Category differences

[madgomez]

OK, I'm trying to budget/save for a May 2007 cruise for 2 adults and 2 children (will be 5 and 8yo). We are in agreement that we want a "window" which means Cat 5 or 6, and I think a verandah might be nice which means Cat 8 or 9. Two questions:

First, how much does location matter ?(I understand that location is the only difference between Cat 5 and 6, as well as between 8 and 9.) Is it worth the difference in price?

Second, I'd love opinions on the need for a verandah with kids this age ( my DH is afraid our daredevil younger son will find a way over the railing ). Is a window good enough?

OK, I guess I have one more question while I'm at it. I see if I were to book now for May 2006, this would cost somewhere between $5k and $7k depending on category - If I can book as soon as they open 2007 dates, how much less would it be? I am assuming the May 2006 prices already went up from when they first opened the dates.

Just edited to add that I want to do 7 day Western Carribean cruise.

 

[christinou]

You have your category reversed, CAT 8 or 9 will give you a porthole, CAT 7,6,5 will give you a verandah. We have stayed in CAT 9 on deck 2 and loved the location, I would not pay higher for staying in CAT 8, I would think that it is the same with CAT 5 and 6.

 

[madgomez]

You have your category reversed,

OOPS, that's what I meant...

OK, but are all Cat 9 locations as good as Cat 8 ? Or is there a real reason for the difference in price? Likewise with 5 and 6.

Or, if you book early, do you request a specific room, so it doesn't matter?

 

[cjmx]

Madgomez, I think your husband has a point especially if your son is extremely adventurous. We had a verandah for my boys (6 & 9). My younger nephews were next door and i know my brother had to remind them not to climb. Another point is the sun. In the verandah rooms the sun wakes up the kids early. I think it is the same fro the outside rooms as well. If you want your kids to sleep in, think about inside? Good luck deciding.

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

We stay in Cat 6 whenever we go. We love the verandah. It is a personal opinion. Last cruise my boys were 4 and 6. We had no problems. They are 100% boys, but they certainly understood the dangers and respected the verandah. They were not allowed to go on the verandah themselves and the door certainly couldnt be opened by them so that risk was averted. My boys are also NEVER able to sleep beyond 7:30 so the sun wasn't an issue. They were so exhausted by the daily activity that one day they slept till about 8:30 and that was amazing. Since DH and I are early birds, we actually wanted the boys to get up so we could start our day. So much of it is personal preference. But I'll tell ya, once a verandah, always a verandah for our family. That is definately a risk!!! I couldn't imagine going to an inside stateroom especially as these boys get bigger!! Hope that helps. Just my opinion. Feel free to ask away!

 

[madgomez]

BuzzBoyMom, thanks for the info that they can't open the door themselves. That's important. We're all early risers too, and DH will not be happy without "seeing outside", so inside isn't in the mix for us.

But can anyone help on the diff in prices based on "location"?

And how much I might expect to pay for a seven night W.Carib is I book as soon as it's open?

Thanks!

 

[Scotch]

In the verandah rooms the sun wakes up the kids early. I think it is the same fro the outside rooms as well. If you want your kids to sleep in, think about inside?

You mean the curtains in the verandah rooms do not create enough blockage to block sunlight?! We recently had a balcony room on the Carnival when we sailed with DS (16 months) and the curtain blocked the light so well that we were never woken up because of the light. I expected the same for our cat. 6 cabin on the Magic and I am disappointed to hear that may not be so! Can I ask for an extra bedsheet and clip it to the curtain to provide more coverage?

 

[myboysmom]

madgomez, DCL will never tell you what your "early booking discount" will end up being. We are booked for March 25, 2006 and we booked in October of 2004- just a few weeks after the dates came out.

We booked in a higher category state room than we had planned because the price was much better than we had thought. We too were considering a 9, but my husband said we could afford to go with an 8 at that price. So that is what we did. I won't tell you what we paid back then, but I will tell you that we have saved well over $2,500 if we were to book today for the exact same cruise. My husband first thought I was nuts to be pushing to book in October of 2004 for a March 2006 trip- but now he thinks I am the smartest woman in the world

Now we also are planning to drive, and do not have to put air into the costs of our vacation. That may be something you might want to consider as you plan your budget.

It does pay to book as far out as you can. Pick the category that you will be happy with and that you can afford without breaking the budget. Good luck and happy dreaming.

 

[kplatt]

My 2 cents --

Our first cruise was in a Cat 6 and I won't get a balcony again. We spent too little time in the stateroom to justify the expense. It was also very obvious that we had smokers nearby, even finding cigarette butts on our balcony floor.

We've since had Cat 11, 9 and 8. The 11 was too small for our family of 4, and we missed the split bath. The 8 was forward on deck 6, and the 9 was forward on deck 2. I find deck 6 too noisy -- too much noise in the corridor. The deck 2 corridor was quieter. We had some mechanical noise only when anchoring, and we would book this stateroom again.

Actually, I would sleep on the deck if it would get me on the ship!!