Review of the Discovery Princess, Window suite edition

[donswife]

We had a good time in a premium suite (A101) last year on the Discovery Princess.  DH really wanted to try one of the window suites on deck 17, and I was fortunate to snag S107 at a decent price for the 5 day Cabo cruise that sailed on November 29.  We booked EZ air from PDX to LAX, and although the flight times were changed several times by Alaska Airlines, we were always notified, and kept our seat assignments. I did have a little scare when it was time to check in, because the app said "no data" next to the flight info (which made no sense). I was able to check in through the website and both printed boarding passes and had them sent to my phone. I tried to find out what was going on via Alaska live chat (big mistake!) and the agent said the booking number didn't show up!  I was dubious, as I had boarding passes, but may not have slept the best that night 😬.  Needless to say, I breathed a sigh of relief when we scanned our boarding passes at the airport.

 

We flew in the night before departure, with just about a 20 or 30 minute flight delay. Our bags came out promptly, and when we stepped off the escalator on the upper floor (at LAX, hotel shuttles pick up on the departures level), our shuttle was at the curb! We had a comfortable stay at the Fairfield in El Segundo, and enjoyed the included breakfast before heading to the port via Lyft. We left the hotel at about 10;40, and I think we were on the ship by around 11:30.  We stopped by our muster station to check in, then the concierge lounge, where we met Carmen, the concierge. The lounge was served by Anwar, Clare, and Yensi as well. Carmen was able to fulfill our request for an electric kettle in our cabin for our nightly chamomile tea (our cabin was a long way from any hot water source!), and our wonderful steward Patrick kept us supplied with clean cups each day.

 

[donswife]

All the photos and videos I could find did not prepare me for my first glimpse of our windows.  The bedroom curtains closed straight across,  and with the sheers closed,  made a nice little sunroom.  We didn't miss having a balcony too much, thanks to the huge space and magnificent views.

[milolii]

We sailed in S108 on the Enchanted last year.  It was awesome.  The expansive views, just WOW.

[donswife]

We were fortunate to have reservations for the opening night of The Catch because we had booked the Bistro months ago, and it automatically switched over.  It wasn't even listed in the Patter the first day, and only about half the tables were occupied.  The service and meal were fabulous. We received a small glass of sparkling wine and the house appetizers I ordered the smoked salmon for my first course and the catch of the day, which was striped sea bass. I tried the Mozart souffle for dessert,  which was much bigger than necessary. 

[cr8tiv1]

Glad to see a review of the Royal Class Window Suites.  Interested in your take about distance to Concierge Lounge...did you frequent...and ride so high/forward.

 

Amazing view...

[donswife]

We booked this suite with a good understanding of the distance to pretty much anywhere one might want to go on this ship, since were at the bow on Aloha deck last year. Exceptions were the retreat pool and sun deck, they were super convenient, as was the Sanctuary, and Sabatini's was an elevator ride down to deck 5. It was a long walk to the concierge lounge, but we still visited 2 or 3 times a day to get coffee, water, and snacks, enjoy the happy hours, or ask Carmen for help. We were grateful for the electric kettle so we could have our tea without a hike at bedtime 🙂.  I did find myself less inclined to check out events in the aft areas like the Vista lounge if I was feeling iffy. The theater was convenient, and I could hike right up the stairs to deck 17 afterward!  We usually took the elevator down if it was more than a few flights, and the stairs up. I think I actually made my quads sore 😁!

I have no regrets about our decision to try the window suite. It was so spacious and the views were amazing. The living room area was very separate, which would be nice if traveling with a 3rd person.  There were 2 desks and lots of places to sit.   

 

Downsides:

1.Not as much storage as one would expect of a suite. There were only 2 narrow closets, which was fine for a short trip, but wouldn't be so good for a long itinerary. Next to the closets was another closet with shelves. There were small drawers everywhere (desks, nightstands, end tables) but not really big enough for most clothing. The closet of shelves where the safe was located was mostly full of life vests.  

2. As discussed already, distance.  I like to walk a lot, but there were definitely times I did not go to do something because it just seemed so far.

3. Noises/motion. Most of the journey was smooth, but the afternoon and night we left Cabo it was very windy and definitely rocking a bit more.  We didn't feel at all seasick, though I did take bonine as a precaution. More annoying were the banging sounds, maybe from waves hitting the hull?

[donswife]

We received 2 mini bar set ups, but did not use much from them aside from the water and perrier. We brought most of the little bottles home for parties 🥳. If we hadn't had access to the suite lounge and all the water we wanted,  we would have traded the soda and beer for water bottles. 

I think someone got their dates off, because a fresh fruit bowl was delivered the late afternoon before disembarkation. Not wanting it to go to waste, DH created a custom cocktail for us!

[Ellipooh]

I’ve enjoyed the Window Suites on Grand and Caribbean, didn’t realize that any vessels outside of Grand class offered them. I see they’re quite different from what I’ve experienced, not to mention in a very different location, but is the concept the same? Suite class benefits for less $$$ in exchange for no balcony?

[donswife]

3 hours ago, Ellipooh said:

I’ve enjoyed the Window Suites on Grand and Caribbean, didn’t realize that any vessels outside of Grand class offered them. I see they’re quite different from what I’ve experienced, not to mention in a very different location, but is the concept the same? Suite class benefits for less $$$ in exchange for no balcony?

The window suites on the Discovery,  Sky, and Enchanted are an entirely different category compared to the humble "secret" window suites on the older ships. The price seems to run about the same as a forward premium suite.  No balcony,  but those windows! It was also huge. Unless we get another great deal on a short cruise,  it was a one time thing for us. Our next booking is in F305 WS.

[donswife]

Cabo by day ☀️ and Cabo night 🌙 

[donswife]

I was pleased to see Hanukkah included in the festive decor.