Princess Suites

[travelerpair]

I am looking to book a suite (not mini) on Princess because they sail round trip from LA. Any opinion if they are worth the price? No butlers or bottled water from what the agent told me. For the price we are used to perks. Anyone?

 

[milolii]

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/PrincessSuite_eFlyer.pdf

 

Here is the Official perk pdf.    We got 2 bottles of water a day.  No butlers.  What other lines have you sailed with a suite?  NCL?  What Princess ship are you looking to cruise?  

[memoak]

You will get one mini bar setup, free laundry, one embarkation night free speciality dinner, suite breakfast etc. 

[2old4this]

1 hour ago, travelerpair said:

I am looking to book a suite (not mini) on Princess because they sail round trip from LA. Any opinion if they are worth the price? No butlers or bottled water from what the agent told me. For the price we are used to perks. Anyone?

 

 

19 minutes ago, memoak said:

You will get one mini bar setup, free laundry, one embarkation night free speciality dinner, suite breakfast etc. 

You get what you pay for.  I just got off Grand after 15 days SF to Hawaii to SF. (Dec 2019)I found the ship a great, smooth ride to and from the islands.  I was in C424, a suite, mid ship, and enjoyed the perks and the attention I got at boarding, leaving, and everything in between.  So much of a cruise relates to attitude and I went onboard expecting all things would be great.  I used the laundry every other day, used my WIFI package all over the ship, and I ate too well and far too often.  I became addicted to bagels on Horizon Deck and can't stop now at home.  Imagine bagels with cream cheese piled mountain high with a topping of raspberry jam.  Imagine!  I visited the library once and found it a total disappointment given it is on the honor system and a worse selection of books to read I have never seen before.  Bring what you will be reading.  There are two ping pong tables and they were championed by a family of Chinese from SF.  Wow!  They were too good for me and others.  As for kids, forget it. This wonderful ship was perfect for me and my fellow elders.  I estimate the average age about seventy-five.  The theater offerings were alright but not off broadway quality.  My evaluation of my recent ride puts me as a return traveler and me recommending the Grand for ocean travel.

Edited December 21, 2019 by 2old4this
Problem

[franktown]

Don't know what ship you are thinking about but the Royal class ships have a Suite lounge.  Staff there will make any reservations you need and help with any issues you might have.  Some of the cruise lines have attempted to make a ship within a ship where premium ;paying guest almost have there own area away from everyone one else.  Princess does give good perks for sailing in a suite but not the ship within a ship concept.  I personally like it better that way.

[2old4this]

51 minutes ago, 2old4this said:

 

You get what you pay for.  I just got off Grand after 15 days SF to Hawaii to SF. (Dec 2019)I found the ship a great, smooth ride to and from the islands.  I was in C424, a suite, mid ship, and enjoyed the perks and the attention I got at boarding, leaving, and everything in between.  So much of a cruise relates to attitude and I went onboard expecting all things would be great.  I used the laundry every other day, used my WIFI package all over the ship, and I ate too well and far too often.  I became addicted to bagels on Horizon Deck and can't stop now at home.  Imagine bagels with cream cheese piled mountain high with a topping of raspberry jam.  Imagine!  I visited the library once and found it a total disappointment given it is on the honor system and a worse selection of books to read I have never seen before.  Bring what you will be reading.  There are two ping pong tables and they were championed by a family of Chinese from SF.  Wow!  They were too good for me and others.  As for kids, forget it. This wonderful ship was perfect for me and my fellow elders.  I estimate the average age about seventy-five.  The theater offerings were alright but not off broadway quality.  My evaluation of my recent ride puts me as a return traveler and me recommending the Grand for ocean travel.

As for water, we were given two bottles everyday whether we drank them or not.  With the WIFI package, I paid while at home $199 for the two weeks, I could use the WIFI one computer or phone at a time.  There were three in my suite which means we bumped each other off the system as we needed to search or send an email.  No problem!  Two of us slept on twins in the bedroom.  Our third on the couch which became a double bed easily and quickly.  All three of us slept well.  The suite balcony is two cabins wide has a table with chairs and two comfortable lounges.  Privacy walls made the balcony a favorite place for coffees and rolls.  Our bathtub had a wild water flow for relaxation and the shower enclosure large for a big person.  People left their wheel chairs and walkers closed up and outside the doorways.  Our cabin staffer was to us and doing our requests as fast as we could think of something to make we three happier.  As I wrote earlier, you make your travel in a suite, it was my first time after many cruises, and the cruise becomes something very special, if for no other reason but space and country club living.  I don't work for Princess.  I know it crossed your mind, dear reader.

1a_HAWAII WITH KIDS.pdf

[memoak]

Please don’t leave wheelchairs and rollers outside the door in the hallway they belong inside your suite

[milolii]

A few other observations:

 

Princess does not have in room coffee machines of any type.  I think there are kettles on some ships mostly from the U.K. the U.K.  The suite  lounge on Royal class has Coffee 24 hours or can order from room service.  Concierge can make reservations. 

It is hard to find a suite with any actual door between the living and bedrooms, just curtains.

Dinning for breakfast(mimosas included) is in one of the speciality restaurants and other times is in “Club Class”  a special section of a main dinning room.  The food is quite good. 

As others have said laundry is complementary

1st night  dining in speciality restaurant included. I think that. is 6 nights or longer cruises.

Upgraded room service menu. 

Escort onto ship(not always consistent) 

Cabin Stewrd will bring ice;  room service brings food

We preferred not having the Butler but that is us. 

 

I did not notice any off ship priority escort at ports.  

 We also find the price is a bit more reasonable than, say, NCL. 

 

 

 

[worldtraveller]

If it is a tender port you get "fast passes" off the ship (but not back on). And you can have anything from the day's dining room menu delivered via room service not just what is on the normal menu (we have used this at dinner so not sure about lunch or breakfast).

[Gracie115]

We enjoyed our suite on the Regal Princess, especially the aft suite.  No, there isn't a butler but our room attendant did a wonderful job and pretty much everything the butler would do on Celebrity.  The aft suite layout is more like 2 rooms than the suites mid ship.  The bathrooms are VERY nice in both and superior to what we had on Celebrity except for their Royal Suite.  There is no dedicated lounge for cocktails, but we didn't miss it as we really like Vines and Club Class dining was great.  We've booked two more cruises with Princess so I guess we would say, YES, it's worth it. 

[geoherb]

Being able to order anything from the dining room menu for room service applies to breakfast and lunch. We only did it for breakfast on our last morning, when they did not have Sabatini's open. We had saved our half bottle of champagne so we wouldn't miss our morning mimosas. 

 

Sailing in a suite was very nice, but I wouldn't want to pay the normal price. We had a great upsell price that made it affordable for us.

[riffatsea]

Everyone's take on "worth the price" is different. We used to sail in balcony cabins but now only book suites! DH really likes having the extra space. I like the extras that come with it! Suite breakfast in Sabatiinis, ordering room service off the MDR menu, water and free mini bar set up, on off the ship early, easy debarking for tender ports,specialty dinner . The cabin itself is spacious and the balcony has a table and chairs in addition to loungers so you can have  a meal on it if you choose.

For us it is "worth it"!

[john_galt]

I moved back to Princess from Celebrity after X pushed the price of a butlered suite past my pain point. Princess suites are very nice and I just booked a PH on the Caribbean Princess. Breakfast at Sabatini's and Club Class dining are a big plus. I miss the butler, and the escort down to Michael's, but can't bring myself to pay the toll on Celebrity. 

[pms4104]

OP...people here have either linked you to or told you the Princess suite perks.

 

Only you can decide if they are worth it.

 

It is, after all, your money and yours to decide the value to you

[tampadee]

I guess it is what is most important to you.  We haven't been in a suite on Princess but have been on several on Norwegian.  What I would miss most on Princess is the coffee maker. 

 

[pms4104]

10 hours ago, memoak said:

Please don’t leave wheelchairs and rollers outside the door in the hallway they belong inside your suite

I report them, often repeatedly, til the offenders get the message ... it's a violation of SOLAS ... no entitlement to leave them in hallway

  

 

 

Edited December 21, 2019 by pms4104

[BigGuy25]

We sailed in a full aft suite with a huge wrap-around balcony on a 14-day transatlantic last year. We loved the spacious two-room cabin and the extra benefits provided to suite guests.  It may seem small, but the suite-guest only breakfast in Sabatini’s was especially enjoyable. Usually only 4 or 5 tables were in use, so the service was spectacular.  Many days the captain, and other senior officers, would stop in and usually stopped at each table to chat for a few minutes.  BUT, we took advantage of an upsell from a mini-suite to move to the full suite.  I’m not sure we would see the “full fare” price of a suite to be worth the extra cost ... especially on a port intensive voyage where you’re off the ship for long periods of time each day.

[2old4this]

9 hours ago, milolii said:

A few other observations:

 

Princess does not have in room coffee machines of any type.  I think there are kettles on some ships mostly from the U.K. the U.K.  The suite  lounge on Royal class has Coffee 24 hours or can order from room service.  Concierge can make reservations. 

It is hard to find a suite with any actual door between the living and bedrooms, just curtains.

Dinning for breakfast(mimosas included) is in one of the speciality restaurants and other times is in “Club Class”  a special section of a main dinning room.  The food is quite good. 

As others have said laundry is complementary

1st night  dining in speciality restaurant included. I think that. is 6 nights or longer cruises.

Upgraded room service menu. 

Escort onto ship(not always consistent) 

Cabin Stewrd will bring ice;  room service brings food

We preferred not having the Butler but that is us. 

 

I did not notice any off ship priority escort at ports.  

 We also find the price is a bit more reasonable than, say, NCL. 

 

 

 

I agree with what Milolii has experienced.  The Princess Suite class is wonderful for any who thrive on travel that includes space and perks.  True, like flying 1st Class, it costs much more than inside cabins and the cabins in between.  For me, I travel less so I can spend more when I do cruise.  At my stage in life, as an elder traveler, I seek the qualities of the Princess suite which my years of saving and working now provide me.

 

Suite passengers and others with special ratings always have their own dining area called Club Class as Milolii has noted.  It is anytime dining and the wait staff are extremely watchful of guest special requests.  They do what they say and do it quickly.  One of my Suite guests (my eldest son, Brian) used his street artist skills to sketch the faces of the staff attending our four person table.  Brian's give-away art panels led to friendly banter and to special chocolates and finger foods given us for snacking later in Suite C-424.

 

I found our cabin steward was a VERY busy fellow.  He raced about seemingly on his feet every hour of every day.  While his English was poor, I don't think what I said and his responses ever went misunderstood.  He moved our frequent laundry bags quickly and, even on the last evening of the cruise, made certain nothing was being left behind as we packed.  We three wished we were taking him home as part of our family.

 

About our luggage on that last day . . .  As you might already know, more than 2,000 guests on a 15 day cruise have several tons of luggage.  All those bags and parcels are sitting someplace like a sea of leather and fabric.  Finding our bags among so many was something I dreaded.  The hunt began with our suite group gathering in a lounge and waiting for the signal to depart.  We were escorted to a special ship hatch and the walk began to the barn holding our luggage.  We stepped off the stairs and were guided to an isolated section, separate from the greater number, and released to locate our bags.  Five minutes later we took a cab and left San Francisco.  Could a way to end a marvelous cruise among the Hawaiian Islands be any better?

 

See my day-by-day reporting of the cruise below.  Jack 

1a_HAWAII WITH KIDS.pdf

[2old4this]

36 minutes ago, pms4104 said:

I report them, often repeatedly, til the offenders get the message ... it's a violation of SOLAS ... no entitlement to leave them in hallway

  

 

 

They were in the hallways on my cruise, and for all levels of cabin.  I never gave the few that I found more than a glance as I did my early morning walks.  I simply understood the need to keep them someplace.  Inside would be nice, of course, and in keeping with whatever the law says, but chastising them, time and again, isn't something I would participate in.  I'm on a vacation with more than 2,000 people and my plan is to enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy some more.  I'm not policing anything more than the size and frequency of my meals.

1a_HAWAII WITH KIDS.pdf

[marden1970]

My DH and I did the r/t Hawaii in November, just before 2old4this.  We has suite D736, an aft facing suite.  Loved the room and sitting outside watching and listening to the wake.  We normally do a mini suite but splurged this time and we think it was worth it.  Mostly used the Club Class dining for dinner,  breakfast in the Crown Grill is always wonderful. (Instead of mimosa, I had cranmosa, cranberry juice instead of orange).  The jetted tub is great and our laundry was always back within 48 hours. We asked for and received the dinner menus everyday in case we wanted to use room service, which we never did except for ordering in pizza one evening which we ate on the balcony as the sun was going down.  In my opinion it was worth it for that cruise as it was 15 days; however we'll be going back to mini suite for our next one - the price difference was too great.  Either way - Have a great time!

[john_galt]

2 hours ago, 2old4this said:

I travel less so I can spend more when I do cruise.

Ditto! Balcony on the Sky Owner's Suite. 

 

[2old4this]

4 hours ago, marden1970 said:

My DH and I did the r/t Hawaii in November, just before 2old4this.  We has suite D736, an aft facing suite.  Loved the room and sitting outside watching and listening to the wake.  We normally do a mini suite but splurged this time and we think it was worth it.  Mostly used the Club Class dining for dinner,  breakfast in the Crown Grill is always wonderful. (Instead of mimosa, I had cranmosa, cranberry juice instead of orange).  The jetted tub is great and our laundry was always back within 48 hours. We asked for and received the dinner menus everyday in case we wanted to use room service, which we never did except for ordering in pizza one evening which we ate on the balcony as the sun was going down.  In my opinion it was worth it for that cruise as it was 15 days; however we'll be going back to mini suite for our next one - the price difference was too great.  Either way - Have a great time!

I am looking at doing the London to NY by way of Iceland and Greenland with Princess and again in a Suite.  Comments?

[marden1970]

I think you need to think about how much time you send in the room.  If you like to be out and about the ship all day taking part in the activities offered and socializing,  maybe a mini would be ok but if you like to spend a lot of time in the room relaxing, watching movies, reading or whatever a suite may be better.  Private jetted tub vs hot tubs on deck. Sending your laundry vs doing your own in the laundry room.  Specialty breakfast vs buffet or mdr.   Personally, if we could afford it I would do a suite every time.

[2old4this]

3 hours ago, marden1970 said:

I think you need to think about how much time you send in the room.  If you like to be out and about the ship all day taking part in the activities offered and socializing,  maybe a mini would be ok but if you like to spend a lot of time in the room relaxing, watching movies, reading or whatever a suite may be better.  Private jetted tub vs hot tubs on deck. Sending your laundry vs doing your own in the laundry room.  Specialty breakfast vs buffet or mdr.   Personally, if we could afford it I would do a suite every time.

Me, too, Marden1970.  Me, too!  I afford it because I have told myself better one cruise every 12 to 18 months than several in the same time frame.  I truly like sea travel - best on calm waters, of course - and chatting with people I don't know and most likely will only be with them but once.  People have traveled unique paths, some more unique than others, but all quite fascinating.  I chatted with a little Chinese lady in Horizon on my Hawaii trip.  She was alone and I was too.  We did not understand a word which we both tried to get across.  I touched my chest and said: Jack!  She smiled and replied with what I thought was a Lily.  I may have been way off given she laughed and smiled at me. For the next half hour we were Jack and Lily, close friends and sailing the world.  I managed to hear a 'Bay-jing' and assumed she meant her home was what I used to call Peiking.  A Chinese man from SF, a stranger, told me she had said that 'she loves you and loves your voice.'  I leaned across the table and kissed my little lady on the forehead.  I needed to do that.  I think maybe she needed some sincere affection, too.  Go Suite, dear friend, you deserve it.

 

1a_HAWAII WITH KIDS.pdf

Edited December 22, 2019 by 2old4this

[travelerpair]

Thank you all for your responses. We just keep coming back to no airports and the benefit of walking off the ship and getting in the car. Love to cruise and love to travel, but out last airport experience (not weather related) just took too long. Suite travel is just that SWEET.