Dedicated NCL Suite Cruisers Considering Grand Princess Grand Suite

[marelind]

DH and I have sailed a lot in OS or Haven suites on Jewel and Dawn class NCL ships. We understand all the ins and outs of Norwegian and their suites. Trying a new line is challenging because it's easy to come in with some expectations. I want to be vey realistic in my expectations about what Princess has to offer and how to adjust to enjoy the benefits of Princess. My questions are for those who can share from their experience with both cruise lines.

 

We think we would like to book the Grand Suite for a 15-day Hawaii cruise on the Grand Princess. How might this cabin compare with the OS on NCL as far as perks, amenities and service?

 

I was on one cruise with traditional dining and we prefer the Freestyle dining on NCL. How does Anytime Dining on Princess work? Are we assigned a particular dining room or a window of time to show up, or is it more like NCL's main dining rooms?

If Anytime Dining is all spoken for, what are our options other than the traditional Dining? We prefer not to eat at the buffets, so are there other options?

 

We like the casual atmosphere on Norwegian, but we understand each line has their culture. DH likes to wear cotton slacks like Dockers and a Tommy Bahama style shirt (untucked) with or without a sport coat to dinner. I usually wear a casual skirt or nice slacks with a dressy top. Will we be shunned or offend? :p

If we don't want to go formal on formal night, what is the best way to handle it? (On Crystal you aren't supposed to be out of your cabin if you weren't in the dress of the night.)

 

Thank you for all your input.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Just a few things from what I understand. No butlers on Princess. There is a wide range of benefits, but the best one is breakfast at Sabatini's. I will let others respond to you in much more detail.

[1025cruise]

It is my understanding that NCL does offer the best suite amenities on a cruise line, so if you have already experienced the best, expect that Princess won't measure up. A full suite gives you some laundry, and breakfast at Sabatinis (a suite only perk). There are no butlers or special suite concierges, except on the new Royal.

With regards to dinner, there are dining rooms allocated to Anytime. If Anytime isn't available, and you don't want traditional, your option is the buffet or the specialty restaurants (for an upcharge).

What you are suggesting for clothes are fine on non-formal nights. On formal nights, if you choose not to partake, you can eat in the buffet or the specialty restaurants. Just know that you will probably be in the minority around the ship. You won't be expected to stay in your cabin, but you might look out of place (if that matters to you).

[dforeigner]

You also get a fee free specialty dinner for two on the first night.

 

You also get free in suite bar set up.

 

Priority tender tickets.

 

And a few more things which at this time, I cannot think of.

[RichNY]

DH and I have sailed a lot in OS or Haven suites on Jewel and Dawn class NCL ships. We understand all the ins and outs of Norwegian and their suites. Trying a new line is challenging because it's easy to come in with some expectations. I want to be very realistic in my expectations about what Princess has to offer and how to adjust to enjoy the benefits of Princess. My questions are for those who can share from their experience with both cruise lines.

 

We think we would like to book the Grand Suite for a 15-day Hawaii cruise on the Grand Princess. How might this cabin compare with the OS on NCL as far as perks, amenities and service?

 

I was on one cruise with traditional dining and we prefer the Freestyle dining on NCL. How does Anytime Dining on Princess work? Are we assigned a particular dining room or a window of time to show up, or is it more like NCL's main dining rooms?

If Anytime Dining is all spoken for, what are our options other than the traditional Dining? We prefer not to eat at the buffets, so are there other options?

 

We like the casual atmosphere on Norwegian, but we understand each line has their culture. DH likes to wear cotton slacks like Dockers and a Tommy Bahama style shirt (untucked) with or without a sport coat to dinner. I usually wear a casual skirt or nice slacks with a dressy top. Will we be shunned or offend? :p

If we don't want to go formal on formal night, what is the best way to handle it? (On Crystal you aren't supposed to be out of your cabin if you weren't in the dress of the night.)

 

Thank you for all your input.

 

Hey you.

 

Good to hear from you.

We just booked a suite on the new Royal Princess. We accept it wont be the same as NCL but we will appreciate the extra room for our 18 day TA.

 

Sabatini's is only open for breakfast not breakfast and lunch like Cagney's.

You get a free dinner at one of their charge restaurants but only on embarkation day.

No butler but supposedly you have one of their best room stewards to take care of you. I also gather no special phone.

You get one free mini bar setup not the 3 bottles like in the OS.

Princess does not have a large selection of alternate restaurants.

As for anytime dining just show up make friends with the maitre'd and getting a table for 2 wont be a problem.

 

Your normal attire will be fine for the non formal nights. For the formal nights the dress code is real iffy. I have seen no jackets to tuxedos. The specialty restaurants do not adhere to the dress codes on formal night.

 

Mary to come ...just ask away.

[strummer]

Can you order from the MDR menu as room service??

 

If i'm right with this then this could be an option on Formal night??

 

Could anyone please confirm if this is an option.

[Sunviking]

We haven't sailed on NCL so I can't compare it with Princess. We have sailed in suites on the latter for a long time. I have two comments in addition to what others have already written. First, your cabin steward will be the one who has responsibility for the section of cabins where your suite is located. He will have responsibility for approx. 18 cabins including yours. We have always had good service, some better than others, but Princess doesn't take their "best" stewards and assign them to suites. Suites are scattered all around the ship so that wouldn't be practical. Second, attire at dinner varies so much that I don't think you should be concerned about this. The itinerary dictates the dress to some extent. On the Hawaii cruises that we did, we saw some dress like that you described in the dining room. My impression is that one sees more formal attire if there are more Europeans onboard as on some of the Med cruises we've done.

[taschwab53]

Can you order from the MDR menu as room service??

 

If i'm right with this then this could be an option on Formal night??

 

Could anyone please confirm if this is an option.

 

Yes, if you are in a Suite you will get the full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus daily from the MDR. You can order anything from these menues and it will be delivered through room service. They do not serve it for you course by course like they do with the UBD but everything is covered and stays hot and fresh. The nice part about this is you can eat in your PJ's and they don't even have to be formal PJ"s.:D

[fabby50]

We get suites on both lines. An additional perk you get on Princess that you don't get on NCL is free laundry, a great perk. We have now reached the coveted free laundry status on NCL because of our frequent cruise on them, so this is no big deal to us now. One thing I miss on Princess is the multiple alternate dining options they have on NCL. Also, if you have many sea days, lunch in Cagney's is great. I also love the coffee makers in the NCL suites. We didn't really miss the butler on Princess because on NCL we mainly have ours bring us breakfast, which room service does on Princess. No real difference there in the service. On NCL, they also bring you a different afternoon snack every day, didn't really miss that either, gosh knows there's enough food to go around :)

 

We like both lines and choose for the route mainly.

[capriccio]

Can you order from the MDR menu as room service??

 

If i'm right with this then this could be an option on Formal night??

 

Could anyone please confirm if this is an option.

 

We've done exactly that on formal night!

[Go-Bucks!]

You can have afternoon tea in your suite. You'll get a coursage & boutinnere on the first formal night. I don't dress "formally" on formal night and neither do many others. I just dress nicely (casual skirt and top) and I feel fine in the MDR. Don't worry about dress and enjoy formal night food!

[Husky61]

Like you, we have sailed in a full suite on both lines, and have enjoyed both.

 

As far as anytime dining, we have never had a problem with when or where we want to eat in the evening. We place a call to the dining line and tell them what time we want to eat, and what table size we want. They have always accommodated us.

 

The bar set-up is what you want . We have had them exchange everything in the bar for our favorites, never a problem.

 

The DW sends out the laundry every evening, so the next morning we have freshly laundered and pressed clothing. Cuts way down on the amout of clothing we pack.

 

Since I don't go on a cruise to wear a tux or a suit and tie, we may partake of formal night in the MDR but wear what we are comfortable with.

 

Breakfast in Sabatini's is a major plus. After the first morning the wait staff remembers us, and as soon as we sit down at our table, a mimosa or coffee, or fresh squeezed orange juice is there in moments.

 

While we eat frequently in the specialty restaurants during the cruise, the first night complimentary dinner is anther plus.:)

 

Since neither of us are fond of a buffet, we rarely eat there.

 

All in all, we like both, but we favor Princess over NCL.:)

[flcruiser3]

I have sailed on NCL's epic in a suite and loved the private villa/enclave pool area, dining room and lounge. The suite was beautiful and the butler and concierge service was great.

 

The next year we went to the Mediterranean and chose a Princess mini-suite for my husband, myself and our teenage son. We made this decision based mostly on itinerary, but we did not book a full suite in order to save money on a very port intensive cruise. To my surprise all 3 of us much preferred this Princess experience to our previous NCL experience. We ate in the MDR most nights. The first night we spent a few minutes talking to the assistant maitre d and every night after that we were promptly seated and the service was outstanding. We did enjoy dinner at Sabitinis and the Chef's dinner very much!

 

Although the private area on NCL is fabulous, we much preferred the Common areas on Princess (Ruby and Emerald) and felt like there was a great flow and even when the ship was at capacity it was not very crowded feeling. We used the aft pool, and while it is not private is is smaller and quieter than the main pool.

 

So as long as you know what to expect, no butler and no private area, I think you will love your Princess cruise!

[marelind]

Hey you.

 

Good to hear from you.

We just booked a suite on the new Royal Princess. We accept it wont be the same as NCL but we will appreciate the extra room for our 18 day TA.

 

Sabatini's is only open for breakfast not breakfast and lunch like Cagney's.

You get a free dinner at one of their charge restaurants but only on embarkation day.

No butler but supposedly you have one of their best room stewards to take care of you. I also gather no special phone.

You get one free mini bar setup not the 3 bottles like in the OS.

Princess does not have a large selection of alternate restaurants.

As for anytime dining just show up make friends with the maitre'd and getting a table for 2 wont be a problem.

 

Your normal attire will be fine for the non formal nights. For the formal nights the dress code is real iffy. I have seen no jackets to tuxedos. The specialty restaurants do not adhere to the dress codes on formal night.

 

Mary to come ...just ask away.

 

Rich (and Loretta), good to hear from you. I hope all is well with you both. We are doing the PC again next April on the Jewel, and looking to do Hawaii in 2015. Thanks for the help!

[RichNY]

Rich (and Loretta), good to hear from you. I hope all is well with you both. We are doing the PC again next April on the Jewel, and looking to do Hawaii in 2015. Thanks for the help!

 

Princess does a nice job but when it comes to suites NCL does it better. That Grand Suite sure looks nice.

 

That PC was one of our favorites..

 

Hi to Ken..If you want you can email us...We have seen Dawn & John a few times..

When we do Hawaii we'll do NCL and spend some extra time in Hawaii.

[marelind]

Thank you, thank you, everyone! You have been so helpful. You have set my mind at ease. I can book with the the most pressing worries laid to rest. :)

 

I understand there is a daily service charge. Does it work like NCL? Where is it appropriate to add a gratuity: MDR, specialty restaurants, spa, room service delivery?

 

Great idea to eat in at least the first formal night so we can see what the mix is and if we will "fit in".

 

If there is no coffee maker, then I gather you can order in coffee from room service. DH does not function until he has his coffee. :p

 

Is a bar set-up additional to the mini-bar? I read that the mini-bar is a few airline size bottles of liquor? Is that accurate? Or is it possible to switch out the mini-bottles for a bottle of gin or tequila? Are mixers or soft drinks included? Can we bring on our own mixers or soft drinks, if not included? (it sounds like we are big drinkers...we just like a late afternoon margarita or gin and tonic while we play cards. On NCL OS we get bottle of gin and one of tequila and bring our favorite margarita mix with us.)

 

Honestly, I'm sure we will love the cruise, because IT'S A CRUISE!!! :D

[skynight]

If you wish to book a suite on Princess, book early. They sell out quickly. Look here for the suite amenities, http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/PrincessSuite_eFlyer.pdf

 

The flyer states there is a special Elite lounge. This is correct, however, it is shared by other non suite passengers who have Elite & Platinum status. No special suite lounge on the Grand, and you have to pay for drinks.

 

On formal nights I dress is a sport jacket shirt and tie. Have seen many in just sport jacket, no tie. This dress only suggested for the main dining rooms. Other dining areas are just fine the way you described.

 

Anytime dining is very easy. There will be two dining rooms for ATD on decks 5 & 6 mid ship. Both are the same with the same menu. The one on deck 6 normally opens around 7:30pm for ATD as it normally used for traditional early seating. You can call the dining line for a reservation, or just speak to the head waiter early in the cruise and request what you want. On the 1st few days of the cruise ATD can get a little overstressed in the early evening hours around 6PM. This usually evens out after a few days as passengers fall into their routines. The higher the average age the earlier they eat.

 

Don't forget they have the Crown Grill, steak and seafood, and Sabatini's, Italian, which is free to suite passengers on the 1st night. Just call the dine line for a reservation. Other nights they are just $25/pp. The Grand also has Alfredo's Pizza and the International Cafe on deck 5 in the Piazza both are very nice and free of charge. Vines has tapas and sushi served with the purchase of a beverage. On the Lido deck is Pizza by the slice, the Grill, the soft ice cream bar and the buffet, all free. If you like brewed coffee, or special coffee drinks suggest you purchase the coffee card. It includes 15 punches for special coffee drinks plus unlimited brewed coffee and tea (excluding Leaves tea room). Other free coffee is available from room service or at the buffet. The buffet coffee is prepared from a syrup concentrate, like some fast food burger places. Don't know about the room service coffee, ask you room steward.

 

Formal tea can be served in your room or is served in the dining room. Check the Princess Patter for times. It is very nice.

[skynight]

One forgotten point, you can bring wine on board. Official policy 1 bottle pp, but many bring on additional at ports. Check the roll call for additional advice on this.

[marelind]

Skintight, very helpful information!

[Thrak]

Thank you, thank you, everyone! You have been so helpful. You have set my mind at ease. I can book with the the most pressing worries laid to rest. :)

 

I understand there is a daily service charge. Does it work like NCL? Where is it appropriate to add a gratuity: MDR, specialty restaurants, spa, room service delivery?

 

Great idea to eat in at least the first formal night so we can see what the mix is and if we will "fit in".

 

If there is no coffee maker, then I gather you can order in coffee from room service. DH does not function until he has his coffee. :p

 

Is a bar set-up additional to the mini-bar? I read that the mini-bar is a few airline size bottles of liquor? Is that accurate? Or is it possible to switch out the mini-bottles for a bottle of gin or tequila? Are mixers or soft drinks included? Can we bring on our own mixers or soft drinks, if not included? (it sounds like we are big drinkers...we just like a late afternoon margarita or gin and tonic while we play cards. On NCL OS we get bottle of gin and one of tequila and bring our favorite margarita mix with us.)

 

Honestly, I'm sure we will love the cruise, because IT'S A CRUISE!!! :D

 

The mini bar is the only "bar setup" there is. You can exchange the bottles for other bottles so that you have the type of alcohol you like. You can also exchange the entire setup - liquor, beer, soda, water - for one bottle of wine or two coffee cards. You can't exchange for a full bottle of liquor.

 

You can purchase bottles of liquor for your suite but they will not be 750 ml bottles. They are 375 ml bottles priced approximately like a 750 ml bottle would be on shore.

[Avalon35]

Hi to you lucky Suite cruisers. I am curious if you have done a cost analysis on the suites on the mass market lines versus a luxury line of all suites or an all inclusive luxury line that includes excursions. I am curious in both regards to $s as well as experience. I have read in the luxury cruise line literature that when you add everything up sometimes it is a wash. Thoughts?

[marelind]

The mini bar is the only "bar setup" there is. You can exchange the bottles for other bottles so that you have the type of alcohol you like. You can also exchange the entire setup - liquor, beer, soda, water - for one bottle of wine or two coffee cards. You can't exchange for a full bottle of liquor.

 

You can purchase bottles of liquor for your suite but they will not be 750 ml bottles. They are 375 ml bottles priced approximately like a 750 ml bottle would be on shore.

 

Thank you for the details; that really helps!

[bhopal21]

The daily service charge is $12 pp pd and will cover anyone that you come in contact with along with those behind the scene.

 

All bar purchases automatically have 15% added which covers the bar personnel.

 

If you feel someone has provided exemplary service to you feel free to give them an additional tip which is at your discretion.

 

You can bring your own mixers and soft drinks if desired and may purchase small 375ml bottles of select liquor through room service.

 

Coffee is free as is all room service except for pizza which has a mere $3 charge.

 

Mike:)

[compozer]

We just spent a month in the GS and loved every minute. We usually book suites but really fell in love with the space in the GS. Wish every ship had one and are disappointed that the new Royal doesn't although they are very hard to snag. The suites have always sold out right away but I know many former elite suite passengers are rethinking spending the big bucks on them. Perks are disappearing all over but I think taking away the Internet minutes did it. Yes, they get their elite minutes but many, including us, feel you also should get some free minutes for booking the suite - especially on the longer cruises. Other than breakfast and the first night dinner, all you get is a larger cabin.

 

We usually have received a call the first afternoon asking what time we want to eat dinner and if there is a special table we would like. The problem we have found is that by the second evening the "tables" we like have already been reserved for the entire cruise. Not that big of a deal to most people but we don't normally like to be next to large tables (especially on holiday cruises) since after a few drinks, the people tend to shout so everyone can hear them. And we have a hard time hearing each other.

 

We also never go to the horizon court. We enjoy getting dressed up for formal nights but if you don't want to, you will have a beautiful dining table for six in the GS (plus the two extra desk chairs) so you could dine by yourself or have a great dinner party in the cabin. (or dinner on the balcony - table for four) The only problem is that all the food is delivered at the same time and may get cold. We found a way to get around that by ordering the food by courses. Only problem is that the tips really add up that way.

 

Don't forget the specialty restaurants. We have always found the staff to be extra special. Especially in Sabitini's since they know you from breakfast.

 

Someone mentioned the cabin steward - yes - suites don't always get the best of the best. But overall, we love the staff on Princess.

 

Enjoy the cabin - it certainly is great for parties.

[Sunviking]

Hi to you lucky Suite cruisers. I am curious if you have done a cost analysis on the suites on the mass market lines versus a luxury line of all suites or an all inclusive luxury line that includes excursions. I am curious in both regards to $s as well as experience. I have read in the luxury cruise line literature that when you add everything up sometimes it is a wash. Thoughts?

 

While we haven't done a detailed spreadsheet, we have done a rough analysis of the costs of a cruise in a suite on Princess and all its additional costs vs the cost of an all-inclusive such as Regent with whom we have sailed. For us we have found that the cost would be very close to the same. This is of course dependent on what kind of shore excursions you take, the kind of air arrangements you normally make etc. As a matter of fact I have recently been comparing prices of a Princess cruise in either the Baltic or the British isles next summer for myself and our DD vs a Regent cruise of comparable length and ports. Frankly, I think for us the Regent cruise would cost less. Princess' prices are very high for next summer. JMHO