Sun Balcony vs. Suite...

So I just booked a balcony on the Sun for DH and myself. A suite would have been my dream but would have been about $1000 more per person. Would suite perks be worth $2000?

I found the Sun balcony rooms to be slightly bigger, full length couch, more desk space and storage area than the other 3 NCL ships I've been on. The bathroom is smaller but well designed to use the space nicely, with more shelf area I think. The balcony itself is deeper than the other ships. Unless you really want the suite perks, I think you'll find the balcony room very nice for the two of you. The Sun became my favorite of the ships.

All depends on how much you have doesn't it? If you are Warren Buffet and make a hundred thousand dollars an hour, then I suspect the $2000 wouldn't be a bother but if you are like me, and make a good but not astronomical salary, its hard to rationalize...though it isn't hard to dream about. DDP and I lust after taking a Regent Cruise but can't rationalize it either. We would rather have two or three cruises rather than just one. That being said, I have a friend who says she and her hubby would rather afford one cruise a year in a suite rather than several where they have to deal with the non-suite folks. They are both in the tourist industry in Key West and have to deal with people full time so when they vacation, they get a suite and apparently never leave the suite. They have the butler bring in their meals, the lounge on their private deck and generally enjoy their alone time. Sounds pretty good to me, but not good enough to make me give up another week or two on vacation.

No unlimited money here, that's for sure. It was worth it to me, though, to pay extra to go from Inside to a Balcony, even though my DH was not too thrilled...

But I will dream about that suite...Maybe the upsell fairy will bless me since I have booked over a year in advance...

May I give a perspective from an "older" couple? We've been on well over 70 cruises and started cruising when we were in our 30's. Our first several cruises were inside cabins. None of the ships had balconies at that time. Over the years we upgraded ourselves to the point where we are now. By the way, we've been on 10 Regent cruises and love them. I digress. We feel we are at the point in life where if we can't have a suite, we stay home. I don't know how many more cruises are in our planning, so each one is "special." We chose Norwegian now because frankly it's an easy drive from home. And the suites are large and I think will be fine for us.

We are in the group who would cruise once in a suite rather than several. But we are older and obviously retired.

Enjoy cruising while you're able, in whatever stateroom you choose. After all, if you're younger it's the vacation rather than the ship being the destination.

Enjoy and have a wonderful cruise!!!:)

To add: we are not wealthy! I save diligently every month.

So I just booked a balcony on the Sun for DH and myself. A suite would have been my dream but would have been about $1000 more per person. Would suite perks be worth $2000?

I had a Mini-Suite on the SUN this past August, cabin #1210....here are some pictures of it....This was the first time I ever cruised and really enjoyed the Mini-Suite......and in fact I have booked a B2B on the Sun this Sept. and got an Aft Mini-Suite

http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k614/Doughboy139/NCL%20Sun%20Mini-Suite%201210/

Here's a little different perspective as well with respect to choosing a suite vs. a balcony and some of the many reasons people might choose to do so. DH and I have been cruising now for about 12 years. We started in our late twenties/early thirties and always booked a balcony cabin. For us, a balcony was perfect!

Now for the first time we will be traveling with DS (4) and DD (2). For space reasons and so that our little ones can sleep without us waking them up if we decide to stay up and chat or read or such, we booked one of the stern AC suites which have a door separating the bedroom from the living room. It also has access to the bedroom from the hallway through the bathroom so you don't have to walk through the living room (and wake up the kids) to get to the bedroom. We felt that for us, at this point, it was the difference between being able to enjoy ourselves in the evenings, vs. having to go to bed at the same time as the kids (ie. 8:00 pm).

I suspect that if it were just us, we would probably have stayed with a balcony cabin, or maybe a mini-suite. But with the kiddos, a suite made a lot of sense for us. :-)

Thanks for posting the pics of the mini suite on the Sun. They are really special. Tell me, do you still get an upgraded room service menu in the mini suite?

When we did the Canal several years ago we had the mini suite and friends had a balcony. The menu for room service was much more interesting! Our favorites were the Scandinavian Sandwiches! Do they still have those?

We had a mini on the Sun also, 1204. It was great especially cruising with our 18 year old son and gave us plenty of room. I believe that the room service menu was exactly the same as other non-full-suite cabins as it was pretty limited. I booked an Aft balcony for our next cruise and if we are lucky enough to get an upsell call it will be a hard choice to determine if we want to change. Since our son won't be with us on the cruise it would have to be a suite in a good location in order for me to change at a really good price since I think our Aft balcony is in a great location. I don't think I'd bite for a mini-suite because if I'm going to upgrade I would want the full suite benefits this time.

Here are some pics of 1204.

I had a Mini-Suite on the SUN this past August, cabin #1210....here are some pictures of it....This was the first time I ever cruised and really enjoyed the Mini-Suite......and in fact I have booked a B2B on the Sun this Sept. and got an Aft Mini-Suite

 

http://s1118.photobucket.com/albums/k614/Doughboy139/NCL%20Sun%20Mini-Suite%201210/

You are really gonna love the Minis on the stern, they are much larger than the one in your picture as is the balcony

But which one. Please help me quick!!!!!

We like mid to aft cabins with rooms above & below

All those with experience on the Sun pick me a deck & a cabin # please

But which one. Please help me quick!!!!!

We like mid to aft cabins with rooms above & below

All those with experience on the Sun pick me a deck & a cabin # please

But which one. Please help me quick!!!!!

We like mid to aft cabins with rooms above & below

 

All those with experience on the Sun pick me a deck & a cabin # please

You wouldn't like 1204 then as it's very far forward on the starboard side. I loved the location though because there is only a small number of cabins on deck 11 and it was very quiet there yet access to restaurants and the pool/spa/health club was super convenient.

The cabin we had prior to switching to 1204 was recommended by our PCC at NCL. 9239 is mid ship with cabins above and below decks. He said it would be a good location and quiet.

We got lucky when we sailed on the Sun in 2008. They had oversold the balcony cabins, so NCL called us to upgrade us to a penthouse suite for only $100 more per person, in order to get our balcony cabin away from us. Now that was a no-brainer!

I don't know which class of suites you are looking at, but the penthouse had it's own separate living room area, separate bedroom area, and a nice large separate bathroom with a shower/tub combo. Another nice feature was our wrap-around balcony with sliding glass doors going off both the living room and the bedroom onto the balcony. It's hard to tell from the picture, but we actually had enough room on our balcony for two lounge chairs, two normal chairs, and a little table. We got spoiled by having our own butler bring us hor'doerves every night. Being in that suite has really ruined me for having to go back to balcony cabins. My mother-in-law has never looked back since getting her suite. That is the only thing she will book now!

I've attached pictures of our penthouse suite on the Sun below. We had cabin 8077 on the Aft of the ship.

Here's a little different perspective as well with respect to choosing a suite vs. a balcony and some of the many reasons people might choose to do so. DH and I have been cruising now for about 12 years. We started in our late twenties/early thirties and always booked a balcony cabin. For us, a balcony was perfect!

 

Now for the first time we will be traveling with DS (4) and DD (2). For space reasons and so that our little ones can sleep without us waking them up if we decide to stay up and chat or read or such, we booked one of the stern AC suites which have a door separating the bedroom from the living room. It also has access to the bedroom from the hallway through the bathroom so you don't have to walk through the living room (and wake up the kids) to get to the bedroom. We felt that for us, at this point, it was the difference between being able to enjoy ourselves in the evenings, vs. having to go to bed at the same time as the kids (ie. 8:00 pm).

 

I suspect that if it were just us, we would probably have stayed with a balcony cabin, or maybe a mini-suite. But with the kiddos, a suite made a lot of sense for us. :-)

Yes, I can definitely see paying the money with 4 people in the cabin, since the 3rd and 4th are so much less. but with just DH and I it doesn't make economical sense...