WingerSupreme

So the only a la carte option is Premium? Do they at least have 24-hour plans that can be bought on board?

Thank you, that wording is very odd, but I think it is meant more for the multi-night dining packages, and someone just copied and pasted it.

Doing an 8-night Celebrity cruise in December, and my wife really wants to go snorkeling, so that's one excursion we're definitely going to book. The four ports are Labadee, Taino Bay (Puerto Plata), St. Thomas (Charlotte Amalie) and St. Maarten (Philisburg). Any recommendations as to which would be the best (or worst) place to snorkel, or any specific recommendations on excursions? Thank you!

Dumb question time, two of them actually. I'm not cruising until December 2024, but I want to book the Murano for my birthday (which occurs during the trip). If I place a reservation now... 1) If I cancel the reservation, I get the charges refunded, correct? 2) If the price increases between now and then, do I have to pay more?

Princess does have them listed the same, the TA must have some deal on guaranteed cabins.

@Itchy&Scratchy how much did you pay to win that upgrade? And the problem is the cost difference between guaranteed and choose our own is significant with the TA I'm looking at ($250 CAD), so that's a tipping point.

Thank you, by itinerary I did mean everything involved with the trip, including ship and cabin. I've heard contrasting statements on upgrades from guaranteed cabins, some people say they happen often, others say they happen almost never.

I did, they're basically booked solid.

@Steelers36 It's in USD, I'm just doing the calculations myself to make it easier for me to figure out.

My wife went back to school (part-time) so the earliest we can leave is December 14th (with a flight on the 13th) and the latest we can return is January 5th. Otherwise, we would definitely find another time to cruise.

I can't talk about TAs specifically so you're kind of putting me in a bind, but the total cost difference between a GTY and picking our own is $300 CAD. Through the Princess website, an Interior Cabin works out to $3,435 CAD (before tips). Through the TA, a GTY Interior is $2,819 CAD (before tips), and choosing our own is $3,069 CAD. So yes, it's still a good deal to choose our own (compared to the standard Princess rate), but it's a difference of $250. Also, when I mentioned "losing the ability to get upgraded," I wasn't talking about bidding on an upgrade. There are situations, like the first person who responded to me, where you book a guaranteed inside cabin but get bumped to oceanview or balcony without needing to bid on an upgrade. Anyways, while I appreciate your help, I wasn't really looking for tips on which rooms to book or whether or not I should book a GTY, I was looking for information from people who have booked them and what their experience was - did they get bumped up a category, did they get stuck in the worst room in the ship, etc.

Yeah for some reason, balconies and oceanviews are basically the same price on this trip. Although I actually noticed that with a couple trips on various cruiselines, some have obstructed balconies cheaper than oceanviews.

I'm booking through a TA that's got a really good price on the guaranteed cabin, so for us it'd be about $300 CAD ($224 USD) to upgrade, and it removes the chance (however slim) of being bumped up to a better cabin without bidding. Also, I understand your point about the refundable deposits, but we're pretty committed, and I have built-in travel insurance through my Visa (plus I will buy additional insurance for the cruise itself).

@Cruise Raider I think I understand what you're saying. Prior to the bid, if you wanted to change cabins within the same category, that would've been mine. However after you bid on (and win) an upgrade, you're locked into that cabin. Right?

@Steelers36 just making sure I have this correct. If I get assigned an ID cabin and there's another ID cabin available that I like better, I can move with no issue. But, if there's an IC/IB cabin available, I'd have to pay/bid to upgrade. Is that right?

Thank you, I assumed as much but wasn't sure because they charge the same from IB/IC/ID/IE from what I've seen, but I also know those are often "free upgrade" promotions.

Is this 100%? I've read elsewhere that people have been able to change cabins within the same category after they get their assignment.

@candy4040 Thank you, that makes sense. I think we might roll the dice, and see what happens

In your case, was the ship near capacity? I assume my cruise will be pretty full since it'll be over Christmas, but I'm also counting on a lot of families that will hopefully be looking to grab inside rooms to save money.

My wife and I are trying to decide on our first cruise, and one of the two we're debating between is a 10-day one on the Enchanted Princess, Dec. 20-30. The thing is, the only reason we can afford it is I've got a good deal offer through a TA, and we would only be able to afford it at the "guaranteed inside cabin" level. Now, I know historically there have been times when people have booked a guaranteed inside cabin and ended up being upgraded to Oceanview or Balcony, but does that still happen with the new bidding system? And on that note, what would I be looking at cost-wise (roughly) if I try to bid on a balcony upgrade from an inside cabin? Lastly, if I receive a room assignment that I don't like and there are others (in the same category) that are available, can I just email my TA and have them switch it with Princess for me? And sorry, one more thing on that note, if I get assigned a room that is category ID but I see one available that's preferable in IC or IB, does that count as a switch or an "upgrade"? Thank you!

How much did it cost for you to upgrade?

Thank you so much! I have been browsing the individual port boards, I've even got a spreadsheet with notes on each port (I'm very thorough when it comes to planning things like this). My gut instinct is that the ship is more important than the cabin, but I've seen a lot of other commenters basically saying "balcony or bust" so that's left me conflicted.

We're both in our 30s, but we're looking for a more relaxing cruise rather than a party atmosphere. Neither of us drink so drink packages and such don't matter, I am a bit of a foodie and I'm also celiac, so both of those food aspects are important to me. My wife loves the beach, so ports that have a built-in beach are a bonus, but we are also looking to do 2-3 excursions (like 2 if we do the first itinerary, 3 if we do the second, since we've already been to Puerto Plata and Labadee isn't really an excursion port). Both sail out of Fort Lauderdale. Cruise 1) Celebrity Eclipse (Balcony), Dec 14-22. Ports are Labadee, Puerto Plata, St Thomas, and St Marteen. Day at sea, 4 port days, then 2 more days at sea. Cost (incl. tips) $3,058 CAD (with $200 USD OBC) Cruise 2) Enchanted Princess (Guaranteed Inside), Dec. 20-30. Ports are Princess Cays, St. Thomas, St Maarten, Antigua (on Christmas Day), St. Kitts, and Tortola. Port day, day at sea, 5 port days, 2 more days at sea. Cost (incl. tips) $3,240 Notes: With Celebrity, the day we're in St. Thomas will have 5 other ships, while with Princess we'll be the only ship. St. Kitts will have 6 ships that day, which could obviously impact things. Other than that, every other port day there will be 1-3 ships (including ours). Including the OBC, which will help pay for gratuities, the cost difference between the two is roughly $450 CAD. I haven't calculated any potential price differences in flights, but I assume it'll be roughly even. The main things we're discussing and hung up on are: 1) Will the Princess be significantly more crowded because it runs over Christmas and many kids will be out of school? Will it be crowded to the point that it makes the trip less enjoyable? 2) I know a balcony is better than an inside stateroom, but my research leads me to believe overall the Enchanted Princess is a "better" ship than the Celebrity Eclipse (we especially like the idea of the movies under the stars). What is the likelihood of us getting an upgrade on our guaranteed cabin? And if we do stay in an inside cabin, what's the worst cabin we could be put in - and how bad would it be? 3) Assuming we don't get upgraded, what would you say is the better cabin/ship combo - Celebrity Eclipse Balcony, or Enchanted Princess Inside? Thank you for all your help and suggestions!

Currently deciding between two cruises, and one unique port is St. Kitts. I checked the schedule, and they're expecting 6 ships on the day we'd be in port, with a combined capacity of about 10,000 passengers. We'll be docked from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and I haven't even started to look at excursions yet, but how much of an impact will it make to have that many other people there?

Yeah, definitely a "live and learn" moment. Although, the cruise my wife and I are looking at transferring to has come down in price (a LOT) since we initially booked our current cruise, so even if I had shopped around at the time, I would not have been looking for this cruise specifically. As it stands, I still have full control over my cruise, Celebrity has not transferred it over yet (I did receive an email that the process had started, but there have evidently been issues). Financially, I have full control and could cancel the Celebrity cruise for a full refund and book the Princess one my wife and I are looking at. This is more of an ethical/moral question.