Cabin sizes...something bigger than mini-suite but not penthouse?

[duhwitt]

Hi all!

My cruise buddy and I are looking at going on our 2nd NCL cruise next year.  We're normally Carnival cruisers, but after our Med cruise we want to try out NCL again!  

 

However, our balcony room was TINY compared to Carnival's balcony rooms.  In looking at our potential itineraries (NCL Gem to Bermuda), it looks like there are balcony rooms and mini-suites which are a bit bigger, but then a huge jump to penthouse rooms.  Is there are "regular suite" type of room?  We're not a family, it's just me and my friend, we just want a bit more room to stretch out.  We couldn't use our couch at all in our balcony room on the last NCL cruise.

 

Any suggestions/information are appreciated!

 

 

[bonvoyagie]

On the Gem there is no in-between size cabin. Which NCL ship were you on where you could not use the sofa -  or have the beds split apart? I do know that the suites all have king size beds that will not separate. I am not sure if the regular cabins on the newer ships are smaller than the ones on the older ships like the Gem.

[KeithJenner]

Looking at the OP's posting history, they were on the Spirit last time. The cabins on the Spirit are a bit smaller than on other NCL ships, so I think that the Gem will offer a bit of an improvement on that front.

 

The Gem also has Mini Suites, which give a little bit of extra room, although not much. My suggestion would be to book one of those, but be careful with location as they are directly below the pool deck so can be noisy depending on location.

 

Otherwise, standard balcony rooms on the Gem should still give a bit of extra room compared to the Spirit. As an example, there are three of us (2 adults and one kid), and we are always quite comfortable in a balcony room on the Gem. When on the Spirit we have to select our room very carefully and if we can't get the specific room we want then we do feel very cramped.

[RedRover96]

Check out aft balconies, usually no different in room sizes, however much bigger balcony will give you maybe the extra room you are looking for????

[bonvoyagie]

Well if you believe the deck plans, the Spirit and Gem have very similar sized cabins - around 160 sq ft cabin with 40 sq ft balcony (numbers +/- 2 sq ft)

 

Mini Suites are 218 sq ft  of cabin and 54 sq ft of balcony. So I guess they are a bit larger - I have heard that most of this is in the bathroom area as they have the same bath module as the SE/SF suites - ie they have a tub-shower combination instead of just a shower.

 

If you and your buddy want the ultimate in space the two bedroom suite is great - you may have to trade off who gets the master bedroom :)

[don't-use-real-name]

For the bed to be split - two options come into play:

 

1) both beds will be flush with walls of the cabin (view inside cabins for an idea)

and the end tables put between the beds

2) one bed will be flush with the wall the other will have an end table on both

sides of the bed.

In either event the electrical lighting and bedside telephone may be askew

 

King beds are not separated because of the steel frame structure being one piece

 

That 2BR suite previously mentioned the convertible couch in the main room is not

altogether that bad for one person - beats the closet bed in the 2nd bedroom - and

most certainly the pull-down Pullman bed.

Of the family suites w - w/o balcony the Murphy bed is great and slightly larger or same

size as a twin bed - Murphy bed on the DAWN and the STAR -

Don't know about the GEM class Murphys ? 

[roger001]

If you want to upgrade to actual suite service, the SF suites on the  Jewel class ships are great.  Still not too big but do have a big balcony.  And on the aft of the ship.  Great location.  

[bonvoyagie]

The family suites with the murphy beds are only on the Dawn and Spirit (I think) they are on deck 12 where they removed the observation lounge to add more suites. Both ships do not have a Haven.

 

SE and SF suites have only a king sized bed that does not come apart. The sofa bed in them is barely adequate for a kid.

I agree that they have great balconies.

 

[duhwitt]

Thanks all for the info! I will pass this along