Disney Dream - Oversized Aft Verandah or Family Stateroom? (And which Aft 5E stateroom?)

[Lorana]

We’re considering taking a Christmas in November 2021 with family, booking two connecting staterooms. I currently have two Cat 4E held - 5550 & 5548. Has anyone stayed in those and can tell me how they are? Do they have full chaise loungers? I wanted 5650 which I know does, but all of the midship 5Es were booked.

However, while I value the huge balcony space, my husband values the sleeping space. He’d also like to be nearer Deck 10. We’ll have our two teenage sons with us, who will be 17 and 15 then, and in the connecting stateroom will be our niece and nephew, ages 11. DH points out that we’ve never actually stayed in a Family Stateroom, because I’m always booking the 4Es, and suggests we give the Family Stateroom a try, especially if we’re going to have connecting rooms.

So for those who have done both, which do you prefer, the extra large Verandahs? Or the extra cabin space? Is the weather still nice enough in late November to warrant having huge outdoor space? What would you suggest we do?

 

[sethschroeder]

Interested in answers. On our first and only cruise we were in 5536. I can't imagine a better spot on the ship because you were central, one flight of stairs from the theater, movie theatre, and walking track to easily get back to the Adult area.

I also loved our room because it was right where the water would break during the night so you could leave the door open and actually hear the ocean waves all night long.

I am not sure what you mean by chaise lounger? Oh do you mean on the deck? If I remember right it had 4 chairs out there but none of them were like the long chairs you see poolside that you lay out on if I remember correctly.

 

[sethschroeder]

Here is a video of 5548 on the Dream

 

[JM23457]

We’re considering taking a Christmas in November 2021 with family, booking two connecting staterooms. I currently have two Cat 4E held - 5550 & 5548. Has anyone stayed in those and can tell me how they are? Do they have full chaise loungers? I wanted 5650 which I know does, but all of the midship 5Es were booked.

However, while I value the huge balcony space, my husband values the sleeping space. He’d also like to be nearer Deck 10. We’ll have our two teenage sons with us, who will be 17 and 15 then, and in the connecting stateroom will be our niece and nephew, ages 11. DH points out that we’ve never actually stayed in a Family Stateroom, because I’m always booking the 4Es, and suggests we give the Family Stateroom a try, especially if we’re going to have connecting rooms.

So for those who have done both, which do you prefer, the extra large Verandahs? Or the extra cabin space? Is the weather still nice enough in late November to warrant having huge outdoor space? What would you suggest we do?

With more than 2 people in the room, I personally would always get the bigger room.

Keep in mind that on the extra-large verandah, people on higher decks can see onto your verandah, & there have been occasional reports of people (probably kids) throwing or dropping junk onto the big verandahs.

 

[Marc D]

We stayed in a 4E on Fantasy. While the larger verandah was nice, it was not nearly as big as the extended verandahs at the back of the ship and there were no loungers. We usually sail in larger Cat4 rooms and found we missed the extra space in the room.

Staying in the last 4E before the structure became narrower, our verandah was also exposed to massive winds during sailing, which prevented us from being out there most of the time when the ship was moving. The wind also made the partition wall on the verandah move a lot and we could hear it make noise at night even with the door closed. That would not be a problem in 5548.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Only you can really decide which you would prefer but to compare and contrast your options I will share some details from our past cruises. We have done a couple cruises that are similar to your options.

One was on deck 10 in connecting family staterooms just before Thanksgiving. It was travel party of six, our family of three in one Stateroom and grandparents and one cousin in the other. There was plenty of room inside and no one felt cramped. We had the balcony partition open and did use the veranda but not a huge amount. To answer the weather question, it is the Caribbean so even in the winter it doesn’t get that cold. It maybe cool at Port Canaveral but November around here is usually still pretty warm.

We have also done the extended veranda cabins (5542 & 5544) just A couple down from the ones you have Reserved. That was a party of 5, our three and grandparents in the other stateroom. Again we did not feel too cramped but we all have multiple cruises so we know the space limitations. If we had one more in our party it might have started to feel a little cramped. The extra veranda space was nice and we did use it but there were no full loungers. If you wanted some privacy from above there is enough overhang near the room to pull your chairs under so it was a little better but we never really had any issues.

We have done the aft cabins and if you want one of the best non-concierge verandas that is the way to go. They have the extra space and have a full lounger or two . They also feel a little more private mostly due to the slope which increases the amount veranda that cannot be seen from above. The other factor is there are limited cabins and the back seating of the Buffet that can see the verandas so it is not the whole side of the ship that can see your veranda.

Hope that helps some. If we can answer any specific, feel free to ask. Happy planning.

 

[Quellman]

5e deck 10 corner room. It does present a little bit of issue with storage due to the curvature of the ship but the deck is absolutely huge.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I've sailed in both and honestly, If the price difference isn't that much, the Family veranda is definitely the way to go. The extra space in the room is totally worthwhile even if you aren't using the 5th sleeper.

For us, the biggest deal is the rainfall shower in the bathroom with the lower tub. So much easier to shower in than the regular Verandah bathrooms!

A previous poster mentioned also: the overhang for the other rooms above also isn't my favorite thing (AKA: Everyone can see down to your balcony)

 

[Lorana]

Thank you all for the advice! It looks like the older cousin (who will be 19) wants to come as well, making it 5 in the adjoining stateroom, automatically deciding for us that we should do the larger family staterooms side-by-side. We grabbed two connecting staterooms near midship elevators, so we'll have the extra living space and can connect our verandahs.

However, we do want to give the aft staterooms a try. We've decided to use our FCCs towards a 3-night cruise for our anniversary in 2021, just the two of us, and give it a try. (I'm a little nervous because I can get seasick, though lately I have found a good mix of medication and seabands that help).

They currently put us in 9174. However, the following rooms are available. Which would you choose? Which has the largest balcony and/or best view and/or best experience?

10664, 10662, 10660
9174, 9176, 9672
7192

Do any of these have the full chaise loungers?

 

[Quellman]

10664, 10662, 10660
9174, 9176, 9672
7192

Do any of these have the full chaise loungers?

No, they generally are not full loungers. You;ll get 2 chairs, and 2 half short loungers. At least in those rooms. If you get the corner rooms they'll have a full lounger because the verandah is seriously massive.

I would prefer deck 9 or 7 over deck 10, though I have stayed on deck 10 aft. Reason being that deck 10 is under cabanas. Deck 9 vs 7 is just preference. If you want quick access to cabanas and pool deck, go with 9, otherwise 7 is fine.

9176 would be my preference. The room is next to the storage closet so the balcony is wider. Do be aware you may hear some noise as they stock and use that access point, but it is limited to day timehours in my experience. It is also direct center aft. 10660 has a weird hallway access with the corner room, 10658. Those rooms entrances are at right angles to one another, so if you are coming out and they are going in, you have to wait. It also creates a little more noise if your neighbor lets their door slam close.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I would personally encourage you to avoid deck 10. I have stayed there 3 times (all on the Dream). Personally we have never had issues with noise from above like some have. The only time I heard anything above was during the fireworks evening when I wasn't feeling well and was in the room. The reason we ended up on 10 so much? I book only the Guaranteed rooms and never pick our own room in advance to have the financial savings.

The big thing is the overhang from the deck above can limit your viewing a bit. Since you also mentioned seasickness, for some reason I tend to do a lot better with ship motion when I am lower down in the ship. We were on Deck 8 Midship in a family verandah in March before the closure and It was PERFECT. I felt the ship motion a bit more each time on deck 10.

Hope this helps!