How bad are aft verandah rooms?

[darkwing818]

As some others have noted we only noticed vibrations when docking at or leaving a port. We were on Deck 7 Aft twice, once on the Fantasy & once on the Dream.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

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?

How far aft are you talking about? We were in 10612 on the Fantasy. The vibration there (NOT just when porting) was horrendous. Much like being on one of those cheesy motel vibrating beds. Couldn't lie in bed and watch the TV (if your head was propped on the headboard). And it was anytime the ship was making at least 18 knots (which happens a lot on the Eastern itinerary). In fact we felt the vibration (on our Western itinerary) when were more forward and the next deck down, also. Not as much on the Western, but it was still there.

 

[littleblackegg]

I think if you consult with your primary care doc a few weeks before your cruise the two of you can come up with a plan to keep your motion sickness at bay. Motion sickness is very individual. Some people can become ill from the smallest movements. Approach it like a health issue and not a room/ship issue. That way you will be all smiles!

 

[MunFam]

I think if you consult with your primary care doc a few weeks before your cruise the two of you can come up with a plan to keep your motion sickness at bay. Motion sickness is very individual. Some people can become ill from the smallest movements. Approach it like a health issue and not a room/ship issue. That way you will be all smiles!

This is good advice. I "managed" my sea sickness with patches and meds from my doc because I am very prone to it. Even with the meds I got sea sick just delivering FE gifts to the aft rooms. I also got seasick eating in the aft restaurant. So for me personally, I would rather have a midship, no view or window room than an aft room, infact, I would not cruise in an aft room for free because I would be miserable...but as you can see, I am a minority in this opinion. I am also extremely susceptible to sea sickness. I got sick and we were still tied up in Miami. Just the teeniest movement and I am toast. I cannot go on sail boats or harbor cruises in our local bay. I cant swing in a hammock either.

 

[JimmyV]

Aft cabins bring out polarizing opinions, from "there is no vibration" to "there is some vibration but we love it" to "the vibration is so bad it loosened my fillings." The second and third of these I can understand. To some the vibration is soothing and a reminder of being at sea. And to some it is an annoyance that they just can't escape. But I will never understand the first statement. There is greater vibration at the stern than elsewhere. There simply is. We enjoy glasses of wine in our cabin and when we are toward the aft you can see the ripples in the glass when you place it on the table. That is not imaginary and is a clear telltale sign of vibration. And it is worse with an aft cabin than in a mid-ship cabin. Will it bother you? Only you know.

While there are many cruisers who insist on aft facing cabins, (not sure if that is what you are looking at), we are not in that group. The noise and vibration does bother us, (my wife more than me), and I much prefer the view of the roll of the unspoiled ocean to the view of the manmade roil of the turgid wake. Others find the foamy disturbance caused by the ship to be mesmerizing. Me? Both literally and metaphorically, I prefer to gaze toward the future and where I am heading moreso than staring at where I have been and the agitation I have left in my wake.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

All vessels will have some vibration back aft, after all the props or pods or whatever propulsion gear is right underneath you. It is normal and as Jimmy V pointed out only you can decide if you love it or hate it.


AKK

 

[Expatriat]

I think if you consult with your primary care doc a few weeks before your cruise the two of you can come up with a plan to keep your motion sickness at bay. Motion sickness is very individual. Some people can become ill from the smallest movements. Approach it like a health issue and not a room/ship issue. That way you will be all smiles!

This is the best advice ever. Surprisingly, some people book cruises expecting them to be as smooth and motionless as a land-based hotel stay, and request a change of cabin if their experience is a bit rocky. Everyone should know that any cruise may or may not have smooth sailing and that all cruises will have some degree of motion because they are cruises, on moving water, not land. Empty cabins are not always available and a change of room isn't a cure-all anyway. Anyone with a tendency to motion sickness who decides to cruise anyway should visit their physician prior to sailing and arrive prepared to deal with it, because it IS a health problem and one you can be prepared in advance to handle. It can be done!

 

[mevelandry]

Our first room was 5688. There was vibrations and noises at times (docking, etc) but to us, it was just part of the experience (we loved it, we use to rush to the verandah to watch people work, we thought it was amazing)

We took pills for motion sickness and that was it.

The hallways were super quiet because there was nobody around.

 

[Betty Breed]

I was concerned about an aft veranda cabin so I changed to a midship cabin (the same one we had on my 1st Disney cruise 10 years ago--same ship). Met time will try an aft cabin.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

This is good advice. I "managed" my sea sickness with patches and meds from my doc because I am very prone to it. Even with the meds I got sea sick just delivering FE gifts to the aft rooms. I also got seasick eating in the aft restaurant. So for me personally, I would rather have a midship, no view or window room than an aft room, infact, I would not cruise in an aft room for free because I would be miserable...but as you can see, I am a minority in this opinion. I am also extremely susceptible to sea sickness. I got sick and we were still tied up in Miami. Just the teeniest movement and I am toast. I cannot go on sail boats or harbor cruises in our local bay. I cant swing in a hammock either.

You aren't alone & I know I'm the minority here, too. LOL!

I sailed deck 9 dead center aft on the Fantasy and hated it. I would never sail aft again. We like to feel motion. No seasick issues. Hated the soot all over. Hated all the vibrating especially when docking or crossing stronger currents. It's not just a little vibration to me. It's like the spin cycle on the washing machine. Hangers, all kinds of stuff, clanking all dang night. I don't sleep super heavy. Even a clock ticking will drive me bat crap crazy. We didn't find the location all that convenient to have. We've had better. If I want an extended verandah I'm more inclined to go cat. 4E on deck 5 forward of the forward elevators (less foot traffic). We thought that location was waaaaaay more convenient.

To the OP, best location for sea sickness would be midship and not on the highest decks. Definitely talk to your doctor about the patch. Also, try meclazine (Bonine). Or non-drowsy Dramamine. (<--that makes me a zombie but I know some people have the opposite reaction) Any remedy you plan to use try it on a weekend you'll be home ahead of your trip to make sure you know if it makes you groggy. Also bring ginger gum, candy, or supplements. Ginger is a natural remedy to settle a queasy tummy. (Remember our grandparents giving us ginger ale when we felt yucky? That's why!) And finally, when your cruise is over continue the patch or other meds at least for an additional day or 2. I knew a girl who was totally fine her whole cruise but became so sick once back on land that she was incapacitated for days.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I would skip the balcony and go for an interior midship on a low deck. That's where you'll minimize the motion.

We have had aft cabins on the Magic and I don't particularly like them. Unfortunately, that's where DCL has put the vast majority of their HA cabins so we don't have a choice. On the Dream or Fantasy, we were able to get an accessible cabin right next to the forward elevators and we found much less motion. I am prone to sea sickness on the first 24-36 hours of a cruise (until I get my sea legs). Staying aft isn't great for me, midship or even forward I deal with the motion much better.

 

[DisneyConvert]

We had 7632 on the Magic for 12 Days Baltic and I am very susceptible to seasickness.

Did NOT have a problem.