Jr suite vs Balcony

[Ozark_Kid]

For those who experienced both, what do you now choose most.  I am a big fan of balcony rooms but I have never tried a jr suite.  Yes the jr is larger but does is seem so much larger that when you try one you don’t want to go back to a balcony?  Do other benefits of a jr make a big difference?  After I try a jr is it going to be one of those moments where I say.... why did I wait so long.

[Brucemcdou]

For us it is worth it if the cost isn't too high.  A couple of hundred dollars we'll do it - thousands we won't.  The extra space is really nice to have, the bathrooms can be larger, and of course the balcony is larger too.  We prefer longer cruises so we really use the space - breakfast in the cabin or on the balcony, movie night in the room, etc.   We do the same on other lines: Celebrity Sky Suite and Princess Junior Suites when it's not stupid expensive.  And on RCCL you get access to Coastal Kitchen for dinner on a space available basis on those ships that have it, which gives you another option for dining.  

 

[On edit] RCCL balcony cabins are still larger than some other lines, notably Princess regular balcony cabins usually don't have a sofa but just a chair at the desk.  RCCL and Celebrity and HAL regular balconies are nice sized usually with a small sofa and a coffee table so we're fine with them.  We won't take a Princess regular balcony any more.  

Edited May 31, 2021 by Brucemcdou

[cruiserking]

13 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

For those who experienced both, what do you now choose most.  I am a big fan of balcony rooms but I have never tried a jr suite.  Yes the jr is larger but does is seem so much larger that when you try one you don’t want to go back to a balcony?  Do other benefits of a jr make a big difference?  After I try a jr is it going to be one of those moments where I say.... why did I wait so long.

We always book at least a Junior Suite. On Quantum Class ships the Junior  Suite has the added benefit of the Coastal Kitchen which is a great perk. The room size is very spacious, with a large balcony, plus the double points is an added bonus. 

 

Once you've experienced an upgrade it's hard to go back to a balcony unless the price point is so egregious. The old trope "Well, we don't spend so much time in the cabin" quickly becomes false the larger your cabin is. You will indeed spend much more time there relaxing and enjoying your private sanctuary at sea. 

 

Jonathan

[Cigar King]

The extra space in the bathroom is worth it for me.  For me the JS became the gateway drug towards the other suites.  😉

[3kidsncats]

I think it depends on your attitude, whether you are happy going back to a regular balcony.  I have sailed in 2 bdrm Haven suites a few times, an OS on Princess, and regular balconies a few times in between.  Always enjoyed every cruise, and honestly can’t say it mattered which category we were in.  Obviously it’s great to have a nicer, bigger cabin, but we only book them when the price is great.  

[jonbgd]

we only do balcony or above

we will book them if  the price is right

 

I think of a JS as the size of a nice hotel room

on the older ships, pre Radiance class

the Js cabin is about the size of a current large balcony cabin

 

We have gone up to a GS, a couple times but have no problem booking balconies, on future cruise

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by jonbgd

[fair-winds39]

Whenever we can, we cruise from ports within driving distance. We cruised in 2019 and early 2020 from Baltimore; once on the Grandeur and once on the other line from the same port. We've been cruising for many years on many different cruise lines. When we booked on the Grandeur we decided to try the junior suite. At first, I was disappointed, but 2 days in, I loved it. Ours had a pole near the bed, but there was no problem. I first asked the steward to take out one of the chairs, but when he came to our cabin, I changed my mind. I really liked that junior suite and would recommend it. While we're not loyal to any cruise line, we'll definitely try another RCCL cruise and a junior suite.

[firefly333]

I've done both. Yes I liked the extra space but didnt love the bath tub. I only do showers. 

 

The extra space is nice. And the extra loyalty pt. I dont care which it is as maybe a solo either is fine. I'm not that picky. Bigger is better but not a huge amount better.

[HicksRA]

JS is about as low as we go nowadays after being spoiled in suites. JS is not all that much better than a balcony to me other than a tub/shower compared to those elbow bangers in a balcony room, but it’s worth the few extra $$ for the double points. 

[bonsai3s]

The walk-in closet is nice..JS, Voyager and Freedom class ships.

[BirdTravels]

We try to book a junior or grand suite for the bathroom. 

[jonbgd]

17 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

The walk-in closet is nice..JS, Voyager and Freedom class ships.

Radiance class as well

[poocher]

First cruise 20 years ago, outside cabin with a window for hubby, me and 2 kidlets 11 & 16. Who knew🤷‍♀️  18 years later a grand suite for hubby me & adult daughter.  MUCH better and he loved flashing that gold card 🙄. Last year tried a deluxe balcony for hubby me & 10 year old grandson.  Never again.  No room to walk, no place to unpack & store stuff, shower the size of a time capsule and what the #%## is all-in-one shampoo conditioner and body wash??????    Next cruise is also with the kidlets (now 31 & 36!) in an Owners Suite on Harmony.  IMHO a junior suite is the minimum necessary for a comfortable cruise.
 

[retired dude]

we are simple cruisers, only been on 25 of them and we started with inside cabins and then moved up to balcony...We sailed with a couple that had only booked JS cabins and we got them a great deal on a regular balcony midship. After seeing the room we got them his only comment was why have we been paying all that extra $ for a JS.., these standard balcony cabins were all we needed, we just did not know any better...When i sold cruises i used to tell clients that ; because i always thought that the JS cabins were not a bargain to the majority of today's cruisers.... I tried to teach them to pay a tiny bit more and book the oversized balcony rooms and pick the right floor and the occasional oversize balcony that comes with a few cabins on each ship....just a matter of doing your homework.. For many of us that means getting to go on more cruises every year because of smart bookings based on research.....As in everything else in our country to each his/her own always works. in our narcissistic  society.

[LuCruise]

We book a JS for the first and only time on Adventure Dec 2019. Great room.  For me, the big difference was the storage space...walk in closet (the best!)  and lots of drawers and shelving. Having said that, the price is usually too much of a difference so we stick to balcony or 2 other connecting  rooms depending on the cruise.

[Cruise a holic]

The Junior suite is so much larger then a balcony cabin.  IMO well worth it- however on the old Royal ships without a suite restaurant- it really is about the size of the cabin.  

[cruiselvr04]

We book mostly balcony rooms but really enjoy a Jr Suite if the cost isn’t much higher. We keep in mind how much per day it’s worth.  For us that’s $100 per day more then a balcony total or less not per person.  It also depends on sea days.  If a cruise is port intensive it’s not worth the money.  If we have been there, done that and plan to skip some ports then a bigger cabin is desired.  
 

I love the tub and a bit nicer bathroom.  The walk in closet makes travel so much easier packing, unpacking and getting ready.  And I do enjoy a bigger balcony if I can get the steward to bring a lounger.  
 

I have had great cruises in every category including inside cabins.  Post covid I doubt we’ll return to outside and inside cabins though.  Book what you want to pay.  Personally we can’t imagine spending money on higher then owners suites. For us it would not equal that much enjoyment. Thankfully neither of us rate our cruise on the cabin.  There’s too much else to enjoy,

[erinsmom03]

We cruised RCCL 20+ years ago, then our next cruises were on Disney. The room sizes and the bathroom layouts were so much better on Disney! It spoiled us. We like to book JS now on RCCL. We enjoy a little extra room so we aren't tripping over each other (we are only a family of 3, but that means we are used to having our own space, lol!).

 

I love the double points for a JS. I like the extra room and a few extra amenities. Our Alaska cruise next summer is going to be a balcony room, but it will only be my husband and me in our room, and we got a highly recommended aft balcony so we will try it. After that, we are trying a 2 bedroom grand suite. Who knows? Maybe it will be full suites only after that!

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, poocher said:

First cruise 20 years ago, outside cabin with a window for hubby, me and 2 kidlets 11 & 16. Who knew🤷‍♀️  18 years later a grand suite for hubby me & adult daughter.  MUCH better and he loved flashing that gold card 🙄. Last year tried a deluxe balcony for hubby me & 10 year old grandson.  Never again.  No room to walk, no place to unpack & store stuff, shower the size of a time capsule and what the #%## is all-in-one shampoo conditioner and body wash??????    Next cruise is also with the kidlets (now 31 & 36!) in an Owners Suite on Harmony.  IMHO a junior suite is the minimum necessary for a comfortable cruise.
 

Sharing even an OS with adult kids that age  The only time we shared with our late teens-early 20's was what used to be called the RFS on Liberty & Indy.

[CruiseBride926]

When my kids were crib age the JS or larger was a must. The extra space was needed and the bathtub was definitely a plus. Now if we get a decent deal we’ll go for a suite but if not a balcony is fine too. I’m not going to take the kids to a suite restaurant or anything so for us the only perk would be the size. 

[ReneeFLL]

For us the extra space is nice, especially in the closet. We always book balconies and will book a js or higher if the price is right. For the 2 of us a regular balcony cabin is fine. Going from a grand suite to a regular balcony is definitely harder, but not so much from a js to a regular balcony.

[Ozark_Kid]

4 hours ago, Cigar King said:

The extra space in the bathroom is worth it for me.  For me the JS became the gateway drug towards the other suites.  😉

That is something that crossed my mind.  Does it end.  Thought a bigger one would be great for Grandkids!

[Ozark_Kid]

4 hours ago, 3kidsncats said:

I think it depends on your attitude, whether you are happy going back to a regular balcony.  I have sailed in 2 bdrm Haven suites a few times, an OS on Princess, and regular balconies a few times in between.  Always enjoyed every cruise, and honestly can’t say it mattered which category we were in.  Obviously it’s great to have a nicer, bigger cabin, but we only book them when the price is great.  

We have tried them all except for the suites and a virtual balcony.  We have enjoyed them all but love the option to get outside

[poocher]

2 hours ago, Ashland said:

Sharing even an OS with adult kids that age  The only time we shared with our late teens-early 20's was what used to be called the RFS on Liberty & Indy.

Funny, people always talk about needing their own space even with small children.  That has never been a problem or really even a consideration for us.  We travelled all the time while they were growing up and always slept in one hotel room.  Son got the worst of it because he got to sleep with his snoring dad and our daughter slept with me.  Nobody thought twice about it🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️.  On this cruise, dad & I get the bed, daughter gets the pullout sofa & we’ve requested a rollaway for my son.  With the UBP, he will sleep anywhere!😁

[Ozark_Kid]

Appreciate the responses.  It sounds like it will be worth a try.  This will probably be a good time to try one.    I can add some cash to our fcc and will not notice a difference.  I did not know about the larger bathrooms.

How much do people take advantage of the Coastal Kitchen.  Is it crowded?  Do you mainly just use it for lunch?  I have never checked it out but in my mind I picture it to be similar to the Solarium restaurant which we enjoy.