Junior vs Grand Suites

[hksilverfox]

We (fam of 3) are thinking of a cruise next spring and debating on "splurging" a bit on a Junior or perhaps a Grand suite on the Mariner. I would like to hear from anyone who has tried the two and the pros and cons, general thoughts, impressions and anything else that might sway us one way or the other. Thanking you in advance for your time!:)

[firefly333]

Well, the obvious difference is a JS isnt really treated as a suite but the Grand suite is. You get concierge with the Grand Suite.

 

Both do get double credits for loyalty points.

[skandls]

Since there will be a big difference in price from a JS to RS - check Royals website for the difference in perks. A JS is a bigger room with a bathtub and double credits. For us the full suite is not worth the extra money - we have booked a JS for the double credit or when we found a great deal. I would rather have the extra money for another cruise. If time is an issue and another cruise is a long time away then go ahead and spoil yourselves - vacation time can be very limited.

[critterchick]

Do the three of you normally share a cabin? If so, then I'd book the JS unless the price difference isn't too steep. There isn't any privacy in the sleeping arrangements (no curtain that pulls across), but otherwise it's a nice room with a lot more square footage than a standard balcony cabin.

 

The GS are fabulous, though. They come with flat screen TVs (all of the JS I've seen on Mariner have them as well), DVD players, stereo systems. You can order of the full dining room menu (when the MDR is open) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. If you're in the Windjammer for lunch, you can take your food into Chops and get beverage service - very relaxing compared to the usual madness of the WJ. You'll also have access to the Concierge and lounge for continental breakfast, 24/7 specialty coffees (complimentary), help with booking reservations, shore excursions, spa appointments.

 

You also have preferred seating for shows in the theater and ice rink, reserved seating at the pool, priority embarkation & priority disembarkation.

 

So it's a nice life in the full suites - if you tend to hang out in your cabin alot, it's a great place to be. If not, or if the price difference is in the thousands, I'd stick with the JS.

[hksilverfox]

Thanks for the info! I will definitely need to base it around pricepoint! I am beginning to dig into this site for more info and starting to get the picture that although the GS is nice what price am I willing to put on the extra perks? Thanks for spelling out some of them! Digging around is revealing all kinds of great info!

[Ksma23]

I agree with critterchick, if you can swing the Grand Suite I would do it. One word of warning though, both my husband and I agree that once you do stay in a grand suite it's hard to stay in anything else. The extra room, the priority everything, and just plain being spoiled was worth the price difference for us. On our last cruise, as grand suite guests, we also got to do the behind the scenes tours on the bridge and in the kitchen.

I would say you are getting better experience overall in the GS. Good luck :)

[trolleydolly]

I agree with critterchick, if you can swing the Grand Suite I would do it. One word of warning though, both my husband and I agree that once you do stay in a grand suite it's hard to stay in anything else. The extra room, the priority everything, and just plain being spoiled was worth the price difference for us. On our last cruise, as grand suite guests, we also got to do the behind the scenes tours on the bridge and in the kitchen.

I would say you are getting better experience overall in the GS. Good luck :)

 

Quite agree!!!!

 

We upgraded on our recent cruise from a D1 to a GS saying to ourselves this is a one off. Well, as soon as we got home we upgraded from a D1 to a GS for next year!!!!

 

We absolutely loved it and all that goes with it. Its a dangerous move I think to have a GS because you really wont want to go back!!!! (Well we dont anyway!):D

[DonnaK]

Truthfully, unless the price difference between a regulary balcony and a JS was very small, I would stick with a D balcony and put the additional money towards better excursions, onboard spending, or my next cruise. We were upgraded to a GS once, and while it was nice, it certainly wasn't worth nearly double the fare of a regular balcony.

[Mainer59]

Do the three of you normally share a cabin? If so, then I'd book the JS unless the price difference isn't too steep. There isn't any privacy in the sleeping arrangements (no curtain that pulls across), but otherwise it's a nice room with a lot more square footage than a standard balcony cabin.

 

 

A note.. We had a curtain between the pull-out couch and the bed on a JS on Freedom and Explorer JS. Plenty of room for three (teen aged daughter) and on Freedom the walk-in closet in the JS made a handy dressing room for her.

 

We were "forced" into a GS on the next cruise as we booked late and the only JS available was in a location we didn't care for. We'll just have to suffer through it.. ;)

[Daisy May]

The Grand Suite will also have 2 sinks in the bathroom, lots of drawer space in the bathroom and 2 full size medicine cabinets if that makes a difference to you. Four people could easily stand in the bathroom at the same time. Don't know that you would want that, but there's that much room in there.

 

The furniture on the balcony is great. It's a nice big table instead of the little one that fits between 2 chairs.

 

We have gotten really spoiled so do the GS whenever we can. We love them.

 

Being able to get your food and eat in Chops is a nice touch.

 

Sherry

[DebJ14]

Sometimes the difference in price is not that great. We booked a GS for $140 more per person than a JS was going for on our January 2012 cruise on the Mariner. I just checked prices and the GS and OS categories are sold out and the JS is $80.00 more than we paid for a GS. Timing is everything.

 

For our Jan 2010 cruise on the VOS we paid $500 per person more for a GS than a JS because we booked later in the year. Not making that mistake again. We are not worried about price drops since the GS category sells out so fast on the sailings out of Galveston.

[barbie5401]

Anyone know if the dividers on the balcony will open on the Navigator, we have two GS and would love to be able to move about.

[cafediem]

Three years ago we booked a GS on Legend OTS, and were upgraded to an Owner's Suite. It was fabulous! I liked being able to go to a shorter queue at check-in, but I wouldn't pay a fortune for the other suite benefits. As others have suggested - check out what the benefits are.

[Clarea]

Anyone know if the dividers on the balcony will open on the Navigator, we have two GS and would love to be able to move about.

They do have the capability to open, however it may or may not be allowed. It seems to vary by ship, Captain, etc. All you can do is ask your room steward.

[wolfganghowell]

It all depends on budget but as others have said, it can be worth it depending on your needs. The GS bathroom is huge - easily 2 people can be in there at the same time with the double sinks. Not so with the JS. If you drink, you can use the Concierge Lounge for happy hour every day - free drinks and canapes. If you are cappuccino or espresso drinkers, they have those in the morning. You will have room in the JS but it will be tight sometimes. Although the closet is quite large.

[hollon]

Truthfully, unless the price difference between a regulary balcony and a JS was very small, I would stick with a D balcony and put the additional money towards better excursions, onboard spending, or my next cruise. We were upgraded to a GS once, and while it was nice, it certainly wasn't worth nearly double the fare of a regular balcony.

But would it be worth it if it was the allure or oasis for a GS?

[critterchick]

A note.. We had a curtain between the pull-out couch and the bed on a JS on Freedom and Explorer JS. Plenty of room for three (teen aged daughter) and on Freedom the walk-in closet in the JS made a handy dressing room for her.

 

The JS we've had on Mariner didn't have curtains that pulled all the way across the room, just a small one that went about 4-5 feet.:)

[DonnaK]

But would it be worth it if it was the allure or oasis for a GS?

 

Not to me (but obviously, my opinion does not represent the majority on this thread) - on those ships, there is just so much going on outside of the cabin. I would prefer to put the additional money towards so many other things.

[Mainer59]

The JS we've had on Mariner didn't have curtains that pulled all the way across the room, just a small one that went about 4-5 feet.:)

 

Yep. That's probably it. I remember some sort of curtain but the memory fades after a while.. :):(:)

[howiefrommd]

Just my two cents worth.....

 

I think the bathroom on a GS is great.

I think the closet on JS is great.

 

Now put the closet from the JS into the GS, that would be wonderful :)

[Mainer59]

Just my two cents worth.....

 

I think the bathroom on a GS is great.

I think the closet on JS is great.

 

Now put the closet from the JS into the GS, that would be wonderful :)

 

That would be worth a whole lot more than 2 cents Howie.. Great thought!

[Dorie7]

We have stayed in everything from Ocean View to Grand Suite. Personally, I do not find it difficult to go from GS to a balcony or JS. It is nice to stay with the perks of a GS, but i certainly wouldn't pay much extra money for them. For my part, I am as happy in the unsaved seats in the theater, I prefer to be in the bathroom on my own, so the extra space is wasted on me there, I enjoy drinks all over the ship for a nominal charge compared to the usual price difference from my balcony to the price for the GS, etc. Bottom line, I don't feel that the extra perks/space of a GS are worth the extra money that they often cost. They are great, however, if you have enough money that the cost difference doesn't negatively impact you or if there is a great deal available on the GS.

 

Here's my breakdown:

 

If you have lots of money and can easily afford the splurge, go for the GS!

 

Otherwise,

 

Small price difference, take the GS.

 

Big price difference, go with the JS

 

One caveat: There should be enough space for a family of three in a JS, but there is much more room in a GS. If that is important to you take a look at some actual pictures of the rooms online (cruisestateroom.com?) and decide how much the extra space is worth, or if you would be comfortable in a JS.

 

 

You will enjoy either one!

 

Dorie

[Cruzin RN]

We mostly pick a jr. suite...and yes, the closet is large enough to be a dressing room. We considered a GS last cruise but the cost was an additional $1700..I couldnt justify it...but we only had 2 in the staterroom..

[hksilverfox]

Thanks for all the input and info. I have put a deposit on a JS and left it with my TA to keep an eye on the GS. Right now it is an extra $45 per day each which certainly adds up with three people over 12 nights. I am looking forward to the cruise either way! Now, if I can just snag a hump balcony......

[Cshgrand]

It's really intersting reading all this as we have recently upgraded from balcony to a JS for our Jan 2012 cruises because we keep our son to normal bedtime of 8pm ish on holiday so my husband and I are hoping to have a little more space to relax in the evening. The price difference was less that 200gbp for the Monarch and weirdly the same for the Freedom.

 

We are also worried now though as our other future cruise in t/a on the Adventure and we only have a superior balcony yet we are sailing for almost two weeks with sea days...feel another phone call to RC coming on...