Golden Princess - Cabins selection - Alaska 2007

[relo854]

Looking for a cabin with the least amount of movement (worried about getting seasic!!). Also not too worried about convenience/walking....are looking for a cabin in a quite area. The cabins available are Baja 11 - cabins B745.....looking at the book....what is on the corner between this cabin and B751....is that a public balcony....part of cabin B751? B705....how are cabins so close to an elevator? Alohoa 12 cabin A608....close to self laundry?.....because it is under the Lido deck...is there a good possibility that we will hear noise from above? This is our first cruise so we'd appreciate any comment.....thanks in advance!!

[NancyIL]

If you get seasick, then you want to be lower and midship.

 

I wouldn't want to be under the Lido deck. The Aloha A608 cabin is underneath the Horizon food court, so you could be hearing foot traffic all day long.

 

Looking at the photo and deck plans of the Golden Princess, I don't think those are balconies in the aft corners. There's a solid wall sticking up at the back of the ship, and the shaded areas in the back corners start on the Emerald deck and go through the Aloha deck. If you are in cabin B745, I think your view towards the back of the ship will be partially blocked by the wall.

 

I've asked about elevator noise on ships. Your cabin is across from where people wait for the elevators or take the stairs. The noise level will depend a lot on how loud the passengers are when using the elevators and stairs.

[Budget Queen]

You have picked the roughest itinerary sailing Alaska, so with your seasick concern, I strongly suggest you consult your health care professional for prevention advice. You have 2 open ocean sea days to worry about and usually one will have rough sailing.

[relo854]

Sometimes the travel agent DOESN"T know best!!! She knew this was our first cruise and knew about all our concerns!!

 

She told me that with this particular cruise, we shouldn't encounter rough seas. She said this is an Inside Passge cruise which doen't really have too much open sea cruising!!

 

I questioned what that was next to the last cabin....she said it was nothing to be concerned about....never mentioned it might block our view (after all.....a balcony cabin is quite a bit more expensive than an inside one and we want the most/best view(s)).

 

She said by being in the last cabin, I should not experience seasickness.

 

She knew we were concerned about noise and didn't say one word about being under the Lido deck and the buffett restaurant.

 

Our decision to go on an Alaskan cruise was....all of a sudden....we contacted a travel agent (who we have used once before for another vacation). I did research on this forum and talked with people who cruise often. After about 2 weeks of reasearch etc. we booked the cruise. We trusted the TA and found there was VERY limited cabin availability. After really taking a look at the room location, we cancelled it the next day. We felt that this TA only wanted to get her commission. We decided to go on the cruise in the early 2009 season. I now have plenty of time to my own research, hopefully we will have more of a choice on cabin selection and sounds like I need to try a differant travel agent!!

[NancyIL]

Cruiselines call roundtrip cruises "Inside Passage" to differentiate them from one-way "Gulf of Alaska" cruises. All sail at least part of the time in the Inside Passage, because that's where the ports are. Almost all roundtrip cruises that leave from Seattle travel west of Vancouver Island, and that's where you get the open-ocean sailing. If you leave from Vancouver, you'll travel east of Vancouver Island, although you still might encounter some rough water - especially if you cross the Gulf of Alaska on a one-way cruise.

 

For a first cruise, I would choose a ship that goes to either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. Princess has a great itinerary on their one-way cruises, but their roundtrips from Seattle go to Tracy Arm Fjord. Take a look at Holland America's roundtrips from Vancouver. If you have more than a week for your vacation, I highly recommend doing a one-way cruise plus a land trip before or after in Alaska. We did an independent land trip with a rental car for 8 days after our northbound Coral Princess cruise last June, and it was wonderful.

 

There are generally only 4 kinds of cabins: inside, outside with window/porthole, outside with balcony, and suite. You usually pay more for cabins on higher decks. I always look at what is above and below my deck, as well as what's nearby (elevators, stairs, crew areas). I wouldn't want to have a cabin above or below the casino, theater, lounge where music is playing, or under a dining room or pool area. When possible, I try to book a cabin on a deck that is between other passenger decks. Any time your cabin is next to a bumped-out area, as on the back of the Golden Princess, your view will be partially blocked by the obstruction - even if it's just someone else's balcony.

 

Alaska cruise itineraries don't change a whole lot from year to year, even though a cruiseline might move its ships around. Take a good look at the itineraries for the 2008 Alaska season. By the the time the 2009 cruises are available to be booked next spring, you should have a very good idea of which itinerary you want. Then it's just a matter of choosing the ship that goes where you want to cruise.

[relo854]

So I know what to look for .... what is a "bumped out area" ... how can i tell one when looking at the deck plan in the Princess book? Thank you

[NancyIL]

So I know what to look for .... what is a "bumped out area" ... how can i tell one when looking at the deck plan in the Princess book? Thank you

 

 

Looking at the deck plans, the Coral and Island Princess have wider areas in the center of the Caribe, Baja, and Aloha decks, as well as on the front and back of those decks. If you're in a cabin next to the "bumped out" area (cabin C415 - Caribe deck) and you are on your balcony, the cabin to your right (C417) will partially block your view towards the back of the ship. There's a web site for choosing balcony cabins on those two ships: http://mysite.verizon.net/res76zxu/princessbalconies/index.html

[cjnky]

BUT if you are on the front or back of the bump-out areas, you get unbelievable views! We were in C416 on the Coral, and spent LOTS of time on our balcony!

[relo854]

Nancy...is there a website that shows the balconys or the Golden and Star Princess..I will probably go on one of those ships...thanks

[NancyIL]

I'm not aware of a similar site for the Golden/Star Princess. I thought you might be reconsidering your decision to cruise out of Seattle due to seasickness.

[mii]

Nancy...is there a website that shows the balconys or the Golden and Star Princess..I will probably go on one of those ships...thanks

 

To add what NancyIL mentioned about the site that she gave you in regards to the Coral/Island. That was done about 3 years ago by a cruise critic member named TomO. He did such a fabulous job and I have lost count on how many times I have referred that site to people. Unfortunately there is no web site that has done the other ships like Tom did. That was a tremendous job he did and it took alot of time. Kudo's to Tom for doing that for us.

 

Marilyn

[Brennivan]

I just booked the Golden for May 17th. All the Minisuites are the same price at this time. Booked an AE and TA gave me AA on Dolphin. Midship and pretty low. SWEET!

[jacksan1]

I just booked the Golden for May 17th. All the Minisuites are the same price at this time. Booked an AE and TA gave me AA on Dolphin. Midship and pretty low. SWEET!

 

To me, though going from AE to AA is actually a downgrade, since that would mean losing the cover above the head. AE, on the Emerald Deck, has fully-covered balconies, whereas AA is fully exposed. That is why I always put a "no upgrade" flag on my reservation when I take AE.