Are suites worth it?

[TravelingJen24]

We are planning a trip for myself, husband and two young children. I am curious if booking a suite is worth it. I would like to know any input that you might have. We have stayed in cat. 6 before, but might want to upgrade for this next trip. Thanks

 

[BeanoC]

YES, they are! We stayed in a cat. 5 our first time, then a cat. 3 suite the next time. We'll never go back! We have had the good fortune of staying in the Walt Disney Suite and the Roy Disney suite the last 2 years. I'd be glad to answer any questions you have about the specifics. And if not here, maybe in person - we live in Kingsburg. In fact, I was just in Fresno 2 hours ago!

 

[TravelingJen24]

Did you book through disney? How much difference in terms of price and size is there? Oh, and do you get concerige with all of them? I hate that we have to fly all the way across the US this year to take the cruise. It was so easy last summer being able to just drive to LA.

 

[BuzzNutt]

I have a question if I may... I have heard that some conceirge personel are more attentive than others. My family of three are in a cat 3 and it will be my son's birthday. Oh my he turns 6. As you can imagine I want it to be special for him. Is it appropriate for me to ask for 'special' attention? I feel a bit odd thinking of 'demanding'. I am just not sure how to approach the situation. Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[CACruisin']

We had a Cat 3 for our first cruise last summer. I wanted the concierge service to coordinate Palo & Spa times with Flounders since we had a 2 year old. I ddin't want to do the "ressie rush" when we got onboard, either. I also wanted two rooms so when DD2 was taking a nap I could be in the main sitting room or on the verandah. It worked out wonderfully for us. The concierge team was fabulous and able to get us pretty much anything we asked for.

Having said that, I don't think we will cruise in a suite again. The cost/benefit ratio just doesn't work out anymore for us. DD will no longer need Flounders. Reservations can be made online now so no more rushing around to get reservations when you first board. And finally, DD will likely have outgrown regular naps by the time we cruise again.

We had rebooked another suite on board. I recently moved the reservation to Thanksgiving 2007. DCL is no longer giving a rebooking 10% discount on suites (but is for Cat 4-12). This was the final straw for us. The price difference for our family of 5 was just too high. Cat 3 was +$13k, Cat 4 is $8.2k. Also the "sleeping" situation for 5 is actually better in Cat 4 since everyone will have their own bed. (In a cat 3, two DD's had to share the sleeper sofa.) I will miss concierge service and the two big bathrooms, but can't justify $5k for those things.

 

[BeanoC]

Of course it comes down to a matter of opinion as to whether it's worth it or not. Everyone's different. But as I said, it is beyond worth it for us. Especially the cat. 1 suites. They are so nice!

BuzzNutt - Do NOT feel bad about being "demanding" - that's what you're paying for! Within reason, of course... but concierge does everything they can do accomodate your requests. We have been given service above and beyond what we expected. The only difference I can think of off the top of my head between the concierge levels is that cat. 1&2 can order off the dining room menus for room service; cat. 3 cannot. Or at least, they couldn't last I knew.

But if you wanna talk demanding... let me give you a link to our pics from last year's cruise in the Walt Suite. We asked them to cater our private party. We thought we were being demanding, and they went way past what we asked for. Take a look at what they laid out for us in our suite!!


http://homepage.mac.com/b.creighton/PhotoAlbum12.html

 

[BuzzNutt]

Of course it comes down to a matter of opinion as to whether it's worth it or not. Everyone's different. But as I said, it is beyond worth it for us. Especially the cat. 1 suites. They are so nice!

BuzzNutt - Do NOT feel bad about being "demanding" - that's what you're paying for! Within reason, of course... but concierge does everything they can do accomodate your requests. We have been given service above and beyond what we expected. The only difference I can think of off the top of my head between the concierge levels is that cat. 1&2 can order off the dining room menus for room service; cat. 3 cannot. Or at least, they couldn't last I knew.

But if you wanna talk demanding... let me give you a link to our pics from last year's cruise in the Walt Suite. We asked them to cater our private party. We thought we were being demanding, and they went way past what we asked for. Take a look at what they laid out for us in our suite!!


http://homepage.mac.com/b.creighton/PhotoAlbum12.html

That is a great party. I hope we have an excuse to have that spread
Thank you for the information. I will make sure to ask for what I want, within reason as you said

 

[mrsv98]

We stayed in Cat 3 in Jan and will NEVER go back to a regular room (woe to our wallet!)

We like to hang out in our room, read, talk, reconnect and having the space is just what we need and love. We liked having the extras and the overall feel of the suite. We are on the waitlist for 2008 for our 10th anny and can't wait!

 

[PearlandPaige]

The only difference I can think of off the top of my head between the concierge levels is that cat. 1&2 can order off the dining room menus for room service; cat. 3 cannot. Or at least, they couldn't last I knew.

Is this true? We're booked in a category 3 in October and I thought this was one of the perks of all levels of concierge. If not, I may need to rethink...

 

[jake0497]

We were in a cat 3 suite in Nov 04, We were definetly allowed to order off the dining room menus with room service. We did it many nights. Cat 3's are so awesome, we are booked again for room 8532 on Nov, 3 2007 for the western. Have a great time in there, you will love it!!!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

We are planning a trip for myself, husband and two young children. I am curious if booking a suite is worth it. I would like to know any input that you might have. We have stayed in cat. 6 before, but might want to upgrade for this next trip. Thanks

I sure hope they're worth it!

We have one booked for the Halloween cruise next year and cannot wait! It will be me, my husband and my daughter who will be 2 and a half by then. In fact, we originally had stateroom 8022 booked but yesterday I was able to successfully switch to a larger midship category 3 stateroom 8034. Based on the reports from this board, the pictures convinced me to move to the larger midship ones.

So far we've stayed in Cats 5 (twice), Cat 8 & Cat 9. Upcoming we have another Cat 9 but cannot wait for our Cat 3 next year!

 

[mrsv98]

Is this true? We're booked in a category 3 in October and I thought this was one of the perks of all levels of concierge. If not, I may need to rethink...

No, this is NOT true. Cat 3 is just the same as 1 & 2 and can order from the restaurant menus. We had a hot cooked breakfast in our suite most mornings and were even able to get a room service breakfast on departure day.

 

[DutchsMommy]

Just an FYI - in case you hadn't thought about this - we kept our fore Cat 3 for our upcoming sailing because the murphy bed is in the bedroom as opposed to the living room. We wanted DS in with us (I know, are we crazy?!). I felt I would sleep more securily knowing he was beside us rather than in the living room.

Just an FYI........

 

[mrsv98]

Just an FYI - in case you hadn't thought about this - we kept our fore Cat 3 for our upcoming sailing because the murphy bed is in the bedroom as opposed to the living room. We wanted DS in with us (I know, are we crazy?!). I felt I would sleep more securily knowing he was beside us rather than in the living room.

Just an FYI........

Hi, we had an aft Cat 3 and were happy to have DD sleeping in with us. I know there are people who disparage these suites, but we loved it. Here is a pic of the Murphy bed ready for sleeping....

We loved it because DD could go to bed and we could sit in the living room or on the balcony and know that DD was safe and cozy. Have a great trip!

 

[BethA]

We have stayed in a suite 3 times, the 4th will be this June, and a cat 4 once. With the suite you spend more time in the room relaxing, which is great for family members who don't like the heat and sun.

I think the free beverages may not be included in Cat 3--but that might have changed. For the price they should be. We have found some concierge teams to be very attentive and others not attentive at all. The last team we had, we never saw. They always came during our dinner and left a note with next day's weather, etc. My parents were celebrating their anniversary and they did nothing special for them.

That spread they put out for your party was amazing! I didn't know they did that--when we traveled with a large group that would have been great to know. When did you make arrangements for that?

For us the suite is a splurge we found worth it. The extra bathrooms and room were great to have. We ordered a cooked breakfast most mornings, including the last one, and did get a dessert from Palos as well. With the rising cost and my son starting college, I might have to rethink the suite in the future though. We are not sure what we will do about Europe next year and can get 2 great rooms on RCL for what we are paying for a suite.

Enjoy your cruise, whatever you decide.
Beth

 

[SweetSpot]

We've cruised in a cat 4 twice, cat 3 and a cat 1 and have to agree a suite is definitely worth the money. We are a family of 5 and squeezing us all into a cat 4 is terrible and not something I would do again. Having the suite allows us to spread out and spend time together without being on top of each other. At the same time it gives you space to recharge away from the others. I found it to be a more relaxing cruise not feeling like I needed to be out of the room at all times and up on a deck or doing an activity because the room was small.

The concierge is a nice perk. The first time they never did anything out of the ordinary but came in handy when we needed to handle a bad situation in the teen club. This year the concierge made our trip truly Magical for us and our daughter. I will never forget how they went above and beyond to make magic happen without us asking for a thing.

It's also great being able to order breakfast and dinner from room service. We used room service so much that I still keep in touch with one of the room service CM's who made our trip special. (Don't forget to ask for the Fruit Cake when you ask what the cake of the day is. I think they pass the same piece around from cruise to cruise...noone really eats that stuff.) We weren't able to order from Palo when in a cat 3 but cat 1 and 2 can. I think that's the only difference.

 

[Stepht5]

Is this true? We're booked in a category 3 in October and I thought this was one of the perks of all levels of concierge. If not, I may need to rethink...

You can order off every menu except Palo in a Cat 3.

 

[DVCconvert]

I think the free beverages may not be included in Cat 3--but that might have changed. For the price they should be.

I wouldn't let beverage costs enter into my consideration of the cost/benefit of a suite -- I was in the Walt Disney suite, yet still was charged $50 for a 12 pack of bud.

 

[Soccermom-Cheri]

One thing you need to consider is how well your family gets along in close quarters. The suites give you enough room to breathe. (That's soooo important to keep DS from ki!!ing DD).

(CACruizin' - you can put your 3 in a cat 4 'cuz they are all sweethearts. )

Beano did throw amazing parties. Don't order cake - go for the chocolate covered strawberries instead ( I know)

My vote: Go for it.

 

[BeanoC]

Stepht5 - Thanks for correcting me on that. I remember now that it was just Palo that you couldn't order room service from in cat. 3.

I almost fainted when I ordered a case of beer delivered to my room - 98 dollars!! So definitely do not factor beverage costs into your decision!

Cheri - 'dem parties were fun, weren't they!

So much fun that even the guys on the Carnival ship next to us enjoyed it!

(I'll let you or RJ tell the rest of that story!!)