Did we make the right choice choosing Princess?

[bubbadog]

I Think you will feel right at home with Princess,They are a little more laid back than other cruise lines,kinda like a golf game,compared to Nascar,I Feel that they do a decent job of entertaining,and shore excursions,I Think they could do a little better with the kids stuff,Royal caribe does good in this area,just relax and have a great time;)

[rajones007]

Stupid question: Which deck is it that I should avoid if I don't want to have a lifeboat outside my balcony?

[Colo Cruiser]

Stupid question: Which deck is it that I should avoid if I don't want to have a lifeboat outside my balcony?

 

 

Emerald deck obstructed view cabins.

[woodofpine]

To me (and this is a personal thing) itinerary is KEY - and only a bit less so after multiple cruises in the same region - so the fact that Princess has the itinerary you prefer would finish the discussion were it me. Your personal smoking preference doubles that...

 

Given those two items - especially the universally important travel issue of itinerary - makes me believe that your TA's agency has a enhanced commission structure (typically due to sales volume) with RCI/Celebrity over Princess which means the TA is plugging his/her line interest over your interes. It happens in commission shops of every industry.

 

Generally, Celebrity is a perfectly good line and very competitive with Princess. But that sentence would be equally true if you reversed the lines' position in that sentence.

 

Given your itinerary interest though (and cigs) Princess is a better fit.

 

Overall though, you're doing your homework so you're doing the right thing. Regardless who you cruise with - keep your expectations reasonable and modest and you'll more likely have the highly positive experience you seek. Arrival in SJ a day early is a good idea - its an interesting ville. You may be able to find some type of luggage storage at the terminal to do a couple hours peruse mid-day in old San Juan on return, but even if you're off the ship early the airport is pretty easy and economically transitted to and from. You could always check your bags at the airport early then go to the beach or back into town for a few hours. SJ cabs are well regulated as to -fares.

 

Enjoy.

[toberman]

It is an option I'm aware of. I'm about 3.5 hours from Syracuse and am already considering that.

 

Here's a neat site to check out airfares. In case you don't know Syracuse is SYR and San Juan is SJU. In Canada - Ottawa is YOW, Montreal is YUL, and Toronto is YYZ.

 

http://matrix.itasoftware.com/

 

Good luck.

[rajones007]

Well, we decided on a small change today.

 

I think we're going to go for the Ruby out of Ft. Lauderdale on 9 Jan 2010 for eastern Caribbean, as opposed to the south as we originally planned. There are a few reasons for the change to the 9th as opposed to the 16th. Flights are more accomodating to/from Ft. Lauderdale compared to San Juan, it'll work a little bit better for Grandma to come stay with the kids, and my GF will be back in time for her daughters high school exams. But most importantly: It's a week earlier! ahahahahahah

 

The itinerary isn't that important to me, other than having a stop on the first day. I can appreciate seasoned cruisers being concerned, but for us, at this point in time, it's more about the cruise experience than the individual islands.

 

One reason I was sold on the southern cruise was because I was never at any of the islands before. The eastern cruise only has 1 that I have previously visited (St. Maarten) but that was a day when we just walked the main street and didn't do anything very interesting or memorable.

 

I'm good with the new itinerary and I sincerely appreciate each and every comment made in this thread.

 

I'm still waiting for confirmation on dollars and cents from the travel agent.

 

-Emerald Deck has obstructed views from the lifeboats. Check. Mental note: avoid Emerald Deck.

 

-Girlfriend got her passport photo taken yesterday. She's working on the forms tonight. I can sign as her guarantor since I'm a current passport holder. I'll drop it off at our Member of Parliaments office tomorrow.

[toberman]

Well, we decided on a small change today.

 

I think we're going to go for the Ruby out of Ft. Lauderdale

 

Flights are more accomodating to/from Ft. Lauderdale compared to San Juan,

 

 

-Girlfriend got her passport photo taken yesterday. She's working on the forms tonight. I can sign as her guarantor since I'm a current passport holder. I'll drop it off at our Member of Parliaments office tomorrow.

 

Good choice.. we've done it and loved it!! FLL is half the price for airfare compared to SJU. Using your MP.. yep, done it and it works great... really fast ! Course our MP was the Speaker of the House !! :)

[MandD]

The flight back may be a bit of a pain. My only direct flight on Sunday leaves San Juan at 5.15pm. The ship reaches port at 6.00am. How long can I stay onboard the ship until they kick me off? The longer I'm onboard the better, as I'm certain it will beat sitting in the airport.

 

We really liked Celebrity Solstice, but then we were in Aqua class and were assigned to a 120 seat dining room. As it was only the second paid cruise for that ship, they had some of their best people on board. However, we've been back to Princess 3 times since.

 

Last cruise our flight home was at 4:30. To kill time we took a ship's tour of the Everglades. It was really quite interesting. If you have a late flight you might want to consider something like that.

[skellis]

You asked a question about boats (tenders) blocking your view from your balcony. All of the tenders are below the balcony minisuites, balcony cabins and suites, so they should never block your view if you have a balcony.They are usually right above Promenade deck, but they do block obstructed view cabins which have no balconies.The Ruby is my new favorite ship, and the Maitre'de Generoso is fantastic, as is the Chef's Table. She (Ruby)still has that new ship smell and look, so enjoy.

[rajones007]

I just got a response from the TA. Looks good. Pricing is about what it is on the Princess website. So that's all good. Still working on the airfare. I threw a wrench into her workload earlier by making that change, but oh well. That's what she's paid to do.

 

If nobody minds, can I start asking questions about particular cabins?

 

She came back with some Lido Deck cabins, but they're not mini-suites. I could live with that but it looks like they're shower only. My GF wants some sort of bathtub for some girly reason I didn't bother asking about. Funny though - ALL the Lido Deck cabins that are available are right near the doorways to the pool. Makes me think they are the least desirable for noise and/or traffic than all the others.

 

All the other cabins she came back with are on Dolphin Deck, all in the 400's and 500's with a few 600's thrown in for good measure. The best looking staterooms that I can tell, location-wise, would be 503 or 505. But 609, 610, and 612 don't look too bad. All the others are right outside the elevators. Does anybody have any comment on that?

 

Curiousity-only but not-out-of-the-question question: Caribe Deck. C750 and C751 are available. Pricey, but I want to do this right and who knows when we'll be able to do this again. Right at the rear of the boat. What are the balconys like? Are they covered? Partially covered? Privacy? I can't see foot traffic being much of a bother way back there, so that door wouldn't be an issue...but what do I know? Anybody have any comments on these cabins? I've heard that on the bow/stern the movement of the ship is more prominent. Should that be a concern?

[TracieABD]

Most of the outside cabins on the Dolphin Deck are mini-suites, so you will get your tub.

I had a BA on the Lido, and the section with the cabins in blocked off from the pool area so we had not a lot of foot traffic.

The rooms on the Caribe Deck are suites, so you enter a whole different category of cruising!

[flamomo]

You may well have to be off the ship by 10-11 AM. But a possibility for filling some time before your flight could be a half day tour of San Juan.

Princess may offer that with a pick-up at the pier, and a drop-off at the airport at the end of the tour. We have done that on a couple of cruises in other places.

[DonnaK]

-Emerald Deck has obstructed views from the lifeboats. Check. Mental note: avoid Emerald Deck.

 

 

 

to clarify: Only the Oceanview (window) cabins on the Emerald deck have obstructed views from the lifeboats.

 

The minisuites on Emerald deck have totally covered balconies, but no obstructed views. IMO, these are the best minisuites on the ship because we prefer the shade. Try to get one of the end ones because they have an extended balcony. As well, try to get one on the starboard side (odd numbered cabins) - some people had issues with noise from the club below them in the even numbered cabins.

[geoherb]

I'd choose whichever line had the best price for you. We've sailed on both and would do either again.

[patfla06]

You will never regret booking with Princess.

[rajones007]

It doesn't look like there is anything available on Emerald. Unless I'm doing it wrong. The only mini-suites available, AA AB AC AD AE are all on Dolphin. (AE is waiting list)

 

Unless I wanted to go to a VS or greater. And those are right on the rear of the ship and I don't think we'd like that for our first cruise, as much as I'd like to check them out.

 

Can somebody please verify that for me? Or does the Princess site simply give me 5 or 6 of what they consider the best available options and leave it at that? It looks like my TA only quoted me on the same identical cabins I'm seeing. Would this particular cruise be that close to being full? (9 Jan 2011, 7 night Eastern Carib., from Ft. Lauderdale.)

[DonnaK]

It doesn't look like there is anything available on Emerald. Unless I'm doing it wrong. The only mini-suites available, AA AB AC AD AE are all on Dolphin. (AE is waiting list)

 

Unless I wanted to go to a VS or greater. And those are right on the rear of the ship and I don't think we'd like that for our first cruise, as much as I'd like to check them out.

 

Can somebody please verify that for me? Or does the Princess site simply give me 5 or 6 of what they consider the best available options and leave it at that? It looks like my TA only quoted me on the same identical cabins I'm seeing. Would this particular cruise be that close to being full? (9 Jan 2011, 7 night Eastern Carib., from Ft. Lauderdale.)

 

AD should be on Emerald deck.

 

I just checked, and AD's are guarantees now, so you can't book one directly.

 

Are you two people? I would look at regular balcony cabins (BC) in the 700's on the Riviera deck. These are steps away from the aft Terrace pool and is perhaps my favorite location on the whole ship. There are many available now.

[sarugby9]

The aft area of the ship would be my recommendation. There tends to be less foot traffic and general noise and you are close to the rear pool which is very nice if it is just you and GF. I would recommend a balcony cabin on the Caribe for this reason. The balconys are much bigger (9'x9') as opposed to a regular balcony (9'x5'). The nice thing too is that the balcony is partially covered so you get the best of both worlds. Some privacy and some sun. My DF and I really love the extra balcony space. They only draw back is that there is not bath tub. DF doesn't mind too much but it's up to you guys. Good luck with your choices.:o

[Shifra]

AD should be on Emerald deck.

 

I just checked, and AD's are guarantees now, so you can't book one directly.

 

Are you two people? I would look at regular balcony cabins (BC) in the 700's on the Riviera deck. These are steps away from the aft Terrace pool and is perhaps my favorite location on the whole ship. There are many available now.

 

Oh yes, one of my favorite locations also.

[njmom1975]

Well, we decided on a small change today.

 

I think we're going to go for the Ruby out of Ft. Lauderdale on 9 Jan 2010 for eastern Caribbean, as opposed to the south as we originally planned. The itinerary isn't that important to me, other than having a stop on the first day. I can appreciate seasoned cruisers being concerned, but for us, at this point in time, it's more about the cruise experience than the individual islands.

 

One reason I was sold on the southern cruise was because I was never at any of the islands before. The eastern cruise only has 1 that I have previously visited (St. Maarten) but that was a day when we just walked the main street and didn't do anything very interesting or memorable.

 

I'm good with the new itinerary and I sincerely appreciate each and every comment made in this thread.

 

quote]

 

We've cruised several times and had our first cruise on Princess this summer (also the Ruby in the Med.). For that cruise it was all about the itinerary and we were hesitant to sail on Princess since we had heard from a prior TA that it was "boring."

For our family of four it worked perfrectly (DS 10, DD 8) and they loved the kids program. Good luck and enjoy it.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Oh yes, one of my favorite locations also.

It's the best. When we're traveling cheap, we stay in an inside there also. Can't beat that location, IF you're well able to walk.

[rajones007]

Well, my girlfriend really wants the tub. So it looks like we need to go with a mini-suite on Dolphin. I really want the couch to nap on. I can't nap on a bed because it always turns into a 3 hour nap instead of the 20 minute nap that I need.

 

I talked to her about the balcony being totally uncovered and sticking out beyond the decks above. But neither of us really care about that. As long as I don't have to look down and see some hairy gorilla slopping on the sunscreen I'll be fine. (Other people can look DOWN at ME and see a hairy gorilla slopping on the sunscreen! That's their problem, not mine.)

 

Her passport is at our MPs office and will be heading to Ottawa early next week. We can expect it in 3 weeks or so.

 

So early next week I'm off to the travel agent to book this. My TA went on 2 weeks holidays today so she moved me over to her cruise specialist to go over the finer details. Still haven't decided on a specific cabin.

 

Still working on the flight to Ft. Lauderdale. I told her I need executive class but I refuse to pay full pop for it. If she needs to call in a favour or two then she'll have to do it. My hip hasn't been the same since the flight back from Orlando in 2000 and I told myself at the time that I'll never fly in another sardine can again.

[johnfas]

Thank you all very much for the warm welcome and good answers.

 

First dump your TA. Book your cruise directly with Princess. Then if you see it for less on say an online agency, just transfer the booking to them and thats it. You will get what you want and for a better price no doubt.

I find it hard to believe a TA would PUSH you towards any line. We have sailed the big four and choose Princess as our number one choice.

Just a note on casual dining. Me and the wife love to just grab something at the International Cafe and head to the wine bar. Can't get any more informal than that and the food is all very good.

Have fun the Caribbean Princess is a great ship!!!!!!

[rajones007]

Just an update if anybody is interested.

 

-looks like we got our heart set on the Western Caribbean cruise, from Ft. Lauderdale at some point in Jan, 2011 on the Crown Princess. Go ahead and call me wishy-washy, it took some time and research to settle (fight) on which itinerary to take ;) . We're still not sure of the date due to some circumstances that just came to our attention. It'll be either the 8th or the 15th, with the 22nd as a long shot possibility.

 

-I just realized there are a few mini-suites on Emerald that have completely covered balconies. I'm sure somebody mentioned them earlier in this thread, I just didn't clue in. I know...I'm an idiot. Go ahead and say it. I was married once. I'm used to it.

 

-speaking of the mini-suites on Emerald. They are all directly above Club Fusion. Is that going to be a problem with noise later in the evening? Does anybody have any experience with these cabins as far as noise is concerned?

 

-is there something to consider when I choose port or starboard for our stateroom? This is a really stupid question so bear with me...If I choose Starboard when we cruise around south of Cuba going west will I be able to see it from my balcony? I realize the ship wouldn't skirt the coastline, but can it be seen way off in the distance? Same goes if I choose Port and come up the Mexican coast from Honduras. Will I be be able to see it? We'll have a covered balcony so I'm not concerned about sun exposure, but it would be nice to see something other than water and maybe take in a couple sunsets from our balcony.

 

Anyways, thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I sincerely appreciate the help.

[BlueCat1105]

Mini-suites are very nice with the bath tub and the couch. There is so much more storage space, so that the stateroom stays tidy. We're in an AD on Emerald deck for our November W. Caribbean cruise, but usually stay in a Dolphin deck mini. I don't quite understand why people care about someone possibly looking down at them on the balcony. If you go up to the pool deck to lounge, people can see you there as well. No biggie.