cat. 8 or 9 better?? stateroom 2554

[cadburysmom]

HI,
We just returned from a Magical 7nt cruise and were in stateroom 2554, cat. 9. We loved the stateroom but found it to be a little noisy at night, with sounds of rolling carts. etc.... Are there other cabins in cat. 9 that are less noisy and also are cat. 8 cabins more expensive due to less noise rather than the actual size of the cabin?

We are about to book another 7 nt cruise and are trying to decide whether it is actually worth it to get a cat. 8 cabin at a higher price when there might be less noisy cat. 9 cabins at a lower price for the same size.

And also, the cat. 8 cabins look like they are far forward on the ship and I wondered if anyone has had trouble with more rocking than in other parts of the ship.

Thanks in advance for your input!

NC mom:confused:

[Dave_from_Marietta]

The Category 8 is exactly the same as the Category 9 except for its location onboard. I can't tell you whether the 8 is <i>appreciably</i> quieter than the 9. I supposed it might be.

As for rocking... the ship is the length of three football fields. With something that long, you're not going to have any noticeable forward-to-back motion. Just side-to-side. So there isn't any particular benefit (IMO) to being midships over extreme forward or aft.

[Parrotheader]

The general gist we got from reading these boards and other sites was that the main difference is just the location (i.e., cat. 8 is higher up and closer to the front.) I'd seen a few people who had complained about noise in the cat. 9's due to the night clubs overhead, etc. Plus, I kind of liked the idea of being a bit higher up with a slightly better view and being more centrally located to the main decks. My wife and I are young and will probably just use stairs instead of waiting for an elevator. Being higher up will save a little on stair climbing. The price difference for our cruise was about $100-150 I think. It later increased to about $300 as the cruise started to fill up. Glad I booked it when we did.

[inkkognito]

Although Cat. 8s are in a better location, I would personally tryfor a Cat. 10 secret porthole room first. Deck 5 is a good location with virtually no potential for noise overhead unless you are under the Elephant Family.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.*****************

[cadburysmom]

Thanks for all your input. I was wondering about those secret porthole cabins on deck 5. What exactly does that mean? Is it a partial view or do you get the big 4 ft round window?

I've heard them mentioned on this board but yet never quite understood. I'd love to know more so please fill me in!!

Thanks,
Mom from NC

[Dave_from_Marietta]

You can get the perfect explanation (complete with photos) of the Secret Porthole Rooms at Barb's site (www.*****************).