Balcony cabin or mini suite on Pacific Adventure?

[korky1]

Planning a cruise on Pacific Adventure.   Last time on board had a balcony cabin and the shower was probably the teeniest space we have ever had on any cruise ship.  I found it  a tight squeeze and I'm only 5 ft tall and weigh 55 kilos LOL.Thinking of booking a mini suite next time as bigger shower inside a bath.  Any one had experience in mini suite on Adventure or Encounter?  Looking at pictures, the mini suite seems to be about same size as Carnival Splendour balcony cabins. 

[Aus Traveller]

On the Pacific Encounter we have been in both a mini suite and a balcony cabin. In the mini suite the shower is over the bath giving more space in the shower compared with the tiny shower in the balcony cabin. BTW we found that the bath is OK when the shower is used, but not when it is used as a bath. It is narrow with high sides and very difficult to get out of. However, this mightn't be a problem for a 55kg person if they are agile.

 

Of course the mini suite is a little bit larger than a balcony cabin, but I don't feel it is worth the extra money. Just my opinion.

[korky1]

I am leaning towards just sticking with a balcony cabin.  Couldn't tell you the last time hubby or I took a bath.  We will probably persevere with the teeny shower as we are teeny Irish leprechauns LOL.  The mini suites are definitely not mini suites like we have had on other cruise lines. They are about the same size as Carnival Splendour balcony cabins and same size as deluxe balcony cabins on Majestic Princess, minus the shower over the bath.  Still, we like Pacific Adventure so happy to sail on her any time.  

[sewgood]

Other things to consider with the mini suite, the lounge to sit on comes in handy sometimes and you do get priority boarding with the mini suite.

Is it worth the extra money? To some it would be, to others not.

 

[Aus Traveller]

15 minutes ago, sewgood said:

Other things to consider with the mini suite, the lounge to sit on comes in handy sometimes and you do get priority boarding with the mini suite.

Is it worth the extra money? To some it would be, to others not.

 

A mini suite doesn't entitle the passenger to priority boarding. It has to be a full suite.

[Cruisers47]

14 hours ago, korky1 said:

Planning a cruise on Pacific Adventure.   Last time on board had a balcony cabin and the shower was probably the teeniest space we have ever had on any cruise ship.  I found it  a tight squeeze and I'm only 5 ft tall and weigh 55 kilos LOL.Thinking of booking a mini suite next time as bigger shower inside a bath.  Any one had experience in mini suite on Adventure or Encounter?  Looking at pictures, the mini suite seems to be about same size as Carnival Splendour balcony cabins. 

Ha ha…you have obviously never been on a balcony on Azamara quest.   It is tiny and Azamara is not the cheaper cruise around.   We got a shock especially as we are not large people.   Some of the people would have trouble getting into these showers.🥶

[sewgood]

We have booked a P&O mini suite on the Pacific Adventure for May/June and we are getting priority boarding.

I don't know know if this is a change since the restart or since the old grand class ships started with P&O.

I just checked on the P&O site.

 

See the linked PDF below

Scroll over to Your Home away from Home checklist table and it lists all the inclusions for a mini suite.

Priority embarkation, disembarkation and tender disembarkation is ticked.

https://cdn-media.pocruises.com.au/-/media/b2c/ships/deckplans/4284_poau_pi_pv-accommodation-guide-2022_finalsept2022.pdf?rev=4e05db0308ec45ba9bc8e4fcc020ce68&hash=BA0F342AD08DDD96B8E4A6495537F8AE

Edited April 5, 2023 by sewgood

[OzKiwiJJ]

As long as the price difference isn't too big we're booking mini-suites now as I find the shower over bath is much better than trying to shower in tiny cubicles.

 

However I will say the balcony cabin shower on Grand Princess was one of the bigger Princess ones we've encountered outside of a suite. They must have shrunk them since she was built! 

[ozdevil]

5 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

A mini suite doesn't entitle the passenger to priority boarding. It has to be a full suite.

  P&O  state  priority boarding with mimi suite .  and thats what they advertise.  i wouldn't be to happy  if told proity boarding and was told to line up  with  those that paid basic fair  (NO OFFENCE TO THOSE  THAT CANT AFFORD TO UPGRADE OR GO MINI SUITE STRAIGHT UP)

Advertise it  you agree  to terms and cons   you should get what you want

 

[ozdevil]

5 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

A mini suite doesn't entitle the passenger to priority boarding. It has to be a full suite.

incooect   , i have booked  with p &O adventure with mini suite and  part of the conditions is priority boarding,  

if they dont  , they have falsely advertised the product

 

[Aus Traveller]

5 minutes ago, ozdevil said:

incooect   , i have booked  with p &O adventure with mini suite and  part of the conditions is priority boarding,  

if they dont  , they have falsely advertised the product

 

Sorry. My mistake. I was thinking of Princess.

[sewgood]

13 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

Sorry. My mistake. I was thinking of Princess.

 

That's OK, I think a few of us cruise too many lines and can't remember all the extras with various types of cabins. 🙂

[capertillar]

One other thing to consider is this class of ship is a 'wedding cake' design ie it goes out in steps as it goes down. The mini suites are on lower decks so only partly covered and everyone on balconies above overlook.

 

Best balcony cabins are the level below the top level of cabins as they still have an overhang above.

 

Although I do realise some like to soak up some sun on their balcony, I favour not being seen in pj's and protected from rain.

 

Another thing to consider about the shower over bath, it may look more spacious, but the actual foot room has far less idth than a shower.

[OzKiwiJJ]

17 minutes ago, capertillar said:

 

Another thing to consider about the shower over bath, it may look more spacious, but the actual foot room has far less idth than a shower.

But you have the whole length of the bath to wash in plus a convenient "ledge" at the end to put a foot on while washing the lower leg. Much easier than trying to bend down in a tiny shower cubicle. On HAL we had both a shower cubicle and a shower over the bath. After one shower each in the shower cubicle we both opted to use the shower over the bath for the remainder of the cruise.

[capertillar]

Totally understand some people prefer the shower over bath.

I just wanted to flag that when you are actually standing, facing the shower, it is very narrow so if there is some rocking you can't move/spread your feet for balance, and a shower curtain doesn't offer any support either.....can be a scary experience for older cruisers.

I loved HAL bathroom. Had one of those cabins that don't have a bath and the shower, with a screen, was 2.5 times the size of a standard home shower. Amazing!

[OzKiwiJJ]

54 minutes ago, capertillar said:

Totally understand some people prefer the shower over bath.

I just wanted to flag that when you are actually standing, facing the shower, it is very narrow so if there is some rocking you can't move/spread your feet for balance, and a shower curtain doesn't offer any support either.....can be a scary experience for older cruisers.

I loved HAL bathroom. Had one of those cabins that don't have a bath and the shower, with a screen, was 2.5 times the size of a standard home shower. Amazing!

Put one foot behind at a 45 degree angle, put the other foot in front, and bend your knees slightly. Balance issue solved. This also works well on crowded buses etc when you can't get a seat. It's far more stable than standing with your feet side by side. 

[lyndarra]

23 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

As long as the price difference isn't too big we're booking mini-suites now as I find the shower over bath is much better than trying to shower in tiny cubicles.

 

However I will say the balcony cabin shower on Grand Princess was one of the bigger Princess ones we've encountered outside of a suite. They must have shrunk them since she was built! 

Those tiny cubicles with a clingy shower curtin was one thing that put me off Princess. I have a bad habit of dropping the little soaps and the confines of the shower meant bumping against a wall or being attacked by the curtain when trying to chase the soap around the floor. Give me the roomy shower over bath on HAL or, better still, the roomy showers on Celebrity with sliding glass doors.