Mini-suites on the Star

[CarynRenee]

Hi All -

I'm looking for some information regarding the mini-suites on the Star and couldn't find answers to my questions when searching the forum so hope you experienced folks can help!

 

I'm aware that they don't come with suite perks, and it seems that the biggest advantages over a regular balcony are more space, the dividing curtain, and bathtub. We will be traveling with a baby, so those things could be helpful.

 

My question is about the location of the cabins. All of them are on Deck 11 as far as I can tell. It looks like the ones from mid-ship to aft are below the pool, buffet, and teen club.

 

Does anybody have any experience with these cabins? Can you hear noise from the activities above?

 

Also, what is your opinion about these cabins in general? Is it worth the upgrade if the price difference is minimal? (It would be ~$175pp for four of us and no difference for the other two.)

 

Thanks in advance for your help! Oh, and we will be sailing a Western Caribbean itinerary so I do expect the pool to get a lot of use (which may not be the case on an Alaska itinerary, for instance).

[Army/Police Vet]

If you are paying $700 more total to upgrade from a balcony, DON'T DO IT. Definitely not worth it. It is truly a deluxe balcony and really not much is deluxe about it.

[HarpHarp]

You might want to check out the pricing for the new family suites on 12 that hold 6. They get high marks & do come with suite perks. Below the pool is noisy

[CarynRenee]

If you are paying $700 more total to upgrade from a balcony, DON'T DO IT. Definitely not worth it. It is truly a deluxe balcony and really not much is deluxe about it.

 

Oops - sorry! Should have clarified...3 cabins. Two booked through CAS deal would be $175pp to upgrade balcony to mini-suite. One booked based on regular rates would be essentially no difference. So, the $700 would be the total for upgrading three cabins.

[CarynRenee]

You might want to check out the pricing for the new family suites on 12 that hold 6. They get high marks & do come with suite perks. Below the pool is noisy

 

Thanks. I didn't clarify originally that we currently have three cabins. We'd need at least three bedrooms to all be comfortable in the same cabin (five adults and a baby), so short of the Garden Villa - which would be perfect! - there aren't many other options that work other than separate cabins. We looked at the 2BR Family Suites, but don't think it's really even a good fit since the second bedroom/bathroom is much smaller. Also, I might consider those deck 12 family suites for just us and the baby, but not sure we want a room without a balcony, although the views from the window wall look very nice, too (and I'd really love to have suite perks).

[valleyvillage]

I did not experience any noise from above when in a mini on deck 11. We enjoyed the extra room and the bathtub!

 

We did not miss the balcony at all on deck 12. The floor to ceiling windows more than make up for it, IMHO. :D

[CarynRenee]

I did not experience any noise from above when in a mini on deck 11. We enjoyed the extra room and the bathtub!

 

We did not miss the balcony at all on deck 12. The floor to ceiling windows more than make up for it, IMHO. :D

 

Thanks for the feedback based on your experiences! I'm glad to hear both of those things. Decisions, decisions :)

[jdvmd]

While we haven't sailed on the Star recently, we did have a mini suite on Deck 11 several years ago to Alaska. We really liked the room and didn't notice any noise. It was my husband and I and our two kids sharing the space. I did like the closet space and the bathroom.

[auntierobin]

We sailed on the Star in a mini june of 2010 we were towards aft - 11176 and heard no noise from anywhere, have also sailed on Pearl in a mini under the Garden Cafe and heard no noise. Even though there are just the two of us the extra room was great and the curtain was a god send.

 

I like to read at night, my husband likes to sleep, ergo the curtain probably saved our marriage LOL. Seriously, depending on when you are sailing the sun could be up until 10-11pm, pull the curtain, put the baby on the bed and have a drink on the balcony and watch the midnight sun.

go to bed close both curtains and be able to sleep inspite of the early sunrise, helps keep the baby asleep also.

 

Another plus, your are close to the buffet incase you need something (milk or whatever for your child).

[auntierobin]

Sorry, I wasn't paying attention, forget the Alaska part.

[Sauer-kraut]

Also, I might consider those deck 12 family suites for just us and the baby, but not sure we want a room without a balcony, although the views from the window wall look very nice, too (and I'd really love to have suite perks).

 

Most people are worried about the balcony as a safety issue with babies. I'd go for the family suite, then you don't have those worries that the balocny door is shut, that the baby could climb the railing, etc.

[mousecrazy]

You'll also get a few extra square feet between the bed of the balcony in the mini-suite. You will need that space for the pack-n-play for the baby. The sofa in the mini-suite is roughly full-sized whereas in the balcony, it is a single. And, the bathtub in the mini-suite will also come in handy for bathing the baby...and you get a little more room in the bath too.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[daldog]

We got an upgrade to a mini on the Star on a Mexican itinerary, and yes, we definitely noticed noise from above. We were below the pool deck and you could hear chairs scraping across the deck and sometimes people running ... which I think actually maybe came from a deck above the pool deck. The worst noise was an evening deck party (can't remember which nite) but it didn't last long or go terribly late. And then the last afternoon when we were just worn out, we tried to take a nap I think around 3 or 4, and it was very noticeable to me then.

 

That all said, it wasn't awful by any means. But we did have a conversation about it - if we had the same opportunity in the future, would we take a free upgrade to a mini or keep a balcony cabin that we know is in a location we like? DH said definitely take the mini, but I was on the fence because I'm a much lighter sleeper. I really liked the bathroom but I don't know as if I'd pay for one unless I knew exactly what was above it. If I was with a baby, I think the tub might be worth it.