While we have sailed on a number of cruise lines; Carnival, Princess, Holland America, NCL, Celebrity & Royal Caribbean, we have earned priority boarding on only one-Princess. All cruise lines offer loyalty rewards programs and a perk that costs the cruise lines nothing, but it a much treasured benefit to many, is priority boarding. It is nice to get on board early, especially if there is an excellent reasons to be among the first to board. For example on Princess, if you want a spot in the much coveted Sanctuary, you need to be among the first to board, especially in the Caribbean. On NCL, to score hard to get Vibe Passes (And adult only haven) one must be in an early boarding group. But it can take a long time to earn enough points to get to the top tier loyalty program. Princess? Its after your 15th cruise. Carnival, one needs to have sailed 75+ days to reach Platinum status.
However, if you haven't been on a large number of cruises one can usually score priority boarding by booking a suite. It stands to reason, you have paid extra, in some cases a lot extra for a little more real estate in your cabin, there should be some perks to go along with the high price tag. Priority boarding for suites is pretty much a given across cruise lines, but many lines offer other perks as well. Some offer a private dining room for breakfast, or maybe a special lounge with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres in the afternoon. Some may even provide a concierge to help with specialty dining reservations.
However, Carnival lags far, far behind in offering their suite guests anything more than a little extra space, and priority boarding. To add insult to injury, while offering priority boarding to suites (After Diamond/Platinum guests) suites do not get access to their staterooms until 1:30, along with everyone else-EXCEPT Diamond/Platinum and those that have shelled out an additional $40+ for FTTF, or Faster To The Fun. Yes, Carnival has figured out a way to make money by selling something that cost them nothing. No matter your loyalty status or cabin type, you can get priority boarding and access to your cabin right away by paying an additional $40+ (The actual amount depends on the length of the cruise). I paid about $1000 for our Havana Cabana Suite more then I would have for a Havana Cabana Cabin with a patio. Yes, I have a tiny bit more room (I looked at the photos, the size of the suite is about the same as a deluxe balcony on the Royal Princess), and the bathroom does boast a nice walk in shower and double sink, but its probably not worth the additional $$$$. I think we get one bag of laundry done for no additional cost, but then we are paying an additional $2.00 a day for the service charge, personally, I think that covers the laundry.
When I compare what Carnival offers to say NCL all I can do is sigh with wistfulness. NCL suites, admittedly much more expensive than Carnival's, include priority boarding, access to the exclusive Haven area, their own restaurant, a concierge to help them get into fully booked specialty restaurants, or shows, and a dedicated line at guest services. On Carnival, we don't even get that.
Okay, I am done with my rant. I knew going in I wasn't going to get exceptional value for our suite. It was mainly just to spoil my husband, and give him bragging rights of what the Best.Wife.Ever did for his birthday.
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