Thanks to all of you who have answered my cruise questions. My mom (77) and I (46) are planning to cruise on Carnival Legend out of Tampa to the Western Caribbean. I am getting ready to book our room
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Cat:Tips Tools and DealsForum:0EE709C0Discussion:bda773ec-310f-477d-9ba5-b9a017803922
Thanks to all of you who have answered my cruise questions. My mom (77) and I (46) are planning to cruise on Carnival Legend out of Tampa to the Western Caribbean. I am getting ready to book our room and my latest question is: Which room should I book? My mom wants to keep costs down, but prefers an oceanview. After speaking with a travel agent and a Carnival rep, I am thinking that the Oceanviews which are first deck, front of ship might not be our best option.
My question is: Does it really matter where our room is located? (I have sailed once on Disney and we had an interior room with no window and it was fine because we didn't spend a lot of time in the room). Should I spring for a balcony and just pay the difference between the Oceanview/Interior price and the balcony price? Should I book an interior room midship on a higher level? Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions!
The most stable portion of a ship is in the center. This is the part that moves the least (when compared with the bow and stern).
An interior room is fine if you're not prone to being seasick. I enjoy a balcony in the morning when I get up (to watch sunrise) or in the evening (for sunset), so usually I'm willing to spring for this, especially when the weather is nice like it will be in the Caribbean. I'm not sure how able bodied your 77 year old mother is. If she's got limited mobility a balcony will let her enjoy the trip so much more than she would otherwise be able to.
There is no right or wrong decision. Just a matter of your priorities and deciding whether the upgrades are worth the money to you.
Check what is above and below the cabin you are looking for. all of the deck 1 cabins have the noise of the promanade deck above them. I personally book inside cabins as you are asleep or doing activies, and seldom spend time looking out a window. And you DO NOT want the front or back of the ship. http://www.seascanner.com/deckplan.php?schiff=Carnival+Legend
That depends on your mother and you. I would never cruise in an inside cabin, because I feel bad in a place with no windows. I usually cruise in balcony staterooms but could do it in an oceanview.
I've been on 21 cruises - have had several inside rooms, several oceanviews, and 2 balconies. I would choose the inside any time. You can go on almost 2 "inside" cruises for the price of a balcony. Most of the time spent in your room is to sleep and change clothes. Why pay a big price difference? I've been in the very front room twice both with windows and one of them overlooking the bow. It was wonderful!! The newer ships are so stable it really doesn't matter where your room is. We prefer decck 1 of the passenger decks for a couple reasons. If your room has a window the view just above the water is wonderful. You'll have a lot less people walking down your hall to get somewhere else. And you absolutely do NOT hear the noise from the promenade deck abouve you!!!
I got an upgrade to a balcony on the Queen Mary and I hardly used it. I prefer sitting outside with other people. I agree get an inexpensive outside cabin...Obstructed view is fine as long as you have some light. A balcony costs a lot more and is only worth it if you want to be alone sitting on a balcony.
With me it all depends on how much time i plan on spending in the cabin and how much time the ship spends in port. If you going ashore first thing in morning and ship sails at sunset, you probably wont use the balcony much, other than days at sea.
However a balcony is good if you want to get away for some quiet time during the day. I do recommend an outside cabin as inside may feel claustrophobic.
My wife and I have done 25 cruises on several cruise lines and a balcony cabin is all we will book. It is so nice to get away from it all on your balcony with a cup of coffee and a roll in the morn. or late night drink before bed.
We've done several cruises, and have done both ocean-view and balcony. (I don't do interior because I'm claustrophobic; otherwise, I would, because you're never in the room anyway!!)
Having a balcony presents both pros and cons. Pros: Having the extra light from the glass door was nice. And with that door open and the one to the hallway, the room could get some much-needed fresh air flow.
Cons: Balconies, unless you rent the penthouses, are very small, as in 2 lawn chairs and a SMALL table are very crowded. They also limit how the bed in the room can be configured. We could NOT use the balcony while the ship was moving, because there was so much noise and wind it was very unpleasant, not to mention cold (and this was Mexico!). And most of the mornings when we used it, we were subjected to second-hand smoke from smokers sitting on their own balconies. So while I enjoyed sitting on it while having my breakfast, that half an hour every day felt very costly at the upgraded balcony price! For 7 days, we used it about 4 hours total; the question would be whether you consider the amount of time you would actually sit on it worth the cost per hour. If it costs $400 more for a balcony and you use it for just 4 hours... you're paying $100 an hour to get a view you can get from any of the decks for FREE.
My advice, therefore, is to get a room, either interior or window-view, very close to an outside door to a deck, and use the deck as your balcony. When you search the ships online, you can usually find which areas will be less crowded. We found a room next to a small deck near the rear of the ship that we never saw anybody else on; it was like having a huge deck for the cost of a window room.
(And if you fear seasickness, I highly suggest the behind-the-ear patches for that. I suffer from extreme motion sickness, and they work wonders for me! On one cruise where the seas were so rough even seasoned cruisers were getting sick, I was nearly the only one enjoying it all.)
Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise. It's a lovely way to travel and relax.
I have done a lot of cruises. A balcony is always my choice. Once we had a super-luxury one, but it was not really necessary because "just a balcony" cabin is the nicest. Treat your Mother to one.
We just did our 19th cruise. The one time we booked a balcony because DH wanted it, I was the one who used it. We always do inside as it is the cheapest and we have money for other things. Also, don't book w/ Carnival; book through Vacationstogo.com. Cruiselines tend to give you the highest price and usually do not like to deal w/ customers after booking. You may also be eligible for special discounts (past cruisers, over 55, Fla. residents). Also, check out the ship (Legend?) on cruisecritics.com for reviews/tips. Please let us know how the cruise was (I am from Tampa area & thinking of taking the Legend in the future)! Oops, lost track of question. We like mid-ship higher up. Checkout the room layout on VTG to make sure your Mom is not walking too far to the elevator. And, make sure your not below or above a venue for noise. That can get tiresome! Have a great time!
I've booked cruises on both inside & balcony categories. The balcony is definitely a worthwhile financial addition if you're planing a cruise in warmer climates, and will be cruising more than island/city hopping. If the cruising aspect of the trip mainly takes place at night, a balcony isn't necessary. Since the inside cabins have no natural light, they can be a bit despressing & you'll find yourself seeking outside light - which isn't so bad since you're on a cruise & there's a lot to do and see and places to hang out in.
I have not read everyone's answer, but I have done all 3 (inner/window/balcony) state rooms. This is what I found. If you are planning on being "out/outside" of your room a lot, then a balcony is what you want. If you are not going to be in your room much, than I would do the window or inner room. I have found the window to be just as nice as a balcony.
We had a balcony once, and only used it when the ship was pulling out of ports. I like the interior rooms- I sleep a lot better without the sun coming in in the morning. You can never completely block out the light. Center of the ship is good. I was on one where we were near the front and hit some rough seas. The waves slapped against the front of the ship so badly it sounded like a cannon going off! But that was Norwegian in January- you're unlikely to run into seas like that. For all the people who are assuming that a 77 year old woman can't walk, I say Pfhhhhhhhh (that's a Bronx cheer)! My 96 year old mother still gets around fine, and is very proud that she can still go up and down stairs.
I have had every type of stateroom available. From inside to promenade view to obstructed ocean view, ocean view and balcony. The balcony is wonderful, especially in warm climates like the Caribbean or scenic areas like Europe. Even in Alaska, when you get cold you can just pop back into your cabin for a few minutes to warm up. There is nothing like having your own private area of the ship to yourselves. People will say you never spend any time in your stateroom but I always spend a lot of time. In the morning we would have our coffee and/or breakfast out there. While every afternoon/evening we would spend a few hours with wine or cocktails before dinner on our private balcony. You shouldn't have to worry about second-hand smoke any more as many of the cruise lines have banned smoking on the balconies. On days at sea, I will sometimes spend half the day on my balcony reading or dozing in the sun. Its quiet and soothing. I also like that I can leave the outside light on the balcony as I don't like pitch black rooms at night. In an inside I have had to bring a nightlight. Spring for the balcony, you won't regret it. Regards, Susan
Lots of opinions here. We just finished 2 back to back cruises on different ships. Had a balcony on one (Celebrity Solstice) and an "obstructed" oceanview on the other (Ruby Princess). We only used the balcony for 1 breakfast and were not in our cabin enough to merit the extra cost. Won't do it again. The "obstructed oceanview" was really truly that. Couldn't see ANYTHING as there was a lifeboat directly outside the window. This has happened to us before on Holland as well. Be aware that all the Carnival Corp cruise lines have ships with totally obstructed views. Do not expect to see the ocean at all if it says obstructed. RCL ships, including Celebrity, are not built that way, so you have a view even from an "obstructed" oceanview or balcony.
I would suggest you stay away from Carnival for your 77 year old mother. It's raucous, noisy and full of 20-somethings partying. We won't do Carnival ever again.
We ended up booking an interior room on NCL. (Please, no horror stories!) I will be happy to report back after we cruise. I am so excited to have this opportunity to spend time with my mom on this trip. I do appreciate everyone's response to my query. Thanks so much.
