Help with Mini suite balconies.

We are currently booked in a Balcony - but since this will be our 50th anniversary I would really like to change to a mini suite. The cruise is 15 days LA to Hawaii on the Ruby Princess.

From what I can tell, all mini suites are on decks 8 and nine. The only photos I have seen are completely open balconies with no shade. Is this the case on both decks? I know balcony cabins on deck 10 have partial shade. I was wondering if perhaps deck nine is partially shaded by deck 10. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Mini suites along the Ruby's sides on deck 9 are fully open...no cover at all. Mini suites along the sides on deck 8 are fully covered.

 

But you also need to remember about location, not just covered balconies. The covered mini-suite balconies on deck 8 are in the completely aft location AND Club Fusion is right below you! Noise factor?

 

Mini-suites on deck 9 are located in many places to select and have staterooms above and below them.

 

So you just need to determine what is most important to you and how much actual time you will spend on your balcony.

 

Pooh

We are currently booked in a Balcony - but since this will be our 50th anniversary I would really like to change to a mini suite. The cruise is 15 days LA to Hawaii on the Ruby Princess.

From what I can tell, all mini suites are on decks 8 and nine. The only photos I have seen are completely open balconies with no shade. Is this the case on both decks? I know balcony cabins on deck 10 have partial shade. I was wondering if perhaps deck nine is partially shaded by deck 10. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

Deck 8 Emerald are covered and are very popular. There are only 12 of them.

Great location too!

If you see one better grab it and mark the booking "no upgrade".

We have never had any noise issues from the lounge below and we have been in several including the aft ones.

Deck 9 Dolphin are all uncovered.

Emerald minis are my favorite...Especially the last ones as the balconies are twice as big (E730 and E731) IF either is available jump on it asap!

On the Ruby Princess there are 12 mini suites with fully covered balconies on Deck 8. They are the last six cabins on both port and starboard sides. All of them are connecting cabins. It has been reported that the connecting doors are not so insulated to sound. The balance of the mini suites are on deck 9. None of these have covered balconies. Shade will mainly be determined by the direction of the ship rather then the cover above. Starboard side balconies will mainly be shaded by the ship while traveling west and will mostly be sunny while traveling east. The port side cabins will be reversed.

On the Ruby Princess there are 12 mini suites with fully covered balconies on Deck 8. They are the last six cabins on both port and starboard sides. All of them are connecting cabins. It has been reported that the connecting doors are not so insulated to sound.

 

The balance of the mini suites are on deck 9. None of these have covered balconies. Shade will mainly be determined by the direction of the ship rather then the cover above. Starboard side balconies will mainly be shaded by the ship while traveling west and will mostly be sunny while traveling east. The port side cabins will be reversed.

 

The mini suites on Deck 9 are actually seldom in full sun for any length of time.

The mid-ship mini's (deck 9) are our favorites ... never more than halfway to and fro to anyplace on the ship. :D

Hi,

 

I was booked in one of the Emerald (Deck 8) mini-suites on the Crown Princess (the Ruby's twin) and liked the covered balcony. The location was good and I never experienced any noise from Club Fusion. Note that the uncovered mini-suite balconies on Deck 9 don't have any privacy. People in the balconies above have a view of the open balconies on Deck 9.

 

Chuck

Emerald minis are my favorite...Especially the last ones as the balconies are twice as big (E730 and E731) IF either is available jump on it asap!

 

Thank you all for your advice. Based on one cabin review who said noise from Club Fusion was not a problem, we did a lot of research on various sites with pictures and discovered E70 and e731 were desirable, so we grabbed E731 today. Good thing because E730 was already booked!

Thank you all for your advice. Based on one cabin review who said noise from Club Fusion was not a problem, we did a lot of research on various sites with pictures and discovered E70 and e731 were desirable, so we grabbed E731 today. Good thing because E730 was already booked!

I would say you booked the best Emerald deck mini. We have sailed in E731 on the Crown and loved the large balcony. Unlike E730 which is close to the stage area of Club Fusion and may experience some noise, especially bass, we heard no sound from Club Fusion [emoji2]

 

 

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On the Ruby Princess there are 12 mini suites with fully covered balconies on Deck 8. They are the last six cabins on both port and starboard sides. All of them are connecting cabins. It has been reported that the connecting doors are not so insulated to sound. The balance of the mini suites are on deck 9. None of these have covered balconies. Shade will mainly be determined by the direction of the ship rather then the cover above. Starboard side balconies will mainly be shaded by the ship while traveling west and will mostly be sunny while traveling east. The port side cabins will be reversed.

The mini suites on Deck 9 are actually seldom in full sun for any length of time.

 

The mid-ship mini's (deck 9) are our favorites ... never more than halfway to and fro to anyplace on the ship. :D

Because the OP is sailing from LA to Hawaii, the cruise direction will be mainly east/west. Half of the sea days the port side will be in sun most of the time and half of the sea days the starboard side will be in the sun much of the day. This is true of all cabins although the covered minis will have more of a chance of shade.

 

This is also true of the aft Sanctuary area on the Coral (and the Island pre dry dock).The lower area of the Sanctuary has at least one row of lounge chairs fully covered with an overhang but when sailing northbound there was no shade for those loungers and they were in direct sun essentially all day. The only chairs with covered loungers were those in the cabanas where the curtains could be completely closed.

Thank you all for your advice. Based on one cabin review who said noise from Club Fusion was not a problem, we did a lot of research on various sites with pictures and discovered E70 and e731 were desirable, so we grabbed E731 today. Good thing because E730 was already booked!

 

 

 

Excellent!! You were very lucky one of them was still available.

Mark your booking no upgrade or you may end up with an uncovered mini on Dolphin deck. :o

Excellent!! You were very lucky one of them was still available.

Mark your booking no upgrade or you may end up with an uncovered mini on Dolphin deck. :o

Actually, I agree with the no in category (mini suite to mini suite) upgrade but I would leave open the possibility of a "meta" upgrade or upgrade from a mini suite to a full suite. This might impact the ability to get upswell offers. On our last three cruises in a mini suite we were offered up sells to a full suite, 2013 on the Emerald with E731 booked, 2015 on the Crown with E731 booked and 2016 on the Pacific with a standard mini suite booked. We accepted the upsells in 2013 and 2016 as we were three in a cabin with DD. We didn't accept the upsell in 2015 because our friended traveling next door in E729 did not get an upsell offer. Depending upon the upsell cost it might make OP's 50th Anniversary even more special.

 

 

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We did this exact cruise in 2015, 15 nights LA to Hawaii on the Ruby. We stayed on Deck 8 in Mini Suite E731. Excellent cabin and fully covered balcony. The balcony was slightly larger because it wraps around toward the rear of the ship. This cabin is over Club Fusion and we never heard any noise. I totally recommend a cabin in the aft on deck 8. You will have a great time on this cruise. Excellent itinerary!

Hi,

 

E731 is an excellent choice. I booked E727 on the Crown Princess and really liked the location. As I mentioned above, I did not have any trouble with noise from Club Fusion. These mini-suites are near the aft elevators/stairs and only one flight above the promenade deck.

 

Chuck

A real positive for those who prefer to book mini-suites on Deck 8: They are the LEAST expensive mini-suites. :)

A real positive for those who prefer to book mini-suites on Deck 8: They are the LEAST expensive mini-suites. :)

 

Good point! :)

 

Chuck