Alaskan Cruise - Is a Veranda worth the money?

[Mcert01]

Hi,

We normally book a veranda stateroom. However, I am concerned that the cold weather on an Alaskan cruise will keep us from really getting full value from it, and that we might be better off with an Ocean View or even an Inside stateroom and use the extra money for excursions.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[wombat_5606]

Hi,

We normally book a veranda stateroom. However, I am concerned that the cold weather on an Alaskan cruise will keep us from really getting full value from it, and that we might be better off with an Ocean View or even an Inside stateroom and use the extra money for excursions.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks!

I agree. We had a balcony and hardly ever used it. We spent most of our time in the observation lounge where we could have a panoramic view. Obviously, we didn't cruise Disney.

 

[amberwc]

I would say absolutely worth it! Especially on the Tracy Arm or Endecott day, you can sit on your veranda with all your blankets and enjoy quiet time with the scenery.
That said, if you like the crowds, then save more for a spectacular excursion. We took a helicopter to Dog Sledding, and it's an experience we will NEVER forget.
However, to confuse you further... I will say I was always colder up on deck then I was sitting on our veranda as that had better wind blocking.
Have a great time!

 

[MouseOfCards]

We loved the veranda on our Alaskan cruise! My parents would sit out on their veranda for extended periods enjoying the gorgeous scenery. They love looking back at the photos for that cruise. Also agree with another poster regarding wind blocking on the veranda.

 

[xlxo]

@Mcert01: What month are you cruising?

• In my mid-August trips.... I found he balcony to be too windy/cold. It was poor value for us and loved the Deck 2 oceanviews on a return trip.... the oversized windows felt like a climate controlled balcony.
• balconies are nice for the few hours of PRIVATE glacier viewing, but Deck 9 offers a 360 view of the Arm.
• Forget the Deck 1 twins

 

[Mcert01]

@Mcert01: What month are you cruising?

• In my mid-August trips.... I found he balcony to be too windy/cold. It was poor value for us and loved the Deck 2 oceanviews on a return trip.... the oversized windows felt like a climate controlled balcony.
• balconies are nice for the few hours of PRIVATE glacier viewing, but Deck 9 offers a 360 view of the Arm.
• Forget the Deck 1 twins

Thanks. Probably the same time frame, maybe even early September.

 

[Shanti]

Hi,

We normally book a veranda stateroom. However, I am concerned that the cold weather on an Alaskan cruise will keep us from really getting full value from it, and that we might be better off with an Ocean View or even an Inside stateroom and use the extra money for excursions.

Thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks!

The issue with the Wonder is that it has no glass-encased 360 degree observation lounge like some ships on other lines do, so you're going to be cold if you want a great view, whether it's on your balcony or on the top deck. The best way to avoid cold is to get a porthole room with large porthole, but you probably won't get the kind of view with that that you'll want on glacier days, for example. The Wonder is a classic ship, so even its largest portholes are nowhere near as big as the ones on the Dream or Fantasy.

A balcony has a more limited view than the top deck, but should buffer some wind. In fact, a Navigator's Verandah might actually work best for keeping warm while being outside, as it has a porthole-like opening and a mostly-protected seating area.

No definitive answer here. In your shoes I would do what best suits your own inclinations and finances.

 

[mommy2allyandaveri]

For us it absolutely was. In fact, Alaska is the only cruise we actually used ours. We used ours during the sail away party, every morning when getting going and every evening before and after dinner/shows since it was still so light outside.

In Mexico and the Caribbean, we never used it because it was always too darn hot on it. We just sat out there and roasted.

 

[Mcert01]

The Navigator Veranda is an interesting thought...

 

[KristiMc]

The issue with the Wonder is that it has no glass-encased observation lounge like some ships on other lines do, so you're going to be cold if you want a great view, whether it's on your balcony or on the top deck. The best way to avoid cold is to get a porthole room with large porthole, but you probably won't get the kind of view with that that you'll want on glacier days, for example. The Wonder is a classic ship, so even its largest portholes are nowhere near as big as the ones on the Dream or Fantasy.

A balcony has a more limited view than the top deck, but should buffer some wind. In fact, a Navigator's Verandah might actually work best for keeping warm while being outside, as it has a porthole-like opening and a mostly-protected seating area.

No definitive answer here. In your shoes I would do what best suits your own inclinations and finances.

The Wonder does have the Outlook Cafe which is enclosed for viewing.

 

[KristiMc]

We loved our verandah on the Alaskan cruise. It was so nice on Tracy Arm day to sit out there with blankets and hot chocolate and take in all the scenery.

 

[Shanti]

The Wonder does have the Outlook Cafe which is enclosed for viewing.

I meant a 360 degree viewing lounge. I'll edit to reflect that.

 

[kuhltiffany]

It depends. We used ours a lot, especially with binoculars for watching whales, stuff on shore, etc. It's not the same as warm weather cruises where you leave the door open and go in and out, you definitely have to grab a jacket or blanket, but there's lots to see. We also have a son with Autism so we use the room a lot for "downtime" (he also doesn't like wind so being on upper decks was too much). If we didn't and roamed the ship more, we'd be up on deck watching from there...

 

[kuhltiffany]

On our cruise in August, this was often closed for concierge use only...

I meant a 360 degree viewing lounge. I'll edit to reflect that.

 

[kuhltiffany]

When we did watch from deck, our favourite was the "secret" back one where you can see everything, I think it was deck 7?

 

[anricat]

This tends to get really divisive. There are some people who think that Alaska can only be done with a verandah and some who are perfectly happy without. We did not get a verandah, as the cost was prohibitive. For the oceanview we booked on deck 2 for three people, we paid $5k. For a verandah, the cost was nearly $8k. So that's $3k for 7 days, that works out to roughly $430/day. I have to ask myself, let's say I spent 4 hours a day out there (unlikely) that's over $100 an hour. Am I getting $100 an hour of enjoyment out of it? (That I couldn't get elsewhere like deck 4, 9 or 10.) Nope nope nope!

We saved the money for excursions both at ports and in Vancouver (where we spend two days before and one day after) and if I had it to do differently, I wouldn't change a thing. We absolutely loved our deck 2 oceanview. We had the big porthole midship and it was so great to sit on the couch and look out the pothole in the warm warm dry room and watch things go by. If I wanted a wider view, I could easily pop up to deck 4 and still wider, up to decks 9 and 10.

Even if I had an extra $3k to toss at a verandah, honestly, I still wouldn't! I'm cold averse and I really loved having that pothole to look out of and stay warm. Of course, our weather wasn't so great. It was mostly drizzly and cold and overcast the whole time. It didn't impact my enjoyment of Alaska at all - we were mentally prepared going into it for rain every day. We were prepared, but it wasn't exactly verandah weather, even with a mug of cocoa and blanket.

 

[anricat]

When we did watch from deck, our favourite was the "secret" back one where you can see everything, I think it was deck 7?

The deck 7 "secret" verandah was repurposed during the reimagining. It now holds an additional emergency generator and is no longer available for guests.

 

[xlxo]

maybe even early September.

The reason why I asked was for temperature.... keep in mind September is Alaska's storm season. Prices are discounted for this.

 

[Shanti]

On our cruise in August, this was often closed for concierge use only...

Yuck. Thanks for the heads-up on that.

 

[KristiMc]

On our cruise in August, this was often closed for concierge use only...

That stinks! It was a nice area - wish they kept it to be used by everyone.