If you like verandas...(a brief rant)

[DisneYE]

...never book the navigator's veranda SR's.

We sailed this past Dec27th on the Wonder, our 7th cruise - Loved most of experience as always with DCL except for a few details. - The biggest was the Navigator's veranda.

We always booked us verandas.
This was the first time we stayed in a NV, since I booked late and those were the only SR's with verandas.

Well, they suck. They're horrible.
I happily pay extra $ for the regular or extended verandas as I spend hours in them reading and taking naps there while the wife and DD wonder around.

This time I don't think I spent 5 minutes in the navigator's veranda. So I'm never booking them again.
They're almost enclosed, with a porthole, you have to be standing up to see the ocean and you feel claustrophobic.
When sitting down on the bench or chair my head was barely above the railing.
I'm 6'2" and I can't imagine what its like for a shorter person.

Only positive thing about them is you can crack the door open and hear the ocean at night while/before you sleep.

I can't understand why DCL charges for the NV's almost the same as the regular verandas.
IMO they're not worth the $ at all.
Never booking them again, will only stay on regular verandas from now on.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

...never book the navigator's veranda SR's.

We sailed this past Dec27th on the Wonder, our 7th cruise - Loved most of experience as always with DCL except for a few details. - The biggest was the Navigator's veranda.

We always booked us verandas.
This was the first time we stayed in a NV, since I booked late and those were the only SR's with verandas.

Well, they suck. They're horrible.
I happily pay extra $ for the regular or extended verandas as I spend hours in them reading and taking naps there while the wife and DD wonder around.

This time I don't think I spent 5 minutes in the navigator's veranda. So I'm never booking them again.
They're almost enclosed, with a porthole, you have to be standing up to see the ocean and you feel claustrophobic.
When sitting down on the bench or chair my head was barely above the railing.
I'm 6'2" and I can't imagine what its like for a shorter person.

Only positive thing about them is you can crack the door open and hear the ocean at night while/before you sleep.

I can't understand why DCL charges for the NV's almost the same as the regular verandas.
IMO they're not worth the $ at all.
Never booking them again, will only stay on regular verandas from now on.

The navigator's verandas aren't for everyone, but there are some people that prefer them. One thing to realize is that the NVs are different on the classic ships than on the Dream class ships. You must have been on either the Magic or Wonder. The NVs on the Magic and Wonder are the type that are almost enclosed. On the Dream and Fantasy, the NVs are like the regular verandas only with small obstructions. Personally, I don't think I'd like the NV on the classic ships. I have stayed in NV rooms on the Dream and enjoyed them. To each their own.

 

[tink1970]

To each their own.

Indeed. I have intentionally chosen NV for our non concierge level cruises and always enjoy time on the verandah. In Alaska (twice) it was very nice because a lot of the wind was blocked. Everyone is different though so it's nice that there are many options.

 

[princessmommyx3]

Everyone has different feelings about these things. I enjoyed our NV when we sailed to Alaska.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Indeed. I have intentionally chosen NV for our non concierge level cruises and always enjoy time on the verandah. In Alaska (twice) it was very nice because a lot of the wind was blocked. Everyone is different though so it's nice that there are many options.

This is probably the most common reason I've seen for people preferring the NVs on the classic ships. It makes sense to me. If I ever sail a cold weather itinerary, I would definitely consider it.

 

[DisneYE]

This is probably the most common reason I've seen for people preferring the NVs on the classic ships. It makes sense to me. If I ever sail a cold weather itinerary, I would definitely consider it.

Thats true. - the NV kinda does block the wind/cold , so that's positive.
However, if you're the kind of person that likes to be in the veranda for long periods of time reading or just contemplating the ocean, the NV (at least in the Wonder where I was), it doesn't let you do that while sitting down.
As someone else said on here, to each his/her own. - I do not like them at all.

 

[BlondieinFL]

Thank you for your rant - I have wondered about these rooms - and, now I know, I would definitely not want one.

 

[grantclaire]

Hi, I just booked a NV on the Magic for our cruise this March. We booked last minute as we had a placeholder to use up. We have always sailed in a verandah cabin but they were about 800.00 USD more. It is a 4 day cruise with no sea days so we decided to save some money. So we will see how it goes!

 

[kiford]

This is probably the most common reason I've seen for people preferring the NVs on the classic ships. It makes sense to me. If I ever sail a cold weather itinerary, I would definitely consider it.

This is a good point. We always book regular verandah and wouldn't normally even consider an NV (although I have friends who prefer them) but we're contemplating Alaska in 2020 so I may consider this. If it's too windy or cold, I wouldn't likely spend much time outside unless there's some way to block the wind or moderate the cold. I like having the light coming in so I wouldn't ever do an inside cabin. This might be a good compromise.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

We have had a Navigator's veranda on both our cruises on the Magic and enjoyed them on both cruises. My wife likes being outside on the veranda and didn't have a problem with how they are setup with the large porthole. She liked that she could sit out there and read a book and not have to worry about the wind or being in the sun too long and if we wanted to watch the ocean; she didn't have a problem with standing.

We wouldn't hesitate to book another one on the classic ships.

As Maggie's Mom wrote; to each their own.

Psy

 

[diznymom]

We had a Navigator's Verandah on our Alaska cruise and loved it.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

We just tried a NV for the first time on the Magic (regular verandah was too much for me to stomach, plus I’ve always wanted to try one) and they’re not for me either. I didn’t hate it as much as the OP, but I didn’t like how little light it let in the room, lack of view unless you were standing right next to the opening, and the lack of breeze. I would do it again if I had to (I need the fresh air option, otherwise I get panicky) but it would not be my preference.

 

[mevelandry]

I had it once, but on the Dream. I loved it.

 

[Canadian Girl]

I have always had open verandas on TAs but this past Sept, booked a 7A and loved that it was like a room extension but with fresh air. I can see that it might be upsetting to anyone who did not realize what they were like however. I had a chance to change rooms to a secret veranda that was open with very little obstruction. I stayed with the one I had.

 

[dtrain]

We’ll only do 7A if we can pick the Secret Verandah rooms.

 

[buzzrelly]

Is this it? This guy seems to enjoy it

 

[Dug720]

Is this it? This guy seems to enjoy it

Looks like it.

And unless it has changed in the past 24 hours, the pictures on the DCL site do show this type of Navigator's Verandah, so there should not have been confusion as to what was being booked.

 

[mickeymom22]

We just got off the Magic and we had a navigator's verandah. We enjoyed it. The weather was cool and windy, and it was so nice to be out there without the wind beating us. Our first cruise was on the Dream and we had a full verandah. The temperatures were below normal and while we enjoyed our full verandah, it would have been nice to have to wind blocked. I can see if you want to spend most of your time on your verandah why you might not like a navigator's verandah, but if you just want a little piece of the ocean to claim as yours, well the money you save makes up for it for me.

Happy cruising!

 

[ProgressCity]

There are people with little kids who like the NV on the classic ships because they feel safer having their kids play there rather than on a regular verandah. If you were expecting a regular verandah, though, it would be quite a shock/disappointment.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I like the NVs, and have only had them on the classic ships. DH does not like them as much as I do. What I like is the ability to go outside, an ocean view room is like a tease to me. When we first began to cruise, I was fine with ocean view, but now, I want to go outside.