cparker01 Posted September 27, 2019 #1 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Can anyone tell me if they thought a mini suite is better ( space wise ) versus a standard balcony stateroom? I have two trips book with a mini suite one on Encore and one on Escape. We last sailed on the Epic in a standard family balcony and it was so tight in a bad way! Any first handers that a mini suite will be somewhat better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Wheels Only Posted September 27, 2019 #2 Share Posted September 27, 2019 For Escape and Encore, a mini-suite is basically a balcony with a slightly larger/better bathroom. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spanishguy1970 Posted September 27, 2019 #3 Share Posted September 27, 2019 10 minutes ago, cparker01 said: Can anyone tell me if they thought a mini suite is better ( space wise ) versus a standard balcony stateroom? I have two trips book with a mini suite one on Encore and one on Escape. We last sailed on the Epic in a standard family balcony and it was so tight in a bad way! Any first handers that a mini suite will be somewhat better? not really, just a bigger bathroom and maybe a bigger balcony and sometimes in a bad location. I have always insisted that NCl start calling mini suites " deluxe balconies" because they are really not suites at all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conciergecruiser Posted September 27, 2019 #4 Share Posted September 27, 2019 7 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said: For Escape and Encore, a mini-suite is basically a balcony with a slightly larger/better bathroom. I agree, I had on my Bahamas cruise last April, on the Escape, I liked the all of the shower heads :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rsavtechcruise Posted September 27, 2019 #5 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Twice as big bathroom and slightly larger in room very slightly like 2-4ft Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparker01 Posted September 27, 2019 Author #6 Share Posted September 27, 2019 Thanks for the info! Thats what I was thinking. The Epic (family of 4) was so tight my husband left every morning and showered and got dressed in the fitness locker room. Haven is just too expensive for us. Plus the deposits are higher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailBreakaway Posted September 27, 2019 #7 Share Posted September 27, 2019 another sink and a larger shower. done. When we pile 4 of us in one cabin with 3/4th free this is what we do, when its just DW and I, its Balcony. No not a suite at all. RCCL mini suites are larger in the living area and balcony, so thats kind of legit, this is just a bigger bathroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparker01 Posted September 27, 2019 Author #8 Share Posted September 27, 2019 I'm kinda set in for our New York / Bermuda cruise for this coming memorial day 2020 but just booked the Escape Scandinavia Baltic for 2021 so could easily change that booking. Just looking for an early booking deal on a family friendly cruise. Any tips for good cruise offers would be awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted September 27, 2019 #9 Share Posted September 27, 2019 34 minutes ago, Rsavtechcruise said: Twice as big bathroom and slightly larger in room very slightly like 2-4ft Not 2 ft. Maybe 2 sq ft which is like the size of a baking pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cparker01 Posted September 27, 2019 Author #10 Share Posted September 27, 2019 3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said: Not 2 ft. Maybe 2 sq ft which is like the size of a baking pan. Great! Now i may have to hear my hubby give me .... about another stateroom being too small! I'm still ready for a great trip regaurdless as we have the drink package sure to cure any small stateroom issues! Anyone know if that Epic family Balcony we stayed in is smaller than on Escape? I know Encore is coming soon with reviews. Just want to be prepared Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLAHAM Posted September 28, 2019 #11 Share Posted September 28, 2019 1 hour ago, cparker01 said: Great! Now i may have to hear my hubby give me .... about another stateroom being too small! I'm still ready for a great trip regaurdless as we have the drink package sure to cure any small stateroom issues! Anyone know if that Epic family Balcony we stayed in is smaller than on Escape? I know Encore is coming soon with reviews. Just want to be prepared In my opinion, a standard balcony or a mini suite is great for two people, crowded for four. The mini suite is immaterially better and not worth any significant additional expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LisaLisa87 Posted September 28, 2019 #12 Share Posted September 28, 2019 So what type of room should a family book if they’re not willing to shell out $$$ for the Haven? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLAHAM Posted September 28, 2019 #13 Share Posted September 28, 2019 28 minutes ago, LisaLisa87 said: So what type of room should a family book if they’re not willing to shell out $$$ for the Haven? Two choices: put up with some crowding or book two cabins. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2kmo Posted September 28, 2019 #14 Share Posted September 28, 2019 1 hour ago, FLAHAM said: Two choices: put up with some crowding or book two cabins. This is exactly what we do. Our girls in one and us in the other! Two bathrooms & their own space is worth the extra $. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare SpainAlien Posted September 28, 2019 #15 Share Posted September 28, 2019 We had a balcony and it was fine but there isn't a lot of room at the end of the bed. We put our son in an inside cabin on the other side of the hallway and he stared our balcony 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't-use-real-name Posted September 28, 2019 #16 Share Posted September 28, 2019 Maybe 10 square feet of bath-tub space but otherwise nothing to write home about EXCEPT the NCL SUN the forward Pool deck suites are something with maybe a 20% bigger cabin/bathroom. But as noted don't be swayed by the title MINI-SUITE these cabins are nothing more than a Balcony cabin with a bathtub shower and maybe a location on a higher deck - NO BUTLER - NO CONCIERGE - PERIOD ! On other cruise lines maybe called Junior suites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ollienbertsmum Posted September 28, 2019 #17 Share Posted September 28, 2019 11 hours ago, cparker01 said: Thanks for the info! Thats what I was thinking. The Epic (family of 4) was so tight my husband left every morning and showered and got dressed in the fitness locker room. Haven is just too expensive for us. Plus the deposits are higher. I would consider two cabins. You could try one balcony and one inside if the balcony is important to you. If not try an OV and an inside. With the Baltic cruise, if you go to Stockholm the sail in and out is beautiful, but you can always go outside to see. We had a balcony in the Baltic. It was about 10 years ago and we had our 2 teen daughters with us. The balcony was mainly used by me to sit and read while waiting for the others to get ready. We went mid July and the weather was nice, but for the covered pool rather than lazing on the balcony after long days touring. After years of having a balcony, I went OV on my last cruise because I wanted to see how much of a deal breaker a balcony really is. I just got used to walking up the stairs to go outside. Bonus is that I could order drinks while reading my book. Spice H2O was a nice space that I got used to. I really think that I would forgo a balcony in order to reduce overcrowding if cost of 2 cabins was an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C cruise Posted September 28, 2019 #18 Share Posted September 28, 2019 I agree with the person that suggested an inside room and a balcony room - they could be across the hall from each other - or 2 inside or OV connecting rooms.... what are the ages of the children? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xitappers2bx Posted September 29, 2019 #19 Share Posted September 29, 2019 On 9/27/2019 at 6:03 PM, cparker01 said: Can anyone tell me if they thought a mini suite is better ( space wise ) versus a standard balcony stateroom? I have two trips book with a mini suite one on Encore and one on Escape. We last sailed on the Epic in a standard family balcony and it was so tight in a bad way! Any first handers that a mini suite will be somewhat better? We've cruised only in mini-suites on NCL, so I can't attest to the difference between a mini-suite and balcony on NCL... but I do know that the mini-suites on the Epic had a stupid amount of storage (enough for two months of clothes and stuff after a summer living in Paris) with room to spare. The mini-suite on the Escape had a lot of storage, but not as much as the Epic... but my teenager wasn't able to fill all the storage up with her clothes, accessories, and art supplies, which she does quite easily in a balcony stateroom on Carnival without even trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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