Emerald deck on Grand Princess

[commonsue]

This will be our first cruise so very excited. We are going with friends who booked the cruise. They have booked an inside cabin but we went for the Oceanview stateroom. My friend told me today that we are on deck 8 Emerald with an obstructed view. Looked on plan of ship and noticed there were a few cabins without obstucted views. Considering we booked a year ago with an agent in London I would have thought we'd have been booked with a full view. Was wondering if any of you cruisers out there have booked oceanview.

Also can anyone give me an idea of the alcohol prices on board the Grand Princess - have heard they are pricey!

[rdsqrl]

It has nothing to do with how far in advance you booked but it all about what category of cabin you purchased. Obstructed and unobstructed oceanview cabins are two different pricing categories so you probably only paid for an obstructed oceanview cabin, which is cheaper. Within the obstructed oceanview category, there are some cabins with a pretty decent view and so they can be good deals -- if you look at the deck plans, you can see which ones will have a lifeboat blocking all or part of the window. Even though you've already been assigned a cabin, if you see one on the plans that looks less obstructed and it's the same category as you're in now, you can ask to be switched.

Drink prices on Princess are pretty reasonable, in my opinion as someone from a big city. Cocktails average about $6-$9, plus the added mandatory 15% gratuity.

P.S. I think your friend isn't doing too good a job of explaining how cruise bookings work, so based on that, I'd recommend you do some research so as to not be surprised by any other pretty basic information s/he should have communicated to you! Go to Princess's website and read the "FAQ: Cruise Answer Place" and that should help with a lot of newbie cruiser questions. And, of course, you can always ask here! Enjoy the countdown to your first cruise and the probable beginning of an addiction to cruising!

[Colo Cruiser]

This will be our first cruise so very excited. We are going with friends who booked the cruise. They have booked an inside cabin but we went for the Oceanview stateroom. My friend told me today that we are on deck 8 Emerald with an obstructed view. Looked on plan of ship and noticed there were a few cabins without obstucted views. Considering we booked a year ago with an agent in London I would have thought we'd have been booked with a full view. Was wondering if any of you cruisers out there have booked oceanview.

Also can anyone give me an idea of the alcohol prices on board the Grand Princess - have heard they are pricey!

 

 

2 different categories, obstructed ocean view and ocean view, 2 different prices as well.

[commonsue]

Many thanks for all the info you have given. Phoned Iglu today myself without my friend knowing and explained that we are booked on Emerald deck with restricted view. The reply was that the agent upon booking would have asked if we wanted restricted view or unrestricted view. She also explained that we could upgrade but she would have to phone Princess for a price and would I mind holding. I was quite shocked when she told me that an upgrade with full view (no obstuction) would be an extra £300 each. The cabin would be on deck 5 (Plaza) Not sure whether to go for it or not! Think I would rather spend the extra £600 on excurtions.