LarryL

I’m moving this forward as we recently booked D201 for a 54 day cruise. Our vision is it’s similar to a balcony in size which gives us more space for the long haul. I’m curious how people who have been in one of these cabins felt post cruise. This is a big money saver for the long cruises. 

We have oversized suitcases and on our last cruise, I lifted the bed and slid them under. It had no effect on the comfort of the bed. The bottom of frame was just too low. 

We had C422 on the Golden several years ago and enjoyed it very much. If fact, when booking Grand Class ships, we always book on the Caribe deck because of the great balconies. These days we book closer to aft, though. We weren't sure of the noise because of the close proximity to the elevators but that as not an issue at all. It is also a desired location because of the central location on the deck. Less ship movement for those prone to seasickness. 

Thank you for your positive comments. I wasn't concerned much about the negative comments and, to date, we have only had good experiences on Princess ships. We are sailing the BTB from NY to Quebec and return and are very much excited to sail her. The Grand Class ships will always be our favorites in the fleet. I agree about the entitled passengers. They seem to be on every ship. Surprisingly, we were on the QM2 last May and nearly all the passengers were delightful and engaging. 

4 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

He left some time ago to MSC.

Well, that just sucks. He was our favorite captain (Star). Thanks

Sad to see Captain Tuvo is not on this list. Did Princess lose him? 

4 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Don't agree.  Most people- hopefully not you, over eat at buffets.  Also unless you are very careful , much of the food has hidden butter and other dishes that can add calories.  Good luck!

Your point is taken on the tendency to overeat at the buffet. As one who cooks for a type 2 diabetic, I am well aware of what is in food, as well as portion control.  As far as dining at buffets, this one appears to have better choices than most which is encouraging, There are other options we can explore as well, such as the Eden and Spa Cafés, that will likely provide a healthier selection.  

We are getting ready to book a honeymoon cruise for our daughter and her fiancé. The concern I have is her name now as we book and when she gets on the ship with her new identity. Do cruise lines have a contingency for updating name changes? 

Because we are boarding our first Celebrity cruise next month, we (mostly I) have been poring over videos on the Apex, including eating choices. While we have several nights booked in specialty restaurants, we have to be mindful of the amounts of food we are consuming. We were especially pleased to see some of the options in the Oceanview Café. This gives us some healthier choices as well as portion control. Sometimes a quick meal is all we want, and this fits the bill.

We're in 12263 for this year's TA to Rotterdam. It is one floor below the buffet outside seating. We were on the Pacific Princess TA a few years ago, again in an aft cabin under the buffet outside seating, and had no issues at all. In any event, I would rather have a little noise than the new IV French balconies. 

42 minutes ago, skynight said:

You are thinking about NY to Quebec City and then Quebec City back to NY. Correct?

Quebec will be just like any other port day for you if you don't have to change cabins. If you do change cabins then you will be asked to be out of the cabin by 8am. Place as much on hangers in the closet as possible. Place other items in the suitcase(s). Keep The cabin steward will arrange to have your belongings transferred to your new cabin. You may be able to transfer some items yourself. Speak with your new cabin steward ahead of time.

Same medallion unless your medallion battery dies.

Prearrangements - see above regarding changing cabins. When we stayed in the same cabin we usually mentioned to our steward to plan to service our cabin last. This just gives the steward more time to service the new passenger's cabins.

In Quebec City if you get off in the morning you may not be able to get back on the ship until general boarding has begun around 11am. You will be in Quebec City for 4 days. Lots of time to tour around. 

 

That's great to know about the luggage and clothes. I plan on only taking a backpack with camera equipment and a few day hike items. We'll likely spend those extra days exploring Quebec City. 

53 minutes ago, GoDucksNation said:

Just did a B2B in San Diego. Same medallion. Anyone doing B2B will meet in a designated dining room. After all passengers are off an officer escorted our group to the gangway. We did not have to go off. There was an immigration person there that did a quick immigration check. Then we scanned our medallions, and if we chose to go off the ship we could have with an in transit card. Otherwise you turned right around and scanned your medallion and went right back on the ship.

 

Thanks. Did you have to contact Guest Services at all for the arrangements?

We're doing a Quebec to New York cruise this fall and because of the air connections we are considering a back-to back from New York. Does Princess have a standard process for BTB cruises? 

How is the transition day onboard? 

Do they give you a new medallion? 

Prearrangements needed?

Any other helpful hints would be great.

Thanks in advance.  

On 5/13/2022 at 11:44 AM, sarleo said:

I am booking a transatlantic next April on the Apex and have questions about my cabin choice. I read that the captain locks the window in the staterooms when he decides it’s best. Mmmm…. Is best just because it’s getting dark or it’s 9 pm or the ship is at sea? I love the sea breeze and hearing the ocean and reading outside. I keep thinking that my room is going to turn into a ocean view room when at sea. I realize that in the middle of the Atlantic it could be rough and that would be a good reason. Thanks for your help! 

We have booked the same TA. When we were looking at these cabins, we decided on the Sunset Veranda. We were, initially, interested in the Infinite Veranda and decided to look at some YouTube videos and came to the conclusion that we preferred the Sunset Veranda because it gave us, independent, outside space. The Infinite Verandas, to me, felt like nothing more than an extended stateroom with a French Balcony. The notion that the Captain closes them at his/her discretion was easy to accept. That would be a safety or environmental decision that I would agree with. 

If a standard veranda was not available, I would not hesitate to book an IV. They just would not be my first choice. There seems to be a lot of new buttons to push, which are appealing to people. ☺️

On 6/12/2022 at 8:22 PM, Raxter54 said:

We are lucky enough to be able to afford this Celebrity cruise for our 50th wedding anniversary. Would have to mortgage the house to afford the cruise lines you listed 😉

First, congratulations on your 50th.

We will be on the Apex, next spring, for their transatlantic sailing. While we do enjoy engaging in conversations during our daily cruise activities, we do enjoy having our meals in private. We are Almost always seated in close proximity to other diners and have mostly enjoyed a cordial nod, or hello, before continuing our respective conversations. Most people will acknowledge your body language and pleasant demeanor while declining a conversation with them, or so we have experienced so far. 

I hope you have a wonderful celebration.

We have sailed both several times and each line has attributes we enjoy. As others have said, the activities on Royal seem more upbeat and lively while Princess is more subdued and relaxing. The food is similarly on par with each other. We've sailed on RCL Vision, Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom class ships. Of those, we liked the Rhapsody and Liberty the best. On Princess we have sailed R, Coral, Grand and Royal classes. Our favorites, hands down, are the Grand class ships. The layouts, aft pools, and Caribe extended balconies are a big plus for us. We're looking forward to our upcoming cruise on the Caribbean Princess. While we like the Pacific Princess, it felt a little small. I hope, someday, Princess will introduce a class ship similar to Viking with a passenger count of around 930-1,000. We're not fans of mega-ships unless it's advantageous to do a TA on one. 

We will be on a transatlantic with a port stop in Le Havre. After that we will be disembarking at Amsterdam and taking a river cruise, returning to Le Havre to sail on a Cunard ship back to New York. We would love to store a couple bags at, or near, the cruise port. Does anyone know of a storage facility at or near the port in Le Havre? Thanks

Thanks for sharing your cruise. We were booked on this cruise and had to cancel because of work. It appears we were fortunate as we are waiting till next year with a different line. The highlight would have been Morocco and I see you messed going there, I'm sorry the dining and other experiences went so poorly for you. We were on the Majestic last December and everything went flawlessly.  Maybe with so many new crew members, that put them at a disadvantage.

Who was your captain? One of our favorites, Captain Tuvo, is now rotating on the Sky. We were hoping to see him again on this cruise, had we sailed.

On 3/2/2022 at 2:30 AM, kona_wahine said:

We had a Havana cabana on the vista, loved it! Best part was always finding a seat a at the pool, not like the wild lido. Very relaxing cruise

22 hours ago, itching2cruiseagain said:

I love having access to the Havana area. I enjoy being able to easily get a lounge chair because it is less crowded than the other pools. I like being in an area with less noise and commotion. The serenity deck on the Vista class is nice, but it doesn't have a pool, only hot tubs.  Also on sea days especially, it can be difficult to get a lounge chair on the serenity deck.

To me there is no downside to having Havana, it may be more expensive, but to me it is worth it. YMMV.

14 hours ago, chefchick said:

I just disembarked the Panorama this last weekend.  It was my fist Havana interior and like others, I was concerned it would be noisy,  but not at all.  Having easy access to the Ocean plaza, the coffee spot and all the bars and restaurants on deck 5 was also a plus.  I, on the other hand was a little disappointed with Havana deck area. Ship’s Occupancy was around 80% and it was full everyday.  I thought with adults only, I wouldn’t have to deal with chair hogs and such, but that wasn’t the case.  Especially on sea days, which Panorama currently has 3, ALL the chairs and loungers were “taken” by 10 am. I was solo and just onboard to check on the ship so I had much better luck on port days of course, but I can’t imagine how bad it might be with full capacity.  To be fair, it was even worse when I checked out the serenity and the lido of course, but don’t expect the place to yourself.

I think I have only been on one cruise where chair hogs weren't an issue. On our last cruise, we only walked by the Lido pools and didn't bother trying. On most aft pools there seemed to be a smaller amount of chair hogs and they didn't seem as frequent. If it seems to be an issue, we'll spend out time in the pool/hot tub and return to our balcony which is the next floor up overlooking the pool area. 

I am looking forward to the access to the busy hub of the ship for food and entertainment. I don't see the bar below us being much of an issue as we tend to be late night people and will most likely be in that mix. 

Thanks for your input. 

On 3/1/2022 at 8:11 PM, Runaway Parent said:

We visited the Havana area when non-Havana guests were still allowed, and immediately knew we'd book a Havana cabin the next time we were able to sail on a Vista-class ship. We did, and we loved it. There was a lot more comfy seating close to the cabin instead of going to Serenity. The vibe was pretty quiet. The whirlpools/pool were a good size for the area.

 

I was initially worried about the noise from the Havana Bar area at night, but it wasn't a problem.

We'd definitely book a Havana cabin again. 

On 3/1/2022 at 8:46 PM, WhiteOptima said:

We booked a Havana Cabana room on the first US Vista cruise.  Although I would not book that room again, I would book a Havana Interior.  Vista pools were packed and I sat in the Havana pool area with very few people.  We were close to Ocean Plaza where we got breakfast every day while the buffet was busy.  The bar offered coffee and a few Cuban breakfast items. It was like our own little oasis.

23 hours ago, RumpunchGirl said:

I have had a Havana Aft Balcony in the past.  On the Carnival Vista cabin #7458.  I loved it! Next cruise is will be on Panorama 2023. This time in a Havana Premium Vista Balcony #7450.  So excited!!! 

23 hours ago, RenoNanaOz said:

We had a Havana Cabana on The Vista and LOVED it. Would definitely book again.

Thanks for these answers. We did check out the variety of cabins and determined we would prefer the extended aft balcony. We love watching the wake and having quick access to the pool and hot tub area. While the cabana looks like something people would enjoy, it wasn't for us.

We are sailing on our first cruise with Carnival next February on the Panorama for a Mexican Riviera cruise. We have sailed previously with Princess and Royal Caribbean and have decided to try other cruise lines after we retire. We have booked a Havana aft cabin for this cruise and are looking for those who may have some insight to that Havana area. We are very much looking forward to the new experience. We have always loved the aft cabins and an aft pool so figured it would be a good fit for us. What did you like/dislike about that area? Thanks

On 1/7/2022 at 10:44 PM, 1965 said:

Our cruise on the Regal in Nov. includes a stop in Gibraltar. An excursion I'm considering gives the option of dropping us off on Main Street at excursion end where we may take a taxi or walk back to ship. Can someone tell me how far the walk is? Thanks for any info & input.

The walk from the entrance of Casemates Square to the ship is about 3/4 mile. The whole area is very walkable. We walked from the ship to the cable car and then from the top of Gibraltar back to the ship. That was about 5.5 miles +. Hard to gauge because we meandered quite a bit on top on the many trails and caves. There are lots of shops and restaurants in Casemates Square and the surrounding area. We had lunch at Lord Nelson's. I hope you get a clear day.

2 hours ago, ckfajf said:

We sail almost exclusively in D726 or D727 on Regal class ships. We plan our itineraries around it. Found out when I logged into my onboard account that we had been moved to A734. After a zillion calls to Princess finally found out that our portion of D deck is blocked for isolation cabins. Cannot get another aft cabin now other than A734. Not thrilled with the choice and really not happy that Princess put us there without letting us know.  We will be sailing though and look forward to the Majestic, friends and family!

 

Don’t get me wrong, we are happy to be cruising and lucky to be able to afford aft cabins but this could have been handled a little better. 

I feel your pain. We had D726 booked on the Majestic and without notice we were changed to C738, directly above our coveted cabin. The balcony is tiny compared to the Dolphin balcony. We book based on balcony and aft location. I was furious at, not only the change, but no notification or reason why the change was made. I called Princess immediately and got the reason after a long, long wait. I get the isolation cabins but why not use the Caribe deck and keep the better balconies for paying customers? Then I was told it should be OK because there is no difference in the balconies. I ended up getting B735 which worked out fine. There were some cancellations a couple weeks out and D727 came open but I didn't trust them to not move me again. I hope something opens up for you. 

10 hours ago, culvercitycruiser said:

Do you know what part of deck 9?  The forward or aft?  We are on deck 9 in the aft starboard side 

thanks

It is the aft area on the port side of the Dolphin deck. It starts from D702 and goes back to D730 in the middle of the aft cabins. We double checked, during our Dec 11 sailing, and saw the fire doors were closed and secured in that portion of the deck. That included the doors by the aft elevators. 

We had been thrilled to have been booked in D726, which is a penthouse suite with a massive balcony, until they switched us without notice. We were very disappointed because it was a one time experience for us because of the cruise credits from cancelled cruises. We ended up in B735 (starboard), which was still an incredible experience. Your location should be fine. Have a wonderful cruise.

3 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

Ok I will be on the Majestic for the first time in May,  help me understand how the lights are working. I am an early riser. husband is not. On Enchanted, if I turned on the light in the closet area so I could dress it also turned on the bedroom lights! I could not figure out a way around it and I dont recall having that problem on the older ships like Coral and Star. 

We were on the Majestic Dec 11-18 in B735. A couple days into the cruise, we got a note saying that the ship's maintenance wanted to have access to install the safety lights next to our bed, at the bottom of the night stands. They are motion activated. 10 minutes into the night the light came on. I use a cpap and the hose set off the sensor. I started putting a pillow in front of the motion sensor for the rest of the cruise. Maybe more thought should have been put into those lights. 😄