How bad are aft verandah rooms?

[nancy drew]

I am having the hardest time making cruise plans. We've never cruised before, and I don't want to hate our first cruise. I think we need a verandah, just in case. I tend to get sea sick, the kids could get sick, etc. We were at Disneyland last summer and DD suddenly said she was sick, insisted on going back to the room, etc., and I was panicky thinking that our expensive once a year vacation might end up being 3 people stuck in a hotel room for days. At least with a verandah we could be outside, right?

But there is a $300-400 difference in price between the lowest class verandah rooms (which seem to be aft) vs. the middle class verandah rooms, which tend to be mid-ship. $300-400 could buy a lot of fun stuff, like excursions, drinks, souvenirs, etc.

So how bad are the aft rooms? I've heard they are noisy, and that you feel lots of movement. Did you really feel the ship's movement in an aft room? Did the noise disturb your vacation? Or were you overly worried (like me!) and it turned out OK?

 

[kimb96]

We were aft on deck 9. Loved the location! I woke up to the vibrations I've seen people talk about on here the first day in castaway way and slept through them the rest of the cruise. Ds and dh never noticed them all. Loved the large verandah and the views of castaway cay! I loved the proximity to the drink stations. Dh gets carsick at times but had no issues whatsoever on the cruise. You get used to the slight rocking motion on the ship. I noticed it mostly in the front of the ship. I would absolutely do another aft cabin!

 

[kcashner]

We were one room away from the farthest back on the Magic (HA room). Bad? Really? Yes, we had serious vibration noise for about 5 minutes each time the ship docked. So, 5 minutes every 2 days? That is a miniscule amount of time compared to the length of the cruise.

We had no problem with the cabin--really. I've also been in rooms by the aft elevators. Same situation. Well, there was the snoring neighbor, but that's another issue entirely.

 

[luv that cruise]

we have had rooms midship back to aft & I notice more vibration and noise in the aft rooms but to me it is white noise. I actually like it. Even with an inside room you are only a short walk to the best verandah on the ship - deck 4. I am a classic ship fan so not sure where the jogging deck is on the new ships but the same concept.

I don't feel the ship move now - but when I first started cruising the first night around dinner would take it's toll on me. Mentally just prepare yourself - it gets better, and it gets better fast. By the first port I was only disoriented when we were walking around in the ports. Strange that I was more seasick after I got back from my vacation. I would like to think it's my body's way of telling me that I should cruise all the time.

Being on the water is definitely a different experience than a land vacation but just don't let the first 8 hours psych you out. Not a sick feeling, just a different feeling. I hope you love cruising as much as I do.

 

[zealandsmom]

I am having the hardest time making cruise plans. We've never cruised before, and I don't want to hate our first cruise. I think we need a verandah, just in case. I tend to get sea sick, the kids could get sick, etc. We were at Disneyland last summer and DD suddenly said she was sick, insisted on going back to the room, etc., and I was panicky thinking that our expensive once a year vacation might end up being 3 people stuck in a hotel room for days. At least with a verandah we could be outside, right?

But there is a $300-400 difference in price between the lowest class verandah rooms (which seem to be aft) vs. the middle class verandah rooms, which tend to be mid-ship. $300-400 could buy a lot of fun stuff, like excursions, drinks, souvenirs, etc.

So how bad are the aft rooms? I've heard they are noisy, and that you feel lots of movement. Did you really feel the ship's movement in an aft room? Did the noise disturb your vacation? Or were you overly worried (like me!) and it turned out OK?

We just cruised in room 6640. It was the best experience ever. No noise, no rocking. We loved it!

 

[Silverfox97]

So how bad are the aft rooms? I've heard they are noisy, and that you feel lots of movement. Did you really feel the ship's movement in an aft room? Did the noise disturb your vacation? Or were you overly worried (like me!) and it turned out OK?

How "bad" are they? OMG this has me laughing. They are not bad, they are AMAZING!!!!! I literally adore the aft verandahs. Movement? Nope. Noise? Nope. I had 9674 & have 8188 on our next few cruises. Save the money. They are awesome

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Tangoqueen]

We just had 7104 aft and near elevators (so was a little concerned) but it was fabulous, no problems, no noise or vibration. I have had mid ship before on another line and did not notice the difference! Book and enjoy. We were on deck 9 by the way.

 

[wvdcl cruisers]

DW and I cruised in 9172 last September aboard the Dream...absolutely loved the verandah. No vibrations, noise, etc. for us...would definitely book again.

 

[realityland]

Motion and vibration when docking are going to be affected by water conditions at the port of call on any given day.

 

[realityland]

Not sure that there is a "perfect" room on any cruise or hotel. It is very subjective. What one person perceives as a minus (close to the elevator, for example) might be a real plus for the family with two strollers.

 

[sarahsmom73]

We were Aston our June cruise from NYC... LOVED - I mean hated the location... seriously it was great!

 

[momof2minnies]

Magic 7102 here in 2009 loved the room and the location to everything.


Linda

 

[tinkermama117]

We were in room 6146 on the Dream in August. It's considered an aft room but more towards midship. We had heard all the stories about how awful aft rooms were, but to be honest we hardly felt a thing. And if we did we got used to it pretty quick. The location was great too as it was near the stairs and a couple floors away from the places we needed to go.

 

[abitagirl916]

We were in room 6146 on the Dream in August. It's considered an aft room but more towards midship. We had heard all the stories about how awful aft rooms were, but to be honest we hardly felt a thing. And if we did we got used to it pretty quick. The location was great too as it was near the stairs and a couple floors away from the places we needed to go.

Tinermama117, I will be in 6146 on the Fantasy next year. I believe the rooms on the Dream and Fantasy are the same. Do you have any pictures of the stateroom and verandah? If you do, I would love to see them. TIA

 

[jahber]

We were somewhat aft (5150) on the Fantasy and yes, we felt vibrations all the first and last night. But we had some wave action, so it was mostly the stabilizers kicking in as we rocked side to side. You can sort of feel/hear them. It was kind I like being on a plane in the sense that the vibrations were coming up through the metal surfaces. BUT, it did not bother anyone in my family at all. I'm the only one who noticed, and that's probably a combination of my noise sensitivity and reading the DIS

I found the night-time vibrations to be very soothing, like white noise as a pp states. The vibrations when docking woke me up, but I'm a sleepyhead in the morning, so it was the wake up call I needed to get the day started! I wouldn't hesitate to book aft again!

 

[Wazzo]

We had room 7168 on the Dream in March of 2012. I loved the location, but I wouldn't stay aft again. We had major vibrations in the room on the first and last nights. It made our voices shake when we were talking to each other. At first it was funny, but then it lasted way too long! It was very hard to sleep, and it kept waking us up. I found the vibrations so bad that first night that I thought we'd have to ask to move, but the rest of the time was fine... until the last night. It must have been crossing that part of the ocean away from and towards Cape Canaveral.

If you can stand that though, everything else was fantastic about the room! I wish it didn't bother me so much, because the location really was great.

 

[ethanash1]

I am a huge fan of AFT cabins. We sailed in 10160 on the Fantasy, Full AFT. Views were amazing and the vibrations were few and far between. You get the HUGE verandah and amazing views of every port. I'm actually surprised that these are cheaper, but I'm guessing its because of the proximity to Mid Ship. I would book AFT again in a heartbeat.
Oh, we never woke up to scraping deck chairs above us or a lot of noise either..... Whatever you choose, have an amazing trip!

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

We were in 6688 on the Dream in October 2011 and we loved it. We felt some vibrations, but we were not bothered by it. We have the same room booked for 2013 and are looking forward to it.

 

[racingfandj]

We had 5190 this summer and loved it! Was some very minor vibration, but it was constant. Have heard reports of complaints from night clubs on 4, but didn't hear anything. My mom was in 6180 and the vibration in her room was stronger than ours, but again, constant. She's a very light sleeper and as long as it stayed constant didn't distrurb her. We have booked aft on our next 2!

 

[Heather Leigh]

We were in room 6146 on the Dream in August. It's considered an aft room but more towards midship. We had heard all the stories about how awful aft rooms were, but to be honest we hardly felt a thing. And if we did we got used to it pretty quick. The location was great too as it was near the stairs and a couple floors away from the places we needed to go.

I am staying in this room next year. Can you tell me if the balcony is plexiglass or totally white-walled? How was the view?