by Stephen Grimaldi
Royal Caribbean has 2 very distinctive Suite products. The offer The Royal Suite Class onboard Icon, Oasis and Quantum Class ships, and they have Suites on all other classes of ships. This blog will be focusing solely on The Royal Suite Class. Thus far I personally have experienced this class of service in a Crown Loft Suite on Allure of the Seas for a 7-night Western Caribbean Cruise out of Galveston and a Grand Suite on Symphony of the Seas on a 6-night Western Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale. I am going to detail my experience with the Crown Loft Suite on Allure.
The Royal Suite Class has an extensive list of perks that come included, the first of which is the room. Prime locations on the ship, impressively sized rooms with amazing views and top of the line linens and in room toiletries are just a few room perks. The Royal Suite Class is divided into 3 subcategories, Sea Class, Sky Class and Star Class. For the purposes of this blog post I am going to focus on the Sky Class level. Sky Class Suites include Grand Suites, Owners Suites, 2 Bedroom Grand Suites, Crown Loft Suites and 1 Bedroom Aqua Theatre Suites (beginning in 2025 Royal Caribbean will designate 8-10 Junior Suites, normally in Sea Class as Sky Junior Suites, thus affording them all of the privileges of being in Sky Class) For a brief over view of the 3 levels within the Royal Suite Class, all three levels have dedicated check in lines, priority boarding, Royal Caribbean Bath Robes and LaVazza espresso coffee makers. Further Sky Class Amenities include the services of 2 onboard Concierges who can handle all of your show and dining reservations and are available to answer any questions you have during their posted hours. They also are very aware of special moments happening such as birthdays and anniversaries and they really do go out of their way to give you a very catered to feel. You will also get all day access to the Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen. Coastal Kitchen is the Suites only restaurant onboard on Deck 17 near the aft. An elevated dining experience featuring lighter Mediterranean fare fused with Farm-to-Table experience onboard. The setting is beautiful with floor to ceiling window and incredibly attentive staff. It amazed me personally that they knew exactly who we were the moment we walked in the lounge and greeted us by name every single time. Always stopping to ask how our day was, or what we had planned for the day and genuinely wanting to have that conversation all while getting done what they needed to get done. Coastal Kitchen shares a space with the Suite Lounge. Open and airy with ample seating, there is a nightly happy hour with hot and cold small plates as well as an open bar between 5pm-8pm serving mixed drinks and bubbles. Suite guests have access to Beer, Wine and Sodas from 11am-11pm. There is always something tasty to nibble on be it pastries or fruit and cheese. This is also where the Concierges desks are. On the Oasis and Icon Class ships there are 2 Concierges, Quantum Class ships have 1 Concierge. Sky Class Suites also have priority departure. Nobody likes talking about departure. It’s the least favorite part of the cruise because it means it's all over. However, in the Suites, at least it is as hassle free as possible. On departure day you make your way to the Suite Lounge, have a lovely breakfast and say your goodbyes to your favorite waiter and Maître d’ who has doted on you for however many days you were sailing. The Concierges will be working in tandem and will escort groups of 8-10 people on a key locked express elevator to deck 5 where they will walk you to the front of the line and escort you off the ship. It makes the worst part of a cruise that much easier!
The Crown Loft Suites are absolutely incredible. I cannot not show my bias towards these Suites. Located on Deck 17, you need SeaPass card access to even get into the hallway. Once in the hallway for the Lofts the serene silence is magical. When you open the door for the first time, and you see in front of you the curtains open and a full 17ft tall wall of windows looking out onto the world it is breathtaking. The room itself measures 545 sq ft with the balcony adding another almost 100sq ft. When you enter there is a full bath on the first floor, a dining area with a table that can glade up against a wall to give more entertaining area, a very comfortable couch and a lounging chair. The chairs in the lofts are different on each ship, but they are all excentric and comfortable at the same time. A huge fully interactive 60” TV is in the main lounge on the first floor as well as fridge, and LaVazza Espresso Coffee maker. Taking the stairs up you will find the bedroom. Open to below and with a clear glass railing and panels you have unobstructed views to the outside from there. A second fully interactive TV lowers from and raises into the ceiling if you wanted to catch up on happening around the ship or watch a movie in bed. A second full bath with one of the most incredible showers I have ever seen is on the second floor along with a closet are with separate make up vanity with light up mirror. The showers on Allure are different than the other ships in its class, and we lucked out. 3 separate shower heads, 2 handheld (one on either end) as well as a massive 18” rainfall shower head in the middle made for absolutely exhilarating showers!! The upgraded Malin and Goetz toiletries were top notch and just added to the experience. There are 2 room attendants on each side of deck 17, the main attendant and then the assistant. Somehow, they are able to anticipate your needs even before you know you have needs. The room was immaculate every single day of the cruise. And in the evenings, when we’d return from the shows or even just dinner, the room would be turned down, sheers closed, lights set very dim and always a plate of cookies for a midnight snack. We are pretty simple guys, we never want to be a bother, and we never asked for anything, but somehow, they knew how to go above and beyond inherently. The balcony was a welcome respite when the ship became overwhelming. High above absolutely everything on the ship and with at least 2 full decks of no rooms below you, you feel like you are in another world. I didn’t know at the time of the cruise but there is an absolute cult following for Deck 17. Deck 17 actually has its own social media pages! I now fully understand why. Its exclusivity is something else.
Another benefit of Sky Class, I would be remiss in not mentioning is priority show seating. They have 6-10 rows in the most prime locations in the different venues (Aqua Theatre, Main Theatre and the Ice Rink) blocked off, with hotel staff checking SeaPass cards for Sky and Star Class guests. This benefit does have a limit. Approximately 10 minutes before a show begins, they will take the ropes down and anyone can come and sit there. I didn’t view this as a negative though. We were there 30 minutes before shows started and were happy with our seating and if the seats were going to be empty why not let someone else have a fantastic view too!
This experience was our first experience in a Suite, since then every cruise booked has been in a Sky Class Suite. We’ve taken my parents on a 50th anniversary cruise and we got Grand Suites for them and Us next door to each other and were able to open the dividers on the balcony to create one massive balcony between the rooms. We will be experiencing the brand-new Utopia of the Seas in a Sky Junior Suite beginning of the year as well. And the next time you hear from me I will be detailing my very first Star Class experience with 3 of my closest friends.
Once you go the Suite Life you cannot go back. The amenities, the rooms, the attention…. It’s incredible top to bottom, start to finish, all around. If you are interested in booking into a Royal Class Suite or suite in general, please email me at stephen@swacruisers.com or call me at 616-559-0018 ext. 706. #kvitravel #swacruisers
Comments