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Cruising in Luxury: Exclusive Perks for Royal Caribbean Suites!
There’s a lot of buzz around Royal Caribbean right now between their Black Friday sale, upcoming Nassau Beach club, the adults-only area on CocoCay and the upcoming game changing Icon-class ships as well as the last ship in the revolutionary Oasis-class (the Utopia of the Seas). More people than ever are setting sail on a cruise, and more people are opting to upgrade their vacation by booking a suite! Royal Caribbean offers several stunning options, and while they may be more expensive, they come with a wide range of perks that will elevate every aspect of your onboard experience. It can get a little complicated since Royal has three suite tiers, which each offer a different level of access and extras during your cruise, so read on while we explore what you get when you upgrade your cruise with Royal Caribbean!
There are a few inclusions that apply to all suite levels, such as priority boarding, double points with Crown and Anchor (RC’s loyalty program) and upgraded in cabin amenities like a full bathroom, a pillow top mattress and a in cabin Lavazza Espresso coffee machine. Priority boarding is a huge draw for me, because you aren’t tied to a specific arrival time and will generally speed through the boarding process (this varies some depending on where you’re sailing from) so you’re onboard within fifteen to thirty minutes. Perks will also vary some from ship to ship/class to class, so let’s just focus on the Oasis and Icon class suite perks! Onboard the Wonder and the Utopia, as well as the Icon class ships, the suites are all located in the new suites’ neighborhood. This keeps you close to all of the exclusive access areas, as well as the other top deck options like pools/waterslides etc. and is another great perk, however this area can only be reached via certain elevators which can get confusing the first day or two of your cruise.
Sea Class
-dinner at Coastal Kitchen (based on availability)
-upgraded room amenities
These are primarily junior suites, and the main draw for booking these cabins is the priority boarding and double loyalty points so you can move up loyalty levels faster. Otherwise, you may be able to have dinner at Coastal Kitchen, and you’ll enjoy a slightly larger than average ocean-view balcony cabin. They do all have slightly larger bathrooms with bathtubs, which is a fantastic perk when cruising with kids!
Sky Class
-concierge service, expedited departure
-all-day access to Coastal Kitchen, the suite sun deck, and the suite lounge featuring complimentary drinks
-complimentary VOOM package for each guest in the cabin
-priority dining reservations and reserved seating sections for each show
-access to the suites-only beach area on Labadee.
-all perks of sea class
Recently Royal Caribbean has created a new designation; ‘sky class junior suites’ onboard select ships. They’re generally very well priced and come with all the sky-class perks! There are also Surfside family suites onboard the Icon that are sky-class suites, but are not located in the suite neighborhood. These are generally a great value, but do mean you’re in for a bit of a long walk to enjoy the suite restaurants/pool deck/lounge.
Sky-class is really where you start seeing the big value adds to cruising in a suite with Royal (which means you’re paying less out of pocket for all the extras on top of your cruise fare). Not only do you not have to purchase internet packages for everyone, which can really add up when you’re cruising as a party of 4+, but you also don’t ever have to eat in the main dining room if you don’t want to since you have all day access to Coastal Kitchen–plus there will be a second suites only option onboard the Icon! This means you can be more flexible with evening plans since you aren’t tied to specific dining times, but I do highly recommend making dinner reservations for CK so you’ll be guaranteed a table. The food is great, the dinner menu changes nightly, and access here means you can also skip specialty dining if you’re so inclined. You can get ‘free’ drinks at the concierge lounge without a drinks package (but not at Coastal Kitchen or at the bar on the Suite sundeck) plus the lounge has an amazing machine that can make all kinds of espresso drinks. Reserved seating at the big venues like the Royal theatre and the Aquatheatre is great, but there is one small caveat to the suite reserved seating section; around fifteen minutes before the shows start, they do open the area up to everyone, so don’t show up too late! You also still will need to make reservations for the shows. The concierge can help you make dining reservations for the specialty restaurants before you board, which was a huge perk if you had the unlimited dining package since previously you couldn’t make reservations before boarding, but they recently announced that is changing soon! However, the onboard concierge is still very helpful if you’d like to adjust any plans or make last minute reservations. Expedited departure means you’ll be able to skip the giant lines that form to leave the ship at the end of the cruise, a concierge will gather groups in the lounge and escort everyone down in an express elevator then walk you straight to the gangway.
Sky-class has the biggest variety of suites options, generally there are several different one-bedrooms (including an Aquatheatre view option) as well as lofts and other much larger than average ocean-view/ocean view balcony cabins.
Star Class
-all perks of the other classes
-access to a Royal Genie; personalized concierge/butler service
-complimentary specialty dining package
-complimentary drink packages
-complimentary gratuities (for onboard staff, this does not include a tip for the Genie or concierge staff)
– the ‘best seats in the house’ for onboard shows
-priority access to onboard activities during select times
-in-cabin mini bar restocked daily with water and sodas
-complimentary laundry and pressing services
-exclusive access to onboard activities
-access to galley and bridge tours
Not only are star class cabins the best of the best onboard, ranging from lofts similar to sky-class lofts but they come with some amazing perks! From show stopping four-bedroom villas, the truly next level ultimate family suites, and the crown jewel royal loft suites (which I’ve seen going for over $93,000 per person), it really doesn’t get better than these cabins.
The best perk of Star class is the Royal Genies. From the moment you arrive onboard, until they wave goodbye at the end of your cruise, the Genie is there to ensure you have the most amazing cruise ever. They handle your show and dining reservations (and make recommendations if you’re not sure what to do or drink), surprise you with fun things like blankets and hot chocolate during the ice shows, and bring treats to your cabin daily. Experiences will vary, because a lot of it is dependent on how you want to interact with your Genie/what all you want to ask of them/what you want to do onboard. My recommendation is to ask them for everything you can but stay respectful of the fact that most genies service around three cabins on every cruise, and spend more time than you usually would in your cabin.
We can’t forget the other amazing perks (included beverage and dining packages plus included gratuities), which basically eliminate almost all of the ‘extra’ costs associated with cruising (with the exception of port excursions and a tip for your Genie). While you likely still won’t ‘break even’, it will be an amazing experience!
Ready to starting planning your next Royal Caribbean cruise? Contact your favorite Pineapple Escapes agent or email us at info@pineappleescapes.com to get started!
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