uncovered balconies on Princess ships, they need to put on website!

[snowman]

We always book a AD on the Emerald deck. And if you are lucky book the very end cabins ie. 728 or 729 as the balcony wraps around.

[49er]

I'm on the Baja deck...does that mean my balcony is totally covered? I'm the opposite as I would rather have an uncovered balcony!

All Baja balconies are covered.

49er

[Katie333]

I agree with the OP. I didn't find CC until after my first cruise, and only then did I realize cruising had so many nuances that I didn't know about before. Princess (and other cruise lines) should absolutely post details about the covering the balconies have.

 

I further agree that a knowledgeable TA might have been able to help. I have dealt with many TA and online TAs and most of them only offer details and recommendations if you ask. Again, you have to know what you are asking about.

 

I'm testing the waters with my first uncovered mini-suite this September and next year have E721 booked to try the covered version. I'm not very jazzed about the notion of an uncovered balcony myself but we booked a guarantee to save money and I'll reserve judgment until after I experience it.

[SeattleCruiselover]

just booked a cabin today on the dolphin deck on a grand class ship, and just found out that the balcony is totally uncovered. are you kidding me? why didn't they put that on the website? i read through descriptions so many times of rooms.

 

i couldn't stand a 100% uncovered balcony. even with privacy issues, imagine the weather issues in Alaska.

 

you would think Princess can put something this important on the room descriptions. for others still booking, dolphin deck = 100% uncovered, carib deck= half covered, half uncovered, all other decks=totally covered

 

time to change rooms!

 

 

IMHO, the open balconies are much better for Alaska than the covered ones, particularly if you are doing any photo/video work. You can shoot unobstructed in pretty much any direction so long as you keep the tripod set high enough to keep the railing out of the way. I just put a weather sleeve on my camera and all is fine. (Of course, I did NOT do anything outside last year in our 60 mph winds and 25+ foot seas, but wouldn't have even with a covered or semi-covered balcony.

[Universe93B]

i agree, they definitely need to put that on the website. not everybody comes to cruisecritic, and this should be an BIG thing that princess should be telling us!

[Universe93B]

btw, here is a picture of the Sapphire Princess, out the balcony.

 

 

-the pic is taken from the baja deck.

-below that is the carib deck

-and below that is the dolphin deck, completely exposed! this should definitely be on the Princess website!

 

 

 

[brooklyn girl69]

We were on the Island Baja covered balcony in Sept 07, and it was nice but far away from any wildlife. We will be on the Island this Sept on the Dolphin deck so we could be closer to wildlife!!! I have NO problem with the weather, in fact I like the rain. Rather refreshing.:D:D:D

[freetocruise]

btw, here is a picture of the Sapphire Princess, out the balcony.

 

 

-the pic is taken from the baja deck.

-below that is the carib deck

-and below that is the dolphin deck, completely exposed! this should definitely be on the Princess website!

 

 

 

 

Wow, I've had balconies on every deck and I don't think I've ever seen so many people out on their balconies except at sail away or if there is sea life making an appearance. Usually, I'm the only one out there.

[katiestan1]

We had an uncovered balcony on the Crown and it ended up not bothering me at all (and I don't DO sun). I did not feel that the people on the upper balconies were out there to look at us. Everyone seemed very respectful of the fact that they could look onto our balcony and I just didn't feel spied (spyed?) on. Hope that helps.

[Tatka]

I'm on the Baja deck...does that mean my balcony is totally covered? I'm the opposite as I would rather have an uncovered balcony!

 

All balconies are totally covered except for Caribe balconies which are 1/2 covered and Dolphin minisuites. (Emerald's are half covered too, right?)

 

It doesn't mean you won't have a sun during extended period of the day.

[cruzisme]

We were lucky enough to have a cabin on Caribe deck and we loved the fact that we were half covered, half uncovered from the elements. It would be useful to have balconies described in the brochures as totally covered, half covered, and totally open!

 

Tom (can't remember his cruise critic name off hand) did a marvellous job on the Coral/Island balconies a few years back. Perhaps he can bring that thread to everyone's attention again.

[hydrodriver831]

To the OP: I understand your concerns completely and agree that information should be in the cabin descriptions on the website. Easy for them to do.

 

Some people cannot be exposed to the sun. It's that simple. Just ask your dermatologist and if you don't have one, you probably will.

 

I agree that having a covered balcony is preferable in Alaska; you are more protected from the elements which are likely no matter what time of year you sail. Skagway has one of the highest number of rainy days in the US, if I remember correctly.

 

Using a good TA is always a good idea. Not only can the assist you in cabin select but they will give you a better price, sometimes a much better price, than booking directly. As Toto says, check into the mini-suites on Emerald deck ASAP. They almost always sell out first.

 

Hi Pam,

 

Skagway actually has about the same amount of rain and rainy days as Seattle (I know, everyone says it rains a lot in Seattle, but it really doesn't). On the other hand, my SIL lived in Ketchikan for a couple of years and said it rained nearly everyday. I believe you were thinking of Ketchikan as having one of the highest number of rainy days in the U.S. July is their "driest month" with about 6.5" of rain while October is their wettest month with 20.3" of rain. Wow!! :)

 

We had an Emerald Mini last year on the Golden in Alaska and really enjoyed the full cover. This year we have a Dolphin Deck Mini and will see how is works out. Should be no problem after all we are from the Pacific Northwest so a little rain only brings out the webs between our toes.:D

[Pam in CA]

Hi Pam,

 

Skagway actually has about the same amount of rain and rainy days as Seattle (I know, everyone says it rains a lot in Seattle, but it really doesn't). On the other hand, my SIL lived in Ketchikan for a couple of years and said it rained nearly everyday. I believe you were thinking of Ketchikan as having one of the highest number of rainy days in the U.S. July is their "driest month" with about 6.5" of rain while October is their wettest month with 20.3" of rain. Wow!! :)

Duh! You're absolutely right. :) It's Ketchikan.

[Caribensun]

We booked a cruise 1 1/2 yrs ago after not cruising for several years. Booked through Princess told rep we wanted a suite or minisuite fully covered, we booked 3 months out. I was told by Princess rep it was covered after asking several times as we could have taken a different ship and itinerary if not. I ordered a Princess DVD and as we were watching it with friends with 2 weeks to go, one of our friends said that the balcony they were showing wasn't covered we paused and they were right. I called my Princess rep the next Monday, I was not happy and all cabins were sold, didn't want to put me on a waitlist for a suite as they were very full and most likely would not be available. The room was fine, hated the balcony and upset with Princess and wrote it on my onboard review. We will never have a Caribe deck cabin because of it, the balcony when the people are on it are too close to you.

I do not think that the Princess Reps know anything about the rooms.

Princess really does need to disclose what rooms are uncovered or half uncovered on every ship. This was a Sapphire 7 day cruise Mexcio.

To make matters worse as we were leaving the ship we looked at the Caribe deck PH suite, the couple in it -first time cruisers were upgraded from a plaza inside cabin and they said although the room was nice they were given the cruise by their kids and did not want to cruise and will never cruise again and we were willing to pay for a suite.

Very disappointed with Princess, have let a Princess rep know of this in person and that Princess should be rewarding those of us who are loyal cruisers to the line not first time and usually only time cruisers.

Seadeck2

[sunluva7]

I totally agree that Princess - and every cruise line - should describe their balcony coverage in better detail. Sad to say that their are many TAs, and even cruise ship reps, who aren't fully aware of cabin details.

 

Having said that, I also agree with others who say that there is so much information out there if you look.

 

If the OP doesn't find a covered minisuite available, couldn't he downgrade himself back to a BA and get a refund or OBC for the difference? I've never done this, so not sure how that works.

[GottaLuvCruising]

Not only are many of the balconies uncovered, but most look down into someone else's balcony. For us, this ship design is the reason we booked our Hawaii cruise on Carnival. We do love Princess' service, cuisine, entertainment and decor. But our balcony is critically important to us and was the deciding factor.

 

I agree that Princess needs to be clear about their balcony options so guests aren't surprised or disappointed.

 

Our AD minisuite E731 was awesome - large balcony, private and looked down onto water. But it comes at a price and it hard to snag.

 

Good luck to the OP in finding a stateroom / balcony that works for them. We found ours on another cruise line.

[DonnaK]

Does anyone know which other cruiselines/ships offer uncovered or partially covered balconies? We've sailed many times on RCI and once on Carnival, and all balconies on those ships were totally covered.

[O2B@Cagain]

I do think it would be helpful to have the balcony descriptions on the website. A large number of people do not utilize CC like we do and all TAs are not aware either. I had to C&P the descriptions from here and send them to my TA!! She had no idea there was a "plan". (Please don't suggest I find another TA---she is the only game in this tiny town)

 

happy: There are cruise-only TAs who are in-the-know! And you can find them online. Your location shouldn't be a concern. :D I can poke around here and get info then call my wonderful TA and confirm (or not!) what I have learned. It's like Pandora Radio, the more feedback you provide, the better s/he can help you with your requirements.

[Cruisin Kay D]

Anyone know if the balconies on Riviera Deck on Caribbean Princess are covered or uncovered??

[Hunwolf]

Not only are many of the balconies uncovered, but most look down into someone else's balcony. For us, this ship design is the reason we booked our Hawaii cruise on Carnival. We do love Princess' service, cuisine, entertainment and decor. But our balcony is critically important to us and was the deciding factor.

 

I agree that Princess needs to be clear about their balcony options so guests aren't surprised or disappointed.

 

Our AD minisuite E731 was awesome - large balcony, private and looked down onto water. But it comes at a price and it hard to snag.

 

Good luck to the OP in finding a stateroom / balcony that works for them. We found ours on another cruise line.

 

Agree with your first paragraph 100%. For those that really enjoy/prefer balconies...the Princess "newer" ship design can be a deal breaker. Not all of the balconies are tiered...but most of them are and it just doesn't lend itself to the privacy (or at least perceived privacy) you pay extra for.

 

That's beyond the uncovered versus covered issue.

[BoardwalkBabe]

When we booked our first cruise on the Crown, our TA told us right away about the Caribe deck and the balcony being larger and half covered/half uncovered. We immediately wanted it and were thrilled with that balcony as we use it fairly often and liked the option of being out in direct sunlight or moving back undercover. We enjoyed it so much we have the exact same cabin booked for our next trip. :)

[cwmcaa]

We have a Caribe deck balcony on the Sapphire heading to Alaska in mid September. Will I have ppl above me looking down into the open area of our balcony? I am assuming that if I am sitting under the covered part that I shouldn't see anyone at all.

[RickEk]

We have a Caribe deck balcony on the Sapphire heading to Alaska in mid September. Will I have ppl above me looking down into the open area of our balcony? I am assuming that if I am sitting under the covered part that I shouldn't see anyone at all.

 

If you're standing at the railing of your balcony, people above will be able to see you. If you're near the balcony door, they will not.

[RickEk]

Anyone know if the balconies on Riviera Deck on Caribbean Princess are covered or uncovered??

 

These balconies are covered.

 

Does anyone know which other cruiselines/ships offer uncovered or partially covered balconies? We've sailed many times on RCI and once on Carnival, and all balconies on those ships were totally covered.

 

The P&O ships, Ventura and Azura, have the same balcony configuration since they are Grand-class knockoffs. I think the tiered balconies are mostly a Princess "feature".

[snowman]

btw, here is a picture of the Sapphire Princess, out the balcony.

 

 

-the pic is taken from the baja deck.

-below that is the carib deck

-and below that is the dolphin deck, completely exposed! this should definitely be on the Princess website!

 

 

 

My God, would look at that. I would rather go in debt for a year for a full suite or an AD mini.