Cabin categories 6, 7, 8 or 9 - is the only difference the price?

[Zoe Myddelton]

Helo All,

Am trying to organise a trip for my parent's 25th Wedding anniversary on the Cruise Line. Having never enjoyed the pleasure of the cruise line myself I am a bit bamboozled by the range of rooms availble. A little assistance would go a long way!!


Cabin Category 6 is state room with a balcony
Cabin Category 7 is state room with Navigators verandah
Cabin Category 8 is State room outside with window higher deck
Cabin Category 9 is State room outside with window

Question 1 - Is it worth paying the extra for the balcony?
Question 2 - What is the difference between a Navigators or ordinary balcony?
Question 3 - Is it worth paying the extra for a higher deck?

HELP!!!

Flights booked for 30th April but the ship is filling up for DVC members in particular....

Thanks

Zoe

 

[makaylee]

The difference between the navigators verandah and the balcony is that the navigators verandah is pretty much inclosed except for an open porthole. The regular balcony is open on top with plexy glass on the bottom. You can see pictures of them on *****************. I have only stayed in a catagory 9 before so I couldn't really tell you if a balcony is worth it. We spent very little time in our room so for us it wouldn't have been worth it, but if you have small children who still nap you might want to consider a balcony so you can relax out there and still enjoy the sea while the little ones are snoozing. Good luck in your choice and I hope you have a great time!
About paying to go higher up, some people say the higher you go the more you can feel the ship rocking in rough waters. There is a difference in deck one and deck two, deck one has two smaller portholes while deck two has one large one.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I had a choice between the 8 and 9 for my budget and my TA recommended I take the 9 and save the money over an 8 because the only difference is where the rooms are located (higher level for 8, mostly deck 2 for 9)

I have friends that just returned from a Princess cruise in an inside stateroom and they said they would definitely at least have a window if not a balcony on their next cruise.

I had booked a 12 GTY for our 2006 cruise, but I called my TA and changed to a 9 because the 6 was not in the budget. We still saved almost $600 by choosing to sail 1 month later and we moved up to a 9, so I am thrilled.

We will be traveling with our 2 ds's for a total of 4. The cat 7's with the enclosed verandah were not an option (sleep 3) and I was a little leary of having a balcony for our first cruise, so a 9 will work great for us.

 

[cjsmith]

I love the balcony and personally wouldn't cruise without it as we really do enjoy it and use it. Plus I love walking outside as soon as I get up and see the sunrise and the ocean. If I could afford it, I would go for one. But hey, my kids love their inside cabin and whenever we ask them if they want a balcony like ours, they turn them down. They love the pitch dark for sleeping.

I know it's more expensive the higher deck you go to, but you also feel more motion the higher up you are. I like being in the middle, it's a happy medium for me. We always stay on deck 5 in a Cat 6, my kids love the location.

 

[mmouse37]

If you deciding between a Cat 8 and Cat 9...yes, the only difference is price....the cabins are exactly the same with the 8 being on a higher floor....save the money and book a Cat 9 on Deck 2. You will have the same amount of space, be closer to more activities and save some money in the process!!!

We have been in both Verandahs, and oceanview and when it comes to money, I would forgoe the verandah just to be sailing. when we had some extra money we splurged for the verandah, but I cannot honestly say that those trips were better than our Cat 9 trips!!!

MJ

 

[DVCLady]

Delete

 

[Az Pirates]

Helo All,

Cabin Category 6 is state room with a balcony
Cabin Category 7 is state room with Navigators verandah
Cabin Category 8 is State room outside with window higher deck
Cabin Category 9 is State room outside with window

Question 1 - Is it worth paying the extra for the balcony?
Question 2 - What is the difference between a Navigators or ordinary balcony?
Question 3 - Is it worth paying the extra for a higher deck?


Thanks

Zoe

So are we helping or just confusing the matter?
I think you'll end up with a wide variety of responses!

#1 Some folks wouldn't even think about cruising without a verandah, others would prefer to save the money as there is a substantial price difference between an inside cabin and a verandah cabin.

#2 Again, I've seen posts from folks who prefer the navigators verandah and others from those who only want the full, open balcony. I think the navigators balcony provides some protection from the elements while still giving you fresh air, but you can't sit on your deck and watch the ocean from one, which is the reason a lot of folks want a balcony.

#3 I certainly wouldn't think so - but I wouldn't be surprised if someone else had a different point of view.


Good luck with the planning.... What a great anniversary gift!

 

[Otisp]

We've stayed in portholes and a veranda. The veranda was very nice, but in retrospect we probably only spent a total of 90 minutes out there over 4 days. On our next cruise, we're doing a cat. 8 (DW is queesy about being too close to the water) but skipping the veranda and using the money we save to do excursions in every port.

 

[jrabbit]

The difference between the navigators verandah and the balcony is that the navigators verandah is pretty much inclosed except for an open porthole. The regular balcony is open on top with plexy glass on the bottom. You can see pictures of them on *****************.

Those ****'s are CastawayClubdotcom. Dave's DCL TributeMight have pictures of the rooms too.

out of category 8 and 9 I prefer 8 because it doesn't get the sea spray.

Is there really that much difference? On the Aug repo cruise there are only 4 port days so the porthole in the cat 9's might get awfully messy.