Navigators Verandah

[Peggy Sue]

Has anyone stayed in one of these cabins? If so, how was the verandah? Would you recommend this type of cabin? Trying to decide if they're worth the $$'s, or if we should just go for the regular Verandah.

Thank you!

 

[TnRobin]

I have had a standard veranda and a navigator veranda. We prefer the navigator veranda. While you do not have a "Full View", it gives you the illusion of having another room - kinda like a sunroom. We enjoyed playing board games on the navigator veranda. This is something I would not do on a regular veranda as the pieces might fall over board under the plexiglass barrier.

 

[Peggy Sue]

Robin,

thanks for your quick response!

How much of the view is blocked? What furniture is out there? We just came back from a Holland America cruise and had a beautiful verandah, where we spent much time reading, snoozing, relaxing and enjoyed our breakfast out there every day. Just wondering if this space would provide the same atmosphere. Is the "porthole" completely open? could you hear the ocean?

Our 4 night cruise stops in Freeport (much to our dismay...would rather have had a day at sea!) Does this area get really hot during the day because it's closed in, or is it still enjoyable?

I suppose a real plus is it's protected in case we have any rain!!

Thanks for your help!!

Peggy Sue

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

I agree with Robin and prefer the Navigator's verandah. I think for the price, it's a better deal than a category 5 or 6. We usually go with deck 7, so it's essentially a category 5 with a partially obstructed view.

The view is still pretty good. The porthole is probably 5 feet or so in diameter, and you can hear the ocean and get a bit of a breeze. I didn't think it got particularly hot. We spent some time out there in the afternoon on St. Thomas. It would probably be hot if it was in the direct sunlight, though.

There is a chair, table, and a kind of bench seat out there. The bench seat has storage under it, and is a good place to stow your snorkeling gear. Here's a link to some pictures of them:

http://www.disneycruiser.info/nverand.htm

 

[TnRobin]

Thanks Lloyd. Like he said the porthole is rather large, my guess is about 3 or 4 foot in diameter. It is totally open to the air and sea. While your vision out is limited, the vision in is also limited. It affords you some privacy so if you want to go out in the morning and enjoy the air in your PJs go for it.

 

[fredms]

I kinda diasagree. When I booked a category 7 I expected an obstructed view regular verandah. I realized (through these amazing boards) that they are really "porches" with very large portholes. To me I'd rather have a totally open verandah (although keep in mind I am only traveling with adults). I ended up switching cabins to 7120 which is a regular verandah with a partially obstructed view (see pictures at www.castawayclub.com - thanks Tony and Barb) and was much happier.

7120, 7620, 6634 and 6134 are all formerly category 5s reclassified to category 7s because of a partial blocked view.

I now booked 6634 for the 5/15 Eastern!

 

[WDWLVR]

I've had both and I prefer the Navigator Veranda. The padded bench makes a great place to stretch out and read a book. Being partially enclosed you don't get the heavy breeze and the one day we had rain on our May 2002 trip we were able to sit out there and enjoy it. We have a Navigator Veranda booked for our Christmas Cruise in 2004!

 

[il-gander]

OK, so speaking of reading on the verandah... my big relaxation fantasy for a DCL cruise is to be able to sit on the verandah at night after DH and the kids are asleep (my only peace and quiet, LOL!) and read to my heart's content. Would I be able to sit and read but still look up (without stretching) and see the ocean through the large porthole on a Navigator's Verandah? I had assumed we would need a Category 6 stateroom in order for me to realize this fantasy, but if a Category 7 will work, I'm all for saving the money!

Carla

 

[Dancind]

I inquired about a Navigator's veranda for the Christmas 2004 10-day cruise, and it was only $300 less than a category 6. Not a big savings! We booked the same cat. 6 room we had on our last cruise, since we loved the location, but you guys are making the cat. 7 sound mighty appealing. Diana

 

[dclwdwlover]

We're sailing 11/2/03 & our family has one of each of these rooms booked side-by-side. I will post after our trip what we found to be the pros & cons of each - at least to us.
My husb. & I love sitting out on the verandah & have only had the open one with the plexiglas so far. We LOVED it!

 

[rae519]

We've had both and prefer the regular verandah since DS can see through the plexiglass. Both are very nice - and make a wonderful place to go and relax in a quiet area. When we had colds in December, it was great to have our meals there!! Very romantic during sunset also!

Rae

 

[Dancind]

Rae, are there lights on the regular plexiglass veranda? DH goes to bed early and I know I won't be able to sleep until DD comes in. She will be a teen on our next cruise, this could be quite late. I guess I will hang out on the veranda and read, after I've seen a movie etc. etc. Diana

 

[WDWLVR]

Originally posted by Dancind
I inquired about a Navigator's veranda for the Christmas 2004 10-day cruise, and it was only $300 less than a category 6. Not a big savings! We booked the same cat. 6 room we had on our last cruise, since we loved the location, but you guys are making the cat. 7 sound mighty appealing. Diana

Diana,

We booked a Navigator's Veranda for the Christmas 2004 cruise. Didn't compare prices, we just like the Navigators

Now we just need to save up the money for the cruise!

 

[aprilgail2]

I was a bit dissappointed with our Catagory 5 Verandah last cruise....I wanted to sit out and be able to see the water but it was one of the all metal verandahs and you had to stand up to see the water. I had to keep picking up my daughter so she could look over the metal....this time I made sure to book a plexi one!!

 

[Peggy Sue]

Thanks everyone. We've changed our cabin to a navigator's verandah. Can't wait to see it, I'm sure we're going to enjoy it very much! Now, if 11/30 would just hurry up and get here......

 

[rae519]

Originally posted by Dancind
Rae, are there lights on the regular plexiglass veranda? DH goes to bed early and I know I won't be able to sleep until DD comes in. She will be a teen on our next cruise, this could be quite late. I guess I will hang out on the veranda and read, after I've seen a movie etc. etc. Diana

Oh absolutely! And you will really enjoy this if you are a reader - Mom and I do spend a lot of time on ours! Last cruise we digested Stuart Woods, not sure who we will read the next one!

Breakfast by room service or a quick trip to the 24/7 bar in the wee hours will get you a little treat to have as the sun rises. It's quite beautiful to catch the first rays of dawn or just see the sky lite up (depends what side of the ship you are on).

We saw a magnificent sunset having our dinner one evening there also. Very romantic....

Rae