skynight

Interiors and amenities of all balcony category cabins are the same. Interior size is not larger. Most 'premium' balcony category cabins have larger balconies, but not all. Check the deck plans. Not all cabins on deck 10 with larger balconies are designated 'premium'. Again check the deck plans.

I will mention: Alcoholic beverages up to $15 for the plus fare, $20 for the premier fare, are included. Many of the good wines are higher priced than $15. In that case you will be charged the difference plus 18%. Bottles of wine are not included in the 15 drink limit. If you order a bottle of wine you will charged the menu price less a 25% discount.

Are you sailing Monday on the Emerald from L.A. to New York? I would try to get to L.A. tomorrow or maybe Sunday. The very heavy rain/wind is forecast to hit the L.A. area Sunday/Monday. If the ship can't port on Monday from it's previous sailing then your boarding and departure will be delayed.

Yes, 360 degree promenade on the Emerald as well as the Ruby, Caribbean, Crown, Sapphire, Diamond, and Grand. What may have you confused is the forward section of the promenade is up the stairs on deck 8. The Coral also has a 360 degree promenade all on the same level.

There is a smoking area by the Tradewinds Bar on deck 16 which has some tables and chairs. It is partially under the overhang. If I remember correctly there is also a smoking area with seats on deck 16 aft outside of the Adagio Lounge. There may be a smoking section in the evening in Skywalker's Nightclub.

My travel summary does not yet include the 3 new plus benefits, casual dining, room service, ocean now. I booked the cruise in June at the $60 plus fare.

Emerald Princess. I don't have a photo. I can tell you that it is just a small standing area for a few people that is against the bulkhead, not at the railing, on the starboard side of the promenade deck just before the deck narrows to go around the stern of the ship. It is underneath the stairs which provide crew access to the life boats. There is a cigarette disposal unit on the bulkhead.

I looked at the deck plans on the Princess Medallion App. As I thought the plans on the app show the cabin entrances. I was correct that insides that are located on cross ship hallways open into those halls.

When the cabin has an odd number it will open on the starboard side. The cabin fire and emergency ID system is odd numbers starboard, even numbers port side. There are some insides that are positioned on short cross ship connecting corridors. Believe these may open into that corridor. Believe the deck plans shown in the app program indicate the doorways. This site may also help with balcony cabin selection http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/Princess/odell/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html

Try looking at the lower portion of the Travel Summary

Should there be a fare option that includes the non-alcoholic beverage package and excludes the alcoholic one?

On the Caribbean Princess I would try the basketball court on deck 18 aft and deck 16 all the way forward. There really isn't any fully dark locations.

Skywalker's Nightclub is a late night club location, maybe with a DJ. How busy and active it becomes depends totally on the passengers. As these are 7 day cruises it's possible you could have a late night party crowd. If you are sailing over U.S. Thanksgiving, the 23rd, there probably will be more families/youth on board, maybe less of a party crowd. During the day Skywalker's is used by people that want to sit and read with nice views. It is usually the location of the platinum/elite/suite late afternoon lounge location. If there are groups on board it may be used for their get togethers.

No if you mean checking these type of bags on the dock so the dock crew can load them onto the ship. I would carry that size bag on myself.

If you have the standard fare there is a daily crew appreciation fee that is charged directly to your on board account and nets against any credit balance (OBC). Beverage purchases which include an 18% gratuity are also charged to your account as they occur and net against any OBC balance. If you have a Plus or Premier fare then the daily crew appreciation and beverage gratuities are included in the fare. These charges can not be separated from the fare and thus will not net against any OBC balance.

There is always a chance of some kind of Black Friday promotion. Whatever it may be I don't envision a promo on stand alone beverage packages. Princess has moved to the plus and premier fares which includes beverage packages, wifi, daily gratuities and other benefits. If there is a better promo than those currently available I would expect it to cover inclusive fares and not be limited to the beverage package alone. .

I think you are asking about Future Cruise Deposits (FCD's). FCD's are charged directly to your credit card. They are not posted to your on board account, thus can not net against any OBC balance.

Door size is 22 inches for all cabin categories except HCP cabins. HCP cabins have large door where wheelchairs can enter without a problem. Wheelchairs have to be inside the cabin for charging and when not in use.

If I understand. The Casino accepted adding amounts to your casino account that were charged to your on board account. In the end the casino cashier would not pay any balance remaining on your casino accounts unless that amount exceeded the amount originally added to the casino account. It was the same for your casino account. Assuming you had linked accounts. Any remaining refundable OBC would be returned by check at some future date.

gfreenie082756 Emphasizing what other have posted. Your b2b FLL to FLL to L.A. IS PVSA compliant. You board in FLL and visit a distant foreign port twice. Go back to your T.A. or whomever you tried to book with and explain the law to them.

I would not select hotels in Red Hook area. Not much there. Post 2 has a lot of good information. If you wish to be close to Red Hook maybe opt for a hotel in lower Manhattan near the financial district. Airports. LaGuardia is the closest. JFK is a little further away. If you are planning a post cruise stay in Manhattan then Newark is also an option. I would refer to the East Coast departures board for additional information.

I would expect that most decorations will be placed on Oct 30th and will be removed on Nov 4th, before the next sailing. How intense the Halloween atmosphere will be depends more on the passengers than the crew. Once the planned Halloween festivities are over on the 31st, ship's staff will move on to other normal activities for the remaining 3 days. In general a 5 night cruise is typically more of a party cruise than a longer cruise.

My understanding of the law. To be a U.S. flagged vessel the main part of the vessel has to be built in the U.S.. Once in operation a high percentage of the crew are required to be U.S. or U.S. territorial residents. You can not simply re-flag.

The Emerald currently has the Salty Dog Gastropub inside of the Wheelhouse Bar. I don't believe any other casual dining venues are currently operating on the two ships mentioned. Based on information from Princess I would expect to see Vines activated as a casual dining location on both ships and maybe a comeback of Planks & Steamers on the Caribbean and added to the Emerald. Guess we will wait and see. "Emerald doesn't have Vines?" Deck 5 Piazza

"can you use OBC or do you need to bring cash" No Cash. Charged to the on board account of the individual purchasing the paper or electronic cards and nets against any credit balance (OBC). It is all automatic. A computer selects the numbers. At the end each card has an ID number and the staff knows immediately if a person won just by checking the card reference number.