UBD and balconys on the Golden Princess

[vent1020]

I swear I will try and condense this as much as possible. ;)

 

We are going on a cruise this November on the Golden Princess. We have a Caribe balcony booked, C502 to be exact. Several months after booking we decided to invite my parent-in-laws. Well they accepted and(not what I had in mind) but they were able to book the cabin RIGHT NEXT TO US, C504. :p

 

My in-laws have never cruised and my mother-in-law has had a million questions. I love it because I love talking anything cruise related, so it's been great! Well, she learned of the UBD(through me) and she wants to do it also.(no biggie)

 

Here's the issue and the question. My wife and her Mom have had this debate going on. My wife doesn't want to have to do the UBD the same night and time as my in-laws(I also do not).(We don't want to be on the balcony right next to them while we are having a "romantic dinner." :D My mother-in-law is almost offended about this and thinks its NO BIGGIE to do it at the same time.(Being they never cruise before they want to spend most of their time with us and again, no biggie, we did invite them, we just want some alone time for the UBD) SOOOOOO, my question is. Balconies on the Caribe deck, how private are they from the one RIGHT NEXT DOOR and can you hear the people next door talking pretty easy(I assume during dock you would be able to, but want to know for sure)

 

ANY help with this would be appreciated. I love these boards as I have learned SOOOO much from the great people on here. :)

 

Here's a few excepts of emails my mother-law-has sent to give you an idea of what she is thinking:

 

"I'm considering canceling our UBD. Now that I know more about that and the steakhouse restaurant, it looks to me like the UBD is a bigger deal than I had anticipated - and that we can get the same meal at the steakhouse restaurant where the only "hoopla" would be dressing up. That also has the advantage of making Robin less uncomfortable about us possibly doing the UBD the same night ;)"

 

"But I have to disagree about how many nights we have to decide where to eat: Robin doesn't want us to do our UBD on the same night as you do yours, so that means we only have one night left to pick where to eat if we're doing it together."

 

"I asked Robin but she'll just have to ask you and now you can tell her we already discussed it: What night is formal night? And what night/time did you pick for the balcony dinner? I'm kind of wondering if Kerry's and my balcony dinner should be during formal night. Or doesn't it matter because maybe the formal night is held in a limited area? Also, Robin doesn't want us to have our dinner the same night, or at least anywhere close to the same time, as you two. So I'm kind of wondering about the logistics of balcony dinner, avoiding formal night, and eating at the steak house restaurant."

 

 

 

Sorry, it ended up longer than I hoped for. :p

[Pam in CA]

First, the Crown Grill isn't formal so no one would have to get dressed up formally on formal night. It's "smart casual."

 

I think you're between a rock and a hard place. If it were me, I'd go ahead, suck it up, and do the UBD together. You invited them, they're next door and expect to be glued to you. You can hear people talking on the next balcony so there won't be privacy. Chances are you'll be able to have your romantic dinner on your next cruise.

[vent1020]

First, the Crown Grill isn't formal so no one would have to get dressed up formally on formal night. It's "smart casual."

 

I think you're between a rock and a hard place. If it were me, I'd go ahead, suck it up, and do the UBD together. You invited them, they're next door and expect to be glued to you. You can hear people talking on the next balcony so there won't be privacy. Chances are you'll be able to have your romantic dinner on your next cruise.

 

Pam, you ARE my favorite person on here(probably many posters favorite :) ) and I respect your opinion. I have considered just inviting them. But THIS cruise is our "cruise away from the kids(2 and 7) So, the UBD was expected to be something REALLY special. The cruise itself wasn't expected to be a romantic getaway, but just a getaway from the kiddies.(That's why it wasn't a big deal to invite the in-laws)

 

Her Mom is taking it kind of hard about us wanting to do it separate from them and "just telling her we don't want to" really isn't an option. Even though she said she would just cancel, I don't think she wants to. Like you said, we really are caught between a rock and a hard place.

 

I think the only two options are to, like you said, invite them to it, or just stand our ground and let her get over it with time not doing it together.

[CruisinChris]

Suggestion: give your mother -in-law a perceived not to be missed treat. Gift them with a dinner in the steakhouse and arrange the night for them (not a formal night but simplly the night you decide to do your UBD.) Do this onboard, not ahead of time, and tell everybody you want to really treat your in-laws to something special. Tell theenvironm it's a special occasion. They will be distracted, not on their balcony, and VERY impressed when all is said and done.

 

That's not to say your neighbors on the other side won't be "home" for your special meal. haha

 

Seriously, they've never cruised before. Create an event/distraction which they will LOVE and arrange your UBD at the same time. They will be ok. I suspect their insecurity will disappear once they're aboard and get a sense of the environment. A more expensive option is to get them on Chef's Table that night!

 

As a last resort you might just try coming clean and telling her that you're a young-ish couple alone without the kids and you really want a night to yourself. Chances are, she has a WARM memory of a few nights like that and will give you your space. ;)

 

All the best and enjoy your cruise. PS THe captain's Circle Hostess is an excellent accomplice for plans like this.

[slomotion]

Pam, you ARE my favorite person on here(probably many posters favorite :) ) and I respect your opinion. I have considered just inviting them. But THIS cruise is our "cruise away from the kids(2 and 7) So, the UBD was expected to be something REALLY special. The cruise itself wasn't expected to be a romantic getaway, but just a getaway from the kiddies.(That's why it wasn't a big deal to invite the in-laws)

 

Her Mom is taking it kind of hard about us wanting to do it separate from them and "just telling her we don't want to" really isn't an option. Even though she said she would just cancel, I don't think she wants to. Like you said, we really are caught between a rock and a hard place.

 

I think the only two options are to, like you said, invite them to it, or just stand our ground and let her get over it with time not doing it together.

 

If it's possible, here's what I would do (and I say this with great caution because I disagree with Pam in CA who has supplied many answers for me)

 

This is "your" trip, so I would try to move my cabin. If that works, play dumb as if you do not know what happened, it just did.

 

I caught the part about being your cruise away from the kids and it should be your cruise away (from everything)

 

A romantic dinner for two is just that, a dinner for two.

 

In any event, stand your ground. Your MIL will get over it.

 

As a slight appeasement, maybe an UBD for breakfast for the four of you.

 

(Sorry Pam!)

 

slomo

[vent1020]

Suggestion: give your mother -in-law a perceived not to be missed treat. Gift them with a dinner in the steakhouse and arrange the night for them (not a formal night but simplly the night you decide to do your UBD.) Do this onboard' date=' not ahead of time, and tell everybody you want to really treat your in-laws to something special. Tell theenvironm it's a special occasion. They will be distracted, not on their balcony, and VERY impressed when all is said and done.

 

That's not to say your neighbors on the other side won't be "home" for your special meal. haha

 

Seriously, they've never cruised before. Create an event/distraction which they will LOVE and arrange your UBD at the same time. They will be ok. I suspect their insecurity will disappear once they're aboard and get a sense of the environment. A more expensive option is to get them on Chef's Table that night!

 

As a last resort you might just try coming clean and telling her that you're a young-ish couple alone without the kids and you really want a night to yourself. Chances are, she has a WARM memory of a few nights like that and will give you your space. ;)

 

All the best and enjoy your cruise. PS THe captain's Circle Hostess is an excellent accomplice for plans like this.[/quote']

 

 

Thanks for the great suggestions. I think the wife and I have decided to just to the "come clean" route and tell her Mom, that "Hey, we booked the UBD a while ago, expected it to be special and although we love you, we want to do it separate. Oh, and why don't you just do it the same night a few hours apart and we can still have 3 other dinners together.(we are doing a 4 day cruise)

 

Thanks again!

[vent1020]

If it's possible, here's what I would do (and I say this with great caution because I disagree with Pam in CA who has supplied many answers for me)

 

This is "your" trip, so I would try to move my cabin. If that works, play dumb as if you do not know what happened, it just did.

 

I caught the part about being your cruise away from the kids and it should be your cruise away (from everything)

 

A romantic dinner for two is just that, a dinner for two.

 

In any event, stand your ground. Your MIL will get over it.

 

As a slight appeasement, maybe an UBD for breakfast for the four of you.

 

(Sorry Pam!)

 

slomo

 

I LOVE the suggestion about moving the cabin. :D I don't think my wife would go for it and if I did it behind her back too, she'd KILL ME if she ever found out I did that. So, that is out.

 

BUT, I think you gave me a GREAT idea. UBD for breakfast for all four of us and WE buy. What a great suggestion. This is why I love these boards. And Pam yes, 99% of the time, you have awesome suggestions. ;)

[bhopal21]

First off you can only book the UBD once onboard ship so they will probably find that out and secondly there are only two times each evening that it can be scheduled.

 

I also think you just need to bite the bullet and go ahead with the same evening plan. If it is that bad why did you invite them along?:rolleyes:

 

This is their first cruise and it is only 4 days so be the good host for one special dinner.

 

Just my opinion of course.;)

 

Mike:)

[vent1020]

First off you can only book the UBD once onboard ship so they will probably find that out and secondly there are only two times each evening that it can be scheduled.

 

I also think you just need to bite the bullet and go ahead with the same evening plan. If it is that bad why did you invite them along?:rolleyes:

 

This is their first cruise and it is only 4 days so be the good host for one special dinner.

 

Just my opinion of course.;)

 

Mike:)

 

 

 

First off, I have ALREADY called Princess and BOOKED the UBD for the 3rd night of the trip. I called and told them I wanted to order the UBD, they took my credit card info and asked what night and I told them, so you're off on that.

 

Yes we did invite them, but again, this was months after we originally booked this trip as a getaway from the kids. It's not "bad" that we invited them, it was a nice jester as they have not been on a real vacation in years and consider going back to South Dakota to visit relatives as a "vacation." So, we thought we would invite them so they can have a true vacation as they would NEVER do this for themselves.

 

We WILL be good hosts for 99% of the trip. We just want one dinner, the UBD(not even the whole night, just the dinner) alone. Is that not too hard to understand? :rolleyes:

 

Just my opinion of course :)

[Pam in CA]

BUT, I think you gave me a GREAT idea. UBD for breakfast for all four of us and WE buy. What a great suggestion. This is why I love these boards.

I agree that this is a great suggestion. Wish I'd thought of it. :) And yes, you're right. You can pre-request both the UBD and UBB. You may still get a call after boarding asking what morning/night you want them. Somehow, requests don't always get conveyed with all of the information. (What a surprise!)

 

Remember, you can make special food requests for both events. You're not stuck with the menu they give you. Wish I'd known that when I booked the UBB. Couldn't eat half the stuff due to food preferences and allergies.

[vent1020]

I agree that this is a great suggestion. Wish I'd thought of it. :) And yes, you're right. You can pre-request both the UBD and UBB. You may still get a call after boarding asking what morning/night you want them. Somehow, requests don't always get conveyed with all of the information. (What a surprise!)

 

Remember, you can make special food requests for both events. You're not stuck with the menu they give you. Wish I'd known that when I booked the UBB. Couldn't eat half the stuff due to food preferences and allergies.

 

Yep! Already sent the email off to Mom-in-law. We'll see what she says. :)

[bhopal21]

First off, I have ALREADY called Princess and BOOKED the UBD for the 3rd night of the trip. I called and told them I wanted to order the UBD, they took my credit card info and asked what night and I told them, so you're off on that.

 

After having the UBD at least 15 times or more I do know about scheduling the dinner.

 

The CSA you speak with at Princess will take your money for the UBD and tell you what you want to hear but they have NO ability to schedule the dinners aboard ship. If you leave this to chance you will certainly be off the hook as it will not happen.:p

 

Soon after you board it is up to you to call the Room Service Supervisor who will schedule the date and times it is available that will work with your plans.

 

Do not by any means rely on Princess Customer Service or all you will have is a $200 credit (if you are paying for 4) to your onboard spending account.

 

Mike:)

[Melcoug]

 

We are going on a cruise this November on the Golden Princess. We have a Caribe balcony booked, C502 to be exact.

 

 

A November evening off the SoCal coast would be far too cold for me to enjoy a UBD experience! There could be nice temps during the day, but it cools off dramatically in the evening. You may want to be inside your cabin.

[vent1020]

After having the UBD at least 15 times or more I do know about scheduling the dinner.

 

The CSA you speak with at Princess will take your money for the UBD and tell you what you want to hear but they have NO ability to schedule the dinners aboard ship. If you leave this to chance you will certainly be off the hook as it will not happen.:p

 

Soon after you board it is up to you to call the Room Service Supervisor who will schedule the date and times it is available that will work with your plans.

 

Do not by any means rely on Princess Customer Service or all you will have is a $200 credit (if you are paying for 4) to your onboard spending account.

 

Mike:)

 

Thanks Mike. I will make sure and verify(or schedule) it once on board.

[vent1020]

A November evening off the SoCal coast would be far too cold for me to enjoy a UBD experience! There could be nice temps during the day, but it cools off dramatically in the evening. You may want to be inside your cabin.

 

 

I was wondering about that. Maybe a bit warmer near Ensenada, I hope. If not, we do it inside. NO biggie.

[Pam in CA]

It will be warmer off Ensenada but not that much. The California Current is the culprit; it's a cold water current that flows off the coast from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. I'd play it by ear. They can adjust to inside.

[LeeW]

Interesting thread - but nobody has mentioned that with adjoining cabins somebody is going to ask the steward to open the balcony door between the cabins. There are a few dividers that don't open, but most do....

[Melcoug]

I was wondering about that. Maybe a bit warmer near Ensenada, I hope. If not, we do it inside. NO biggie.

 

Ensenada is only about an hour south of San Diego. We don't get huge seasonal temperature swings, but just to put it in perspective, yesterday, the high along the coast was 71. The low was 63. I would expect nighttime temps in November to be in the 50s.

[vent1020]

Interesting thread - but nobody has mentioned that with adjoining cabins somebody is going to ask the steward to open the balcony door between the cabins. There are a few dividers that don't open, but most do....

 

I did not know this. Interesting!