.] In the ship-within-a-ship areas, the ONLY time someone kinda sort of socialized with me was during the "happy hour" and then it was only to buy me a drink along with everyone else in the bar. And I never encountered solo travelers in these areas. All were married and traveling as a couple. And Gary was 100% correct that the suite locations are horrible. Unless you like riding a mechanical bull, avoid the suites like the plague. Yes, the suites are more spacious but that just means you see and feel how the ship is really rocking and swaying even more. And Gary is again 100% right that your "butler" isn't anything special. Just a fancy name for a cabin steward and oddly one that rarely interacts with you. I've gotten FAR more help when I was in regular cabins from their cabin stewards than I got from the suite's "butler" and definitely saw them more. Now, yes, you see the captain of the ship FAR more in the ship-within-a-ship area but, sorry, that's not that big of a deal for me. Yes, all the stuff in the suite's refrigerator is complimentary but here's a tip: you can take soda pop cans back with you from the common area and put them in your cabin's refrigerator. Shortly after I started cruising, what I did was simply ask my cabin steward to remove all the stuff from the refrigerator as I will be loading it up with stuff I bring back from the restaurant and bars. I've never had a cabin steward that didn't immediately do that once I left. One time I told one of them this upon boarding and by the time I got back from the muster drill, the refrigerator was empty. Good thing as I had already picked up six different soda pops from the bar on my way back, which I simply tossed into my rucksack. [I always get the soda pop package as I don't drink alcohol but do like my fizzy water.] But now I simply email the cruise ship this request before I even board and never has the refrigerator been anything but empty when I come aboard. So, NOPE, this experience is not for me and I doubt I'll ever try it again. And, yes, I regularly get offered a free upgrade to them. That's how I experienced it the three times that I did. Now I thank them but politely turn down the offer.
Have fun with those single gals!! 😉
I cannot afford this level of comfort. However, another great review and comparison of the various lines. Thank you Gary for breaking your back to get us this important information!
Ha. Clearly he suffered for our benefit!
True. Location is key. Mid ship and highest level is the best!! Absolutely - Less movement! Concierge lounge is fabulous. Cheers.
Always a balanced viewpoint, Gary.
Thanks! Much appreciated
Lol..They know YOU are coming ..They crue knows all about YOU before you come. I remember at my restaurant I always waited on vips. Your VIP #1 because you are a critic , advisor and have a huge following 😀 👍
I absolutely agree about mid ship suites. I hate noise, I like to relax and unwind on my vacations.
We have gone on several cruises, started out with an ocean view cabins, have had balcony cabins and our last cruise was a 30 day cruise on Holland America’s Amsterdam in a Neptune Suite. I am glad that we upgraded to the bigger cabin on that cruise as we had quite a few days at sea and I get overwhelm with anxiety with too much noise that can be created by crowds. We also had an exclusive lounge for the Neptune Suite guests which had concierge service which we were thankful for, since my husband needed a dentist. They were able to contact one before we arrive in the next port, making it much easier on us.
We always choose a mini suite on Princess. And we do choose the room for location. We like being near the elevators and the laundromat. But the main reason is the tub/shower (no shower curtain clinging to you! 😳). Plus I spend a lot of time in the room reading and relaxing.
Carnival got rid of shower curtains! Mardi Gras, however, they got rid of a lot of space as well.
My rule of thumb has been, if I'm cruising with one or two friends, then we get a balcony. With three friends, we upgrade to a suite, since four in a stateroom is a wee bit too much. Three, however, has worked out well and really keeps the costs down.
We prefer the aft extended balconies on Carnival, since you get MUCH more balcony room (enough for a table, two chairs AND a lounger) without much of an up-price...and of course Carnival's staterooms are among the largest standard cabins at sea.
For our group of four, we opted for a Grand Suite on Royal's Independence of the Seas, but it failed a few of the suite definitions in THIS video. It was still nice, but since it was a full charter we received virtually no perks...not even complimentary room-service.
I just LOVED the Jr. suite on Royal C. Anthem of the Seas... A large room with a 3-person couch and chair and two bathrooms...balcony, etc...
Thank you. We always book a Balcony. Was always curious about the Suites
Gary your videos are full of quality information making cruising easier, thank you.
Thanks. Great to hear 👍🏻 Appreciate you watching
As in real estate, location,, location, location! We booked the owners suite on a small river cruise. As you mentioned it was in the front of the ship and because of that the balcony was smaller than a regular balcony room due to the narrowing of the bow! Lesson learned.
Given how river ships all have standard widths, for me a balcony just takes away from the rest of the cabin space.
Just got back from a cruise on the Celebrity Edge. Splurged on a sky suite. Fantastic! Plenty of room, access to Luminae and plenty of personal attention. Our suite was smack in the middle of the ship. The Steakhouse restaurant produced the best dinner in 60+ cruises. I am now so spoiled I may be addicted to the suite life.
nice!! I have upgraded my booking on Edge for next year to a Sky Suite, so good to hear your feedback!!!!
Interesting , thank you . Thank you for explaning different options so thourally
Excellent as ever, Gary. I share the same value of cabin location being quite important. Princess does seem to be the perfect mix of, say, a mini suite, and midship location where you are above and below other cabins, not a pool deck or lounge, or completely forward or aft. Good segment ☺️
Thanks as always for watching and taking time to comment. Sure you know how much I appreciate it. Definitely likeminded on the location front. My next cruise on Friday is Princess and meets these !
For me the best value is a space I can go that is quiet and relaxing. I get overwhelmed by too many people for long periods of time. Not sure I could stand a cruise without a balcony really.. I'd feel too confined.
Me too. I have ASD and I really don’t fancy having a public meltdown. So a balcony is a must. Then I can have the views, the sounds and the peace. Crowds can be overwhelming and if there’s piped music or Bluetooth speakers, noise can also be iffy.
@@andreagriffiths3512 I do not have ASD that must be challenging and extra frustrating, but I am sensitive to constant or really loud music or repetitive noises if I am not able to escape as necessary. For me I enjoy it when I am rested and expecting it but I need to be able to go rest when I have had enough. I am empathic as well so too much "people energy" just drains me.
@@VictoriaGates it sounds like you may be an ambivert, someone who can be happy in a social sphere and even thrive within it but afterwards you need your retreat space to unwind and detox from what is, often, a stressful time.
I'm rarely seeking out social situations myself and yet when I do everyone can't stop saying how outgoing and fun I am... it's honestly weird. I'm just being normal. But I love to have private space.
Great video. We typically always purchase two adjoining balcony suites. One for us and the other for our 2 kids. Now that the kids are older this is the 1st time they won't be coming with us for our 12 day December cruise. I might be tempted to use the savings for a larger suite, but fear my wife might get used to all that extra pampering. ;)
Don't fear that. Accept that she will.
I have never been on a cruise, but my brother goes on them all of the time and loves them. He stays in suites on every one of his cruises.
Tough life, Gary!
Sometimes you’ve got to take one for the team and in pursuit of the truth 😀😀 The things I put myself through 😂😂
It really depends on what you're looking to do on the ship. I always find myself spending a lot of time in my room so having an upgraded comfortable room means a lot. I also really like the extra perks like dedicated lounge/restaurant and priority seating for shows and they're the main reason I gravitate towards suites over balconies now. I only went to the main dining room once on my last cruise. I also don't use the butler or concierge.
Great tips, Gary! I am considering a suite on our next cruise, and you have given me lots to think about
Greetings Gary,
I just subscribed to your channel after checking out a few of your videos, all were of excellent quality and content.
My only experience in cruising is as a Guest Entertainer where most often, my accommodations are in the bow/Crew areas. While massively upgraded from the regular Cruiseline employee cabins, mine in that area never had balconies. On two occasions I was assigned a regular cabin, one outside and one inside, both midship and that area offered a remarkable contrast in the overall sailing experience.
Looking forward to your future videos, Cheers, Marc
Brilliant thanks 👍🏻
The (24/7) concierge lounge (for Grand Suite pax and above) on Royal Caribbean ships has a latte/espresso machine. Before we were (randomly, thanks RC!) upgraded to a Grand Suite, we cruised in Junior Suites. That meant I had to wait till 6 a.m. for coffee service to begin at the buffet deck (outside the buffet). Yeah, I'm weird as hell, and am up-and-about by 5 a.m. when cruising (I sleep in till 9 at home!) . No concierge there, but the machines were always kept ready. I could go in and get my morning double-latte in my travel mug, and then wander the beautifully still-and-empty ship, watch the sun come up, and take amazing photos while I drank my morning beverage. By 8 or so, I'd swing by the buffet and pick up breakfast for me and my husband, then head back to the suite, await his awakening, and have a lovely breakfast with him. Superb way to cruise!
Thank you sharing. Very tight budget.
We may try a Suit like one of those .....As a TREAT!!
But We really don't spend more than maybe 20%
of our time in the Cabin.....Most times it's GO.GO.GO...
Thanks for comparing the cruise line suites!
Having watched many of your videos this AM, and being someone in the travel industry myself, I can understand how hoise can be a problem when traveling! Can I suggest that you try some of the many, varying noise canceling headphones and/or sleep systems? They may help you find your travel experience to be quieter and perhaps more pleasurable? They will likely sponsor your videos as well!
Gary, I have watched many of your videos and find them spot on, so find it puzzling to find you ignore one of the key benefits of the suites versus the standard cabins. On a recent ( pre-Covid) trip to the Antarctic on the Silversea Explorer, we discovered that our suite offered daily laundry service. On that trip we found that invaluable because of the amount of clothing required daily to survive the weather. We now make this a key determinant for accommodation selection once cruising returns to Australian waters. Cheers and thanks for your entertaining series.
Great point. Many suites include laundry but not all unfortunately! Like on my current Ponant Antarctica, the suite does not have free laundry. Which seems an easy missed perk!!
Very interesting. I’m so glad you did this video. We always book a suite. I hope you will do the same comparison on other cruise lines. I disagree with one point. I much prefer a suite at the stern with a full wrap balcony. At the stern you have a views port, starboard and aft. And I enjoy watching the effects of the propulsion. The added white noise just reminds me we are at sea. Great video.
I’d love to know your secret as to how you cruise so much and can try suites as a comparative exercise. Living the life!
Your cruise videos are so informative
Great video, Gary. Thank you for spending that time and money to make the comparisons. I think it is worth noting that it is a different experience when you are cruising with others or/and have more days at sea. The more people in your room, the more space you like. Also, what type of cruise? We prefer longer cruises with more days at sea, where a bigger, private balcony will be used more. We preferred our suite experience on Royal Caribbean versus balcony experience. But we also cruised with 4 of us (includes myy son and mother) in our cabin, and others friends/relatives in other rooms, so we often hung out in our suite. We also loved having access to the main dinning room menu for room service, along with breakfast in our cabin every day. In the end, I guess it really depends on what kind of experience you want. We are more private, slow paced, and love to enjoy our rest, while watching the ocean. It helps us recharge when going back to work. Okay. Also worth noting is that we also cruised on an older ship for the suite experience. Not one of the mega ships. That might make a difference for our choice.
You included a lot of the reasons why we like to book suites. Our suite experience is with Royal and the Oasis class ships. We love the fact that we don't have to wait in lines to embark and disembark like the non suite owners do. Also, we always get reserved VIP seating at the shows (as long as we have a reservation). This is a wonderful perk. We also like that we get a choice of pillow types in the suites. The California Kitchen restaurant for Suite owners is wonderful too.
We upgraded to a suite one time. We usually get at balcony cabin. The suite was nice, but we decided it wasn't really worth it for us. We mostly just use the room for sleeping. The service wasn't better fir us because we ways tip the cabin crew generously, and get extra service. We usually buy a premium dining package and eat at specialty restaurants for dinner.
Vista suite on Riviera, Oceania is our favorite. Huge outdoor deck at bow of ship with outdoor tv and small jacuzzi. Deck extends from center of ship around the side a bit. Also comes with your own gym - treadmill, stationary bike. Lots of extras on board too as well as butler. When you get a chance.....
Love the video, very informative! One thing I wanted to comment on. You should not have turned down the Sky Suite! I had the same concerns you did about the noise from Pool and Movies under the Stars. We actually went the end of December through News Years! We're 65 yrs old and I do like quiet when I go to bed. We had 11 days in that Suite. It was wonderful. No issues! I've never used a balcony so much!!!!❤ We have reserved Sky Suites now 3 times. Please try it, if only for one time!❤
Location, location, location. Another great update Gary!
Good info, thank you Gary. Princess do mini suites, gives a bit more room, and does not break the bank.
TYVM! (This is a comment in jest to help your SEO; great channel!)
1) I care about location a bit less because few on the planet care as much about cabin location as much as you. (but you are educating me)
2) The real takeaway from this is how to recast (to myself and friends and family) trying out suites as an experiment, not an indulgence. It's for science!
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I do see SWS vs not-SWS as pretty different. Suites on a luxury line seem to be "just" a nicer room albeit noticeably nicer. Whereas SWS on a mega-ship like Bliss-class allows you to avoid *a lot* of crowds, lines and hassles. So there the suite life is not just what you get but what you avoid.
We have fallen in love with the Haven on Norwegian. The ship within the ship really delivers the correct balance of opulence and "big ship stuff" (many restaurants, many activities etc).
Love the suites. Worth the money in my opinion. Thanks for the video
The most informative channel on youtube!!!
Wow, thanks! Appreciate you watching :-)
Went on a Xmas cruise on QM2 ship was good, the best place in the evening was the pub, but was to small for the amount of people who wanted to use it, there was a lack of entertainment. We also went on one of the trips to Hamburg found that to be better as we were on board for a shorter period. Also found it hard to get a seat at breakfast.
You are very right about location. I was in a grand suite on Royal Caribbean. Every night between 10 and 11 pm the food grinders and trash compactors, which were directly outside of our cabin would kick on and it was so noisy we had to leave the room during those times. Called several times but nothing was ever done about it. Finally at the end of the cruise I complained and was given a 50% refund (in cruise credit of course) for future cruise. Most people will say, "Well we don't spent a lot of time in our room". That's probably because you have a crappy room. You'd spent some time in it if it was a nice room. Just don't get it near the trash compactors.
I guess I'll just have to do my best to find the right suite according to location. I'm most definitely going to purchase two of them. We now have four children and my wife would just live the extra space on sea days. I'm a very sociable person. I'll strike up a conversation with no problem. If you don't seem to be in the mood for conversation then no sweat off my back, I just move on. I love cruising. It gives me everything right there and I do not have to find something to do. It's all planned out. For twenty one years of Army life- structure is the key word. I like to know the (W's). Especially when and where. In there. Thanks for your videos. This gives me a further excuse to make several suite purchases over the next few years.
We had 1 suite on a Carnival ship a few years back. We liked being able to board early and our cabin was ready, the priority disembarking, restaurant reservations and dedicated line at guest services were nice. The suite itself was OK. We will book a suite again but on a much nicer ship like NCL or Celebrity.
Best cruise to me is: standard balcony cabin but all perks of best class. Food, roomservice, restaurants, private deckarea, etz. Rif-raf and brats can party in common folk area.
I don't need any huge cabin or butler.
I agree with your point that suite locations may not be ideal 6:35. When I booked a suite on the Allure, both the fancy two-floor loft suite was available, and the owner's suite, both at the same price. But the loft suite overlooked an activity area at the rear of the ship and stood directly above the buffet, while the owner's suite was 5 decks lower and midship.
What are usually the price differences between the different rooms? All my cruising's been on Haze gray and Underway lines. (US Navy) 😁
I love the Pinnacle suite on HAL. They are awesome. Will be on Nieuw Amsterdam in 29 days in the Pinnacle. Can’t wait.
One piece of advice I was given, location is the important thing. Middle of the boat on the lower decks has the least amount of movement. And it doesn't matter how fancy the room is because you're almost never in it.
Do you miss out on the perks? Yup. But its not like you're going hungry just because you booked a window room, or heaven forbid an interior.
as a couple we spent 3 hours or more per day of non sleep time in the cabin, I might want to go back there to read in peace. Or a nap or relax. So a balcony at least is a preferred. I could not stand an inside cabin, where one does not know if it is day or night or where one is.
@@chriswilliams6568 I'm bringing my kids on my next one and my daughter said she wanted an inside cabin. I said no. Haha. I at least need a window.
See if you can get the kids an inside cabin right across from your outside cabin if they’re old enough. We did that with our young teen and it was great.
Wife and I were in the NCL Breakaway's Haven. The smallest 'suite' they have. Went ashore one day on a hot Caribbean day and the soles of my leather sandals literally fell off. When we got back to the ship I asked the Haven Concierge if they could had some glue that I could use to put them back together. Shortly after the Butler called and asked if he could swing around and pick them up. They were returned to us the next day fully repaired.
Such a good video Gary, thanks for planning and producing this. 💯
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching
Well done as always. I recently cruised in a Crystal Cruises Penthouse Suite. This is. Suite that is over 500 sf. My feeling was the same as yours. I did not need all that space. The next suite down was the penthouse. It was 350 sf. That would be perfect. Next thought. Crystal is a luxury brand. The entire ship is like the NCL Haven (Which I love) on steroids. When you are out of your suite, everyone is treated the same. This made the suite life a bit less needed. My evaluation concluded, for my needs, the “Ship-Within-A-Ship” concept works best for me. You get the best of both worlds. Quiet with luxury and all the options a big ship has to offer. My family of four (All adults) will be cruising on the NCL Joy in the Owners Suite at the end of the month. First time for my adult children in the Haven. That will be interesting. Thanks for all you do.
Am i the only one binge watching all this guys videos?? Now i want to go on a cruise
Gary -- spent this September in a suite aboard the Oceania Marina, and our butler, Titus, was like a member of the family! There were times it was uncanny how he anticipated things my partner or I might want or need. We might not ever do that again, but that one time...aces!
Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas Royal Suite is amazing until you hit a little rougher water. The Royal Suite is right behind the bridge and there is a lot of felt movement.
Haven was amazing. The only issue is if you’ve rough seas, you really feel it.
I know of people who just love the larger ships. Then they'll book Norwegian and be part of the Haven suites so they can be by themselves.
I would be happy if lines returned to my first cruise ship the Sun Viking. I think sometimes as they get larger they start to have smaller "area only" places aboard.
I was on the Sun Viking, too. Loved it and a 10-night cruise!
@@NaNa65. Yes the good news was we were on their 14 night cruise. The bad news was I gained a pound a day. But the service was some of the best I ever had. And the food . . .
It took me 2 weeks to appreciate Butler service! My Butler was "VJ" from India (on Oceania's 'Marina' ship). For 2 weeks, I was too uncomfortable to ask him to dote on me as if I was royalty. But in the 3rd week, here's what he did for me: when I dined in-suite, for a single meal, he brought me dishes from EACH Specialty Restaurant of my choosing (Prime Rib from the steakhouse restaurant, Chinese food from the Ginger Restaurant, etc.) - all for the same single meal in my suite! Secondly, I met a group of women who had a lesser cabin, and they invited me to join them in the steakhouse restaurant one night. When I got there, the ladies told me they were forbidden to have any guests, "unless I (me) have a Butler!" One call to "VJ" and the red carpet was rolled out!! Better table (for all of us) and much better service. For my final week, VJ took care of me like I just cannot describe.