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Hi All,

I’m due to cruise at the end of September with my mum on Anthem. She has a mobility scooter and we’re currently booked in a standard JS (no accessible rooms available so have requested shower stool & bath aids). I originally upgraded us from balcony to JS for more space, but as I’ve had so much time to think about it, I’m considering another upgrade.

It’s my mum’s first holiday in 17 years, her first cruise and our first holiday away without my dad/since I was a kid. It likely will be our only “girls” holiday as I likely will be looking at kids etc. in the near future, so I feel that warrants an upgrade, and a reason to treat ourselves, right?

The question is, should I just upgrade us or should I wait to see what RoyalUp says? I got the below quote from my TA:

  • Grand Suite - 1 Bedroom (GS) New Price 5219.40GBP less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 1410.64GBP
  • Category GT- Grand Suite Two Bedrooms New Price £6,691.40 less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 2882.64GBP
  • Category OS - Owner's Suite - 1 Bedroom New Price £7,611.40 less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 3802.64GBP

I think the ship will likely sail at a reduced capacity due to COVID and current UK restrictions, I know a lot of US folk have cancelled due to the uncertainty.

I’m swaying more to either GT or OS as they both have showers, the GS only has a bath which I think she’d struggle with for 9 nights. I’ve checked online and there are 3 out of 4 GT’s available and 1 out if 4 OS’s available. 
 

What would you do? Upgrade now or hold to see for RoyalUp. The JS wouldn’t be bad if we stuck with it but I’d just love to treat her.

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7 hours ago, Scoular said:

Hi All,

I’m due to cruise at the end of September with my mum on Anthem. She has a mobility scooter and we’re currently booked in a standard JS (no accessible rooms available so have requested shower stool & bath aids). I originally upgraded us from balcony to JS for more space, but as I’ve had so much time to think about it, I’m considering another upgrade.

It’s my mum’s first holiday in 17 years, her first cruise and our first holiday away without my dad/since I was a kid. It likely will be our only “girls” holiday as I likely will be looking at kids etc. in the near future, so I feel that warrants an upgrade, and a reason to treat ourselves, right?

The question is, should I just upgrade us or should I wait to see what RoyalUp says? I got the below quote from my TA:

  • Grand Suite - 1 Bedroom (GS) New Price 5219.40GBP less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 1410.64GBP
  • Category GT- Grand Suite Two Bedrooms New Price £6,691.40 less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 2882.64GBP
  • Category OS - Owner's Suite - 1 Bedroom New Price £7,611.40 less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 3802.64GBP

I think the ship will likely sail at a reduced capacity due to COVID and current UK restrictions, I know a lot of US folk have cancelled due to the uncertainty.

I’m swaying more to either GT or OS as they both have showers, the GS only has a bath which I think she’d struggle with for 9 nights. I’ve checked online and there are 3 out of 4 GT’s available and 1 out if 4 OS’s available. 
 

What would you do? Upgrade now or hold to see for RoyalUp. The JS wouldn’t be bad if we stuck with it but I’d just love to treat her.

JS has also a bath/shower combo on some of the ships 

Waiting for the upgrade is a gamble. For my5 nights on Odyssey Of the seas which was booked on a JS (and canceled) I got an offer of  minimal 1900 $  PP to upgrade to 2 bedroom GS ...   So it seems comparing to the TA  offer it's not such a good gamble ...

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Stepping up from a JS will get you the suite concierge as a resource, all day access to Coastal Kitchen (JS is dinner only), access to the Concierge Club, Voom internet included and access to the Suite Sun Deck.  There is an elevator to the suite sun deck within the SeaPlex you'll need to use though, the primary entrance involves stairs.  

10 minutes ago, Traveler said:

JS had also a bath/shower combo.

My JS on this class have always had a separate shower.

See this thread for J4 pictures:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/17677-anthem-jan-5-2020-11-nights-southern-caribbean-recap/&do=findComment&comment=182280

 

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37 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

Quick question.  Is there an attendant to the Suite deck or do you just place your sea pass card to gain entrance.

SeaPass card for access.  Whether there is an attendant depends on what you are referring to by "Suite deck" and the time of day.

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7 hours ago, Scoular said:

Upgrade now or hold to see for RoyalUp.

You all know where I stand with this, I never would hold out for Royal Up.  Book what you actually want now and consider Royal up an extra treat if you want to play the Royal Up game.  Also, I have found (pre-covid) that Royal Up works well with cabins where there is a lot of availability (ex. inside/oceanview to balcony) but for suites, when the availability is already low to begin with, the chances of actually getting something through Royal Up are much more slim.

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1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

You all know where I stand with this, I never would hold out for Royal Up.  Book what you actually want now and consider Royal up an extra treat if you want to play the Royal Up game.  Also, I have found (pre-covid) that Royal Up works well with cabins where there is a lot of availability (ex. inside/oceanview to balcony) but for suites, when the availability is already low to begin with, the chances of actually getting something through Royal Up are much more slim.

Thanks for your feedback. Although I’ve cruise with RCI a few times, I’ve never used RoyalUp so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

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8 hours ago, Scoular said:

Grand Suite - 1 Bedroom (GS) New Price 5219.40GBP less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 1410.64GBP

  • Category GT- Grand Suite Two Bedrooms New Price £6,691.40 less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 2882.64GBP
  • Category OS - Owner's Suite - 1 Bedroom New Price £7,611.40 less your payment 3808.76 gives you a balance of 3802.64GBP

1.  I agree with @12thman.  I would NOT depend on RoyalUp if you really want a full suite.  Those chances are extremely remote.

2.  GS - I am a huge fan of Grand Suites on all of the Royal Caribbean ship classes EXCEPT for the Quantum class (of which, Anthem is one).  Since you mentioned your mom uses a scooter, I would scratch this one off your list immediately.  The half wall where the TV is mounted in the Q class GS makes that suite VERY cramped and I would think that she would have a big problem with a scooter.  Frankly, I think you would have more room in your JS than you would in a GS on Anthem.  I will never EVER pay for a GS again on a Q class ship.

3.  I have never stayed (or even seen) a 2 BR GS on the Q class ship so I really have no opinion about this one.  As long as the living area is not designed the same as it is in the 1 BR (with that half wall for the TV) you would probably be fine.  This might actually provide you with the most comfortable situation as you would each have a regular bed.

4.  While I have never stayed in an OS on a Q class ship, I feel confident that you would have plenty of room for your mom's scooter in an OS.  Not only would you have plenty of room, but you would have a dining table and regular chairs in your suite so that you could enjoy a comfortable room service meal if you decided to try that.  With a full suite, room service is complimentary so you could have breakfast, lunch or dinner (or all 3 !!!) delivered if you chose to do that.  It's a very nice treat.

Honestly, if you are going to spend additional money, I would NOT waste it on a GS on Anthem.  I am fairly sure that you would have to completely remove the coffee table in the living room to be able to get to the bedroom with a scooter.

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3 hours ago, Nacho Libre said:

Quick question.  Is there an attendant to the Suite deck or do you just place your sea pass card to gain entrance.

I only went up to the Suite deck once when we were on our B2B on Anthem....the weather was horrible.  There did not appear to be any card access OR attendant.  You just went up there !  Frankly, it is a huge disappointment compared to the nice suite sun decks on the O class with a separate bar, lounge and restrooms.  I think (but cannot remember for sure) that one of the O class ships even has a hot tub up on their suite sun deck.

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19 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

.  I think (but cannot remember for sure) that one of the O class ships even has a hot tub up on their suite sun deck.

Both the Harmony and the Symphony have a Hot Tub on the Suite Deck (Sometimes referred to as the Afterdeck) Neither the Allure nor the Oasis, even post-amplification have the Hot Tub. I have not seen an attendant on the suite deck on the Anthem either. There is a door to the stairs leading to the deck that may be closed and require a Sky or Star class sea pass card to open.

 

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@WAAAYTOOO thank you for your comments, from someone who has never been in a suite and never had to consider scooter space, it’s really helpful!

I agree with your comments on the 1 bed GS, that’s one of the reasons I haven’t bit the bullet yet, as well as the no shower situation.

With the 2 bed GS it’s comes as 2 bed, 2 bath, so we’d both get a bathroom and full bed but the shower is one of those tube ones.  Not sure if there is enough space for the shower stool in one of those. Does anyone know?  The OS  has a larger square shower (at least it appears that way from the videos I’ve watched). The 2 bed has a similar partition layout to the 1 bed except the second bedroom and bathroom is right when you walk in, so downside would be she’d kind of be sleeping in an inside cabin, I don’t know her thoughts on that as all of this is a surprise for her! But both having a full bed would also be a lovely plus.

The OS also has a similar design to the 1 bed in terms of that partition but she can hobble about with her stick to move around and likely would once she got into the room.

It’s a tough decision. I see benefits for both. I think I’m leaning more to OS,  better shower, more space, dining options (as you said). 

I’m waiting to hear back from my TA now as the price they quoted is cheaper on their website, and my original paid price for JS is cheaper now too. Hopefully they can do something for me there to make the upgrade even more inviting!

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20 hours ago, ConstantCruiser said:

There is an elevator to the suite sun deck within the SeaPlex you'll need to use though, the primary entrance involves stairs.  

Thank you for letting me know this. I had no idea if there was a lift and it was a concern!

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20 hours ago, ConstantCruiser said:

@ConstantCruiserThank you for sending me this link, it was a really good blog to read! What types of things can you ask the concierge for?

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3 hours ago, Scoular said:

@ConstantCruiserThank you for sending me this link, it was a really good blog to read! What types of things can you ask the concierge for?

Suite concierge can handle a wide variety of tasks from making reservations for activities, excursions, shows and restaurants to a number of things guest services does.    While they can't do everything guest services does they can look into account issues such as an errant charge that appears mistakenly.  They operate on a fixed schedule and are not available 24 x 7 but when they are on shift they can be reached by phone on this class.  

Most suite concierge will contact suite guests a few days before the cruise giving you an opportunity to make Coastal Kitchen dinner reservations before boarding.  JS guests have to wait until they are on the ship to make Coastal Kitchen dinner reservations.  

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I personally, would still agree with @WAAAYTOOOin that the OS is probably better than the GT (2 bedroom GS).  The GT is still very "chopped up" with walls and narrow in some areas.  The living space/main area in the GT on Anthem is very plain as well.  The OS is much more open concept and probably easier to get around in.

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13 hours ago, Scoular said:

@WAAAYTOOO thank you for your comments, from someone who has never been in a suite and never had to consider scooter space, it’s really helpful!

I agree with your comments on the 1 bed GS, that’s one of the reasons I haven’t bit the bullet yet, as well as the no shower situation.

With the 2 bed GS it’s comes as 2 bed, 2 bath, so we’d both get a bathroom and full bed but the shower is one of those tube ones.  Not sure if there is enough space for the shower stool in one of those. Does anyone know?  The OS  has a larger square shower (at least it appears that way from the videos I’ve watched). The 2 bed has a similar partition layout to the 1 bed except the second bedroom and bathroom is right when you walk in, so downside would be she’d kind of be sleeping in an inside cabin, I don’t know her thoughts on that as all of this is a surprise for her! But both having a full bed would also be a lovely plus.

The OS also has a similar design to the 1 bed in terms of that partition but she can hobble about with her stick to move around and likely would once she got into the room.

It’s a tough decision. I see benefits for both. I think I’m leaning more to OS,  better shower, more space, dining options (as you said). 

I’m waiting to hear back from my TA now as the price they quoted is cheaper on their website, and my original paid price for JS is cheaper now too. Hopefully they can do something for me there to make the upgrade even more inviting!

I’ve stayed in the 2BR grand suite in Anthem and it’s massive inside.   You’d easily have room for the scooter.   And you can never go wrong with your own bedrooms ?   
 

not sure about room for a stool in that shower though.   

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@DJsMrsthank you for your comment. It’s between the 2 bed and and then owners suite. Such a touch decision. The 2 bed is £1k cheaper but with it being a surprise I don’t know if my mum would prefer her own space or the nicer view but with a single bed. ?

The tube shower is also a query as I have no idea what the shower stool looks like. I’m very tempted to bring our own! 

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@Baked Alaskathank you. She usually managed fine at home with grab rails etc. I’m looking into purchasing some of those transferable grab rails so we can put them in the shower for additional support. 
She always has the mentality that “’l’ll cope” but I want it to be as easy for her as possible. 

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On 6/12/2021 at 9:05 AM, Nacho Libre said:

Quick question.  Is there an attendant to the Suite deck or do you just place your sea pass card to gain entrance.

You will have to swipe your card at least twice.  It seemed like it never worked the first time.

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