Mini Suites

[4*2*cruise]

We'll be on the Pearl in Jan with two small children ages 3 and 5. Are the mini suites a better option than a standard balcony cabin? First cruise and would love some feedback.

[watchdiva]

You'll have a bathtub which may help with bathing the kids. Friends of ours had an AF on the Dawn a few years ago; it was comfortable for the two of them.

 

Enjoy your cruise - this may be your first but bet it won't be your last:D ..

 

You're going to love the Pearl......

[garycarla]

slightly better.

 

The AF mini suite is basically an oversized balcony, and then by only a few feet. You do get the mini-tub. You do get a curtain that pulls between the bed and the couch area. Other than that, still a balcony.

 

But, it would help with your youngins for not much more money. Since they are two young to do another cabin, this could be a nice option. If you have the money the AB cabins are great, but it just about doubles the price.

[AFAMILY]

We'll be on the Pearl in Jan with two small children ages 3 and 5. Are the mini suites a better option than a standard balcony cabin? First cruise and would love some feedback.

 

I believe the mini-suites are about 40% larger overall than the standard balcony cabins.

 

You get more living space, the curtain that seperates the bed and the sofabed, a bigger bathroom with a tub/shower combination, a larger balcony and more storage space.

 

IMO well worth the extra money, especially with the little ones along. My wife and I were very comfortable in ours. I think it's a better choice than a standard balcony with the kids.

 

Enjoy your cruise! :)

[DMH15]

Last April 3 of us went in a mini suite. The curtain came in handy if someone wantde to sleep during the day. One drawback: if you leave the sofa bed out if blocks the door to the balcony. That was a pain, my mother opted to keep the couch as a bed the whole time :(... the bathroom seemed nicer. Hope it works good for you guys! Sounds perfect for your family.

[Hockey19]

Mini suite is a great option for you. Just off an 11th floor Pearl mini. Pull out sofa with screen separates a large cabin. Balcony is huge. Bathroom with tub will meet your family needs. Pearl is a wonderful ship. Go for it.

[minncruisers]

How much storage space does the mini suite have? Is the closet fairly large? We're thinking about a mini but I'd surely like to have more storage space. We've sailed primarily with CCL and I like the upper and lower berths for our kids but we're thinking about changing things up with a cruise to AK on NCL.:rolleyes:

[WinnieinWA]

How much storage space does the mini suite have? Is the closet fairly large? We're thinking about a mini but I'd surely like to have more storage space. We've sailed primarily with CCL and I like the upper and lower berths for our kids but we're thinking about changing things up with a cruise to AK on NCL.:rolleyes:

 

There's lots of storage! DD and I didn't use even half of the storage space in a mini.

[LegalEagle2012]

Just off the Gem last week and the Mini Suite was bigger by far than any balcony cabin we have had with RCI or even their Junior Suite. Tons of storage too - there were four of us - hubby, myself, 15 year old and 9 year old daughters and we do not travel light!!

 

Cabin was certainly bigger in square footage than regular balcony ones - ohh we also got fruit basket, flowers and bottle of Evian too!!

[AFT_LOVER]

and it was cramped. Too much furniture including a table & 2 chairs tohave meals on but it was crammed under the cabinet that held the TV & the phone was on the wall inside of it. Get out of bed in the middle of the night & hit the chair leg. So we put it in the hallway. The tub just held me but not to lay in the tub for a nap in the hot water. It is short for a 5' lady. Toilet's shower door kept falling off the rung.

 

Balcony had 2 chairs with a small table between them, and it was not much bigger than the AFT balcony, which the room seems bigger too. SO WE WILL TAKE AFT!

 

So maybe Gem's is bigger and we did not get a fruit basket but a cereal bowl wih 1 banana, 1 apple & 1 orange. Steward doubled it. No flowers, no evian or any water other than tap.

[LegalEagle2012]

The Gem must be bigger then - I am a fairly large girl and loved to soak in the tub once or twice - without problems either.

[watchdiva]

I didn't know that mini-suites offered Evian to pax? I know that in the suites we had one free bottle but if we wanted more it was for purchase.

 

AFTLover, I don't understand your comment about the AFT balcony being not much bigger than an AF??? If you're referring to the BA Aft balconies, they are considerably (by a long shot) bigger than an AF balcony. The BA's that I'm referring to are those sandwiched by AE and AD suites - which ship were you on with an AFT balcony that wasn't much bigger than an AF?

 

Also, as to tub size, my best friend and her SO had an AF on the Dawn - my friend is 5'8" and she had no trouble stretching out and relaxing.......the tub in the AD is likely the same size as that in the AF and again, I'm 5'5" and had no trouble stretching out, relaxing and reading.

[AFT_LOVER]

Yes, I agree with you. Folks are stating that the balconies are huge. NOPE. The table with 2 chairs wouldn't fit on it so we could have breakfast on the balcony.

 

Give me an AFT over a mini anytime. Told my TA not to upsell to an AF ever again. a true suite would be of interest for $150. But no way to a mini again. That is one expensive tub!

 

 

I didn't know that mini-suites offered Evian to pax? I know that in the suites we had one free bottle but if we wanted more it was for purchase.

 

AFTLover, I don't understand your comment about the AFT balcony being not much bigger than an AF??? If you're referring to the BA Aft balconies, they are considerably (by a long shot) bigger than an AF balcony. The BA's that I'm referring to are those sandwiched by AE and AD suites - which ship were you on with an AFT balcony that wasn't much bigger than an AF?

 

Also, as to tub size, my best friend and her SO had an AF on the Dawn - my friend is 5'8" and she had no trouble stretching out and relaxing.......the tub in the AD is likely the same size as that in the AF and again, I'm 5'5" and had no trouble stretching out, relaxing and reading.

[DizzyDallasDi]

and it was cramped. Too much furniture including a table & 2 chairs tohave meals on but it was crammed under the cabinet that held the TV & the phone was on the wall inside of it. Get out of bed in the middle of the night & hit the chair leg. So we put it in the hallway. So others could stumble over it? Nice! Unless you're in a true suite, all cabins are cramped so one needs to be mindful of this in order to avoid injury. This is just a part of cruising.

 

The tub just held me but not to lay in the tub for a nap in the hot water. It is short for a 5' lady. The tub in the mini on the Sun was very large and I had no problem stretching out completely and I'm 5'4".

Toilet's shower door kept falling off the rung. I hope you made the simple phone call so maintenance could repair it. Voila...problem solved!

 

Balcony had 2 chairs with a small table between them, and it was not much bigger than the AFT balcony, which the room seems bigger too. SO WE WILL TAKE AFT! My mini on the Sun was an AF aft and the balcony had 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a small table. Minis are different on all ships.

 

So maybe Gem's is bigger and we did not get a fruit basket but a cereal bowl wih 1 banana, 1 apple & 1 orange. Steward doubled it. Sounds like the "cereal bowl" was an irritant? Sorry, I'm not getting why you found it necessary to make this statement. At least you got it "doubled."

 

No flowers, no evian or any water other than tap. If you were supposed to get flowers and evian and didn't, a simple phone call would have rectified this situation.

 

I hope your next cabin meets your expectations.

[Hockey19]

Aft_Lover- I think we all would all love a larger aft suite. When we first started cruising we had an oceanview, than we spluged on a bacony, now we spluger more on a mini. Each time we spend more and each time we get more. An aft is usually (but not always) bigger than mini's. We take a mini over a balcony sateroom but for now budget does not take us to the next level. Not sure what balcony you saw but I can vouch that our Pearl mini suite balcony was about 50% larger than any lower category NCL balcony we have been on. Evian is not free on the Pearl mini. Our mini was perfect for two, the tub (which we did not lie down in) seemed more than adequate and there was more than ample space.

[candydane]

DizzyDallasDi,

 

We have an AE aft mini on the Sun for our upcoming cruise.

 

I'd love to see some pictures of your aft AF balcony &/or the interior. Are they posted online anywhere? If not, would you email them to me (my email is down in my signature).

 

Thanks!

[DizzyDallasDi]

DizzyDallasDi,

 

We have an AE aft mini on the Sun for our upcoming cruise.

 

I'd love to see some pictures of your aft AF balcony &/or the interior. Are they posted online anywhere? If not, would you email them to me (my email is down in my signature).

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Linda! I didn't take any pics of my cabin (9278) but here's a link to someone else's. I found this before I took my cruise and I can vouch for the accuracy of the cabin pics. Also, I'd like to add that I was amazed at the number of outlets in my room...they were everywhere.

 

I'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

Diane

 

http://www.cmgoddard.com/cruises.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.cmgoddard.com/cruises.html

[mpk218]

We'll be on the Pearl in Jan with two small children ages 3 and 5. Are the mini suites a better option than a standard balcony cabin? First cruise and would love some feedback.

 

only if the price is right . If you do go with the AF choose one on the stern (aft) of the ship.

 

Mini-Suite

 

Two lower beds that convert to a queen-sized bed; floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open up to a private balcony; a sitting area; and a private bathroom with a luxury bath and shower. Each mini-suite also includes a refrigerator, minisafe, television, music console, direct-dial telephone, and a hairdryer. Concierge available.

 

 

Approximately 231-sq.-ft. suite with 54-sq.-ft. balcony.

 

 

On Deck: 11

On Deck: 11

Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Two lower beds that convert to a double bed; floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open up to a private balcony; a sitting area; and a private bathroom with shower. Each stateroom also includes a refrigerator, minisafe, television, music console, direct-dial telephone, and a hairdryer. Approximately 162 to 167-sq.-ft. stateroom with 38-sq.-ft. balcony.

 

 

On Decks: 8, 9, 10, 11

[blackerbys17]

We'll be on the Pearl in Jan with two small children ages 3 and 5. Are the mini suites a better option than a standard balcony cabin? First cruise and would love some feedback.

 

The best advice I can give you is to get a BA aft balcony cabin on deck 10. There are only 2 of them but if one of them is available grab it while you can! The balcony on that BA is HUUUUGE, way bigger than the mini-suite above it. The cabin itself is about the same as a standard balcony but the balcony itself is amazing. You won't regret it. If the 2 on deck 10 are not available then try for deck 9 or deck 8, there are 2 on each deck. Just keep in mind that the largest of the 6 BA aft balcony cabins are the ones on deck 10. Enjoy!

[creativemomma]

The best advice I can give you is to get a BA aft balcony cabin on deck 10. There are only 2 of them but if one of them is available grab it while you can! The balcony on that BA is HUUUUGE, way bigger than the mini-suite above it. The cabin itself is about the same as a standard balcony but the balcony itself is amazing. You won't regret it. If the 2 on deck 10 are not available then try for deck 9 or deck 8, there are 2 on each deck. Just keep in mind that the largest of the 6 BA aft balcony cabins are the ones on deck 10. Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the info!:D We are booked for Sept 09 in cabin 10668 and wasn't sure we would like the aft, we have always had a midship cabin, but now I am excited!!:)

 

Thanks again,

Tammy

[tiggerfan616]

4*2cruise, when will you be on the Pearl. We will be on her Jan 25th and are bringing our 7yr old son. We have booked an aft mini suite but hoping for the price on the AB to drop or get a call from the upgrade fairy.

We had an Aft AE last Jan on the Jewel and loved it.

Plenty of storage and a nice balcony to watch the sunsets

[blackerbys17]

Thanks for the info!:D We are booked for Sept 09 in cabin 10668 and wasn't sure we would like the aft, we have always had a midship cabin, but now I am excited!!:)

 

Thanks again,

Tammy

 

You are very welcome, glad I could help!

[candydane]

Thanks, Diane, for the link to the aft mini-suite pics. They are exactly what I wanted to see!

 

I do have a question. I know minisuites get terry robes, but will we also get NCL slippers? No big thing, but they'd be one less thing I'll have to pack! :D