Trying to feel normal - New to Princess

[mschatz]

I must admit that I have been very lucky during the pandemic and my heart goes out to all that have experienced loss,

 

So, I am not complaining that I cancelled the three cruises I had scheduled between last August and this coming  August.

 

In order to feel some sense of normal, I would very much like to book the Scandinavian/Baltic cruise I cancelled for 2021. 

We are normally Celebrity cruisers but the current pricing is somewhat ridiculous right now. We tend to book Aqua Class on Celebrity because we love the coziness of Blu, the smaller dedicated dining room.

 

There is an Enchanted Princess itinerary that works for me. Can I hear opinions about whether you think a Princess Mini-Suite for about $100 less per day compared to Celebrity (the comparable cruise is scheduled for the Apex which is not super appealing to us). We are in our early 50s and really don't have a great sense on what Princess cruisers are like.

 

Thanks,

Matt

[trvlwrld]

older demographic than early 50’s, but ships are certainly not dead like the HAL ships which roll up the carpets at 8 pm after dinner.  there are alot of activities and shows going on after late seating dinner.

[riffatsea]

Hi,I don't know what aqua class includes on Celebrity

 

I would suggest you price a full suite to enjoy all the benefits that they include on Princess

[jennybenny]

Important to note is that mini suites are just larger cabins. They don't have additional perks. Club Class minis will have some perks, and Suites without the word "mini" in get the full perks. There isn't a private dinging room, like Blu on Princess. Best you can do is Club Class dining, which is included in Club class mini and suites. 

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/products/staterooms/default-club-class.html

 

https://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/ships/products/staterooms/royal-class-suite.html

 

[memoak]

If you want any dining perks you would have to book at least a club class mini. That is basically a larger balcony cabin with sofa. A full suite gives you 2 basic areas (sleeping area and sitting area). Club class dining plus mini bar and other perks

 

[c-boy]

Matt you should hang out on these threads, that'll give you some idea of what Princess cruiser are like. 😉

 

  Any who I have cruised both lines, and I too love the coziness of Blu. Princess doesn't offer that particular feature, but that's only one bean in the whole can. The demographics can be different depending one the itinerary.  I have noticed the longer the cruise, the older the passengers. 

 

  Doing (🤞) T A this November, I'll assure you that there will be a large compliment of fifty plus passengers. Now once the Enchanted reaches her new digs that'll probably change. 

[dog]

I cruise on Celebrity and Princess. Aqua class Blu dining is very nice. Since you are getting a mini suite I suggest Club Class dining. 
I did this cruise from Copenhagen return to St Petersburg Russia, Tallin, Oslo etc. Wonderful on Princess. Used Red October ru. For 2 day tour. 

Edited January 31, 2021 by dog

[capriccio]

A similar question was posted at the end of December.  This thread will give you additional responses:

 

 

[Gist Ducky]

Aqua class on X is pretty darn nice. There is nothing really similar on Princess. One aspect of Aqua that is not spoken of much is the restriction of a maximum of two people per cabin.  This makes the Aqua class sections of X ships feel somewhat calm and tranquil. To my knowledge there is no equivalent to that on Princess. And also the food in Blu, not to mention the view from Blu on S class ships, is exquisite.

[skynight]

All information regarding dining and other activities was how it was pre-covid. Could change.

The above postings tell most of it. There are no special DR's on Princess ships. All mini suites have basically the same interiors, very little difference. Most have small 9ft. x 4ft. balconies. A few have larger balconies, mostly angled balconies. You can find these on the deck plans. Mini suites do not have full suite benefits. Classifications range. M1 & M6 minis are Club Class. Other mini suites range from Cat. MA to MF. Like I mentioned they all have basically the same interiors. The higher the second letter the better the location on the ship. Passengers in Club Class mini suites can dine in the Club Class section of one of the main DR's, probably Capri DR on deck 6 mid ship. Club Class Dining is anytime dining. Walk in anytime the DR is open and you will be seated fairly promptly. It's usually at a table for two unless you meet other Club Class diners on board that want to share a table. The menu is the same as the main DR except for one additional prepared item at dinner. Service is improved. Pre-covid DR's were open for breakfast and dinner each day and lunch on sea days. Other dining options include the World Market Place which was open from 6am until 11pm each day, never closing. International Cafe, walk up, open 24/7 serving cont. breakfast items, then paninis, desserts and other items all day and evening. No charge for food items. Specialty coffees, teas, hot chocolate, alcoholic beverages have a charge unless you have the Best Sale Ever package. Then there is no additional charge. Free coffee and tea is available all day and evening at the World Market Place. GiGi's Pizza should be open from 11am until late evening. Waiter served individual pizzas and other menu items. No charge. By the Lido Pool there is the Salty Dog Grill and Slice Pizza, open from 11am until late evening, no charge. Room Service pretty much 24/7, no charge, limited menu. There are also some upcharge specialty dining options, Bistro Sur La Mer, Crown Grill, Sabatini's, Salty Dog Gastro Pub (not to be confused with the no charge grill by the pool). Reservations recommended, although you might not need one for the Salty Dog. Sample menus can be found on line. Some Special dining experiences, Chef's Table, Wine Maker's Dinner and Balcony Dining are also available.

OBC. All OBC on Princess is stacked. If you are active or ex-military look up the Princess Military Benefit. If you own Carnival Corp. stock in any account look up Carnival Corp. Shareholder's Benefit.

No one has actually sailed on the Enchanted. It was delivered during the covid shutdown. It is a sister ship to earlier Royal Class ships with some nice improvements. 

[JF - retired RRT]

2 hours ago, skynight said:

GiGi's Pizza should be open from 11am until late evening. Waiter served individual pizzas and other menu items. No charge. 

 

Excellent breakdown of Princess life.

Any other ships calling it GiGi's rather than Alfredo's?

Edited January 31, 2021 by JF - retired RRT

[Steelers36]

IDK the cabin pricing differences, but a more intimate dining experience could be had by dining in Specialty Restaurants each night for a max of $58/couple and that might be less than paying for Club Class dining.

 

[dog]

28 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Excellent breakdown of Princess life.

Any other ships calling it GiGi's rather than Alfredo's?

On the Enchanted Princess it is called Alfredo’s, not GiGi’s. 

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

IDK the cabin pricing differences, but a more intimate dining experience could be had by dining in Specialty Restaurants each night for a max of $58/couple and that might be less than paying for Club Class dining.

 

You could work your way through the entire menu in one of the specialty restaurants on a 15 + day cruise.😋

[skynight]

2 hours ago, dog said:

On the Enchanted Princess it is called Alfredo’s, not GiGi’s. 

The Enchanted deck plans mention GiGi's. The Royal, Regal, Majestic & Sky call it Alfredo's.

 

2 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Excellent breakdown of Princess life.

Any other ships calling it GiGi's rather than Alfredo's?

Discovery deck plans mention GiGi's.

Edited January 31, 2021 by skynight

[skynight]

For the original poster, if you are not going to go for the Club Class you might consider booking a Deluxe Balcony Cat. cabin. Some of these have extra large balconies. They are a little smaller, but do have a two seat sofa.

[mtnesterz]

As capriccio mentioned, checking the Princess vs. Celebrity thread would be good info.  As far as cruisers, you would be on the lower end of average for cruiser age on Princess.  They are considered different classes of lines, but really they are very close for service and attract the same personalities. We have sailed mostly on these two lines, with a preference for smaller ships of Princess.  Well, those days are gone. Food slightly better on X, but less going on during the daytime in the way of hosted activities. Biggest difference we've noticed is disembarkation. On X it feels like they are handling it for the first time. Princess is always a well-oiled machine.

[Thrak]

3 hours ago, dog said:

On the Enchanted Princess it is called Alfredo’s, not GiGi’s. 

 

1 hour ago, skynight said:

The Enchanted deck plans mention GiGi's. The Royal, Regal, Majestic & Sky call it Alfredo's.

 

Discovery deck plans mention GiGi's.

 

 

Discovery Princess Deck Plan:

 

[nini]

To the OP-

Personally, we do not care for Celebrity; our recent experience on the Reflection

October 2018) was not as pleasant as we would have preferred, for MANY reasons.

We booked it for the itinerary.

That said, Princess feels like coming home for us, however, we do not book suites

as we book cabins with the larger balconies and loveseats.

 

As has been mentioned, there are the specialty restaurants which may work well for you

or book a suite. If you go to the Princess website and search out the deck plans for the Enchanted,

you will be able to differentiate between the various balcony sizes and find one that suits

a favorite location. As you will see, many balconies are only 4' deep. We are booked on the

Enchanted this September in two aft Dolphin balconies (traveling with sister and DH).

 

As has also been said, you may not care for HAL as yes, the sidewalks do roll up very early.

Even when it is normal hours, not a lot going on.

[dog]

4 hours ago, dog said:

On the Enchanted Princess it is called Alfredo’s, not GiGi’s. 

Sorry, 

just checked again and see that too. Both GiGi & Alfredos are mentioned in different places for Enchanted. 
alfredos under on-board experiences and GIs when you go to deck plans   

Edited January 31, 2021 by dog

[Thrak]

12 minutes ago, dog said:

 

just checked again and see that too. Both GiGi & Alfredos are mentioned in different places for Enchanted. 

 

I'm not trying to be difficult - I'm just trying to learn about the new ship. Please help me out here. I just went deck to deck and top to bottom looking at the deck plans again and can't find Alfredo's. Where is it?

[dog]

1 minute ago, Thrak said:

 

I'm not trying to be difficult - I'm just trying to learn about the new ship. Please help me out here. I just went deck to deck and top to bottom looking at the deck plans again and can't find Alfredo's. Where is it?

I went to book enchanted & link “ on-board experiences “ takes me to dining on enchanted. Lists Alfredos. & also Slice for pizza. 
there is a Gigi’s on the deck plan instead of an Alfredos. 
 

will just have to wait & see. No problem here. I am sorry. 

[dog]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

 

 

Discovery Princess Deck Plan:

 

Interesting. I googled enchanted Princess deck plans & see Alfredos not GiGis. 
maybe they have changed this for Enchanted. There is another thread on Enchanted addressing this 

[Thrak]

3 minutes ago, dog said:

Interesting. I googled enchanted Princess deck plans & see Alfredos not GiGis. 
maybe they have changed this for Enchanted. There is another thread on Enchanted addressing this 

 

I just use the deck plans on the Princess site.

[skynight]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

 

I'm not trying to be difficult - I'm just trying to learn about the new ship. Please help me out here. I just went deck to deck and top to bottom looking at the deck plans again and can't find Alfredo's. Where is it?

Deck 7 starboard side mid ship. Called Gigi's on the deck plan. Outdoor dining area was added. On the original deck plans handed out a few years ago the name was Alfredo's, but has since been changed. Alfredo's was named after long time head chef Alfredo Marzi, now retired. I guess Princess decided to name the pizza restaurant after someone else. We can only assume it is the same as Alfredo's, but no one really will know until the ship sails.