LuvTheGoodLife

We have had this cabin several times and love it but it has its drawbacks:

Little direct sun on balcony due to size of overhang

More vibration than mid-ship cabin

Hard to book as it is very coveted by others and usually booked already when we consider a cruise!

The overhead cover on all the aft facing cabins and suites on any of the "Grand" class Princess suites is actually deeper than the balcony itself - so it is fully covered. We have sailed in the Fall in these aft facing cabins several times and the actual sun exposure on the balcony is quite limited. The sun has to be at the right angle to illuminate anything more than right at the railing.

Great balconies for shade lovers and privacy but not great for suntanning.

For FeelinNauti, not sure what cabin you booked but only the suites have the teak furniture, including the loungers as pictured in the post above. The category BB cabins of C752 and C753 have only 'regular' balcony furniture that does not include a lounger.

As for sun, depends on the angle of the sun in the sky - can get some sun sitting right at the railing but the depth of the balcony prevents sun on the full balcony for most of the day.

Fully reclining loungers (like at the pools onboard ship) are no longer allowed to be brought onto passenger balconies as they are not up to the fire retardant standards required for passenger cabin areas. So while your C752/C753 balcony is large enough to accommodate a full lounger, no pool loungers are allowed on your balcony. We were advised this by our cabin steward when we asked for a lounger. He also asked that we not bring one down from the pool ourselves as his supervisor would see it and report the infraction.

C752 and C753 and B748 and B749 all have the same size/shape of balconies/cabins on Caribbean Princess, Crown, Emerald and Ruby. Any of these 4 cabins are good choices for oversized/corner/aft facing fully covered balconies but standard size interior balcony class cabins.

Check out this thread which offers descriptions and photos of aft balconies on multiple Princess ships. It should help you determine if E733 on Sapphire/Diamond has a 'beam' (column) obstruction on the balcony.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=808951&highlight=ultimate

The beam (columns actually) run down through the aft facing end of the ship (stern?). It affects only some of the aft facing full suites and some of the aft facing Category BB balconies on the Grand Class ships.

If you are asking about mini-suites (on Dolphin or Emerald deck) located on either side of the ship, then these balconies have no obstructions of any kind.

We have stayed in cabin right next door (C752 and C753) on Caribbean Princess 3 times and encountered no smells, only noise was from the ocean wake. Since you are asking about the suite cabins next door - your balcony will be twice as wide and just as deep. Movement was noticeable as compared to mid-ships placed cabin but nothing that I could not handle and I am very prone to motion sickness. You will have a 3 ft. column running down the far corner of your balcony in C751 but since the balcony is so wide, I do not think it should be a major issue.

I envy you in this suite - we got a tour on departure day from the cabin steward and it looked lovely.

following refers to 'side' balconies only, i.e. those on starboard or port sides of any ‘Grand’ class ship (Grand, Golden, Star, Diamond, Sapphire, Caribbean, Crown, Emerald etc)....

Baja deck balconies are sized 9 ft. wide x 5 ft. deep and have full ceiling overhang. Lido, Aloha, Riviera (found on Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, Ruby only) decks have the same balconies. You can stand at the railing of these balconies and look down on to part of the Caribe deck balconies and all of the Dolphin deck balconies.

Caribe deck balconies are sized 9 ft. wide x 9 ft. deep and have ceiling overhang over the first 5 ft. Standing at the railing, you will overlook Dolphin deck balconies below.

All of the cabin interiors/bathrooms of the balcony cabins are the same with respect to size (unless it is a handicapped cabin).

Dolphin deck balconies (all balcony cabins are actually mini-suites and thus bigger than regular balcony cabins on the interior with sitting area, 2nd TV and bathtub/shower combination instead of the small shower stall found in the regular balcony cabins). The balcony is sized 9 ft. wide x 7 ft. deep and has no ceiling overhang as protection from sun or rain.

Emerald deck has several mini-suites each side with fully covered balconies. The last mini-suite cabin towards aft end on each side has extra wide balcony – approximately 7 ft. deep x 18 wide, according to someone who stayed in one of these. Emerald deck also has some regular balcony cabins near the front that have the balconies set back under the roof and back from the railing. You look straight out to the water but cannot look down on the water. The walking track goes past these balconies and walkers can see you on your balcony. I do not have any measurements for these Emerald deck balcony sizes.

Hope this helps. Enjoy your cruise!

Your cabin will already be assigned before you board so there is no possibility to check in early and make any specialy room requests like to be near or away from elevator or in a 'quiet' room - unlike a hotel. You could book a guarantee and be assigned a cabin weeks or months before your sailing or it could be assigned the week you depart.

I have heard of lucky people getting an upgrade from inside to outside or even balcony cabin but it has never happened to me, even though my TA has said "book a guarantee cabin and I will put in a request for an upgrade"....the best I have received has been to a higher deck.

Enjoy your cruise!