NEW to PRINCESS - NEED CABIN ADVICE?

[ciship]

Interested in AFT cabins on Caribbean Princess. Best deck, best aft cabin and why?? Prefer sun AND shade on balcony if possible.

 

Is there a lot of noise? Excess motion? Soot on balconies?

 

Do they have Concierge service and for whom??

 

Thanks in advance......

[Toto2Kansas]

In answer to your last question, there is no real Concierge in any class of cabin on Princess. Butlers and such were done away with many years ago. So if you are used to Celebrity or other lines that still provide things like a Concierge lounge, you will not find this on a Princess ship, sorry!:(

[ciship]

In answer to your last question, there is no real Concierge in any class of cabin on Princess. Butlers and such were done away with many years ago. So if you are used to Celebrity or other lines that still provide things like a Concierge lounge, you will not find this on a Princess ship, sorry!:(

 

 

Thank you my fellow Kansan! Actually, I'm doing my research b/t Caribbean Princess and RCCL Mariner of the Seas. RCCL does offer a Concierge lounge and service for all their suite cabins, so I was just curious if CP offered the same. (I've only been on Carnival ships so far)

 

Actually, I'm less interested in that than I am for cabin advice. I am clueless about the structure of the Princess decks (yes, I have studied the deck plans) but to me "word of mouth" is best when choosing an AFT cabin.

 

I hope I can get some feedback. Thanks!

[tbag124]

I am confused as well, never having sailed Princess, but very interested in doing so....what does it mean that on some ships (I think the Diamond??), you can see the ppl beneath on you on the balcony and the ppl above can see you? Isn't this just like when you look down off your balcony and see hands, etc. of the people leaning on their balcony? Or do you actually see ppl beneath you? I dont get it!! :confused:

[Toto2Kansas]

Some Princess ships have 'tiered' type balcony set ups, so the ones below you will be further out then above and thus you can see down on them, not just hands, but onto their total balcony.

 

ciship, you might get some concrete info if you have a couple of cabins in mind and can provide cabin numbers or even just certain deck names of the aft cabins you are considering. That makes it much easier than generalizing the aft cabins of the CB, as it is a BIG ship.

 

Nasty Kansas weather isn't it ciship? The other day in the high 80's I think was just a tease, had to drag out the coats and sweat shirts since then. :(

[Lizzybell]

I know, this is confusing. Last year when we booked our Alaskan cruise on the Sapphire I had read @ open, exposed balconies etc. Upon calling Princess directly(several times) I was told repeatedly "they are not open or exposed", which they are. The decks are this way on all the Grand Class ships I believe. I read last yr a good description-the ship is like a tiered wedding cake-so top decks look down on all decks below. The totally exposed balconies are on Dolphin Deck-we decided to keep our mini suite on D deck & see. It worked out fine, but if you want privacy on your balcony, D Mini suites are not for you. There are a few mini suites located in other areas- they may not have the same issues. Not sure of exact location, but these few cabins get booked quickly. We got to know our neighbors who used their balconies alot :) and it was great. The layout/design of the mini suite is well planned-plently of electrical outlets(no expension cords needed etc) , tons of storage, very roomy for 2 people. I would book the same cabin again(i wish) Have fun. Liz

[muse_clio]

Interested in AFT cabins on Caribbean Princess. Best deck, best aft cabin and why?? Prefer sun AND shade on balcony if possible.

 

Is there a lot of noise? Excess motion? Soot on balconies?

 

Do they have Concierge service and for whom??

 

Thanks in advance......

 

ciship, upfront, I'll tell you i'm not an expert, but i have asked tons of questions and read as much on the boards as i could. we just booked C752 for the 2006 med cruise. it's a balcony cabin (not a suite) on the Grand (same class as CP). I was told it was fully covered by folks who have had the cabin, and i called Princess and got the balcony dimensions (9ft x nearly 10ft), the largest balcony of the balcony class cabins. Posts to the forum indicate that the engine vibrations are VERY evident. One person indicated that the vibration shook the empty hangers around on the closet pole. Some folks say the movement is felt more strongly there. But hey, we're under power only at night, and i'm gunna look at it as a free vibrating bed. :)

 

If you do a search in this forum for AFT cabins or even C752, you'll see the same posts i'm referring to. There are only four of these cabins on the aft I believe, the rest of the AFT cabins are suites.

 

hope this helps point you in the right direction.

[Charliesmom]

I would stay away from Emerald deck in the aft unless you are a late night person. That is right over the show lounge.

 

Go to Princess.com, click on ships, then on Caribbean Princess and then on the various decks and you can get a general idea of the layouts of the rooms.

 

The mini-suites on Emerald deck in the aft (light green) I think are covered. The rest on Dolphin deck are open, except the ones in the very rear.

 

There are various suites on the rear and a couple of mini-suites. These are not tiered like some ships and I think the balconies are covered, not exposed.

 

Before you book, check to see what is over the room you have chosen and what is under you. If you are under the pool deck, you will hear scraping of chairs when they clean the decks.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Roberta

[tbag124]

Any word/advice on Fwd balcony cabins?

[midime]

Yes, I have the same question. We had to book the inside cabins (family of 4 going so we needed 2 cabins; also the Xmas week so $$$$$) but we got some of the last cabins Caribe KK 105, 106. I have a feeling they're pretty bad. Should I get my name on a waiting list for a better inside cabin?

[ciship]

I have looked at the Princess decks until I'm blue in the face....still nothing like someone actually being in a cabin and giving us the scoop on it.

[spongerob]

Okay, here's the scoop. If you notice, the stern of Caribbean Princess and all the other Grand-class ships is almost vertical. Actually, it's a shade more than 90 degrees from horizontal, and that's a good thing because you cannot see the much more than the balcony railing below you and the same goes for anyone above you. They are the most private balconies you can get.

 

The "vibrations" mentioned by a lot of people are the thrusters that are used only when docking. You'll definitely feel the shudder, but since they are used only for a few minutes when arriving or leaving, it's not a real bother.

[ciship]

Ok....I don't care about the privacy "thing" on the AFT balconies. However, I do care about the cabin itself and also the size of the balcony and whether there are obstructed views or problems with decks above and below. That was all I was needing.......

[spongerob]

Almost all the balcony cabins are going to be very similar inside, so whatever pictures and diagrams you can find are going to be useful, at least in the case of the Grand-class ships which are very standardized. We find them a little cramped. If you want to pass one another, one person has to get on the bed, for example. The bathroom is quite small and doesn't have much space. There is lots of storage, and if you keep things organized and put away they're quite serviceable.

 

We like the extra space a minisuite offers.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Any word/advice on Fwd balcony cabins?

 

I can't comment on a forward balcony cabin......only a forward outside. In 20+ cruises this was the only time I've felt any kind of seasickness. We were on Royal Caribbean in a cabin almost at the bow of the ship and felt lots of movement. Have sailed in an aft balcony cabin on the Carnival Legend and loved it. The view of the wake is fantastic. There were four cabins across the aft with no one looking down from above so we felt very private.

 

As for Princess balconies. IMHO Caribe deck is the best of both worlds. The balconies are 1/2 covered 1/2 exposed and definitely larger. We were on the STAR Princess in Alaska and loved our balcony. We could look down on the exposed balconies on Dolphin deck and wondered at the design as these were all more expensive mini-suites. With sun and/or inclement weather this would not be my 1st choice. Balconies on Aloha and Baja are covered, but smaller. Some people like the sun and others like a little shade/privacy. I like a little of both.......therefore my preference is Caribe deck.

 

Here's a link to a picture on Webshots showing the view of an exposed Dolphin deck balcony.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/163335176/163335176obzqPx

[katier825]

The aft cabins on Princess' Caribe deck (Grand class ships) were very private. They aren't staggered in the back as they are on the sides. I think we were in C752, category BB on the Star. Awesome! If you can't get an aft cabin, you have a couple of choices. You can get a bigger balcony on the Caribe deck, they are 1/2 covered, 1/2 open to the deck above. I've had cabins on the Golden and Grand on Port side and hardly ever see other people out on their balconies. No gawkers at all! The only time I've seen lots of people out on their balconies is when the ship is entering/leaving port. Or you can go up a couple of decks and get a smaller balcony that isn't exposed to the decks above. I think Baja and Lido are the decks I'm referring to. My inlaws had a cabin on Baja, and we had one on Lido once (another awesome location!).

 

:)

[mountainhouse]

Aft cabin on the Grand:

http://www.pbase.com/image/42232830

http://www.pbase.com/image/42235412

 

Here's some pictures looking down from an Aloha deck balcony. This might give you some idea:

http://www.pbase.com/image/42704950

http://www.pbase.com/image/42704957

[ljones]

I am also new to Princess. I have a question about an Interior cabin. I will be on the Sea Princess, B624. On the Princess web-site this cabin is located near a large blank spot on the deck plans - it seems to extend up & down several decks. Does anyone know what is located there??? I thought it might be the Atrium, but it appears not to be. Thanks.

[Toto2Kansas]

I haven't looked at the deck plan, but when blank spaces don't show what is there, they are usually staff sections or emergency exits.

[dcourt]

Anyone been in B757 on the Caribbean Princess? I just booked this room today and have never been on this ship. Anyone know what the empty space between B757 & B756 is????? How big is the balcony compared to regular balconies on the Caribe deck. I've had a cabin on Caribe deck and really loved the size of the balcony. This will be my first time in an aft cabin I sure hope I like it.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Donna