Why you should THINK TWICE before booking a JUNIOR SUITE on Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas
Today I’m going to show you what the sweet experience on board a Royal Caribbean cruise is like. Not only will you get a huge cabin, cruising in a suite also comes along with many perks during the cruise. Of course, this is certainly not cheap. So, in this video, I’m going to explain if this is worth an upgrade from my recent experience on board the Spectrum of the Seas. Royal Caribbean suites are separated into three tiers under its Royal Sweet Class which are C-class, sky class, and star class respectively. C-class is the entry level in the royal suite class enjoying services such as priority check-in, designated dining area. And as we move up the tier, more services are included such as inclusive Wi-Fi and unlimited drinks packages. Our recent cruise was a five-night cruise sailing from Hong Kong to Okinawa. We went for a C-class junior suite. A little bit about our ship, the Spectrum of the Seas. She was built in 2019, designed for the Chinese cruise market. She is one of the largest cruise ships in Asia at over 160,000 tons with a capacity of around 5,000 passengers. Our journey started at the Hong Kong Kite Cruise Terminal. The perks of staying in a suite comes immediately after we drop off our baggages. Right after heading into the cruise terminal, there’s already a sign directing us to designated check-in counters for C-Class and the key. If you did not know yet, the key is like a fast pass for passengers. And with our sweet class, we did not need to purchase it. Check-in was smooth and we’re getting on board in no time. Passing through security and the iconic lengthy gangway, we’re finally on board. It is always exciting to be on a cruise ship. And the first stop is always heading to the muster station to attend the safety briefing. After settling down, let’s check out the other amenities for our junior suite on board. Our cabin is located at the end of the ship on deck 11. The size of the cabin is certainly larger, around one and a half times bigger than normal balcony stateooms with a double bed which can be converted into two singles and sofa. The room is definitely spacious enough. Heading into the bathroom, there’s a bathtub and shower area. Amenities such as shampoo, conditioner, and body wash are separated and branded. Unlike in normal cabins with only one bottle of all-in-one solution, the quality here is relatively better. Now, you may wonder where is the toilet? Actually, it is just separated from the bathroom and is located on the other side of the room, which is a very convenient and thoughtful design. Next to the toilet is the closet. Here in the junior suite, bathroes and slippers are provided for use. Storage space is more than enough for our five night cruise. The coffee machine is free to use as well. For me, the huge balcony facing the rear of the ship is the highlight of our room. Not only is it a great place to relax with full-size sun loungers, we got to watch a perfect sail away from the beautiful Victoria Harbor of Hong Kong as well. On sea days, watching the ocean robot also feels unbelievably calming. From the comfortable bedding to panoramic ocean views, the room itself is no doubt satisfying. But the whole suite experience doesn’t stop here. Let’s check out the exclusive public areas, too. Located on the front of deck 14, both the silver lounge and silver dining are open to C-class or above only, so it’s always an area of space and quietness on this huge ship with more than 5,000 people on board. Once you get into the suite area, you will immediately see the silver lounge on the left. Here, not only will you find plenty of seating space, which is something rare on sea days when the rest of the ship is mostly crowded. During the afternoon before dinner, afternoon tea with delicate snacks are also served here. Although, you should think twice before eating them, as one snack here will probably cause you to give up an extra portion during dinner. Right next to the silver lounge is the silver dining which is a buffet during breakfast and lunch and semi buffet during dinner. To me, this is the most important benefit of staying in C-class other than the cabin itself. Especially during embarcation and disembarkcation days when the wind jammer buffet is full of people, you’re at least guaranteed a table here. In terms of the food quality, it is more or less similar to the buffet. And during dinner, the menu is similar to that of the main dining room as well. So the exclusive dining experience is more about the environment itself rather than what you will eat. How big of a difference does this really make? You may ask. If we look at the buffet and main dining room during peak hours, then having a sweet exclusive restaurant is really a plus. Again, the food quality is not much of a difference. The food served in the buffet is definitely not bad. Looking back at the suite area, while we have toured the silver lounge and dining, there is actually another section of the suite area at the very top of the ship which we cannot access as C-Class, only open to star and sky class. This area consists of a full surface goat dining restaurant and an outdoor area called the balcony giving the best views on the front of the ship. As for us C-Class, it’s convenient to head to the solarium from the silver lounge directly. The only disadvantage is it’s open to all, so during C days it will get crowded as well. Well, that’s pretty much everything you get by staying in a junior suite. Priority check-in, larger room, and exclusive dining. So, in the end, is it worth it? Well, it depends on the price of the cruise fair. During peak seasons, a junior suite can be more than double of a balcony. Then, I wouldn’t suggest booking a junior suite as it really does not make up the huge difference of your cruise ticket. You still eat the same food as you would by staying in normal cabins. Instead, save that money for other spendings on board, such as specialty restaurants to upgrade your cruise experience. Well, if budget is not your problem, then you should book a sky class suite or above, which is even more expensive. Although, it does come with useful perks such as included Wi-Fi, free happy hours, and I said just now, the golden dining. These should actually enhance your cruise overall. To conclude, the Spectrum of the Seas is a huge ship in Royal Caribbean’s fleet. The amount of passengers does make the ship very crowded and can affect your cruise experience. Staying in a junior suite or not, here are also some tips for you to avoid the crowd, in particular during dining times. First, during breakfast and lunch, instead of having to wait in the long cues in the buffet and the main dining room, instead head to the 270 cafe at the back of deck 5, which serves light meal, even though the selection is not as wide as the main restaurants, the quality is not bad, and there is a lot of seating area in the 270 lounge, so there’s no need to line up at all. And you also get to enjoy some great panoramic sea views. Second, if you go to the main dining room during night times, choose the fixed time dining every night instead of my time dining. So, you have the same table, same waiter every night during the cruise. There are three time slots to choose from every night. And the table is reserved for you within 15 minutes. So, there’s no point to line up at all as long as you arrive within the time slot. If you stay in a junior suite, I would still recommend you to go down to the main dining room instead of the silver dining as a selection of the menu is usually wider here. In terms of the facilities on the ship, while the solarium and indoor sports ground are very popular during sea days, they are pretty much empty during port days. So, if you don’t have a strong interest to go on shore or you have been there before, this is a good time to use these facilities probably all by yourself. Overall, our cruise was a great one and we enjoyed it very much. Hope the video gave you insights on whether a junior suite is worth the money. And no matter what types of cabin you choose to cruise on Royal Caribbean, hopes the cruise hacks can also help you to avoid the crowds. So your cruise vacation is going to be a perfect one. Thank you so much for watching and there will be more about the ship itself and our excursions or Okinawa next time.
0:00 Intro
0:30 What is Royal Caribbean Suite Class?
1:20 Priority Boarding
2:15 Junior Suite Room Tour
4:00 Suite Area and Dining
6:40 Useful Cruise Hacks
I recently went on a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas sailing from Hong Kong to Okinawa. We stayed in a Sea Class Junior Suite on deck 11. I will show you not only the suite, but the perks that comes along. Royal Caribbean ships have 3 suites categories, Sea Class, Sky Class and Star Class. Watch this video to understand what types of suites the different amenities for each class. I will also share cruise hacks for you to stay away from the crowd on the cruise to have a perfect holiday onboard, no matter which cabin you are staying in.
乘坐皇家加勒海洋光譜號遊輪從香港到沖繩，入住Sea Class 標準套房的體驗
颱風下的郵輪
Cruise in a typhoon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5OfVuaR_t4
香港迪士尼自助餐
Hong Kong Disneyland Buffet
澳門上葡京酒店尊尚雙床房
Macau Grand Lisboa Palace Room Tour
#hongkong
#spectrumoftheseas
#okinawa
#cruise
#japan
#suite
#royalcaribbean
#hotel
AloJapan.com