Jade family suite selection help please

[erdoran]

Looking for some advice for family suites on the Jade--are there any that you would recommend, or NOT recommend, or are they all pretty much the same? thanks in advance

[phillygirl63]

We were on the Jade in July, 2010. It's a very nice ship. We had the A2 Deluxe Owner's Suite after getting an upsell from a minisuite. It's a huge room on the 15th floor (accessed from the 14th floor). However, that room is not for you since it only accommodates 2 people. All of the suites are very nice, but you should consider where the room is located on the ship. For instance, the 3 bdrm Garden Villas (there are 2 of them) are located mid-ship but are on the 14th floor with their private decks above. That can be a problem for some people who have a tendency to suffer from seasickness because there is a lot more movement the higher you are on the ship. I was only bothered by it one night when the waters were very rough. The 2 bdrm Family Villas are located mid-ship, but the 2 bdrm Family Suites are forward.

 

How old are your children? When DH and I cruise with our 2 teenagers, we prefer not to have all of us in the same room, so we book a balcony room and an inside across the hall. We book with DD and DS in one room and myself and DD in the other. We have to do this since my kids are under 21. After check-in we just switch keys so that DH and I are in the balcony, and kids are across the hall. Doing it this way is also less expensive than booking a suite for all of us. You can also have adjoining rooms.

 

The mini-suites are the same layout as the balcony staterooms but a little larger.

 

Good luck. Let me know what you decided on.

[erdoran]

Ummm....it's two of us, but we're same sex roommates and we each like our privacy, which is why we are going for the 2 BR family suites, the ones on I think deck 11, because they're cheaper than the courtyard villas. Given my druthers I would LOVE either the OS or DOS, but there's a big enough price difference that (unless the upsell fairy calls) we've written them off.

[Fishbait17]

edoran, just look at the available ones and what's above them on deck 12. The noisiest will be directly under the pool deck and the gym. All the others will be fine! Which sailing are you looking at? We are planning a third Jade sailing this May.

 

Robin

[phillygirl63]

Wow, Fishbait17, I envy all your "suite" experience. We have never booked a suite (only booked balcony rooms mainly because we were traveling with the kids), and got lucky on our last cruise with the upsell to the A2. It worked out that we could take the upsell because my parents were booked in a balcony also and were able to be across the hall from the kids while we enjoyed the A2. We are booked in a balcony for the Pride of America 4/30/11 cruise in Hawaii, and we are hoping to get lucky again with an upgrade.

 

Where are you going next?

[yoyocruiser]

Have only had the family suite on the Jewel, but my understanding is that they are similar--on Deck 11--I don't really think one is that much better than another.

 

That said--these suites are gorgous. You are really lucky to only have two people--and yes you will each have a room and a private bath, and a very roomy table/living room area. Not sure how you'll decide who gets the master bedroom--LOL--because it is something to behold. There is nothing that compares to the bath in the master bedroom of the AB suites!! You can take a bath and it is like floating across the ocean right in that glass window. . .

 

And the service will be great. No, you aren't int he courtyard, but you have almost all the same perks!!

 

We loved it--it was H and myself and our four college age kids all in that suite!!! And we LOVED it!! You will have a blast. Sorry I can't help with saying one room is better than another. I really do think it is all pretty similar.

[coffeecat]

Erdoran,

You cruise plans sound terrific! Haven't been on the Jade but have sailed Pearl/Jewel/Gem. My brother/wife/2 girls were in an AB on the Gem and they were more towards the aft of those suites which I know are all forward (I think starboard). No issues with noise and they were either above or below the gym (I think). I would pick one that was near quiet areas (spa for example). Rooms were terrific for them.

 

As a side, I cruised with one of my girl friends on the Jewel in Dec (my husband did not go). The OS was only a couple hundred bucks more but we wanted to have the two separate rooms. It was really nice having separate areas and I think this is an ideal cabin for friends traveling if they want some of their own space. It's a perfect set-up...just throwing in my two cents as I saw your previous post re: which suite to book and I didn't get a chance to respond. Also, given the itinerary, you will likely be off the ship a lot and I don't think a courtyard would be necessary for this type of sailing.

 

I would sort out how you are going to do the room arrangements prior to leaving. I had the kiddie room and it was more than fine for me but, as previous poster stated, the master bed/bathroom is absolute heaven and the pullout couch/bathroom in the small room isn't nearly as nice.

 

Have a great cruise,

Coffeecat

[erdoran]

Erdoran,

You cruise plans sound terrific! Haven't been on the Jade but have sailed Pearl/Jewel/Gem. My brother/wife/2 girls were in an AB on the Gem and they were more towards the aft of those suites which I know are all forward (I think starboard). No issues with noise and they were either above or below the gym (I think). I would pick one that was near quiet areas (spa for example). Rooms were terrific for them.

 

As a side, I cruised with one of my girl friends on the Jewel in Dec (my husband did not go). The OS was only a couple hundred bucks more but we wanted to have the two separate rooms. It was really nice having separate areas and I think this is an ideal cabin for friends traveling if they want some of their own space. It's a perfect set-up...just throwing in my two cents as I saw your previous post re: which suite to book and I didn't get a chance to respond. Also, given the itinerary, you will likely be off the ship a lot and I don't think a courtyard would be necessary for this type of sailing.

 

I would sort out how you are going to do the room arrangements prior to leaving. I had the kiddie room and it was more than fine for me but, as previous poster stated, the master bed/bathroom is absolute heaven and the pullout couch/bathroom in the small room isn't nearly as nice.

 

Have a great cruise,

Coffeecat

 

 

Thanks for all the comments! What we are going to do is just take turns, probably flip a coin for who gets master first but I'll have it for half the trip and roomie will have it other half. That seems fairest. If it is an uneven # of days we'll figure something out, we're both easy-going and committed to bend over backwards so no one feels taken advantage of!

[LP2]

We just returned from the 1/2 Jade sailing and had a wonderful time. We had 3 adults in the Emerald Suite 11106 and our comment upon entering it was OMG. The couple took the master bedroom and the single guy took the children's bedroom. He had the butler get some foam pads for the bed in the small br to make it more comfortable. The master bed is extremely luxurious, as it the bathroom.

 

Our other fellow cruisers had the mini suite adjacent and the door opened between the two rooms. We had more than enough room for 5 adults to sit and visit in the living/dining room.

 

Take advantage of the free breakfast and lunch in Cagney's. We went there on all except 2 days. Beats the long lines in the buffet, although their food was good and the service was great as well.

 

But back to the suite, the extra perks have spoiled us for a regular room now. The coffee machine in the room is the best, flowers, giant fruit bowl, treats brought by our wonderful butler, Mada, every afternoon, well the list goes on and on.:)

 

We actually spent less getting the suite than we would have on a regular balcony and an inside room, which was our other alternative. Enjoy your trip.

[erdoran]

Thank you everyone for the info!! We booked the family suite and then started drooling over the owner's suite--so we switched to that! My roommie has a weakness for front balconies, and I really like the tranquility of the Courtyard.