Considering my first suite on Crown Princess. NEED ADVICE PLEASE!

[scanditaly]

....can be something too.

 

DH and I were in a Sapphire Aft PH, and we really needed to wind down. Sitting on the couch doing a crossword; reading a book, or even just playing a video game, with the balcony door open and an ocean breeze coming through were complete heaven. Did I mention the wineglass in my hand?

 

Dear Daughter and I were again in an aft PH, this time on the Emerald, and we very much enjoyed going through the onboard movie list, ordering burgers and fries from room service and snuggling on the couch. This was after a full day in the Baltic, touring and being very visually stimulated. We were sooooo happy in the mornings in Sabatinis; right after our daily walk (me)/run (her) our favored selections would be waiting for us. We were nurtured, in the very sense of the word. Laundry service was nice, but we could have just paid for that.

 

Are there places that folks have found that are quite and comfy and cozy? yeah, sure, but this was just for us, for the 10 or so days that we occupied this room.

 

so, OP, you are exited and thinking about a suite.....what is it that you hope to achieve? Your turn to talk, eh?

 

Scanditaly

[PiraticalGirl]

We'll be doing our Alaska trip on the Grand in May in a window suite. This will be our first trip with our lil one and the thought of a balcony was making us nervous. We normally book a mini-suite but after reading threads & seeing pics we decided the window suite was the perfect choice for our fam :)

[dorisis]

We had a suite on the Coral last month and it was great to have the large bathroom and all the perks. Especially Sabatini's breakfast. We are Elite and already get most of the other perks.BUT...It was very expensive and I would rather use the money for another cruise. It was twice the price of a standard balcony.

 

Now we are booked on the Royal with a mini suite and I will enjoy the cruise just as much as I did in the suite knowing I am doing a 14 day B2B for much less than the 11 day suite.

 

I am glad we did the suite. And I would do it again if the price was lower. The Oceanview suite would appeal to me without the balcony. We don't use a balcony very much except for breakfast and with the Sabatin's breakfast it would not even be used then.

[HornedFrogCruiser]

Regardless of what one thinks about Window Suites, they aren't available on the ship the OP is considering.

 

We booked our first full suite this past Thanksgiving (D737) on the Caribbean Princess. It is an Aft cabin, with nothing but staterooms above and below (so, exceptionally quiet). The balcony was huge. It was so large, and comfortable, we ended up spending a majority of our time on it (instead of searching around for a vacant chair near the pool). And don't worry when you see on the Princess website that the balcony is obstructed. Yes, it has a large pillar on the side, but it doesn't diminish the experience.

 

A few people complained about noise in these suites, either from the wake or the engines. We had no problems in that regard.

 

As others have said, the suite perks are great, particularly breakfast at Sabatinis. But I should warn you, once you go down the path, you'll likely not be satisfied with anything less in the future. I know, as we have booked an Aft Suite for three upcoming cruises!

[Bentley5700]

Love the suite experience. Never go back. Exact suite varies by ship, but I prefer big room. Also prefer aft suite for warm water cruise - stay away from level above promenade.:cool:

[sminfiddle]

That is absolutely crazy! In that case, I'd much rather have a balcony than a suite!!!!

Keep calm :D

All the suites on the Crown Princess have balconies.

 

We were booking our next cruise on board the CB and were going to downgrade to a Mini Suite so as to lengthen our cruise and stay in budget (and keep a decent-sized shower).

We checked the price on the Window Suite and saw that it would cost the same. (!!!!)

I will miss my beloved, tranquilizing private Wake. :( But our Cabin Crawl had included a Window Suite so we do know what we're getting. These have much more closet space than Vista Suites, we'll enjoy that for sure.

 

Window Suites also have fewer power outlets. Bringing some Euro Adaptors to compensate.

 

Having our day start peacefully at civilized Sabatini's is worth a LOT. We've done the buffet: The hunt for a table, then foraging in shifts, all before coffee... THAT is what makes Mr. and Mrs. Sminfiddle go absolutely crazy.

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

Edited January 20, 2014 by sminfiddle

[akeasley]

There are some variations in lay-out, but I'd say the main differences are location and square footage. You can do a dummy booking to see the square footage of the room and balcony listed separately so you can see that some have larger balconies if that is important to you.

 

Others have already mentioned that noise from decks above can be a concern in the Penthouse Suites on Riviera deck. Others have mentioned vibration in the aft suites. I think the only ones would I would not book are the ones all the way forward on Lido deck. These have a strange configuration - divided into two small rooms - and the bathroom is the same as in a mini-suite - no marble, no double vanity, no separate shower. Nothing special. You still get the suite perks, but that would not justify the price for me.

 

 

To each their own. I've had a forward Lido deck suite twice and have been very happy with the room configuration. I would book another one of these suites in a heartbeat.

[Dreamer333]

Full Suites on the Crown have names. We have had the Isla Margarita and the Grand Cayman both on the Aft of the ship on the Aloha Deck. They are both below the Rear Adult pool but NO Noise from the pool. Also no Soot or odors. Just nice smooth sailing and resting! It is a quick elevator ride up to Sabatini's for Breakfast. Enjoy it and you will get spoiled.

 

Good to know! I'm wondering if people prefer aft or forward suites? It sounds like you prefer the aft.

[Dreamer333]

Now we are booked on the Royal with a mini suite and I will enjoy the cruise just as much as I did in the suite knowing I am doing a 14 day B2B for much less than the 11 day suite.

 

This is EXACTLY my dilemma!! Do I splurge on a suite... or do I take a second cruise in a balcony cabin???

Decisions decisons!!

[JimAOk1945]

This thread has been very helpful to me since we have booked a full suite for a 11 day cruise in December.

 

A lot has been mentioned about the free laundry as one of the perks. I have a few questions about that.

 

How often can I send clothes to the laundry? Is it once during the cruise or as often as needed?

 

Is there a limit to how much laundry I can send to be washed?

 

What types of clothes can be sent to the laundry?

 

Thanks for your input. It will help us know how to pack for this cruise.

[Dreamer333]

DH and I were in a Sapphire Aft PH, and we really needed to wind down. Sitting on the couch doing a crossword; reading a book, or even just playing a video game, with the balcony door open and an ocean breeze coming through were complete heaven. Did I mention the wineglass in my hand?

 

Ahhhhhh....

[sminfiddle]

How often can I send clothes to the laundry? Is it once during the cruise or as often as needed?

Each morning, by 9 AM if possible, up to the last day (when there wouldn't be time to do it of course).

 

Is there a limit to how much laundry I can send to be washed?

No. Ask your steward for extra bags / forms if needed.

 

What types of clothes can be sent to the laundry?

Anything except what you'd want to hand wash.

Items that can't take high heat can be cleaned by requesting "professional cleaning" on the right-hand half of the laundry form. It uses less water, more time, and less heat.

 

Press-only is also an option. Starch is another option.

 

Pro tip: a "pair" of socks is counted on the form as "one" item. Took me two cruises to 'get' this. The laundry staff corrected my form each time. :D

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

Edited January 20, 2014 by sminfiddle

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've been in a suite twice (once on Royal and once on Princess). I LOVED having the extra space and large bathroom. My advice would be to avoid the bow. The motion there is really bad and I did have trouble with that aspect- not that it made me seasick but the motion made me sleepy. If I did another suite- I'd aim for midship.

Edited January 20, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[RetiredNTraveling]

I have a question - how much extra do you pay per day to get the "free" fruit and the "free" strawberries. Also, how much do you save with the "free" laundry service that was in another post. One can only need so much "free" laundry on a cruise.

 

DON

 

Here is an example of prices, we received a last minute (one month before) mini-suite offer. The original price of the booking was $3,499.00 and the discounted price $2,253.17 savings amounted to $1,245.83 per person savings so we jumped at this savings for our 1st 14 Day Hawaii Cruise. :eek:

 

Then came the following offer:

*PRINCESS CRUISES ANNOUNCES A SPECIAL OFFER FOR CAPTAIN CIRCLE MEMBERS BOOKED IN A MINI-SUITE STATEROOM ON THE MARCH 27, 2013 GOLDEN PRINCESS SAILING. Cruise 14 nights in a luxurious FULL SUITE for only an additional $399 per person! (Offer based on double occupancy, plus the additional cost of Princess Vacation Protection, if purchased).

 

This did not take a lot of thought to see that we were being offered a substantial savings. To me that was very cheap Strawberries and everything else that comes with the suites.:D

 

As for free laundry & Pressing, well it reduces the amount of clothes that you need to take for a 14 day cruise. This service is worth it weight in gold as when I go on vacation neither the wife or I want to waste our time doing laundry! After what are we on vacation for? :confused: To work or stand in lines at buffets for breakfasts, not hardly. Well we go to relax and enjoy the good life as we have enough of the other in our 51 years of marriage and we believe that we deserve to treat ourselves..:rolleyes: One of our favorite splurges which is also free except for tipping is to have fresh coffee and orange juice delivered to the room every morning at 6:30 to enjoy on the balcony while watching the sunrise!!!;)

 

(Read the signature by line!)

Edited January 20, 2014 by RetiredNTraveling

[RetiredNTraveling]

Regardless of what one thinks about Window Suites, they aren't available on the ship the OP is considering.

 

We booked our first full suite this past Thanksgiving (D737) on the Caribbean Princess. It is an Aft cabin, with nothing but staterooms above and below (so, exceptionally quiet). The balcony was huge. It was so large, and comfortable, we ended up spending a majority of our time on it (instead of searching around for a vacant chair near the pool). And don't worry when you see on the Princess website that the balcony is obstructed. Yes, it has a large pillar on the side, but it doesn't diminish the experience.

 

A few people complained about noise in these suites, either from the wake or the engines. We had no problems in that regard.

 

As others have said, the suite perks are great, particularly breakfast at Sabatinis. But I should warn you, once you go down the path, you'll likely not be satisfied with anything less in the future. I know, as we have booked an Aft Suite for three upcoming cruises!

 

Congratulations! You have joined those of us who have been infected by the "Suite Disease" :p and as far as I know there is no known cure........But who cares~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(just some of the beautiful waves going by.):D

[Jim Avery]

[quote name='Dreamer333']Good to know! I'm wondering if people prefer aft or forward suites? It sounds like you prefer the aft.[/QUOTE]

We prefer aft. Sometimes forward suites balcony can be too windy when underway. :D

[RetiredNTraveling]

[quote name='HornedFrogCruiser']Regardless of what one thinks about Window Suites, they aren't available on the ship the OP is considering.

We booked our first full suite this past Thanksgiving (D737) on the Caribbean Princess. It is an Aft cabin, with nothing but staterooms above and below (so, exceptionally quiet). The balcony was huge. It was so large, and comfortable, we ended up spending a majority of our time on it (instead of searching around for a vacant chair near the pool). And don't worry when you see on the Princess website that the balcony is obstructed. Yes, it has a large pillar on the side, but it doesn't diminish the experience.

A few people complained about noise in these suites, either from the wake or the engines. We had no problems in that regard.

As others have said, the suite perks are great, particularly breakfast at Sabatinis. But I should warn you, once you go down the path, you'll likely not be satisfied with anything less in the future. I know, as we have booked an Aft Suite for three upcoming cruises![/quote]

Congratulations! You have joined those of us who have been infected by the "Suite Disease" :p and as far as I know there is no known cure........But who cares~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(just some of the beautiful waves going by.):D

[HornedFrogCruiser]

[quote name='RetiredNTraveling']Congratulations! You have joined those of us who have been infected by the "Suite Disease" :p and as far as I know there is no known cure........But who cares~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(just some of the beautiful waves going by.):D[/QUOTE]

You're so right! In fact, our decision to book a 5 (instead of our typical 7) day cruise this March was mostly driven by the desire to snag a suite at a price we could justify.

One additional suite perk that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is that booking a full suite gets you credit for two cruises. Because of this, we will disembark from the first half of a B2B cruise in December as Platinum members, and re-board as Elites! Edited January 20, 2014 by HornedFrogCruiser

[Dreamer333]

AWESOME!!! And congrats on the 51 years of marriage!


[quote name='RetiredNTraveling'][FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=2]
Then came the following offer:[/SIZE][/FONT]
[I][FONT="]*PRINCESS CRUISES ANNOUNCES A SPECIAL OFFER FOR CAPTAIN CIRCLE MEMBERS BOOKED IN A MINI-SUITE STATEROOM ON THE MARCH 27, 2013 GOLDEN PRINCESS SAILING. Cruise 14 nights in a luxurious FULL SUITE for only an additional $399 per person! (Offer based on double occupancy, plus the additional cost of Princess Vacation Protection, if purchased).[/FONT][/I]
[FONT="]This did not take a lot of thought to see that we were being offered a substantial savings. To me that was very cheap Strawberries and everything else that comes with the suites.:D
[/FONT](Read the signature by line!)[/QUOTE]

[Dreamer333]

[quote name='HornedFrogCruiser']One additional suite perk that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is that booking a full suite gets you credit for two cruises. Because of this, we will disembark from the first half of a B2B cruise in December as Platinum members, and re-board as Elites![/QUOTE]

Oh I did not know this!!! Even more motivation to book a suite!!!!

[EightFurryPaws]

[quote name='donaldsc']I have a question - how much extra do you pay per day to get the "free" fruit and the "free" strawberries. Also, how much do you save with the "free" laundry service that was in another post. One can only need so much "free" laundry on a cruise.

DON[/QUOTE]
I'm not paying anything extra to enjoy a b2b PH suite on the Ruby starting this Thursday. Although I'm charged for these cruises now, do to the Princess "free" cruise promotion, all FCC's refunded will take me on a b2b Alaska and Panama cruise with only paying the tax. So I feel pretty good about enjoying a suite.

[RetiredNTraveling]

[quote name='HornedFrogCruiser']You're so right! In fact, our decision to book a 5 (instead of our typical 7) day cruise this March was mostly driven by the desire to snag a suite at a price we could justify.

One additional suite perk that hasn't been mentioned in this thread is that booking a full suite gets you credit for two cruises. Because of this, we will disembark from the first half of a B2B cruise in December as Platinum members, and re-board as Elites![/quote]

You are so right! We got to Platinum Level after just 3 cruises: 1 regular balcony (7 day) and 2 suite cruises (7 day & 14 day). So on our last cruise in a suite, 7 day Can & NE cruise we enjoyed suite perks but also Platinum Perks. Really nice to live the "Nice Life" :D and get rewarded for it. :rolleyes: Thanks for reminding me~~~~~~~~~

[Pamster]

[quote name='sminfiddle']Keep calm :D
All the suites on the Crown Princess have balconies.

We were booking our next cruise on board the CB and were going to downgrade to a Mini Suite so as to lengthen our cruise and stay in budget (and keep a decent-sized shower).
We checked the price on the Window Suite and saw that it would cost the same. (!!!!)
I [I]will[/I] miss my beloved, tranquilizing private Wake. :( But our Cabin Crawl had included a Window Suite so we do know what we're getting. These have much more closet space than Vista Suites, we'll enjoy that for sure.

Window Suites also have fewer power outlets. Bringing some Euro Adaptors to compensate.

Having our day start peacefully at civilized Sabatini's is worth a LOT. We've done the buffet: The hunt for a table, then foraging in shifts, all before coffee... THAT is what makes Mr. and Mrs. Sminfiddle go absolutely crazy.

~sent using Cruise Critic app~[/QUOTE]

I have priced the Window Suites for various cruises I was researching and in most cases they are significantly less expensive than the regular suites - usually around the same as a mini. I would definitely go in one. We don't use our balcony all that much, and having the suite with the suite benefits would definitely be worth the trade off of no balcony. They're also in that nice location right next to the casino.

We got a free upgrade to a suite on our B2B Alaska cruise last summer and absolutely loved it. To the point that we were going to switch to suites. However, then we wanted to do a Christmas cruise, suites were mostly sold out and the ones left were really expensive. So, we settled on a mini-suite. After that sailing we decided that a mini really was just fine. We don't need more space than that (I love the mini for the couch.) While we missed the priority boarding and breakfast in Sabatini's and laundry, it's really not worth the difference in price to us.

[Go-Bucks!]

[quote name='Pamster']I have priced the Window Suites for various cruises I was researching and in most cases they are significantly less expensive than the regular suites - usually around the same as a mini.[/quote]


That's what I was saying earlier - you get all the suite perks for the price of a minisuite, a great large room, and 2 cruise credits to get you to Elite faster! Sometimes that's worth giving up the balcony. :D

[JimAOk1945]

[quote name='sminfiddle']Each morning, by 9 AM if possible, up to the last day (when there wouldn't be time to do it of course).


No. Ask your steward for extra bags / forms if needed.


Anything except what you'd want to hand wash.
Items that can't take high heat can be cleaned by requesting "professional cleaning" on the right-hand half of the laundry form. It uses less water, more time, and less heat.

Press-only is also an option. Starch is another option.

[U]Pro tip:[/U] a "pair" of socks is counted on the form as "one" item. Took me two cruises to 'get' this. The laundry staff corrected my form each time. :D

~sent using Cruise Critic app~[/QUOTE]

[COLOR="Black"]Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. It certainly makes preparing for this cruise a lot easier![/COLOR]