Mini Suite or Caribe Deck

[chasingships]

We are going on the Grand Princess in Jan. We were originally booked in a BA on the Caribe deck. I now have tenitively booked an AA mini suite on the Dolphin deck at about 575.00 cheaper. :D Does anyone have any info on the layout or if the balcony is covered partially or not? We have a 6 year old going with us were does the 3rd person sleep does the couch fold out? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I wish there was a spell check!!!!:eek:

Renee

[HeartofTexas]

What sailing in Jan? We are on the Jan 8th sailing with our 6 and 4 year olds. I would suggest the mini for the extra space, tub, sofa, 2nd TV and better price. We were on the Sappire in a BA, in July, though and enjoyed our half-covered balcony more than our friends in a AA mini - there is no privacy at all on the Dophin deck.

[HeartofTexas]

BTW, where are you getting your prices from?

[sns]

Last week the January 15th Grand cruise out of Galveston went down in price. My husband and I had a mini (AA) booked and we noticed that the price had gone down $199 per person. Our TA called on Monday and we are now saving a total of $398. The prices for the minis on this sailing are so inexpensive. All of a sudden there were quite a few rooms available also. I noticed the lower price on Travelocity and then I called Princess to confirm the new price. Princess could not change our rate, we had to have our TA do it.

 

Last year we were on the Coral and had our first mini. We loved it. I know a lot of people say you have no privacy with the open balcony but we never noticed that at all. We found it amazing how many people do not use their balcony. A few years ago we were on the Aloha Deck which is covered. We like the minis better because of the extra space.

[chasingships]

Unfortunately I cannot tell which agency I went through, but it is the one with leonard nemo on the commercial... and got the cheaper price. I went through the first one and booked dep only for the Caribe BA. Today I checked with the one on the internet and got an AA mini cheaper than a BA balcony on the Caribe. We are going on the Jan 15th sailing.

 

How many balconies are on top of us??

Thanks for the info!!!

 

Renee

[Kallen]

Go with the mini, by all means! We had a mini on Dolphin in February and it was perfect for two (large) adults plus our 17 year old daughter. There is a couch next to the balcony door. In the evening, the cabin steward pulls the bed out of the couch and makes it up. Your 6 year old will love the fact that he/she will have their own television as an added plus and you adults will enjoy the full bathroom with tub.

 

On Dolphin, you will have three sets of balconies overlooking you, but we didn't have any privacy issues at all as there were rarely folks looking down. As an added benefit, you will look straight down into the water and straight up to the stars with no obstruction. Make sure to take a few minutes before you go to bed on your first night out to sit out on the balcony and watch the phosphorescent waves glow green in the dark and experience the feeling of being able to reach up and pick a star out of the sky. It is a magical experience! :)

 

Kerry

Dawn Princess Southern Feb 28/05

Grand Princess Western Feb/04

[chasingships]

Thank you!!! You make it sound so wonderful. We have not had a balcony before not to mention a mini-suite. We may never want to leave. Our son will enjoy the second TV very much. I hate to admit it but sometimes it is the best babysitter ever. Thank you for your beautiful description!!!

 

Renee

[hstrybuf]

I would definitely go for the mini just for the extra room. Our balcony on the Dolphin deck was, I think, a BC and was totally open to the decks above.

[Jeepers385]

Go for the mini. We had a BB balcony on Caribe deck which was nice but after seeing the mini suite I could have kicked myself in the butt for not upgrading. Quite a bit more room.

Debbie

[Racegoer]

Is the balcony totally open Like the Caribbean Princess? I say if it is stay away from it. We sailed 10-2 on CP and had category AA mini. We did like the larger cabin but did NOT like the totally open balcony. You have zero privacy and everything from cigarette butts to coffee were dropped on our balcony. I even saw a guy a few decks up and a few cabins over clipping his fingernails over his railing, how would you like that falling on you, good thing he wasn't over our room. In my opinion this design is a huge mistake by Princess. I love balcony cabins, but not this one, glad our friends had an Aft covered balcony, we used our very little. You can get lots of sun on them if you want. A big part of the enjoyment of the balcony is to sit out there and have some quiet peaceful time, the open balcony took that away.

[Coolmama_1]

We had an AA on the Golden and the open balcony was never a problem. The extra space of the mini with the larger bathroom and sitting area was a plus. We ordered room service most mornings and either sat on the balcony or at the table and sofa and enjoyed our breakfast. I would go with the mini. The extra room will really make a difference.

 

Judy

[chasingships]

Thanks so much for the opinions!!! I think I am going to go for the mini. Just to have more room with an active child I think would be a plus.

 

 

Thanks again

 

Renee