NCL Star AFT Balcony 10230 or an SG Suite?

[FEckeT]

Has anybody stayed in either an AFT Balcony or SG Suite and/or both of these cabins?

 

Both times we sailed on the Jewel we stayed in a Deck 10 Aft Balcony.

 

We liked it so much we decided to book another deck 10 AFT balcony on the Star, but our TA has been trying to upsell us to an SG suite.

 

This will be our 3rd NCL cruise and only our 4th cruise ever (an inside on Carnival).

 

We were hoping that some of you "experienced" cruisers, especially those that may have sailed in both these category cabins on the Star, could offer us some expert advice or at least your personal opinion. In case it makes any difference we are thinking about sailing to Bermuda (never been there).

 

We are worried that we would miss our large AFT balcony (we were told it measures 96 square feet on the Star -- but the balcony for the SG suite only measures 65 square feet).

 

Would we also miss the quiet of nobody passing our AFT cabin? Does the Spinnaker being on Deck 7 make so much noise it can be heard 3 decks up? Music probably would not bother us, might even entice us to go dancing. Can the Spa above us see down into our balcony like the mini-suites and the Outdoor Cafe can on the Jewel? Does water from the kiddie pool splash down on the AFT balcony like the water from cleaning the Outdoor Cafe does in the middle of the night as opposed to during the day from the kiddie pool?

 

Would we hear the music coming from the pool area in the SG Suite? Would lots of people be walking/running past our cabin because it is on the same deck as the pool or to get to their cabin?

 

As far as money goes, it would be approximately $900 more for this suite, not counting the additional tips for the butler and concierge -- everything else should be about the same, correct?

 

Not that I WANT to pay an additional thousand dollars, that is why I am asking for the opinion of others that have sailed in an SG Suite (that's almost 1/2 of another AFT Balcony cruise), but we WILL book a suite if it is worth every penny (like WE think the AFT Balcony is)?

 

We are fine with the balcony cabin (size, bathroom, amenities), so if those of you that have done both think we would "miss" our large balcony (or our $900), we won't upgrade.

 

On the other hand, we like the sound of eating in Cagney's for lunch, breakfast if we get there (most of the time we do room service for breakfast). The coffee machine sounds nice, but I am sure we could live without it, plush toiletries are nice, but we bring our own just in case we do not like what is supplied anyway. The only other thing we would like from being in a suite would be getting escorted off when we disembark instead of standing in line with the crowd. Is this worth all that money?

 

Being docked in Bermuda for 3 days, would we enjoy the larger cabin and being in a suite better since we may not spend a lot of time off the ship? Or would we enjoy the view and the lounges on our aft balcony better while docked?

 

Since we never sailed in a suite, we do not know what we are missing. Once we upgraded to a balcony, we won't go back. I guess that is what I am afraid of, sailing in a suite and not being able to go back to a balcony. Then having to sail less often. We only sail once a year to celebrate our anniversary.

 

We are basic, quiet, easy going people, that cruise to relax. We "drink" since we are NOT driving :) so we usually get a bar setup for our cabin and purchase a few bucket of beers.

 

All comments and opinions are welcome. We KNOW we are happy with the AFT balcony, would the SG Suite spoil us, or make us regret spending the extra money?

 

We WILL have a great cruise in either cabin, I just do not want to give up my AFT balcony and then hear from this board that I made a mistake or vice versa.

 

Also, we do not think we would "need" a butler or concierge! We hardly ever ask our steward for anything. We enjoy what is provided without asking, I told you we are "easy going", that's why I am wondering if the $900 would be worth it so I need to hear from someone that speaks from experience.

 

Should I be my own "upsell" fairy??? :eek:

 

Thanks for all your responses. We greatly appreciate any information you can give us either way.

 

:):D:confused::o