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Size of balconies on Tui Discovery 2

Soupdragon1958
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Soupdragon1958

Soupdragon1958

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Hi All

 

Cruise virgins here......Please be gentle

 

We will be booking our first cruise as early as possible next year for the 2019 season. If the cruise itineraries stay the same it'll be in May on the Discovery 2.

Now one of the many questions we have is whether it's worth the extra cost for a deluxe balcony over the standard balcony cabin? To confuse things even further, we are also thinking about a junior suite.

So, are the balconies any bigger in the deluxe cabins or is it just the stern facing rooms tend to be bigger?

On our "normal" holidays we like to spend a lot of our time chilling on the room's balcony so we're wondering how a ship's balcony compares in size.......

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance all you seasoned travellers may be able to offer :)

 

Cheers Tom and Rose

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campolady

campolady

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Hi All

 

Cruise virgins here......Please be gentle

 

We will be booking our first cruise as early as possible next year for the 2019 season. If the cruise itineraries stay the same it'll be in May on the Discovery 2.

Now one of the many questions we have is whether it's worth the extra cost for a deluxe balcony over the standard balcony cabin? To confuse things even further, we are also thinking about a junior suite.

So, are the balconies any bigger in the deluxe cabins or is it just the stern facing rooms tend to be bigger?

On our "normal" holidays we like to spend a lot of our time chilling on the room's balcony so we're wondering how a ship's balcony compares in size.......

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance all you seasoned travellers may be able to offer :)

 

Cheers Tom and Rose

 

When we were on D2 in May we had friends in one of the stern deluxe balcony cabins (6128 I think but don't hold me to that). The balcony was much smaller than we all expected - just about fit 2 chairs and a small table.

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Soupdragon1958

Soupdragon1958

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Hi campolady

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Did you have a balcony cabin yourself? 6128 is certainly one of the deluxe balcony cabins, looking at the deck plan the balcony area looks bigger than the standard balcony rooms.

With you saying smaller than expected I wonder just how small the standard ones are then? It's the size of the balcony that we're more bothered about rather than the cabin itself.

 

Cheers Tom and Rose

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campolady

campolady

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Hi campolady

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Did you have a balcony cabin yourself? 6128 is certainly one of the deluxe balcony cabins, looking at the deck plan the balcony area looks bigger than the standard balcony rooms.

With you saying smaller than expected I wonder just how small the standard ones are then? It's the size of the balcony that we're more bothered about rather than the cabin itself.

 

Cheers Tom and Rose

 

No, we didn't have a balcony ourselves on D2 - had one once but found it just wasn't worth the extra cost for us (prefer to put this towards another cruise) as we only use the cabin for sleeping spending far less time in the room/on the balcony than we do on a hotel holiday.

 

When on D2 in May we did view a couple of standard balcony cabins (also on deck 6) and the balcony looked the same size as in 6128 although the bedroom areas were smaller. We actually thought the standard balcony cabins were a much better shape being square; 6128 (I have checked with our friends and that is the correct number) was wide at the doorway then tapered towards the balcony with the bed being at the widest point and the first thing you say on entering. If a spacious balcony is your priority I would look at a junior suite where the balconies have room for 2 sunbeds and a table.

 

I am sure that you will have a wonderful time whichever cabin you book - it is only 5 years since we were cruise virgins like you and have just completed our 10th cruise.

Edited by campolady
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jake 26

jake 26

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After doing some more research it certainly backs up what you've said. If we want a bigger balcony then it's going to have to be a junior quite

 

Cheers. Tom and Rose

Junior suite balconies are an excellent size, they have table and chairs and one sunbed. We were on Discovery which are the same size as D2. They are wider than the deluxe balconies.

The interior is also bigger and has a nice seating area.

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Soupdragon1958

Soupdragon1958

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Junior suite balconies are an excellent size, they have table and chairs and one sunbed. We were on Discovery which are the same size as D2. They are wider than the deluxe balconies.

The interior is also bigger and has a nice seating area.

 

Do the stern junior suites have a bigger balcony than the juniors on the side of the ship? Same width but maybe deeper?

 

Cheers. Tom and Rose

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jake 26

jake 26

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Do the stern junior suites have a bigger balcony than the juniors on the side of the ship? Same width but maybe deeper?

 

Cheers. Tom and Rose

The stern ones do look a bit deeper but I haven't been in one. We have one booked for next year.

We like to relax on a balcony in late afternoon and on sea days, and have had many different sizes but the ones on the Discovery ships rank among the best for us. I would estimate the size of the side balconies to be about 10 x 10 feet.

Edited by jake 26
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Lanzalady

Lanzalady

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After doing some more research it certainly backs up what you've said. If we want a bigger balcony then it's going to have to be a junior quite

 

Cheers. Tom and Rose

 

 

 

Not at all!

 

We returned from a back to back cruise on Discovery 2 on Sunday and we had an aft deluxe balcony cabin on deck 7 - (7634). All the aft deluxe balcony cabins have huge balconies, and were equipped with 2 reclining mesh sunbeds, 2 chairs and a small wooden table. There was plenty of space to move these pieces of furniture around to suit the direction of the sun and still have room for a few friends round!

The deluxe balcony cabins on the sides of the ship however, are quite small and only have room for a couple of chairs and a table.

 

 

Just out of interest, we ventured up onto deck 8 on the mid-cruise changeover day and had a good look inside a few of the junior suites. They were much larger inside than the deluxe cabins, being substantially wider and with a full-size bath in the bathroom instead of the small shower cubicle that all the other cabins have. We couldn’t go into any of the aft cabins as they were all occupied (very popular it seems!) but we noted that the side junior suite cabin balconies did have a sunbed as well as the tables and chairs, although they were nowhere near as deep as the aft cabins’ balconies.

 

 

We are very tempted to book one of these for our next cruise as we also, spend a lot of time relaxing in our private haven whilst on holiday.

 

 

 

Here are some photos of the cabin and the balcony.

1981330693_Cabin7634interior-a.jpg.00fd1db93427e18703c4cf80751a1c0b.jpg

633350207_Cabin7634balcony-b.jpg.732286129a821c2f640fd346ffc5510c.jpg

1999335798_Cabin7634balcony-a.jpg.7e9b4bfaf8aba3bf50ffb00cf518f384.jpg

Edited by Lanzalady
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Soupdragon1958

Soupdragon1958

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Hi there

 

I see you've fixed the links to the pictures :)

Your balcony looks plenty big enough, would be great to get a side by side comparison with a junior suite. I read that the cabins in the middle of the row at the stern have a slightly larger balcony due to the curvature of the ship.

Looking at yours does cast a fresh light on things. Now all we need to decide on is if we want to splurge a bit more and treat ourselves to a suite or not

Decisions, decisions :cool:

 

Cheers Tom and Rose

 

Just checked on the Thomson website. £65 over and above the cost of a deluxe balcony for the junior suite. I think that sells it really, cabin 8086 here we come ( if we can get it that is ).

Edited by Soupdragon1958
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Lanzalady

Lanzalady

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Hi

 

So if we wanted a cabin that could accommodate 4 people they wouldn't let us have it?

 

Cheers. Tom and Rose

 

We made the mistake of booking a cabin that had been designated for 4 people (7634). It was cheaper per person than the same cabin for 2 people and it was located right in the middle of the aft part of the ship and had the deepest balcony, so we took the chance. If you check out the "TUI Discovery 2 (Thomson Discovery 2)" Facebook page, you will see lots of complaints from Thomson clients, as Thomson does have the habit of taking any 4 occupancy cabin away from passengers who are just 2 people and just giving them their £45 reservation fee back and putting them in any other random 2 person cabin, if a party of 4 requests the cabin that they have booked. Why Thomson even designates identical cabins as either 2 or 4 is a mystery as there is no difference at all with the deluxe balcony cabins. A throwback to their old ships I suppose, where a small cabin for 2 would just not fit any more people!! Anyway, after reading these constant complaints from disappointed Thomson clients, we were very concerned that this might happen to us and we spent around 6 months worrying ourselves about it. It was OK in the end and we were given the cabin that we had booked but I wouldn't book a 4 cabin again, just to save a bit of money - it's far too stressful! They are the same size and have the same inventory, so I will just book a cabin for 2 in the future and not suffer for the best part of the year.

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Soupdragon1958

Soupdragon1958

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We made the mistake of booking a cabin that had been designated for 4 people (7634). It was cheaper per person than the same cabin for 2 people and it was located right in the middle of the aft part of the ship and had the deepest balcony, so we took the chance. If you check out the "TUI Discovery 2 (Thomson Discovery 2)" Facebook page, you will see lots of complaints from Thomson clients, as Thomson does have the habit of taking any 4 occupancy cabin away from passengers who are just 2 people and just giving them their £45 reservation fee back and putting them in any other random 2 person cabin, if a party of 4 requests the cabin that they have booked. Why Thomson even designates identical cabins as either 2 or 4 is a mystery as there is no difference at all with the deluxe balcony cabins. A throwback to their old ships I suppose, where a small cabin for 2 would just not fit any more people!! Anyway, after reading these constant complaints from disappointed Thomson clients, we were very concerned that this might happen to us and we spent around 6 months worrying ourselves about it. It was OK in the end and we were given the cabin that we had booked but I wouldn't book a 4 cabin again, just to save a bit of money - it's far too stressful! They are the same size and have the same inventory, so I will just book a cabin for 2 in the future and not suffer for the best part of the year.

 

You've lost me now

 

I thought all cabins of a particular type were the same price? Last time I looked online I couldn't see any difference in price, there was just one price for each type, no mention of 2 or 4 berth. Mind you I could have missed something somewhere

 

Cheers. Tom and Rose

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Soupdragon1958

Soupdragon1958

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So once you've picked your cruise, selected your cabin, chosen your hotel for the stay part (if applicable) and any other add on options, the price you see there may not even be the correct cost depending if you require a 2 or 4 berth?

I'll have to do a dummy booking to see what happens

 

Cheers. Tom and Rose

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Vitalsign

Vitalsign

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If you look at the Dec plans there are various icons in some if the cabins which tell you whether 3 4 6 or 7 berth and the others are empty unless a square telling you there can be a double bed

When you choose a cabin on line under each type of cabin you can select what berth you require and the prices are different for obvious reasons it is less for 3 people in a 3 berth per person than for 2 people.

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