Princess cruise for 1st timers?

Thinking about taking a Princess cruise sometime next year to the caribbean,maybe on the Grand. Have never cruised before but after taking a trip to St.Thomas and looking at all the great ships plus reading this website for quite a while we're considering it. We're in our early 30s but mostly like to relax,not party too much. We'd definitely want a balcony. When we travel we've usually rented houses at the beach and on St.Thomas because we tend to like our privacy but we'd like to try something new. Do you think this cruise would be for us? Will we feel too crowded or pushed to join in with all the activities? Thanks for any feedback.

[pamda]

Hi, Suzen ...

You can do as much or as little as you want on a cruise ship. That's the beauty of it.

You are certainly "balcony people".

My only question is whether you want to be on a mega-ship or something smaller?

Let me know if I can help with anything else.

pamda -- CruiseMates First-Time Cruises Editor

[CruiseAholic]

I certainly think that a Grand class ship would be a great first cruise. Have sailed on the Grand 3 times and love her, although, my heart still belongs to a slightly smaller ship.

The Grand offers many options, make sure you hit the disco and if you get a balcony, get a port side balcony, sail away from Fort Lauderdale with the condo show is a treat!

[Donna]

Hi Suzen,
Cruisemates!

You may want to also take a look at the Princess "Sun" class ships, Sun, Sea, Dawn and Ocean, they all have some nice itinaries and yes, I'd say get a balcony cabin, they are the best for cruising.

Feel free to post any more questions you may have, I'm sure someone will have an answer for you.

Once you find a ship thats just right for you, try posting on the "bargain finder" here, just type in all the important ship info, dates, ship, # of passengers, etc. and travel agents will e-mail you with what they have available and at what price, its fast and easy:

<http://www.cruisemates.com/findcruise/index.cfm>

Donna
Tuesday Chat Host

[norm]

Suzen,

I think that Princess is a great choice for a first-time cruiser -- and also for repeaters. On my last cruise, I met a couple who were on their 206th cruise with Princess! They now spend over 200 days per year cruising aboard MV Royal Princess.

MV Grand Princess certainly is a beautiful ship, but let me "second" Donna's recommendation to check out Princess's four sisters -- MV Sun Princess, MV Dawn Princess, MV Sea Princess, and MV Ocean Princess. These ships have great itineraries and more "choices" than any person could want, and they seem to have a bit more "polish" in their design and it's the little "extra" that seems to make the difference between a nice cruise into one that's beyond compare..

Norm.