Alaska 2018 Verandah or Oceanview

[allforpooh]

Hi All,
We have sailed several times with Disney but never to Alaska. We usually get a Verandah but have read reports that a Verandah would not be used as much due to cold weather and not being able to view the scenery on both sides of the ship. So for people who have cruised Alaska what did you think of having an Verandah?

Thanks,
Denise

 

[MUN]

Hi All,
We have sailed several times with Disney but never to Alaska. We usually get a Verandah but have read reports that a Verandah would not be used as much due to cold weather and not being able to view the scenery on both sides of the ship. So for people who have cruised Alaska what did you think of having an Verandah?

Thanks,
Denise

From an OV room you won't be able to see the scenery from both sides of the ship either. We sailed to Alaska 3 years ago and went with 2 adjoining OV rooms for our family of 5. It worked out great. We were on the 2nd deck and I thought the views were stunning. However, we spent most of our time outside.

2 OV rooms were less expensive for us than 1 Verandah, and we had more space.

 

[amberwc]

We spent a lot of time on the veranda. Saw a lot of wildlife and loved watching the scenery. We found our veranda to be a lot less windy than being up on deck so it felt warmer.

 

[AngelDisney]

Since I am prone to motion sickness, I always stay in a verandah room and the Alaskan cruise was the only time I actually used the verandah to enjoy the view especially on Tracy Arm Day. We had room service and took lots of pictures. I also went up to Deck 10 but it was great to be able to enjoy the view from the privacy of our verandah as well. Our verandah was much warmer than the open deck. I personally think verandah is a must-have for an Alaskan cruise if price is not an issue.

 

[xlxo]

If you decide on Oceanview.... make sure it's Deck 2. The oversized windows feels like a climate controlled balcony.

I recommend Port side for Alaska.

 

[allforpooh]

Thanks for the responses, its a hard decision due to the big difference in cost.

 

[Pens Fan]

We loved our balcony in Alaska and spent hours on it, especially Tracy Arm day. Actually 3 out of our 5 DCL cruises have been to cold(er) climates and we used the balconies more on those cruises than in the Bahamas / Caribbean for just the reasons noted in earlier posts. However it is a big jump in price and it is certainly understandable if you don't want to go for one. Excursions can be expensive in Alaska even if you book outside of DCL, so make sure you plan for that when choosing your cabin.

I have read on here a lot that hanging out on deck 4 is a good alternative to having a balcony. It can get really windy up on the top decks, while deck 4 is somewhat protected. They have those lovely loungers that are great to just grab a blanket and watch the world go by. You won't have the 360 degree views you can get up top, but you could easily cut through the ship to the other side whenever you wanted. Just a suggestion. We loved our Alaskan cruise so much that we are taking another one this summer. Enjoy, whatever you decide!!

 

[lunaland]

We just booked an oceanview 9a on deck 7 for our cruise to Alaska. Debated between that and a navigators verandah but we figured by getting a large porthole we would have more of a view from indoors and save some $$$.

 

[Geomom]

We loved our oceanview on deck 2. 2116, category 9C. There was no way we were going to pay $3000 more for a verandah. We spent a lot of time on deck 4 on Tracy Arm day, walking through the ship to get to the other side, just like 'Pens Fan' said. We did have a good view from our room as well when we wanted to stay warm.

 

[anricat]

I'll pretty much echo Geomom. We were on the same sailing, also on deck 2 and we were extremely happy with our choice. It was like 40% more to get a verandah or some nonsense. I broke it down. So let's say it's $3k more for a verandah, divided by 7 that's over $400 a day. Let's say you spent four hours of EVERY DAY out there (you won't) that's still over $100 an hour. Will you get over $100 an hour worth of enjoyment out there? That you couldn't get with a short jaunt to decks 4, 9 or 10? We spent time in our room looking out the window (warm, sipping cocoa) and up on the upper decks as well. I was very happy with our choice.

Also, port vs. starboard really doesn't matter. It's an out and back trip. I've heard some people say that they feel port side gets a longer view of the glacier but that wasn't our experience. Unless people are up there timing it (they probably aren't) we really don't have any kind of actual time data on this. Even if it is port side longer, what are we talking, five minutes? Go grab some cocoa on deck 9 when the side you aren't on it toward the glacier. These are easy problems to solve.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

FWIW, we sailed Alaska in an inside cabin and I had a great time. I just couldn't justify the $2k extra for a balcony. We spend very little time in the room anyway, so it was worth it to us. Deck 4 is a great place for viewing on Tracy Arm day, and the ship really has lots of great views from all over. In fact, I saw a humpback whale from Palo during brunch on Tracy Arm day (a server pointed it out to everyone) and porpoises and an orca while riding an exercise bike in the gym during the last sea day. Also, for us it was quite cold at times, so if you are set on either an OV or balcony and budget is a consideration, I'd recommend the OV.

 

[cloudnut220]

When we sailed to Alaska, we used our verandah a lot. The other group we were with had an oceanview, and they were always in our stateroom using our verandah as well! It was really nice to take in the landscape outside, then come in to warm up. As others have said, we also got room service on tracy arm day.

 

[cmph]

We loved our oceanview on deck 2. 2116, category 9C. There was no way we were going to pay $3000 more for a verandah. We spent a lot of time on deck 4 on Tracy Arm day, walking through the ship to get to the other side, just like 'Pens Fan' said. We did have a good view from our room as well when we wanted to stay warm.
View attachment 225629

I'm going to have to show my non-disboards sister that photo, since that'll be her stateroom view in 2018.

We are doing 9Cs, just couldn't justify the price hike. That hike for us was in the 3k-4k range, for 2018. I could have been convinced that oceanview isn't even worth the upcharge over deluxe insides, based on how much time we spend in the room. But we do like the natural light and "feel" the big window gives to the room, and the fact that the kids' space is on the far side of the room rather than near the bathroom.

 

[Ginamarie]

It may depend on the weather for your trip. When we went to Alaska, the weather was on the warm side, though downright cold as we went to see the glacier. My mom went to Alaska the prior year on another cruise line and it was balmy. We had oceanview rooms on deck 5, and used our porthole a lot to look at the scenery.

 

[Ware Bears]

I've been to Alaska twice and both times we chose a 7A navigator's verandah. It was perfect for us, meant we were able to enjoy our verandah with a little extra protection from the elements.

At the end of the day, only you can decide whether a verandah is worth it to you, but be reassured you'll have a wonderful cruise whatever category you decide to book.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Price was a limiting factor for us. And my two teens refuse to go with any line other than Disney (Princess had the verandah room for same price as ocean view on Disney). So ocean view for us. We will be crowded, but cozy. We will make it work. Plus the husband said no to 4k more for the verandah. LOL

 

[saxmangeoff]

FWIW, we sailed Alaska in an inside cabin and I had a great time. I just couldn't justify the $2k extra for a balcony. We spend very little time in the room anyway, so it was worth it to us. Deck 4 is a great place for viewing on Tracy Arm day, and the ship really has lots of great views from all over. In fact, I saw a humpback whale from Palo during brunch on Tracy Arm day (a server pointed it out to everyone) and porpoises and an orca while riding an exercise bike in the gym during the last sea day. Also, for us it was quite cold at times, so if you are set on either an OV or balcony and budget is a consideration, I'd recommend the OV.

Same here. I did an inside cabin last time, and am doing it again this summer. Decks 4, 9, and 10 are where I spent significant portions of my day. (I didn't have the cold problem. I live in northern Idaho. )

 

[tnshsms]

I've been to Alaska twice and both times we chose a 7A navigator's verandah. It was perfect for us, meant we were able to enjoy our verandah with a little extra protection from the elements.

At the end of the day, only you can decide whether a verandah is worth it to you, but be reassured you'll have a wonderful cruise whatever category you decide to book.

This.....we too always get a veranda due to my motion sickness but we do use it quite a bit. In Alaska we used it even more than I thought we would and we loved having a navigator's veranda. But they don't have a ton of them so you have to book opening day to get it.

 

[tnshsms]

There are more pictures in my trip report that's in my signature. Have a great cruise!