Newbie booking questions - August 05 Alaska Cruise

[Wes in TX]

Hello all! I found this board yesterday and it has been a great help!

 

I have a few silly questions that I couldn't find answers to by searching, along with some other general questions.

 

I'm planning on booking the 8/6 Dawn (Whittier to Vancouver). I found good rates on Expedia and have compared with the other major sites. Anywhere else I should look before booking in order to find the lowest price?

 

I don't understand how the cabin "levels" work. For example, M, N, HH, etc. What do these letter codes mean? Is M better than N?

 

This is going to be our honeymoon. Can I get extras or freebies by notifying Princess?

 

Any other hints for getting the best value booking this cruise?

 

Thanks in advance!

[spongerob]

We can't recommend agents or web sites for booking. If you've looked around and found a price you like, go for it!

 

Princess cabins are rated by letter. Generally the higher the letter, the more desirable the cabin. For some types of cabins, the only difference is location.

 

Princess offers "special occasion" packages to help you celebrate. Some of them are pretty darn good. You'll get balloons and a cake if you indicate that you are celebrating a special occasion, but not much else in the way of freebies.

[zachnlucy]

There are several online travel sites that will probably beat travelocity and expedia. Google it, but remember to make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Cruise price PLUS port fees PLUS taxes. Good luck.

[land lover]

Call princess directly and ask all your questions they will give you a quote, then start price comparing...good luck

[Joy2Day]

You can get a good idea of the stateroom information at princess.com. Along the top menu, choose 'Ships' then choose 'Dawn Princess' (middle column). You'll be able to look at stateroom diagrams and deck plans.

 

There are 5 basic stateroom types (inside, outside, outside deluxe, outside with balcony, minisuite with balcony, suite with balcony). The letter categories will change based on location on the ship (higher decks in the middle of the ship being rated higher). As you study the deck plans for the Dawn Princess, you'll see inside cabins in categories II (highest) to N (lowest). A category II cabin is mid-ship on the Aloha deck. A category I could be forward or aft on Aloha or mid-ship on the Baja deck. The category N cabin is all the way forward on the Plaza deck.

 

Personally, I don't pay too much attention to my cabin location. I think the biggest reason is because I've never had a problem with ship motion (higher cabins forward and aft can feel more motion). I've also never had a cabin where noise from a public area disturbed my sleep. In my only Princess cruise, my cabin was in the back on the Baja deck, so I had cabins above and below.