What are the advantages of a mini-suite over a balcony

[Ewoodspark]

With the recent price increases, a mini-suite on a cruise we have booked for next May is only £110 more the balcony that we have booked. With that small difference in price I am considering upgrading and to pay the difference. I know that a mini-suite has 26.5 sq metres as against a balcony of 19 sq. metres but where is the additional space.? I know there is a bath in the mini-suite but are there any more advantages regarding space either in the cabin or on the balcony.

[FreestyleNovice]

Location, bath/large shower, double sink (not on the Epic). Space goes in to wardrobe, larger "hall", more spacing between sofa and balcony door. That stuff. :)

 

You might want to look at the pricing for a Spa Mini Suite or Spa Balcony also.

[deschoolie]

With the recent price increases, a mini-suite on a cruise we have booked for next May is only £110 more the balcony that we have booked. With that small difference in price I am considering upgrading and to pay the difference. I know that a mini-suite has 26.5 sq metres as against a balcony of 19 sq. metres but where is the additional space.? I know there is a bath in the mini-suite but are there any more advantages regarding space either in the cabin or on the balcony.

 

which ship? Not all minis are created equal. Generally speaking, it feels less cramped with more space to get around the bed. The tub can be a huge difference for some people. My DW does not like showers and prefers baths.

[garycarla]

No special perks like real suites. Not considered a suite at all.

[Ewoodspark]

I am aware that there are no "special perks". I don't want any. I am simply trying to ascertain where the addition space actually is

[Ewoodspark]

which ship?

 

Norwegian Jade :)

[cliffd64]

Essentially its the tub in the bathroom and a little wider cabin. For the price difference you stated, it could be worth the additional price to have a little more space and a nicer bathroom.

[roger001]

Norwegian Jade :)

 

Here's some pics of a mini suite on the Pearl, which should be similar to the ones on the Jade. We like the extra floor space and slightly larger balcony that the minis have. We also like the bathroom and tub and the curtain that separates the bed form the sitting area. If the price difference is reasonable, we would always go mini.

 

http://s241.photobucket.com/user/roganderson60/media/Pearl%20Mini%20Suite/DSCN8824.jpg.html?sort=2&o=0

[Demonyte]

Location, bath/large shower, double sink (not on the Epic). Space goes in to wardrobe, larger "hall", more spacing between sofa and balcony door. That stuff. :)

 

You might want to look at the pricing for a Spa Mini Suite or Spa Balcony also.

 

Pretty much all you said only applies to Breakaway class ships, they are only a small minority of the whole NCL fleet - on Dawn and Jewel class ships (combined almost half of the fleet) the differences in cabin size are more noticable and there are no double sinks.

[FreestyleNovice]

Pretty much all you said only applies to Breakaway class ships, they are only a small minority of the whole NCL fleet - on Dawn and Jewel class ships (combined almost half of the fleet) the differences in cabin size are more noticable and there are no double sinks.

 

Sorry for being a new ship fanboy. ;)

[Mack704]

The mini-suite I booked on the Getaway, for next May, I believe, has a shower only with a glass door. No bathtub. I've even seen a couple of YouTube video tours of said mini-suites that show no bathtub. It's a mini-suite with balcony - 13180. So which mini-suites have bathtubs?

 

Harvey

[Barb Nahoumi]

I was in 11050 on the Pearl, and we had more drawer space built into the wall.

[kcwingwalker]

Here's some pics of a mini suite on the Pearl, which should be similar to the ones on the Jade. We like the extra floor space and slightly larger balcony that the minis have. We also like the bathroom and tub and the curtain that separates the bed form the sitting area. If the price difference is reasonable, we would always go mini.

 

http://s241.photobucket.com/user/roganderson60/media/Pearl%20Mini%20Suite/DSCN8824.jpg.html?sort=2&o=0

 

Many thanks for the Jade photos! Sailing on the Pearl in March with DD and we will enjoy the extra space. Last cruise was the OS on the Jewel. Being forward just wasn't for us. Hoping the mini-suite (no perks) will be a good fit for us.

[Rhea98]

The mini-suite I booked on the Getaway, for next May, I believe, has a shower only with a glass door. No bathtub. I've even seen a couple of YouTube video tours of said mini-suites that show no bathtub. It's a mini-suite with balcony - 13180. So which mini-suites have bathtubs?

 

Harvey

 

I think I've read that the bed by the door has the showers and bed by the balcony has the tubs.

EDIT: Maybe that was on the Epic. Still trying to track it down for Getaway. I just read at another site that only the Family mini-suites have bathtubs on the Getaway.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Edited October 31, 2014 by Rhea98

[violettewaits]

The mini-suites on the Jewel class ships have a tub instead of a shower.

 

I always go mini-suite when I can. It's worth it for the added room, tub, and privacy partition on the Jewel ships.

 

 

The mini-suite I booked on the Getaway, for next May, I believe, has a shower only with a glass door. No bathtub. I've even seen a couple of YouTube video tours of said mini-suites that show no bathtub. It's a mini-suite with balcony - 13180. So which mini-suites have bathtubs?

 

Harvey

[SliceOfLife]

The mini-suite I booked on the Getaway, for next May, I believe, has a shower only with a glass door. No bathtub. I've even seen a couple of YouTube video tours of said mini-suites that show no bathtub. It's a mini-suite with balcony - 13180. So which mini-suites have bathtubs?

 

Harvey

 

Family mini suites on the Breakaway and Getaway have bathtubs.

[Mrs. Squirrel]

We booked a mini for our upcoming Pearl cruise simply because of the small price difference between it and a balcony (at the time we booked), slightly larger interior space and the curtain divider. We sail with three in a room. Every year, our cabin feels smaller and smaller as DS (10) gets bigger and bigger! :D

 

That having been said, we are back to a regular balcony on Getaway in 2016. The tradeoff this time is that it's a spa balcony. When we feel cramped, DH and I will hang out there.

[cruiser1955a]

Mini suites also have a longer sofa. A big benefit if two of you want to sit at the same time.

[Valen9]

Family mini suites on the Breakaway and Getaway have bathtubs.

 

I can confirm that on Breakaway, the bed position does not determine if it is tub or shower. We had adjoining Family mini-suites on deck 12 on Breakaway this past winter and both cabins had bathtubs.

[Rudyard]

We did a cabin crawl last week and decided the size difference in a mini and our regular balcony was enough to make us move up to one on our next cruise. We're looking at a Spring 2016 on the Jade out of Houston, and the price difference for the two of us would be around $300 or so.

[Snowrose]

We had a regular balcony on the Spirit but got a mini-suite for our cruise on the Jewel, due to taking dear daughter with us on the second cruise. The slightly larger room made life easier with three people but we feel no need for it with just the two of us.

[FF Woman]

We've had both balconies and mini suites on the Jewel and a mini suite on the Pearl. We had three to a cabin when we had the mini suites and only two in the cabin with the balconies.

 

If you have more than two people, I'd recommend the mini suite for the extra space and the privacy curtain between the bed and sofa bed. The larger bathroom is also nice for more than two people as is the additional balcony space.

 

We've booked a balcony for our next cruise since it's just the two of us. I've given some thought as to whether to upgrade to a mini but unless it's a free or next to free upgrade, we'll stay in our balcony that's in a perfect location.

[Linda the Book Lover]

The mini suite tub/shower combo and the extra space is worth the money for the mini suite. It is nice to have a "real shower" without having to go to the spa. The DH loved the extra living space to read and enjoy a snack late at night.

[rentlady]

We just sailed on the Gateaway last month. We had booked a mini suite, then we were upgraded a week before sailing to a family mini suite on deck 12. I am a very active late 60s lady who had hip replacement 8 months ago. Trying to get in and out of the tub in order to take a shower was a true adventure!

[Ewoodspark]

Thanks to everybody who tried to help with this question but a post from 2 years ago has now made up our mind to stay where we are in a mid-ship balcony

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/cabinguru/deckplanreviews.cfm?ShipID=438&category=MA

Edited November 1, 2014 by Ewoodspark