Are suites worth getting over a balcony room?

[jeniceglassman]

Go for the aft wrap..40 only rolls around once...you will not spend alot of time in your cabin because of everything the cruise offers. But..the bigger balcony will offset anything in the Suite. You can always play in the tub at home. You can't stretch out in a lounger & toast sunrise or sunset like these cabins will allow you to. Since it's your first cruise get ready to be overwhelmed. Yes the priority boarding of a suite is sweet. But so is making new friends as you wait to board. You will never regret it.. I promise.

[firefly333]

Well it's not $1200 it's $600 more. Standard balcony is $1500 total ($750 pp) and Ocean Suite is $2100 total ($1050 pp) totals include pre-paid gratuities. Or if I do an aft wrap/Premium Vista Balcony it's $2000 total ($1000 pp).

 

If you are booking ES, remember you can upgrade, no cost .. but you cant downgrade.

 

You could surprise her and ask her then, and if there is still a aft wrap or suite left (probably on the suite), upgrade then.

 

Only $100 difference between the suite and the aft wrap makes it a hard choice.

[MiamiSpartan]

The suites are nice, but for my money, I'd take the veranda room, because you will hardly be in the room during the trip....

It's nice to wake up and have coffee on the veranda, but frankly the only time we're in the room is to sleep and change clothes....

[quickrate]

It's your wife's 40th birthday-if the money is not a problem go for the aft wrap or the suite-whatever appeals to you more. You will look like a king when she gets priority boarding.:D

Pat

[CruisinManiac]

The suites are nice, but for my money, I'd take the veranda room, because you will hardly be in the room during the trip....

It's nice to wake up and have coffee on the veranda, but frankly the only time we're in the room is to sleep and change clothes....

 

Oh boy...do I have to disagree! :eek: For only an $80 difference, if my DH were surprising me, I'd want the suite. You can still sit out on the balcony and have coffee in a suite. If this is OP's first cruise, they are not going to be spending too much down time on their balcony, but the larger stateroom and bathroom will sure be nice when they are in their room. ;)

 

Also, haven't I read that some of the aft staterooms are arranged strangely, maybe narrower, and without a sofa?

 

Personally, we do not care for the aft. More engine noise/vibration in and out of ports, and rocking if weather is rough.

[caryrae]

So your saying if I book the aft wrap I can change and pay for the suite with no charge except for the cost difference between a aft wrap and suite? Up until when can I change, the day the balance is due or at the ship when checking in?

 

Yeah the only $100 difference is a little hard. I can have a bigger room/bathroom with smaller deck and views from that side of ship on balcony and get VIP check-in or pay $100 less and get a smaller room/bathroom and huge balcony with more to see.

[KruznKel]

So your saying if I book the aft wrap I can change and pay for the suite with no charge except for the cost difference between a aft wrap and suite? Up until when can I change, the day the balance is due or at the ship when checking in?

 

Yeah the only $100 difference is a little hard. I can have a bigger room/bathroom with smaller deck and views from that side of ship on balcony and get VIP check-in or pay $100 less and get a smaller room/bathroom and huge balcony with more to see.

 

No one can make that choice for you;)

[USAF&wife]

Just returned from the Ecstasy. We had a Grand Suite and I would not pay full price for it.

 

It was U103. Nice room, looks just like the pictures, but nothing special. Obstructed view (but they don't tell you that).

 

Maybe if you had more than 2 people you might like the extra space.

 

 

Tamara

[jeniceglassman]

Suite offers larger bathroom. You actually have a sitting area, mirrored between cabin & bath. Double sinks too. If your wife, and you sir, know her better then any of us,is a girly girl she will appreciate all the storage space. I'm the kind of woman who throw $5 of makeup from the Dollar Tree and calls it good. My husband & I are both tall (i'm 5'10) The exta balcony space allows us both to move freely..dine, enjoy coffee from room service. The privacy is great. Go for the aft wrap now while it's available. Nobody is telling you but they fly out of inventory. Do what you really believe will surprise your wife and you really can't make a "wrong" call. Best of Luck....

[caryrae]

Just returned from the Ecstasy. We had a Grand Suite and I would not pay full price for it.

 

It was U103. Nice room, looks just like the pictures, but nothing special. Obstructed view (but they don't tell you that).

 

Maybe if you had more than 2 people you might like the extra space.

 

 

Tamara

 

I could never do the Grand suite, the ones on the Freedom are $1300 more then the Ocean Suites.

[firefly333]

So your saying if I book the aft wrap I can change and pay for the suite with no charge except for the cost difference between a aft wrap and suite? Up until when can I change, the day the balance is due or at the ship when checking in?

 

Yeah the only $100 difference is a little hard. I can have a bigger room/bathroom with smaller deck and views from that side of ship on balcony and get VIP check-in or pay $100 less and get a smaller room/bathroom and huge balcony with more to see.

 

You can upgrade at any time up until the time you cruise (but not at the port). As someone just mentioned (the post where she said we should have told you aft wraps fly out of inventory), there are not that many of them and they are highly sought.

 

Depends on if you think your wife would love a really huge big balcony where you can see in two directions .... or a bathtub and more space inside the cabin.

[TEXAZJEWL]

If you are cruising in October, and not sure if you're prone to seasickness, I'd definitely stick to mid-ship & a suite is great!

 

We always cruise in October, and it is still hurricane season. Last year, the seas were a little rougher than the cruise we took in April. Nothing too bad, but if you're prone to seasickness, that could be a consideration.

 

Mid-ship is said to be the best most "stable" place on the ship in rough waters.

 

As far as the suite, I'd definitely go for it! We have had a regular balcony and a suite. We loved the extra room, larger balcony, and the tub/shower combo. You also get VIP boarding which is nice when you book a suite.

 

I say go for the suite! But just my opinion :)

[caryrae]

Well after a lot of thinking of what room (harder then I thought) I think I am going to go with the Ocean Suite. I just think she would like the bigger room with an area for her to get ready, bigger bathroom, the whirlpool tub which I know she will love, and not knowing how we will handle any of the ships motion it may be best for the 1st time to stay mid-ship. Then if that goes well for us (no seasickness) we can try the aft wrap rooms next time.

 

Thanks so much everyone for all the help, I appreciate it. I am sure I will have other questions about other stuff at some point.

[jeniceglassman]

Enjoy!

[aeneas3]

So your saying if I book the aft wrap I can change and pay for the suite with no charge except for the cost difference between a aft wrap and suite? Up until when can I change, the day the balance is due or at the ship when checking in?

 

Yeah the only $100 difference is a little hard. I can have a bigger room/bathroom with smaller deck and views from that side of ship on balcony and get VIP check-in or pay $100 less and get a smaller room/bathroom and huge balcony with more to see.

 

you could always upgrade and pay the extra cost if the target room type is available. you can never downgrade.

 

just to be devil's advocate - if you can get the time off you could always do a B2B interior cabin for the price of one of the larger rooms. two cruises :)

 

I think she will be happy no matter what and enjoy the cruise!

[CruisinManiac]

I think you made a wise choice, but just to sooth your decision, take a look at these links for photos of the OS and the aft balcony. I couldn't find any of the Freedom aft wrap around, so have substituted, but the staterooms are basically the same on each ship.

 

OS

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1226264&page=2

 

A video of the stateroom

 

Aft on Valor

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://members.cox.net/eric_jon/cruise/IMG_0364.jpg&imgrefurl=http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php%3Ft%3D614653&h=450&w=600&sz=61&tbnid=-JwdodC1-STNrM:&tbnh=101&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCarnival%2Bfreedom%2Bwrap%2Baround%2Baft%2Bphotos&zoom=1&q=Carnival+freedom+wrap+around+aft+photos&hl=en&usg=__t9d6vKf7DCAK-l1t1bwxuJ9QOKU=&sa=X&ei=K8GzTOfbLIO78gayzqidCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCIQ9QEwBg

 

Aft Video on the Glory

[CruisinManiac]

PS - Meant to tell you to turn down your speakers when viewing the OS video. The music sounds like the ship is going down. :D

[caryrae]

PS - Meant to tell you to turn down your speakers when viewing the OS video. The music sounds like the ship is going down. :D

 

Yeah with that wonderful music it was like a farewell video before they blew the ship up.

[CruisinManiac]

Ha, ha! :D It was a good video, though.

 

I had forgotten how nice that bathroom was.:( I sure wish we could get the OS, instead of the standard balcony we are staying in this cruise.

[serene56]

Unless you plan on spending time in the cabin there is no reason to upgrade to a suite for two people. We are in the cabin to dress and sleep, the rest of the time we are out and about so for us it would be a waste of money for the suite.

 

 

I agree- especially with you being first time cruisers- you will be out and about- Using the cabin to shower and change-- maybe even sleep some.

Save the money that the suite will cost and use it for onboard stuff--maybe a massage.

 

On thelast day when people are getting off the ship- go down and look at the suite-- the cabins will be empty-- the doors will be opened.

[gometros]

Oh boy...do I have to disagree! :eek: For only an $80 difference, if my DH were surprising me, I'd want the suite. You can still sit out on the balcony and have coffee in a suite. If this is OP's first cruise, they are not going to be spending too much down time on their balcony, but the larger stateroom and bathroom will sure be nice when they are in their room. ;)

 

Also, haven't I read that some of the aft staterooms are arranged strangely, maybe narrower, and without a sofa?

 

Personally, we do not care for the aft. More engine noise/vibration in and out of ports, and rocking if weather is rough.

 

Well after a lot of thinking of what room (harder then I thought) I think I am going to go with the Ocean Suite. I just think she would like the bigger room with an area for her to get ready, bigger bathroom, the whirlpool tub which I know she will love, and not knowing how we will handle any of the ships motion it may be best for the 1st time to stay mid-ship. Then if that goes well for us (no seasickness) we can try the aft wrap rooms next time.

 

Thanks so much everyone for all the help, I appreciate it. I am sure I will have other questions about other stuff at some point.

 

I'm coming in a little late to this discussion, since you already made a decision, but I just wanted to add my $.02 for reinforcement. We just came off the Freedom two weeks ago and had an OS suite. We always said that when we were cruised with a veranda, we would never go back and now that's how I feel about the OS suite. I really believe people underestimate how much time you spend in your cabin for longer cruises. Between sitting on the balcony for morning coffee, spending time in the stateroom getting ready for dinner and coming back after late night entertainment, you still spend a good deal of time in your room. We are used to Disney that has the split bath, so the two sinks and the dressing area were a nice addition, especially when we had our adult daughter with us (translation: I had to share the bathroom with two women. Since a) you're using as a way to surprise your DW and b) it's only $600 more, I think you definitely made the right choice. And the nice thing about being midships is that you have half the distance to go to the aft for the Posh and Freedom Restaurants and adult pool and forward for the Victoriana Lounge.