Going with an Inside Stateroom when you're used to verandahs...

[moviegirl11]

Hi. I'm trying to figure out if I can afford to do another Land/Sea. I was actually planning on just trying to do a regular WDW trip but after doing land/sea last time I'm afraid I might need the cruise to look forward to post-disney world. It made such a huge difference on my last trip with DH to WDW, having the cruise to look forward to an ease the sadness as we left WDW.

Anyway, since money's tight and I'm not even sure I can afford to do this at all, if I did, DH and I (no kids and we're both in our 30's) would probably stay at a moderate resort at WDW and get an inside stateroom for the cruise. I've been on 2 cruises in my life. One DCL and the other RCCL. Both times we had verandah rooms. I've heard people say it doesn't matter what the room is like because you're never in the room. We were in the room. The best part of the cruise last time was unwinding after a few days at the parks. We lounged. We ate. We saw movies and we fell asleep out on the decks in the middle of the day because that's what we felt like doing. One of the things I truly loved was waking up to the sight of the Caribbean outside and sitting out on the verandah to eat breakfast. We didnt spend a ton of time out there but I liked having it.

So my question is, is it going to be a huge disappointment if we go with an inside stateroom? I was thinking we could do a cat 11 on deck 7 (isn't there a hidden deck on that one?).

Has anyone who was used to verandah rooms stayed in an inside stateroom and wished they'd shelled out the extra money (guestimating, from a cat-11 to a cat 7 it's something like $700-800 more) for the verandah?

[kcashner]

We've stayed in cabins with verandahs and inside cabins. My logic is that any cabin on the ship is a good one...and I vote for longer cruises or more cruises in lower cabins rather than fancier cabins. We've been able to upgrade at the port a couple of times.....Will you miss your balcony--absolutely. Can you be happy without it? That's up to you. If you spend the time thinking how nice it was to have the balcony, it will ruin this trip. If you take this as a new adventure, it will be great.

If you don't care where you stay on the ship, consider booking a cat 12 gty. That will save you several hundred dollars and you have a great chance of getting a "pixie dust" upgrade! Look at booking your land portion and sea portion separately--depending on dates and deals, this can also save serious money. If you want a balcony, consider a cat 7. Some of these have the solid balcony with a porthole in the railing, some have a partially obstructed view (very small!) Again, it will save a little money. Look at renting DVC points (see DVC section of the board). Depending on season/price/specials, it can be like staying at a deluxe resort for the price of a value!

You'll never beat the current prices. You can do a 7 day in a cat 12 for $599 or $699 on many dates this fall!

[moviegirl11]

Yeah, we did a cat-seven (partially obstructed verandah or whatever it is they call those ones) last time and we loved it. That's what I was hoping for this time around but I just can't justify the cost. I'm trying to make it possible to go at all, which is why I guess going with an inside stateroom would be better than not going at all.

Thanks for your input! Anyone else with stories to share on comparing verandah to inside staterooms, please feel free to add them!

[Keggy]

We are sailing in an inside room next month after 7 or so sailings with a balcony. For us it would be $1500 or so more to be in a balcony so we decided to go with the inside. We figured that we can spend a lot of that money doing other things. It really is a personal preference. I know that we have family that will never sail in an inside, but for us and our budget right now, the inside cabin was the way to go. We booked a 12 and were upgraded to an 11. We will have a great cruise regardless.

[Carol G]

First time DBF took me Land/Sea. We booked seperately - saved money wih value resort and had Cat 6 with veranda. Loved it even though I only went out a couple times when we docked in port.
This time DGF and I booked Cat 12 due to budget. So what if we don't have verandah and balcony - at least we on DCL. We won't spend much time in there - what more do we need. I believe if $$ wasn't a problem we'd still book Cat 12.

[Verandah Man]

Our first several cruises were all with verandahs. My DW and I cruised last September in a cat. 12 as I had booked the cruise just 9 days before the sailaway date. The inside cabin was fine with us, the only real problem we had was that our cabin was next to a storage room and we heard quite a bit of noise coming from there.

[dipdotdarlin']

I would rather be in an inside room than a balcony. The money saved is the best thing, but I sleep better in the inside room. It is dark, really dark, and you sleep great.

[dizzi]

We went from a verandah to an inside.

If it was all i could afford to do i would o it again.

I would just plan a little bit better and know what i wanted to do.

FOr instance....I would go earlier to the decks to get the chairs i wanted to spend the day in.

I would take a pair of sweat pants cuz when i wanted to hang out and be lazy NOT in the room thoseplaces were abit colder than i liked.

Another suggestion though maybe harder to find come by, would be to share a verandah roomwith someone else....cut the cost.
Also check for last minute prices on the website...vacations to go.....GREAT PRICES,if you buy within 3 months of sailing!

[kcashner]

Another money saving thought....you said you'd probably stay at a moderate resort. Consider booking your land and sea separately. Look at renting DVC points from a member (see DVC section of the boards.) You can stay at a deluxe for about the price of a value. The other thought is that free dining has been extended for most of 2009, but again you'd have to book separately. Free dining in a value resort might be the way to go???? You can always take a cab to one of the resorts with DCL bus transportation if that's your plan.

It doesn't matter whether you save the money on the cruise or on the parks, right? THe point is to save it.

[ibouncetoo]

I actually prefer the layout of the inside cabins! You enter into the 'living' area and the bed is at the end of the cabin. Room service doesn't have to cross in front of your bed (with possible still sleeping DH) to put your morning coffe on the table. You can close the curtain between the bed and the rest of the room, so if someone stays up later they can still access the bathroom without disturbing the sleeper. Check out the Cat 11's deck 7 aft...they are just a few steps from the small public verandah at the back of the ship, so you can get a sunshine fix!

.

[yazee1]

Dh and I booked an inside room on our third cruise because it was the only way we could afford a Disney cruise last year. We really wanted it to not make a difference whether we were in an inside or room or not and we kept a good attitude the entire time, but in the end, we learned, that an inside room (for us) is a deal breaker. We agreed that, for us, even if it means waiting longer between cruises, we will only book outside rooms. I know we are in the minority in this. I do think you should find out for yourself. We still had a great cruise. I'm glad we did it. Now we know.

[ontariomonkey]

I have been on 2 cruises (non-Disney), one outside cabin, one inside. I was worried about feeling claustrophobic in the inside cabin and I wasnt, BUT the problem was the lack of natural light. Waking up in a box, even if you turn on a lamp, my body clock had a hard time. So, I personally will never cruise inside cabin again unless that is the only way that I can afford the cruise. If that is the case, then I will suck it up but I would be much happier in an outside (at least) cabin. We are trying varanda this fall and very much looking forward to it.

[Poohbug]

The inside rooms are fine. I found that I missed the natural light the most. No sun in the morning to wake us up=we would end up spending most of the morning sleeping in.

While the balcony was nice-it is not a must have for me. My favorite rooms are cat. 9 with the large porthole. I still get natural light yet it is much more affordable.

[Fivepin]

I have done the verandahs, outside, and inside. I prefer the outside cabin over the inside, especially when I'm traveling with kids. The one time we got an inside we got the one without the split bathroom plan. That was a down side for me. If it was just my DH and myself I think it would have been fine for me, but he didn't like the fact there was no natural light. So, we usually book a category 9-outside cabin, still alot cheaper than a verandah.

[Grandma4ever]

you might want to consider the middle ground - go with a cat 9. You get the natural light without the cost of a varandah.

We have done Cat 6, Cat 9 and Cat 10. I like the varandah but cannot justify the cost. Cat 10 was OK but had a hard time not knowing the time of day. We prefer Cat 9. We can afford it and still have a little cash to spend. Might want to give it a thought!