Traditional Dining, mini-suite questions

[MonicaL]

I have only cruised with Celebrity and am considering a couple of different Princess itineraries. My first question is if you choose traditional dining will you have the same waiter and asst. waiter for the entire cruise? Second question, is the space and few perks of the mini-suite worth a couple hundred dollars on a Princess cruise?

[ECCruise]

We've sailed both Celebrity and Princess a number of times.

Yes, if you choose traditional dining you will experience what you are used to: same table, same tablemates, same wait staff.

The Mini suite is a pretty decent upgrade from a regular balcony cabin on the Grand Class ships and a big jump up on several of the other ships. For example, the Grand Class minis have 2 TVs, a seating area with couch and upgraded amenities.

[ggprincess2004]

Yes, barring something very unusual happening, you will have the same waiter and ass't for the entire cruise.

The next answer is quite subjective. Personally, for a cruise of more than 7 days, I think it is worth it. The bathroom has a tub, not just the itsy bitsy shower, and the sitting room is quite nice. Balconies on the mini-suites are larger than most of the other staterooms. So if those things matter to you, then perhaps that will help you make your decision.

There is ongoing debate on this board about covered v. uncovered balconies. On the grand class ships, the minis on Dolphin deck have completely uncovered balconies. This is fine with me, some people really object to that and it does influence their choice of cabin class. The few minis that are on Emerald have covered balconies.

You don't mention which ship you are considering. My answer above was geared to the grand class ships. But, on the Sun class ships, the mini-suites are generally more "than a few hundred extra", and also IMHO worth it. In fact, the very best minisuites to be had (IMO again) are on the sun class, at the aft of the ship. The balconies are completely private, not just covered, but very private. The bath is a split bath, just lovely. The only difference between these and full suites is a bit of square footage and the rest of the full suite perks.

Since you have cruised before, you have a good idea of how much time you spend in your stateroom v. out and about. As my DH and I have gotten older, we tend to spend more time in our stateroom relaxing and really appreciate a sizeable balcony. In my younger days, and inside stateroom was just fine - was never in it except to sleep for 5 or 6 hours, and change clothes! That piece of information that only you have, is really what is going to determine whether you find the extra cost for a mini worth it or not.

Whatever you choose, have a fabulous cruise. :)

[edste]

Hi

The mini suite aside from the mentioned perks also has a larger bathroom with a tub. i love having the larger bathroom.

[barbarah33]

I have also sailed on Celebrity and Princess numerous times. If you chose the traditional dining on Princess it will be just like the dining on Celebrity; same time, same table, servers, etc. each night.

I have had both regular verandah cabins and mini's on Princess and I think the mini's are totally worth the extra money. (I have also had the sky suites on Celebrity and think the Princess mini's are 100% better if that helps.) The extra space they afford you is wonderful! The bigger bathroom - and having the tub does make the entire bathroom much larger. I also like the 'sitting' room. Last year our travel agent sent us the Ultimate Balcony breakfast as she does every time we cruise with Princess. Unfortunately on the day we chose to have it it was raining. Having that sitting area in the mini was just perfect because there was plenty of room to set it all up and enjoy. And when you just want to sit and relax for a bit you don't have to be on the beds - there is a couch and chair for you. We often will have people over to our cabin one night for drinks and hors d'oeuvres before dinner and with the mini we can get 8 in there and on the verandah no problem. If you like some extra space and/or spend any time in your cabin then I would recommend getting a mini-suite.

[mii]

Another vote for the mini's. I use the little sofa alot and they are only in the mini's and the full suites. it really is too bad that they are not in a regular balcony room. Celebrity does have sofas in all of the rooms. So to me the mini-suite is worth the extra money.

 

Marilyn

[2pbears]

We have not yet experienced the mini but we will this weekend on the Golden. Our limited experience has been with a balcony stateroom which we felt was quite adequate, except for the lack of a sitting area. On Princess, unless you have a mini or a suite there is really no place to sit down and enjoy a cocktail before dinner (other than on the balcony). In our younger years we would have been perfectly happy to sit Indian style on the bed and sip our cocktails but now in our 50's we kind of like a comfortable place to sit and in the regular rooms on Princess there is no sitting area. This is the only reason we have decided to try the minisuite.

[bythehex]

We've sailed both Celebrity and Princess a number of times.

Yes, if you choose traditional dining you will experience what you are used to: same table, same tablemates, same wait staff.

The Mini suite is a pretty decent upgrade from a regular balcony cabin on the Grand Class ships and a big jump up on several of the other ships. For example, the Grand Class minis have 2 TVs, a seating area with couch and upgraded amenities.

*********************************

We've been on the Crown Princess twice, once in a regular balcony room and recently in a mini-suite. The difference for us was that the balcony was fine for two people, but when we brought a third (our son), the mini-suite was much better as we weren't all tripping over each other. Plus, he had his own TV and the sofa bed was very comfortable.

 

The sofa itself is not too small, and I must say I found it very comfortable to sit on. It's situated closer to the balcony and it was nice to sit there on the sofa and watch the ocean go by. It's true that the regular balcony room did not have a sofa. If you want the extra room and comfort in your cabin, then by all means it's worth it to book the mini-suite. Besides the fact that the bathroom in the mini has a full bathtub rather than just the small shower. THAT was nice!!

 

My husband and I are booked on the inagural cruise of the Ruby Princess, however, we booked a balcony. For the two of us, that was fine.

 

As far as traditional dining, you will have the same table and servers for your entire cruise.

 

- Sharon -

[WeBeGone]

For 7 days, a balcony is fine. But for the longer cruises or b2b, it's really nice to be able to spread out.

[Mauizach]

A lot also depends on the ship, Pacific Princess and some of the other smaller ships have a sofe and a small fridge in the balcony rooms. You can save the money for other things, but on the Grand Class go for the mini suite's. The two rooms help if one wants to nap and the other wants to watch (not sure why) TV. On the Diamond the Mini-Suite was night and day different from the balcony. On Pacific Princess while the Mini-Suite is wider and has a tub, I did not think it was that much of an improvement. As for traditional dining I like having the same wait staff every night we also like to meet people. Going to the buffet is just too causal at dinner for me. Lunch and breakfast I do not mind. But I also enjoy a Tux, I go on a cruise to get away from the normal dinner experience. But that is just me, just enjoy your cruise and meet lot's of new friends. Hope this helps!:)

[otogocruisin]

The mini suite is worth it anytime in our minds. We love the extra room and the bathroom.:D

[Pam in CA]

I think the mini-suite is worth the extra money but it really depends on the type of cruise you're on. If it's port-intensive and you're going to be leaving your cabin early in the morning and returning at night, it might not be. If you have a number of sea days, then the mini is definitely worth it. I had a mini on the Golden and much preferred it since it was too cold for anyone to be outdoors or even in the covered pool area so the ship was crowded inside with few places to go. I loved being able to retreat to my cabin and relax.

[Dame Delilah]

Here's another vote for the Mini. We've travelled several times on Celebrity in Consierge Class Balcony and Sky Suites. We honestly believe that the mini suites on Princess are best.

 

Also, DH really hates (!!:mad: !!) the tiny showers!! The mini-suites have much :rolleyes: better bathroom facilities!