My family just booked a Spring '09 cruise on the Caribbean Princess. There will be three of us in the cabin. We were all set to book an aft cabin on the Dolphin deck since we heard about the great view and balcony size. But were then told by Princess that the twin beds could not be converted to a queen with the third person in the cabin. We were told that the only cabins still available that can do this were on the Riviera Deck. At the moment we are booked in R525, but we are worried about the noise from the above deck. And, because of the confusion between different Princess customer care employees and the TA (all giving us different information), we wanted to know if anyone has been in this cabin and if it can really be converted to a queen with an upper berth. It is still early enough to switch back to Dolphin 735. But I needed some advice before staying where we are booked or switching.

Thanks for any assistance.

well when i was on this ship just a few months ago i stayed on dolphin deck and they made the 2 lower beds together and as i recall some on that deck had upper births and some had bed couches. hope this helps!!

My biggest worry is about the foot traffic and noise from the Lido deck above our Riviera deck cabin. After talking to a Princess employee, she said that the aft cabin in the Dolphin deck was wonderful and whatever we do, not to get a cabin on the Riviera deck because all they get are complaints about the noise. Of course, now we have a Riviera cabin booked, and I am concerned that it was a bad pick. I do like that it is close to the pools, MUTS, buffets, especially since my teen will be heading there every day.

Has anyone stayed on the Riviera deck? Is it as bad as she warned?

After planning all this time, I want us to be happy once we get there.

Thanks again!

Well, I must say that I am very surprised that a Princess employee would tell you something like that--even if it were true. And after several years of reading reviews and posts on this and other forums, I have only heard noise mentioned a couple of times; and it usually had to do with being able to hear the pool activities while on the balcony. I would think the location would far outweigh whatever slight chance there was of noise from above.

But if you are really concerned about this, and you want to be absolutely sure you will have a queen bed and a Pullman or a sofa bed for a third person, I would suggest a mini-suite on Dolphin Deck.

My room was on the Riviera deck, it was in the 500s, don't remember the exact number. I had absolutely no problem with noise.

That makes me feel better about our cabin selection.

Thanks for the info!!

We are already booked in a BB cabin. But now I am considering upgrading to a mini suite. It would be a surprise for my DH's 50th b-day.

I was looking at a mini on Emerald. E730 and 731 are booked, but cabins just past both of those cabins are available (724-729). Any advantages for port vs. starboard? How bad is the noise from Club Fusion below on the port side?

Thanks again!

With three of you cruising, I think you will be much more comfortable in a mini-suite. And the Emerald Deck minis have the advantage of having the balconies covered; not that i've ever had a problem with the uncovered balconies on Dolphin Deck--but it does bother some people.

I wanted to book E731 but I too was concerned about noise from Club Fusion, so I did a lot of research--even talked to several who had been in that cabin--and nobody had any noise issues; so I have it booked for an upcoming cruise.

I wouldn't hesitate to book on either side; but if there is one available on starboard side, that would be my first choice.

Rick

I just spoke to my TA. The minis on Emerald are not part of her group rates. So, now I am looking at a Dolphin mini (forward AC cabin) or Caribe balcony cabin (BA, 500 area). Any suggestions? We like the size of the mini, but I am not sure if we want an uncovered balcony.

Can a BA cabin have the twins converted to a queen with a third person in the cabin?

I keep re-reading all these messages, and I get confused. Maybe I am suffering from info overload!

As I said, I have never had a problem with the uncovered balconies. Other passengers have always been very respectful of our privacy. And the uncovered balcony brings a lot more light into the cabin and gives it a more "open" and "airy" ambience.

On the other hand, the BA balconies on Caribe Deck are almost as large and are about half-covered, giving you some privacy. The trade-off of course is it is a smaller cabin; no sitting area or couch, less closet space and a smaller bathroom with no tub--just a very small shower. And on the deckplans I see 4 cabins in the 500 area of Caribe Deck that don't accomodate a 3rd person. All the rest can be made into a queen with a Pullman for the 3rd person.

But I really think you will be much more comfortable in a mini-suite. And I really think you will like the open balcony.

I agree with f-mattox that a family of three would be more comfortable in a mini-suite. I speak from experience... our son is a young teen. We were in a BA cabin on Diamond Princess (different ship, cabins pretty much the same) and it was tight as there was no sitting area. That huge balcony was wonderful, and became my refuge!

For our subsequent Princess booking, we selected a mini-suite. The cabin is much larger, still has the huge balcony, and would have given me much-needed privacy within the cabin.

I wouldn't be concerned about the uncovered balconies -- that's JMO, though. When we had our BA on Caribe Deck, we could see the mini-suite balconies below ONLY if we went to the rail and looked down. Everyone was respectful, for the most part.

quote:

Originally posted by ResearchLady:
My biggest worry is about the foot traffic and noise from the Lido deck above our Riviera deck cabin. After talking to a Princess employee, she said that the aft cabin in the Dolphin deck was wonderful and whatever we do, not to get a cabin on the Riviera deck because all they get are complaints about the noise. Of course, now we have a Riviera cabin booked, and I am concerned that it was a bad pick. I do like that it is close to the pools, MUTS, buffets, especially since my teen will be heading there every day.

Has anyone stayed on the Riviera deck? Is it as bad as she warned?

After planning all this time, I want us to be happy once we get there.

Thanks again!

We cruised on the Caribbean Princess in Sept 2006. About a week before the cruise we were upgraded from an outside on one of the lower decks to a balcony cabin on the Riviera deck. It was port side about half way from aft to mid-ship and we never heard any noise. It was a great location.
We are currently booked on the Emerald Princess for New Years, on the Riviera deck.

quote "...on the Riviera deck. It was port side about half way from aft to mid-ship and we never heard any noise. It was a great location."

That is great to hear. It does seem like a good location, being close to everything.

Thanks!