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Mini suite really better than balcony?


cparker01
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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?

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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.

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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. 

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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! 

 

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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  

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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.   

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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.

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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.    

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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.  

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