Balcony versus Mini suite

[scotslizzy]

Balcony versus Mini suite

Thinking of coming back to Princess after crusing with Celebrity due to the itinerary for the caribbean . The ship is Royal Princess .

 

For those with experience of these cabins can you tell me if the additional cost is worth it for the mini suite and are the balconies roughly the same size ?

 

Thanks

 

Scotslizzy

[deise17311]

Balcony versus Mini suite

Thinking of coming back to Princess after crusing with Celebrity due to the itinerary for the caribbean . The ship is Royal Princess .

 

For those with experience of these cabins can you tell me if the additional cost is worth it for the mini suite and are the balconies roughly the same size ?

 

Thanks

 

Scotslizzy

 

We find Princess balcony cabins very small compared to Celebrity (Elite +) and usually try and book a mini-suite or suite...it depends really on your budget but if the price is not an issue or just a small jump up, I would go with a mini-suite...much more comfortable plus the bathrooms are terribly small in the regular cabins...I'm not sure about the balcony size...

[scotslizzy]

It's always a worry when you move over to another cruise line and wnat to get the cabin choice right . Mini suite it is then . Are there any better decks to choose from ? I recall on our last Princess cruise I think Carribe was a better choice due to the larger balconies ,But as Royal is a newer ship that might not apply.

 

Thanks

 

Scotslizzy

[Woobstr112G]

Go for the mini as it is a little bigger. Keep in mind though that it won't be the same as a mini on a Grand/Crown class ship. There are some bump out balconies that are slightly larger but mini balconies on the Royal are the same size as standard balconies and are ridiculously small.....

 

Bob

Edited August 14, 2014 by Woobstr112G

[long cruiser]

Most of the balconies in the mini suits are very small.

long cruiser

[ne1travel]

Most of the balconies in the mini suits are very small.

long cruiser

 

We were on the Caribbean Princess in '13 and the Royal this past January. And yes, the Royal Balconies were smaller.

The last day of the cruise we asked to see a Balcony stateroom and the balconies were about the same size...bathrooms a little smaller and you don't have the sitting area.

Next cruise we may consider the Balcony stateroom for the difference in price. We'd rather use that towards staying in the Sanctuary. But that's just us. If you want more room in the stateroom, then go with the mini-suite.

The Mini-Suite is approx. 299sqft with balcony at about 41sqft

The Balcony is approx. 222sqft with balcony at also about 41sqft

 

 

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[scotslizzy]

Mmmm bit strange not have them a bit bigger for the mini suites.

 

Anyway as long as the cabin is bigger that will help with the decision .

 

Scotslizzy

[Avalon35]

It's always a worry when you move over to another cruise line and wnat to get the cabin choice right . Mini suite it is then . Are there any better decks to choose from ? I recall on our last Princess cruise I think Carribe was a better choice due to the larger balconies ,But as Royal is a newer ship that might not apply.

 

Thanks

 

Scotslizzy

 

 

I think the minisuite will be better as well. There is also a deluxe balcony cabin which has a sofa in it - regular balcony cabins have no sofa. The larger minisuite balconies on the Royal / Regal are angled balconies midship. They go for a premium and the larger ones sell out fast. We really like the minisuites and have the opposite problem,,, what is the comparable choice on the other cruise lines...

 

 

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[HRPro]

We usually book mini suites and love the mini suite layout on the Royal Princess--more room, larger bathroom and curtains to close off the bedroom from the sitting area. It has a full size couch and two flat screen televisions. If you book a mini suite midship (category MA), these have larger angled balconies--up to 72 sq feet. We loved our balcony last fall on the TA, and have booked another one for the Caribbean this fall. Enjoy!

[OCruisers]

Mini-Suites provide ample space for two people. Love having the larger bathroom and full size couch! :D

LuLu

[hospvol]

We choose minis for more space and a larger bathroom. Nice to have a couch to sit on.

[scotslizzy]

Is there any issues with the walkway blocking out the sun on the mini suites midship?

 

Thanks

 

Scotslizzy

[HRPro]

Not if you're on Baja or below. I'm not sure about Aloha, but Riveria would likely be impacted. We were on Baja and had plenty of sun on our balcony but we were on port side for a westbound TA, so you usually get more sun in that direction on port side. No impact from the Seaview bar overhang.

[Colo Cruiser]

Not if you're on Baja or below. I'm not sure about Aloha, but Riveria would likely be impacted. We were on Baja and had plenty of sun on our balcony but we were on port side for a westbound TA, so you usually get more sun in that direction on port side. No impact from the Seaview bar overhang.

 

 

I agree, there is a large overhang over Riviera deck balconies.

[2pbears]

We found the Deluxe Balcony cabin on the Royal to be a nice alternative to the mini suite. The extra space is not as important to us but we do appreciate having a love seat in the room. Prepare yourself for smaller balconies though. Royal balconies are useable but not what we have become accustomed to on Princess.

[dorisis]

Regular cabins on Celebrity are about the same size as Princess minis. Royal would not be my choice for many reasons. Mostly the crowded feel.

[scotslizzy]

As regular Celebrity cruiser's (recently) there is always the fear factor in that deciding to use another cruise line we may not be all that impressed.

 

 

However the cruise itineraries for Feb. 2015 from Celebrity are the same Islands as we did this year .Soo this is what is making us really consider Royal Princess this time round. I appreciate that there will be differences (good and bad ) in trying to compare but by selecting the right type of cabin and location we can at least have some measure of comfort in this aspect. Plus the different Islands to visit. So at the moment Royal Princess is just about there.

 

Just need to sort out flights and hopefully hear back from the TA in the USA that we have approached . You def tend to get the better deals on your sid of the pond!

 

Cheers

 

Scotslizzy

[lovevacadays]

We usually book mini suites and love the mini suite layout on the Royal Princess--more room, larger bathroom and curtains to close off the bedroom from the sitting area. It has a full size couch and two flat screen televisions. If you book a mini suite midship (category MA), these have larger angled balconies--up to 72 sq feet. We loved our balcony last fall on the TA, and have booked another one for the Caribbean this fall. Enjoy!

 

 

Do you happen to have a picture of the angled balcony? What type of furniture is on it? Chairs with ottomans perhaps? I'm wondering if there is room to sit directly facing the ocean without feeling like your knees are up against the glass.

 

 

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[scotslizzy]

After much deliberation we booked the mini suite .Not the ones with the extra large balcony but mid aft .

 

When I looked at some pictures from the walkway I did not fancy the fact that people could look into your balcony so that was it as far as were concerned.

 

Looking forward to coming back to Princess after a 5 year absence !

 

Scotslizzy

[MarKay525]

Do you happen to have a picture of the angled balcony? What type of furniture is on it? Chairs with ottomans perhaps? I'm wondering if there is room to sit directly facing the ocean without feeling like your knees are up against the glass.

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Have you seen this recent thread?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2133533

[HRPro]

Do you happen to have a picture of the angled balcony? What type of furniture is on it? Chairs with ottomans perhaps? I'm wondering if there is room to sit directly facing the ocean without feeling like your knees are up against the glass.

 

 

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The furniture is the same as the regular balconies--two chairs and two ottomans with a larger table. There is plenty of room to sit facing the ocean with your legs stretched out on the ottoman. We had two ottomans on the Royal but only one to share on the Regal. Not a big deal but I was surprised not to have two. I do have some pictures, which I'll try to post.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you. It sounds great. I would want the two ottomans just as I had on my recent cruise.

 

 

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