Island Princess P401

HI all,

I just got upgraded from an inside to this Island Princess cabin - Plaza 401/P401. However the deck plan for this cabin appears very confusing. It looks as though it does not open into the main aisle for the row of cabins for P501 and up. Also the front aisle is about a third of the regular aisle - practically a step? Does this cabin open into an aisle or right into the Plaza?

Also it appears I am below a woman's restroom? Wondering about noise?

Anyone who can help and has experience with this or even the next cabin P403, would be appreciated. I searched the boards multiple times but no info obtained.

Thanks,

A

Would you mind mentioning which cruise date this was for? And what type of Inside category were you upgraded from?

BTW, that black line in front of the entrances to P401 & P403 is not on the official Princess deck plan. That "hall door" to P501 is going to be a fire door and will normally be open all the time. Can't comment on the double doors on the other side of P401. They might be automatic, but need someone who has been there to help you. I just wanted to mention that black line.

Hi,

10/27 cruise, upgrade from IC to OB. Upgrade not initiated by Princess but per my TA request.

A

Hi,

Just in case someone finds this thread in the future, wanted to give updated information.

This cabin does NOT open into the elevator/stair lobby (Princess phone personnel had told me it did, nor is it like the deck plan on Princess' website.). They have extended the wall forward for the hallway for the cabins which prior started at P501, and made a little hallway with fire doors on both ends -the one you see in the deck plan picture between 403 and 501 and another which faces towards the elevator/stair areas. They also added another double set of fire doors and a jog in the hall, and so, while you can go straight into the little hallway from P401 and P403 and then turn left, you can also jog left just in front of P501 and use the larger opening. So basically, there is a small hallway for the P401 and P403 cabins extended from the standard hallway and a diversion around it with a larger opening. I found most people did not use our little hallway and diverted to the bigger opening around it when coming down the hall from the other higher number cabins.

See the picture – sorry it’s not great, as I have limited access to make pictures. ;)

As far as the P401 cabin itself goes, I had a love/hate relationship with it.

P401 is fabulously close to the atrium/piazza and so convenient for MDR, Patisserie, service desk, etc. Especially great if you don't mind taking stairs a level or 2 as that avoids having to get on elevators to dinner, shows, etc. They do use the opening out of the ship right next to the cabin for ports – I walked out of my cabin and around the walls and right out of the ship in Costa Rica.

Which brings me to the dislike part. Because the cabin is both right above the crew areas and right next to or near embarkation/debarkation points, noise was a real problem, mostly on port days. Every port day I was awoken at 0430 with LOUD grinding/metal/heavy object movement sounds. I would swear it sounded like they were rearranging heavy metal furniture or bins by dragging them along the 4th deck ceiling below my cabin, or along my outside walls. And the weird thing isthat the ship was still in motion at the time, so these were, at best, prep sounds. Unfortunately it continued regularly but intermittently for hours until the ship docked and opened for debarkation. I cannot comment on further noise from lines of debarkation/embarkation, as I was off the ship early most times, especially when it was nearest to my cabin.

If you are a heavy sleeper and sounds don’t bother you, you will likely love the location. If sounds do bother you, you may want to choose another cabin or an itinerary with very few port days to tempt fate.

Enjoy!

A

Thanks for reporting back. I would not want to be located where you were.