New to Norwegian

[crusingwith3]

Hello,

 

We have sailed with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess and are just recently booked a Norwegian cruise. We booked a Mini-Suite through a TA through a website (not sure if I'm allowed to disclose the website, so I won't). We booked with the "get free" deal and one of our picks was the unlimited beverage package. On our quote it states: "gratuity additional-waived for suites" and on our booking statement I see that we are being charged for gratuities. Does a Mini-Suite not fall into the Suite category? It's too late to call the TA we booked with but I'm just wanting a bit of insight as we have never sailed with Norwegian before and have never booked through a TA before.

 

Curious to see how Norwegian compares to the other cruise lines we have been on. Any info/tips are welcome. Thank you!

 

**Beth

[Carolina Girl 99]

NCL's mini-suites do not fall under the "suite" category as far as perks are concerned. It really should have been called a deluxe balcony cabin to end any confusion.

[Jim The Lizard]

Enjoy your cruise and beverage package!.

 

 

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[crusingwith3]

Ohhhh! So is there much of a difference between a balcony and a mini-suite on Norwegian?

[Tatka]

Ohhhh! So is there much of a difference between a balcony and a mini-suite on Norwegian?

 

 

On Princess mini suites also have very different privileges that other suites.

[Gimmiethebeach]

To answer your question on the comparison, we have sailed on RCCL and NCL and really enjoy both. Not sure what NCL ship you are booked on, but we were on the Escape last year and are going on the Getaway at the end of March. We loved the Escape! We have also been on the Oasis, which I also love! When I think about the Escape cruise vs the Oasis cruise, the main difference that sticks in my mind is how beautiful and stunning I found the Oasis. The Escape is nice and pretty, but I though the Oasis was amazing. That is strictly based on the ship itself. The balconies are smaller on the Escape, but the room was about the same. The pool on the Escape was small for the amount of people on the ship, but the adult only place on the Escape is outside as opposed to the Salarium on the Oasis (which I like better). I liked the food and food options better on the Escape and really like the Freestyle dining concept. Pretty much everything else is equal in my experience and opinion.

 

We also stayed in a mini-suite and as Carolina Girl 99 said, it's really just a deluxe balcony. The bathroom has a double sink and a really nice shower, and the balcony is a bit bigger than a standard balcony room, but otherwise no difference.

 

I hope that helps. I'm sure you will have a great cruise!!

[RedRover96]

Some of the older ships like NCL Sun's mini-suites are great as far as cabin & bathroom Our min-suite on the Sun included basically a walk in closet compared to the new ships, separate dressing area along with a huge bathroom!

[L-in-CLT]

I have been on the BA twice, Princess Diamond once, and RC's Brilliance. Not sure what class of ship you are on, but I can tell you that I am a huge fan of NCL over the other two. If I had to rate them, I'd put NCL first, then Princess and then RC. Better food options, better entertainment, better customer service. Just one opinion of millions, of course. :). ENJOY!

 

 

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[Starflyr3]

Ohhhh! So is there much of a difference between a balcony and a mini-suite on Norwegian?

 

 

The difference between a balcony and a minisuite is that typically, the minisuite has a larger bathroom, sometimes with a tub. (depends on the ship). That's it. They are not like "junior suites" on RCCL, where you get some privileges but not all.

 

Suites on NCL are a whole different level of amenities - private venue for breakfast/lunch and sometimes dinner (on the big ships), concierge service, priority embarkation/tendering/debarkation, butler service, etc. They also tend to be significantly larger than a balcony or minisuite.

 

The price of a suite clearly reflects the difference in perks and also I think, shows that we ARE paying gratuity on our UBP, just not explicitly stated - it's built in to the cost of the suite.

 

Example: The Pearl to Alaska in July, a minisuite is about $2500 per person (assuming double occupancy), and the lowest level suite is about $4300 per person. If you jump into the Haven suite category, it's around $7000 per person for the lowest level still available.

 

Example 2: The Escape in July, a minisuite is about $1500 per person, and a Haven room (all suites are Haven on Escape) looks to be about $3500 per person (lowest level).

 

You can always try to upgrade if the perks are important to you and you have the cash to do so.