What would you do if you were I?

[jacksan1]

My wife and I are currently booked on the Golden for the Inside Passage on September 1. We are confirmed in C617, Category BA Balcony. That's a pretty good room, as far as we are concerned.

 

However, we have recently found out through our TA that, if we put in another $90 per person, we can book Category AE, but guranteed only.

 

We love the Caribe deck balcony. If we went with AE guranteed, we would be on Dolphin or Emerald. Not too bad, but not as good as the Caribe balcony. Of course, with AE, we would get a lot more interior space.

 

Should we save $180 and stay in C617, or go for AE guaranteed? What would you do if you were I? :confused:

[Druke I]

Inasmuch as you say you are satisfied with C-617 - I'd stick with it and forget the worry of a chance of a good/bad assignment with the guarantee.

 

Easy for me to say - I am not faced with the question.

[cindep]

I have a differing opinion. For the small difference in price, I'd go for the mini-suite. Remember, you're going to be in Alaska and if the weather is less than desirable, more inside space (and the bigger bathroom with a tub) will be worth every bit of that $180. I'd go for more space. You'll still have a balcony that you can enjoy.

 

Just my two cents on the matter. The last time we did Alaska we upgraded a couple of months before the trip to the mini-suite on the Star -- I was glad for the extra room to spread out.

[Cactus]

Okay, here’s a couple of questions and some background comments.

First have you sailed in a mini-suite before?

Second would you like to try one time for 180 bucks? (I assume you are on a 10 day cruise, so 9 bucks a day per person – the price of a good drink!)

 

We have sailed in both on Grand class ships. A balcony on the Caribe deck is perfect – I truly believe they are the best balconies on the sides of the ships (the big suites at the back – never been in those!)

 

Keep in mind; the mini’s have more to offer than just another room with a couch, TV, coffee table, & chair. The bathroom is a real bathroom – full bathtub & shower, the linen is upgraded, the bedding is different (duvets), the mattresses and pillows are upgraded, as are the robs, the shampoo, conditioner, etc are in bottles not paper tubes, and champagne served on arrival.

 

Like I said, we have been in both and enjoyed being in the suite – but only when the price is right – however, the Caribe does have the best balconies on the side of the ship – IMO.

 

If you’ve never sailed in a mini – looks like you have a chance to “try it” for a reasonable price – then next time you’ll know if it is worth it or not.

[Tahoestarr]

Additional seating area in the mini. You can still lounge in your cabin, and look out at the beautiful scenery! Balcony usually only has one chair :( To me, it's worth the extra money...but we spend a lot of time in our cabin. Just depends how you use your cabin.

[Cactus]

Balcony only has one chair? You are not talking about Princess Grand Class Caribe or mini balconies - they usually have two lounges with a table, or four chairs and a table .........

[DevilMike]

Do it - the price is too sweet to pass up.

[firefly333]

I saw a balcony on the carib deck on the CB with 4 chairs, and thought it doesnt get better than this. I dont really care about extra inside space, but for Alaska it's important to me and most to see out, more so than other cruises.

 

Id be thrilled with the balcony.

[West Coast]

Going with the AE, you risk having a fully exposed balcony.

By keeping your BA on the Caribe deck you have a 1/2 covered, 1/2 open balcony. Perfect for all weather, which being on an Alaska cruise, is ideal.

 

I say (IMHO), stay with the BA... you'll be very happy.

 

Spend the $180 on a great excursion or put it towards some bling for the Mrs.

 

She'll remember that a lot more than some extra inside cabin space :D

[Colo Cruiser]

I would say take the AE, you probably wont get an Emerald balcony though. Most likely a Dolphin cabin. :)

[joand452]

Balcony only has one chair?

 

I haven't been in a balcony cabin yet (will be this Saturday), but I do know the cabin itself has only one chair, not a sofa like the mini-suite. I don't know about the balcony itself--a couple of chairs at least, I would guess.

 

I would take the mini-suite for $180.00. It's not like you're going to be sunbathing topless in Alaska (although it was warm enough when we were there), so having an open balcony is no worry. If people have nothing better to do than look at me while I'm snoozing on the balcony--get a life! :rolleyes:

 

We enjoyed having the extra room in the cabin and the full-size tub.

 

Enjoy your cruise--Alaska has been my favorite...so far. Ask me again on May 5!!

[Casshew]

Go for the AE GUAR. You'll probably end up in an AB or AA anyway. These cabins are much larger than your BB, with a sitting area, 2 TV's, Full Bathtub - much more comfortable.

[cactusrose]

We love the Caribe balcony cabins but I'd give it up for a mini in a heartbeat Yes the balcony on the Caribe deck is half covered but believe me if you have rain or cold weather it's not going to do you any good. The rain and cold will come in to that area anyway. If you have really good weather you will be out at the rail of your balcony taking in the sites and that part isn't covered so it doesn't make any difference if you have a little extra room on the balcony, but it will make a difference if you have extra room inside.

[critterchick]

I vote for the mini as well. We spend a lot more time in the cabin than on the balcony, and there's plenty of room for 2 people out there. The inside of the minisuite is far superior to a that of a balcony cabin with all of the details that others have mentioned.

 

Enjoy!

[joyride]

We love the mini-suites on Princess.

 

When you are doing the scenic cruising (like Glacier Bay) they have a naturalist on board giving comentary on the Glaciers and wildlife. If you have a mini suite, you can point the 2nd TV out toward the balcony and turn it up so you can hear while you are out there. This is really the nice thing about the extra sitting area right by the balcony.

 

Also, in Alaska where it's colder - a warm bath sure is nice on that trip!

 

Our first trip we had a mini on Emerald (fully covered) which was especially great when it was sprinkling. Our second trip we had a mini on Dolphin, and also had abundent sunshine - so we didn't need cover.

 

For $180 dollars - you will LOVE the extra space. It's a big difference.

[seattlec5]

I would agree with most of the opinions so far. For a pretty minimal cost you are going into a mini-suite, so you have the extra space with the sitting area, larger bar area, and my favorite the larger bathroom with a tub/shower rather than the small shower in the balcony cabin. If you are concerned about having an exposed balcony (depending on what you want to do out there;) )that would be the only reason not to do it, however it has never been an issue for us in numerous grand class ship mini-suites. Give it a try, I would be very surprised if you came back with a report that you didn't like it. Good luck!

[Pam in CA]

Like the others, I vote for the mini. When you cruise the Inside Passage or in Alaskan waters, it's pretty chilly if not cold outside so the size of the balcony or whether it's covered vs. uncovered isn't as big a factor. For this itinerary, I'd opt for the larger cabin space, which you'd have in the mini.

[Jayne315]

Mini Suites are the way to go!

[taxatty]

Another mini-suite vote--$180 upgrade is a no brainer to me. Much more comfortable.

Les

[jacksan1]

Many thanks to all of you for the feedback! We have officially switched to the mini-suite (AE GTY) now. We have never been in a mini-suite (or any suite), so have decided that it is worth $180 to try one. I don't know about my wife, but my greatest concern now is that we will be so spoiled by this experience that we will never be able to go back to a regular balcony! This change may cost us a whole lot more than $180 in the long run. :p

[Tahoestarr]

I was referring to the number of chairs in the cabin itself...not on the balcony.