Cat 3 Suite on Wonder

[limedelsol]

My fiance and I will be venturing off on the Disney Wonder Bahamian cruise in October 2010. He decided to splurge and reserved us a Category 03 Concierge One Bedroom Suite with Verandah.

I am more than thrilled about having a large room with a large verandah, but wanted to know if it was worth the money! I think of it as somewhat of a waste seeing as we will only be sleeping there a few hours a night but I am seeking other opinions

We will be getting married at WDW the week before the cruise, so we are counting every penny and I just want to make completely sure that the cruise accommodations are worth the money

 

[kcashner]

You'll get a wide variety of opinions on this. To start with, suites are expensive and there are only two of you. As you pointed out, you'll have a very short cruise. Basically, you need to look at what you are getting for your money; without looking up exact dates and rates, I suspect you could get one of the re-categorized cat 7 cabins for about half of what you are paying for the suite.

Other than a space that would sleep 4 or 5 people...what are you getting? Concierge service (making reservations for you, a number to call if you want or need anything...but I can call Guest Services). Concierge treats delivered to your room each afternoon--nice, but there's PLENTY of food on the ship! 3 additional products in your bathroom in addition to the 3 in the normal cabins. A Ducky Williams litho. You can order room service from the dining rooms if you desire (but then you'll miss the shows that they do in the dining rooms!) You'll have the concierge reception and the private character meeting.

There are people who swear that they will never sail in anything other than concierge....and there are those who feel that any cabin on the ship is a good cabin. It is really a matter of how much you want to spend. As you pointed out, you have a short cruise, meaning to me that you'll spend less time in your cabin....especially if you haven't cruised DCL before--you'll have a lot to do.

My suggestion--don't mess with a cat 4--there are only 2 of you, and a 4 is only a little bigger than the other cabins. Book a nice cabin with a balcony (I'd recommend a cat 7, one of the not-so-secret verandahs if available. These have very minimal obstruction to the view, and used to sell as a 5 or 6 but were made cheaper due to the obstruction...I've sailed in one, and it's GREAT). Then, when you get to the port, ask if you can buy an upgrade to a suite. If available, it will be MUCH cheaper than doing it in advance....if not available, you'll have a lovely honeymoon in a 7.

But you know what? Suite deposits are non-refundable....I believe that you'll lose your deposit if you downgrade your category now. Perhaps someone else can confirm or deny this.

You'll have a wonderful cruise.

 

[clten]

If it is worth the money is up to you. But a couple of things to think about --for that short a cruise (3 or 4 days), I don't think the extra room is worth paying for but how much use are you going to make of the concierge benefits? If you are going to take advantage of them and have them make it an absolutely unforgettable cruise, then go for it. Have your cruised before? If not, just the basics are going to be new to you and can be overwhelming (and 3/4 days are not enough to do it all). If you've cruised before and this was something you thought would make your trip perfect, then it might be worth the splurge. How much time are you going to spend ashore in Nassau and Castaway Cay? If most of your time is going to be spent doing things that can be arranged with or without the concierge, it might not be worth it.

 

[limedelsol]

If it is worth the money is up to you. But a couple of things to think about --for that short a cruise (3 or 4 days), I don't think the extra room is worth paying for but how much use are you going to make of the concierge benefits? If you are going to take advantage of them and have them make it an absolutely unforgettable cruise, then go for it. Have your cruised before? If not, just the basics are going to be new to you and can be overwhelming (and 3/4 days are not enough to do it all). If you've cruised before and this was something you thought would make your trip perfect, then it might be worth the splurge. How much time are you going to spend ashore in Nassau and Castaway Cay? If most of your time is going to be spent doing things that can be arranged with or without the concierge, it might not be worth it.

Thanks so much for the replies! This is indeed our first cruise. We plan on spending most of our time out of the room exploring during the cruise! I am trying to persuade my fiance that the higher level rooms are not worth it, and that the money we save can go elsewhere

 

[carmie3377]

I am trying to persuade my fiance that the higher level rooms are not worth it, and that the money we save can go elsewhere

Such as:
1) ANOTHER CRUISE We went on our first cruise in Dec and by day 2, we were rebooking. We had inquired at check-in about upgrading our cat 9 to a balcony and so glad we declined the $990 offer as it almost paid our deposit for our new cruise.

2) A LONGER CRUISE Perhaps you could use that extra money for a 7 night if you have the time available. I know that for what we are paying for our 15 night in an inside we could cruise a week in a cat 4. Give me the longer cruise anytime!!!!

 

[DBBN]

I voted to keep it simple.

DW and I have sailed in the Cat 1 Roy Suite on the Magic (just the 2 of us) and though it was fabulous, looking back - if I could do it over again - I should have booked a Cat 5, 6 or 7 balcony cabin and used the money saved to sail more frequently. The only way I would sail in a suite again is if there was availability for an upgrade at the port.

Considering our needs, our travel preferences and our finances I no longer see the value in the suites.

 

[DVCconvert]

I am "one of those" that have only cruised in suites. The Walt's The Roy's aboard both ships and several cat 3's aboard each ship. Each time only being myself, or myself and my DW. We elected to do this for the space and "niceness" of the staterooms. The concierge service while great is best used for (IMHO) securing Palo ressies and the desired excurisons.

In your case, since this is in part your Honeymoon, I'd keep the suite and enjoy yourselves. While most folks are completely happy with any cat in future years this could be one of the things you look back on fondly as a part of the kick off for the rest of your lives together.

I'm sure whatever you decide...you're going to have a great time!

 

[ppiew]

it's ;your honeymoon and a forever memory - go for it! The spaciousness of the suite will make you feel absolutely regal as will the granite counters and dressing table. We preferred the midship suite. They are narrower than the others but much longer. It made us 'feel' we were in a larger room. The walls and woodwork is beautiful and the deco style furnishings are great. By all means - go for it and enjoy the experience.

 

[Doingitagain]

My first response was this: If it is just the two of you, get a lower category with a verandah and sail more often or splurge in the spa or a special excursion or a cabana on Castaway Cay. We have sailed in a cat 3 many times, but it was more because there is 4 of us and we wanted the space (my kids are older). Concierge was nice, but nothing we couldn't do on our own.

But then I realzied (duh) it is your honeymoon. Having a special memory in a cat 3 would be great, and concierge could do a lot of little things to make it easier for you (and maybe more special, they are creative!).

 

[kelly_green_eyes_23]

The reason why I voted 'don't spend the money' is because you're never in your room but to sleep. Honestly. Unless that's all you plan to do. On my first cruise (ever, which happened to be Disney) I was never in my room but to sleep and get dressed. I felt like I was constantly running around the ship to go here or there doing all that I can do or relaxing on deck. And I was never back to my stateroom much before midnight-2am and was up and out by 9am. I'd rather have the extra money to spend in the ports or on excursions or souvenirs.

Having a veranda would be nice, so save some $$ and go with an ocean view room w/ veranda.

 

[AhoyCaptainMickey]

Another vote for "go for the memory"...

 

[ljm23]

I vote keep it simple and see if you can upgrade for a lot less at the port. Then some of the money saved to splurge on things like the spa villa for two or couples massage at castaway.

 

[Dream426]

We did the category 3 for our honeymoon in 2008. We decided to splurge since it was a special occasion. We were so happy we went with the one bedroom suite. I am sure any room would be just fine though but we enjoyed everything that came with the room. The extra closet space, the veranda, the two bathrooms, the jacuzzi bath tub, the dining area when we ordered room service for breakfast. I really liked the separate area where I could get ready. We even liked the living room where we called concierge and they brought us a movie to watch one night. We were really happy with the choice that we made going with the one bedroom suite for our honeymoon.

 

[Soccermom-Cheri]

My vote is to splurge UNLESS the cat3 is a handicap accessible one. Because the showers are set up for a wheelchair to roll in, it's a mess. (we used all of our towels everyday just mopping up the mess) .

Congrats and enjoy the Wonder