Royal Caribbean's suites are the top echelon of cruise ship cabins, and it includes many perks and benefits for booking one of these spacious staterooms.

Suites come in a few different sizes and layouts, but the common thread among them all is a cabin that provides the most space with the best amenities for guests onboard.

Royal Caribbean's suite program is not quite a "ship within a ship" concept that other lines have, but they do give their guests lots of extra attention and access other cruise ship passengers do not receive.

If you elect to try one of the bigger suites, you'll find palatial rooms with lots of living space. Some of these rooms even encompass two levels.

Suites are one of the first type of cruise ship cabin to sell out on any sailing because of how limited they are and how many people value staying in a room that gets all those benefits.

If you think a suite might be in your future, here's what you should know about a suite cabin, what it includes, and what you get for spending all that money.

While Royal Caribbean is not a luxury cruise line, it does offer very lavish suites on its ships, especially if you try one of the biggest suites on its newest ships.

The exact suite benefits depend on the type of ship you sail on. Essentially, there's two echelons of the suite program: Royal Suite Class on Oasis Class and Quantum Class ships, and then the suites on the rest of the fleet.

No matter which suite you book, you can expect access to a dedicated suite lounge, services of the suite concierge, reserved seating on the pool deck, double Crown and Anchor Society points per night of your cruise, and priority embarkation/disembarkation.

The exact benefits will be spelled out for you when you get onboard (as well as a week before the cruise in a welcome email from the suite concierge).

Something else you should know about suites are that they are only available with non-refundable deposits. This means if you were to change your mind later and cancel a reservation before final payment date, you'd lose your deposit.

On Royal Caribbean's newer ships, they wanted to enhance the suite program so it matched up better with the top-level experience its guests wanted, especially compared to land-based suite offerings.

The result is the Royal Suite Class, which categorizes suites into three tiers, each with their own set of benefits.

At the top is the Star Class, which are not only the largest cabins onboard, but also include all the benefits of the other suites, but the added bonus of including a drink package for everyone in the cabin, internet access, and their personalized attendant for the sailing, the Royal Genie.

Read more: A beginner's guide to sailing in Star Class

Each Royal Genie is shared by just 3 or 4 suites, and is a cross between the suite concierge, butler, and magic maker. They can attend to your every need onboard and reserve seats at any show or restaurant without the need to plan ahead.

As you probably guessed, Star Class is not cheap. Prices are almost always somewhere in the five figures, and some of the incredibly large suites can rival the price of a new car.

Read more: What is the most expensive suite on Royal Caribbean?

The people that tend to book these rooms are usually well-to-do guests that want personalized service aboard a ship that offers lots to do.

If the Star Class price tag isn't affordable, you'll find plenty of benefits in the next tier, Sky Class.

Sky Class is more in line with what you might find in any suite on any Royal Caribbean ship, but it also includes access to the suites-only restaurant Coastal Kitchen. Think of Coastal Kitchen as a main dining room for suite guests, with a rotating menu every day, and it's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The primary benefits of Sky Class is the complimentary internet access, suite lounge access, and Coastal Kitchen meals.

For those that book a junior suite, you'll be included in Sea Class, which does not include wifi or access to the suite lounge or concierge.  

Junior suite guests can dine in Coastal Kitchen, but only for dinner. 

If you book a suite that isn't on an Oasis Class or Quantum Class ship, the experience is a bit more standardized.

Royal Caribbean opted not to expand the Royal Suite Class to older ships simply because those ships wouldn't be able to include the same amount of benefits found on the bigger ships. So they decided to keep the suite experience intact.

Don't take that to be a negative to staying in a suite on a non-Royal Suite Class ship. You'll still get the core suite experience, which includes:

Naturally, you'll want to know exactly what sort of benefits and perks you'll get by staying in a suite.

Read more: How to maximize the value of a cruise ship suite

Here's a breakdown based on Royal Suite Class and the rest of the fleet.

Perhaps the most important person to get to know on your cruise if you are booked in a suite is the suite concierge.

Think of the concierge as Guest Services dedicated exclusively to suite guests.

Most ships have one suite concierge, although the Oasis Class ships have two.

Right around a week before your cruise, the Suite Concierge will email you to prepare you for your cruise and provide instructions on what to expect. 

The concierge can provide a number of functions including (but not limited to):

Read more: What is the difference between suite concierge and a Royal Genie?

It's important to quickly mention that despite the name, junior suites do not enjoy the full suite benefits. This means no suite lounge access or concierge services.

Think of a junior suite as a "really large balcony room". They do get double points and on Oasis or Quantum Class ships, access to Coastal Kitchen for dinner, but that's about it.

Given that the price of a junior suite can sometimes be nominally more than a balcony room, many people book junior suites simply for the extra space or double points.

Depending on the Royal Caribbean ship you book, there can be quite a few suite categories to choose from, which can make the decision of which suite to book complicated.

No matter which suite you consider, be sure to look at the layout and size of the room and balcony, as these can vary wildly.

If you're looking to splurge without breaking the bank, a junior suite can be the ticket.

Junior suites may not have all the benefits, but all that extra living space sure is nice to have, especially a full bathtub.

For couples that want to spread out a bit more, you can often find a junior suite at a reasonable price to move up to from a balcony.

If you're ready to try out a suite, then you'll want to consider either the Grand Suite or Owner's Suite.

Both Grand Suites and Owners Suites are the lowest tier of suite that include full suite benefits. They're usually a very large room that includes both a living space and  bedroom.  The bed is usually on one side, with the sitting area on the other side, with some kind of a divider between.

Grand and Owners suites qualify for Sky Class in the Royal Suite Class, and are otherwise full suites on the rest of the fleet. The concierge services, lounge access, and priority given to guests here are what draws many people to book these cabins.

If you plan ahead, you can sometimes book one of these suites at a reasonable price.  Suites will always cost more, but many families find these types of suites affordable, especially when you factor in the extra service you get with them.

If you have kids and want separation from them, there's a few suites in the higher end that offer multiple bedrooms in one cabin.

Royal Caribbean has a few "family suites" that are designed to handle 5-6 guests, and often have two bedrooms and two bathrooms. 

On Oasis or Quantum Class ships, you'll find loft suites, which are a two-story cabin that have vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows.

There are different types of Loft Suites:

Crown Loft Suites are eligible for Sky Tier perks, while Royal Loft, Owner's Loft, Grand Loft and Sky Loft suites receive upgraded Star Tier perks.

If money is no object, then you can book the Ultimate Family Suite.

Available on select Oasis or Quantum Class ships, these giant suites are designed for kids and their parents.  

You'll find not only multiple bedrooms, but an in-suite slide, huge TV, suspended chair, LEGO wall, play area, and hot tub. 

The photos don't do the room justice in terms of how much fun they packed into a single cabin, but the price tag may curb your enthusiasm. The price for one begins at $30,000 for a 7-night cruise and prices usually go much higher up from there.

If you don't have kids in tow, but still want lots of space for you and maybe a friend or two, then there are some rather large suites to consider.

The Royal Suite is a standard offering on pretty much all ships.  They feel more like an apartment than a cruise ship cabin, and are between 950 to almost 1,400 square feet in size.

Many even have a baby grand piano in the foyer, and usually have a hot tub on the balcony. 

There are large bedrooms separated from the rest of the suite and enormous showers.

A Royal Suite is really great for someone that wants to spend a lot of time in their room and enjoy what the cabin offers. Many that book a Royal Suite prefer to have meals delivered to their cabin.

If the idea of a giant balcony with amazing views is appealing to you, then you should consider an Aquatheater suite.

Aquatheater suites are their own type of experience because unlike other suites, the attraction here is the views you have of the Aquatheater below.

The cabin comes in either a one or two bedroom configuration (with the two bedroom qualifying for Star Class), but the real draw are the views.

The balcony wraps around the back half of the suite, which means you can have almost as much balcony space as you do living space inside. While at sea, you'll have views in almost every direction.

At night, you have the perfect seat for the Aquatheater performances below, without the hassle of getting a seat.

No matter how look at it, booking a suite is a splurge compared to lower categories of cruise ship cabins.

Similar to how first class on an airplane is a plusher experience than coach, staying in a suite provides lots of extras that very nice to have access to while onboard.

It's rare to find a suite priced so low that the investment will pay for itself, so if you're considering a suite, look at it as purely a way to get more from your vacation because you can afford it.

Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, treating your family to something nice, or generally prefer the nicer things in life, a suite usually delivers on an upgraded experience.

There are three benefits that truly stand out for booking a suite:

While there are many more benefits that you can take advantage of, these are the core perks that nearly everyone in a suite usually takes the most advantage of during their cruise.

Suites aren't cheap, but if you can afford one without putting a serious dent in your financial situation, it sure is a nice way to vacation.

Read more: Is a suite on Royal Caribbean worth it?

Speaking of not cheap, so many people want to know if Star Class is worth the high price just so they can have a Royal Genie.

When you have a genie, you don't have to plan anything on your own. The genie can arrange for pretty much anything you want to do onboard and it's an incredibly liberating experience. From bypassing the line for the FlowRider or laser tag, to catered parties in your suite, to priority elevator access, you will rarely have to wait for anything.

Just as with other suites, the question comes down to what you can afford. You could easily take the money you'd pay for a Star Class cabin and use it to pay for two or three sailings in a balcony cabin.  But like Rolex watches, sports cars, and first class on airplanes, sometimes you just want the best there is and are willing to pay for it.

There's a cabin for just about everyone on a Royal Caribbean ship, so it all comes down to what your vacation budget looks like and how much you value the many perks a suite comes with.

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