mini suite is it worth the extra cost

[Tracik]

We are thinking about taking a cruise in Feb for our 25th anniversary. Looking at the mini suite. Its an extra $150 a person. Just wondering if its worth it?

 

We have been on one cruise before. Carnival 5 years ago. We didn't love it, but want to try cruising again with a different cruise line. We had a room with a window and really enjoyed having that.

 

Thanks for your help!

[legion3]

Depends on the ship but the bathroom is nicer basically.

 

If you have one that has a larger than standard balcony, that might be worth it.

 

We chose to sail with one because at the time it was only $200 more for the mini vs the standard balcony cabin with 4 people ($50 each)

 

The larger bathroom and larger balcony was worth $200 more.

 

But at some point it would be not worth the price, only you can decide what that cost is.

[Heytoots]

If you LOVE to take baths, as opposed to showers, it absolutely is....and you do get a small amount of extra space, which is ALWAYS a plus. We have had several mini-suites, and now, being of a certain age, I find that getting in and out of the tub, more of a pain. It really is a personal choice, but whatever you choose, I am sure you will love!!! Happy anniversary, and have a great cruise!!! :)

[kismet618]

If you LOVE to take baths, as opposed to showers, it absolutely is....and you do get a small amount of extra space, which is ALWAYS a plus. We have had several mini-suites, and now, being of a certain age, I find that getting in and out of the tub, more of a pain. It really is a personal choice, but whatever you choose, I am sure you will love!!! Happy anniversary, and have a great cruise!!! :)

It depends on the ship I guess...on the Away's, the only mini-suites with bathtubs are the Family mini-suites. All of the other ones have the larger walk-in spa shower. There are a number with the larger balcony though. Check the deck plans and cabin descriptions for the particular cruise and ship. Personally, for our upcoming Escape Thanksgiving cruise, I switched from a mid-ship balcony to a mid-ship mini-suite. I am bringing my three teen kids, and thought the bigger bathroom was worth the extra $$.

[Tracik]

The ship is Jade sailing from Houston.

 

So, basically the only difference from a balcony to mini suite is the size of the bathroom and tub? We like showers!

 

Thanks for the well wishes!

[dolita22]

My DH and I considered switching from a balcony to a mini-suite on our Epic cruise earlier this year, because the cost difference was about $100 more per person. In my research, however, everyone said the mini-suite is mostly a glorified balcony with the larger bathroom and tub (in some), and there are no suite perks. In the end, we saved the $200 and stayed in our balcony and were happy with that choice.

 

Whatever you choose, enjoy your anniversary cruise!

[CRUZIN TOM]

Larger balcony, better chairs on balcony. Bathtub a big plus. Larger couch in the seating area. Curtain to close off the seating area from the bed if necessary.

[roger001]

We like mini suites. For us, everything is enough bigger to make a real difference. Here's some pics of the Pearl mini from about 2 years ago. The Jade should be the same.

 

http://s241.photobucket.com/user/roganderson60/media/Pearl%20Mini%20Suite/DSCN8824.jpg.html?sort=2&o=0

[Tracik]

Thanks all!! Thanks for the pictures!

[Demonyte]

The little extra space, dividing curtain and great location near the buffet(s) (when one chooses their MB cabin carefully) are enough for us to pay the difference on Jewel class ships.

 

I wrote this a year ago in another thread:

 

We loved our three adjacent MB minis on Jade (11626-11630) just below the dining area of the Italian restaurant. Just make sure the cabins are not below the galley area.

 

Those cabins were IMO extremely conviniently located and it was super easy to walk up the stairs to get the first coffee in the morning and snacks in the evening to be brought down to the cabin.

[kcwingwalker]

The ship is Jade sailing from Houston.

 

So, basically the only difference from a balcony to mini suite is the size of the bathroom and tub? We like showers!

 

Thanks for the well wishes!

 

We had a mini suite on the Pearl and did not find that the balcony was larger than it was with a regular room on the Jewel. The tub is nice if you are not short. The step into the tub is high and short people and those with any leg/knee problems might find it a challenge.

[Tracik]

KCWingWalker, I see you were on the Triumph Carnival cruise. That was our first cruise 5 years ago. We have not done another one and wasn't sure if we ever would. We really did not enjoy it. We were bored during the day. It was in February so it was too cool for us to enjoy sitting on the deck or the pool. We didn't think the food was that either. However we did enjoy the stops!

 

Since you have been on that cruise and others how do you compare it?

 

We want to do something fun for our 25th anniversary. We are debating between this and Sandals Resort. BUT, I HATE flying! So, I'm leaning toward the cruise. lol

[lbrandon]

We've done two cruises on the Epic, one in a balcony and one in a mini suite. We liked having the bathtub because it reduced the amount of water that leaked out onto the floor when we showered. Also the mini suite was a slightly longer room and had about 50% more storage than the balcony room. For the small price difference I'd go with the mini suite again just to have more storage for our belongings.

[Cauzneffct]

We are thinking about taking a cruise in Feb for our 25th anniversary. Looking at the mini suite. Its an extra $150 a person. Just wondering if its worth it?

 

We have been on one cruise before. Carnival 5 years ago. We didn't love it, but want to try cruising again with a different cruise line. We had a room with a window and really enjoyed having that.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

We've always booked insides for the two of us, but our cruise next May will be our first with a 17 mo old. So we booked a mini-suite for the extra space and the bathtub. I'm guessing it will be worth the extra expense. If you don't think youll use the balcony that much and don't care about the bathroom, then it may not be worth it in your case and you may be happy with an Oceanview.

Edited October 29, 2015 by Cauzneffct

[kcwingwalker]

KCWingWalker, I see you were on the Triumph Carnival cruise. That was our first cruise 5 years ago. We have not done another one and wasn't sure if we ever would. We really did not enjoy it. We were bored during the day. It was in February so it was too cool for us to enjoy sitting on the deck or the pool. We didn't think the food was that either. However we did enjoy the stops!

 

Since you have been on that cruise and others how do you compare it?

 

We want to do something fun for our 25th anniversary. We are debating between this and Sandals Resort. BUT, I HATE flying! So, I'm leaning toward the cruise. lol

 

Well this is off topic so I will be brief. Our experience with the Triumph was more than 5 years ago and I cannot say that it was a great cruise. We took this cruise because we very much wanted to revisit Key West and that was enjoyable. Next stop the Bahamas and each time we saw an NCL ship we both agreed that was where we should have been.

Edited October 29, 2015 by kcwingwalker

[Linda the Book Lover]

We have stayed in a mini suite and enjoyed the extra space. If you can swing it go with a full suite for your special anniversary. The suite benefits are in our opinion worth the extra $$. We have an aft penthouse booked on the Jade leaving from Houston.

[Cruisin&Relaxin]

We are thinking about taking a cruise in Feb for our 25th anniversary. Looking at the mini suite. Its an extra $150 a person. Just wondering if its worth it?

 

We have been on one cruise before. Carnival 5 years ago. We didn't love it, but want to try cruising again with a different cruise line. We had a room with a window and really enjoyed having that.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

Go for a haven suite if this such a special occasion.

 

After 23 cruises on NCL in Haven suites I do not regret at all the extra expense of haven suites.

[bobg529]

The only ship in the NCL fleet where the mini suites are worth the extra money is the Sun. They are truly mini SUITES on her. Considerably larger throughout the entire cabin. Otherwise, it's really just the bathroom that's larger.

[Laszlo]

The only ship in the NCL fleet where the mini suites are worth the extra money is the Sun. They are truly mini SUITES on her. Considerably larger throughout the entire cabin. Otherwise, it's really just the bathroom that's larger.

 

Your right, the bathroom is almost as big as the bedroom lol

[herdingdogmom]

Larger balcony, better chairs on balcony. Bathtub a big plus. Larger couch in the seating area. Curtain to close off the seating area from the bed if necessary.

 

This is correct. The mini balcony is deeper and larger than a regular balcony room. The extra space in the sofa bed area is nice to have. On the Jade, the bathroom is the same size as a balcony cabin. It does have the tub and as mentioned previously, it is a big step up and in to use the shower. We like the minis that are forward below the spa.

[existential monkey]

"KCWingWalker, I see you were on the Triumph Carnival cruise. That was our first cruise 5 years ago. We have not done another one and wasn't sure if we ever would. We really did not enjoy it. We were bored during the day. It was in February so it was too cool for us to enjoy sitting on the deck or the pool. We didn't think the food was that either. However we did enjoy the stops!"

 

Funny. Our last cruise was on the Triumph, two years ago, and our upcoming is next month on the Jade...in a mini-suite. We had an ocean suite on the Triumph. I'm curious as to how they compare.

[trish1c]

We booked the mini suite on the Epic this past January because it was only $40 pp more. I could not tell the difference. I can't imagine wasting $300 on that misnomer cabin. You get no suite perks. I suppose if it came with a bathtub (ours did not) and you cared about that it could be a consideration. Personally I'd save the money.

[Jenorama]

We had an aft mini suite on the Sun for our Alaska trip. This was our first trip on the Sun and I'd heard the minis were quite nice. One of the reasons we booked the mini was that we were traveling with my dad and while he had his own cabin, I knew that it was quite likely that he would be spending time in our cabin with us and having the extra space came in very handy. Also on the Sun mini there are a ton of power plugs and lots of storage. I liked the bathroom/vanity/closet area--it was really nice to have all of that out of the way of the rest of the room.

 

Our trip home from Vancouver was a 3 day on the Pearl. For that one we just got an inside, but we did the sideways inside. I was kind of disappointed in the sideways inside--you miss quite a lot of privacy because the door opens right into the bed area rather than into the little hallway generated by the bathroom and closet. I did see the sideways insides on the Sun and they were enormous. I don't know that I'd do a sideways inside on the Jewel/Pearl again.

 

If you have the opportunity, I'd go for the mini suite. :D

 

Jen