Deluxe Oceanview w/ Verandah (CAT 5C) vs Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom (CAT 8C)

[disneyfan13]

Our family cruise for this May was canceled, so we are opting to use the 125% cruise credit for a future cruise. I have a family of 4, myself, DW, DD (3yrs) and DS (1yr).

With the extra 25% of onboard credit, we can easily upgrade our stateroom, or have the OBC to use for other activities on the ship. We currently have a Deluxe Family Oceanview stateroom (CAT 8C), however; it's only a couple hundred dollars more to upgrade to a Deluxe Oceanview w/ Verandah (CAT 5C). I have sailed on 6 DCL now and never had a verandah, but my wife and kids have never been on a DCL. For my situation, I'm seriously thinking of upgrading with our extra OBC.

My question is this: is there any major difference between the two rooms besides one being a Verandah and the other being a Oceanview? We will be sailing on the Fantasy. Is the actual square footage of the rooms the same? I know the balcony isn't huge, but does the balcony make the actual room square footage smaller?

If anyone has any advice between the two rooms would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[MomOTwins]

One major difference is the location. 8C rooms are either all the way forward or all the way aft, whereas verandahs are plentiful midship. On the Fantasy, aft staterooms are known to have vibrations that many find intense. And forward staterooms have stronger motion (can be tough with motion sickness) and the forward elevators open up onto the adult only pool deck which can be awkward for families.

The 8C room will feel more spacious than the 5C though, so that's an advantage. And some parents with younger kids feel more comfortable with an oceanview because they worry about younger kids on the verandah (I personally feel it is safe as the lock is high up, but I mention ebcause it's something I hear a lot).

 

[FigmentSpark]

If you look at the floor plans, you'll see that the 5Cs are right beside the 8Cs. They are smaller, because of the blacony. However, if you can swing the 4Cs, you'll have the same space as an 8C + balcony.

You can see it here on the Fantasy deckplan.

 

[chamberlain]

If 8C are the ones with the large round porthole your children may really enjoy looking out or sitting in the window. It's low to the floor so they can see on their own. Our children were older but they loved to sit and look out. A verandah is nice too so I don't think you can go wrong either way.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

We've sailed in all of the three big categories of stateroom, and that 8C oceanview on the Dream class ships is our favorite stateroom type. We definitely prefer it to a category 5, because:
1. The room itself is bigger than a category 5. All of what would have been verandah space, is instead space in your room. Tons of storage space & a spacious room just feels more pleasant. (So yes, a 5A room is smaller because of the verandah. If you want a big room with verandah, you have to upgrade all of the way up to a "Family" verandah, which a Cat 5 is not.)
2. The window is huge, big enough for kids or a small adult to sit/recline in, and offers a great view.
3. Because it's a "Family" stateroom, unlike a Cat 5, it has the round tub & rainshower, and we really liked that.
4. Many of these (but not all, so check stateroom reports if you want this), have a murphy bed that comes down from the wall and lays in front of the window, and my son liked sleeping right next to the big window.
5. Because ours was far forward, there wasn't a lot of traffic in the hallway. (I wouldn't recommend far aft on the Fantasy, which has vibration problems in the aft sometimes).

 

[lilmc]

We gave up our far forward 8C when we rebooked our cancelled cruise because it would have been $2300 more just to get the same room, so we went GT veranda. My kids are really bummed, they wanted the extra square footage and the large port hole with the Murphy bed next to it. We are a family of 4 with 12 and 14 daughters. The loss of interior space and storage will be felt.