Is Norwegian's Club Balcony Suite worth the Upgrade?

  This January (2025) I had the blessing of being able to cruise in a Club Balcony Suite on Norwegian Cruise Line. I've been conceptually familiar with these cabins, but I've never sailed in one and I wanted to see what the differences were. What makes a Club Balcony Suite different from a Balcony cabin?

 First off, lets dispel this "Suite" misnomer. The Club Balcony Suite is not considered a Suite. You do not get the major suite perks like a butler, concierge, special breakfast restaurant, and extra Latitudes Rewards point per night. They do include a few suite perks though, perhaps that inspired the name? These are treats delivered to your cabin on two days of the cruise (one day you get sweets and another bite-sized sandwiches) and a bottle of sparkling wine. You also get one free bag of laundry per cruise. 

 
Club Balcony Suite Bathroom

Balcony Bathroom

 How about the differences in the cabin itself? The primary difference you'll find will be with the bathroom. In a Club Balcony Suite, you get a double sink and a longer shower with a sliding door. In a balcony suite there is a corner shower and a single sink.  The storage is also different with there being mirror level shelves in the Balcony and extra under sink storage in the Club Balcony Suite.

  

Club Balcony Suite                                    Balcony

 These pictures are taken from different sides of the room, but if you're struggling to tell the difference between them, you're not alone. I couldn't tell you either. According to NCL's website, the Club Balcony Suites range from 23-33 meters squared and the Balcony rooms range from 19-34 meters squared. The larger of these will be handicap rooms which give enough space to navigate in a wheelchair, so really you're looking at a difference of 19 to 23 meters squared. That sounds like it could be significant, but can you see it? I wonder how much of that is in the bathroom and the hallway outside it?


 So is it worth it? Well, when I ran the price difference on a few different cruises, the cost between the Balcony and the Club Balcony Suite ranged from 10-18%. That's not insignificant, you could be talking $500 easily for two people, often more than that. Would you pay $500 for a double sink and a few treats? 
Here's the Thing: Choices like these are highly personal. It also often comes down to what is available and what kind of a deal you can get. Maybe you get an upgrade offer and you put in the same amount for the Balcony and Club Balcony Suite and end up winning the Club Balcony Suite. I wouldn't look that gift horse in the mouth! (And yes, I looked up the origin and meaning of that phrase right after I used it) For me, I wouldn't pay extra for the Club Balcony Suite. But I certainly enjoyed it!

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