Help deciding,Balcony Cabin verus Balcony Suite

[janroatan]

Trying to decide between Balcony cabin or Balcony Suite.

How much bigger is the Suite, does it have a better layout?

[Triptkr]

Which ship are you looking at?  Overall, the full suite is going to be substantially larger than a regular balcony stateroom.   As far as having a better layout...this may be a matter of opinion but I would usually book a full suite over a balcony stateroom unless it was on the Royal Class of ships then it has everything to do with type of suite and location.   Usually the layout is great and the perks are pretty nice.

[skynight]

Please advise ship, and if you are speaking about a full suite, club class mini suite, mini suite (not club class, deluxe balcony (only on Royal Class ships), standard balcony. There are lots of variations. Basically full suite passengers receive full suite amenities which vary some by ship. Club Class mini suite passengers basically receive club class dining and not much else. Regular mini suite, Deluxe balcony and standard balcony passengers basically all receive the same amenities. Balcony sizes may vary depending on the ship and location on the ship. 

[Ken the cruiser]

10 minutes ago, janroatan said:

Trying to decide between Balcony cabin or Balcony Suite.

How much bigger is the Suite, does it have a better layout?

We were just on the Caribbean Princess for 18 days in an aft-facing vista suite and absolutely loved it! Free laundry, massive fully covered aft-facing balcony, separate living and sleeping areas, separate walk-in shower and tub, and club class dining. If our budget could afford it, we would book a vista suite every cruise! 😁

[Steelers36]

19 minutes ago, janroatan said:

Trying to decide between Balcony cabin or Balcony Suite.

How much bigger is the Suite, does it have a better layout?

You have some good suggestions above and the ship you are looking at is important.  That said, if you look at sample cabins on a booking you are interested in, you can see the size of cabin and also a sample floor plan layout.  That should give you a starting point of reference to what others are posting about.

 

There is a HUGE difference between a regular Balcony and a Suite.

[janroatan]

For comparison: Regal Princess, Mini Suite

[Ken the cruiser]

13 minutes ago, janroatan said:

For comparison: Regal Princess, Mini Suite

If you can afford upgrading to the club class mini-suite, I would definitely recommend that, especially if you enjoy dining at different times. So far on the 11th day of our 21 day cruise with 3200 passengers aboard, we have never had to wait to be seated regardless of what time we show up.

 

Also, the sofa is very large and comfortable in the mini-suites. OTOH do they even offer a second chair anymore in a regular balcony to go along with the one that slides under the desk? 

[cr8tiv1]

2 hours ago, skynight said:

Please advise ship, and if you are speaking about a full suite, club class mini suite, mini suite (not club class, deluxe balcony (only on Royal Class ships), standard balcony. There are lots of variations. Basically full suite passengers receive full suite amenities which vary some by ship. Club Class mini suite passengers basically receive club class dining and not much else. Regular mini suite, Deluxe balcony and standard balcony passengers basically all receive the same amenities. Balcony sizes may vary depending on the ship and location on the ship. 

 

Best category descriptions.  

[donaldsc]

The information on cabin size is in the cabin description which will be on the cruise company's web site.  It is also available on any of the many cabin description WEB  sites.  As far as layout, this description is also available on the WEB.

 

DON

[nini]

We had a deluxe balcony on the Regal; L103. These also have the loveseats and proper balcony furniture at non- suite prices.

[geoherb]

Have you considered an inside? 😄

One piece of advice is to upgrade your cruise line and not your cabin. My cruise next month is not currently available, so I looked at the one after mine. For a 10-day cruise, it's $1,034 for an inside cabin, $1,654 for a balcony, and $4,734 for a suite. The price per day for a suite with Princess Plus ends up at $523. A Viking cruise for many of the same ports is $447 per day. Sure, the cabin will be a bit smaller (270 square feet) than a suite on Princess. But you'll also have one shore excursion included in each port. 

[tja273]

We were just in a mini suite on the Crown. We enjoyed the extra seating space inside (full couch with 2nd TV) and the larger balcony (two chairs, two ottomans and table). The only drawback on that type of ship is the the balcony on the mini suites do not have any cover. The decks above look right down on you.

[NavyVeteran]

11 hours ago, janroatan said:

For comparison: Regal Princess, Mini Suite

Please note that most of the answers to your original question are not applicable to your specific case. A mini-suite is not a suite. It is larger than a balcony cabin but provides no additional amenities.

 

DW and I never travel in a mini-suite. We book an outside, a balcony, or a full suite. DW has mobility problems with her knees. A mini-suite (except for an accessible one) has a shower in tub, which is very difficult for her to use. An inside, outside, or balcony has a (small) walk-in shower, which is much better. A full suite has separate tub and (large) walk-in shower, which is even better. If you have a preference for a tub or small walk-in shower, this may be a major influence on your decision.

[candydane]

You can search YouTube or even google for videos of the ship you chose and the types of cabins you're considering.  Use cabin category to search and check cabin types for other cruiseline ships for a general feel.  Once you've decided, you can post specific questions here on CruiseCritic.

 

A cruise specialist travel agent may also be able to help you.

[Tedferg]

How many Sea Days do you have? Except for Panama Canal, all of our cruises have been port intensive, so we are up early, off the ship, back for a short rest. shower, drinks, dinner, show, bed. Very little time spent in the cabin. Cost of mini suite just for a sofa does not make senses to us and so the extra cost for club class dining is not a consideration.