Catagory for Alaska

[bbrnca]

I have a inside cabin booked for the first Alaska cruise of 2016 and now I am wondering if I should change it to a Aft balcony or Side Balcony ?? from anyone who has cruised Alaska on DCL or others what is the preference.

TIA

 

[sharksfinatic17]

You will get replies that range from I will only cruise to Alaska if I have a balcony to I don't want to spend all my money on a balcony, so I have an inside room and plan to spend all of my time on decks 4, 9 and 10. Everyone has an opinion and everyone is right.

Now in three weeks I will have a personal opinion because we will be on the Wonder on our way to Alaska. We have a balcony.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have a inside cabin booked for the first Alaska cruise of 2016 and now I am wondering if I should change it to a Aft balcony or Side Balcony ?? from anyone who has cruised Alaska on DCL or others what is the preference.

TIA

Well, I don't do inside rooms. Our 2 cruises in Alaska we had booked oceanview rooms (not DCL, however). One of them the cruise line upgraded us to a verandah. I find the oceanview is sufficient, since when cruising the glaciers, we're up on the upper public decks anyway. You can see much more that way than from a verandah.

 

[Aby]

My hubby and I absolutely loved our Cat 7 Navigator's Verandah on our 2 Alaska cruise with DCL. Cheaper than the higher category verandahs, but very wonderful. Because they are semi enclosed, we got nice protection from the winds and cool temps but could still enjoy the fresh air. A little more private too. We were in room 7126 both times, which was aft, and it was very convenient to the aft public deck, and also a quick hop up to the drink station.

Aby

 

[jack87891]

For Alaska, we spent our "outside" time on the deck or in the cove cafe, so an outside room was fine for us. i don't think a verandah would have changed the way we spent our time on the cruise. For us, the verandah added expense probably isn't worth it. But for each person, you'll have an opinion. you won't go wrong it whatever you do- after all, it's Disney and Alaska!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I have a inside cabin booked for the first Alaska cruise of 2016 and now I am wondering if I should change it to a Aft balcony or Side Balcony ?? from anyone who has cruised Alaska on DCL or others what is the preference.

TIA

There is so much to see all day from 6 am to midnight, a verandah IMHO is a must there you miss a lot in an inside room we were watching pre breakfast and past the evening shows so much wildlife sea life different weather patterns it's an excursion in it self, if you can do it do it,

You can of course still go up and walk around the ship, they make announcements if there us whales etc and where they are do you do not miss anything, Tracy arm is magical and you do not need to be up at the crack of dawn to secure an on deck place and then try to defend your area in the day when you want to visit the restroom or eat.

Your own viewing space is priceless.

 

[linetbo]

We are going to Alaska in July, I booked an inside room because it was almost $3000 less than an verandah, and that's the payment for another cruise.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you *can* get an aft balcony, why not?


On our Alaskan cruise we spent most of the time outside, or looking out, and we were on a ship MADE for Alaska cruises...and there was no wildlife. Not sure if it was because it was the end of the season or we're just THAT lucky, but the one time we thought we saw something it turned out to be a fishing boat. Oh wait we saw a mama bear and her cubs while in Juneau. I took a picture of the brain trusts running after the bears... Didn't quite get the bears in the shot, though.

 

[clten]

Whether it is worth it to upgrade is something everyone must decide for themselves. What I can share are my experiences. I've sailed to Alaska 3 times (1 w/Princess; 2 w/Disney; twice with a balcony and once with an outside cabin - we can't do inside, we'd sleep the whole cruise away!) When we had a balcony, we did use it more than we have on other cruises (Caribbean, Hawaii, etc.) It was nice to have a place that we could listen to the naturalist on the tv (and be able to hear it) and duck into the room if we got chilly and have easy access to a bathroom, room service, additional clothing, etc. But we also spent time in the public areas. When we didn't have a balcony, we spent a lot of time in Cove Café and the open decks. On Tracy Arm day I wouldn't attempt to be in Cove Café or trying to find a spot in a crowded area. We had plenty of room along the sides of decks 4 and 9 that we got to see everything and could come and go as we pleased. It was never very crowded there and we could easily go from port to starboard and back again. In fact on Tracy Arm day when we had a balcony, we still spent most of the time out on deck 4. Got to mix and mingle, see what other people were pointing out as far as wildlife and the characters and the hot cocoa cart would come around to you!

Either decision you make will be the right one.

 

[bellanapoli]

We cruised Alaska last summer with an inside room. Loved it. Didn't feel like I missed anything. We had zero issues finding someplace to be on Tracy Arm day. It was great to wander around, see the characters etc. If we had a balcony, I honestly doubt we would have used it that much.