Total Newbie Questions

[Moondoggy51]

My wife and I have never cruised before and we've heard a lot of good things about Princess and we thought we might give it a go.

 

The cruise we've slected will be on the Emerald Princess and we want a room with a Oceanview double with balcony and an unobstructed view. Can anyone give advice on how to select a room. For example is starboard better than port? Is forward beter than aft? Is one deck better than another? What about the bed? In some pictures it shows twin bets and other pictures it shows what looks to be a double or queen bed. How do you make sure you get what you want (2 beds or 1)?

 

We noticed that Princess offers a Cruise plus hotel stay and lists the Sheraton and Embassy Suites in Ft Lauderdale. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding these two? I'm sure there are other hotels in the area so are there better options than just these two? If so, can I get some recommendations?

 

What about transportation from the airport to/from the ship, airport to/from the hotels, and/or hotels to/from the ship? Is a cab the best way to go or are there shuttles, etc?

 

Any and all advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

[chrysalis]

My wife and I have never cruised before and we've heard a lot of good things about Princess and we thought we might give it a go.

 

The cruise we've slected will be on the Emerald Princess and we want a room with a Oceanview double with balcony and an unobstructed view. Can anyone give advice on how to select a room. For example is starboard better than port? Is forward beter than aft? Is one deck better than another? What about the bed? In some pictures it shows twin bets and other pictures it shows what looks to be a double or queen bed. How do you make sure you get what you want (2 beds or 1)?

 

We noticed that Princess offers a Cruise plus hotel stay and lists the Sheraton and Embassy Suites in Ft Lauderdale. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding these two? I'm sure there are other hotels in the area so are there better options than just these two? If so, can I get some recommendations?

 

What about transportation from the airport to/from the ship, airport to/from the hotels, and/or hotels to/from the ship? Is a cab the best way to go or are there shuttles, etc?

 

Any and all advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

It really does not matter much whether you pick starboard or port sides, in my view. The further forward your cabin is, and the higher up it is, you will tend to feel the movement more.

 

The hotels offered by the cruise line tend to be high prices (note that the price quoted by Princess is per person)....you can do much better booking your own hotel, and there will be many recommendations on the Ports of Call board here. Many have shuttles to and from the airport and many have free shuttles to and from the cruise port. Note that in Lauderdale, the cruiseport and the airport are very close to each other. We often just take a cab from the hotel to the port just to avoid the crowds and hassles. The ride is usually less that $10 for many hotels near the port.

 

Enjoy your first cruise.

[cb at sea]

First, get a copy of the deck plans. Then choose a deck closest to where you think you'll spend most of your time (for us, it's the pool!) . Being near stairs and elevators is a PLUS, not a negative....makes for easy running "back and forth" to the room!

Book the largest cabin you can afford...ship's cabins aren't as large as hotel rooms, so get the most space you can.

The side of the ship doesn't really matter....most of the time, you'll be "out and about" the ship and will have view from ALL sides on the upper, open decks.

[redlac]

Hello Moondoggy! I'll start off with a few answers and thoughts on some of your questions...

 

is starboard better than port? This could depend on the route of your cruise, and whether you wish to see land or ocean out your window... and if you prefer sunrise or sunset in your window.

 

Is forward beter than aft? This is a personal opinion question... many people prefer to be centrally located. Personally, we always try to be as far "aft" as possible, so that we can access rear decks when/where they are available. The listing and swaying that we have all heard about is almost a thing of the past... current cruise ships are very well stabilized.

 

What about the bed? You will request a double bed, or two singles. (The double bed is actually two singles, pushed together.)

 

Princess offers a Cruise plus hotel stay In our personal experience, it was MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE to make our own hotel arrangements.

 

What about transportation... In our own personal experience, it was MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE to make our own transportation arrangements... taxi's are always available.

 

More questions? Keep 'em coming!

[Northender]

Well, Moondoggie, did you settle on Princess. I think I saw you post this on RCCL a while back.

 

Anyway, my best advise is for you to go to your rollcall and join in.:)

[Moondoggy51]

Well, Moondoggie, did you settle on Princess. I think I saw you post this on RCCL a while back.

 

Yes, I did post on RCCL a week or 2 ago. Although the RCCL ship sounded really cool and the ports of call were nice, the price was not. Was astounded over how much RCCL wanted and since that time we've talked with a lot of people that said that they saved money and had a great time on Princess. Have also checked out Celebrity also but have not talked to anyone that has gone on that cruise line.

[BobT172]

We have sailed out of Fort Lauderdale with Princess about a dozen times...

 

First thing, always fly in at least a day early...with weather and flight delays, it would not be a nice thing to start your vacation by missing the ships departure....we've seen it happen too many times

 

Hotels? Alot of good ones around but we favor the Embassy Suites on 17th ST. Great suites..nicely located ..$15 by taxi from the airport (there is no hotel shuttle)..Managers reception and full breakfast included ... small fee for transporation to the nearby port... other good resturants very nearby (Outback Steakhouse, Chuck's Steakhouse)

 

You have chosen a great ship...

[Moondoggy51]

First, get a copy of the deck plans. Then choose a deck closest to where you think you'll spend most of your time (for us, it's the pool!) . Being near stairs and elevators is a PLUS, not a negative....makes for easy running "back and forth" to the room!

Book the largest cabin you can afford...ship's cabins aren't as large as hotel rooms, so get the most space you can.

The side of the ship doesn't really matter....most of the time, you'll be "out and about" the ship and will have view from ALL sides on the upper, open decks.

 

Thanks for the reply. Looks like the pool is on deck 15 while the other stuff (dining rooms, casino, etc are on decks 6 & 7. Looks like the best place to be might be mid ship close to the lifts. It looks like starboard or port won't matter as on this cruise will give you a couple of days of sunsets or sunrises either way. When I was asking about starboard or port I was thinking about the view you would have while in port. Perhaps that doesn't matter either.

[Moondoggy51]

The hotels offered by the cruise line tend to be high prices (note that the price quoted by Princess is per person)....you can do much better booking your own hotel, and there will be many recommendations on the Ports of Call board here..

 

Thanks for the heads up on the price being per person (ouch!). Will take a look at the ports of call. Thanks.

[NotWthOutablcony]

I also recommend the Embassy Suites, ask them for a port view high up, we watched our ship come in early in the AM with our coffee.

I also recommend flying in a day ahead, we flew in 2 days ahead of sailing because we were sailing during hurricane season and didn't want to chance a flight cancellation.

Port and Starboard I also agree, doesn't matter, sometimes they dock on the Port side, sometimes its the Starboard, no biggie.

I would recommend a balcony room that's fully covered, we really enjoyed having our Baja balcony midship, since we have become addicted to having a mini aft on the Emerald deck, but for 2 people, the Baja balcony rooms are great! If you want a larger balcony I would recommend a Caribe deck room, the balconies are huge, half covered, half not, so you could still sit out in your PJ's without an audience.

Last, a cab from the Embassy or other local hotels isn't pricey so I'd definitely get your own transportation, the Embassy is also a VERY quick drive from the airport, which is wonderful after a long flight :D

[jkudzu]

We took our first cruise in 2007. It was our second honeymoon (30th anniversary). We booked everything through Princess. Flight, shuttle from airport to Embassy Suites, room, shuttle to ship the next day, and flight home. Yes, we could have saved money doing things ourselves but we wanted to splurge as we'd never done anything like a cruise before. Wait until you see the size of the ship from the hotel window :eek:. Embassy Suites was great and had a great breakfast. Have fun whatever you decide. When are you going in April?

[Northender]

Moondoggie, just remember the first time sets the bar.:)

So don't stay too far out of the FLL area and I love the Emabssy Suites too. If you belong or join Hilton Honors, the rooms are a tad cheaper.

But if you check the rollcall you will see where others are staying and get some good advice.

 

When are you leaving? We always go down at least one day ahead no matter what time of year.:)

 

Keep in touch here. Great people to help you out;)

[Cruisin' Chick]

If you are unsure of your sea-stomach, try booking a midships cabin. You'll feel less motion there than at the front (bow) or back (stern or aft). Have a deck plan in front of you and check to see what's above and below the cabins suggested by the TA.

 

Always come into the embarkation port at least a day ahead of your cruise. If you are talking about a winter time cruise, add a day. And this is why you should strongly consider booking your flight and hotel on your own (or with a TA, but emphasize to the travel agent not to use "cruiseair" as the cruiselines will go with the cheapest flight for them, which may not be convenient for you).

 

Since my second cruise in which the cruiseair flight (through Carnival air) we were given was a redeye flight that got us into Miami early in the morning on the day of the cruise (and I had quickly changed to the night before), we have taken care of any travel arrangements ourselves. It really is easy nowadays.

[VegasPier]

My wife and I have never cruised before and we've heard a lot of good things about Princess and we thought we might give it a go.

 

The cruise we've slected will be on the Emerald Princess and we want a room with a Oceanview double with balcony and an unobstructed view. Can anyone give advice on how to select a room. For example is starboard better than port? Is forward beter than aft? Is one deck better than another? What about the bed? In some pictures it shows twin bets and other pictures it shows what looks to be a double or queen bed. How do you make sure you get what you want (2 beds or 1)?

 

We noticed that Princess offers a Cruise plus hotel stay and lists the Sheraton and Embassy Suites in Ft Lauderdale. Does anyone have any recommendations regarding these two? I'm sure there are other hotels in the area so are there better options than just these two? If so, can I get some recommendations?

 

What about transportation from the airport to/from the ship, airport to/from the hotels, and/or hotels to/from the ship? Is a cab the best way to go or are there shuttles, etc?

 

Any and all advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Hi Moondoggy51,

 

If I may offer the following:

 

Agree totally with all of the previous responders about getting to the ship early. Two days isn’t too early, especially when buying your own air fare. Of course if you let Princess get your airfare you don’t have to worry about this. However one problem with Princess purchased air fare is that it will be the cheapest seats available and the routing could be rather circuits’. I’ve heard from some passengers that we meet on a FLL departure that were routed from California to Houston to Chicago to Miami. Plus you will not get your seat assignment until shortly before departure.

 

I wouldn’t be too concerned with which side of the ship your cabin will be on. If you have a one way type of cruise, say a cruise to Alaska with a flight back, you might consider the starboard side which would have a coastline view. You may want to post a question on the Emerald Roll Call section. Be specific with regards to your itinerary and I’m sure that someone that has been on the ship recently will respond with their expertise.

 

The price that you pay for your cabin will determine, to some extent, which deck you will be on so you will be choosing your deck level with your wallet. The lower priced cabins are on the lower decks, while the higher priced staterooms will be on the upper deck. Your choice will boil down to forward or aft cabins. Those forward and higher will be more susceptible to motion while the lower cabins amidships will have the least motion. Find the deck plan on the Princess web site and see what is available for your category of cabin.

As far as the arraignment of the beds that is up to you. I believe the question pertaining to how you would like your cabin arraigned, i.e., twin bed arrangement or double bed arraignment, is on the Cruise Personalizer or if you have a TA ask them to specify your wishes. I’m sure that you can have them rearranged after you board should they not be to your liking.

 

I think that the question of getting to and from the ship has been adequately addressed. My wife and I stayed at the Hilton prior to our last cruise. While the room was fine the restaurant served the absolute worst food that I’ve ever had at ANY restaurant. For that reason I’ll be trying the Embassy Suits the next time I depart FLL. You could take a look at a Google map of the Port Everglades area and get a feel for how close most of the hotels, airport and docks are to each other.

If you are making your own pre-cruise hotel arrangements you might want to get your rooms reserved as soon as you can. Rooms in FLL are high demand during the high season and maybe hard to get.

 

I mentioned motion earlier. You might like to pack some Meclizine, aka Bonine, for motion sickness. Chance are slim that you will need any, but it’s best to have them available if you do. The Princess ships that I’ve sailed on have been virtually motion free. However, if some heavy weather does come your way and you are one of the few that are susceptible to sea sickness those little pills will be worth their weight in gold. Here is a web page that tells you about Meclizine; http://www.drugs.com/meclizine.html

I’ve heard that Bonnie is more expensive. Meclizine is non-prescription but sometimes are stocked behind the pharmacist counter.

 

Cheers, VegasPier

[VegasPier]

You might like to take a look at the blog. Take note of the lunch time dress. Dinner is a tad more "correct".

 

http://pacificprincessworldcruise2010.blogspot.com/

 

I sure wish I was with them.

 

Cheers, VegasPier

[danacline]

My web site has a number of pages for first-time cruisers, as well as pages and photos for many cruises, including the ports (in case you're wondering what to do in a specific port). Hopefully that will help.

 

One thing to look at in cabin location - you don't want to be immediately above or below the disco or casino. We have been low (deck 2) but prefer a deck between the top and the middle (deck 8 or 9 usually) as that way we only have to take the stairs a few flights to get where we want to go.

 

Stairs - take them at every opportunity. We always take stairs when going down, and up if less than 5 decks...keeps the pounds off from all that great food.

 

Photos - hopefully you have a digital camera? If so, take a look at your preset scene modes - if you have one for "foliage", it takes great pix of the blue of the water too.

[VegasPier]

Photos - hopefully you have a digital camera? If so, take a look at your preset scene modes - if you have one for "foliage", it takes great pix of the blue of the water too.

 

Speaking of digital cameras; be sure that you time and date is set correctly on your camera. It makes sorting your photos with PS Elements much easier. Crossing one or two time zones isn't a problem but if you cross the date line it messes things up and can get rather messy.

On my last cruise I had the time/date off by over a year! Sorting was not easy.

 

Cheers, VegasPier