SantaFeFan

I'll add one thing - people are on vacation. Vacations are designed to have new experiences that they can't get at home. I find it sad that some people cannot allow themselves to just go for it when on a once in a lifetime experience and unnecessarily limit themselves from those rare opportunities to do something special.

So, conspiracy theorists also live in England. Nice to know. LOL! I belong to not one, but three "dumb down formal night" terrorist groups. We are hell bent on getting our way, no matter who ends up being collateral damage. We spend weekends practicing by meeting in parking lots of high end restaurants, dressing like slobs and being slovenly. On our leader's command, we storm those restaurants to lower the bar to see what they can get away with. We won't stop until our last gasping breath. HAIL THE SHORTS!!!! (Satire for those who take themselves much too seriously - you know who you are!)

Inappropriate to your delicate sensibilities, perhaps. But clearly not inappropriate to the other 95% of the passengers. I expect you to troll this comment. It appears that only your idea of how a cruise should be is what matters. Everyone who has a different perspective than you is a "Troll" in your eyes. And in case you haven't figured this out yet, this is a Princess forum, not Oceania. What Oceania does is of no concern to Princess, and the reverse is also true. Most of us don't care that you dine at high end restaurants like Capitol Grill or Morton's or that you like to cruise on an expensive cruise line like Oceania (or at least name-drop them to impress us). What we do care about is you calling some of us "slobs" or "slovenly" if we dress comfortably, and acceptable to Princess, instead of how you want us to.

Sorry, I may not have made my question very clear. I am not hoping for an upgrade. Just the opposite. I picked a cabin that is perfectly fine for us. What I AM concerned about is being moved for some unexpected reason to another cabin that connects with another, or is under the buffet, or is above the nightclub, or is within hearing range of the anchor and chain being lowered (we will be tendering at least two ports). I absolutely do not want a noisy cabin, even if it's a higher category Mini-suite, or even a suite. I am cursed with being a very light sleeper and did my homework picking my cabin in an area that is known to be quiet. The last thing I need is Princess sabotaging my quiet night's sleep for their convenience. I have read some posts by people who weren't very happy about an upgrade they were given. I am trying to learn what these upgrades actually result in - what issues the cabins may or may not have - so as to have a better chance of avoiding any disappointments.

We're on Royal Princess early next year. We're in the lowest category Mini-Suite forward on the Aloha deck. I have been reading about people being upgraded by the cruise line even though they weren't requested. What kind of stateroom are these upgrades typically to? To a different area? To a higher category? I realize that some people don't like the new stateroom location, but I don't have a good understanding on how much better or worse these upgrades are. What have been your experiences. We are thinking of requesting "No Upgrade" but need more information on the pros and cons of upgrades to make the best decision.

A picture that is worth that thousand words!! Thanks to tonit964's advice, and to Astro Flyer for this image.

Are the aft cabin balconies the same size on each deck or are they larger on some decks?

I would be willing to bet that many of those same people who insist on everyone adhering to a RECOMMENDED dress code so they can dine in a "civilized" atmosphere routinely drive over the posted speed limit or roll through a stop sign, both of which require ignoring actual LAWS that are much more important than mere dress code recommendations.