Newbie in need of assistance

[mom2rose&john]

We have never taken a cruise and am just starting to do research. I am looking for assistance on what would be the best choice. We are more of a get up and go family. Not spending much time in our room on vacation. We are interested in adding a three night Bahamas and Perfect Day cruise to our Universal Orlando trip. It would be on the Mariner of Seas Ship. I am wondering how important is the balcony on such a short cruise. I am comparing the spacious Balcony Deck 9 1B #9620 to the Ocean View Panoramic Suite No Balcony Deck 12 #1854. The suite is $260 more but has a half bath and a lot larger. The suite is appealing but if a Balcony is great I may sacrifice the bath.

What do the the color boxed codes (ie 1B, 2D) mean on the website? As a newbie all this is confusing

TIA

 

[gumbypee]

We have never taken a cruise and am just starting to do research. I am looking for assistance on what would be the best choice. We are more of a get up and go family. Not spending much time in our room on vacation. We are interested in adding a three night Bahamas and Perfect Day cruise to our Universal Orlando trip. It would be on the Mariner of Seas Ship. I am wondering how important is the balcony on such a short cruise. I am comparing the spacious Balcony Deck 9 1B #9620 to the Ocean View Panoramic Suite No Balcony Deck 12 #1854. The suite is $260 more but has a half bath and a lot larger. The suite is appealing but if a Balcony is great I may sacrifice the bath.

What do the the color boxed codes (ie 1B, 2D) mean on the website? As a newbie all this is confusing

TIA

Balcony is all about personal choice. I have been in a balcony room and actually kinda did not like it b/c i felt i had to stay in my room and use the balcony to make up for spending the money on it. I like oceanview rooms just fine and I have even sailed interior room and had zero problems with it. I too like to be out and about and only use the room for sleeping and changing. My two cents.

I don't know about the color boxes, sorry

 

[starvenger]

The colours indicate different room types and locations. IIRC, the lower the number in a category (i.e. 1B vs 6B) the closer it is to the centre. There may be a price difference as well.

As for which is better, it's all in the eye of the beholder. Do you want to be able to wake up, step outside your cabin and take in the sea? Then get the balcony. Would you prefer a little more space? Then go with the suite. As for showers, I feel like no matter how they try to sell you on them, they'll feel small.

I think that for me, given a 3-day on Mariner, I'd probably go with the suite. As it faces forward, you get a relatively unique view for your trip. A balcony would be great, but with 2 stops I don't feel like you're on the ship long enough to really take advantage of it.

And don't dismiss booking through a travel agent. They can help you get the room you want (or perhaps a better one) and you won't get charged a commission for it, as they get reimbursed from the cruise lines themselves. Find a local TA that specializes in cruises, or use Dreams Unlimited or Costco. And they might throw some bonuses your way like on board credit (OBC) or wine.