I need honest opinions on verandahs

[nuke]

We are planning our 10th anniversary trip for November 2003. We will be taking our then 6 yr old son on Western 7 night.

I had originally planned on a balcony cabin, but I am getting some conflicting opinions of it. A Disney cruise employee told me that the larger outside with the big windows are a better deal because you are higher up on the ship and the windows are huge. I have also been told by a co-worker that they didn't spend much time on their balcony except when the ship was in port because it was too windy out there.

So I am waivering. Do I go for the balcony and if not do I just go for a secret porthole cabin and save the money?

 

[Michelle]

Hmm, I think you got some bad information.

The Category 9 Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms with the huge portholes are on DECK TWO, very low down on the ship and close to the water. They are nice rooms, but they are definitely not up high. There are a few Cat. 9s with two small porthole windows instead of one large one on Deck One as well.

The "secret porthole" rooms are on Deck 5 and are basically obstucted view rooms. They are considered Category 10 Deluxe Inside Staterooms.

I would DEFINITELY go for the balcony if you have your heart set on it! They are wonderful, on Decks 5, 6, 7 and 8 and I have spent plenty of time on the balcony, even when we're at sea. Your son will love looking for flying fish while on the balcony (a favorite of my daughter). For such a special occasion as an anniversary I would get the balcony stateroom.

Enjoy!

 

[Mickey4Me]

I second Michelle's advice on this! We loved having the verandah and spent a fair amount of time there. Early AM coffee, late afternoon read, drinks before dinner and late night snack from room service....all enjoyed the verandah. I never noticed a problem with the wind. I say go for it! I don't think you'll be disappointed.

 

[Bev J]

Go for the balcony, you will love it! We had a cat 6 with a balcony it was wonderful to be out on comming/leaving ports also to just get away from the crowds on the decks. It is great for coffee in the morning. Our kids would be sleeping and hubby and I could have a little private time on the balcony with our drinks or coffee, the kids enjoyed watching for flying fish.
One Warning: you will never be able to go back to a cabin without a balcony again, it is just like having your little private bit of the ocean.

 

[atigeg]

You may want to consider a compromise and try a Navigators Verandah. That way, you can still spend some time outside, but you will save some money so you won't feel bad if you don't spend a lot of time out there. Hubby and I go both ways...we are usually either in 5650 (verandah) or a secret porthole room. We usually do the three-day cruise, and when we have a verandah, we have to make it a point to make time to spend out there, as the schedule is SO busy! But we love to have breakfast out there and to spend some time gazing at the stars before bed. If you decide to go with a porthole, check out the deck 7 secret aft verandah (I have photos on my website at www.castawayclub.com). On most cruises, hardly anyone ever goes out there so it's almost like having your own private verandah.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[fireplug]

I vote for the Navigators Ver. We have loved it. and the view is the same from the more expensive balconies, it seemed like our own private place on the ship.

Steve

 

[WorknFires]

I enjoyed the balcony in our cat 6 stateroom going in & out of port but seldom used it otherwise. The best part of the balcony was for my mom, a smoker. She gets up early and sits outside reading and smoking without bothering me or DH. We decided after seeing the navigator's verandah that we would rather have the cat 7 than the cat 6 in the future. No real difference to us and you get to save a few dollars.
Since money is not a problem, all this is nice but for me the heart of the matter would be your 6 year old. Is he an early riser? Even before you? Is he a climber? I'd think it would be easy for children to become facinated with the water to the point of accidently falling overboard if not supervised. I'm not suggesting that you don't supervise your child just that they move so quickly. Kinda morbid but better safe than sorry. If this is a potential problem, I'd skip the balcony.

Cheryl

 

[scduckman]

We stayed in a Cat 6 and enjoyed the verandah. I'm a morning person and I was always up before my wife and daughter. I would order room service coffee and sit on the verandah watching the sunrise, or watch us pulling into Castaway Cay.

 

[dis4me]

I strongly recommend the verandah.My dd 5 and 6 loved it as did my dh and I. We ate breakfast out there every morning and got to watch the ships go in and out of dock. Also whenthe girls were asleep it gave us some private time after hours. I think it was well worth the money and didn't seem to pose a danger for my children.
Have a great cruise!!

 

[sumfun]

just thought you might like another point of view,we did not enjoy the verandah . on our first cruise we had a cabin on the 6th deck deluxe ocean view large window no verandah it was fine,on second we decided to try the verandah,deck 7 ,aside from the fact that everytime we opened the doors to go out everything fogged up including video camera,i always felt it was too warm out there to enjoy a cup of coffee. keep in mind there is no smoking in the cabins so there is a good chance your verandah neighbor will be out smoking on theirs like ours were.i find it hard to enjoy the outdoors when i'm choking on second hand smoke. and finally while i try to keep an open mind and realize everyone is different and has different ways of raising their children i did not appreciate the family next to ours whos 8-10 year old children kept peering over onto our verandah and sticking out their tongues or their father encouraging them to spit in the water. needless to say our third trip is planned for deluxe oceanview cabins on deck 7.

 

[taswira]

A Navigator's Verandah would solve the problem of anyone peering around onto your balcony. As for bad neighbors in general - It can happen, but I think in most cases the neighbors aren't a problem. I had a Cat 5 regular verandah in January and LOVED it, even for the small amount of time I spent there. In May I am trying the Cat. 7 Navigator's Verandah, since I am going solo and would rather spend the difference on other things. If it did happen to get really windy, I'm thinking it would be lessened with the enclosed verandah as well.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by sumfun
no smoking in the cabins so there is a good chance your verandah neighbor will be out smoking on theirs like ours were.i find it hard to enjoy the outdoors when i'm choking on second hand smoke.

That is one thing I am afraid of, having smokers on the side of us. I would hate to have spent all this money on a verandah just to not be able to use it because of smoke.
I would have said something to the peering over kids if they kept doing it...an 8 & 10 year old should have more sense than that or the parents should have done something about it.

 

[Michelle]

Just to answer any concerns about a child wandering on to the verandah, there are VERY secure childproof locks at the top of the verandah door, and it is impossible for a child to get past one of those (and hard enough for adults to get past it too!). Don't worry about a child getting onto the verandah without an adult opening the door.

 

[Tluvs2talk]

We have cruised on Disney 3 times. Twice with a Cat 12. Once Cat 7 Navigator's Verandah. I have to say for the difference in price , I would personally rather have my cat 12. We did like the Navigator verandah but did not spent much time out there. Like the previous poster said, smoking is allowed on the verandah. There is a strong chance of having a smoker next to you. WE Did!!! If this will ruin the Verandah for you I would not pay the extra $$$ and be mad and dissapointed.

 

[tecdavidt]

Ask yourself this, do you want your own private spot to enjoy the ocean view? If yes, get a verandah room (cat. 6 or cat. 7 nav.) We love our verandah and spend a lot of time there. It is peaceful. Ever morning we would get up and have our morning coffee and hot tea. This last cruise 3/16/02 I even took a nap out there! If you are the type that will not be in your room much then skip the verandah. We find we are in our room a lot because of the private verandah.

As far as your neighbors, you can not control that but if the children are peaking over into the cat. 6 speak to the parents. If you get know where contact desk services. People need to speak out if inappropriate behavior is taking place. It may solve the problem or at least you knew you tried. Unfortunately there are just rude people in this world.

As far as smokers, it appears that there are few smokers on Disney verses what we have experienced on other cruise lines. We have yet had smoke venture over onto our verandah and we have sailed 4 times with a cat. 6. Now that doesn't mean we won't ever have a neighbor puffing away next door. Personnally I would rather have a smoker next to me on the verandah (not that that has happened) than what we have had on other lines, people puffing away as they walk down the hallways and elevators.

Happy Cruising Kathy

 

[Lavne]

We cruised in November 2000 and splurged on a Cat 6 veranda. I absolutely loved it and spent a fair amount of time (on a 4-day cruise) out there. We've splurged again for our upcoming 7-day.

Here are some things to consider in deciding on a veranda:

- Does your son take naps, or might he get overwhelmed with all the cruise excitement and need some down time daily? Many
posters have commented on how nice it is to sit out on the veranda while a child is napping.

- Do you enjoy mixing and mingling with the other cruisers, or do you and/or your spouse prefer quiet time alone? The veranda comes in handy for enjoying meals or snacks in your room, or sitting out on to enjoy fresh air, maybe even sunshine if you are positioned right, rather than staking out chairs on the pool deck.

- Is everyone on the same schedule in the mornings? I would get up about an hour before my DH & DSs, go up to Deck 9 & 10 to check out the views all around the ship, pick up some pastries put out for early risers by the drink station, and return to get them up. Whoever wasn't in the bathroom could then relax on the veranda and have a morning snack.

- Are you in awe of the ocean and surrounding views? I loved to watch the sunrises, sunsets, approaching ports, and stare into the ocean late at night from the veranda. And I could be in my PJs!

We were fortunate that the weather in November when we sailed was perfect, not too hot or cold, no rain, so there were no bad times to be out on the veranda. I don't recall any smokers, or next-door neighbors peeking around. Unfortunately, these conditions can't be guaranteed, so that's definitely something to consider, as others have mentioned, especially if a nearby smoker would really ruin it for you.

Whatever you decide - enjoy and Happy Anniversary!