It used to be worse. NCL used to call this category "mini suites" on other class of ships. They finally ditched the "mini suite" but came up with Club Balcony Suite. Over priced for what you get
I cruise NCL a lot. I always look at the cabin layout of the balcony vs club balcony. On some ships the club is worth it with a larger bathroom, larger sitting area with a curtain between the bed and the couch area. I'll be on the Bliss in Feb and got a regular balcony.
I agree on the name. Remember they used to be called mini suites and then several years ago they changed it to club balcony suite. As far as cost, I book them whenever the cost is close to a balcony cabin. If the cost difference is under $400 total, I will do a CBS for the larger bathroom.
When I was booking our May 2025 Alaskan cruise, I inquired about the balcony club cabin. My NCL representative told me it was not worth the extra money. He said basically what you said. So we booked a regular balcony.
Great video again, thank you. We're booked in a Club Balcony 'Suite' for our next cruise on the sister ship (NCL Encore) but the cost difference was only $75 CAD per person from a balcony cabin at the time of booking (it's now $167 CAD more per person), so we thought we'd try it out and see if the extra bathroom space makes it worth it for us. I'm glad we didn't spend way more though. Love your videos!
Absolutely agree! We were on the very similiar cabin, but a "Club Balcony "Suite" with Big Balcony. Here you pay the money for the big balcony and nothing else. Yes, we enjoyed the "free" laundry as well and I do agree to everything you said.
Aside from the larger bathroom, the room is basically the same as a standard balcony. I stayed in a standard balcony on the NCL Escape and it looks exactly the same as your room. Maybe change the name to "balcony deluxe." This should not be called a suite by any means. Very misleading.
I had the same experience on the NCL Pearl last year. You also pay higher gratuities because of it being a "suite". I won't sail on NCL again. I have gone on 2 cruises with them & both left a lot to be desired.
I think the NCL balcony cabins get called all sorts of different names, spa balcony, family balcony etc but are essentially the same thing. Unless I was getting genuine perks by stepping way above the norm, I would stick to a standard balcony cabin as they have always met my needs.
Yeah, I'm not seeing enough benefits in here to justify the price tag. It's a lovely room, but it's not massively different to a regular balcony cabin on an NCL ship, in my opinion...
I could not agree with you more Morgan we took the bliss on a full transit of the panama canal Miami to LA and I felt the exact same way upon embarcation day, walking into the room I don’t even think the balconies any bigger than a standard balcony and most cruise ships we have taken nearly 20 cruises, and we booked a club balcony suite at something special because my wife had just retired and yet it was no better than any other standard balcony in my opinion. Thanks for the honest review.
In my opinion I believe NCL cabins are on the smaller side overall with low ceilings. MSC cabin is slightly bigger but no storage space. RCC and HAL win in the space and storage category. Happy cruising.😊
Hallo , früher war es bei NCL wie auch bei anderen Reedern die Junior Suit. Wir waren auf ein älteres NCL Schiff die Dawn. Dort war der Raum gösser und mit ein Vorhang Bett und Sofa getrennt. ( sogar 2 Klimaanlagen.)
We did a club suite on NCL. It was only $100 different so jumped on it. Strictly for the larger bathroom (2 girls and we needed it LOL) and we got 2 specialty dining included instead of 1. So that justified the little price difference. If it was a lot more...would not have booked.
I enjoy the Club Balcony shower. Otherwise, whatever, regular balconies are just fine. The CB, like the Celebrity Concierge cabin, isn’t really worth the extra cost. At least Concierge earns more loyalty points, so I’ve booked them for the sole purpose of speed running to Elite!
Exactly right! We’ve been in 2 club balcony rooms (Encore Dec. 2022 and Getaway Nov. 2024). We were upgraded for free on the Encore and we bid on an upgrade (lowest amount allowed +$5). I wouldn’t recommend paying full price for Club Balcony.
I notice the wonderful fold you used for the laundry bag. Loved that prior video. where you showed us how to get so many more clothes into that bag without ripping it.....can hardly wait to try on out next cruise.
My favorite bit is the bathroom. No, it's not huge, but the toilet isnt jammed so close to shower and the opposite wall, that us " not still in utero -sized humans have a chance.
I just returned from a 10 day NCL cruise and had a "club balcony suite", when I walked in I thought... What the heck is this! This is like any other balcony room. We too received cookies, two days in a row. 2 days! worth of cookies when we can go upstairs and get our own. Club balcony suite is a RIP OFF. The table on the balcony barely held two glasses. Never again wasting money on a "club balcony suite"
I’ve stayed in the club balcony suite. I booked it for the larger shower and double sinks when I cruised with a friend. It was only about $20 more per person per day. I would not want to pay $850 more for that cabin than a regular balcony cabin. But $20 more per day? Sure.
This is not a suite, it looks like a regular balcony cabin to me. One free laundry service with a slightly larger bathroom, shower, and balcony does not justify the extra cost. Sorry you got rooked into booking a "Suite" and got stuck with a mere glorification of a balcony cabin. Happy cruising 🛳 ☺️ Blessings and Peace 🙏 ✝️ 🕊
Not only do I agree that the difference between your 'suite' and a standard balcony cabin seems less than negligible, I take great exception to the use of the descriptor 'suite' in the 1st place. Rather than solely trust my own understanding of that word, I offer this definition from the Oxford Dictionary..."Suite: designated for one person's or family's use or for a particular purpose." As all staterooms presumably have separate bathrooms, I suggest that this single room space is not a suite at all but rather a slightly enhanced regular balcony cabin. Shame on NCL for trying to redefine the word.
I was disappointed with the club balcony on the Encore. One reason is that not all club balconies are the same They have different categories. Ours happened to have a tub and no special shower and no special bathroom amenities. Our room was considered a family room. Your club balcony is a higher grade.
Ncl has been doing this forever. They used to call it a mini suite and then changed the name but added the modest perks. Id equivocate the balcony suite to a JR suite at a hotel. Slightly better, but still not a suite.
Wow, there's is nothing "suite" about that cabin! I'm honestly shocked. Why on Earth would they decide to call that a suite, rather than something about an expanded experience, since that's what it is? It makes no sense. I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! I don't know if you still celebrate it but I hope you had a happy one, regardless.
Agree...they should just call it Club Balcony...ditch the "suite"
It used to be worse. NCL used to call this category "mini suites" on other class of ships. They finally ditched the "mini suite" but came up with Club Balcony Suite. Over priced for what you get
Thank you for the honest reporting. I agree don’t call it a suite.
I cruise NCL a lot. I always look at the cabin layout of the balcony vs club balcony. On some ships the club is worth it with a larger bathroom, larger sitting area with a curtain between the bed and the couch area. I'll be on the Bliss in Feb and got a regular balcony.
I agree on the name. Remember they used to be called mini suites and then several years ago they changed it to club balcony suite. As far as cost, I book them whenever the cost is close to a balcony cabin. If the cost difference is under $400 total, I will do a CBS for the larger bathroom.
When I was booking our May 2025 Alaskan cruise, I inquired about the balcony club cabin. My NCL representative told me it was not worth the extra money. He said basically what you said. So we booked a regular balcony.
Great video again, thank you. We're booked in a Club Balcony 'Suite' for our next cruise on the sister ship (NCL Encore) but the cost difference was only $75 CAD per person from a balcony cabin at the time of booking (it's now $167 CAD more per person), so we thought we'd try it out and see if the extra bathroom space makes it worth it for us. I'm glad we didn't spend way more though. Love your videos!
Absolutely agree! We were on the very similiar cabin, but a "Club Balcony "Suite" with Big Balcony. Here you pay the money for the big balcony and nothing else. Yes, we enjoyed the "free" laundry as well and I do agree to everything you said.
Aside from the larger bathroom, the room is basically the same as a standard balcony. I stayed in a standard balcony on the NCL Escape and it looks exactly the same as your room. Maybe change the name to "balcony deluxe." This should not be called a suite by any means. Very misleading.
I guess the other perk with regards to the room, is they tend to be in better positions in the ship as a whole. Is that the same here?
I think the sparking line and treats were delivered based on your latitudes member level and not this Club Balcony Suite cabin. But I could be wrong.
I had the same experience on the NCL Pearl last year. You also pay higher gratuities because of it being a "suite". I won't sail on NCL again. I have gone on 2 cruises with them & both left a lot to be desired.
I think the NCL balcony cabins get called all sorts of different names, spa balcony, family balcony etc but are essentially the same thing. Unless I was getting genuine perks by stepping way above the norm, I would stick to a standard balcony cabin as they have always met my needs.
Yeah, I'm not seeing enough benefits in here to justify the price tag. It's a lovely room, but it's not massively different to a regular balcony cabin on an NCL ship, in my opinion...
I could not agree with you more Morgan we took the bliss on a full transit of the panama canal Miami to LA and I felt the exact same way upon embarcation day, walking into the room I don’t even think the balconies any bigger than a standard balcony and most cruise ships we have taken nearly 20 cruises, and we booked a club balcony suite at something special because my wife had just retired and yet it was no better than any other standard balcony in my opinion. Thanks for the honest review.
In my opinion I believe NCL cabins are on the smaller side overall with low ceilings. MSC cabin is slightly bigger but no storage space. RCC and HAL win in the space and storage category. Happy cruising.😊
I also look at the layout. I want the bed closer to the door and the coach by the balcony. It makes the room feel bigger.
Hallo , früher war es bei NCL wie auch bei anderen Reedern die Junior Suit. Wir waren auf ein älteres NCL Schiff die Dawn. Dort war der Raum gösser und mit ein Vorhang Bett und Sofa getrennt. ( sogar 2 Klimaanlagen.)
Happy Thanksgiving Morgan and Marcus 🎉❤ gobble gobble gobble!
We did a club suite on NCL. It was only $100 different so jumped on it. Strictly for the larger bathroom (2 girls and we needed it LOL) and we got 2 specialty dining included instead of 1. So that justified the little price difference. If it was a lot more...would not have booked.
I enjoy the Club Balcony shower. Otherwise, whatever, regular balconies are just fine. The CB, like the Celebrity Concierge cabin, isn’t really worth the extra cost. At least Concierge earns more loyalty points, so I’ve booked them for the sole purpose of speed running to Elite!
Exactly right! We’ve been in 2 club balcony rooms (Encore Dec. 2022 and Getaway Nov. 2024). We were upgraded for free on the Encore and we bid on an upgrade (lowest amount allowed +$5). I wouldn’t recommend paying full price for Club Balcony.
Wait, they upgraded you for a $5 bid??? That's great luck!
They should call it superior bathroom cabin or something. They call it a suite to charge you the higher gratuity rate.
I waved at you from the Firenza in Cabo
I notice the wonderful fold you used for the laundry bag. Loved that prior video. where you showed us how to get so many more clothes into that bag without ripping it.....can hardly wait to try on out next cruise.
I’m excited for you to try it!
The real perk is when you book this room on a light sailing to get better upgrade to Haven bidding options.
The only difference is a larger bathroom. Did it once, on the Escape. NEVER AGAIN.
Yes spot on
Great cabin analysis!
I would say it's similar to Celebrity's concierge balcony.
Nice review. I wish there was a secret stairway to the buffet.
going on my first balcony, I would only bid to upgrade to the haven, but I know my bid will never win, cause i'll only bid the min.
My favorite bit is the bathroom. No, it's not huge, but the toilet isnt jammed so close to shower and the opposite wall, that us " not still in utero -sized humans have a chance.
I just returned from a 10 day NCL cruise and had a "club balcony suite", when I walked in I thought... What the heck is this! This is like any other balcony room. We too received cookies, two days in a row. 2 days! worth of cookies when we can go upstairs and get our own. Club balcony suite is a RIP OFF. The table on the balcony barely held two glasses. Never again wasting money on a "club balcony suite"
I’ve stayed in the club balcony suite. I booked it for the larger shower and double sinks when I cruised with a friend. It was only about $20 more per person per day. I would not want to pay $850 more for that cabin than a regular balcony cabin. But $20 more per day? Sure.
Love the bath - it’s not a suite.
Granted, it shouldn’t be called a suite…however the club balcony rooms are better located than a standard balcony. This is a huge deal for some of us.
Agreed, not a suite.
This is not a suite, it looks like a regular balcony cabin to me. One free laundry service with a slightly larger bathroom, shower, and balcony does not justify the extra cost.
Sorry you got rooked into booking a "Suite" and got stuck with a mere glorification of a balcony cabin.
Happy cruising 🛳 ☺️
Blessings and Peace 🙏 ✝️ 🕊
Not only do I agree that the difference between your 'suite' and a standard balcony cabin seems less than negligible, I take great exception to the use of the descriptor 'suite' in the 1st place.
Rather than solely trust my own understanding of that word, I offer this definition from the Oxford Dictionary..."Suite: designated for one person's or family's use or for a particular purpose."
As all staterooms presumably have separate bathrooms, I suggest that this single room space is not a suite at all but rather a slightly enhanced regular balcony cabin.
Shame on NCL for trying to redefine the word.
I thought that was going to be a portal to Narnia
I was disappointed with the club balcony on the Encore. One reason is that not all club balconies are the same They have different categories. Ours happened to have a tub and no special shower and no special bathroom amenities. Our room was considered a family room. Your club balcony is a higher grade.
Ncl has been doing this forever. They used to call it a mini suite and then changed the name but added the modest perks. Id equivocate the balcony suite to a JR suite at a hotel. Slightly better, but still not a suite.
Wow, there's is nothing "suite" about that cabin! I'm honestly shocked. Why on Earth would they decide to call that a suite, rather than something about an expanded experience, since that's what it is? It makes no sense.
I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! I don't know if you still celebrate it but I hope you had a happy one, regardless.
Yikes. Norwegian? What are you doing?
For me, spending money on NCL is a loss. Bad coffee, only good food in specialty, and never-ending sales pitches.
Until cruising, we thought suite was usually two rooms, at least
Sure doesn’t appear to be a suite.
Suite? Not!
Tiny balcony
That’s not a suite as I know them .