first time cruiser help

[saleonus]

Hi every one

 

this forum has been a great help to me over the couple of months. I need to know if the room i have booked is good one.

 

i am going on star princes in feb 2016 and have booked a mini suite. i have blocked D732 is this room good. i have not sailed before so every help is most welcomed.

 

can anyone tell me what to except on this cruise to south america. I am taking my 19 year daughter. What can she do during the day activities.

 

thanks:)

[Sixtytwo]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! I have not sailed Princess, so I cannot be much help there. I am sure if you check out the Princess threads you will find plenty of folks who can assist you with your questions.

 

One expectation I can help with is that you will have a great time! Don't be surprised if you come back and start looking for your next cruise! It is pretty addictive to most of us. :D

[saleonus]

thanks

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

During the day when the ship is in port, there will be few activities for your daughter. They expect nearly everyone to be off the ship and on excursions. On sea days there are lots of activities for everyone.

[Derekbc]

Hi every one

 

this forum has been a great help to me over the couple of months. I need to know if the room i have booked is good one.

 

i am going on star princes in feb 2016 and have booked a mini suite. i have blocked D732 is this room good. i have not sailed before so every help is most welcomed.

 

can anyone tell me what to except on this cruise to south america. I am taking my 19 year daughter. What can she do during the day activities.

 

thanks:)

D732 is a great cabin. It is along way from the lifts so no noise from there also only two cabins aft of you so no hallway traffic. Good choice! I always book in the aft for that reason. Also you'll love your mini suite.

Have a great cruise!

[cb at sea]

We prefer being closer to the stairs and elevators...it makes life so much easier, especially during the day, when you're likely to be running back and forth to the cabin...those hallways get longer each time you traverse them!

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hi every one

 

this forum has been a great help to me over the couple of months. I need to know if the room i have booked is good one.

 

i am going on star princes in feb 2016 and have booked a mini suite. i have blocked D732 is this room good. i have not sailed before so every help is most welcomed.

 

can anyone tell me what to except on this cruise to south america. I am taking my 19 year daughter. What can she do during the day activities.

 

thanks:)

 

Definitely go on the Princess website and check out the various info, especially the "cruise answer place." Also check out the deck plans for the Star and see what's near your cabin, the elevators, the self-service laundry room if you need it, etc.

 

I do this before every cruise even when I'm repeating a ship (our last two cruises were on the Golden Princess, but I like finding out if anything had changed in two years). I also get a guide book from the library about the itinerary and if I like the book, will try to buy the most recent edition (Amazon or wherever) to take with. I also google each port and look at the different tourism sites that will come up. Have your daughter also look at this info and help decide what sites in each port you want to check out or if you want to go to a beach, decide on which one. You'll also want to check on any special requirements such as required Visas (US citizens need one for Brazil).

 

As for what to expect: When you first get on board the ship, you can go to your cabin (many cruise lines will have you wait in public areas of the ship until the cabins are ready). You'll get the first day Patter (the newsletter) which will give you the schedule for that day and the first Patter will also give you a summary of what entertainment to expect and the order of when the formal/smart casual dinners are.

 

Your daughter may want to look out for any young single mingle events. Some ships have them, depending on the cruise director. She can go to any activities, other than perhaps gambling in the casino (the minimum age may be 21) and might not be allowed to get an alcoholic drink (if so, don't risk getting into trouble by buying her one and giving it to her in public). Also she won't be allowed into the kids' area, but she probably wouldn't be interested in joining the teens anyway.

 

As for sea day activities, again that depends on the cruise director and what he or she plans. Not everyone gets off the ship in each port -- some will repeat an itinerary (my last three cruises was on the Hawaiian itinerary) and stay behind to use a less crowded pool or take advantage of spa specials. Sometimes movies might be shown in the Princess theater or a lounge on port days; your in-cabin TV will show movies, port talks, TV programs such as the Love Boat 24/7. On sea days, there will be range of activities such as trivia matches, itinerary-based talks, computer classes... Usually there's a live band that plays on the deck during the day. In the Piazza (that's on the Plaza Deck, midships) there will be variety acts of various types performing. If a string quartet or an acrobatic duo looks interesting, you can grab a seat and watch/listen. The International Cafe is right there too so you might want to go over to the display cases and ask for a light lunch or sweet treat to enjoy (no extra charges for these items). I highly recommend the chocolate chip cookies in the mid-afternoon.

 

The one mandatory activity for every passenger is held that afternoon: the muster drill. Check the Patter for when it's held (before sailaway) and where you need to go (it's based on your cabin location). The muster station you were assigned to will be on that diagram on the back of your cabin door. The life jackets will be in your closet and, unless that has changed, you will carry them with you to the drill. You'll need your cabin card too as it will be scanned into the system to show you came to the drill.

 

After the drill is over, you can leave (be aware that the elevators will be quite busy so you may wish to stay a few minutes) your assigned lounge (you'll be inside). Then you can do whatever until the last day of the cruise when you have to get off the ship.

[jasbo49]

Cruisin' Chick gave you a great rundown on what to expect. I'll just focus on the cabin itself. D732 is a cabin I'd love to have, mostly because, as the last cabin on that deck, it has an extended balcony. It's at least twice as wide as most.

 

Mini suites in general are nice because of the extra space, sitting area and bigger bathroom. The only thing I can think of that I might consider a drawback is that there is no cover over the balcony. Unless the sun is on the other side of the ship, there is no shade.

 

I guess some consider it a drawback that you have to walk to get to other parts of the ship. My thinking is that no matter where you bunk, you have to walk somewhere. The theater is up front, most of the restaurants are in the rear. Either way, I figure walking is how you take care of all those extra calories you'll consume on a cruise. I welcome walking on board.

 

Jim