Considering upgrade to verandah. Advice please!

[ElizabethCB]

Hi!

We are sailing on the Magic on the January 15 Western Caribbean 5 night trip. It's me, my husband, and our 4 and 10 year-old sons.

We're currently booked in a 9A oceanview room. The only verandah available at this point (according to my Dreams unlimited rep) is a 4A. It would be $700 more.

For this, we'd get 2 pull down beds rather than one plus the sofa. (Might cut down on arguments?) Also a larger room by 80 square feet...and one deck higher than our current room. And, of course, the verandah.

My younger son still naps most days. (I wasn't sure he would when I booked this 7 months ago.) I figure he won't nap on the 2 days we are in port, but will need it the others.

Thoughts on the pros/cons? I see talk of people getting free upgrades...am I missing something? Other things to explore/consider?

Thanks in advance!

 

[MickeyD]

Always book the category you will be most comfortable with. "Free" upgrades are few and far between--especially on Disney. "Sometimes' you can pay for an upgrade at port, but if the ship is sold out, those won't be available. I love the veranda and won't cruise without one, if I can help it. If your son is napping, you might appreciate being able to duck out to the veranda and enjoy the fresh air while he sleeps. Just a thought, but the sofa beds are not that comfortable and your 10 year old may appreciate the pull down bed more?

Lisa

 

[jahber]

To clarify your sleeping situation, the room you are currently in has a queen, a "twin" sofa bed, and a bed that comes out of the ceiling. A 4a has either that configuration, a queen/sofa/Murphy bed (out of the wall), or a queen/sofa/Murphy/AND ceiling bunk (IF it sleeps 5). So, before you book a 4a you need To find out if the room you are looking at sleeps 5 IF you want all 4 bed choices. If it doesn't, you are likely to have the same bed configuration as you currently have or you will have a Murphy bed instead of the ceiling bunk--and in the case, no additional beds for the money. And often, it seems the CM can't tell you which. So you can do a quick search for a room review on the Internet. That part's easy

What you DO gain is a few feet of extra space in the room and a verandah. Both of those are quite nice. But I wouldn't pay $700 for them. Personally. But then again, I've done it both ways (with and without verandah). If you have the money and want to try--go for it!

 

[dclpluto]

How many hours will it take you to work to make 700 dollars after taxes.figure that up than decide if it will be worth while to you

 

[jburge12000]

We always book a veranda room. We really like extra space for a family of 4 is really noticeable. I have only been "Upgraded" once, and it was from a Deluxe Veranda to the Family Deluxe Veranda and that was with a VGT rate. The only cruise we have been on where the veranda was a must have was Alaska given the scenery. We book then now, because I really like to have some space to get away while the rest of the family is getting ready and at night after the kids have gone to sleep.

 

[jenmiller114]

When we first sailed, we always had inside rooms because we didn't think we needed more and we were all about saving money. Then we had an ocean view room and decided that was really nice. Then we had a balcony and I decided I will never go back to anything else. But that is strictly personal preference. It all comes down to how much you are willing to spend.

Don't know if you are a Seinfeld fan but it's like the episode where Jerry told Elaine, "I'll take the first class seat because you won't know what you are missing". LOL. If you haven't had a balcony, you probably won't know what you are missing but I would guess that you might really enjoy it when you are sitting in the room while your son is napping.

Good luck deciding.

Jennifer

 

[holula]

When we first sailed, we always had inside rooms because we didn't think we needed more and we were all about saving money. Then we had an ocean view room and decided that was really nice. Then we had a balcony and I decided I will never go back to anything else. But that is strictly personal preference. It all comes down to how much you are willing to spend.

I've never felt this. We have done inside, ocean view, verandah AND concierge and are just as happy sailing insides as we were concierge. I would personally rather spend more on experiences than a room that I only sleep in.

I would definitely see WHICH 4A rooms are available before ou decide to switch and it doesn't have the bed configuration you want. I believe the Murphy bed (when down) makes it tricker to get to the balcony. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've never felt this. We have done inside, ocean view, verandah AND concierge and are just as happy sailing insides as we were concierge. I would personally rather spend more on experiences than a room that I only sleep in.

I would definitely see WHICH 4A rooms are available before ou decide to switch and it doesn't have the bed configuration you want. I believe the Murphy bed (when down) makes it tricker to get to the balcony. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

You're right, there's not a lot of room to maneuver around the bed when open:


We've also been in inside, oceanview, and verandah rooms. Our preference is oceanview, only because I really prefer some natural daylight in the room. Verandahs are nice, but we don't spend that much time in the room to really justify spending the extra just for a verandah that we don't use that much.

 

[vinotinto]

We had always booked verandas until our last trip, when one was $2,000 more, so we booked OV. I was very uncertain how we would feel not having the outdoor space (will we feel totally cramped in?), but we actually liked it a lot! We felt very comfortable allowing our DS 10 to check himself out of kids club and go back to the cabin by himself, sine he would not be able to step outside.

Also, some OV rooms (not all) are the same sq footage as the verandah room with the verandah, so if there's rain or bad weather, you actually have more space in the OV. It seemed the OV had more useable space.

We liked the OV so much that for our upcoming trip I asked DH if he wanted an OV or a verandah for $180 more and he chose the OV. It's a cat 8B.

 

[NCPAWPAW]

We love our balcony, I won't do a cruise without one.

 

[ElizabethCB]

Well, I was hoping for a more definitive answer...haha! Still on the fence.

Thanks for the picture, PrincessShmoo! That does really help me visualize it.

So I guess my next question is: how comfortable (or uncomfortable) is the convertible sofa?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Well, I was hoping for a more definitive answer...haha! Still on the fence.

Thanks for the picture, PrincessShmoo! That does really help me visualize it.

So I guess my next question is: how comfortable (or uncomfortable) is the convertible sofa?

The back of the sofa folds down over the seat. Inside the back is a regular twin mattress. Both of our sons (adult-sized) slept on two different ones. They both felt they were fine, just like a regular bed. It's possible that the mattress in any given room may be getting worn and, therefore, may not be as comfortable, but that's true about any of the mattresses.

They use the same twin size mattress in the sofa bed, bunk bed, and Murphy bed.

Another note - some of the pull down (bunk) beds have stars in the ceiling over the bed when open.

Here's a 4A that only sleeps 4 (no Murphy bed)

 

[jahber]

Well, I was hoping for a more definitive answer...haha! Still on the fence.

Thanks for the picture, PrincessShmoo! That does really help me visualize it.

So I guess my next question is: how comfortable (or uncomfortable) is the convertible sofa?

The sofa bed is comfy. I'd sleep on it if I had to.

 

[texas disney mom]

I would save the $700. You may not even want a balcony with young children.

 

[bas71873]

We always book a veranda room. We really like extra space for a family of 4 is really noticeable. I have only been "Upgraded" once, and it was from a Deluxe Veranda to the Family Deluxe Veranda and that was with a VGT rate. The only cruise we have been on where the veranda was a must have was Alaska given the scenery. We book then now, because I really like to have some space to get away while the rest of the family is getting ready and at night after the kids have gone to sleep.

For the Alaskan cruise does it matter which side of the ship you are on to take in all the scenery?

 

[jahber]

For the Alaskan cruise does it matter which side of the ship you are on to take in all the scenery?

The entire sailing (except for the times you are docked) is an out-and-back. If you don't see one side on the way up, you'll see it on the way back. Even on Tracey Arm day when you do the glacier, the captain rotates the ship so everyone can see.
Fwiw, We did Alaska in an inside because that was what we could afford and it was AMAZING!

 

[bethy]

One of my DD's and I are strong introverts and we really needed a verandah to escape to. I probably wouldn't cruise at all if I couldn't book one.

 

[Trera]

We had always booked verandas until our last trip, when one was $2,000 more, so we booked OV. I was very uncertain how we would feel not having the outdoor space (will we feel totally cramped in?), but we actually liked it a lot! We felt very comfortable allowing our DS 10 to check himself out of kids club and go back to the cabin by himself, sine he would not be able to step outside.

Also, some OV rooms (not all) are the same sq footage as the verandah room with the verandah, so if there's rain or bad weather, you actually have more space in the OV. It seemed the OV had more useable space.

We liked the OV so much that for our upcoming trip I asked DH if he wanted an OV or a verandah for $180 more and he chose the OV. It's a cat 8B.

I would agree with you that there are OV rooms that have actually more cabin room that the adjacent verandah room. Now the OV room doesnt have the balcony but we prefer the usable cabin area for our family.

 

[scootch]

I would save the money too. Especially since you are still going to have the argument over the bunk.

 

[JimGA]

It's really up to you, if you can easily pay the $700, do it. But if your budget is tight, save the money. Balconies are nice to have, but not a 'need"