Mini suite

[shawilson]

Hello I am new to the forum. I have cruised Balcony cabins all my cruises with the last one being Ruby Princess on the Caribe Deck with the larger balcony. I am booked again on the same deck of the Golden Princess for a 14 day Hawaii in October. I am really considering upgrading to the mini-suite after reading these post. The upgrade to the mini-suites is $800 (eight hundred) dollars.

That seems steep, but you having sailed both at what price point would you say it is too much to upgrade and just use the money for excursions etc.

 

Welcome to the forum. Unless you plan on entertaning, I would spend your $800 on something else. Keep an eye on the prices, they sometimes go down (by a bunch). The only reason we get an AD mini is I sleep in, DH is up early. He can go in and out of the balcony and watch TV while I am in snoozeville.

 

Never had a Caribe cabin, but we were visiting our best friends in a Caribe cabin on Golden and it was good for 2. Felt a bit uncomfortable sitting on their bed to visit.

 

If you go to a mini, you will never go back, well I won't.

 

Hope you have any more happy cruises!

[cruiser812]

Years ago, my husband and I concluded, approximately, what size cabin we would like, at a minimum.

 

Mind you, our cruises have typically been 14-17 days. Our conclusion was at least 250 sq feet cabin and the balcony had to large enough to hold a chaise lounge lengthwise....not vertical--which is around 60 square feet.

 

A mini-suite usually fits the bill! We've been fortunate to have a couple of really nice suites. I can still remember those cabin numbers (but not the minis!). 003 on the Veendam, 8004 on the Grandeur, 747 on the Dawn and 7347 on the Spirit....but we typically are not willing to pay the huge difference between the two.

 

I think for a longer cruise, you really do appreciate the space. I know we do.

 

If it is not cost-prohibitive, and you still have time to save for your vacation, I'd go for it. I've never read anyone state they regretted it!

 

Enjoy!

 

Dawn

Would you say that for a 14 day cruise it is worth Eight hundred dollars to upgrade from our balcony? I have never sailed a mini-suite before.

[cruiser812]

Just so you know, on the Grand class ships the balconies on Caribe are about twice as big as the mini suite balconies on Dolphin.

The advice you're getting about the Tahitian/Ocean has nothing to do with the Grand class. Every class of Princess ship has different configurations.

Which ship are you considering?

What about the Golden Princess?

[Go-Bucks!]

I'm spoiled after having had a minisuite on my last cruise, especially because it was 14 days long. I had a balcony before that on a 7 day and it was OK, but I got sick of only having a bed to sit on. The sofa and extra chair in the mini was wonderful along with a much bigger room and bathroom. I don't mind a smaller room for going solo, but if I'm in a room with others, then I want nothing less than a mini. You'll love it if you try it!! :D

[cruiser812]

I'm spoiled after having had a minisuite on my last cruise, especially because it was 14 days long. I had a balcony before that on a 7 day and it was OK, but I got sick of only having a bed to sit on. The sofa and extra chair in the mini was wonderful along with a much bigger room and bathroom. I don't mind a smaller room for going solo, but if I'm in a room with others, then I want nothing less than a mini. You'll love it if you try it!! :D

Would it be worth $800 to you to upgrade from a balcony?

[west coast cruiser]

The mini suite is great if you are sharing a cabin.

 

My mother always called our living room sofa a chesterfield. I guess that is really dating us.

WCC

[A&Emom]

I remember those!

 

 

 

Just for the heck of it, I think they still make Chesterfield cigarettes.:confused:

 

They were big around the time of Phillip Morris. The commercial with the "bellboy" uniform and the cute little hat. All in red.

[chamima]

Hello I am new to the forum. I have cruised Balcony cabins all my cruises with the last one being Ruby Princess on the Caribe Deck with the larger balcony. I am booked again on the same deck of the Golden Princess for a 14 day Hawaii in October. I am really considering upgrading to the mini-suite after reading these post. The upgrade to the mini-suites is $800 (eight hundred) dollars.

That seems steep, but you having sailed both at what price point would you say it is too much to upgrade and just use the money for excursions etc.

 

I really love that the balcony on the Dolphin mini's seem to just hang off the edge of the ship. When you look out you only see ocean and not balconies below you. I haven't minded the fact that they are open to the decks above. Perhaps I've been lucky and havent had any issues with the folks above

 

It's hard to say when I would change to a mini. We had a bad experience with people above us (they were out all the time and commented on EVERYTHING we were doing - ex:"Nice breakfast" - so we would only book the AD covered mini on the Emerald deck. Last year we did two 14 day cruises one in a mini (see below) and one in an aft balcony. The extra space is nice in the mini but we are hooked on the aft rooms. That being said - we are going on the Coral this year and since she has no aft rooms we booked a mini suite. $800 is NOT a lot more! It kind of comes down to, do you want the extra space inside or outside?

 

Thanks Chamima! We are booked on the Grand on E729 an we booked it because we couldn't get an aft cabin (didn't have all the funds to get a full suite and we never charge vacations)....so we went ahead and got the mini as close to the aft cabins! But hearing that the balcony is nearly 126 sq feet is just awesome!

 

Even though it seems to be debatable (most say no), hopefully there will be a chaise lounge on the deck for hubby!

 

Thanks again! Not quite the room of a suite, but a close second.

 

Dawn

 

We were in E729 on the Grand (which is exactly the same as the Golden) last year. Best mini suite on the ship! :D Good luck with that chaise lounge! We feel the same way as your hubby but weren't able to get one on the Golden last year. I totally understand how much of a difference it makes!

[chamima]

Just saw this on another thread. It might help!

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by LuvTheGoodLife View Post

Ruby balconies have the same 'tiered' design as the Grand Class ships designed before her. Higher balconies can look down onto part of the Caribe deck balconies (due to balcony size being larger on Caribe) and onto the Dolphin deck balconies (which are fully uncovered). Below are more details:

 

following refers to 'side' of ship balconies only, i.e. those on starboard or port sides of any ‘Grand’ class ship (Grand, Golden, Star, Diamond, Sapphire, Caribbean, Crown, Emerald etc) and not any balconies that face directly aft....

Baja deck balconies are sized 9 ft. wide x 5 ft. deep and have full ceiling overhang/balcony cover. Lido, Aloha, Riviera (found on Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, Ruby only) decks have the same covered balconies. You can stand at the railing of these balconies and look down on to part of the Caribe deck balconies and all of the Dolphin deck balconies.

 

Caribe deck balconies are sized 9 ft. wide x 9 ft. deep and have ceiling overhang/balcony cover over the first 5 ft. Standing at the railing, you will overlook Dolphin deck balconies below.

 

 

All of the cabin interiors/bathrooms of the balcony cabins are the same with respect to size (unless it is a handicapped cabin).

 

Dolphin deck balconies (all balcony cabins are actually mini-suites and thus bigger than regular balcony cabins on the interior with sitting area, 2nd TV and bathtub/shower combination instead of the small shower stall found in the regular balcony cabins). The balcony is sized 9 ft. wide x 7 ft. deep and has no ceiling overhang/balcony cover as protection from sun or rain.

 

 

Emerald deck has several mini-suites each side with fully covered balconies. The last mini-suite cabin towards aft end on each side has extra wide balcony – approximately 7 ft. deep x 18 wide, according to someone who stayed in one of these.

__________________

[cruiser812]

It's hard to say when I would change to a mini. We had a bad experience with people above us (they were out all the time and commented on EVERYTHING we were doing - ex:"Nice breakfast" - so we would only book the AD covered mini on the Emerald deck. Last year we did two 14 day cruises one in a mini (see below) and one in an aft balcony. The extra space is nice in the mini but we are hooked on the aft rooms. That being said - we are going on the Coral this year and since she has no aft rooms we booked a mini suite. $800 is NOT a lot more! It kind of comes down to, do you want the extra space inside or outside?

 

 

 

We were in E729 on the Grand (which is exactly the same as the Golden) last year. Best mini suite on the ship! :D Good luck with that chaise lounge! We feel the same way as your hubby but weren't able to get one on the Golden last year. I totally understand how much of a difference it makes!

Hello,

Does E729 have the larger wraparound balcony? And did you have any problems with noise from deck 6 below you?

[Coolmama_1]

Chesterfield also brought back childhood memories for me. My dad was born in Canada and he often called the couch a chesterfield. But I thought that love seat was pretty much a universal thing. Guess not.

 

My parents called the couch a Davenport.:)

[m steve]

is like a Hide-a-Bed.

[PrincessNancy]

One added benefit of a mini-suite is that there is enought room so that you can have old or new found friends in for a glass of wine (or any other beverage) and snacks (you can get some great hors d'oeuvres from the International Cafe). On our last cruise people were able to hang out on the balcony as well as inside on the sofa and chair. Made for a nice little gathering (room for about 8 people).

[chamima]

Hello,

Does E729 have the larger wraparound balcony? And did you have any problems with noise from deck 6 below you?

 

Yes it has the larger balcony and no there is no noise in the Starboard rooms (odd numbered). Some people report a little noise in the Port rooms (even numbered) but I have a feeling they are early-to-bed type people since the lounges mostly close down by midnight.

[quincytoo]

Chesterfield also brought back childhood memories for me. My dad was born in Canada and he often called the couch a chesterfield. But I thought that love seat was pretty much a universal thing. Guess not.

 

I grew up saying Chesterfield but now sofa is easier to say :)

[Starlaker]

We have had mini suites for several years now, but went back to a balcony for our Alaska cruise this fall because the price was so good. We had forgotten how teeny, tiny the shower is. We have a mini suite booked for our Panama Canal cruise in March and won't go back to a balcony room. If we can't afford the extra for the mini, we won't go. Big difference in seating area in cabin also.

[jackdiamond]

Starlaker, we agree.

[Ferndale Girl]

We don't have a balcony but paid for a regular oceanview (no balcony) and were assigned A201 on Coral - way up front but I don't care. It looks to me that it will be quite large from the diagram - same size as the ones with the balcony but all the room will be in the cabin. Do you agree?

[MrKenFL]

I can't see where there is an A201 cabin on the Coral. Must be forward of the bow on the bowsprite.

[Ferndale Girl]

I can't see where there is an A201 cabin on the Coral. Must be forward of the bow on the bowsprite.

 

Sorry....it is C201

[chamima]

You got a really large minisuite! It's going to be huge (as far as cabins on ships go :p ) inside!

Yes, it looks like all of the space of a regular mini plus the extra 7 feet of the balcony! Enjoy - that really is an upgrade!

[cruiser812]

You got a really large minisuite! It's going to be huge (as far as cabins on ships go :p ) inside!

Yes, it looks like all of the space of a regular mini plus the extra 7 feet of the balcony! Enjoy - that really is an upgrade!

Which minisuite are you referring to? And on which ship? Sorry I got lost in the thread...I just want to make sure.

[chamima]

Sorry....it is C201

 

 

On the Coral. It's the post above mine by Ferndale girl.