Questions for a first time Princess cruise

[brookmill18]

I'm helping my mom and a friend book a first time Princess cruise on a Regal Princess Ireland and Scotland cruise. My mom has done RCCL and Celebrity cruises.

 

How are the obstructed balcony rooms? I am familiar with partially obstructed balconies on ships like RCCL Anthem--are these similar? Are the balconies still pleasant to sit on? 

 

It looks as though you can't choose Cruise Package options (included drinks, wifi, gratuities, etc) unless you book a full balcony? I do not see these options for a partially obstructed or interior room. The cost diff btw Princess Standard and Plus looks to be about $600 total per person. Im thinking it would not make sense for my mom and her friend--they would buy wifi for probably one device, would pay the gratuities, but they would prob at most only have 2/3 drinks a day--am I correct in thinking that the Plus is not worth the up charge in that case?

 

Thank you--also looking for some reviews of British Isles cruises specifically--thank you!

[reedprincess]

47 minutes ago, brookmill18 said:

I'm helping my mom and a friend book a first time Princess cruise on a Regal Princess Ireland and Scotland cruise. My mom has done RCCL and Celebrity cruises.

 

How are the obstructed balcony rooms? I am familiar with partially obstructed balconies on ships like RCCL Anthem--are these similar? Are the balconies still pleasant to sit on? 

 

It looks as though you can't choose Cruise Package options (included drinks, wifi, gratuities, etc) unless you book a full balcony? I do not see these options for a partially obstructed or interior room. The cost diff btw Princess Standard and Plus looks to be about $600 total per person. Im thinking it would not make sense for my mom and her friend--they would buy wifi for probably one device, would pay the gratuities, but they would prob at most only have 2/3 drinks a day--am I correct in thinking that the Plus is not worth the up charge in that case?

 

Thank you--also looking for some reviews of British Isles cruises specifically--thank you!

Yes, Plus bundled fare can be purchased for any type of cabin, including interior or obstructed view. You may need to clear your browser history and start over..

 

Drinks run $9-12usd currently, by the time your mom sails this summer, they'll run $11-15usd. (Price hike expected after Feb 20 when the new packages take effect with the higher drink limit)

3 drinks a day basically covers the beverage portion of the Plus bundled fare, particularly if they throw in a specialty coffee or two or a couple bottles of water to take in excursions or have in cabin or such... 

 

Of course, everyone has to do the math for themselves. If they'll likely drink 2 drinks a day, basic cocktails at $10/11 dollars plus 18% gratuity, that's $23.68/26 dollars a day.  WiFi for one device is $15usd a day. This can be shared but that depends how much either will be using it . Gratuity $16usd pp per day.  Add it together, it comes in around $54-57 a day - which is $3 short if the Plus bundled fare daily - if they have one bottle of water, they're at the cost if the bundled Plus fare, and don't have to worry about the cost if every drink, or whatnot.

 

Something to consider - they'll have to do the math for themselves..

 

Either way, yes - Plus or Premier fares are available on every cabin type.. 

 

 

[azbirdmom]

I haven't been in an unobstructed balcony so I can't comment on that.  As for Princess Plus there isn't a requirement about booking a certain category to buy it.  There can sometimes be discounted fare promotions that don't allow you to purchase it at the time of booking though.  But usually you can add it separately within the Cruise Personalizer (meaning when you've logged into your cruise on the Princess website).  Or a TA or Princess should be able to add it, in fact they can sometimes add it at the time of booking if there's a glitch in the Princess consumer booking process (frequently happens on Princess!).

 

As for value, Princess Plus is $60 per person per day.  Gratuities and Wifi account for a good amount of that as you've already figured out.  In addition to alcohol drinks, it also includes unlimited water bottles, specialty coffees, smoothies, and a juice bar (although none of us really knows what this will be just yet since it's so new).  There's also a couple of new add-ons - specialty desserts, a couple of exercise classes, and the mailing of the Medallion to your home pre-cruise so you don't have to pick it up at the time of boarding.  If any of that would be of interest to your mom it might be worth buying the package.

Edited January 24, 2023 by azbirdmom

[memoak]

The plus package decision really comes down to how many drinks, sodas, waters and specialty coffees they will have. For us it is a no brainer but if they won’t use many drinks it may be better to go ala carte   Also take into consideration that in a cruise atmosphere they may have more drinks than they might at home

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

  Also take into consideration that in a cruise atmosphere they may have more drinks than they might at home

And of course the additional fact that in a cruise atmosphere we are ALL likely to do A LOT of things we might not normally do! 😄

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

And of course the additional fact that in a cruise atmosphere we are ALL likely to do A LOT of things we might not normally do! 😄

Amen. I used to have a t shirt that said “What happens on a cruise didn’t happen”

[damiross]

6 hours ago, brookmill18 said:

How are the obstructed balcony rooms? 

Try this for obstructed views.  Often, the view isn't really obstructed. Obstructed Views on Royal

Edited January 24, 2023 by damiross

[candy4040]

If the cruise is port intensive you may want to reconsider buying the package.  Also, depending on the time of year they may not be spending much time on the balcony.  Another thing to consider is booking the obstructed balcony and then putting in a bid for the upgrade.

[BamaVol]

Try the cabin reviews thread here or search YouTube.  You might get photos or a video of a typical obstructed view balcony cabin.  I have an obstructed ocean view booked for our next on the Caribbean Princess.  The review of that particular cabin here put my mind at ease. My wife just wants some sunlight. I found one between the lifeboats that offers a little more than that.

[nini]

I can comment on a British Isles cruise. We did this in May of 2022. This was on our bucket list due to our heritage. We absolutely loved it! However, the Emerald is not our favorite Princess ship. We both had the Princess Plus package which worked very well for us. When you add up the costs for gratuities, internet, beverages including coffee drinks and not cocoa and wine... It was a good deal. We always tipped a few dollars in cash for room service anyway.

The ports were fantastic and we loved each one.

[brookmill18]

Thank you all so much! I think they are going to buy the package esp for coffees and juice bar.

 

One last thing--they may try to get a bigger room but I see that it has a tub and not a shower. They are both older and have some limited mobility--happy to see the tub has a bar in it--anyone know if it's basically the same height as a US tub? I know to be careful in Europe when some tubs are very deep--just wondering if this one is more standard. Looks a lot nicer than the shower but just want to be sure how high you need to step to get in.

[azbirdmom]

14 minutes ago, brookmill18 said:

Thank you all so much! I think they are going to buy the package esp for coffees and juice bar.

 

One last thing--they may try to get a bigger room but I see that it has a tub and not a shower. They are both older and have some limited mobility--happy to see the tub has a bar in it--anyone know if it's basically the same height as a US tub? I know to be careful in Europe when some tubs are very deep--just wondering if this one is more standard. Looks a lot nicer than the shower but just want to be sure how high you need to step to get in.

 

If they get a mini suite, the tubs are either the same height or slightly lower than the standard US tubs.  It is nice to have the extra room to shower and there's extra room in the cabin for a full size sofa as well as an extra TV.

[azbirdmom]

Found a picture of the mini suite bathroom if it helps

 

[Wishing on a star]

Yes, you can book any type of cabin with the Package.

If the system is not automatically showing that when you are looking, it might be a bit 'wonky'.

 

If they do the Mini-Suite, yes they will have a tub,  which to many is a lot better than the tiny shower with the 'friendly' (clingy) shower curtain.  I don't have an issue with the shower curtain being clingy, but just for info, if you wet the shower curtain down first, and it is not dry, it will be wet and hang better and not be clingy.

You might want to look for availability of a Mini that is on the mid-ship bump-out with the angled and larger balcony.   The regular balconies on these Royal Class ships are small !

If they opt for an obstructed balcony, or Deluxe Balcony, for a bit more room, then you will find these on Emerald Deck (8).

Again, the mid-ship so-called obstructed balconies are not really obstructed by any lifeboats or anything.  They also can have the angled larger balconies on the mid-ship bump-out.   It is just that the open public deck area is just below.  So, look at those.

We have booked these, and they are great!

Here are two caveats.

With the mid-ship Minisuite, you might want to avoid the two upper decks which have the SeaWalk overhanging just above.   On the Starboard side, these balconies are very open and visible to people on the Sea Walk.   And, on either Port or Starboard, that big overhang can feel like it is blocking your sunshine and view.

With the mid-ship balcony or deluxe balcony, on Deck 8,  note that on the Port side, there is Crooner's bar and entertainment area just below, and some report that sound/noise can be an issue.

Happy Cruising!

Edited January 25, 2023 by Wishing on a star

[cr8tiv1]

I bring VERY large binder clips to add weight to the shower curtain.  It will also keep the curtain inside the shower.

 

For those having problems with a tub, I suggest that you request a shower stool.  It may make it easier to get in and out of the tub.  You can find that on the medallion app under 

My Preferences

Accessibility

Shower Stool