Why book a full suite on Princess?

[Thrak]

As far as I'm concerned there is really only one reason for me not to book a suite. I'm too dang poor to pay for a suite. If I had a ton of bucks then I would book only suites. Why not? As it is, I can more cruises if I don't book a suite. We're booked for the 49 day FLL to LA cruise on Royal. Suites are listed at $18,399.00 to $20,099 per person. Nope, nope, nope. A balcony will do nicely for us and even that is quite a big splurge.

[Steelers36]

As far as I'm concerned there is really only one reason for me not to book a suite. I'm too dang poor to pay for a suite. If I had a ton of bucks then I would book only suites. Why not? As it is, I can more cruises if I don't book a suite. We're booked for the 49 day FLL to LA cruise on Royal. Suites are listed at $18,399.00 to $20,099 per person. Nope, nope, nope. A balcony will do nicely for us and even that is quite a big splurge.

 

Agree. If I had the "sweet" money, I think I would look at a more luxury line as we don't need a suite. In fact, I can do you one better (not that it's a contest). I don't mind booking Inside, or even OV or Obstructed to save. I used to think Balcony was IT and so nice (and it is), but when Sanctuary came along, I decided my balcony dollars were going there.

 

And then, if Jean & George (if the reader doesn't know then it doesn't matter) can do it for weeks on end in an Inside going round and round the Caribbean for 150 days (one of their earlier winters at sea), then we sure as hell can for 7 or 10 days. And guess what kind of cabin we have on the cruise below?

 

You guessed it. But we have money to spend and enjoy ourselves at the many stops along the way. Or on wine. Or Sanctuary.

 

It's how they fill a ship. Some of us will want to spend this and some of us that. And it all works out.

 

But I think if I won a lottery, I'd enjoy a trip on Crystal or Seabourne with everything included, even the shore excursions.

[easyboy]

I guess you just need to go on a luxury line, and compare your experience after.

[Thrak]

Agree. If I had the "sweet" money, I think I would look at a more luxury line as we don't need a suite. In fact, I can do you one better (not that it's a contest). I don't mind booking Inside, or even OV or Obstructed to save. I used to think Balcony was IT and so nice (and it is), but when Sanctuary came along, I decided my balcony dollars were going there.

 

 

There is only one reason we are booked in a balcony on our next cruises. Sip and Sail. 28 days coming up with 18 of them sea days. The 14 day in March it isn't all that important but we have it anyway. The 49 day cruise in 2019... I can't imagine the agony of a 49 day bar bill. :eek: Balcony for the Sip and Sail it is.

 

Our first cruise was in a very tiny inside cabin on Sea Princess. We were hooked. Since then I've booked an inside several times but never ended up in that cabin. An upgrade from an inside to a Caribe balcony. (That was a surprise!) and a few upsells that were way too good to turn down. It's just weird luck that we haven't been in an inside cabin again. I imagine we will be back in one eventually and we will have a great cruise.

[cflutist]

As far as I'm concerned there is really only one reason for me not to book a suite. I'm too dang poor to pay for a suite. If I had a ton of bucks then I would book only suites. Why not? As it is, I can more cruises if I don't book a suite. We're booked for the 49 day FLL to LA cruise on Royal. Suites are listed at $18,399.00 to $20,099 per person. Nope, nope, nope. A balcony will do nicely for us and even that is quite a big splurge.

 

Thrak, that is a bargain for 49 days in a suite ;)

 

That will get you essentially a mini-suite on the Silversea Cloud for 15-nights to Antarctica.

An oceanview cabin is $16k pp. Suites are 36k to 60k pp. So it is a mini for us, just couldn't justify a suite on that

cruise.

 

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/antarctica-cruise/ushuaia-to-ushuaia-1829/?fycref=row1#suites

 

I would much rather sail in a Princess PH Suite or Owner's Suite on the Pacific. Since we don't drink

alcohol, all inclusives don't work that well for us, it seems like we are subsidizing all of the other drinkers on the ship.

They do have free Internet but not the free same day laundry service that we would get in a Princess suite.

If anything we are probably going to feel out of place, but Princess doesn't sail and land in Antarctica and that is

why hubby wants to do.

 

Everything is relative in life. OP is going to South Georgia on her cruise.

Changing a 15-night to a 19-night cruise to stop at South Georgia will cost you 39-41K pp for a mini, and 29K pp for an oceanview.

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/antarctica-cruise/ushuaia-to-ushuaia-1723/?fycref=row1#suites

 

We could not go on 49-night cruises because 1 - I would gain too much weight, 2 - I wouldn't want to be away from home that long. As it was, we came back from 18-nights in Norway to a dead lawn, a broken pool sweep, and a broken surveillance DVR. Enjoy your long cruises though.

[2pbears]

I've looked at Azamara in the past and I've not found the amenities to be all that enticing. Could you explain?

 

The amenities that tend to bring Azamara more in line price wise with the price of a Princess cruise are the most obvious, of course, the all included beverages and the all included gratuities. If you drink alcohol at all this can make a big difference in your onboard spending account. In addition, the specialty restaurants on Azamara are actually less expensive than on Princess.

 

We also take into consideration the intangible "amenities" that Azamara offers which would be the "can do" attitude of all of the staff. We have never asked for anything on Azamara and been told no, we can't do that. You are their guest and they will do whatever is necessary to make sure you enjoy your stay with them.

 

There is also the ship size, which is a plus for us. Never a wait for dinner or tendering. Never a problem getting a lounger at the pool or a seat in the theater.

 

Now, that said, I will point out that we always make it a point to book Azamara cruises on one of their sales (for instance the Buy One Get One Half Off or the Double Upgrade promotion). For instance, I just checked pricing for a 2018 Norwegian Fjords cruise and compared Azamara to the Pacific Princess (which is basically the same ship). The Azamara price for a 15 day cruise on the double upgrade sale was $14,495 and the Pacific Princess price for a 16 day cruise was $14,858 for balcony cabins in essentially the same location. When you take into consideration the included drinks and tips this makes the Azamara cruise much more attractive not to mention the fact that the Azamara Captain for this itinerary is Norwegian and brings a huge amount of background and local color to the cruise.

 

I hope this is what you were asking and that I didn't wander too far off subject.

[Coffeeluvr05]

Not upgraded entree's. Same MDR menu and 1 additional entree each evening.

I get the same prepared pastas and desserts in the reg dining area.

 

 

The breakfast is awesome......

 

Agreed. Loved club class, but it is the same exact menu as the MDR, with the exception of nightly special appetizers and entrees. I don't recall there being any special desserts...? LOVED breakfast in Sabatinis! So so wonderful! We did breakfast in club class on the last day and it was pretty good too. So don't feel completely like you are missing out if you aren't in a full suite, but have a club class mini suite. The complimentary laundry is high up there on the list of great perks for me as well. Can't wait for our 10-day Alaska cruise in a suite next year. It is going to be fantabulous!

[RocketMan275]

The amenities that tend to bring Azamara more in line price wise with the price of a Princess cruise are the most obvious, of course, the all included beverages and the all included gratuities. If you drink alcohol at all this can make a big difference in your onboard spending account. In addition, the specialty restaurants on Azamara are actually less expensive than on Princess.

 

We also take into consideration the intangible "amenities" that Azamara offers which would be the "can do" attitude of all of the staff. We have never asked for anything on Azamara and been told no, we can't do that. You are their guest and they will do whatever is necessary to make sure you enjoy your stay with them.

 

There is also the ship size, which is a plus for us. Never a wait for dinner or tendering. Never a problem getting a lounger at the pool or a seat in the theater.

 

Now, that said, I will point out that we always make it a point to book Azamara cruises on one of their sales (for instance the Buy One Get One Half Off or the Double Upgrade promotion). For instance, I just checked pricing for a 2018 Norwegian Fjords cruise and compared Azamara to the Pacific Princess (which is basically the same ship). The Azamara price for a 15 day cruise on the double upgrade sale was $14,495 and the Pacific Princess price for a 16 day cruise was $14,858 for balcony cabins in essentially the same location. When you take into consideration the included drinks and tips this makes the Azamara cruise much more attractive not to mention the fact that the Azamara Captain for this itinerary is Norwegian and brings a huge amount of background and local color to the cruise.

 

I hope this is what you were asking and that I didn't wander too far off subject.

 

You answered my question without 'wandering'. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't overlooking something. Every so often, I am intrigued by Azamara (or similar lines). I just have a hard time giving up our suites on Princess or Holland. One of the issues we have is a desire to avoid air travel if at all possible. Azamara has some great intineraries but almost all require flying.

[zonap]

We just got off the Island Princess a week ago and sailed in a suite. This was our first Princess cruise - we have otherwise sailed in suites/Haven on Norwegian (NCL). After the first day or so, we were able to quickly compare the 2 cruise lines' suite offerings and for us, NCL wins hands-down. In particular, for us, NCL has had better food (taste and variety) than even the Club Class dining on Princess in their MDRs (and also better than Sabatini's for breakfast in our opinion) since NCL has their frequent promotion that includes free specialty dining for suite guests. Also, for us, we found we like NCL's entertainment better than what was on the Island Princess.

 

NCL also has a really nice Haven area on many of their newer ships.

 

Finally, NCL's priority disembarkation and embarkation for their suite guests (at each port) really showed how much better organized they are than Princess - at least based on what we experienced on our Alaska cruise.

 

The free laundry on Princess was nice, but the other perks on NCL just can't be beat for our family.

[Host Jazzbeau]

...One of the issues we have is a desire to avoid air travel if at all possible. Azamara has some great intineraries but almost all require flying.

 

Any cruise line that does non-round trip itineraries will always require flying at least one leg. Above all the other reasons mentioned above to like Azamara, it is their itineraries that make them our favorite cruise line.

[cflutist]

Agreed. Loved club class, but it is the same exact menu as the MDR, with the exception of nightly special appetizers and entrees. I don't recall there being any special desserts...? LOVED breakfast in Sabatinis! So so wonderful! We did breakfast in club class on the last day and it was pretty good too. So don't feel completely like you are missing out if you aren't in a full suite, but have a club class mini suite. The complimentary laundry is high up there on the list of great perks for me as well. Can't wait for our 10-day Alaska cruise in a suite next year. It is going to be fantabulous!

 

This is what we were served in Club Class on the Pacific Princess (I took notes so I could report back).

 

6/27 - additional main was lamb chops

6/28 - additional appetizer was a duck breast confit (this was delicious), dessert was a prepared peach flambe

6/29 - additional main was Mediterranean shrimp with garlic

6/30 - prepared penne pasta, orange roughy, prepared dessert was a banana split

7/1 - additional main was pan seared butterfish with burre blanc, prepared appetizer was pasta with cream sauce

7/2 - while the MDR served mushroom risotto, we were offered it with seafood, or in my case, just shrimp, prepared dessert was a strawberry Romanoff

7/3 - additional main was Chicken Kiev, prepared dessert was pineapple flambe

7/4 - lunch, they brought BBQ ribs and boneless fried chicken platter to the CC Diners to share. Prepared appetizer at dinner was gnocchi with cheese

7/5 - additional appetizer was wok fried shrimp and beef

7/6 - additional appetizer was sauteed shrimp, prepared dessert was peach melba

7/7 - prepared salad was a Caesar salad with shrimp, chicken, and/or anchovies

7/8 - additional main was a Surf and Turf and optional Steak Diane (mushroom/cream sauce)

7/9 - additional main was a seafood Cioppino

7/10 - additional main was a Surf and Turf, prepared dessert was banana flambe

7/11 - additional appetizer was pasta Primivera

7/12 - additional main was Lobster Thermidor, prepared dessert was a crepe Suzette

7/13 - additional main was pork tenderloin and sea scallops

7/14 - additional main was Steak Diane again - NY strip and a mushroom sauce. And of course, the Baked Alaska Parade.

[JudithLynne]

cflutist:

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to create this list and sharing it. We will be trying CC on the Star next month.

[Coffeeluvr05]

Ah, yes! I do remember the desserts now. I always opt for something chocolate so it is no wonder I forgot with all of the various fruit based desserts. Our waiter also had such a strong accent that after asking him to repeat things more than once I just opted not to get whatever was offered because I had no idea what it was! :')

[luckyinpa]

We just got off the Island Princess a week ago and sailed in a suite. This was our first Princess cruise - we have otherwise sailed in suites/Haven on Norwegian (NCL). After the first day or so, we were able to quickly compare the 2 cruise lines' suite offerings and for us, NCL wins hands-down. In particular, for us, NCL has had better food (taste and variety) than even the Club Class dining on Princess in their MDRs (and also better than Sabatini's for breakfast in our opinion) since NCL has their frequent promotion that includes free specialty dining for suite guests. Also, for us, we found we like NCL's entertainment better than what was on the Island Princess.

 

NCL also has a really nice Haven area on many of their newer ships.

 

Finally, NCL's priority disembarkation and embarkation for their suite guests (at each port) really showed how much better organized they are than Princess - at least based on what we experienced on our Alaska cruise.

 

The free laundry on Princess was nice, but the other perks on NCL just can't be beat for our family.

 

i didnt wanna bring up NCL but since you did....

 

my 1st ever cruise was in the haven on the breakaway in a spa suite. when i began looking at princess i knew no matter what i cannot afford a suite but i did research them. i guess the haven spoiled me because if i had the money for a suite again, id definitely prefer the seclusion of the haven, the private restaurant/sundeck/bar etc. for the same price or even cheaper. i didnt really see in the princess PDF file why they costs so much.

 

the butler getting whatever you want was wonderful and i admit i dont believe with princess they do that but they may? if you wanted in cabin dinner from the MDR or specialty restaurants, then dessert from one of the other places, the butler would do all that for you. just give them notice. heck even in haven restaurant if you wanted something special from another restaurant, rumors are they would run for it. i never did this though.

 

the indoor pool was admittedly pathetic but on rainy days at least it was an indoor pool with hot tubs and nice seating areas. the service there was stellar and by day 3 they knew my special breakfast order by heart when i sat down. and as stated above, the NYC dis/embark priority is priceless. manhattan bites for crowds .

 

ill probably never be in haven again but id love to get a garden villa sweet in my retirement and yes i mean sweet. i havent seen another 3BR 4000 sq ft with private deck cabin for only about 20K anywhere:D

[puli]

We have sailed in suites on HAL, NCL,Celebrity, and Princess. Each line offered special benefits.

HAL had the largest suites for years and still has the largest verandas, the most pleasing Indonesian staff and for a long time their Neptune Lounge was unique, HAL however has slim entertainment and sparse public areas.

 

NCL has the greatest concierge system & butler service, the Haven makes you feel like you are on a small intimate ship, and we found the food a bit better than the others but it does not have free.laundry services and for us the garish velvet furnishings are abysmal..

 

Celebrity was a few years ago although we are trying again next year. Anyway back then, the butler service was a hit or miss thing, the suites were small and balcony smaller...hope the newer ships are better.

 

Princess is kind of a mix...love the walk in showers (which is a must for us), food is OK ( was much better in the 90's) and we do like all the various public areas and eating spots, and entertainment.

 

For us we are home bodies so spend a lot of time enjoying a spacious cabin and views from our veranda are important. we cruise less but know exactly when/where we want to go, the specific location and type of cabin and love every moment of our venture.

But I must admit cruising in the 80's was the best .( except for having to dress formally every evening)...almost like being royalty .... sad that all the old lines are gone!