Discovery princess forward-facing mini suites

[newprincesscruiser123]

Hi all, 

 

I'm a first-time cruiser and would really appreciate your opinion on the cabin selection dilemma I'm currently in! 

 

I booked a guaranteed mini suite (category MF) for my Alaska cruise as one of the rooms for my family.

Just saw it being assigned at one of the forward-facing locations (105-106), where the cabin description says balcony access limited. 

I know it's my fault for booking a guaranteed cabin, assuming it would be one of the available cabins left open for booking on the website, so wasn't aware that it could be this forward. 

 

I'm wondering if anyone who has experience with these cabins could share your experience on whether they're really bad, as I have heard of issues like seasickness, only able to access the balcony while in port, etc. 

And it also doesn't have a divider separating sleeping area from sofa area, making it more difficult to accommodate different living habits for people in the same room. 

 

It hasn't passed the final payment date yet, but my TA said that upgrading from my MF to MC now would cost almost $800 total. 

Weighing my options forward, do you think I should - 

 

1) Cancel the current booking and seek to downgrade to a premium deluxe balcony or regular balcony (the price might have increased quite a lot as well so might need to shell out additional $$, maybe just a little less than $800)

2) Eat the $800 cost difference and upgrade from MF to MC for a cabin closer to mid-ship

3) Stick with my current cabin and stay put

4) Stick with my current cabin for now, and keep an eye out for any new MF cabins becoming available or wait for the upgrade bidding

 

I really wanted to give my family a good first impression to cruising as none of us has been on a cruise ship before, and we're excited about this trip. 

Please help me decide with your expert knowledge and experiences, many thanks!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 25 by newprincesscruiser123

[cjpj]

I personally love the forward balcony and minis at the very front of the ship above  or below the bridge. You need to keep thr balcony light off at night so you don't interfere with the bridge vision. You can use your balcony anytime except in very rough seas and those balconies are usually huge. They are obstructed because they have a metal, rather than glass for the balcony. So you have to be standing to see the water.

[Lady Arwen]

Another YES for these cabins.  Spacious cabin with sofa, large bathroom with tub and shower combo.  Lots of storage.  Best of all is the huge balcony!  Perfect for viewing in Alaska.  The ship travels quite slowly touring around the glaciers, so it won’t be too windy for you out there.  At night and sea days it will be a little rougher, but not enough to cause a big problem.

 

However, I will say that if you suffer from motion sickness, be prepared because the forward high deck cabins do feel the motion of the ocean.  I would take whatever motion sickness meds that you doctor recommends or even the patches or SeaBands.  
 

Enjoy your cruise and your mini suite!

[JF - retired RRT]

Haven't been in those minis, but we did have a suite in that area (different deck - A101). We were on a San Pedro to Mexico round trip. Didn't notice any movement at all.

[Cruise Raider]

A friend of mine absolutely loves those cabins and always tries to get one.  
While I think the Discovery is an extremely stable ship, whenever there are rough seas, you will feel it more being way up forward.  However, we spent a lot of time with our friend up in one of the huge mini’s on the Marina deck and never felt a thing.  
I would try one of those cabins without any question but would take precautions for sea sickness along to be on the safe side.  

[Gitmo]

Great cabin for Alaska.  Bring lots of warm clothes, the balcony will be REALLY cold, but they are the best views on the boat.  We book forward facing cabins when we went to Antartica, Panama Canal, and Alaska.  These are "risk vs reward" cabins.  All other cruises,  we book aft facing so we can sit outside and read and relax.  We even bring ski goggles and goofy looking trapper hats on cold forward facing trips due to the wind and wind chill. 

 

We have really never noticed much more movement (aft or forward) than any other area of the ship.  All that said, while cruising at normal speed (as opposed to scenic cruising) using the balcony is tough. 

 

Best views, your own bathroom, go out on deck without crowds, order room service and drinks, etc... can't be beat !  One tip; bring HEAVY duty magnetic hooks (Amazon) to hang your heavy jackets and binos at the balcony door for quick exit to whales and scenery !  In this cabin, you wont miss a thing and be warm and cosy until you want to go look at "stuff".  Happy cruising !

[Sprocket]

Love those cabins, the balcony is huge and was always  accessible.  Fortunately we are not bothered by motion so have never worried about rough seas.

 

I would be thrilled with it, and actually bid twice unsuccessfully to upgrade to one of the club class minis.

[oregonN]

These baloneys can be very windy when the ship is cruising at sea. They are great for viewing glaciers and entering and leaving ports.

[rocker57]

You can look up videos of these cabins. May not be just The Discovery, but the other ships would have the same set up. I’ve booked one on Majestic for next year and looking forward to it. On the lido deck, just a walk down the hall to the buffet and specialty coffee. The bedroom is separate from the rest of the cabin with a curtain you can close between the section.

[newprincesscruiser123]

Thank you all! I’m feeling a lot better about this room I’m assigned now. 
I think I’ll probably stay put and be prepared to just take Dramamine daily to prevent motion sickness :)

[donswife]

14 minutes ago, newprincesscruiser123 said:

Thank you all! I’m feeling a lot better about this room I’m assigned now. 
I think I’ll probably stay put and be prepared to just take Dramamine daily to prevent motion sickness 🙂

Dramamine can make you drowsy! I used bonine/meclizine each day and was fine in A101 and S107. Now we have L108 booked for a future trip. 

[newprincesscruiser123]

9 minutes ago, donswife said:

Dramamine can make you drowsy! I used bonine/meclizine each day and was fine in A101 and S107. Now we have L108 booked for a future trip. 

Ah I didn’t know that! Great advice, will be looking into taking bonine/meclizine then. Appreciate the info! 

[TAW1963]

We were in L105 on the Discovery Princess to Hawaii in March and just returned from being in L107 on the Majestic Princess to Alaska a couple weeks ago.  In my opinion, these are some of the best cabins on the ship.  The views coming into port, or viewing the scenery in Alaska, are absolutely fantastic.  Sure, the metal balcony may not be see through, but that doesn't bother us a bit.  The large size of the balconies more than makes up for that part.  

 

This is just my experience, but we don't feel a whole lot more motion in those forward cabins than other places on the ships.  I feel you would have to be very susceptible to motion sickness to have it affect you any more in these forward-facing cabins versus any other cabins on the ship.  We love extra motion for it makes us sleep better at night.  On our recent Alaska cruise from two weeks ago, we were a bit disappointed from the fact that there wasn't more motion.

[suekel]

On 5/25/2024 at 3:51 AM, newprincesscruiser123 said:

Hi all, 

 

I'm a first-time cruiser and would really appreciate your opinion on the cabin selection dilemma I'm currently in! 

 

I booked a guaranteed mini suite (category MF) for my Alaska cruise as one of the rooms for my family.

Just saw it being assigned at one of the forward-facing locations (105-106), where the cabin description says balcony access limited. 

I know it's my fault for booking a guaranteed cabin, assuming it would be one of the available cabins left open for booking on the website, so wasn't aware that it could be this forward. 

 

I'm wondering if anyone who has experience with these cabins could share your experience on whether they're really bad, as I have heard of issues like seasickness, only able to access the balcony while in port, etc. 

And it also doesn't have a divider separating sleeping area from sofa area, making it more difficult to accommodate different living habits for people in the same room. 

 

It hasn't passed the final payment date yet, but my TA said that upgrading from my MF to MC now would cost almost $800 total. 

Weighing my options forward, do you think I should - 

 

1) Cancel the current booking and seek to downgrade to a premium deluxe balcony or regular balcony (the price might have increased quite a lot as well so might need to shell out additional $$, maybe just a little less than $800)

2) Eat the $800 cost difference and upgrade from MF to MC for a cabin closer to mid-ship

3) Stick with my current cabin and stay put

4) Stick with my current cabin for now, and keep an eye out for any new MF cabins becoming available or wait for the upgrade bidding

 

I really wanted to give my family a good first impression to cruising as none of us has been on a cruise ship before, and we're excited about this trip. 

Please help me decide with your expert knowledge and experiences, many thanks!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are great cabins for Alaska.  Keep it.  Access is never limited.  View is amazing.  

[CATGUY7]

We love the forward facing cabins.  It does get windy while the ship is sailing, but the views are spectacular.  

 

Hope you have a wonderful first cruise!  There is nothing like the first time.

[Rick&Jeannie]

14 hours ago, newprincesscruiser123 said:

Thank you all! I’m feeling a lot better about this room I’m assigned now. 
I think I’ll probably stay put and be prepared to just take Dramamine daily to prevent motion sickness 🙂

I think you will find that your cabin will be great! Also, welcome to Cruise Critic!

[TravelGirlinDallas]

We sailed in Deluxe Balcony L101 on Discovery Princess (CA Coastal) and loved it so much, we have similar cabins booked on two future cruises. We were never denied access to the balcony. One day it was very stormy, and the steward tied down all of our deck furniture to prevent it from blowing away, but we were never prohibited from going out there. Never felt seasick (even on the stormy day). You will love it.

[heatherkh]

On 5/31/2024 at 3:15 AM, TAW1963 said:

We were in L105 on the Discovery Princess to Hawaii in March and just returned from being in L107 on the Majestic Princess to Alaska a couple weeks ago.  In my opinion, these are some of the best cabins on the ship.  The views coming into port, or viewing the scenery in Alaska, are absolutely fantastic.  Sure, the metal balcony may not be see through, but that doesn't bother us a bit.  The large size of the balconies more than makes up for that part.  

 

This is just my experience, but we don't feel a whole lot more motion in those forward cabins than other places on the ships.  I feel you would have to be very susceptible to motion sickness to have it affect you any more in these forward-facing cabins versus any other cabins on the ship.  We love extra motion for it makes us sleep better at night.  On our recent Alaska cruise from two weeks ago, we were a bit disappointed from the fact that there wasn't more motion.

Thrilled to read this! We are headed to Alaska in September and booked M107 for us and M103 for my daughter and her friend (M105 next door was already booked). We've been a little concerned about motion but this eases my mind. Thanks!

[TAW1963]

19 minutes ago, heatherkh said:

Thrilled to read this! We are headed to Alaska in September and booked M107 for us and M103 for my daughter and her friend (M105 next door was already booked). We've been a little concerned about motion but this eases my mind. Thanks!

Congratulations, you’ll have a great time! We are in M107 on the Majestic in November.   Happy Sailing!