Princess Cruises – Enchanted Princess balcony cabin review (+ photos)

Discover what it is like to cruise with Princess Cruises in a balcony cabin on Enchanted Princess

I’ve wanted to cruise with Princess for a while so when they announced Enchanted Princess would be sailing out of Southampton in the summer of 2022, it seemed an opportunity too good to miss.

I choose a four-night sampler cruise. I thought this would enable me to see what Princess had to offer without committing to a longer duration or more expensive cruise. Departing from Southampton, the itinerary was Rotterdam and Guernsey with a sea day in between.

When I booked the only deal available was a standard balcony cabin with the Princess Plus package. I don’t usually take the drinks packages as I don’t drink enough to make it worthwhile. However, as this was such a good deal – and came with wifi and crew appreciation included – I thought it was worth trying it out.

Here I share my experience of staying in one of the Enchanted Princess balcony cabins and information on what you can expect if you are considering booking one for your cruise. I’ve also shared a few Enchanted Princess cabin photos so you can see what the room looks like.

A little bit about cabins on Enchanted Princess

Enchanted Princess has over 1800 cabins. The majority of these are balcony cabins and come in a couple of different flavours. Standard, deluxe, mini-suites and full suites.

The main differences are the size of the cabin and balcony. Suites come with an enhanced level of service and extra benefits such as priority embarkation and exclusive dining areas.

Enchanted Princess Balcony Cabins

Before taking this cruise, I had heard that Princess Cruises cabins were very nice so I was looking forward to trying them out. I’m often a solo traveller and this was the first time I had shared with a friend. So as well as trying a new cruise line, I was interested to see how different I might find it sharing a cabin.

My friend and I were allocated cabin A116 on deck 12, the Aloha deck. It was located towards the front of the ship. Close enough to get a wave from the crew on the bridge but a little walk from some of the facilities. That said, it was still pretty easy to navigate around the ship from there.

Instead of a cruise card, Princess has joined the wearable tech revolution. Before boarding, you are given a Princess Medallion, a device the size of a two-pound coin which is your key to everything onboard.

It comes with a free lanyard, however, you can personalise how you wear it with accessories available for purchase such as bracelets and pendants.

You use this medallion to order food and drinks to wherever you are on the ship, pay for services, view deck plans, check out the daily schedule onboard and even track down your travel companions.

Perhaps the most useful aspect of it is that it automatically unlocks your door as you approach your cabin. I gotta say it’s a little spooky at first but you soon get used to it.

Related post | Looking for Enchanted Princess reviews? Read what a Northern Europe cruise with Princess Cruises is like.

Cabin layout

Standard balcony cabins on Enchanted Princess range in size from 214 sq ft to 222 sq ft and can be set up with a double bed or two singles. As I was travelling with a friend, we had a twin bed configuration.

Immediately, entering the cabin I was struck by how light and airy it was. The decor feels very fresh and contemporary. It still had bit of a new feel to it.

The beds seemed quite narrow compared to single beds on other cruise lines but they were super comfortable. Honestly, don’t know where cruise lines get their beds from but I’ve not had a bad one yet. There is definitely a potential sales sideline there.

Beside each bed is a unit with a drawer and shelf. Each unit also had a lamp on top with a USB port on the base. I charged my iPhone here a few times and it worked fine.

Between the bed and balcony there was a dressing table with a mirror and light above. In one of the dressing tables drawers was a hairdryer. It was one of those ones that are attached to and powered via the drawer so not particularly powerful but I found it fine to use.

Opposite the dressing table was a small unit with a built-in fridge. The fridge was small but could comfortably fit a few bottles or cans in. As someone who loves a cup, one of the most important questions for me before boarding was do Princess Cruises have kettles in the cabins?

Thankfully, the answer was yes. On top of the unit was a kettle and plenty of tea bags and coffee sachets. I think the kettles may only be in cabins on UK sailings. Guess Princess knows us Brits love a cuppa in the morning!

Overall the cabin was well designed and felt quite spacious. I was pleasantly surprised at how much space we had. It didn’t feel cramped at all.

2024 Update – even now a few years later I still feel it was one of the nicest cruise cabins I have stayed in.

Cabin storage

As you enter the cabin, there is a large walk-in closet immediately to the left. This consisted of long clothes rail with a shelf above and plenty of floor space for shoes etc. The life jackets were stored on the shelf but there was still plenty of storage space if required.

After previous cabin reviews, I’ve been asked how many hangers there were. So I always make a note to count now. 41 here on Enchanted Princess. So, a lot of hanging space. Extra hangers can be provided by your cabin steward if necessary.

At the end of the clothes rail, there is a tall narrow cupboard with six shelves. One of which is taken up by a safe. This was the standard size you seem to get on cruise ships. I could just about fit my 12″ MacBook in there.

Cabin bathroom

The bathroom was small, one of the smallest I’ve seen in a cruise cabin so far. There isn’t much room to move around once you step inside but it is perfectly functional.

The shower was a reasonable size and fairly powerful although it had a shower curtain rather than a screen. There was more than enough storage space for both of our toiletries with some shelves next to and underneath the sink.

Hand soap, shower gel and a combined shampoo and conditioner were provided. As were plenty of towels each.

Overall it did the job but it did feel surprising dated for a new modern ship.

Enchanted Princess Balcony

The balcony was a reasonable size, with just enough space for two chairs and a table. It was fine for sitting out enjoying the view with a cuppa or drink. It wasn’t overlooked at all and felt quite private.

Things to know when cruising on Enchanted Princes

Amenities included in Enchanted Princess cabin

The cabins on Enchanted Princess are well stocked with everything you need to have a great cruise. This includes

• a fridge
• a hairdryer
• a Kettle (with teabags, coffee sachets, sugar and sweetener)
• a safe
• a dressing table
• USB ports

Do Enchanted Princess cabins include a kettle?

Thankfully, yes they do.

There is nothing quite like a morning cuppa on your balcony. Depending on where your cabin is located it might not be too far to grab a drink from the International Cafe or World Fresh Marketplace. However, it does make it a little easier having the option to make a tea or coffee yourself in your cabin.

Plenty of tea bags, coffee sachets, sugar and sweeteners are provided. Milk is in sachets so if you prefer fresh milk either order some from room service or bring a little jug or cup you can fill up from the buffet and store in the fridge. I did this and it worked well.

The Last Word

This Enchanted Princess balcony cabin was one of the nicest and most comfortable cabins I’ve stayed in so far on a cruise.

While it was small and compact, it was well designed and felt quite spacious for a cruise cabin. There seemed to be plenty of storage for two people. As it was only a four-night trip we didn’t have too much stuff but even for a week or two, I think it would be more than enough.

There was no sofa in this room but it wasn’t needed. For me least, they usually become somewhere to dump stuff rather than sit on so I didn’t really miss it.

The only slight downside is the bathroom doesn’t feel very modern compared to the rest of the cabin. However, that being the only downside I can really think of perhaps shows what a good job Princess has done with these standard cabins.

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