Never sailed Princess and ?s before we book

[Havinsnest]

My son and his fiancee have decided to get married at sea on a Princess cruise in summer 2010. They are still in the planning stages since those cruises don't appear to be scheduled yet.

 

My husband and I have been on 2 Carnival cruises and have a 3rd booked for December. Oldest DD and DSIL have been on 1 RCI and one Princess cruise (both of them about 5 years ago and the Princess cruise was in Alaska with his parents and another couple - I don't know the name of the ship; they can't remember) and Younger DD and DSIL have sailed only once and that was with us last month.

 

We all love cruising and DH and I have already discussed branching out to different cruise lines so I'm excited at the idea of a Princess cruise. However, DD#1 and DSIL#1 have had absolutely Nothing Good to say about their experience on Princess. They loved Alaska but hated their room (said the beds were not comfortable), the room steward and the food. They, and his parents, swear if it hadn't have been for hamburgers and hot dogs they would have starved. I've been listening to this for 5.5 years and they continued the mantra last night at dinner as we discussed the wedding cruise plans. They loved the RCI cruise and food so it wasn't cruise food, per se, as in different from what they are used to eating. They like trying new things, they love to travel, etc. So it was very much this particular cruise.

 

Since DH and I haven't cruised Princess I'd like to get some research in much like I did before our first Carnival cruise but don't really care for the Princess website and am having trouble finding out answers to my questions.

 

I keep seeing the name Family Suite but can't seem to find anything about it other than a sort of picture. On the three ships I've looked at the Family Suite is listed in the description of accomodations and there is a mark in the legend for them but I can't seem to find them on the deck plans.

 

1) So, my questions...SD and Dsoon to be DiL have been looking at Summer '09 and May '10 cruises to get some ideas. Do you know if there have been any announcements of changes in itinerary for Summer 10 from Summer '09?

 

2) Is this a normal thing for Princess for people to complain about the food or was it a fluke?

 

3) There is a Carnival Wiki which was most helpful to me as I planned our first cruise and continues to help me as I plan other cruises - has someone created something like that for Princess?

 

4) Does anyone have experience with these Family Suites and are they on all ships (I've looked at Crown, Emerald and Sapphire).

 

5) Can you explain the room names/codes? I saw "quad" mentioned on another thread, for instance.

[mmsoko]

For instance, on Emerald

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/ep/deck_plans/index.html

 

Forward on Dolphin deck there are two cabins marked with a diamond (two interconnecting suites that will hold 8 people...family suite??)

 

Those cabins with red circle with accommodate 3rd and 4th person and triangle with accommodate third person.

 

I think it's not just Princess passengers that complain...sometimes it's a person's nature. We just got off Emerald and food seemed fine to us.

We've cruised on RCCL, Holland America, Celebrity and Princess....not unhappy about any of the cruises although in the past few years I think the cruise industry has had to tighten their belts like everyone else.

 

Hopefully you'll be in contact with a more expert poster.

[Colo Cruiser]

My son and his fiancee have decided to get married at sea on a Princess cruise in summer 2010. They are still in the planning stages since those cruises don't appear to be scheduled yet.

 

My husband and I have been on 2 Carnival cruises and have a 3rd booked for December. Oldest DD and DSIL have been on 1 RCI and one Princess cruise (both of them about 5 years ago and the Princess cruise was in Alaska with his parents and another couple - I don't know the name of the ship; they can't remember) and Younger DD and DSIL have sailed only once and that was with us last month.

 

We all love cruising and DH and I have already discussed branching out to different cruise lines so I'm excited at the idea of a Princess cruise. However, DD#1 and DSIL#1 have had absolutely Nothing Good to say about their experience on Princess. They loved Alaska but hated their room (said the beds were not comfortable), the room steward and the food. They, and his parents, swear if it hadn't have been for hamburgers and hot dogs they would have starved. I've been listening to this for 5.5 years and they continued the mantra last night at dinner as we discussed the wedding cruise plans. They loved the RCI cruise and food so it wasn't cruise food, per se, as in different from what they are used to eating. They like trying new things, they love to travel, etc. So it was very much this particular cruise.

 

Since DH and I haven't cruised Princess I'd like to get some research in much like I did before our first Carnival cruise but don't really care for the Princess website and am having trouble finding out answers to my questions.

 

I keep seeing the name Family Suite but can't seem to find anything about it other than a sort of picture. On the three ships I've looked at the Family Suite is listed in the description of accomodations and there is a mark in the legend for them but I can't seem to find them on the deck plans.

 

1) So, my questions...SD and Dsoon to be DiL have been looking at Summer '09 and May '10 cruises to get some ideas. Do you know if there have been any announcements of changes in itinerary for Summer 10 from Summer '09?

 

2010 is not out yet.

 

2) Is this a normal thing for Princess for people to complain about the food or was it a fluke?

 

41 Princess cruises and we have never been disappointed, take the comments with a grain of salt.

 

3) There is a Carnival Wiki which was most helpful to me as I planned our first cruise and continues to help me as I plan other cruises - has someone created something like that for Princess?

 

Can't answer this one.

 

4) Does anyone have experience with these Family Suites and are they on all ships (I've looked at Crown, Emerald and Sapphire).

 

We were upgraded to the FS when we had 2 other cabins that the cruise line wanted so we took the trade. They are notorius for very windy balconies when the ship is under way. There is a great thread on the FS with photos somewhere. Maybe someone can find it.

To book the FS on your own would be very expensive, it would be better to get cabins inside or out close to each other wher you may open connecting balcony doors.

 

5) Can you explain the room names/codes? I saw "quad" mentioned on another thread, for instance.

 

Tripile/Quad are cabins that hold 3 or 4.

[Havinsnest]

For instance, on Emerald

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/ep/deck_plans/index.html

 

Forward on Dolphin deck there are two cabins marked with a diamond (two interconnecting suites that will hold 8 people...family suite??)

 

Thank you. I missed them when I looked earlier.

 

 

41 Princess cruises and we have never been disappointed, take the comments with a grain of salt.

So it must have been a fluke. The complainers, our daughter and son in law & his parents and their best friends, are not complainers by nature so I was pretty startled.

 

Thank you.

[Toto2Kansas]

If the family votes against princess, there are so many other lines to choose from out there. If they feel RCI would be a better choice, then I would go with RCI.

 

 

As for the family suites on the larger ships? I have visited one on the Star and I can't say I was impressed at all.

They are a mini suite connected to an inside stateroom by a common sitting room area with extra sofa beds. Each side, both inside and mini suite, have their own entrance door. They do not have any of the normal decor for a full suite on Princess (no wet bar, no jacuzzi tub, no curtain to close off the sleeping area in the mini suite part), even though they are priced the same as the full suites for the first four passengers. They are also always located at the very front of the ship and this makes the balcony very windy and sometimes un-useable.

 

We read many times where passengers were asked to upgrade to the family suites giving up their already booked mini and inside stateroom for the family. These family suites just don't seem to sell very well.

 

The only thing that really is a plus for them is that they do get all the full suites perks, but that isn't enough to make up the difference in price. IMHO

[Havinsnest]

Since Princess is the only line to do weddings at sea I think the decision has already been made for us. :p

 

Do mini-suites get all the perks of a regular suite? H'mmm. Wonder what the prices for 2 or 3 of them would be in relationship to the FS.

[Colo Cruiser]

So it must have been a fluke. The complainers, our daughter and son in law & his parents and their best friends, are not complainers by nature so I was pretty startled.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Just answering your questions. :o

 

It is all subjective and you can find many things wrong anywhere.

If you go with an open mind and have a great time you can't go wrong.

[Toto2Kansas]

Since Princess is the only line to do weddings at sea I think the decision has already been made for us. :p

 

Do mini-suites get all the perks of a regular suite? H'mmm. Wonder what the prices for 2 or 3 of them would be in relationship to the FS.

 

No, you would need to book a full suite to get all of the extra perks involved. Mini suites do not qualify and there are very few perks associated with the minis.

 

This link will explain the difference in the perks between minis and full suites: http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na828&submit=pk

[RickEk]

And here is a link that will show you a diagram of a Family Suite. This one is on the Sapphire Princess....

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/ships/sa/staterooms/sa_family_suite.html

 

Also, here are some sites that give tips on getting married on a ship. As you say, Princess is one of the only lines that allow weddings at sea. Seems quite romantic to me!

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_7199_married-cruise.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Getting-Married-On-A-Cruise&id=274923

http://travelarea.blogspot.com/2008/02/how-to-get-married-on-cruise.html

[Toto2Kansas]

I saved a couple of pictures posted of the family suites, this might help.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79226&d=1210739303

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=79225&d=1210739283

[grandmato4]

I'll jump in and comment on your food questions. We've only sailed twice on Princess. Once to Alaska on the Golden Princess and a few weeks ago on the Coral Princess and we found the food in both cases to be very very good in the dining room and more than acceptable in the Horizon court. We've never starved on any of all our Carnival cruises but on at least our last two Carnival cruises in the past year found the food in the dining room and in the Buffet to be much less to our liking than on Princess.

 

I must agree that the beds on Carnival are much more comfortable than on Princess but asking for an egg crate mattress on Princess certainly does help and I never had to complain of a sore back on our recent ten night Princess cruise. Balcony rooms on most Carnival ships do include a sofa while that is not the case on Princess which is another plus for Carnival but at least for us, not a major negative either as we spend a lot of time on our balcony and rarely ever just sit in our cabin on Carnival. Mini suites on Princess will give you that extra sofa and room in your cabin. Unfortunately its possible to get a not so great room steward on any cruiseline. We had our first not so great room steward on our Oct Carnival cruise that we weren't thrilled with but the norm for both lines are good room stewards so getting a not so great one certainly isn't the norm for Princess nor would I consider it the norm for Carnival.

[ggprincess2004]

DH and I were married on a Princess ship - the Grand. The entire cruise staff could not have been nicer or done more for us - long story, but our luggage missed the ship and our scheduled wedding day....caught up with us a day later - they gave us lots of options re: getting married as scheduled, waiting for another sea day until we had our attire, instead of the formal attire they offered gratis, etc. We waited, everything was perfect, and they took wonderful care of us clothes wise until our luggage did reach us. My father was so impressed with the wedding that he chose to surprise my mom with a second wedding, not just vow renewal, for their 50th. Princess was complicit in keeping it a secret from her, and that event was wonderful as well.

 

We happen to love Princess, and feel at home on their ships. The food -that is subjective, but what I will say is that it can vary depending upon which Executive Chef and Sous Chefs are onboard. We were on the Emerald this January for a b2b, and the chef changed between the 2 cruises. So did preparation of some of the dishes.....so the vast majority of the time we have found the food to be very good to excellent on board. There was one sailing, and I don't remember which ship or which Executive Chef, that we thought the food wasn't very good and increased our use of the specialty restaurants on board. Some cruises we have found the food in the dining room to be excellent and didn't bother with the specialty restaurants at all. We did celebrate our wedding with dinner in Sabatini's after the ceremony and photos. We had only a small group on board for the wedding.

 

The quad rooms mean there is a 3rd and 4th berth in the room, so you could book 4 people in a quad if you really wanted to. The family suite is the equivalent of two mini-suites that connect in the sitting area with a continuous balcony. You get suite benefits with that booking. We personally would rather have two minis and more privacy, but each to his or her own. I think all the Grand Class and larger ships have a family suite or two, and also have a wedding chapel.

 

Unsure about what will happen with summer 2010 itineraries but they are likely to be out soon. Also, they sometimes just change the ship, but do the same, or very similar,, itineraries. The exceptions to that might be the three small ships, and they don't happen to have wedding chapels anyway.

 

I am not familiar with a Wiki at Carnival, you can call customer service at Princess for the booking, and if you need to make changes, you can pretty easily do that with a phone call. Perhaps with the wedding and the first time for you with this cruise line, you would be better off using a travel agent who really specializes in Princess. Then come to the boards here and double check anything he or she tells you. There are plenty of Elite Princess members here, and they can answer your specific questions as they come up.

 

All in all, I would highly recommend Princess for an onboard wedding.

 

Hope this has been helpful - the only other thought I have is take a Princess cruise this year and check things out for yourself - just change your Carnival booking to a Princess booking preferably on the ship that is under consideration, and see what you think for yourself.:)

[can786]

I was also upgraded to the Family suite on the Star Princess when I was sailing with my DH and two sons, ages 11 and 14 at that time (from a minisuite and inside across the hall). While it was a great arrangement for my family, I would certainly not recommend it if it were a group of adults sharing it. As Toto described, there is an inside cabin with two lower bunks and two upper bunks. They may have changed the arrangement on some of the newer ships, but on the Star the two lower beds could not be made into a queen as the walkway from the bathroom and closet area to the door to the living room went between the beds. The minisuite side had two twins that could be made into a queen but there was no divider between the sleeping area of the minisuite and the living room area, so no privacy. The last two beds are sofa beds in the living room area, which decreases the privacy even more. There is a bathroom on each side, with the one by the inside cabin being very small with a shower only and the one on the minisuite side being a bit larger and has a tub/shower combination. We were upgraded to this suite before Princess added the wonderful suite benefits, so we couldn't take advantage of those, but they are now a perk for the family suite. The balcony was extremely windy when the ship was sailing because it is the first balcony on the side of the ship and there is no barrier at the front of the balcony to block the wind. We were in Alaska so that made it exceptionally cold, though my DH still spent almost all of his time out there (he got some great pictures for his suffering though!).

 

The picture that Toto posted shows the living room area from the end where the inside stateroom is connected (it would be to the left of the person taking the picture) and to the left of the couch that is straight ahead is the minisuite sleeping area.

 

I'm sure it would be less expensive to book several balcony cabins or minisuites as the first four passengers in the family suite pay full fare (at suite rates) and the fourth thru eighth passengers pay half fare, which is still pretty high when you consider the suite rates are high to begin with.

 

Hope this helps.

[jfgdbg]

Hi!

 

I'll jump in about the beds. We have been on 15 Princess cruises and have never had difficulty sleeping. We have found the beds and pillows comfortable and have never felt the need for an egg crate. Our DS and DIL have also cruised a couple times on Princess and feel the same way.

 

We also have always found the food good to excellent on Princess and have never had trouble finding plenty of good food to eat.

[jean s]

We just returned from our trip on the Crown this evening. This was our 6th cruise with Princess. We have cruised on other lines but enjoy Princess the most. I realize food opinions are subjective but I feel the food is good to excellent. The lamb dishes I had this past week were excellent and cooked exactly as I requested. My husband had many many fish dishes and loved them all, especially the sea bass. We also enjoyed the seafood buffet on the first night. We don't do formal nights any longer so we ate in the Crown Grill (alternative pay restaurant) on both formal evenings. We enjoyed both meals. We also enjoyed the International Cafe located in the piazza. It had great pastries, snacks, and lunches. I also enjoyed the coffee bar that is now on some Princess ships. I bought the coffee card and thoroughly enjoyed the coffee and the super service here. We found the beds to be fine in our room (mini suite). I think the mattresses were new. I slept very soundly all week.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

My son and his fiancee have decided to get married at sea on a Princess cruise in summer 2010. They are still in the planning stages since those cruises don't appear to be scheduled yet.

 

My husband and I have been on 2 Carnival cruises and have a 3rd booked for December. Oldest DD and DSIL have been on 1 RCI and one Princess cruise (both of them about 5 years ago and the Princess cruise was in Alaska with his parents and another couple - I don't know the name of the ship; they can't remember) and Younger DD and DSIL have sailed only once and that was with us last month.

 

We all love cruising and DH and I have already discussed branching out to different cruise lines so I'm excited at the idea of a Princess cruise. However, DD#1 and DSIL#1 have had absolutely Nothing Good to say about their experience on Princess. They loved Alaska but hated their room (said the beds were not comfortable), the room steward and the food. They, and his parents, swear if it hadn't have been for hamburgers and hot dogs they would have starved. I've been listening to this for 5.5 years and they continued the mantra last night at dinner as we discussed the wedding cruise plans. They loved the RCI cruise and food so it wasn't cruise food, per se, as in different from what they are used to eating. They like trying new things, they love to travel, etc. So it was very much this particular cruise.

 

Since DH and I haven't cruised Princess I'd like to get some research in much like I did before our first Carnival cruise but don't really care for the Princess website and am having trouble finding out answers to my questions.

 

I keep seeing the name Family Suite but can't seem to find anything about it other than a sort of picture. On the three ships I've looked at the Family Suite is listed in the description of accomodations and there is a mark in the legend for them but I can't seem to find them on the deck plans.

 

1) So, my questions...SD and Dsoon to be DiL have been looking at Summer '09 and May '10 cruises to get some ideas. Do you know if there have been any announcements of changes in itinerary for Summer 10 from Summer '09?

 

2) Is this a normal thing for Princess for people to complain about the food or was it a fluke?

 

3) There is a Carnival Wiki which was most helpful to me as I planned our first cruise and continues to help me as I plan other cruises - has someone created something like that for Princess?

 

4) Does anyone have experience with these Family Suites and are they on all ships (I've looked at Crown, Emerald and Sapphire).

 

5) Can you explain the room names/codes? I saw "quad" mentioned on another thread, for instance.

 

Where do they want to cruise to? The Caribbean, Alaska, Europe?

 

5 years in the crusing world is an eternity. What happened on a ship 5 years ago would have no bearing on my decision.

 

Bill

[Sandytoes]

My son and his fiancee have decided to get married at sea on a Princess cruise in summer 2010. They are still in the planning stages since those cruises don't appear to be scheduled yet.

 

 

I keep seeing the name Family Suite but can't seem to find anything about it other than a sort of picture. .

 

1) So, my questions...SD and Dsoon to be DiL have been looking at Summer '09 and May '10 cruises to get some ideas. Do you know if there have been any announcements of changes in itinerary for Summer 10 from Summer '09?

 

2) Is this a normal thing for Princess for people to complain about the food or was it a fluke?

 

3) There is a Carnival Wiki which was most helpful to me as I planned our first cruise and continues to help me as I plan other cruises - has someone created something like that for Princess?

 

4) Does anyone have experience with these Family Suites and are they on all ships (I've looked at Crown, Emerald and Sapphire).

 

5) Can you explain the room names/codes? I saw "quad" mentioned on another thread, for instance.

 

 

Not to be rude, but -

 

Instead of asking about the food and talking about Carnival shouldn't you be more interested in the planning of your son's wedding? :confused:

 

Last year, I wanted my DD to have her wedding on the CB. Unfortunately,

One in-law wouldn't step foot on a ship. So my DD decided to have a landbase wedding. :(

 

 

Princess "Love Boat" has one of the best Weddings at Sea program.

866-444-8820

M-F 9:00 am to 6:00 pm EST

 

Now as for the food, Princess has several wedding packages to pick from.

And quite reasonable.

 

 

If you are worried about the guests, I am sure they will find something to their liking. Princess offers array of different foods and a variety of restaurants on board to choose from. They will not walk away hungry, that's for sure. :D

 

Best wishes on your DS's wedding.

[Havinsnest]

Not to be rude, but -

 

Instead of asking about the food and talking about Carnival shouldn't you be more interested in the planning of your son's wedding? :confused:

 

Why is it that people who are sound rude tend to say "not to be rude but" first?

 

If you had read the post I explained that my husband and I have only Carnival experience and I was looking for PRINCESS EXPERIENCE since the one group of people I know personally who cruised Princess didn't have a terrific experience and I was asking if it was a fluke. Which, from what I can see from the MANY nice posts here it must have been. I also asked if Princess has a consumer created site site similar to Carnival Wiki which was more helpful to us than the company website for specific information.

 

MOMS of the GROOM don't plan weddings. This is the Bride's family's party so I won't be planning anything other than our cabins and we're thinking about a special meal of sort in lieu of the Rehearsal Dinner we won't be hosting on shore. They are aware of the Princess Tie the Knot but thank you for mentioning it again. I said in my original post they want a wedding at sea and know that Princess is the only line which does that. From what we've seen on the website it the weddings look lovely and we're excited for them.

 

Where do they want to cruise to? The Caribbean, Alaska, Europe?

 

5 years in the cruising world is an eternity. What happened on a ship 5 years ago would have no bearing on my decision.

 

Since the summer 2010 cruises are not out yet they have not been able to plan anything and are merely in the looking stage at this point. They want (I quote) warm and nare the US. From what he said I think that translates to Mexico or the Caribbean.

 

The food and bed issue of my oldest daughter and her husband and his family won't keep my son and his fiancee from choosing Princess. I was merely wondering if this was a typical or atypical experience so we'd be prepared either way. Personally, I like almost any food that I didn't have to prepare. ;)

 

Thanks to all of you who have were considerate enough to answer my ponderings especially in regards to the food issue having been a fluke and the Family Suites. I appreciate the help.

[ggprincess2004]

In the summer, Princess doesn't cruise the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, with one exception, the Caribbean Princess out of New York. The fleet is doing Alaska, the Baltic and the Med for the most part. I would refer you to the summer itinerary for the Caribbean Princess for "warm and near the US". don't know for sure if they will keep the same ship on this run in 2010 or even continue it, but if the past is any indication of next season, that is what the option is going to be.

We have sailed the CB several times before, and will be on her this Aug/Sept. We really enjoy this ship, and IMHO it would be a great choice for an on-board wedding.

Glad you found most of our info helpful. As the parents of the groom, if you are interested in hosting a "rehearsal dinner" substitute on board, there are several options - Sabatinis, Crown Grill, and depending upon the size of the group that you would be dining with (up to about 12), a special Chef's Table for your group, if Princess was willing to arrange that experience. Having just done it on the Emerald in Jan, I can recommend it, and say that it would create a fantastic memory for the entire group. :)

[Havinsnest]

In the summer, Princess doesn't cruise the Caribbean or Mexican Riviera, with one exception, the Caribbean Princess out of New York. The fleet is doing Alaska, the Baltic and the Med for the most part. I would refer you to the summer itinerary for the Caribbean Princess for "warm and near the US". don't know for sure if they will keep the same ship on this run in 2010 or even continue it, but if the past is any indication of next season, that is what the option is going to be.

:)

Thank you. I had wondered about that.

 

And I'll keep the rehearsal dinner ideas you mention in mind, too.

[cynbar]

To the OP: I was the mother of the groom about a year ago, and I have to commend you for your positive, supportive attitude about plans which you really have no control over! I hear some horror stories from my children's friends about mothers of the groom who suddenly become hostile, argumentative, manipulative or passive-aggressive, and sometimes all of the above (not me, of course!). But I digress. We have 8 Princess cruises behind us and have always found the food to be very good to excellent. However, I do agree that this varies from ship to ship (for the same entrees), and is probably dependent on the Executive Chef. We usually ask the waiter for recommendations of what is best that evening, and I don't think that tactic has ever failed us. We have seen a number of weddings on board, and they always look lovely. If your ship has a Crown Grill, that would make for a lovely rehearsal dinner, very elegant, we have always enjoyed the ambiance and food and service there. I do have a suggestion for you, though. It sounds as if your DD and DSIL did not have a good cruise with Princess and are dead set against the line. It happens, for a number of reasons-- we see posters all the time who are very negative about one of the cruise lines. But it might be helpful if you reminded them not to share their views too openly, since it sounds as if the wedding will be on Princess despite their reservations. I know, you are probably saying to yourself that they wouldn't do that, but it is often hard not to make comparisons. We were on a group cruise where one couple strongly preferred another line. We had talked it over beforehand and they had said they wouldn't be negative onboard, but then they spent most of the week pointing out the perceived shortcomings. They couldn't seem to stop themselves, and it was a real downer for everyone else. Anyway, just a suggestion. I hope the wedding is fabulous for all concerned!

[cynbar]

I should also add that we sailed the 9 day summer itinerary out of NYC a year or so ago (it was on Crown Princess that year) and we absolutely loved it. It was a nice mix of sea days and port days, we loved the ports (Bermuda, St Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk), and it was spectacular to sail away from the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. Although plans are not out yet for summer 2010, I'm betting that one of the ships will be sailing that route.

[CruisinChris]

Hopefully the advice I'm going to offer will be useful to you - it's based on 20 Princess cruises. The best food and service are typically found (right now) on the newest ship(s) in the fleet. It has nothing to do with the ship - it's that Princess has develop a habit of moving the creme of the crop staff to their newest ship for launch. Because it's become very difficult for all the lines to attract talent and staff ships, and Princess seems to be moving staff around between ships less often than they used to in the past. Staff seem to be sticking with one ship contract after contract (the key exception being the migration of the best to the newest ship). The benefit of that is that they become very familiar with how things work on a given class of ship and will likely have developed rapport with co-workers. The exec chef definitely has a major impact on food. As does itinerary - where the ship will be supplied. Princess ships most of its foodstuffs around the world to the ships but certain other items are supplied locally. (for what it's worth the Captain, Passenger SErvices Director and Maitre D all have a huge impact on the overall experience as they set the tone and some of these guys are easier/better for the staff to work for than others and others are more passenger-oriented, too).

 

Princess doesn't "dink" with their itineraries that much. They might shuffle ships around a bit but typically predictably. I would think that by May or Summer 10 you're going to have a 10-day out of NYC, Alaska, Europe and Australia to pick from. Looking at the 09 schedule will give you a very good idea of what to expect for next year - big picture view. If caribbean is important they'll need to back-up into April or move out to fall (weather can be an issue with hurricane season). A step-above option to consider are the partial Panama Canal transits. All the benefits of a Caribbean cruise, with a special feature destination, and generally an overall improved onboard experience (cruiser mix changes, too, for the better).

[chasinraynbowz]

After having cruised on Carnival, we ended up cruising on Princess this last November/December.

 

Beds - Yes, the beds were more comfortable on Carnival, but I never had a problem sleeping on Princess. We asked for an egg crate on top of our mattress and slept like babies the entire cruise.

 

Room Steward - Was wonderful!! We could not have asked for a better steward.

 

Food - The dining room food was wonderful. I was not thrilled with the buffet, but always found something to eat. Room service was GREAT!

 

 

Tell your family that if they had a bad time on Princess to give them another shot. They won't be sorry!!

[Havinsnest]

cynbar, Thanks for the suggestion. I have had that conversation with them and will continue to do so.

 

Re: being the parents of the groom. Our daughters got married within 10 months of one another. We catered the first of the weddings ourselves. We hadn't recovered from it when #2 announced her engagement. We are more than happy to let someone else do the planning for the male child but have let them know we will help in any way they want - whether that means doing nothing, helping here or there or doing everything. ;) I'm secretly hoping for the the former (other than organizing my family, gifts, and some sort of a dinner either before or during the cruise).