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RCCL Suite/Concierge vs DCL Concierge?

starrydominique

Dancing Dominique
Joined
Dec 6, 2013
My hubs loves DCL concierge. After doing both a regular and concierge cruise, we were way happier with concierge. I was looking at booking a RCCL cruise on Liberty of the Seas in 2017 since we don't have to travel to the port (we live near Galveston). I see they have a concierge like class but wanted to know how it compared to DCL concierge.

1. Are the rooms on a separate deck like DCL and are they higher up on the ship?
2. Is there a lounge like DCL?
3. Do they have a private sun deck?

Non Concierge Questions
1. How are the adult only areas on the ship?
2. How is the spa? Me and the hubs lived in the rainforest room our last DCL cruise and was wondering if there was anything similar that we might enjoy.
3. Are there any hidden fees? I didn't feel like we were hit with anything strange with DCL.

Thanks for the info!
 
We've sailed RCL concierge a couple of times and DCL once. IMHO, RCL concierge is pretty good. Possibly better than DCL. To answer the OP's questions though please keep in mind that the different classes of RCL ships are not all alike in therms of Concierge facilities/services.
1 No, there may be other, non-concierge cabins on the same deck. Typically though they are higher up and in a preferred location.
2 Yes, there is a lounge like DCL
3 Some ships have a private area, some don't
 
My hubs loves DCL concierge. After doing both a regular and concierge cruise, we were way happier with concierge. I was looking at booking a RCCL cruise on Liberty of the Seas in 2017 since we don't have to travel to the port (we live near Galveston). I see they have a concierge like class but wanted to know how it compared to DCL concierge.

1. Are the rooms on a separate deck like DCL and are they higher up on the ship?
2. Is there a lounge like DCL?
3. Do they have a private sun deck?

Non Concierge Questions
1. How are the adult only areas on the ship?
2. How is the spa? Me and the hubs lived in the rainforest room our last DCL cruise and was wondering if there was anything similar that we might enjoy.
3. Are there any hidden fees? I didn't feel like we were hit with anything strange with DCL.

Thanks for the info!

here's some basic info about royal caribbean's suite perks:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=enhanced_program_for_suite_guests

no separate deck, but the suites are higher up. i think the junior suites may be on multiple decks, but those do not get concierge/true suite privileges; true suites are on the top decks.

there is a concierge lounge. the lounge on liberty is fairly similar to the one on the disney dream (but without the cartoons playing! :) ). they have snacks and a pre-dinner happy hour.

private sun deck depends on the class of ship. i think there is one on liberty, but i can't remember exactly where it is - i think it's one deck up from the pool, not right next to the pool. again, not that different from dream, though you don't access the sundeck from the lounge. don't hold me to this, though - i know for sure that oasis and quantum class have suite decks, but can't remember 100% about liberty.

something to keep in mind is that there is only one concierge on liberty and he's only in the lounge certain hours (though it's a good chunk of the day). i felt we got more personalized service on the dream because of this. however, our royal concierges have always been great, and have done everything we needed; it's just not always as convenient to get in touch (they give you their phone number, but i hate to call and bug them).

also, there will sometimes be extra, non-advertised perks. you'll get treats in your room like cheese plates and pastry plates a couple of times. sometimes there are suites-only activities, like on allure we got to do a sailaway from the helipad in front (normally closed to guests on that class of ship), and on anthem we got to do a suites-only ride on the north star. i can't remember if we got anything like that on liberty.

as for your other questions:

the solarium at the front of the ship is adults-only. it's a nice area - a pool and a couple of hot tubs, and lots of chairs, including big comfy chairs and loveseats, and i think even a couple of bench-type swings. most of it is open to the air. again, fairly similar to the dream adult area, though i think liberty's pool is bigger, and has some barstool-like seats in the water so you can sit. liberty was just given a major refurb a month or two ago and i was on it a couple years ago, so i don't know if anything has changed due to the refurb.

i haven't been to the spa. i don't think there's a rainforest room, but i think you can get day- or week-passes to the sauna/shower areas. not 100% sure. sorry.

as for charges, unlike disney, royal charges for soda. you can get a soda package for about $7 or $8/day if you want soda, and it's good at any bar, the dining rooms, and the coke freestyle machines. royal also has a casino. other than that, the charges are the same as disney - spa, bingo, shore excursions, tastings/mixology classes (and liberty also has a cupcake decorating class for a fee), alcohol (though there are drink packages), specialty restaurants (very good, but keep in mind they do allow kids in, unlike disney), fresh o.j. in the morning, specialty coffee drinks like starbucks-ish coffees similar to the cove cafe drinks, onboard souvenir and jewelry shops, etc. on one of our liberty cruises i had a bill of $5. :) there is an automatic gratuity/service charge like disney does, and about the same price - i think it's $13/night per person for non-suites, and $15/night for suites - and you can choose to prepay it at home before you go or pay it onboard. overall, other than the soda, i don't find the charges any different than what's on disney.

i hope that helps!
 


here's some basic info about royal caribbean's suite perks:
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=enhanced_program_for_suite_guests

no separate deck, but the suites are higher up. i think the junior suites may be on multiple decks, but those do not get concierge/true suite privileges; true suites are on the top decks.

there is a concierge lounge. the lounge on liberty is fairly similar to the one on the disney dream (but without the cartoons playing! :) ). they have snacks and a pre-dinner happy hour.

private sun deck depends on the class of ship. i think there is one on liberty, but i can't remember exactly where it is - i think it's one deck up from the pool, not right next to the pool. again, not that different from dream, though you don't access the sundeck from the lounge. don't hold me to this, though - i know for sure that oasis and quantum class have suite decks, but can't remember 100% about liberty.

something to keep in mind is that there is only one concierge on liberty and he's only in the lounge certain hours (though it's a good chunk of the day). i felt we got more personalized service on the dream because of this. however, our royal concierges have always been great, and have done everything we needed; it's just not always as convenient to get in touch (they give you their phone number, but i hate to call and bug them).

also, there will sometimes be extra, non-advertised perks. you'll get treats in your room like cheese plates and pastry plates a couple of times. sometimes there are suites-only activities, like on allure we got to do a sailaway from the helipad in front (normally closed to guests on that class of ship), and on anthem we got to do a suites-only ride on the north star. i can't remember if we got anything like that on liberty.

as for your other questions:

the solarium at the front of the ship is adults-only. it's a nice area - a pool and a couple of hot tubs, and lots of chairs, including big comfy chairs and loveseats, and i think even a couple of bench-type swings. most of it is open to the air. again, fairly similar to the dream adult area, though i think liberty's pool is bigger, and has some barstool-like seats in the water so you can sit. liberty was just given a major refurb a month or two ago and i was on it a couple years ago, so i don't know if anything has changed due to the refurb.

i haven't been to the spa. i don't think there's a rainforest room, but i think you can get day- or week-passes to the sauna/shower areas. not 100% sure. sorry.

as for charges, unlike disney, royal charges for soda. you can get a soda package for about $7 or $8/day if you want soda, and it's good at any bar, the dining rooms, and the coke freestyle machines. royal also has a casino. other than that, the charges are the same as disney - spa, bingo, shore excursions, tastings/mixology classes (and liberty also has a cupcake decorating class for a fee), alcohol (though there are drink packages), specialty restaurants (very good, but keep in mind they do allow kids in, unlike disney), fresh o.j. in the morning, specialty coffee drinks like starbucks-ish coffees similar to the cove cafe drinks, onboard souvenir and jewelry shops, etc. on one of our liberty cruises i had a bill of $5. :) there is an automatic gratuity/service charge like disney does, and about the same price - i think it's $13/night per person for non-suites, and $15/night for suites - and you can choose to prepay it at home before you go or pay it onboard. overall, other than the soda, i don't find the charges any different than what's on disney.

i hope that helps!
Thank you that helps a bunch. We aren't soda drinkers so we aren't concerned about that. Ooo but do you happen to know the water situation? The DCL concierge gave us water bottles in the lounge.
 
i don't recall them having bottled water in the concierge lounge.

you can buy bottled water onboard for about $2.50 or $3.00/bottle (the normal single-person size bottles - sorry, i can't remember the usual ml).

you can also bring some on - technically it's not allowed, but i've been on i think 9 royal cruises from a bunch of different ports (though never galveston) and never had a problem bringing on a 6-pack. the only time they crack down on bringing bottled water is during spring break, as they don't want people smuggling on alcohol.

you can also buy water packages, which will give you large bottles of evian in your room.

if you don't mind the ship's tap water, there are always water coolers available on the promenade 24/7, as well as self-serve water taps in the windjammer buffet, and you can get a glass of tap water for free at any bar, the promenade cafe (24 hrs), or sorrento's pizza (usually around 11 a.m - 3 a.m.).

if you drink other stuff, lemonade, unsweetened iced tea, hot tea, hot coffee, milk, and chocolate milk are also free, and also juice in the morning (except the fresh-squeezed juice). the promenade cafe also has packets of powdered hot chocolate that are free.
 
1. Are the rooms on a separate deck like DCL and are they higher up on the ship? No and yes. the GS and up are usually decks 8 and up. but you share the decks with interiors and regular balconies/oceanviews.
2. Is there a lounge like DCL? sort of
3. Do they have a private sun deck? again, sort of.

Non Concierge Questions
1. How are the adult only areas on the ship? NOT adult only as well as Disney does it.
2. How is the spa? Me and the hubs lived in the rainforest room our last DCL cruise and was wondering if there was anything similar that we might enjoy. nothing like that on Liberty
3. Are there any hidden fees? I didn't feel like we were hit with anything strange with DCL. one big difference is soda is NOT included like it is on Disney.

Thanks for the info!

the lounge( it may or not be a suite only lounge by then) is staffed from 830-11 and during cocktail hour( 430-8 ). continental breakfast from about 7-10. cocktail hour has hot and cold hors' deurves. if it NOT a suit only lounge than anyone Diamond Plus on the loyalty level may also use it( which can be a LOT of people. it was always SRO from half an hour before they started serving cocktails) the free drinks are basic, no frozen or fancy cocktails. Bottled water is NOT freely available in the lounge but you will get a tall glass bottle in your suite. it also comes with a 24/7 DIY coffee machine that dispense slates cappuccinos and coffee/hot water. IF it is working.

the sun deck is above the pool and just roped off it is not truly private. it however steps from a bar...:teeth:

they do NOT do as good a job keeping the AO areas AO except late night when one or two bars go 21 and up. there is no rainforest room but they do have a pair of cantilevered hot tubs in the Solarium. popular hangout during sea days.

but by far my favorite Perk is the cooked to order breakfast in Chops. much smaller menu than the MDR and not as much variety as the WJ but the smaller venue, quieter ambience more than make up for it. the waitstaff automatically gives you fresh squeezed OJ at NO additional charge even if you do not have a drink package. if you have a package that includes lattes/specialty coffee they will run over to the WJ bar and get it for you.
 


My hubs loves DCL concierge. After doing both a regular and concierge cruise, we were way happier with concierge. I was looking at booking a RCCL cruise on Liberty of the Seas in 2017 since we don't have to travel to the port (we live near Galveston). I see they have a concierge like class but wanted to know how it compared to DCL concierge.

1. Are the rooms on a separate deck like DCL and are they higher up on the ship?
2. Is there a lounge like DCL?
3. Do they have a private sun deck?

Non Concierge Questions
1. How are the adult only areas on the ship?
2. How is the spa? Me and the hubs lived in the rainforest room our last DCL cruise and was wondering if there was anything similar that we might enjoy.
3. Are there any hidden fees? I didn't feel like we were hit with anything strange with DCL.

Thanks for the info!
This can vary depending on the ship. Most ships have a shared deck. Most ships do have a private club that do not allow kids without an adult. You can get real coffee there and as much as you can drink from like 5 to 8. Typically the crowds are lite. For some reason the people who book a GS or higher don't always use this.

They get you on the ship first and they walk you off after. You don't have to deal with all the crazy lines. They'll also help you get off the ship first if it's tender.

The reserved seating for the shows is awesome! No more getting there an hour early and sitting through two bingos just to have a decent seat.

These categories count as DOUBLE towards your loyalty rank. So a 7 day cruise gets you 14 points.

If you want to see a couple of the cabins, the reserved seating, and the lounge on some of the ships, go to youtube and search my username. That should pull it up.
 

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