Suite vs Balcony room question

[latitude918]

Hi there,

 

The wife-to-be and I are cruising for our honeymoon. Normally we stay interior, but we both agreed we want to splurge on a more expensive room. We're debating between getting a premium balcony, wrap around balcony, junior suite or ocean suite. We have a few questions for all the cruisers here.

 

First, we see the suites have priority boarding. Does that also include priority tendering and access to the shorter Diamond/Platnum/FTTF customer service line?

 

Second, what are the differences in the sizes of balcony? Do the premium or wrap around come with loungers? What about the suites?

 

Third, and I know this will be very subjective, but which one is "worth it" more? For those who have stayed in different balconies, or suites, or both, please give me your experiences. The more info I can get from everyone here the better.

 

Thank you in advance for the help! :)

[Kung Fu Lady]

Hi Latitude !!

We have stayed in the suites and wrap balconies. I think it depends on if you plan on spending a lot of time on the balcony I would go with the wrap. This has got to be our favorite because the balconies are huge and you do get a couple loungers. You also get wonderful views of the side and back of the ship. But it just depends on what you think you will enjoy more. The huge balcony or VIP priority boarding and bigger room. Either way you will enjoy the cruise !! Have fun !!!!

[riffatsea]

Hi,

The only perk you get with a suite is priority boarding.

You do not get the other FTTF perks.

We prefer the feeling of being mid ship so we don't ever book the wrap around balconies.

For us being mid ship is more important than having a larger balcony with a lounger.

[SATXLady]

My Mom and I frequently book a suite (ocean) for the slightly larger cabin and fact it has bathtub in stead of just shower. We pay for FTTF since suite includes only priority boarding and not the other FTTF a benefits including room being ready when you board.

[heckmanland]

We have stayed in both and since staying in a suite could not go back. We love the extra room in the bathroom, being midship and the suite has an amazing sitting area for your wife to be to get ready. The suites are so handy for getting around the ship since they are midship. Granted this is all my opinion. Have a great cruise

 

 

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[put me on a ship]

The wrap balcony is what I would consider "worth" it. We've been in pretty much all cabins, and while the suite is nice, it is just a bigger room and bathroom. If Carnival increased suite perks, we would probably book them more often, but now, all you get is priority boarding.

[Cruisertommyboy]

We were in an aft wrap on the Spirit in Alaska. The motion got so bad my wife wont let me book one again. Note...she is sensitive to motion

Also she loves the Jacuzzis in the suites'

To

[yamsi12]

Been in an ocean suite and wife loved it. The bathroom was much bigger, jetted tub, dressing area (which she really loved), plus had a lot more wood around, floors, etc. The balcony is also larger than a regular balcony. We have a suite booked in April and cant wait. Priority boarding is also great.

[Boozebabe]

An OS is about 1 1/2 times the size of a basic balcony cabin. that may give you some idea of how much additional space. We love the larger bathroom, and the dressing room/closet area is my fav.(my clothes go there) There is also a second double door closet in the bed area. (his clothes go there) Theres a built in dresser with 4 big drawers I think. You also have your usual desk/bar area, a full size sofa, a side chair and coffee table. The balcony is no deeper but since the cabin is wider, so id the balcony. If I get a good deal on an OS i would always book it. I am hooked.

[nybumpkin]

We've had aft wraps on Conquest/Triumph-class (regular cabin, regular bathroom), aft wraps on Spirit-class ships (suites), and Grand/Ocean suites on both Spirit-class and Conquest-class ships. We've never had a problem with motion and love the aft wraps for the balcony. We've always had a variety of chairs on the aft wrap balcony, including loungers. My preference for an aft wrap is one with at least a portion of the balcony covered from above to provide shade when the sun is beating down. My favorite aft-wrap balcony? Conquest class, deck 8.:cool:

 

If you're bothered by motion and want to be midships, I would recommend an Ocean suite. As Boozebabe said, the balcony is 1 1/2 times the length of a regular balcony. I don't recall having a lounger on that balcony, but the extra balcony space is nice and the cabin is great. It's nice to have the tub/shower with jets. I liked the Grand Suite; the balcony is twice the length of a regular balcony. The cabin is larger than an OS, but not really necessary for two people. (We had four.)

 

Hope that helps!

[yamsi12]

Here is a video I made of the OS I had with my wife (then fiancée, happened on the balcony) had on the Splendor in 2012. FWIW most of the OS cabins are laid out pretty much the same.

 

[Freckle53]

We recently had a premium extended balcony on the Pride. It was a more square room and I loved the extra space. We had 4 in the room (probably 2 more than you will on your honeymoon, I assume!). I toyed with upgrading to an OS but it was only a little bit larger inside and I figured the difference was just taken in the bathroom because they have a tub vs a shower. On a honeymoon, I would at least get an extended balcony or one of the bowling alley balconies or the giant aft wraps for a real splurge. Personally, I would appreciate the larger balcony than the larger room for just a couple.

[bugsokc]

We stayed in a Grand Suite on the Magic in October 2013 and an Ocean Suite in October 2014 and loved both. I really don't have any pictures that show the rooms off but you can google it (especially look for videos - lots of video tours).

 

Here are some of the benefits I saw (versus a regular balcony):

More closet space (about 2-3 times as much)

Larger balcony with 2 chairs plus a lounge chair (and a small table)

Built in chest of drawers (more storage)

Large bathroom with whirlpool tub and two sinks

"Suite benefits" like early boarding, lounge to wait in for boarding, room ready when you board, etc.

Lots of extra space (just room to get around each other)

Vanity area

 

When considering upgrading make sure you consider how much time you would spend in the room. If you are only going to sleep and shower in it, it probably is not worth it. We liked lounging on our private balcony and even had room service for breakfast a couple times. However, the storage space (closets and chest of drawers) might make it worth it by themselves!

 

I would caution against the Junior Suite as the balcony is right next to a public balcony.

 

This picture of the Junior Suite balcony was taken from the public balcony above the bridge (not by me): :eek:

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[travler27]

For us OS is the way we book. We did GS once but don't consider it to be worth the extra cost as the room isn't significantly larger than OS. We did an aft wrap balcony on the Triumph once and had a real problem with trash and spilled drinks from above landing on our balcony (and on us). That may have simply been the design of the Triumph but we'll never book an aft wrap again. The balcony was mostly unusable.

 

Every other cruise we've booked OS. Seems to be a good balance between cost and space.

[RaiderCruiser]

To us the lenghth of the cruise dictates the "value" of a suite. The additional space, both living and storage we find to be very valuable on a 6-7 day or longer trip. The suite didn't seem as valuable on shorter 4-5 day, but that's just us.

 

We appreciate the balcony rooms, but the suite, along with FTTF, is our favorite way to go.