NCL Epic- Would you pick large balcony or mini suite for a family 4???

[mickeyhereicome]

I currently have booked room 12072 on NCL Epic for our family of 4. This cabin is on the bump out and has a larger balcony. The only difference I see in the mini suite is the shower might be bigger and the room is slightly bigger? We are going on the Southern Caribbean and have 5 ports. We tend to use the balcony in the morning and before dinner. Are there any other benefits to the mini suite? The price is $160 more so that isn't a concern.

Edited May 26, 2018 by mickeyhereicome

[BirdTravels]

The shower and toilet “transporter tubes” in a balcony are [very] small. And since the shower is about 2 feet from the cabin door and backs into the bed, can’t really leave this stall door open for more space (the translucent toilet and shower walls provide only a silhouette of your jiggly bits to the people in the hall and your room). We always opt for more space.

[jdvmd]

I think I would stick with the balcony instead of paying extra for the mini suite.

[adjensen]

One thing I'll point out is that cabin 12072 has the bump out (curved wall) on the inside, so your bed is going to be in the middle of the room, right next to the shower and toilet, and the sink. It's an incredibly annoying design flaw, and with four people in the cabin, you're going to be tripping over each other constantly. I would go for the mini-suite and make sure that the bump out is on the outside, not inside (if you look at the deck plans on ncl.com and zoom in, you'll see where the curves are.)

 

Your current room is going to look like this:

[mickeyhereicome]

One thing I'll point out is that cabin 12072 has the bump out (curved wall) on the inside, so your bed is going to be in the middle of the room, right next to the shower and toilet, and the sink. It's an incredibly annoying design flaw, and with four people in the cabin, you're going to be tripping over each other constantly. I would go for the mini-suite and make sure that the bump out is on the outside, not inside (if you look at the deck plans on ncl.com and zoom in, you'll see where the curves are.)

 

Your current room is going to look like this:

 

Thanks for your input. From all of the research I have done on the Epic, the bump into the room is the couch and the bump out of the room is the bed. I would have loved to have the bed by the balcony but its a no go on the Epic for a cabin of 4. All cabins for 4 have the bed by the bathroom/cabin door.