Can we we happy without a verandah?

[plutojudy]

In April we will be taking our fifth Disney Cruise. We did not book a verandah for this cruise. We had a verandah on our other four cruises. Now that we are down to double digits, I am starting to wonder if we made a mistake not booking a verandah. The main reason we did not book a vernadah room this time was because of the "nasty" verandah neighbors we had last time. We were unable to spend much time out there so decided not to "waste" money again. My husband and I are outdoor people and love fresh air. Did we make a mistake? Has anyone gone from verandah to no verandah?

 

[KathyTX]

I haven't sailed without a verandah yet, but I sure do understand about the "nasty" verandah neighbors! There have been times that I couldn't enjoy the verandah because the neighbors were on theirs arguing, smoking, or just having really loud outdoor conversations. All I wanted to do was sit quietly and ponder the horizon, or read, or doze in the lounger.

I would be willing to sail sans verandah in a heartbeat! Although I do love leaning on the rail and inhaling the sea breeze at night, I can do that on other quiet decks.

There's so much fun stuff happening on a DCL ship, I know you'll have a great time regardless of where your bed is.

And with the number of cruises you've been on with DCL, I know you would not have booked this room if you didn't KNOW you'd enjoy the cruise anyway.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Well, I understand your dilema. On my last cruise, I had a verandah, but will probably get an inside on my next cruise. I'm sure you'll still have a great time, plus, you can still go out to deck 4, 9, or 10 for some air.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

We had a Category 6 verandah stateroom on our previous DCL cruise. Next time, we're getting two connecting Category 10 SPR staterooms instead. We'll have twice as much interior room, including twice as much storage space and twice as many bathrooms. And it will be cheaper.

If we want to sit outside, we just have to go down one flight of stairs to the Deck 4 promenade, with those wonderful, padded teak chairs. And there are plenty of other places to be outside on the ship.

 

[WDWLVR]

When we did the Member Cruise in February we didn't have a veranda - we did Cat 8 with the large porthole. We were fine and when we wanted fresh air we just went out on deck. We spent more time on deck 4 in the lounge chairs than we have on other cruises. I love my veranda, especially on longer cruises. I'd rather sail with no veranda than not sail at all.

 

[brack]

We had a verandah on our first cruise and it was ok but our second cruise we chose to get an inside cabin and save the money. It was just as good and we didn't miss the view because we were hardly ever in the cabin.

For our next two cruises (back to back) we also booked an inside cabin.

The money saved is for stuff to bring home.

 

[axsimpson]

We had a verandah and barely used it. It was nice to take pics of the sunset, but we could have got them from one of the decks as well. On the back of the ship, 7th level there was a small deck that no one was ever on. I enjoyed that much more than the verandah.
Arlene

 

[bengals01]

i have been on 14 cruises only had verandahs twice, the first time i think i sat out there once, my mom loved it she sat out there and read, i like the sun and in oct this year maybe used it four times, it's nice but can live with out it

 

[Chattyaholic]

On our first Magic cruise we had a verandah and didn't even know we had neighbors on either side of us, they were so quiet. On our second cruise the neighbors to the right of us were kind of noisy when they were out on their verandah, even one morning about 6:00 they were out there talking in loud voices. We like to keep our verandah door open all night to hear the ocean sounds, so I had to get up and close it and I'm sure I made some loud comment about it, so they knew they woke us up. We will have a verandah on our Wonder cruise in a couple weeks too and I'm hoping we have quiet neighbors. But I do enjoy the verandah a lot, for sitting and reading during the day, for star gazing at night, and for pulling out of ports as I like to watch from my own verandah rather than up on the top deck with the masses of people. So, to me, it is worth the extra money to have a verandah room.

 

[eye R.N.]

With five in our family I go for two cheaper rooms. With three kids 18,15,12 bathroom are a MAJOR issue.

 

[pippy]

We went on our first disney cruise and booked a verandah because we have a four year old and thought it would be nice to be able to sit out on the verandah and enjoy the fresh sea air while she napped. (which she didn't nap once, figures). But I don't think I would book a cabin with out one. We enjoyed sitting out there in the morning (she did sleep in late!) If you rarely spent time in your room and don't mind falling to sleep to the sound of the waves, ( which we loved!!)Also, our stateroom got so cold that we would open the doors just to warm it up in there!! I wouldn't sweat it. I know the cost difference between an inside state room and a verandah are BIG. Use the extra money you would be saving for the down payment on your next cruise!! Also on the castaway club web site there are lists of staterooms with verandahs for the cost of a cat 8. Check it out. Just remember to not let ONE bad experiance get the best of you.

 

[takemeaway]

Can we we happy without a verandah?

I think I can be happy anywhere with the right amount of liquor and food. (emphasis on the liquor). But hey, that is just me!

 

[NAT&MAGSMOM]

I usually book a verandah room..but this time tried the SPR and it was great.

Just so I can look out and see the water and the ship moving...and it's usually so cold when we cruise...that it's too windy to sit out.

DD didn't like the SPR at first, but found out the bed was a bunk bed and then she loved it..............

Phyllis

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by takemeaway
I think I can be happy anywhere with the right amount of liquor........

 

[hilltopfamily]

I second the idea of the padded teak lounge chairs on deck 4. Sitting there with DH was one of the highlights of our cruise. Loved the combination of ocean-watching and people-watching there, along with napping and reading a good book. Don't think a veranda could be much better than that.

 

[Surfergirl]

Is it just the 2 of you sailing? If so why not try see if there are any cat.7 navigator verandas available( they hold 3 people). They are much more private and less windy. We really enjoyed ours on our last cruise.

 

[bigsky]

We've cruised with and without the verandah. I've decided after our last cruise a few weeks back that we'll never cruise again without a verandah.
When we checked in at port, we upgraded and loved it!! We had cruised before with the verandah and figured this past cruise we just went for 4 days. It's much cheaper upgrading at port as well. But you're also taking a chance if the ship is full, you can't.
I love pulling into port and watching from our verandah. At night we always sit out and enjoy the evening.
Some people are not in their rooms much, but we spend a decent amount of time making it worth every dollar we spend!
Won't go without!!

Laura

 

[Alex]

We had a verandah on this last cruise... it's always nice to have and there were NO upgrades at the port whatsoever.
On our third cruise we had an outside stateroom, no verandah. DW said she liked it better in some ways. It's nice to be able to sit on the couch or lay in bed and see the ocean. With a verandah you don't have a direct view.

 

[plutojudy]

Thanks everyone.
I made a mistake we are not in double digits yet.
It is just the two of us. We plan to spend more time on deck 4, besides the mile walk.

 

[kcashner]

We've sailed with and without a verandah....and you can be perfectly happy saving a little money. There are lots of semi-secluded places on the ship...try aft deck 7, etc....nice little hide aways that not too many people know about. Unless you have your heart set on coffee on the verandah, you'll be fine.