Balcony vs. Mini Suite

[Go-Bucks!]

The minisuite is definitely better for long cruises when having more room to live in makes it much more enjoyable. I don't think the difference in size of the Caribe balconies and the mini balconies is a big deal. The mini's balcony is plenty big enough. I got tired of only having the bed to sit on when I had a balcony room, whereas the sofa in the mini is full sized and there is also another chair.

[Shelly97060]

Another vote for the mini! It is nice to have the sitting area. I love to have my coffee and pastery in the sitting area while looking out the window at the ocean.

 

In the end it depends on the budget and how much time you will spend in your room. More room is always nice! Emerald minis are nice because they are quiet and the cover is great if you need shade or if you are worried about rain. We have also enjoyed Dolphin minis, and are not bothered by the open balcony... I figure my neighbors have better things to look at than what I am doing on my balcony.:D

 

Which ever you decide have a wonderful trip.

[ActiveTraveler]

Looks like there is general agreement the extra space and couch alone are worth $600 when two adults are curising for 12 days. If that is true, I need to know one more thing: Is there a grab bar in the tub? I don't need a handicapped-accessible cabin, but my tub at home has two grab bars to help me get in it. Also, can Mom ask for wine in the mini instead of champagne? Or is the champagne already in the refrigerator before we get to our cabin?

[TracieABD]

I can't remember if there is a grab bar in the tub.

The champagne is served in glasses. We did not receive a bottle. So I am not sure if you can substitute wine for bubbly...:)

 

Enjoy your mini!

[lovevacadays]

Love, love, love the Sapphire and would choose a mini-suite everytime if within the budget. The mini still has a very good sized balcony and the cabin is so much nicer.

[Go-Bucks!]

Is there a grab bar in the tub?

 

 

There was a grab bar in our bath/shower in the minis on the Coral. And the bathtub is a little narrower than a typical tub and has higher sides. My guess is that this helps it fit into the room and to keep water from splashing out. I found the grab bar helped me step out of the bathtub easier and without slipping.

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2295134220037043165uCSftI?vhost=travel

 

There's a picture of the tub and grab bar in this link.

[margeg]

We definitely prefer the mini. Much more room. Even if you dont use the tub to take a bath , the shower is much better in the tub.

 

We had started out with balconies, but now always get the mini.

 

Champagne is non negotiable (I think).

 

The open balcony on dolphin deck is a non issue for us. It has never been a problem.

 

So if the money is not a problem, I would go for the mini.

[luvs2travl]

The mini's that we have been in have had the grab bar on one side. One thing, tho' - the tub is very deep - much deeper than the average tub at home. If you have any difficulty in getting up, this may present a problem. We use the shower only in the tub. The one time I sat down to take a bath, my DH had to help me get up & out (I have a plate in my left ankle which somewhat limits my ability to 'push up'). I can take a sit-down bath in my tub at home with no problem. In the tub in our mini-suite, I just couldn't position my hands low enough at the correct angle to get the leverage needed to pull myself up. That's just me & I'm sure others have had no problems whatsoever.

[ActiveTraveler]

There was a grab bar in our bath/shower in the minis on the Coral. And the bathtub is a little narrower than a typical tub and has higher sides. My guess is that this helps it fit into the room and to keep water from splashing out. I found the grab bar helped me step out of the bathtub easier and without slipping.

 

Great, that is one less thing to worry about when choosing a cabin. I can live with taller sides, but they serve no purpose.

After reading a lot of praise for aft cabins, minisuites, and the Emerald deck, I thought I should see what everyone is talking about and decide if they are really good for me. All AD cabins are behind the aft elevators, apparently, so I am concerned about the noises and shp motion from that area. I want to know if there is any reason not to sleep in 721 (the first minisuite on the starboard side) that is worth losing privacy and spending a lot more money on the Dolphin deck. If you stayed in E721, could you hear a lot of noises from the ship itself and/or other passengers (it is near elevators and over Club Fusion)? Did you feel motion and vibration during docking and/or sailaway? I want a cabin on the starboard side because that is the side that will face land during a trip starting in Rome and ending in Spain or Portugal. (Plus the Club Fusion stage is directly opposite E721, one deck down.) What do you think of that cabin if you have stayed in it?

[madelinerose]

If you stayed in E721, could you hear a lot of noises from the ship itself and/or other passengers (it is near elevators and over Club Fusion)? Did you feel motion and vibration during docking and/or sailaway? (Plus the Club Fusion stage is directly opposite E721, one deck down.) What do you think of that cabin if you have stayed in it?

 

Using the "Search this Forum" feature on the top right will usually answer the vast majority of your questions and save you hours upon hours of time, thus relieving anxiety in the long run.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=17401705

 

I clicked on "Search this Forum", typed E721 in the drop-down box and received the above pages of info on E721.

 

You may also hit the radio button to designate whether you choose to read the entire thread that includes the cabin number E721 or pinpoint your choice to the individual posts that contain the cabin number E721.

 

2013 is a loooooong time away in this cruise world. Using the Search functions on CC and also using Google will provide almost instant gratification rather than anticipating a reply.

[LARGIN]

I want a cabin on the starboard side because that is the side that will face land during a trip starting in Rome and ending in Spain or Portugal. (Plus the Club Fusion stage is directly opposite E721, one deck down.) What do you think of that cabin if you have stayed in it?

If I am not mistaken the Ruby does not start a cruise in Rome and ending in Spain or Portugal. Perhaps you are confusing this with another ship or another itinerary.

[madelinerose]

Good point. I'm seeing two 12-day Princess itineraries from Venice, not Rome, to Barcelona in the foreseeable future. ;)

 

Ruby

 

http://www.princess.com/find/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=R022&tourCode=&date=&noOfPax=2&resType=C&definition_name=&bID=PCPB

 

Star

 

http://www.princess.com/find/itineraryDetails.do?voyageCode=9122&tourCode=&date=&noOfPax=2&resType=C&definition_name=&bID=PCPB

[ActiveTraveler]

If I am not mistaken the Ruby does not start a cruise in Rome and ending in Spain or Portugal. Perhaps you are confusing this with another ship or another itinerary.

 

I will look again, but thought I saw some Rome-Barcelona itineraries on the Ruby in 2011 if I remember correctly. Maybe I got the city mixed up.

[NotWthOutablcony]

We had E724 on the Star last April, it was great! We could hear a little bass from the club below but it was never an issue, it wasn't very loud and always stopped before 10pm, for the most part you could only hear it in the bathroom.

You do get a bit of vibration but we only experienced it while pulling into ports, it can be a bit annoying if you decided not to get off in a port and sleep in, the outside furniture vibrates along with the ship so it can be a bit loud usually lasts about 15 minutes or until the ship is pulled up along the port, you wont get this vibration when its a tender port, or at least we didn't.

Treat yourself to one of these minis! They're fantastic! We love everything about those rooms! The motion isn't too bad back there to be perfectly honest, the only time we noticed it was on this last cruise when we were in nothing but Gale Force winds, the weather was awful! The seas were choppy to say the least and they were warning people not to hang out on outside decks. Storms like that are a rare occassion so no worries ;)

[J 'B' Cruisin']

FWIW,

 

My wife and I booked E730 on the CB on a 9-night Caribbean cruise from NY in June 2009. It is the farthest mini on the Emerald Deck and we loved it. I had the opportunity to book it and jumped on it. This is the one that is right above Club Fusion. We BARELY heard the music from the club at all and it never hampered our ability to sleep. We LOVED the extra large balcony that the far aft Minis provide on Emerald and Dolphin deck. We also enjoyed the covered balcony but we decided to opt to try an uncovered on Dolphin this time. We're booked on D733 on the Ruby for our Thanksgiving cruise this November and that balcony is even bigger than the extra large balcony on the two aft minis on Emerald Deck. I just wanted to bring up the EXTRA large balconies (HUGE) on the far aft minis on Emerald and Dolphin Deck.

 

As far as balcony vs. mini I can't comment since this will be our second cruise and this will also be our second mini but I can tell you that I looked in a balcony room, ocean view room and inside room just to see when we were on the ship and if you can afford the difference, it's definitely better to go the mini route. The other difference nobody has mentioned so far is that the mattresses are better (thicker) in the minis than on the balconies (I've read that before on CC and confirmed it with three of the Princess room attendants). Ultimately if it's about cost, then you have to do what you have to do but I definitely think it's worth the price difference.

 

Jason

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

I will look again, but thought I saw some Rome-Barcelona itineraries on the Ruby in 2011 if I remember correctly. Maybe I got the city mixed up.

 

 

FYI - Barcelona is in Spain, and north-eastern Spain at that - about 500 miles (as the crow flies) from the nearest Portugese border.

[cruisin36]

Great, that is one less thing to worry about when choosing a cabin. I can live with taller sides, but they serve no purpose.

 

After reading a lot of praise for aft cabins, minisuites, and the Emerald deck, I thought I should see what everyone is talking about and decide if they are really good for me. All AD cabins are behind the aft elevators, apparently, so I am concerned about the noises and shp motion from that area. I want to know if there is any reason not to sleep in 721 (the first minisuite on the starboard side) that is worth losing privacy and spending a lot more money on the Dolphin deck. If you stayed in E721, could you hear a lot of noises from the ship itself and/or other passengers (it is near elevators and over Club Fusion)? Did you feel motion and vibration during docking and/or sailaway? I want a cabin on the starboard side because that is the side that will face land during a trip starting in Rome and ending in Spain or Portugal. (Plus the Club Fusion stage is directly opposite E721, one deck down.) What do you think of that cabin if you have stayed in it?

 

It doesn't make any difference which side you are on. After about an hour out of port you will not be able to see anything on land other than mountains.

 

There is a Rome to Venice then Venice to Lauderdale. The Venice to Lauderdale usually stops in Barcelona.

[Almagetty]

Active Traveler:

 

You do know that there is a very good chance that the Ruby won't even be in the Med come 2013, right? Cruise lines move ships around all the time. With a new ship debuting in Spring 2013, Princess could well decide to have that ship take over the Mediterranean runs and move the Ruby somewhere else.

[ActiveTraveler]

Active Traveler:

 

You do know that there is a very good chance that the Ruby won't even be in the Med come 2013, right? Cruise lines move ships around all the time. With a new ship debuting in Spring 2013, Princess could well decide to have that ship take over the Mediterranean runs and move the Ruby somewhere else.

 

The two new ships will have everything Crown, Emerald, and Ruby do. Also, the Grand, which is in the same class, will get the new features during her April 2011 drydock. Do you really think it matters that I am talking about the Ruby when all four ships in Grand class are very similar? Emerald deck is Emerald deck, no matter which ship I sail on in 2013.

[I object 2]

Thanks for all the replies. Your comments have been very helpful. Just one more question......is there a difference in quality of the mattress and amenities between balcony and mini suite cabins?

[cruisin36]

The two new ships will have everything Crown, Emerald, and Ruby do. Also, the Grand, which is in the same class, will get the new features during her April 2011 drydock. Do you really think it matters that I am talking about the Ruby when all four ships in Grand class are very similar? Emerald deck is Emerald deck, no matter which ship I sail on in 2013.

 

If you have some inside info on the new ships please share with us. So far everything posted here has been speculation. The last I heard from the Ruby Captain, who saw the preliminary plans, said it would be quite different from the existing ships.

[Almagetty]

The two new ships will have everything Crown, Emerald, and Ruby do. Also, the Grand, which is in the same class, will get the new features during her April 2011 drydock. Do you really think it matters that I am talking about the Ruby when all four ships in Grand class are very similar? Emerald deck is Emerald deck, no matter which ship I sail on in 2013.

 

It wouldn't matter to me, but it did seem to me that you were quite fixated on the Ruby. I'm sorry if I offended you.

 

Also, as pointed out above, it doesn't seem that anyone outside of Princess' corporate offices knows what the amenities of the new builds will be. The ships could and probably will have quite a few modifications from the Grand class ships.

[Pam in CA]

The two new ships will have everything Crown, Emerald, and Ruby do. Also, the Grand, which is in the same class, will get the new features during her April 2011 drydock. Do you really think it matters that I am talking about the Ruby when all four ships in Grand class are very similar? Emerald deck is Emerald deck, no matter which ship I sail on in 2013.

You obviously have inside information that only the planners and designers have. How about sharing exactly what you know?

[irislady]

While onboard the Crown Princess earlier this month the captain mentioned there would be 2 new ships. The only other "information" he gave was a hint that they were going to be very big. That was a disappointment to us because we really prefer ships the size of the Island and Coral to ships the size of the Crown, Diamond, etc. I do think Princess designed the Crown well, though, to handle the higher number of passengers. I found her to be much less crowded feeling than the Grand had been. There were fewer "bottlenecks" walking from one part of the ship to another.

Shae

[ActiveTraveler]

It wouldn't matter to me, but it did seem to me that you were quite fixated on the Ruby. I'm sorry if I offended you.

 

Also, as pointed out above, it doesn't seem that anyone outside of Princess' corporate offices knows what the amenities of the new builds will be. The ships could and probably will have quite a few modifications from the Grand class ships.

 

Although I specifically mentioned the Ruby a lot I understand there are identical triplets in the fleet and the Grand class ships are the same size minus Riviera deck. I picked a ship to name one instead of a bunch. Whether Ruby is still in the Mediterranean when I sail or not is irrelevant.