Please help a first timer pick a room..thanks

[jadexx]

Hello all..

Im currently booked on the Caribbean Princess in a Balcony Guarantee, my TA states it will be a BD or higher, I know nothing about room choice at all, but I know I want a balcony. Ideally Id perfer a bigger balcony then a bigger room. Id like something that will have some sunlight so i can lay out. Here are my questions.

 

If I stay with a Balcony am I better to go with the guarantee and hope for the best? Or pick my room now?

If I pick my room, What catagory should I ask for? (Knowing nothing about this at all lol)

Lastly are the mini-suites really that much better then the Balcony rooms? Or would I be better to hand pick my Balcony room and pay for the best placement?

 

Thanks again!!

[KruznKel]

Hello all..

Im currently booked on the Caribbean Princess in a Balcony Guarantee, my TA states it will be a BD or higher, I know nothing about room choice at all, but I know I want a balcony. Ideally Id perfer a bigger balcony then a bigger room. Id like something that will have some sunlight so i can lay out. Here are my questions.

 

If I stay with a Balcony am I better to go with the guarantee and hope for the best? Or pick my room now?

If I pick my room, What catagory should I ask for? (Knowing nothing about this at all lol)

Lastly are the mini-suites really that much better then the Balcony rooms? Or would I be better to hand pick my Balcony room and pay for the best placement?

 

Thanks again!!

 

I am no expert.. haven't cruised Princess yet will in 2009.. but have been reading alot here which is always the best way to find the answers.. :)

 

What I have read (I am sure will be corrected if I am wrong;)) Is that BD balconies and above are fully covered.. if you want to lay out in the sun I believe the balconies below Baja.. like Dolphin have part of the balcony exposed completely.. I don't know about the mini suites won't be sailing in one of those.. But do remember if you want to lay out for instance on your balcony on the Dolphin deck everyone above you will be able to see you as the balconies are tiered..so if privacy is an issue that could be a problem:)

[TwinCruiserMom]

Caribe deck balconies are the best and the largest regular balconies on the ship. That would be either a BB or a BA. They are just huge and one half covered and one half uncovered.

 

You could try staying guarantee and see if they assign you a room. If it is one you want, you then can tell your TA to state "No upgrade". Sometimes it takes a LONGGGG time for them to assign a room and if that is the case you may want to just select your balcony and pay the extra money. It all depends on how much time you have until you cruise.

 

Some people have been lucky enough to get a Caribe balcony on a guarantee so it is just the luck of the draw.

 

Good luck!

[jean s]

We like the mini suites on the Dolphin deck. The extra space in the cabin is great and we like the uncovered balcony. We sit out in the sun and read, relax, and sometimes take a quick nap.

[new sea legs]

does anyone of you gals know if the balconies on the riviera deck are opened or closed we arein the forword section. thanks new sea legs ps. we are sailing on the crown in jan. 2008

[BurBunny]

does anyone of you gals know if the balconies on the riviera deck are opened or closed we arein the forword section. thanks new sea legs ps. we are sailing on the crown in jan. 2008

 

Riviera balconies are fully covered.

[4cats4me]

To the OP:

 

If you really want sunlight on your balcony and that is important to you,

then I think you should hand pick your cabin now, as the other poster said

and mark the reservation "No Upgrades"

 

The mini-suite are good cabins and they have fully exposed balconies

on Dolphin deck, but don't pick a mini suite on Emerald Deck, as those

arefully covered balconies.

 

If booking a mini suite, Category AC, AB or AA

 

If booking a regular cabin with a balcony: Categories BB's on Caribe Deck

ONLY have the half-covered and half-exposed balconies.

But beware Catgory BB on Riviera deck . Those balconies are fully covered and the same as Category BD.

[jadexx]

You all have been so much help.. so if i have followed your suggestions I should go with one of the following:

 

Balcony on the Caribe BB or BA only no upgrade

Or

Mini Suite on Dolphin deck AC, AB or AA

 

I will call in the morning and see what the price difference is, if its not large then I should go with the suite, if its a big difference i should stick with the Balcony room..

 

Sound about right?

[jadexx]

Ok another question... The AB or AA balcony is partial covered, and the mini suite Dophin is not covered at all correct? Are there any partially covered decks in the mini-suites?

[jadexx]

Ok another question... The AB or AA balcony is partial covered, and the mini suite Dophin is not covered at all correct? Are there any partially covered decks in the mini-suites?

 

Whops.. I mean the BB or BA balcony not ab or aa.. dont know where that came from lol

[BurBunny]

The only mini-suites which are covered, and they're fully covered, are the ADs all the way back on Emerald. All other minis are fully uncovered.

[jadexx]

WOW.. so i called this morning to pick out my room, I am currently booked in room 701 on the Caribe Deck catagory BB, I paid $130pp for this room choice to upgrade from my BD room. How did I do?

 

Weird this is I checked the price on a mini suite as well, since just yesterday they told me the cost to upgrade to a AC mini-suite would be $250pp I figured since it was so close in price I would go with the mini, but today she quoted me $549pp to upgrade to this room catagory. Is it normal for prices to go this high overnight? She said they change all the time, and may still go back down again.

 

Im still thinking I would like a mini-suite or a full-suite if my budget can bend enough, with how often the prices change when would be the best time to call and get the best price? Closer to the trip? My cruise is this May. Or am I doomed to a life of calling for a price quote daily LOL Id really like to catch a good deal, but I dont want to drive my TA crazy in the mean time.

 

Thanks for any suggestions, and Id love to here comments on my room selection so far

[cherylandtk]

I just checked prices on Princess' site and they have not changed from a few days ago when I gave you the numbers for the mini vs. suite differences. It still shows a mini being about $500 total (not pp) higher than a balcony, but it does depend on which balcony category. The $130 pp to upgrade from a balcony GTY (BF/BG) to a BB is correct, so double check with your TA if you still want to consider the mini.

 

Based on your previous comments on this and other threads about your desire to have a larger balcony over a larger room, I think you have picked very well. You cannot get a larger balcony without going to a full suite.

 

Mark your booking no upgrade and mark this one off your list. I am sure that with a wedding to plan you can find lots more deserving things to fret over. :)

[mauiedin87]

I don't want to sound condescending, but after 12 cruises, some of them seriously requiring "sea legs", to me the MOST important thing is where a cabin is located relative to amidships!!! I'd say Caribe or lower and somewhere around the 400 numbers, not in the very aft section of the ship (700s) or very front (200s).

 

Just my humble opinion!:D

[custompcsys]

I don't want to sound condescending, but after 12 cruises, some of them seriously requiring "sea legs", to me the MOST important thing is where a cabin is located relative to amidships!!! I'd say Caribe or lower and somewhere around the 400 numbers, not in the very aft section of the ship (700s) or very front (200s).

 

Just my humble opinion!:D

 

Actually this is a very good point! In October I was on the CB in my first aft balcony (C752). I loved the cabin, the overside balcony, and the view, but I wouldn't book another aft cabin because of the added motion. I normally book caribe deck midship balconies and the difference was noticeable. Some people it won't bother - me, I ended up going to see the doctor for "the shot", which never happened to me midship.

 

This summer on the Crown I have C422 - about as mid-ship as you can get :)

[Elationismyship]

Balcony fully covered and very private however -- and this is a big however, don't get in the middle of the ship . . . . late at night and early morning you hear them dragging the deck chairs and it is very loud. I saw a thread on these boards before I went and someone said it wasn't that bad but from personal experience, it will wake you up each night and morning.

[belanding]

We recently sailed on CB and had a balcony cabin on the Aloha deck, #632. There was some initial concern that we might be too far aft, but it turned out to be ideally located for us. Close to the adult pool, buffet, and elevators, and no noise from the ship's common areas. We were lucky(?) enough to sail into a tropical storm, and were amazed that our cabin actually seemed more stable than the atrium area mid-ship, where people were pitching headfirst into Christmas trees. We spent much of those two days on the balcony, protected from the wind but still able to watch the waves from a good vantage point. So if you're not able to get a cabin in the dead center of the ship, don't be too concerned. She handles the motion pretty well.

[quiltinggranny]

We have only sailed twice, our 3rd will be in 3 weeks, we did Caribe the first time, Baha the second and we are back on the Caribe for the next. We are always in the 300's and love it, the Baha balcony was smaller, didn't like that. We like the half covered deck and the fact that it's tiered doesn't matter to use for privacy. We're to old to sunbathe in the buff.

[jadexx]

So does anyone know if my balcony will be partial covered or completly uncovered? again is C701 just wondering

[LuvTheGoodLife]

Your Caribe deck balcony (located on side of Grand Class ship) will be sized 9 ft. wide x 9 ft. deep and will have ceiling cover over the first 5 ft., so it is more than half covered.

 

Enjoy!

[Cruiser-T]

HELP - We are booked in BB Baja749 on the Emerald. Will I be totally covered or some sun? This was supposed to be one of the most coveted AFT corner balcony cabins?

[LuvTheGoodLife]

We just came back from C752 on the Caribbean Princess which is the same cabin/balcony layout as B749 on the Emerald. Your balcony will be fully covered but quite large (around 11 ft. wide x 10.5 ft. deep). You will get sun only when the sun is positioned correctly to reach your balcony. Sailing south on our recent cruise, we had late afternoon sun on the balcony. Returning north toward Princess Cays and Port Everglades, we had a bit of sun in the morning only.

 

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise!

[Cruiser-T]

So I am wondering, would it be better to book an AFT on the Caribe deck instead of the Baja deck? The only AFT balconies that I am familiar with are the ones on RCI Radiance class (Jewel) as the rear of the ship juts out the lower deck you go allowing partially covered, partially exposed to the sun. I would like to have at least partial sun.

[Go-Bucks!]

Your Caribe deck balcony (located on side of Grand Class ship) will be sized 9 ft. wide x 9 ft. deep and will have ceiling cover over the first 5 ft., so it is more than half covered.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Anyone know if the Dolphin deck balconies on the Coral Princess are this size too?? Ours is a half-covered and half-uncovered balcony (room D503), but this seems like a huge balcony (the room is a mini-suite).

 

Thanks for any help!

[LuvTheGoodLife]

To CruiserT, there would be little difference between the amount of sun you get on an aft balcony located on Baja vs. Caribe. Caribe is actually one deck lower than Baja, so it would get less sun than Baja if the sun was too high in the sky.

 

To Beachyfe, Coral Princess is a totally different design of ship than the 'Grand Class' Princess ships (Emerald, Crown, Caribbean, Diamond etc.) I am not aware of the balcony sizes/type for Coral or Island Princess.