Which Suite on Diamond?

[ggo85]

We're going to Australia/NZ next year on Diamond. It's a vacation of a lifetime and we want to splurge on a full suite. The PS aft suites are sold out (already!) for this cruise, so choices are VS (aft) or PH (side).

 

We have cruised many times before -- from outside cabins to suites, but never a Princess full suite and never an aft cabin.

 

A bit about what we like/dislike . . . there are only 2 of us and we don't plan to entertain. We like to sit on our balcony but spend most of our sea days at the pool. We do enjoy watching the ship entering and leaving port from our balcony. We aren't into dining in our room/on our balcony but suppose we could try it.:) I love a jacuzzi bathtub! Size of cabin is more important than size of balcony. We don't want lots of noise. Motion isn't a problem for us.

 

We'd prefer some sun and some shade on our balcony (this could vary based on time of day or ship's heading -- that's ok) and probably wouldn't like full shade all of the time. Like privacy from our neighbors and prefer not to have people be able to "look down" on us from above. Want to be able to put 2 loungers on the balcony. Our 13-day trip is fairly port intensive with ~3 days at sea.

 

We tentatively booked a PH but, after reading a lot of posts, I'm having second thoughts. Any comments/suggestions would be much appreciated!

[bhopal21]

I think you are perfect in one of those midship Caribe PHs. Half sun half shade, larger than other suites and convenient to everything.

 

Having stayed in several suites that is what we have booked for our Alaskan cruise in August.

 

Mike:)

[Woobstr112G]

I'd book an aft VS if I were in your shoes. We did this cruise last year and had an AD mini. Whichever you choose, you'll have a blast. Absolutley great itinerary.....:):):)

 

Bob

[bhopal21]

The VS suites on Dolphin are fully covered and you will get no sun there, are the ones on Emerald deck open?

 

Mike:)

[ggo85]

I think you are perfect in one of those midship Caribe PHs. Half sun half shade, larger than other suites and convenient to everything.

 

Having stayed in several suites that is what we have booked for our Alaskan cruise in August.

 

Mike:)

 

Thanks!

 

One other questions . . . . I've read some comments about the wind being terrible while underway in the PH cabins. I've been on mid-ship balconies before on Princess (mini-suite and balcony) and RCCL (GS) and don't remember any significant wind issues. Is this a problem?

[JPRLHR]

The VS suites on Dolphin are fully covered and you will get no sun there

 

Mike, that obviously depends on where the sun is... We always book fully covered aft suites and get plenty of sun.

 

OP.. I would without question take an aft VS over a mid-ships PH. The balcony is bigger, there's far more privacy and virtually nil foot traffic.

[bhopal21]

We have had the Ultimate Balcony Dinner a few times on the PH balcony with no problems.

 

We did have the table set up closer to the cabin and the balcony partitions help a lot with the winds. I would say a lot would depend on the weather and the ship's direction.

 

Mike:)

[bhopal21]

Mike, that obviously depends on where the sun is... We always book fully covered aft suites and get plenty of sun.

 

OP.. I would without question take an aft VS over a mid-ships PH. The balcony is bigger, there's far more privacy and virtually nil foot traffic.

 

Okay, you can get a little sun in the am and a little in the evening but with a fully covered (and I do mean fully covered) balcony it is quite limited.

 

Mike:)

[freetocruise]

We have had Caribe Deck PH suites on the Sapphire and Golden and never had a wind problem with either. We have also had VS and PS aft suites. Whenever we sail on a ship that has Caribe Deck suites, those are our first choice. We like the location mid ships and my husband likes to look out for sea life which is more discernible midships without the ship's wake. Also, the rooms are bigger with additional space for a desk in the living area.

 

Granted the Dolphin and Emerald Deck VS suites are very private and that is a plus. The larger deck size is mitigated by a large post on the Emerald Deck suites. I can't speak for the Dolphin Deck balconies but the ones that I've been on the Emerald Deck didn't have the non-slip deck cover and often were very slippery with the ocean spray and damp from the sea air which also covered the furniture and cushions. This dampness was not evident in the Caribe Deck PS suite.

 

Each suite and area has distinctive benefits, though, and I would not hesitate to sail in any one of them. You are the one who must make the choice based on what you are looking for. Whichever you choose, you will love having a full suite.

[bhopal21]

The beam is also present on the Dolphin deck suite balcony.

 

Mike:)

[Feebarn]

We were just in Diamond E730, an aft VS for an Alaska week. This is a corner, only one neighbour perfectly big balcony..... no one can look on you. With the exception of port days when I guess you could wake up with someone looking in if you were back to back with another ship. It was our first cruise so we have nothing to compare it to, but with the exception of the staying at the pool bit, your likes and dislikes are much the same as ours.

 

We loved it. In particular the privacy. I'd chose it again in a heart beat.

 

Sitting on the loungers on the balcony watching the port get smaller.... devine!:D

 

Meant to add - being at the very end of the corridor meant there was no footfalls or voices at odd hours. There was no noise from Club Fusion underneath, which was a concern of ours - but this cruise wasn't a party crowd at all. We thought a couple times during the day we could hear something. But by the time we heard it, it was gone.