How much time do you spend in your cabin?

[princesskenziesmom]

I am asking this question as an average, I know that everyone is different and have different situations. I am getting ready to book this week but am really torn between Category V or T. We are a family of 5 (no nappers) so I know we will be crammed in the V but we want the Concierge Services,,,I really would love to stay in the T but that is a significant money difference and cannot decide if we would make good use of it or is everyone always out on the deck (even at night) or walking around the ship, at shows or the pools? My dh just wants to book the V and try and upgrade at port.

I am just wondering,,,how much time does your family spend in your cabin?

 

[budbeerlady]

Its just Dh and I for cruising. We are in there only to sleep and prepare for meals/ excursions.

Really, we get up, go for breakfast and either lay by the pool or leave the ship. We go back to the room before dinner to shower and get ready. After dinner we often went back to the room to change back into our vacation clothes. I like to dress up for dinner. Then it was off for the night until 1 or 2am when we came back to sleep. So maybe we are really weird but an hour a day total plus sleeping?

 

[JennLK]

I am asking this question as an average, I know that everyone is different and have different situations. I am getting ready to book this week but am really torn between Category V or T. We are a family of 5 (no nappers) so I know we will be crammed in the V but we want the Concierge Services,,,I really would love to stay in the T but that is a significant money difference and cannot decide if we would make good use of it or is everyone always out on the deck (even at night) or walking around the ship, at shows or the pools? My dh just wants to book the V and try and upgrade at port.

I am just wondering,,,how much time does your family spend in your cabin?

How early do your kids go to bed. While during the day my ds(2) naps in his stroller while we go about our day he does go to bed rather early 7:30/8 when not on vacation. 9:30 seemed to be his limit when we were on the cruise. I was still quite awake for the most part but found my verandah enough of a getaway to read/sip wine etc. Throughout the day we were really only in the room for getting dressed ...

 

[ksloane]

As little as possible. Seriously, we used our room for sleeping and getting ready for whatever activity we were doing - swimming, eating, excursion, etc. There is so much to do on the ship....I have no little ones that need naps or early bedtimes though. My daughter was 9 last summer and wanted to stay in the kids club longer than I wanted to stay awake some nights...I'd set the alarm and wake up to go get her....

 

[PrincessYessenia]

As little as possible. Seriously, we used our room for sleeping and getting ready for whatever activity we were doing - swimming, eating, excursion, etc. There is so much to do on the ship....I have no little ones that need naps or early bedtimes though. My daughter was 9 last summer and wanted to stay in the kids club longer than I wanted to stay awake some nights...I'd set the alarm and wake up to go get her....

That pretty much sums it up! We stay in the room to sleep, and get ready for dinner. 95% of the time we are out and about.

 

[RedSox68]

A lot. We're not sunbathers and don't sit around the pool much, but if we have a verandah we love to sit out there and read or have lunch. In the mornings we have coffee out there before breakfast. Sometimes we'll leave the verandah doors open and order room service and watch a movie. Now keep in mind, we do not have little children any more, or we'd be out and about more!

Also, after dinner and our walk around the promenade, we love to sit on our verandah and watch the stars.

Don't get me wrong, we spend plenty of time roaming around the ship and participating in activities. But when we are tired and want some down quiet time, we really enjoy our room! However, on our upcoming Dream cruise we have an oceanview with the porthole seat because we knew we'd be out of the room a lot getting to know the new ship. Probably will be the least amount of time we've ever spent in our room

 

[ESN]

We actually spend more time in the room /on the verandah.

We eat breakfast on the verandah almost daily - We like to sit and read on the verandah. Our kids (7 and 9 now) played in the room or watched tv when they needed down time

For us - the room was a quiet place to relax - esp at sea days when the upper decks/pool areas are a total madhouse

Now granted - we were in Cat 3 rooms - so this may have affected our decision to spend time in the room. If we were crammed in - I might have felt differently.

Our kids normally go to bed at 8 - on vacation much later - and we found that once or twice they would actually nap during the day so they could stay up late and enjoy the kids club evening activities.

DH also loves to nap on vacation

It was then that we really appreciated the extra space/verandah - so you did not feel trapped in the dark while a child napped

 

[HappyontheLake]

Now, if the ability to sleep will be adversely affected by everyone else room might be an issue. But you will be leaving the littles in the club in the evening while you enjoy the adult activities, picking up tired/sleepy kiddos to carry them back up to your stateroom.

But if the only reason you are booking Concierge is for services than just get the Family Verandah and save the money. You will have access to the private deck -- the kids will be spending time in the clubs when they are not with you.

Cost differential == lots of time in the spa. Period, that is my story and I am sticking to it.

DH and I have talked about booking Concierge on a cruise in the future (7 night) but with 4 kids (there is also a 16yo boy in the mix in addition to the 3 girls listed below) we would need connecting staterooms or to leave a kid home (Hmm, who is least worthy ... jk) but it would mean only one vacation that year instead of our normal two.

Would you enjoy the extra space? Of course, who wouldn't. Can you live without, of course. I am cruising in a CAT4 with my sister and my 3 girls (13, 10, 8) on a 5 night in July. It will be tight but we will only be in there to sleep and change. We get our extra space in the 3 nights at WDW at the 2 bedroom Villa at SSR afterwards and our extra leg room seats on Jet Blue back home.

Let us know your choice.

 

[trimix]

I am asking this question as an average, I know that everyone is different and have different situations. I am getting ready to book this week but am really torn between Category V or T. We are a family of 5 (no nappers) so I know we will be crammed in the V but we want the Concierge Services,,,I really would love to stay in the T but that is a significant money difference and cannot decide if we would make good use of it or is everyone always out on the deck (even at night) or walking around the ship, at shows or the pools? My dh just wants to book the V and try and upgrade at port.

I have to ask, since I haven't heard of cat v - when did Disney AGAIN change stateroom classifications? I've become addicted to category 6; what is that category now called?

Regarding the question, I spent a good amount of time in my stateroom. There are a lot of good activities through much of the day, so you could easily spend very little time in your room. However, I enjoy having some quiet time - especially when I am trying to read. Without a veranda I probably would have looked for someplace public and worn a noise canceling headset so I could have some quiet time with natural lighting. But with the veranda I was able to enjoy the stateroom a lot more than I otherwise would have.

Regarding concierge services, the only thing I would have really used onboard would have been having hot food delivered at breakfast. But I was satisfied having some danishes or croissants and juice delivered to enjoy while waiting for everybody to get ready for a restaurant. And we enjoyed the experience in the restaurants at dinner; we would have chosen the restaurants over in-suite dining any day. Priority access to the tenders was something I found totally unnecessary - I am not the type to rush off immediately, and I didn't have any wait when I was ready to go ashore.

 

[scootch]

Last cruise we were graciously upgraded to a verandah. It was only a 3 night cruise and we only used the verandah about 20 min total!! Thus this time we went with an inside stateroom. There are only 3 of us, but where I prefer and will pay extra for a deluxe room at WDW, I did not feel we needed it on the cruise.

 

[Pixelfrog]

We just returned from the Magic on Feb 5. It's the first time I've ever had a verandah on any cruise ever. Before this, I would have said it didn't make a difference. Now? For me, it makes a huge difference. We loved opening the sliding doors and hanging out on the verandah. We probably spent more time in the room because of it. After this, I don't think I would cruise without a verandah again.

 

[drparoo]

I end up spending a lot of time in the room. Reading on the verandah, just watching the sea and sky, getting lunch and bringing it back to the room. I like the quiet and solitude. But I'm in a tiny minority.

 

[PrincessYessenia]

I have to ask, since I haven't heard of cat v - when did Disney AGAIN change stateroom classifications? I've become addicted to category 6; what is that category now called?

Disney did not change stateroom classifications again. CAT V is the Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with verandah

 

[FJS961]

I end up spending a lot of time in the room. Reading on the verandah, just watching the sea and sky, getting lunch and bringing it back to the room. I like the quiet and solitude. But I'm in a tiny minority.

I'm in the minority with you. My vacation is a blend of adventure/excitement with relaxation/privacy ... a nice size suite is SWEET

 

[Disney Cajun Man]

I am asking this question as an average, I know that everyone is different and have different situations. I am getting ready to book this week but am really torn between Category V or T. We are a family of 5 (no nappers) so I know we will be crammed in the V but we want the Concierge Services,,,I really would love to stay in the T but that is a significant money difference and cannot decide if we would make good use of it or is everyone always out on the deck (even at night) or walking around the ship, at shows or the pools? My dh just wants to book the V and try and upgrade at port.

I am just wondering,,,how much time does your family spend in your cabin?

Hardly ever in our cabin. We are there to change cloths, shower and sleep. Get the least expensive cabin possible since you are hardly ever there and once on board there is not much difference between rooms except for the suites.

 

[MartDM]

We spend a fair amount ever since we discovered the wonders of having a verandah

We prefer not to sleep in on a cruise, and get a jump on the day. We've typically taken a late afternoon rest in the cabin (either to catch a power nap if need be or just to relax quietly with a book). We're not really nightowl/party types either, so we've always typicall turned in around 10ish and enjoyed a nightcap on the verandah. We have a little guy now; no longer napping but in need of an afternoon rest and a decent bedtime, so I think we'll probably spend even more time.

Because of that we booked the 1 br suite to make sure we're not on top of each other all the time.

 

[drparoo]

I'm in the minority with you. My vacation is a blend of adventure/excitement with relaxation/privacy ... a nice size suite is SWEET

And no beepers.

 

[FJS961]

And no beepers.

EXACTLY!!!

 

[trimix]

Disney did not change stateroom classifications again. CAT V is the Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with verandah

Thank you. This category isn't on the Magic or Wonder, so I wouldn't have been aware of it.

 

[MCourtney]

We actually spend more time in the room /on the verandah.

We eat breakfast on the verandah almost daily - We like to sit and read on the verandah. Our kids (7 and 9 now) played in the room or watched tv when they needed down time

For us - the room was a quiet place to relax - esp at sea days when the upper decks/pool areas are a total madhouse

Now granted - we were in Cat 3 rooms - so this may have affected our decision to spend time in the room. If we were crammed in - I might have felt differently.

Our kids normally go to bed at 8 - on vacation much later - and we found that once or twice they would actually nap during the day so they could stay up late and enjoy the kids club evening activities.

DH also loves to nap on vacation

It was then that we really appreciated the extra space/verandah - so you did not feel trapped in the dark while a child napped

Exactly the same with us, we have a 7 year old. One of my favorite things to do is to sit on the verandah with glass of wine, a room service cheese platter, and look at the sun/clouds/moon/stars/anything and just relax. But I am a room person too, anytime we go on vacation the hotel/room is part of the experience and I put as much time into choosing it as I do the rest of the trip. I have friends that leave their cabin at 7 am, not to return until 11 pm however, and could care less if they are packed in like sardines... so it just depends on your lifestyle.