First Time - Which Deck

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

First time doing a DCL cruise. Have decided on the Dream but now have no idea which deck would be better and what part of the ship is preferred. Any and all suggestions appreciated

 

[MomOTwins]

Some considerations:

• Higher up is good if you want easier access to the pool deck. Lower is better if you want easier access to the restaurants/kids club/theater.​
• Midship is good if you have motion sickness, and we also like being mid so we are not too far from anything
• Forward is convenient if you plan to use the adult only pool a lot since the elevator opens in the adult area of the pool deck, but not convenient if you have kids for the same reason.
• Quietest rooms will be on a deck with rooms above and below (for example, a common complaint for deck 10 is noise early in the morning from deck chair set up)

 

[BadPinkTink]

I have my first Disney cruise booked for September 2020. This is how I decided on my room

Budget - how much can I afford. Once you know your budget you can then see which category fits your budget.

Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah
Category R

Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
Category T

Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
Category V

Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
Category 4A-4D

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
Category 5A-5E, 6A-6B

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom
Category 7A

Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom
Category 8A-8D

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom
Category 9A-9B

Deluxe Inside Stateroom
Category 10A

Standard Inside Stateroom
Categories 11A-C

Once you know which category, this will almost certainly decide the deck , as not all categories are on each deck. Then look at room configurations. For me I chose
Standard Inside Stateroom Categories 11A-C . I then looked at the deck plans and discovered there were 2 types of room configurations in this category, standard and sideways. I read trip reports and searched for room reviews. I decided to try sideways as there is only a limited amount of these rooms, compared to the standard. I checked the deckplans on the ship I knew I would be sailing on and noted the numbers of the sideways rooms.

Then when I was ready to book, I gave my travel agent Dreams Unlimited the numbers of the staterooms and said that my preference was for any one of these rooms. It just happened that that my preferred room is on deck 6 Forward, in a quiet area.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Budget: The higher up the deck the more expensive and the closer to midship the more expensive.
Know what's above you and below you: Staterooms above and below are quieter than a theater below or a restaurant/pool deck above (according to past comments).
What do you want to do most: if it's sun and pool time, go up. If its dining and clubs, go low.

 

[bakerworld]

We like the aft because of the extended veranda. While I've always been prone to motion sickness, I never seem to have a problem on the cruise ships. We've enjoyed levels 5, 6, and 7 aft. Our initial cruise we did mid-ship on level 9 with a large port-hole because of being prone to motion sickness. We didn't care for it and our TA told us to try aft verandas - we've stayed aft with extended verandas ever since on the Dream and Magic. We schedule to sail November 2020 on Fantasy. aft level 6.

 

[coast2coastmickey]

We loved deck 8, aft, starboard side for our cruise on the Dream.

Why deck 8?
Just a couple flights up to the pool deck, and just a handful of flights down to restaurants/atrium/interior amenities.

Why aft?
Stairs close by take you right up to cabanas, which was nice for a family. Do forward if you have no kids since the adults only area is forward.

Why starboard?
We had an inconsistent and early-to-bed toddler with us, so it was nice to be able to see the fireworks that they shoot off starboard.

We loved this setup so much that we picked a similar room on deck 6 of the Wonder for our next cruise.

 

[LeeLeeK]

I have my first Disney cruise booked for September 2020. This is how I decided on my room

Budget - how much can I afford. Once you know your budget you can then see which category fits your budget.

Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah
Category R

Concierge 1-Bedroom Suite with Verandah
Category T

Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
Category V

Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
Category 4A-4D

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah
Category 5A-5E, 6A-6B

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom
Category 7A

Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom
Category 8A-8D

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom
Category 9A-9B

Deluxe Inside Stateroom
Category 10A

Standard Inside Stateroom
Categories 11A-C

Once you know which category, this will almost certainly decide the deck , as not all categories are on each deck. Then look at room configurations. For me I chose
Standard Inside Stateroom Categories 11A-C . I then looked at the deck plans and discovered there were 2 types of room configurations in this category, standard and sideways. I read trip reports and searched for room reviews. I decided to try sideways as there is only a limited amount of these rooms, compared to the standard. I checked the deckplans on the ship I knew I would be sailing on and noted the numbers of the sideways rooms.

Then when I was ready to book, I gave my travel agent Dreams Unlimited the numbers of the staterooms and said that my preference was for any one of these rooms. It just happened that that my preferred room is on deck 6 Forward, in a quiet area.

This is one of the best lists I've seen- Thank you!

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

If you're sailing the Fantasy, avoid the aft, as the Fantasy has some kind of mechanical issue that causes occasional excessive aft vibration.