Greetings from Sungirl! Almost back where I belong

[KCSungirl]

Hi to my Princess Cruisecritic family. I have been away too long. I am really missing my old time posters on the Princess board - SpongeRob, ColoCruiserKeith, Pam, Toto, Pia, Neal, Sunset CruiseGal, Carolyn, Shogun, and many many more.

 

I need to get up to date!

 

First my question is regarding the Ocean Princess - Should I keep an aft balcony cabin or take the comp upgrade to a minsuite? This is for a 14 day Med itinerary next summer. I would sacrifice aft views for space and I am not sure on this small ship what is better for me.

 

I am cruising New Zealand/Australia Dec 12 on Celebrity Century. I will probably do a "LIVE" blog, so for those of you cruising on the Diamond down under this season check the Celebrity board if you have any interest. I will have a whole new cast of characters from Aussie and Kiwi land to write about. Seinfeld goes Down Under!

 

I cruised the Crown Princess in March to Mexican Riviera. Loved the cruise, way over the ports. The Caribbean is where I belong since I have to fly either way. If I could drive to San Pedro, I would take the cruise, but not investing in the flight for that itinerary anymore. The price is always right, however. ;-)

 

I cruised Celebrity Century on a five night itinerary in April. Love those Western Carib ports. I had an unfortunate mishap on the ship. I was pretending to be hot, young, and sexy in the disco. I hit my 5 inch wedge sandals on the path lighting and went airborne across the disco. It must have been hilarious to watch 2 tons of fun fly across the disco. The hilarious part was my purse came open and everything flew out. I had to crawl across the disco to retrieve everything. I was missing my favorite limited edition MAC lipstick, so I crawled to my cabin, then back to the disco to find it in the dark. I FOUND it! I ripped up my ankle pretty bad, was in a wheelchair half the cruise. Celebrity took responsiblity and completely took care of me. I was in a cast for about 4 weeks when I got home, but no surgery required. Flying home alone was hell. I had no help and was feeling sorry for myself when I had to go to the bathroom with no one to help me. I am not yet 50 years old, but I have definitely gotten the importance of travel insurance. I used to only purchase the insurance for overseas trips, but now I purchase for everything. It is a relatively cheap investment.

 

I wish all of you the happiest of holidays. Let me know your opinion regarding the Ocean Princess cabin.

 

Party On! Sungirl

[geoherb]

Welcome back, Sungirl. We'll be on the Crown in two weeks for a pre-Christmas cruise. Your cruise to Australia sounds terrific, but Sam's work controls when we can take our cruises. Have a great holiday down under!

[sunsetbeachgal]

Welcome back! Missed you! Have a great cruise! can't answer your question about cabins as when we were on the Ocean we weren't in either type of cabin you were talking about...but I can say that we were on the eighth floor and loved that location...so much is up on the ninth floor..pool, buffet, Internet, etc are just a quick flight of stairs up.

[Pam in CA]

Glad to see you back. :) Unfortunately, Keith has been on an extended "break" from CC for about a year. Like you, he's missed.

[Hulagirl]

HI KC! We were on an Alaska cruise together several years ago.

 

Anyway, about the mini upgrade on the Ocean. I say, yes take it!! We loved the mini suite on that ship, though it was the Tahitian when we sailed it. These cabins are so nice and big. A different configuration than the mini's on the actual Princess ships (Star, Sapphire, Etc). You will love the extra room and the bigger bathroom with the tub (that is basically the same). If the aft isn't something you are dedicated to, then I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

[lovevacadays]

I remember reading some of your posts and at least one review. I loved your writing. And just your small example from your Celebrity cruise is an example. You make one be able to visualize what your experience was like. Sorry to hear about your mishap, though.

 

Hopefully, you will write a live from thread when you cruise next.

[senior lady]

if the mini is on Emerald deck then take it. Otherwise the mini's all have no cover over the balcony.

[mycruz]

Hi KC! so glad to see you back here with the Princess gang!

 

I don't know about your decision to upgrade from the aft balcony to the mini. I guess it will come down to what do you enjoy most? The view from that aft balcony or the extra space in the mini not to mention a tub and shower in the bath. Oh, well, I'm sure your cruise will be great, going to the Med is definitely on my bucket list. Yes, that insurance is a good thing! :)

 

See ya around!

Mary

[KCSungirl]

Hi geoherb, sunsetbeachgal, pam, hulagirl, chloedmom, kpalmer, and mycruz!

 

Thanks for responding. I forgot to mention that we are spending a week in Rarotonga, post cruise. Has anyone had experience with this island in the South Pacific? I am thinking Bora, Bora, so I hope I am not disappointed. Flying Air New Zealand from LAX all the way around. We booked a new class of service - the Sky Couch. It's economy with three seats across that makes into a bed. It will be a joke when my fat butt pushes my leprechaun husband into the aisle to sleep. No mile high club for me. ;-) Hope it's worth the $$$

 

Cheers! Sungirl

[mycruz]

I am scheduled for Bora Bora next year on the Sapphire, check out the tour with Patrick on Bora Bora, it's supposed to be the best! If you need his email address let me know, I'm coordinating the group for our cruise.