Is a mini-suite worth the extra cost?

[CruisinCadie]

We are planning an Alaska cruise next summer on the Grand Princess. Our TA recently sent us prices, which are lower than the current sale, btw, and she is offering a Dolphin mini-suite for $170 more than a Caribe balcony. What are the pros and cons of spending the extra money? And how can I convince my DH to pay it?;)

 

Thanks,

Kathy

[cruzsnooze]

The reason a balcony is more expensive is because it's much more desirable. The reason a mini suite is more expensive is because it's even more desirable. Only you can decide where your comfort level is to spend your hard earned money and how much value you place on your comfort.

Edited July 12, 2015 by cruzsnooze

[ggprincess2004]

A minisuite balcony will have as much room as a Caribe balcony, and it will have a sitting room, with sofa, TV, desk, some storage space. The bathroom will be larger and will have a tub.

 

If you are on the Grand you are going out of SF so it will be a 10 day cruise. You might appreciate the extra space...but if I had to make the choice (and I've made a lot of cabin choices) I would go for the Caribe balcony this time, as it will be partially covered, and I would spend the extra $$$ on shore excursions for Alaska. That is just MHO and YMMV. Not the answer you wanted, and by the way, I would have my TA mark the booking no upgrade or meta upgrade only, that way you wouldn't be moved to a balcony that Princess considers better due to it's location, and possibly loose the Caribe balcony, and if you did get an upgrade it would be to a mini-suite or better, so a larger balcony is gtyd.

[Colo Cruiser]

We are planning an Alaska cruise next summer on the Grand Princess. Our TA recently sent us prices, which are lower than the current sale, btw, and she is offering a Dolphin mini-suite for $170 more than a Caribe balcony. What are the pros and cons of spending the extra money? And how can I convince my DH to pay it?;)

 

Thanks,

Kathy

 

The cabin is approx. 8-10ft longer the a reg cabin. Has a bath/shower combo versus the tiny square they call a shower in a reg cabin. Has a sofa. Has a larger balcony, however the Caribe deck reg cabin balconies are a tad bigger then the mini and are half covered.

No perks as it has nothing to do with a suite. Should not have suite in the name IMO. If its $170 total then I would take it. If its per person I would have to think a little harder maybe looking at the price of those reg balconies on Caribe deck.

Remember if you get a mini on Dolphin deck the balcony is completely exposed, no cover at all. There are a few minis aft on Emerald deck, they are excellent, fully covered and in a quiet area. But they usually sell out fast.

[JF - retired RRT]

If you can get one of the aft minis - go for it. They are great!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1959727

Huge bathroom (although no tub) and enormous balcony plus VERY private.

[CruisingJs]

It's a personal choice really but I like the mini suites because I like having a comfortable place to sit that is not on the bed. I also prefer having the tub shower so you have more space. For Alaska, I would definitely try to get a mini suite on Emerald deck because of the covered balcony and mark it "meta upgrade only"! Princess considers the mini suite on Dolphin deck an upgrade and their balcony is uncovered.

[mek]

We just returned from Alaska and had a Caribe balcony on a 7 night cruise and we did the 11 nt RT from San Francisco last year. Personally, I would stay with the Caribe balcony. It's approximately the as size as the mini and I would rather spend the extra for shore excursions, which can be pricy in Alaska. I don't like spending time in my cabin and size isn't all that important to me, but if you do that could be a reason for booking the mini.

[IECalCruiser]

On shorter (7 Day) or port intensive cruises I feel a Caribe balcony makes more sense because you are in your cabin less time. On longer cruises, especially those with many sea days, the sitting area and sofa of the mini is nice to have. It is also nice to have a mini if you are sailing with family or friends as it can be a more comfortable gathering place if you have someone over.

[knittinggirl]

We just did a B2B with a mini-suite on Star Princess (9 sea days), and a Concierge Class (balcony w/ benefits) on Celebrity Infinity. Basically, even with all the extra benefits on Celebrity, we preferred the extra room in the Mini-Suite. Those extra benefits didn't quite make up for the 50 extra square feet. We did a lot of laundry, and the extra space in the tub helped a lot with hanging our laundry.

 

BTW, we were across from a laundr-e-mat, and both washers were down the entire cruise!

 

After 11 days in a Balcony this years and 12 days in a Balcony last year, DH has written off balcony rooms. All reservations w/ balconies have either been upgraded or cancelled.

[rocker57]

I personally like the mini. I hate wrestling with the shower curtain and not having any room to put our shower stuff. My husband likes to have a bath because of his back and I like the couch.

[Cruiserkenn]

Yes for sure go for it. The sofa, two TVs and full tub are wonderful.

 

Enjoy!

[john watson]

$170 is very cheap in my opinion.

 

Regards John

[Pam in CA]

It's really a personal decision whether it's worth it to you. If you plan to spend time in your cabin most days, then it's probably worth it. If you will be out and about, using the cabin to sleep, shower and change clothes, it probably isn't. Also, take into account where the cabins are on the ship. A mini-suite in a location you don't want or is far from where you usually are on the ship might not be worth it.

[Matcodixon]

In the past we booked Balcony cabins and they were very nice. For our 12 day Grand Med cruise we got a free upgrade to a Dolphin deck Mini suite with the uncovered balcony.

As others have said, the larger bathroom and the extra space in the cabin was wonderful. It was almost like having 2 rooms instead of just one.

Now about the uncovered balcony. There is a difference of opinion about this. If you have a problem with sunshine, the uncovered balcony is a problem. (also avoid sitting up on the pool deck!) If not, it is wonderful. Sitting outside and watching the stars at night is amazing.

If you have a strong desire to sit on the balcony sans clothing or do some things that should only be done in the cabin, then uncovered is not for you.

There were some posted pictures of Caribe balconies on a recent string here and they block most of the view from decks above them as well. The only people we ever saw when looking up were a couple leaning on the balcony rail in the cabin above us on the Caribe deck. (nice people too!)

Reality is that there are always more interesting things to look at than someone sitting on their balcony. If you really want to watch interesting people, just wander around the pool deck on a sea day. :rolleyes:

 

Now is it worth the extra money? Depends on the cruise length and itinerary as well as your budget.

 

But that is just my observations.

Dixon

Edited July 12, 2015 by Matcodixon

[OCruisers]

The Mini-Suite is worth it to us! :)

While we seldom use our balcony, we like having one so we can step outside from our cabin anytime we wish ... but its size is of no importance to us so Mini-Suites are our choice.

 

~ Nice to have a full sized couch

~ The extra shelving below the second TV in the sitting area comes in handy

~ Having a tub makes the shower area lots larger

 

When booking a Mini-Suite, remember there are two thermostats - one for the bed area and another for the sitting area. ;)

 

LuLu

[Nancyquilts]

It depends on whether you spend time in your cabin. Balconies only have one relatively comfortable chair plus a desk chair. Minis have both of those plus a comfortable sofa.

[Colo Cruiser]

To clarify, the mini bathroom is not much bigger, maybe 3ft.

It is still cramped. IMO

[mek]

We just returned from Alaska and had a Caribe balcony on a 7 night cruise and we did the 11 nt RT from San Francisco last year. Personally, I would stay with the Caribe balcony. It's approximately the as size as the mini and I would rather spend the extra for shore excursions, which can be pricy in Alaska. I don't like spending time in my cabin and size isn't all that important to me, but if you do that could be a reason for booking the mini.

 

Oops, I meant the balcony is approximately the same size, not the cabin.

[Talisker92]

Yes for sure go for it. The sofa' date=' two TVs and full tub are wonderful.

 

Enjoy![/quote']

I agree we were on a 32 day cruise, and it was worth every cent. Having the sofa and a table for room service were just some of the advantages.

[PurpleRose23]

It is worth it for us because we are a family of 4. The extra space is appreciated. If it was just my DH and I, it would be a toss. Probably would still go for a mini so we have separate seating area.

[Thrak]

I would be very happy with either one! If you can easily afford it then go for the mini if you think you would enjoy the slightly larger bathroom and the small sofa with the extra TV. Either one would be great and you may want to spend the extra money the upgrade would cost on gifts, drinks, specialty dining, excursions, etc.

 

I like the part about convincing your husband to spend the extra money. If my wife wanted to upgrade the cabin I would most likely just grin and say, "Yes, dear". You didn't say if it's for both or for each but I would assume it was each. In the scheme of things $340 extra is probably not a huge amount but one never can tell. Only you know your financial situation and can decide where you want to spend your money.

 

(I would probably take the Caribe balcony if it was me.)

[Colo Cruiser]

It is worth it for us because we are a family of 4. The extra space is appreciated. If it was just my DH and I, it would be a toss. Probably would still go for a mini so we have separate seating area.

 

 

I agree then, take the mini over the Caribe balcony, you will be happy that you have the extra room. ;)

[CruisinCadie]

Thanks for all your input. Location is the same for both types, mid forward or mid aft. It is $170/person. Normally we'd just book a Caribe balcony regardless, but we both have mobility issues and the extra space may just be too good to pass up.

 

Kathy

[Pierlesscruisers]

mark it "meta upgrade only"!

 

Where in the heck in the Cruise Personalizer is the place to mark a cruise as either "no upgrade" or "meta upgrade only?" I've looked all over my personalizer and have been unable to find such a link/checkbox anywhere! Of course you're going to tell me and then I'm going to feel like a complete idiot when I probably end up going to a page I've been to a dozen times looking for the info! :o I'm going to feel really dumb then!

 

Thanks.

 

Tom

[waltd]

For $170 pp more it's a no brainer for me. We have had inside, outside and balcony and a mini suite to us is now our cabin of choice. The bathroom alone is worth it IMHO. If you have mobility issues will you be able to step into the bathtub? The only down side is you might not want to cruise in any other cabin again.