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NCL Epic Mini Suites


Lulley766

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I am overwhelmed in trying to choose a cabin....between the bump outs, uncovered balconies and the like I'm completely lost. My last mini-suite ended up being under the galley, although it was not clear on the deck plans. I got to listen to carts rolling and dishes crashing all night. I can't make this mistake again. Can someone offer a good mid-ship, covered balcony area I should be looking? After reading 14 pages on the Epic cabin selection, I'm completely lost. I'd appreciate any help or advice you can offer.

 

Many thanks!

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Sure. How many folks in the room? The "mini suite" I think is a new designation for the Deluxe Family Balcony (correct me if I'm wrong). It's still narrow like the family balcony, but you get several more feet of length plus a larger shower. it's likely worth it.

 

We were in 14022 for our trip and didn't have any complaints. We were under an extended ceiling over our balcony because deck 15 extended out over the side further. We loved that too. More shade protection from inclement weather. We also noticed that the Epic does a GREAT job of sound insulation. Best I've ever seen, actually. There is very little noise from the hall or from next door, and we didn't hear anything from upstairs where the Garden Cafe is. On our DCL cruise we heard carts rolling around the kitchen all night.

 

If you want connecting rooms you will find those on decks 13 and 14 only. Decks 8 and 9 have some uncovered balconies, plus if you look straight down you'll see the lifeboats. I would suggest decks 10-14, a room at the edge of the hump with a slightly larger balcony. If you like the idea of a wider roof over your balcony, go for deck 14.

 

Let me/us know if you have any additional questions about the rooms.

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We are 2 adults...early 50s. I never used to be so picky about cabins, but all you need is one under the pool or galley to ruin a vacation. Our noise was so bad, and NCL must have agreed at some level because we got a huge future cruise credit. Wasn't a perfect solution, but at least they tried. Just don't want history to repeat itself.

 

Thanks for your speedy reply. I appreicate your help.

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You guys would actually be fine, I think, in the standard balcony room. We survived 4 people in there, and I don't think 2 would be much of an issue. If you want a little bit more space for maybe $25 per day more you can look at the Deluxe balcony, which is what I think they are calling the mini-suite. Keep in mind that it doesn't include any suite amenities, it's only a suite in name.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that there's no mid-ship elevator. We loved being closer to the front of the ship where we had easy access to the stairs/elevators as well as the Garden Cafe. Even though there is less movement mid-ship, you might want to get closer to the elevators.

 

One more thing to note, people have commented (and I agree) that the rooms with the beds closest to the balcony "feel" bigger. That's because when you walk in you're greeted with a couch rather than a big queen-sized road block. When you look at the deck plans, the bed will be in the widest part of the "wave" room...when the wave bulges out. Feel free to email me at sdmike1 at gmail dot com if you want my personal opinions on things and don't want to involved the entire board.

 

-Mike

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We just got off the Epic Saturday and had what we thought was the best mini-suite we possibly could have had. Except for our 1st cruise in an ocen view we have always had an aft facing mini suite or penthouse. We were a family of 4 with 2 kids this trip, and Epic has not a single aft facing room that holds 4 on the ship, so we had no choice but to book a side facing mini or 2 aft facing rooms. Since 2 rooms was so much more money (we got the kids on for $250 each) we opted for the side facing mini. We had room 14048, a bump out mini on a dead end hall. The elevators and stairs were 3 rooms away and 1 flight up took us up right between the Garden Cafe and the pool. We never used the elevator to go up from our room the whole trip .When goin down on the elevator we were near the top so when the cars came they usually had room. Also the kids Recess club was right around the corner, perfect for the kids to go back and forth or us to check in on them. This room was so convenient (we usually have to walk all the way from the aft) we have already considered getting a room in this area next time we take the kids. We would totally recommend this area to anyone, kids or not. If you look at the deck plan the port side this area is a dead end hall and has next to no traffic.

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We just got off the Epic Saturday and had what we thought was the best mini-suite we possibly could have had. Except for our 1st cruise in an ocen view we have always had an aft facing mini suite or penthouse. We were a family of 4 with 2 kids this trip, and Epic has not a single aft facing room that holds 4 on the ship, so we had no choice but to book a side facing mini or 2 aft facing rooms. Since 2 rooms was so much more money (we got the kids on for $250 each) we opted for the side facing mini. We had room 14048, a bump out mini on a dead end hall. The elevators and stairs were 3 rooms away and 1 flight up took us up right between the Garden Cafe and the pool. We never used the elevator to go up from our room the whole trip .When goin down on the elevator we were near the top so when the cars came they usually had room. Also the kids Recess club was right around the corner, perfect for the kids to go back and forth or us to check in on them. This room was so convenient (we usually have to walk all the way from the aft) we have already considered getting a room in this area next time we take the kids. We would totally recommend this area to anyone, kids or not. If you look at the deck plan the port side this area is a dead end hall and has next to no traffic.

 

We were just down the hall and echo your opinions. We had three rooms... 04022, 14024 and 14026

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We were in a standard balcony on the stern in Nov. and it is fine for 2 people. I booked for Mar. in 11018. This has a larger balcony. I chose cabins with beds by the balcony and agree with Mike that these cabins have a better layout. I would suggest getting a standard balcony and use the money saved for spa passes, specialty restaurants etc.

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Many thanks to all who responded. I value your comments. The only reason we are looking at a mini suite is there is only a $20 difference between balcony and mini-suite. Other than a little more room, the MS doesn't seem to be a big deal. What is a big deal, however is the airfare....it's almost as much as the cruise and could very well end up being a dealbreaker. I'll keep you posted on how this debacle progresses.

Again, many thanks.

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