Escape Mini-Suite Guarantee w/ 4 passengers

[MikeBTN]

My wife and I and our two boys (3 and 6) are considering moving from RCCL's Freedom of the Seas to the Escape, partially thanks to the family sails free and also because of the choose two. Price for all of us to sail together in a Mini-Suite is about $1,000 cheaper than the two connecting interior rooms on Freedom. Just wondering if anyone has any experience doing this with 4 passengers. I imagine they'll accommodate us with a room that is supposed to sleep 4 instead of cramming us in a room for 2, correct?

 

Other than that we're not super-concerned about location, obstructed views, etc because we will rarely be in the room. I could choose my own family mini-suite, but at a cost that puts us back on par with the FoS pricing.

[finch12]

We did the same thing. For years we were huge fans of the Freedom for all it has to offer. last year we jumped on the Breakaway purely because of the better deal. The room was big enough for us ( just a balcony room ) this year and next year we are booked in a mini suite on the new ship.... again because RC pricing is so much more. Still like RC better but not that much when we are talking over 1000 difference and not the same perks. By the way.... our two boys are 23 and 21 and we made it work.

 

Have fun !

[Sauer-kraut]

Make sure that there are minis that sleep four. Otherwise you should be good to go. You'll also get your cabin assignment fairly early as they can't move you all over the ship due to your passenger count.

[ninel246]

We have 2 boys as well (8 & 12). This is our 3rd NCL cruise with them. The 3rd and 4th passenger sail free and the 2 promos (UBP & UDP) can't be beat. We live in Florida so we don't have to fly. This puts us in the $2500 total for 4 price range.

 

We choose a balcony stateroom only because the mini-suite doesn't offer any more square footage in the actual room...the bathroom is just a little bigger.

 

The couch converts to a bed and a pullman bed (sort of like a bunkbed) is pulled down from the ceiling.

[Jenjer]

We loved freedom sailed her twice.

 

NCL Mini suites are the best bathrooms outside of a real suite. 2 or 3 people can comfortably be in there at once. Not something you can say about Freedom balcony bathrooms.

 

The Family minis have a tub all the other mini's have a very large shower.

 

The sofa will become one bed and the other bed will be a Pullman. I can not say I noticed any other real difference is the cabin size. Didn't pack my measuring tape. Maybe one is bigger than the other but not enough to really notice.

[Mistizoom]

There will be plenty of room for you in a mini-suite, and if you booked four passengers they will put you in one that sleeps four. Only negative with a mini-suite guarantee is that on some ships (including Escape) only the family mini-suites have tubs if that is a concern for you, many only have showers. But the bathroom is much bigger than a regular balcony cabin.

 

ETA: whoops, missed Jenjer's post above mine which basically says the same thing! :)

Edited March 4, 2016 by Mistizoom

[tel2]

Hi!

 

Because the mini and balcony are the same square footage EXCEPT for the size of the bathroom, if it were me, with two young kids, I'd opt for a large balcony if the price is comparable to a mini guarantee, which it sometimes is (but not always - sometimes the mini guarantee is still materially lower depending on the sail date). The large balconys have very very large balconys. The extra space is great to spread out, or have a quiet drink after the kids are asleep.

 

Terry

[wrcjr98]

I had a mini suite (9790) last month with 4 adults - There was plenty of storage room, and we really appreciated the larger bathroom, as 2 people could be in there at the sink at the same time. We didn't use the tub, but found that we liked having the shower/tub with glass doors instead of a curtain. The couch makes up in to almost a full size bed, and the bed that pulls out of the ceiling is a twin. We had 2 23 year olds with us, so you should be great with the kids!! Enjoy your trip!

[MikeBTN]

Thanks all for the input. After some thought and the mini-suite guarantee disappearing :-/ I think we're going to do a large balcony, which is about the same price as a mini-suite. If the mini-suite were a larger cabin like Royal Caribbean's ships then I'd probably do that. The larger balcony will be more enjoyable since there are 4 of us.