Family cruise to Alaska

[Mare10]

We're planning on a cruise with our daughter and her 2 teenage sons. Wondering if anyone knows if it's better to do a family suite or 2 cabins? We are looking to save money if we can but hope to have at least one balcony cabin.

 

Suggestions????

[caribill]

The family suite is really a combination mini-suite with balcony and an inside cabin. If you book this suite, all four of you will receive the suite amenities listed at http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/PrincessSuite_eFlyer.pdf

 

So, the answer to your question is to compare pricing of the family suite for four people vs a balcony cabin+inside cabin near each other.

[ggprincess2004]

If you are looking at a balcony and inside, look for a larger balcony - on the Grand Class ships they are the Caribe deck balconies. They are also partially covered, a bonus incase of liquid sunshine. Those balcony cabins go for a premium, but overall it may be less expensive to get one Caribe deck balcony and an inside, rather than two balconies side by side on another deck. Caribe deck balconies on the Grand class are partially covered, and will accommodate 4 or 5 people more comfortably than other regular balconies.

 

You might also want to look at a combination of a mini-suite and inside cabin. A mini-suite will sleep 3 or 4 people more comfortably than a balcony cabin.

 

We have our family Alaska cruise booked for May/June 2015 on the Grand and have 2 window suites and two adjacent balcony cabins on Caribe Deck, near the forward staircase booked for the gang. The "old folks" will enjoy the suite amenities, the "kids" have the balcony cabins and will host the balcony viewing parties, the old folks will host indoor gatherings in their suites. This configuration may not be for everyone, but having sailed Alaska a few times before, we believe this will work wonderfully for us on these cruises (b2b). When we took the "kids" a number of years ago on the Sapphire, we did a minisuite with an inside directly across the hall. That worked well, but the Sapphire (and Diamond) has a broader beam than the Grand class, so their balconies are deeper and more comfortable.

Edited April 13, 2014 by ggprincess2004

[Mare10]

If you are looking at a balcony and inside, look for a larger balcony - on the Grand Class ships they are the Caribe deck balconies. They are also partially covered, a bonus incase of liquid sunshine. Those balcony cabins go for a premium, but overall it may be less expensive to get one Caribe deck balcony and an inside, rather than two balconies side by side on another deck. Caribe deck balconies on the Grand class are partially covered, and will accommodate 4 or 5 people more comfortably than other regular balconies.

 

You might also want to look at a combination of a mini-suite and inside cabin. A mini-suite will sleep 3 or 4 people more comfortably than a balcony cabin.

 

We have our family Alaska cruise booked for May/June 2015 on the Grand and have 2 window suites and two adjacent balcony cabins on Caribe Deck, near the forward staircase booked for the gang. The "old folks" will enjoy the suite amenities, the "kids" have the balcony cabins and will host the balcony viewing parties, the old folks will host indoor gatherings in their suites. This configuration may not be for everyone, but having sailed Alaska a few times before, we believe this will work wonderfully for us on these cruises (b2b). When we took the "kids" a number of years ago on the Sapphire, we did a minisuite with an inside directly across the hall. That worked well, but the Sapphire (and Diamond) has a broader beam than the Grand class, so their balconies are deeper and more comfortable.

Thanks for all the information! We've wanted to be able to take the family for quite some time. The boys will love it and I'm sure my daughter will too. I'll see my travel agent this week and see what we can come up with!