Cat 10/Deck 7 vs Cat 9/Deck 2?

[cruisin4fun]

Ok - I'm a newbie. I just booked our first cruise for 11/27/04 Eastern Magic. It will be me, dh, ds-will be almost 6, and dd - who will be 4.

I am in a very forward cabin inside on deck 7. It isn't much money to upgrade to cat 9 but I will drop to the lower decks and I don't know if the port hole is that big of a deal.

I'm sure either will be fine but I'm killing myself trying to decide if I should change rooms.

I think the higher deck may be nice, but will the motion being high and forward be much worse? Is the port hole really nice to have?

Any thoughts....?

Thanks!
Rachel

 

[cadburysmom]

We LOVE the Cat. 9 cabins on Deck 2 and have stayed in the same cabin for the last three cruises. The porthole is great because it is really big and can be used as a window seat. Because you are on a lower deck, it is fun to see the wake the ship makes, especially at night. Deck 2 is also closer to the restaurants so you don't have to wait for elevators or take too many stairs. Also, it is easier to get on and off the ship because you are just a flight up from the gangway.

The only thing to remember about Deck 2 is to pick a cabin that is not under any of the nightclubs because of the noise. The cabins not under the nightclubs are fine. I think there is a website called Castawayclub.com or DCLtribute.com that tells what cabins are noisy and which are quiet.

I have never stayed on Deck 7 so I can't help you out with that. I only know I love being able to see out and have loved the convenience of Deck 2.

Good luck!

 

[mobetsy]

Well, we're going to be in 7003 on 3/20-27/04, a cat 10 room very far forward on deck 7, so I hope it's a good location! I've read posts from a few people who have had rooms in the same basic spot and they've all been very happy with them. Ask me in 79 days or so!

 

[tkd lisa]

I loved our room 7005, cat 10 way forward deck 7! This cruise we are booked for 2571/3. This is a highly subjective question. But for us, we don't spend lots of time in our cabin. We spend most of our time on Deck 9 for the pool/topsiders, deck 5 for the kids clubs, and deck 4 for the Theater. Deck 7 is 2 flights of stairs from most of these things. I can imagine that I'm going to be using the elevator a lot more when I'm on Deck 2 (or maybe go up two flights on the aft stairs, walk forward, up 3 flights at mid, then forward and up 2 on the forward stairs!! got to work off that great food somehow!)

Also, the layout of the inside and outside cabins is flipped. The inside cabins have the "living room" in the front, and the bed in the back. Outside have the living room by the window/verandah. This means you have to walk around the bed all the time. It's not a huge problem, but I must have whacked the end of the bed 30 times on our 4 day cruise (we got an upgrade to a verandah on deck 7 from a porthole on deck 7).


Forward deck 7 is EXTREMELY quiet! You're above the bridge, and often see bridge officers heading to the internal stairs at the front of the ship. You're below the deck 8 staterooms, so no noise there. If I were in your shoes, I'd take the deck7 inside over a deck 2 outside.

 

[MrsPete]

We sailed in a very forward deck 2 cabin, and we loved it. As others have said, it was very quiet and convenient to the restaurants. I think most people like deck 2 -- I have not heard anyone who's stayed there say they wouldn't go back. Looking at the maps, you sort of get the impression that it's "deep down" in the ship, but once you're there you'll see that's just not true. There are other levels below deck 1 -- crew only levels.

We did feel quite a bit of motion in the front (had two fairly big storms), but it didn't bother us -- in fact, we enjoyed it.

One bad thing: Since you're very far forward, you'll have a long walk to get . . . well, everywhere. This might be a concern with two small children.

 

[ChattyKathy]

Another thought is that you wont be as apt to get seasick if your on deck 2. Word has it that the lower down on the ship that you are, the better! (as far as getting seasick)
And, that, is a good thing for me! lol


Enjoy!


Kathy

 

[izzinmac]

Rachael,
Welcome to the boards! Also, welcome to the 11/27 Magic cruise! If you go to the top of the board page, click on the Cruise Meets thread. That will take you to a new list that includes a thread just for those of us going on the 11/27 cruise.

Regarding inside vs outside, I prefer being able to see out, but many people are more than satisfied with the inside cabins. A couple of my kids had them on the last cruise, and loved the sleeping in total darkness. The portholes are very large, and do add to the nautical feel. If it were my first cruise, and the money difference was not an issue, I would upgrade. Have you priced a Cat 8, which is outside, forward and on deck 5, 6, or 7?

The deck differences in my mind are very insignificant. If you go down to deck two I would look for a room aft because of the clubs on deck three forward. Deck 7 forward is very quiet. I personally have not noticed a significant difference between locations regarding ship motion. I know it technically exists, but when the ship is rockin', its all rockin!!! Our last cruise we ran into a full day of 20 foot seas, and it didn't seem to matter where you were! I personally like the motion, and really didn't see many signs of seasickness!

 

[Padre Disney]

March 2003 we had 3 cat 10's 7005,7007 and 7001 for our 7 day cruise. We LOVED our rooms. So for a quick last minuted anniversary cruise October 2003 we booked a gty cat 11 hoping we would get a room on one of the higher decks. We were very surprised when we got upgrade to deck 2 cat 9. At first we thought about not taking the upgrade because we didn't want to be that close to the water. But we took it and we LOVED deck 2. ( I think we wouldn't care were we would end up as long as it was on the ship) Anyway deck 2 was great and the cat 9 had a big round window in it. So it just depends on if you want a window or not or how much time you will be spending in your room. For our March cruise coming up we have cat 11's 6004,6002,6003 & 6007. If we could have afford the cat 9's on deck 2 we would have taken those in a minute. Since we are hardly in our room we don't need a window. But it sure is nice if you do have one.

Hi Mobetsy Looks like we are almost right under you.!! See you real soon.

 

[mobetsy]

Padre Disney, we'll be sure to practice our clogging as a good night lullaby to you each night

Really, though, it's fun to know who will be under us...just feels sort of friendly. Cara will be right across the hall from us.

 

[LAMPSKIES]

Cruisin4fun....two words of advice...#1) Don't let izzinmac predict the weather!!!! #2)izzinmac nor anyone else can predict the weather this far in advance LOL........just kidding.....get yourself into their forum we had a great time for 11 months. I personally prefer the "higher up" cabins. Ya, they rock a little more if it's rough but I like the view. If at all possible, upgrade to a verandah..........they are unbelieveable!! I even saw izzinmac sneeking a peek on his daughters.......you want starboard (see izzinmac I remember) aft if at all possible. Aft seems to rock less and starboard because when she backs into Castaway Cay the view is AWSOME........JMHO

 

[cruisin4fun]

Thanks for all of the thoughts!! I have been trying to steal time to research the cruise - my job and the house work may suffer the next 10-1/2 months as I am so addicted to getting ready for this cruise! LOL

This is our first cruise and our first ever big family vacation. DH is a little nervous - especially because of the $$. I want things to go as well as possible. So I'll definitely be hanging around - everyone on this board seem to have great info!!