Should I take upsell to Emerald PS Suite on Lido Deck Forward?

[freetocruise]

We just received an upsell to a Lido Deck forward PS Suite. While waiting for the call back, I have some questions. Is the balcony door really locked on sea days? I ask because Princess says the same thing about the Royal/Regal Forward cabins but they aren't locked. Not being able to access the balcony on sea days would be a deal breaker.

 

Also, can anyone verify the balcony furniture? I've seen one picture that shows Minisuite furniture not the wooden teak suite furniture.

 

Is there anything else I need to know?

Thanks.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I can't say for sure, but from following this forum for years, it seems like none of Princess's ships actually lock the balcony doors. If the price is good to you, do it! Sabatinis breakfast is sooo good! And a free dinner at Crown Grill, yum! Plus if you're not Elite, the free mini bar and laundry are awesome perks, too!

 

 

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[cherylandtk]

I've heard mixed results about the door being locked--best guess is that usually it is not locked, but by making that statement, they reserve the option to do so if conditions warrant. It can be VERY windy out there while underway, making the balcony less than comfortable. If locking it is a deal breaker for you, what about being so (possibly) windy that you cannot comfortably sit outside except while docked?

 

Privacy may be another matter to consider. The public access 'secret door' leads to the deck over the bridge. When this door is accessible, you may have people milling about on that deck with a full view of your balcony. See last set of pics here https://sites.google.com/site/cabinviewbyrenmar/crown-princess/cabins-100-199?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1

[cruzsnooze]

Having stayed in the forward suite on a different ship I would do it again although using the Balcony when the ship is moving is not doable. If they don't lock the door the wind factor will be significant. Also at night you must keep all lights off on the balcony and shut your curtains because being under the bridge it interferes with them they say.

[akeasley]

I've stayed in this suite twice on two different ships and never had the balcony door locked. I like this suite and have booked it again for this November on the Crown.

 

The real negative for me is the balcony. Both times I've had this suite, the balcony is so windy that is becomes almost unusable when the ship is moving. Just my opinion, you may experience something totally different.

 

Another thing I've read about this suite, and I agree to be true is that the bathroom isn't as nice as other suites. The bathroom looks just the same as a minisuite bathroom, while other suites have Jacuzzi tubs, separate showers, etc.

[easyboy]

We just received an upsell to a Lido Deck forward PS Suite. While waiting for the call back, I have some questions. Is the balcony door really locked on sea days? I ask because Princess says the same thing about the Royal/Regal Forward cabins but they aren't locked. Not being able to access the balcony on sea days would be a deal breaker.

 

Also, can anyone verify the balcony furniture? I've seen one picture that shows Minisuite furniture not the wooden teak suite furniture.

 

Is there anything else I need to know?

Thanks.

 

http://www.shipcabins.com/youtube.php?id=3600

[Corfe Mixture]

http://www.shipcabins.com/youtube.php?id=3600

 

Thank you so much for that link.

 

We have never booked a forward facing suite, simply because of the wind issues underway, but this link has ensured that we will NEVER book a forward facing balcony.

 

So much different to, and nowhere near to the standard of, the other suites on Princess. In fact nowhere near the standard of the mini-suites on the Sun class ships.

 

For example:

No walk in closet and most of the storage space is accessed from the lounge area and not the bedroom area.

No access to the toilet from the lounge area.

No proper bar area or basin to refresh glasses, in fact the bar is really nothing more than a shelf below the television.

No separate room for the toilet which is squeezed in between the bath and the washbasin.

No walk in shower.

No access to balcony from the bedroom area

No view of anything other than the sky when lying in bed (in fact the bedroom area is little more than an Oceanview cabin with a desk and a bit more storage).

View from balcony obstructed by loads of ironwork and railings.

 

OK, for someone who has never had a suite, or experienced the other benefits of suite life, this might just about be acceptable, but if you have experienced other suites on Princess, then, on the basis of the evidence of this video, this will be a MASSIVE disappointment. It certainly would be for us.

 

YMMV

[Corfe Mixture]

Correction.

The storage space is accessed from the bedroom area and the 'iron work' only affects one half of the balcony

 

Still don't like the layout one little bit. Can't believe that at S5, this is a higher rated category than the aft S6 Vista suites.

Edited March 14, 2017 by Corfe Mixture
added comment re comparison with Vista

[long cruiser]

Upsells are a joke.Whatever happened to upgrades?

[beg3yrs]

Upsells are a joke.Whatever happened to upgrades?

 

They're no joke, very much for real. Princess won't leave money on the table. If someone will buy it, why give it away for free?

[tonit964]

Upsells are a joke.Whatever happened to upgrades?

 

I will gladly pay a couple/few hundred dollars more to be in a suite rather than waiting for a free upgrade.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We took an upsell from minimum guarantee balcony class to a full suite on Holland America for a 12 day Baltic cruise. When you added the upsell price to what we paid it was dirt cheap for a suite and to us well worth it. Good Free upgrades are fewer and fewer.

 

 

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[AF-1]

so lido deck is pretty high up there; is that why you can't use balcony on sea days?

[Colo Cruiser]

so lido deck is pretty high up there; is that why you can't use balcony on sea days?

 

 

It does not matter........

Family Suite on Dolphin deck (exposed balcony), balcony usually unuseable when under way.

Ever stood on any open deck forward when underway?

Can be pretty intense.

Can there be days when it's calmer? Sure but not often.

[freetocruise]

Thanks to everyone for their responses. Based on the comments and the video link, I turned down the upsell when the Princess representative called back. She was very friendly and concurred with most of the perceived negatives. Also, the only PS available was L107 which is directly below the gym - think treadmills, weights, etc! Thanks but no thanks!

[Corfe Mixture]

:(

so lido deck is pretty high up there; is that why you can't use balcony on sea days?

 

No it is simply because a ship steaming at 20 knots on a calm day will generate an apparent wind vector of 20 knots (22.5mph) across the deck and you will feel the full force of this in a forward facing balcony.

 

If the ship is steaming into nothing more than a moderate Force 4 breeze of 15 knots, if you are standing at the front of the ship, you will experience 35 knots of apparent which means you will experience the same wind as standing on the shoreline during a Force 8 gale.

 

Only with a following wind of Force 5 or above will there be no apparent wind on a forward facing balcony.

[mrp4352]

May I ask when you are cruising?

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks to everyone for their responses. Based on the comments and the video link, I turned down the upsell when the Princess representative called back. She was very friendly and concurred with most of the perceived negatives. Also, the only PS available was L107 which is directly below the gym - think treadmills, weights, etc! Thanks but no thanks!

 

 

Probably a good decision as I have heard about those issues with treadmills in the AM.

[freetocruise]

May I ask when you are cruising?

 

March 31st on Emerald Princess

[freetocruise]

Probably a good decision as I have heard about those issues with treadmills in the AM.

 

True that! We had a little taste of the noise in a Window Suite when the joggers would run around the Promenade Deck at zero dark 30. Sounded like a herd of elephants. So I can't imagine how much worse the gym noise would be.

[AF-1]

So when they filmed the movie of Titanic when they were on the bridge sailing in the north atlantic. That really would be so windy they would have gotten blown off the ship

[sidari]

On Ruby Princess we had L106 Guadaloupe Suite on two occasions, the balcony door was never locked, the deck furniture was wooden including the loungers.

 

We liked the position despite the fact that people can be milling around on top of the bridge during and leaving ports, once any wind picks up they soon leave and you are left with the views, same applies heading into ports ie no one around.

 

There is one area of the balcony that is usable while at sea which is at the centre of the curve, on a number of nights we sat there with a drink and with the balcony lights on.

 

If we were to go on another Grand class ship this cabin would again be one we would look at.

[Corfe Mixture]

So when they filmed the movie of Titanic when they were on the bridge sailing in the north atlantic. That really would be so windy they would have gotten blown off the ship

 

Nope.

 

Whilst you will have to make an effort to walk into 40 knots of wind, it is generally accepted that it is around 70 knots before you cannot make any progress trying to walk into the wind and are at serious risk of being blown off your feet if you try to walk away from the wind, but this would require the Titanic to have been steaming directly into 50 knots of wind, which is on the border of Force 9 (severe gale) and Force 10 (storm)

 

However, this is hardly relevant as on the night the Titanic sank as the wind was Force 0 and the sea was 'glassy calm'.

[easyboy]

Thanks to everyone for their responses. Based on the comments and the video link, I turned down the upsell when the Princess representative called back. She was very friendly and concurred with most of the perceived negatives. Also, the only PS available was L107 which is directly below the gym - think treadmills, weights, etc! Thanks but no thanks!

I guess that was a good decision. Would have turned it down as well.