Mini Suite vs. Standard Balcony?

[Tapi]

Hello everybody:

 

We will be taking the Sapphire Princess in September. The difference between a standard balcony stateroom and a mini suite is $120 per person. For those of you who have experienced both of these types of staterooms, what are your thoughts? Is the difference in price justified? Which one would you prefer?

 

The difference in price is not an issue, but that doesn't mean that we want to waste money.

 

Thanks!

[Talisker92]

Please go to Princess.com click on Ships then click on Sapphire Princess. You will see the diagrams of both and then can decide, The basic differences are tub vs. shower, 2 tv's vs one tv, and sofa vs. no sofa

[Hank1468]

Which category Balcony do you currently have? That makes a difference, in my opinion. If you are in a category of Balcony on the Caribe deck, and you prefer the larger balcony, then stay there. However, if you would prefer more interior space, the extra TV, sofa, and full-size bathroom, then go for the mini-suite. Keep in mind that if you choose a mini on Dolphin Deck, your balcony will be completely uncovered (if that matters to you). Some people love that, some do not. If you want my vote... I would go for the mini. Whatever you choose, you will have a wonderful time!

[2pbears]

It really depends on how important the 1) bathtub 2) 2 tv's 3) love seat/sitting area inside are to you and your cruising habits. The two tv's means nothing to us as we rarely turn them on and we don't use the bathtub (although it is nice to have the larger shower) but we do like to have a comfortable place to sit for a glass of wine before dinner. We tend to book a mini suite for colder weather cruises where we feel it may be too chilly to sit out on the balcony at all times. For warm weather cruises we usually stick to just the balcony.

[Pam in CA]

We will be taking the Sapphire Princess in September. The difference between a standard balcony stateroom and a mini suite is $120 per person. For those of you who have experienced both of these types of staterooms, what are your thoughts? Is the difference in price justified? Which one would you prefer?

 

The difference in price is not an issue, but that doesn't mean that we want to waste money.

Justified. Take the mini-suite. Much more room in the cabin, more storage, larger bathroom with tub/shower, good-sized balcony, and some amenities.

 

Mini-Suites -- In Room Amenities

Luxury mattresses

Luxury ivory satin pinstripe bed linens

Fluffy duvets in place of blankets

Luggage protector on bed at embarkation

Pillow menu - option of feather or therapeutic pillows

Luxury towels

Glass of champagne at embarkation

Upgraded bathroom amenities (shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion)

[Tapi]

We tend to book a mini suite for colder weather cruises where we feel it may be too chilly to sit out on the balcony at all times.

 

OK, we're sold on the mini-suite! That one sentence put everything into perspective. We will be going on an end of the season Alaska sailing, so needless to say, we can expect some chilly temperatures. It will be nice to have some extra space to move around indoors when it's too cold to sit outside...:D

[gertz]

Do the mini and if possible get cat AD covered, but they go fast.

Will be on the Sapphire again on May 7 Cat AD E728 the great big balcony on the end.:D Excellent ship with no MUTS.:)

[gertz]

How do you like that two dogs in a row and yours can stand on its head.:cool:

[TracieABD]

I would pick the mini!

[gertz]

And now 3.:eek:

[TracieABD]

And now 3.:eek:

Mine cannot stand on his head... Heck, half the time he doesn't even know his own name (and he is 6 years old!). Not a smart little character (but sweet:)) !

[erwinner]

Just here making it 4 in a row.

Sam can't stand on his head, but he stands up like a little person all the time!

[erwinner]

double post

[ship2ship]

I just got back from the Mexico cruise on the Sapphire--- we had two connecting balconies on the Caribe deck (on this deck, the balconies are twice the size of the standard ones on other decks--- accommodates 4 chairs and a good sized table). I truly enjoy these balconies much more than those with the mini-suites (on the Dolphin deck) because they are half-covered and half-open. The minisuite balconies are completely open to viewing from above. If space in the cabin (or bathtub) is a priority (especially if you have more than 2 people), then the minisuite is a better choice, but otherwise, I was very pleased with the Caribe deck balcony room. Whichever you choose, the Sapphire is a beautiful ship-- you will be happy regardless.

[Denny01]

We are on the Grand and went with the Mini this cruise. As many have said, the BR is larger. We enjoyed our Standard Balcony, but the shower was Very small...we aren't large people and we found it restrictive. Although I'm not a big shower/tub fan, it looks larger. We are on the Hawaii cruise with many seadays so we wanted a bigger balcony also. Have friends in a standard balcony and I'd think we can join up on our balcony some.

 

Denny

[TracieABD]

Just here making it 4 in a row.

Sam can't stand on his head, but he stands up like a little person all the time!

My doxie, too! (but only if he wants food!)

[Loonbeam]

We did that run. Go mini-suite either covered or partially covered. It was SO nice in glacier bay to be able to come in out of the rain, you could still see everything from the couch (with Stewarts help we rotated it to face out for the first 2 sea days and with the extra space still had plenty of room to move around)

 

OK, we're sold on the mini-suite! That one sentence put everything into perspective. We will be going on an end of the season Alaska sailing, so needless to say, we can expect some chilly temperatures. It will be nice to have some extra space to move around indoors when it's too cold to sit outside...:D

[Woobstr112G]

My vote is for the mini. Love having the extra room in the cabin and not having to deal with the "friendly" shower curtin.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Sauvignon]

For that relatively small additional cost I would choose the mini. I upgraded to a mini (at much greater cost) for our Honeymoon. If Itinerary has a significant number of sea days it becomes even more important in my opinion so that when the public areas become busy you always have a retreat. I repeat at then cost you quote it is a must.

[W5KAP]

For that relatively small additional cost I would choose the mini. I upgraded to a mini (at much greater cost) for our Honeymoon. If Itinerary has a significant number of sea days it becomes even more important in my opinion so that when the public areas become busy you always have a retreat. I repeat at then cost you quote it is a must.

 

This is why we opted for a Mini on our 17 day Repo of the Coral come September. I believe our itinerary has 9 or 10 sea days and we like the extra room it affords.

 

Cheers, Kenn

[DeepWaterMariner]

The tub/shower is a plus for most people but it doesn't work for us since my wife can't make the big step into the tub. We stick with balcony cabins on Caribe deck. HAL's newer ships have suites which have both a tub/shower and a shower stall which allows us to go the larger cabin route when we sail on one of those ships.

[snoodqueen]

Mini-suite is the way to go if cost isn't a problem. More room to move around and bigger balcony. I loved having the tub - just be careful of the emergency call string on the wall. Unbeknownst to me at the time, I pulled it and within minutes I had crew knocking at my door asking if I were okay. Very embarrassing but good to know it works!