9A vs. Suite - Which is better

I won a cruise in a raffle and I'm trying to decide which category to book. Could you please tell me which is a better cabin? The 9A's look appealing for the large balcony. Which room is bigger? Are the amenities in a suite really that much nicer than a 9A? Any information would be helpful. Thanks!

we did both last year, a Cat 11 on the Glory and a 9A aft wrap balcony on the Triumph.

The answer to your question is what is most important to you -

a big balcony or a bigger room.

It's really that simple.

If it's a regular 9A and not an aft balcony, the difference in balcony size is really a joke. We LOVED our cat 11...until we got our wrap balcony. The cabin was smaller, yes, and we didn't have a tub (which we ended up never using in the cat 11) but we were on our balcony for HOURS every day.

check out our balcony on the Triumph. But again, I stress, you will only really see a bigger balcony if you get and AFT balcony. We were upgraded from an 8a guarantee on the Pride to a cat 9 on the Pride mid ship and the balcony was like a foot deeper - not much of anything.

Yes, that balcony is incredible! So the suite balconies are much smaller than a wrap? Is the 9A wrap cabin bigger than a standard balcony cabin? I don't care much about a tub or bidet, the extra space in the room would be nice...But I also love to hang out on the balcony. I'm usually content with my standard balcony cabin...so either way I guess I will be spoiled. Just wasn't sure of the room configuration of a 9A.

You won a cruise in a raffle? First of all congrats! Second of all- Im jealous

I would choose the suite. Cat 12 if you have a choice

Yes, believe it or not! So you would choose the suite vs. the 9A? I just can't help but to drool over that balcony though! Oh, and I'm also going with a first time cruiser so I really need to make sure he falls in love with cruising!

Yes, believe it or not! So you would choose the suite vs. the 9A? I just can't help but to drool over that balcony though! Oh, and I'm also going with a first time cruiser so I really need to make sure he falls in love with cruising!

Depending on the cruise you select you can have a Cat 11 suite with a wrap around balcony! I think this is possible on the Spirt class ships...Sprit, Legend, Pride and Miracle.

My hubby and I went on the Pride last year for our honeymoon and had the Cat 11 aft suite with wrap-around. It was wonderful!!! The layout of the room is nice too as there is a seperate bedroom. Thus we had BOTH priority boarding (which goes with suites) and the lovely balcony. Our suite was 8273, I think. It was really nice but since it was only one floor under the Lido we did find about one cup per day from someone dropping it from the Lido deck. We didn't have any trouble with noise from the Lido deck though.

Someone did a review of the aft wrap around suite on the Member review board for Pride (I think in 2006) with wonderful pictures of the cabin.

We are going on the Splendor next which has only Cat 9 aft wrap-arounds and Cat 11 Suites. We are taking the Suite since its roomy and we will have priority boarding (this made a BIG difference when we boarded the Pride). Plus my hubby, who was a first time cruiser on the Pride, told me he wouldn't go if we couldn't have a suite (suites spoil first time cruisers).But an aft wrap-around balcony (no matter the cat.) will definetly not disappoint if you like balconies. HTH

Depends what 9A you are looking at booking, on some decks & ships the 9A's are not corners, if thats the case, i would book the Suite.

All the Suite cabins are bigger then the 9A's, they are normal balcony size cabins.

so how is a regular 9a different than a regular balcony cabin?

so how is a regular 9a different than a regular balcony cabin?

Depends whick 9a cabin you are talking about, the corner 9A's are about the same size but shaped different, almost a triangle shape.

The Side 9A's are wider than a regular balcony cabin.

I won a cruise in a raffle and I'm trying to decide which category to book. Could you please tell me which is a better cabin? The 9A's look appealing for the large balcony. Which room is bigger? Are the amenities in a suite really that much nicer than a 9A? Any information would be helpful. Thanks!

The answer would depend upon which ship you are planning on booking. On a spirit class ship book the 11 aft wrap. On the other ships with balconies the 9a aft wrap.

Having been in a cat 9A wrap on the Conquest Class, I can tell you that the cabin is definitely larger than any cat. 8 balcony cabin; at least 25% larger. Then there is the balcony; it's larger than the cabin! I have also been in both cat 11 and 12. I'll take the 9A wrap any day over the 11 or 12.

Does it make a difference which deck you get the corner aft balcony on? I'm looking at 9A on Victory and they are available on decks 6, 7, and 8.

Interesting. I have an aft (wrap balcony) on the Splendor later this year -- sound great, especially with the European views.

Have had a Cat. 11 and I would take that choice. I like my creature comforts. :)

Sometimes it gets too hot for me out on those balconies.

That said, we have an aft wrap booked on Splendor.

Pat

Does it make a difference which deck you get the corner aft balcony on? I'm looking at 9A on Victory and they are available on decks 6, 7, and 8.

They're all configured slightly differently; all of them have the full corner, but deck 6 wraps have no balcony on the side and deck 7 wraps have no balcony aft. We're booked on deck 8; it has balcony space on the side and aft as well as the corner. (To be honest, what inspired me was our August cruise last year - we had lunch on the Lido deck all the way aft while we were docked in NYC and if you stand right against the window, you can look down on the deck 8 wraps.) One down side I've read about deck 8 wraps (aside from people like me standing on Lido deck looking down;) ) is that when they run the window washer on the Lido deck windows, your balcony gets wet. A down side to the deck 6 wraps is that you're right above the aft lounge - last year they were doing karaoke in that lounge, I'm not sure if that means noise in the cabin above.

So to sum it up....the 9A has slightly more cabin space than a standard baclony cabin with a huge wrap around balcony. The Suite has much more cabin space and a few extra amenities with a smaller balcony? Are there any additional perks besides priority boarding with a Suite? I'm looking at the Valor deck 6, 7, or 8 for the 9A wraps, or a guarantee suite. Thanks for all of the information!

Are there any additional perks besides priority boarding with a Suite? I'm looking at the Valor deck 6, 7, or 8 for the 9A wraps, or a guarantee suite. Thanks for all of the information!

you also get priority disembarking.

I have been in the aft wraps on Valor, remember one of the decks is for 3 people only, at certain times of the year (mostly holidays & summer)

I'm currently booked on deck 8 on the Conquest in an aft wrap. I'm a little worried about trash, noise from the Lido deck and the window washing however. I'm still considering moving to deck 6 but then there is the lounge below and not as close to the 24 hour pizza. :D I like the balcony better on deck 6 and 8 vs deck 7 as I really want some aft access.

There doesn't seem to be a clear cut winner or loser on this class of ship for the aft wraps, for me anyway. So that makes this a though choice.

Can the people pressing themselves against the glass on the Lido deck only see deck 8 folks when they are at the railing?

I'm currently booked on deck 8 on the Conquest in an aft wrap. I'm a little worried about trash, noise from the Lido deck and the window washing however. I'm still considering moving to deck 6 but then there is the lounge below ?

Those 2 decks are about the same, your get the same trash & window washing sprinkles on deck 6 also, you may also hear the beat of the music from the lounge below.

& Deck 8 noise for above.

Pick either cabin, they will be the same, the only exception is that the balcony on Deck 8 wraps around the corner a bit more.

Can the people pressing themselves against the glass on the Lido deck only see deck 8 folks when they are at the railing?

Speaking as a guilty party,:o the view from deck 9 is limited to the area closer to the railing on deck 8, not the full balcony. You can see people standing at the rail, and you can also see the railings of the balconies on decks 6 and 7. You should also note that the dividers between the balconies of the aft cabins are angled, unlike the dividers on the side balconies.

Here's a good pic that shows all the aft wraps on a Conquest Class ship.

Here's a good pic of the aft corner balconies on a Conquest Class ship.

Some 9A's that are an odd shape had beds that convert to a queen size instead of a king.

OOOPpps lets try it again........check out my post below.

Finally got it, had to dig to find the picture.

Click to enlage