Room "finds" on Princess?

[OHTOBECRUISIN]

Hi.
I have never sailed with Princess, however am considering booking a cruise for my family of four in 2005.
Question for the Princess experts out there:
Are there any great/special cabins on Caribbean Princess that offer a window, larger balcony, etc... like the "secret porthole" rooms on Disney...where you pay for an inside cabin and get an outside cabin with a large Window and a somewhat obstructed view), or aft cabins on RCCL like 1388 and 1688 that have huge, wrap-around balconies for the same price as "regular/small" balcony stateroom?

If this has been asked before, sorry!
Thanking you in advance for your help-
Toni

[comettgirl]

BA & BB cabins on the Caribe deck have very large, (balconies) because they are above mini-suites. Also the last Mini-suites aft on the Emerald and Dolphin Decks on either side the extra large balconies.

Therese

[spongerob]

BB balcony cabins in the stern of the Grand-class ships, and Diamond/Sapphire have large balconies and loads of privacy. It's prime real estate.

Mini-suites on those same ships are often priced just marginally more than a balcony cabin. You get a lot more room, and a larger bathroom with tub instead of shower enclosure.

Completed:
Sea Princess, Royal Princess, Grand Princess (3X), Caribbean Princess, Golden Princess

[Toto2Kansas]

spongerob is definitely correct. Check the price of those minis before booking a balcony cabin. I have seen them for just a few dollars more and sometimes even a few dollars less than some of the balcony cabins. Makes no sense as the minis are about twice the size with twice the comfort of the balcony cabins.

Email: [email]LoveCruisinFor2@yahoo.com[/email]
Caribbean Princess 8/14/04
Tahitian Princess 10/14/04
RCI-Legend of the Seas 3/27/05 Panama Canal.

[JayCruise]

We are leaving next week on the Star Med cruise and took everyone's advice about the aft cabins. We're really looking forward to it!

Regarding a few Grand Class Princess ship thoughts:

The biggest difference from RCCL etc is that the Grand Class ships are tiered (wider at the bottom and thinning slightly as you go up). Although the minisuites are larger than the standard balcony cabins (and a tub to boot!) the balconies are not covered at all. Make sure you ask specific balcony questions if that is important to you. The higher deck balconies are smaller and fully covered, lower down they are HUGE (2 lounge chairs, 2 sitting chairs and a table) and are HALF COVERED. Good enough for privacy and good enough to get sun if you want. The minisuites (with a possible few exceptions) are not covered at all. So there is no escaping the sun, rain, etc. In addition, anyone above you can see directly onto your balcony so there is no privacy.

So if the balcony is important to you (we spend the majority of our "cabin time" on the balcony) you just want to make sure that you find one that is right for you and ask the specific questions.

Hope this helps!:)

[spongerob]

Grand-class ships have minisuites on Emerald deck that are fully covered. The minisuites on either side and farthest aft have extended balconies that make these extremely sought-after cabins. On the Grand, Golden, and Star, those two cabins are E728 and E729. It's not much of a secret, though!

On the Diamond/Sapphire, the two equivalent cabins have been re-categorized as AE (guarantee) category. You can book them, but you'll pay a lot to do so.