Hawaii/Alaska B2B questions

We are looking into an extended cruise in April to Hawaii followed immediately by an Alaska itinerary. We would like to keep the same cabin for both cruises. We also have wanted to try an aft balcony but never got the nerve to try it. We’ve always booked a midship cabin to minimize movement. We’ve cruised to Hawaii before and know that the sea days can be rough. Never cruised to Alaska.

We also have been reading on CC about a RT cruise in 2018 from LA to Alaska. I think it’s 12 days. Many thought it would be a great cruise but others commented that an early spring cruise in the northwest Atlantic can be chilly and thought the lack of an inside pool on the Emerald could be problematic.

We had initially thought we would book the Grand for April 2017 to Hawaii and then Alaska immediately afterwards, but I couldn’t find any aft balcony cabins or any midship cabins or mini suites that we could book for the B2B. Consequently I have begun to look at the Grand for 2018. I think she has an indoor pool. Unfortunately I do not see any itinerary on Princess’ website for her after the Hawaii trip.

My questions are these:

1. I know aft balconies are popular. Are they more prone to movement than midship balconies?

2. We’ve never sailed Princess before. I think I saw somewhere on CC that the Caribe deck had somewhat larger balconies. True? The cabin we have in mind is C752.

3. What are the pros/cons of an aft balcony? Will the pros/cons change with the itinerary, i.e., might be a plus for Hawaii but a disadvantage for Alaska?

Thanks so much for your comments.

We are looking into an extended cruise in April to Hawaii followed immediately by an Alaska itinerary. We would like to keep the same cabin for both cruises. We also have wanted to try an aft balcony but never got the nerve to try it. We’ve always booked a midship cabin to minimize movement. We’ve cruised to Hawaii before and know that the sea days can be rough. Never cruised to Alaska.

 

We also have been reading on CC about a RT cruise in 2018 from LA to Alaska. I think it’s 12 days. Many thought it would be a great cruise but others commented that an early spring cruise in the northwest Atlantic can be chilly and thought the lack of an inside pool on the Emerald could be problematic.

 

We had initially thought we would book the Grand for April 2017 to Hawaii and then Alaska immediately afterwards, but I couldn’t find any aft balcony cabins or any midship cabins or mini suites that we could book for the B2B. Consequently I have begun to look at the Grand for 2018. I think she has an indoor pool. Unfortunately I do not see any itinerary on Princess’ website for her after the Hawaii trip.

 

My questions are these:

 

1. I know aft balconies are popular. Are they more prone to movement than midship balconies? Midship balconies always have less movement.

2. We’ve never sailed Princess before. I think I saw somewhere on CC that the Caribe deck had somewhat larger balconies. True? The cabin we have in mind is C752. Mini Suites on Dolphin deck usually have the largest balconies except for full suites.

3. What are the pros/cons of an aft balcony? Will the pros/cons change with the itinerary, i.e., might be a plus for Hawaii but a disadvantage for Alaska?We found aft balconys can have exhaust and cooking fumes when cruising and in port depending on the wind.

 

Thanks so much for your comments.

Princess does a 12 day to Alaska cruise from LA in April 2018. I personally won't go that early to Alaska . Many places don't really open until May . Many attractions still might be blocked by snow in April.

2. We’ve never sailed Princess before. I think I saw somewhere on CC that the Caribe deck had somewhat larger balconies. True? The cabin we have in mind is C752.

 

 

Thanks so much for your comments.

I would book C752 in a heartbeat. We turned down a mini for very little more money in order to keep that cabin on Grand. There was more motion but I use a patch behind the ear for motion sickness and had no problem. (Without a patch you couldn't get me on a ship as I get horribly sick. With the patch I've weathered storms that put most folks to bed and I had no problems at all.)

I think C752 may be my wife's favorite cabin to date. She loved having the wake view right there. I woke up one night to use the restroom and, instead of just going back to bed right away, I sat out on the balcony watching the full moon over the wake. It was great.

 

My questions are these:

 

1. I know aft balconies are popular. Are they more prone to movement than midship balconies?

2. We’ve never sailed Princess before. I think I saw somewhere on CC that the Caribe deck had somewhat larger balconies. True? The cabin we have in mind is C752.

3. What are the pros/cons of an aft balcony? Will the pros/cons change with the itinerary, i.e., might be a plus for Hawaii but a disadvantage for Alaska?

 

Thanks so much for your comments.

There are no problems with aft facing cabins. Some passengers love them and they are in demand. You will get some vibration when the ship is using its thrusters while docking.

We frequently book Caribe Deck balconies in the 700 range. These are the less expensive ones. With few exceptions all balcony cat. cabins on the Grand have the same interiors, but balconies on the Caribe deck are just about double sized, 9'x9', half covered and half uncovered.

There are plenty of the same cabins available for the Grand's April 23, 2017 Hawaii and May 8, 2017 Alaska which are the b2b's you mention. I just checked. Just look in the Princess web site.

Princess does a 12 day to Alaska cruise from LA in April 2018. I personally won't go that early to Alaska . Many places don't really open until May . Many attractions still might be blocked by snow in April.

Actually, this cruise departs at the end of April, so 99% of the time we'll be in Alaska will be in May.

This cruise is already almost booked up...

Actually, this cruise departs at the end of April, so 99% of the time we'll be in Alaska will be in May.

 

This cruise is already almost booked up...

Alaska isn't my favorite place in early May. Early May the weather is very unpredictable . We came from LA to Vancouver early last May. The whole trip except for Victoria was rough and bumpy.

Ah, but a lot of us like it bumpy!

To keep the same popular cabin for a b2b, you must book early. You are much more likely to fin a cabin available for a b2b in the less desirable areas like the front.