Ugh, Balconies on CB

[nudave]

Well, I'm a first time cruiser, lets get that off my chest.....I've done a ton of reading, pondering, looking up massive amounts of information. I'm my own travel agent at this point! :D

 

To the point...I'm looking to cruise on the Princess on the Oct 7th intinerary. This will be our honeymoon, so I want at least the one thing I can control (the cabin) to be perfect/right. The largest problem is that the mini suites that are available are on the Dolphin deck, which means...open balcony for everyone above us to see, ie. no privacy. Did a little more searching and found an aft corner Balcony, which has a nice sized balcony, but in the process lost the suite and access to extra features to suite cruisers.

 

I have three choices at this point:

1) Neglect privacy and go with the mini-suite

2) Go with the aft corner balcony, smaller cabin

3) Ditch Princess all together and find something else in the Caribbean.

 

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

[lindanick]

The cabins that you are talking about aft c752? They are great and offer alot of privacy, plus those balconies are bigger. You are so right about the mini suites, no privacy. People looking down on you at all times, no overhang to give you shade. Carib deck has the bigger balconies, half covered.

[FamilyGuy1010]

The Emerald deck mini suites' balconies are fully covered.

[nudave]

Already looked at the Emerald Deck, showing up as Waiting List... :(

[joanne1]

I have never stayed in a mini-suite and am not quite sure of all of the amenities but we have had friends that have stayed in them and the actual room I don't find that much better than a regular balcony.

 

That being said I would go with anything on Caribbe. The balcony is twice as large as any of the others and is half covered. So unless the amenities out-weigh the size of the room it's honestly no big deal. A regular balcony has lots of space for relaxing plus plenty of storage - believe me, my policy on packing is 'if it fits in the suitcase I pack it' including at least 7 pairs of shoes :D .

[Tom O.]

I think you should check out the regular cabins with balcony. I don't understand why people go for the mini-suites. The only reason I would pay extra for a mini-suite is if I was going to have extra people in my cabin.

 

None of the advantages of the mini-suite seem that important to me:

 

With a mini-suite the cabin is larger so there is room for a small couch. So what? What's wrong with sitting in the comfortable chairs that come with a regular room?

 

With a mini-suite the balcony is bigger. So what? The balcony on a regular room has plenty of room for two people. What do you do with the extra space?

 

With a mini-suite there is a full size bath tub, with a regular room, just a shower. So what? I only take showers anyway.

 

Much more important to me is whether or not the balcony is covered. There is a greater chance that a mini-suite will be uncovered than a regular balcony room. I would actually pay more for a covered balcony regular room than for an uncovered mini-suite.

[LisaH]

hi there...mini-suite bigot here. People go for the mini-suites because they want a bit more space, maybe take a bath once in a while instead of the shower. We had a mini-suite for the first time on our last cruise and it was fantastic. We also like to cruise with friends and want a bigger balcony to have drinks on with your friends without being so crowded.

 

But that is the good thing about cruise ships - there is something for everyone.

[madelinerose]

Tom, the difference between a Cat. BA balcony and a Cat. AD mini with a covered balcony on our Crown cruise is a mere $68 per person.

 

I think you should check out the regular cabins with balcony. I don't understand why people go for the mini-suites. The only reason I would pay extra for a mini-suite is if I was going to have extra people in my cabin.

[Bucky3]

We really liked our Caribe Deck balcony - half covered. We never use a bathtub so just the shower was fine.

[madelinerose]

Dave, hope you'll be able to find what you're looking for on Princess.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! ;)

[tennesseecruisermom]

On the CP, lots of the balcony cabins toward the middle of the ship on the Caribe deck have double size balconies with room for 2 loungers, table and chairs. The price is not much different than other balcony rooms. Look for those.

[bdjam]

We really liked our Caribe Deck balcony - half covered. We never use a bathtub so just the shower was fine.

I was going to suggest the same thing. As Tom O. points out, the real difference between a mini and standard balcony is the size of the bathroom and a sitting area. The Caribe balconies are larger than the standard and are half covered and half open – the best of both worlds.

[skarletohara]

It's your honeymoon. Go for the FULL suite.

[Pam in CA]

Dave... even if the balcony is covered, there really isn't any such thing as total privacy. If someone is on their balcony next to you, all they have to do is to lean against the railing, looking out to sea, and if they glance towards your balcony (human nature if they hear something), they'll be able to see at least parts of it. I've never been in an aft balcony so it's possible they're different but every other balcony I've been in, I've been able to (without meaning to) look into my neighbor's balcony.

[prophotogirl]

Dave - I just checked to see what balconies may be available to you. Tell your TA you want cabin D 735! It's available! I've been in that one and it has a bigger balcony than other regular catagory BB balconies (even bigger than a mini suite balcony). It's fully covered and really hard for your next door neighbor (you one have 1 cabin next to you) to peak around the corner (trust me I tried looking into their's). Sure you will be losing any mini suite perks and the bathtub. But you'll love the balcony for honeymoon duties and the view! :cool:

[Lillykat]

DH and I were on the CB in August and we had a mini (D422) and we loved it. We loved that it had a sitting area - that the Caribe deck balcony rooms do not have. Yes the balconies are completely open with no privacy - while we weren't sure how we felt about this - we ended up being completely ok with it. Yes people can look down on your balcony - but the covered balconies don't have a lot of privacy either. From the dolphin and caribe decks you can turn around and looked up and see all the people on the balconies above you - so really none of the balconies unless you are on the back are really private. Also keep in mind anyone leaning on the railing can simply turn their heads and look onto your balcony as well.

 

I have photos of our room in the link below.

[Chetsky]

I don't know where this was originally posted but I received it in a recent email -

 

Passengers who book mini-suites and higher categories now enjoy a host of new features in their cabins to create a more homelike environment. To my mind, among the best additions are the luxurious down comforters laid out on the beds during the evening turndown service. The comforters are encased in super-soft, beige-striped Egyptian cotton duvets, providing a sumptuous feeling when you retire for the evening.

 

That feeling is enhanced by a menu of hypoallergenic down-style pillows, ranging from firm to sinfully soft. I am almost never comfortable with hotel or cruise ship pillows, but these made me feel as if I were blissfully home in bed.

 

According to our cabin steward, the new linen offerings provide another benefit, in that the bedding can be changed more quickly for new ship arrivals, compared to the traditional blanket and sheets setup. This makes me wonder if the changes will eventually be made in all cabin categories.

 

The improvements continue in the bathroom, where 100 percent Egyptian cotton towels offer a softer, and more absorbent, after-bath experience. The difference in quality, again, provided a much more homelike environment for us on our 15-night voyage.

 

Another pleasant surprise awaited us in the bath, where the obnoxious (but environmentally friendly) Princess packets of shampoo and the like, which invariably turn to mush after one shower, have been replaced. Now those in the higher echelon of cabins enjoy the more traditional small plastic bottles of shower gel, conditioner and lotion, all from the Princess Lotus Spa brand.

 

The air of luxury attains new heights in the suites, where passengers may enjoy a library of movie DVDs to choose from, complimentary nightly canapés or chocolates, and the ability to order full-course breakfasts, lunches and dinners en suite. Other new offerings include a complimentary mini-bar setup, fluffier terrycloth robes and slippers, and a fresh flower arrangement.

[bohunk72]

We were on the Star in Jan. in a bal on Baja deck B201 (the very first one). I could see everyone on there balconys below. Funny thing though when I was on my bal. very seldom did I see anyone else, and I tend to spend a lot time out there. About the only time there were a lot of people out were when arriving or leaving port. I don't personally spend a lot of time trying to see what others are doing on there bal. so I dont really see why having a cover is such a big deal unless you are planning to be naughty on your bal. LOL If it is a sun/shade deal part of the day will have sun and the other will have shade. Covered or uncovered a bal is my fav spot on any ship.

[nudave]

Thanks guys for the excellent tips/thoughts..it definately got us thinking! I'll let you know what we choose!

 

Dave

 

PS - Any photos of the aft regular balcony room that was mentioned above? D735

[craftinmom]

We really liked our Caribe Deck balcony - half covered. We never use a bathtub so just the shower was fine.

 

after all this reading, I'm getting more and more excited about my balcony room on the caribe deck!:)

[flsunbakd]

after all this reading, I'm getting more and more excited about my balcony room on the caribe deck!:)

 

You should be, CraftinMom! I love my balcony no matter which deck it's on. It's our own little slice of Paradise away from eveyone else on the ship :)

[craftinmom]

You should be, CraftinMom! I love my balcony no matter which deck it's on. It's our own little slice of Paradise away from eveyone else on the ship :)

 

Boy, I was just reading some of the review on this site for our ship and some people had awful things to say about the whole thing! :( I so hope it all goes well for us!

[prophotogirl]

just saw you wanted to see photos of D735 - email me at dadsdoglandry-cruise@yahoo.com and I'll send you some.

[mcagbass]

My wife and I are now mini-suite addicts... we tried one in '04 on Diamond and have booked nothing else. If we only slept in the room would be one thing. There is a big difference in rooms for nominal cost.

 

The uncovered balconies bugged me at first... but NBD, in fact I've grown to like them. I thought I would spend hours on balcony and actually only spend minutes (unless in port). I can open the curtains and glass door, recline on the couch or sit in a chair, watch TV, read, dine, nap... and still have near perfect view of sea and sounds of sailing and stay in the room where no-one can see me. We even practice our dancing in the room. On our Alaskan cruise on cold mornings, we would sit in chairs in the sitting with a small table and enjoy coffee, breakfast.... in the afternoon we would sit on balcony and whale watch with fellow passengers around us. We relaxed inside and outside! More like a hotel room than a confined space. Bigger bathroom mad it alot easier for both of us to get ready for anything....

 

Bigger closet storage (hanging and shelves), more drawer storage, more open storage, easy to manuever around. Like other amenities mentioned before, comforter on bed, plush robes, soft towels, constant attention by stewards, bottle lotion, 2 tv's, room to un-pack and pack easily...yada,yada,yada.

 

I am typically a penny pincher, but it is worth the few extra dollars and un-covered balonies has not dampered our room. I have yet to speak to anyone onboard who said they regretted spending extra $$ and getting a mini over a balcony.

 

Congratulations and Good Luck

[Cathy p]

How much time are you going to spend on the balcony?:p HEE HEE I get the mini-suite for the extra room. Plus I also like a bath once in a while. I also enjoy the sun and the lounge chairs. At 55 I would rather be on my balcony sunning than by the pool with all those great looking girls with their wonderful bodies. HEE HEE

 

So whatever you decide, have a super cruise and many years together.:)

 

 

Cathy p