wardwhitty Posted July 16, 2018 #1 Share Posted July 16, 2018 We are pretty big cruisers but almost always with kids. So for our 20th we wanted something special. We are looking at the Sky princess for March of 2020. Right now the Aft Facing Balcony and Mini suites are the same price. I had an avid Princess cruiser co-worker who only booked the Aft Facing Balconies but a mini suite ????? This cruise has 3 sea days so we will be out on our balconies a fair amount. We are also interested in the Balcony dining option. Has any one done this and is it worth it? My question is: which would you do and why? are there any special perks we should consider? Any expertise in this area would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memoak Posted July 16, 2018 #2 Share Posted July 16, 2018 We love the mini suites for the extra room - but if you are going with the balcony the aft facing are the best for views (if you have weather issues the aft cabins can get a little rocky) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishywood Posted July 16, 2018 #3 Share Posted July 16, 2018 If the stern-facing cabin is a deluxe balcony (cabin category D- rather than B-) the only major difference between the D- and a mini suite (M-) is that the mini suite has a second TV and a tub in the bathroom. And two glasses of "unpacking juice" to greet you at embarkation (not for a second to be mistaken for actual champagne). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moki'smommy Posted July 16, 2018 #4 Share Posted July 16, 2018 A mini suite is essentially nothing other than a big room. It has no suite perks, nothing special. Given a choice between a big balcony and a big room, I'd take the balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voljeep Posted July 16, 2018 #5 Share Posted July 16, 2018 regular mini suite or CLUB CLASS mini suite? - we don't do tubs, so the aft deluxe balcony would be for us we've got a regular aft balcony - not 'wake facing aft' booked for the 3 day 12/4/19.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted July 16, 2018 #6 Share Posted July 16, 2018 (edited) Sometimes there are balconies (not aft) that are bigger than 'standard', depending on the ship. Not sure if there are any on the Sky, or if they are available? If you are not booking well in advance, those would probably be all booked up. For example, on March 7, I see D407 Deluxe Balcony- larger balcony. E405 Deluxe Balcony (obs. but not really obstructed) - larger balcony And, I am seeing something called Premium Deluxe Balconies with what looks like extended balconies on Deck 9. Assuming those will be at least partially/mostly uncovered. I don't know, but look maybe 1/4 to 1/3 covered, and the extended balcony uncovered. There are always L301 or L302 with the larger angled standard (not deluxe) balconies. Pool access - but might be noise? I also wonder if soot might be an issue on some of those aft-facing balconies? Happy Planning! Edited July 16, 2018 by Wishing on a star Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Host CJSKIDS Posted July 16, 2018 #7 Share Posted July 16, 2018 The mini suite would always be my choice because it’s a bigger room, bigger bathroom with a tub/shower, more storage and a sofa. There are also 2 TV’s. We did a balcony on our last sailing for the first time as that was a special that I received and I really missed the room that the mini-suite offered us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted July 16, 2018 #8 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Also, my post timed out before I got everything on there.... Sorry!!! You could look for mini-suites such as B409 - 410 or C409 - 10 Bonus, mini-suite with a slightly larger angled balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted July 16, 2018 #9 Share Posted July 16, 2018 We are pretty big cruisers but almost always with kids. So for our 20th we wanted something special. We are looking at the Sky princess for March of 2020. Right now the Aft Facing Balcony and Mini suites are the same price. I had an avid Princess cruiser co-worker who only booked the Aft Facing Balconies but a mini suite ????? This cruise has 3 sea days so we will be out on our balconies a fair amount. We are also interested in the Balcony dining option. Has any one done this and is it worth it? My question is: which would you do and why? are there any special perks we should consider? Any expertise in this area would be greatly appreciated. The aft facing balconies are deluxe balcony cabins with slightly larger balconies. If they are the same price as a mini suite I would select the mini. The mini is larger with a larger bathroom and larger sitting area. If by balcony dining you are referencing the Ultimate Balcony Dinner, this can be ordered in either cabin. If you are referring to Club Class Dining then you can only get that if you book a Club Class Mini Suite or a full suite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moki'smommy Posted July 16, 2018 #10 Share Posted July 16, 2018 The aft facing balconies are deluxe balcony cabins with slightly larger balconies. If they are the same price as a mini suite I would select the mini. The mini is larger with a larger bathroom and larger sitting area. If by balcony dining you are referencing the Ultimate Balcony Dinner, this can be ordered in either cabin. If you are referring to Club Class Dining then you can only get that if you book a Club Class Mini Suite or a full suite. Club Class dining has nothing to do with eating on your balcony! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memoak Posted July 16, 2018 #11 Share Posted July 16, 2018 Club Class Mini Suites are mid ship - they do include CC dining which is wonderful. I the price is not too high I would go for the CC otherwise I do like the larger balconies in the aft cabins - we once hosted a cocktail party for 8 on one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF - retired RRT Posted July 16, 2018 #12 Share Posted July 16, 2018 We are also interested in the Balcony dining option. Has any one done this and is it worth it? There are several really good videos on YouTube for the Ultimate Balcony Dinner. After you watch one of those, you'll know what it's about and if it's something you'd want to do. We rarely book a balcony, but we have one on the Royal next year and I'm drooling to try the UBD.;) IMHO: I'd go with the aft balcony. Love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ltcal94 Posted July 16, 2018 #13 Share Posted July 16, 2018 For a special occasion , I would definitely consider doing the Ultimate Balcony Dinner . I arranged for this once as a surprised to my DW. My preference was to plan it for a day with a late departure , however an AFT balcony would probably reduce that need as it should be fairly well sheltered. The meal was amazing and the service top notch . Here is a picture for motivation Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted July 17, 2018 #14 Share Posted July 17, 2018 The Ultimate Balcony Dinner is our go-to celebration on Princess. We've done four. My advice is to pick a good night early in the cruise. We waited once until the last night of a cruise to celebrate DH's birthday on its actual date. It's nice if you have a late departure from a port, but we've also had it at sea as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wardwhitty Posted July 17, 2018 Author #15 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Thank you all for the responses. You all brought up some things i didn't think about. How much bigger is the balcony on an aft facing then a mini suite? I didn't think about the balconies being uncovered on the aft which may be nice for a little sun but could get really hot. I think we definitely would do the Ultimate Balcony Dining it seems like a great option for our anniversary. Thank you again !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted July 17, 2018 #16 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Thank you all for the responses. You all brought up some things i didn't think about. How much bigger is the balcony on an aft facing then a mini suite? I didn't think about the balconies being uncovered on the aft which may be nice for a little sun but could get really hot. I think we definitely would do the Ultimate Balcony Dining it seems like a great option for our anniversary. Thank you again !!! Standard mini suite balcony is approximately 9' x 4'. Some mid ship minis have larger angled balconies. The aft facing deluxe balcony appears to be 9' x 5'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted July 17, 2018 #17 Share Posted July 17, 2018 One other point to consider. On the Sky’s sisters, the Royal and Regal (don’t know about the Majestic), there appears to still be a soot problem on the aft balconies. I would consider a Baja or Dolphin deck cabin that has a larger (9’ deep versus 5’ deep) partially covered balcony. The balconies on the center two cabin on Baja split a center space between the cabins and are even slightly wider. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beckntom Posted July 17, 2018 #18 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Definitely do the Ultimate Balcony Dinner! You won't be disappointed. My husband and I are doing one to celebrate our 50th anniversary on our TA in September while at the Cork/Cobh, Ireland port. This will be our third UBD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted July 17, 2018 #19 Share Posted July 17, 2018 Yes, I think just by logistics, the bigger balconies will be partially uncovered. If I am right, on some ships, cruisers might avoid Dolphin deck, as they are totally uncovered. It appears that those balconies on Dolphin deck on the Sky are at least partially covered... Just not sure how much! Study the deck plans and the pricing... looking at the larger balcony options mentioned, and you will def. be able to choose a good one for you! Would you want to be far forward? I am thinking that there might be a few balconies in the very front, where the metal railing ends and the Plexiglass railings begin, that are larger. The most forward balconies that have metal railings are listed as 'obstructed'.. look for the first UN-obstructed balconies right behind those. The standard balconies are pretty darned narrow, so snagging a larger one would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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