Golden Princess Aft balcony or Mini Suite

[weiss5682]

So i currently have the C753 room reserved which is the Aft corner room. The lowest Mini Suite is only 50 dollars more...Thoughts? The room size increases by 100 sq ft but I give up aft view.... I look forward to hearing other people's thoughts.

 

thanks in advance

[Kamloops50]

Caribe balconies are the best .You have some privacy from the above cabins and some shade as well. Dolphin Deck Mini Suite balconies are fully exposed to the sun and to the decks above.

[Coolmama_1]

We actually had a E731 booked next yr for Hawaii. However, after experiencing the aft balcony on our last cruise, we came home and changed our reservation to an aft balcony. We thought we would miss the extra space and larger bathroom but found that we used our balcony so much more. Sometimes it is really windy on the balcony. It really depends on how important that balcony is to you.

 

I would keep C753. In fact, we have C752 booked on our cruise to Hawaii next yr. Hope this helps.

 

Judy

[Princess Patches]

Well, you probably won't ever get a better upgrade price from a standard balcony to a mini suite than $50 so now would be the time to try a mini suite if you have not sailed in one before. For me, the interior space is more important so I would choose the mini suite. You get a separate sitting area to watch tv, talk or even dine without having to sit on your beds for those activities. You also get a larger bathroom with a tub. I find the standard balcony bathroom showers uncomfortably small. You also get a large balcony that will seat 4 comfortably.

 

You did not state whether you are being upgraded to a Dolphin or Emerald deck mini suite. Just be aware that the Dolphin minis have totally uncovered balconies and the Emerald deck minis have totally covered balconies.

[weiss5682]

I currently am in the 753 corner aft for lets say 3000 dollars and the lowest mini suite so the ones on the emerald deck are available for 3,050. We love the aft views but the trade off is the smaller cabin... Only suites get the "true perks" so the question is give up the corner private balcony for the "living room". Thoughts...

[Cruiserkenn]

The sofa and the full tub in the mini suite are both very nice. I like the sofa for napping, and the full tub (with shower) to get clean. The shower only is too small for me. So... It depends on your needs. If you don't need the sofa or the full tub, then go for the aft view.

 

Bon voyage!

[chamima]

Keep C753!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

(If you're sailing her to Hawaii keep in mind that there won't be any wind on that balcony, even if you're having a rough sea day - which happens often on that itinerary. )

[john_galt]

It boils down to time on the balcony vs. time in the room. We have seen about all the open water you can see without being sick of it. Open water is open water...

 

I vote for the tub and the couch. Upgrade!

[compozer]

We have heard so much about these aft cabins over the past few years especially now that they will be the highest category balcony. On our upcoming b2b2b I decided to try one but now I'm getting worried. We usually book suites and have them on the two other segments of our b2b2b. It's NE and very port intense so I figured we wouldn't be ni the cabin much but we have never been in a cabin without a loveseat or couch. Not too thrilled about sitting on the bed whenever we will be in the cabin. Not sure if we should switch. So I am very interested in comments.

[freetocruise]

I am not a big fan of aft facing cabins due to (what we consider) extremely loud wake noise. We like to sit out on our balcony with a glass of wine and talk which is nearly impossible to do without talking very loudly. We have had a number of aft facing full suites on Emerald, Dolphin and Caribe decks but no aft balcony rooms. The noise does diminish somewhat on the higher decks.

 

That being said, I love the extra room in the minisuites and love the nice size balconies that they have. I prefer the covered ones on the Emerald Deck but have no problem with the uncovered ones on Dolphin Deck - it is the interior space that we go for.

[Princess Patches]

I am not a big fan of aft facing cabins due to (what we consider) extremely loud wake noise. We like to sit out on our balcony with a glass of wine and talk which is nearly impossible to do without talking very loudly. We have had a number of aft facing full suites on Emerald, Dolphin and Caribe decks but no aft balcony rooms. The noise does diminish somewhat on the higher decks.

 

That being said, I love the extra room in the minisuites and love the nice size balconies that they have. I prefer the covered ones on the Emerald Deck but have no problem with the uncovered ones on Dolphin Deck - it is the interior space that we go for.

 

I agree with this assessment. I am not a fan of the aft facing balconies because of the loud wake noise. We too could not converse in normal conversational tones on the balcony of our aft facing suite and never booked another. I much prefer the side facing minis on Emerald deck with a covered balcony.

[TracieABD]

I would pick the mini, but that is just me...:)

[jean s]

We have done both and prefer the mini for the space.

[myfhn]

If you can get E728 or E729, you would get the extended balcony which I've heard is great.

[BoPippy]

Had c753 aft last year and loved the room and location,but it was soooo far from elevators to pool deck or anywhere,and from Ft.Lauderdale to Aruba it was very rough,DW was sea sick.Always will go mid ship Caribe deck for now on,but would try a mini if upgraded.Princess asked if we would consider a mini and TA said yes.We will see what happens.:)

[weiss5682]

Decided we don't care about the room size. In Alaska we think we would be happy with less wind on the back of the boat. We like that the room won't have people walking past it since its on a private hallway. As for the walking distance, I can use the extra exercise. We look forward to the aft and side view. Any other thoughts on the room?

[chamima]

Decided we don't care about the room size. In Alaska we think we would be happy with less wind on the back of the boat. We like that the room won't have people walking past it since its on a private hallway. As for the walking distance, I can use the extra exercise. We look forward to the aft and side view. Any other thoughts on the room?

 

 

We've had that cabin many, many times. (We also tried the last mini on Emerald that everyone is recommending and it was ok but just ok - went back to C753). We've never had a problem conversing on the balcony. Maybe that's just a problem further down on Dolphin or Emerald.

We LOVE the private hallway and also the fact that to your right there is no neighbor but just open sea. We love the soothing sound of the wake and the fact that you have neighbors only on one side means you'll hear that instead of other people's conversations.

Enjoy!

[Countrygirl44]

We sailed in C752 (can you believe we ended up with this cabin on the lowest balcony GTY) on the July 29 sailing on the Star. Had not planned an Alaska trip this year, however, got an e-mail from Princess with a great price on the balcony GTY on this cruise. Booked about a month before sailing. A week or so later, I noticed in my personalizer that we had been assigned a cabin. It was (can't remember the category, but did include the aft balconies). It was on the caribe deck. I thought it was a good cabin. I kept watching and about ten days before our departure, I noticed C752 was open. Evidently someone had to cancel as this is a much sought after cabin. I was able to get it changed and was very happy to have this cabin. Location great, very large balcony. The side view on this balcony is limited. Would I book this cabin again, No, if I could get a mini for $50.00 more. I prefer the last mini on the Emerald deck. have had a mini on the Dolphin, but prefer the Emerald. I like the extra room, the tub and the extended balcony. I think the view from the mini aft side is much better than the aft...but that is just my opinion.:rolleyes:

[weiss5682]

If you can get E728 or E729, you would get the extended balcony which I've heard is great.

 

Already sold only e722 or e726 left

[oratheeexplorer]

Decided we don't care about the room size. In Alaska we think we would be happy with less wind on the back of the boat. We like that the room won't have people walking past it since its on a private hallway. As for the walking distance, I can use the extra exercise. We look forward to the aft and side view. Any other thoughts on the room?

 

We were in C748 on the Sapphire this August in Alaska. Absolutely loved that location. (left aft corner balcony) I loved the sound from the wake and loved being out there. It was so peaceful and beautiful. And no noise from anyone walking by your cabin, being back there. I've never been in a mini-suite, I know I would love the bathtub.....but I would prefer that aft balcony over the tub...

[Calvin]

I vote mini-suite:

 

1. larger cabin - space is at a premium on any ship

2. 2 tvs - though you don't watch much at least you don't have to watch the same program

3. nicer, larger bathroom

4. couch for relaxing/eating snacks in cabin

5. only $50 more? Go for it!

[MilliesMom]

cliftoncruz posted this photo on the Golden AFT in his review of Alaska ...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=35686731&postcount=68

 

 

 

The following is a photo I found surfing the web ... not sure who took it:

 

The last balcony level you are seeing is the Dolphin deck. (deck 9)

Emerald deck is underneath (deck 8) - fully covered balcony - lifeboats towards the center of this deck.

Caribe Deck 10

Baja Deck 11

Aloha Deck 12

Lido Deck 14

The photo shows the different degrees of openness of the balcony.

 

We've had one AFT corner balcony (regular balcony cabin) and loved it. It was on RCCL so our cabin had the bed plus a sofa and the larger balcony.

 

On Princess we are booking a mini-suite to have the extra cabin space plus a nice balcony. The extra space for us does make a difference in the cabin, and either way we do use the balcony a lot even in Alaska. On Carnival the balcony cabins have been larger and had a sofa. I have insomnia so a sofa is nice in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. The chairs in the Princess balcony cabins are not great if you spend any time in your cabin.

 

So my vote goes to the mini-suite for the larger cabin space and a sofa.

[Dets_Girl]

We actually had a E731 booked next yr for Hawaii. However, after experiencing the aft balcony on our last cruise, we came home and changed our reservation to an aft balcony. We thought we would miss the extra space and larger bathroom but found that we used our balcony so much more. Sometimes it is really windy on the balcony. It really depends on how important that balcony is to you.

 

I would keep C753. In fact, we have C752 booked on our cruise to Hawaii next yr. Hope this helps.

 

Judy

Judy:

 

We have C752 booked for a March 2014 cruise. If you would, and think of it, can you provide some pictures upon your return?

 

Thanks, Edie

[panamatiger]

The following is a photo I found surfing the web ... not sure who took it:

 

The last balcony level you are seeing is the Dolphin deck. (deck 9)

 

The photo shows the different degrees of openness of the balcony.

 

So my vote goes to the mini-suite for the larger cabin space and a sofa.

 

Thank's Mary for clipping and posting this picture. We are in a mini on the Dolphin deck for April 2013. We are mid ship and have been told we won't see the lifeboats. This picture confirms it.

 

Garry + Pauline

[MilliesMom]

Garry & Pauline ... you are welcome. Glad the picture helped.