Lots of room questions from newbie

[tbserena]

I'm going on 10/2/04 Magic. I haven't received my room yet. Travel agent suggested since we area family of five, to get connecting rooms, and have the extra bathroom and just extra "space" in general. So that's what we booked. (haven't finished paying)
I'm wondering if others agree? I booked it before learning about this board. We have an inside cabin...again don't know what Cat, etc. What are the best rooms for a family?? What level?? Verandah or not? Porthole or window or not? What about best level to avoid seasickness? Can I still change my room if I've only put down a deposit?

Thanks

 

[lionQueen5]

This thread about family of 5 may answer some of your questions: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=526820

 

[Michelemouse]

We are a family of 4 and prefer a porthole cabin, no verandah. That said, if we had 5 in our family we would go with 2 connecting inside cabins (or possibly 2 connecting Cat. 9's with portholes) over one large cabin with a verandah. With the two cabins you will have an extra bathroom, which is invaluable when getting ready in the morning or for dinner (particularly on formal night).

If you booked a Guaranty status room you should at least know the category. I would give your TA a call to find out. The cruise fare is based on cabin category so your TA would have had to book a specific category at the time he/she made the reservation. You generally won't find out your specific cabin numbers until you get your documents. Sometimes those with GTY cabins are upgraded, sometimes not. There really is no rhyme or reason to the upgrade process.

As for seasickness, the general rule is the lower in the ship the better. That said, we have been on Decks 5, 6 and 7 (and will be on Deck 2 in Oct.) on our previous cruises and we haven't had an issue with seasickness on any of them so I wouldn't worry about it. The ship is incredibly stable. We bring along some Bonine in case the seas are particularly rough but didn't take it at all last year.

And finally, yes, you can still change your cabin/category without penalty. I do know that the 10/2 cruise is getting fairly full so if you do decide to change you might want to do it soon. But again, if it were me, I'd go with the 2 inside cabins. You'll have that much more money to spend on other things.

 

[DisneyBill]

Some of what's best would depend on age of your children, but if you can get connecting staterooms, you at least have two bathrooms. As for verandah, I would suggest it is a feature worth going for and we always do. You can still change your room/catagory, but depending how far in advance you booked compared to how much rates are presently, you will likely pay the higher difference if you change catagory. (-does that make sense?) Seasickness- who knows, I'm very prone to motion illness and couldn't tell a bit of difference anywhere on the ship. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[tbserena]

Are there "connecting rooms" with verandahs? That would be the best of both worlds!
We found out today we are Cat 10, Rooms 2135 and 2137 for now. I am definitely trusting the TA and opinions on this board that with our family of 3 girls we need the connecting rooms. Does anyone know anything about where these 2 rooms are on the Magic?

 

[SeaSpray]

2135 and 2137 are in the aft (back) section of the ship, on the port (left) side.

I know they do have connecting verandah cabins.

Hope this helps

 

[DisneyBill]

Originally posted by tbserena
Are there "connecting rooms" with verandahs? That would be the best of both worlds!
We found out today we are Cat 10, Rooms 2135 and 2137 for now. I am definitely trusting the TA and opinions on this board that with our family of 3 girls we need the connecting rooms. Does anyone know anything about where these 2 rooms are on the Magic?

Did you check out the "deck plans" link at the top of this page? It might help you pinpoint where you want to be.

 

[adelle]

You can still change your cabin for the Oct 2nd Magic cruise. We changed our cabin today from a category 6 verandah that had a connecting door. Yesterday I read on this Board that connecting rooms are very noisy (not a problem if you have use of both cabins. ) I also wanted to stay mid-ship, so had to go to a category 5 cabin to get non-connecting mid-ship. Seems there are quite a few connecting verandah cabins.

Once you cruise with a verandah, you will not want to cruise without one! We have paid the difference on 4 different cruises and cruise lines to get a verandah/balcony. However before we tried a balcony we didn't know the difference. You may not want to get started! From the pictures I have seen on this board, the Disney verandahs look rather narrow. Is this the case?

Thanks,
Adelle

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Originally posted by tbserena
Are there "connecting rooms" with verandahs?

If you mean, two Cat. 6 (or 5, or 4) rooms that connect to each other, yes, they have these on the ship. This is what we booked for our family of 4 for our upcoming cruise. We really wanted a verandah, and I just couldn't see us sharing a bathroom with our two teenage daughters...we would never be able to get into it!!! But if you mean a Cat. 6 that connects with a different category room, I don't think they have any like that, but since this is our first time on a Disney Cruise, I am not an expert!

 

[tbserena]

Yes I had meant 2 of the same Cat room with verandahs. It's all so overwhelming to me having not cruised before!!
Some say GET the verandahs. Others say save the money, that it's no big deal.
I need to tell my travel agent today!!!!!!!!

 

[Michelemouse]

Here's my take on the Verandah or No Verandah subject (and remember, it's just my opinion). If you think you will be spending lots of time in your cabin you might want to think about the verandahs. Also, for those who are travelling in one cabin with small children a verandah can be a nice place to hang out when the little ones are asleep.

That said, we had them on our last cruise (after not having them the two previous cruises) and we chose a Category 9 (no verandah) cabin this year. We found that, while it was nice to be able to go outside it wasn't necessary and we really didn't spend much time out there. ALso, it was very muggy outside and I found that opening the verandah door sucked that muggy air into our cabin, which I found uncomfortable (again just me).

Since this is your first cruise my advice would be to stick with what you have. My guess is that you will be spending very little time in your cabin since there is so much to do and see on the ship. Also, you have two connecting cabins so you'll have plenty of room and two split bathrooms (toilet and sink in one half, shower and sink in the other).

Why don't you ask your TA to price both options for you and go from there.

 

[tbserena]

I had just done that this morning....called the TA and asked him to give me a price quote with the verandahs. In the beginning of all of this, he at least explained windows and portholes, and we opted out of those for some reason. (can't even remember now)

So by this afternoon I'll know how much more it would be for the verandahs. It's hard to say whether we'd use them or not but I would bet not. I do NOT want to spend much time in the room at all except sleeping, bathing and getting dressed! We'll see after the price quote!


Let's see....what else can I ask you!!?? I probably need to take a break from thios board!! (just kidding) I read a thread last night that was from someone just back from Carnival and they compared it to DCL and said Carnival had better food? Said Disney food tasted frozen? I can't remember what else was a "negative" in their opinion, about DCL. We had considered Carnival, I heard they were a blast. But we have a 6 year old who's never been to Disney and I thought this would be cool for her. The older 2, Olivia and Emmie, aren't Disney FANATICS but they are excited about the islands and excursions.