What would you do?

[Lvs2Cruise2]

Hi all.. I have a Coral Princess cabin question. I am already booked in B435 (the bump out balcony) for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise.

 

I do see that a mini suite right next door (B431-the corner of the bump out category AA) is available. I'm thinking about upgrading.

 

My questions are.. Do you think it's worth a $250pp difference?

Since it's a "bump out corner" can many people see you? Privacy?

Is having a tub with shower a great advantage given the small showers?

What other advantages are there to having a mini suite?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you all could give. It's our first Princess cruise and I want it to be perfect! I should also mention we are not tiny people so it's mostly the shower that bothers me.. I keep reading how many people have "affairs" with the curtain! Thanks for your help!

[oskidunker]

Because that way I have a place to eat breakfast while my wife sleeps.

[bunyababy]

We have booked cabin B504 which is a bump out corner on the Coral Baja Deck but Port Side.

 

IMHO, just through talking to people and researching it to death.....the privacy issue is not near as big a deal on this particular deck. It appears that because the other cabins next to it are very recessed and all the balconies in the bump out are above and below are the same size....the only cabins that will see you are maybe one from the side and one below if they choose to purposely look up.

 

 

Here is a link to a previous thread where we talked about this exact thing.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=27842224&highlight=#post27842224

 

One thing that I believe is that the corner forward bump out cabins will be far more windy and exposed to the elements than the stern corner bump out balcony. This would be because of the partition in between the middle balcony and the end!

 

We too felt that the bathroom size in a mini suite would be a much better way to go. You shower in the tub.

The extra living space and tv is also something that we just could see ourselves enjoying being that 14 days on ship is quite a long time. There will be a lot of sea days and down time.

Also, I tend to take a while getting ready and my DH will have a place to sit and wait other than the bed or balcony. Ha, Ha!!

And to agree with oskidunker.....it is very nice to have a couch and chair and a place to eat breakfast or room service together without having to once again use the balcony.

We have always cruised on Carnival / Balcony rooms and they have all had a couch. I guess I am used to it and feel it is an important part of cruising for us.

Some people say they simply do not use their room...but...that is not how we cruise. Our cabin is an important aspect to the quality of our trip.

 

Good luck and enjoy the bump out regardless of what you decide. :D

[ssbeagle]

Hi all.. I have a Coral Princess cabin question. I am already booked in B435 (the bump out balcony) for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise.

 

I do see that a mini suite right next door (B431-the corner of the bump out category AA) is available. I'm thinking about upgrading.

 

My questions are.. Do you think it's worth a $250pp difference?

Since it's a "bump out corner" can many people see you? Privacy?

Is having a tub with shower a great advantage given the small showers?

What other advantages are there to having a mini suite?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you all could give. It's our first Princess cruise and I want it to be perfect! I should also mention we are not tiny people so it's mostly the shower that bothers me.. I keep reading how many people have "affairs" with the curtain! Thanks for your help!

 

If you want more room I would upgrade to the minisuite. The cabin has a sleeping area and a sitting area as well as a full bathroom with tub/shower combo. We always book a minisuite if we are on a cruise longer than 7 days. A regular cabin has only one chair and a desk chair where the mini has a small sofa and chair. You have a lot more storage space in a mini as well and two tvs.

 

I am a person of size and I have done both balcony and minisuite and haven't had much problem with either. The shower in the balcony cabin though if you drop something on the floor you can forget about bending down to get it until you get out of the shower:o.

[KruzPrincess]

Mini's are wonderful and I'm sure you'd enjoy the space. I'd upgrade if it were a small amount. It would be worth it to me. However, I wouldn't book the bump out corner cabin. I like more privacy, but that's just me.

[flamomo]

For me, the windiness when at sea would be a deterrant to the location of that mini, since I love sitting on my balcony, watching the sea views for hours at a time.

When I did the Panama Canal cruise on the Coral I was in B439, and loved it.

 

The difference in the bathroom, IMO, only matters if you prefer a bath over a shower.

 

The extra room in the cabin is nice, but we found, when in Minisuites, that we do not spend much time in the cabin, aside from sleeping, changing clothes, and showering. We almost never used the couch, and the 2nd TV is pretty much useless unless you are both planning on watching the same program or one of you is going to turn the audio off.

[Katie333]

You don't mention if this is a 10 or 14 day cruise, but in either case having the mini suite is extra nice for longer cruises. We've done a mini on a 7 day before and found it worthwhile even then. The extra space in the room is what really sells it for us. The full sized tub and the couch and table space make it so much more comfortable.

 

We would cruise a balcony room again, particularly if the price difference was too great. You should define the price difference on a per night basis, so in your case $500 or $50/night (for the 10 day version). Are those amenities worth $50 per night to you? They would be to me.

 

Not sure about the privacy or wind ...

[bunyababy]

 

The difference in the bathroom, IMO, only matters if you prefer a bath over a shower.

 

the 2nd TV is pretty much useless unless you are both planning on watching the same program or one of you is going to turn the audio off.

 

 

I think I would find that having a shower in a bathtub would definately make a big difference. It would be hard to compare the amount of room in a bathtub to the shower stall? Just my opinion. ;):D

 

What about those occasional times when both of you might want to watch something together but not be lying on the bed while doing so. Or....someone is taking a nap and you want to watch something on the couch....or like my DH and I...he would be all about down time before falling asleep and this would be while watching sports or the news while in bed. I enjoy watching a movie and going to sleep a little later. With two tv's and the simple use of a set of ear phones ( until I hear him snoring..Ha,Ha) would also be another reason 2 tv's come in handy. :D

 

But.....as flamomo stated, if you do not spend any time in your cabin other than to sleep, change clothes and shower then it might be a waste of money?

We tend to use our cabin more than that so the extra space is soooo nice!

 

Smiles, Connie

[geoherb]

The extra $250 pp would not be worth it to me. I can live without a tub.

[Lvs2Cruise2]

Thankyou so much everyone for your input! I decided to go ahead and upgrade us! Yay! Booked B431 AA mini suite. This is a once in a lifetime trip for us so I want it to be perfect! We do enjoy spending some time in our room I watched a bunch of you tube videos comparing rooms and decided to upgrade. Thanks again CC members for all your great advice!

[ssbeagle]

Thankyou so much everyone for your input! I decided to go ahead and upgrade us! Yay! Booked B431 AA mini suite. This is a once in a lifetime trip for us so I want it to be perfect! We do enjoy spending some time in our room I watched a bunch of you tube videos comparing rooms and decided to upgrade. Thanks again CC members for all your great advice!

 

Enjoy your cruise. Once you have a mini it will be hard to go back down to a balcony but it can be done. Have fun and I'm sure you will be glad you upgraded!