Need Suggestions: Picking Room Location Disney Dream

[V2000]

Hi there.

I am a first time cruiser. There are so many different docks and stateroom locations, I am having trouble choosing a location. What do you prefer? 3 adults traveling a November cruise and booking a Verandah. We want to mostly use the adult areas but are also interested in seeing all the shows.

• What's the difference with the deluxe family verandah?
• What is your dock preference? Is there a difference?
• Do you like aft, mid, or forward?

Not sure if any of these things really matter. Just thought I would ask..

 

[vertigo235]

The Deluxe is ~50 SF larger and should have a Murphy bed near the veranda.

Starboard is usually preferred because it faces the island at CC and not the pier, also when you are leaving Port Canaveral you can watch the boat push off and then waive at all the folks at the restaurants etc. I think it usually faces the city in Nassau too.

We always to Midship, but our friends prefer aft. Forward will usual give you the most movement.

 

[Sytrace]

The Deluxe family cabins are a bit more roomy and have a murphy bed in addition to the pull down and pull out bunk bed style. And of course a full size bed.

We prefer starboard forward or mid to forward the most on Deck 10. We have heard that this has more motion but have yet to be sea sick in any way. We also have stayed on Deck 6, and 9 midship before those cabins are great too.
I would recommend getting a midship cabin on Deck 5,6,7 or even 8 for this time out to get a feel for what is out there.

 

[V2000]

The Deluxe is ~50 SF larger and should have a Murphy bed near the veranda.

Starboard is usually preferred because it faces the island at CC and not the pier, also when you are leaving Port Canaveral you can watch the boat push off and then waive at all the folks at the restaurants etc. I think it usually faces the city in Nassau too.

We always to Midship, but our friends prefer aft. Forward will usual give you the most movement.

Thank you for that thought. I would prefer less movement and will not be choosing Forward.

 

[V2000]

The Deluxe family cabins are a bit more roomy and have a murphy bed in addition to the pull down and pull out bunk bed style. And of course a full size bed.

We prefer starboard forward or mid to forward the most on Deck 10. We have heard that this has more motion but have yet to be sea sick in any way. We also have stayed on Deck 6, and 9 midship before those cabins are great too.
I would recommend getting a midship cabin on Deck 5,6,7 or even 8 for this time out to get a feel for what is out there.

Thank you! Hey, it's 2 weeks until your next cruise! Woohoo!!
Have a magical time and Happy Birthday!

 

[Sytrace]

Thank you! Hey, it's 2 weeks until your next cruise! Woohoo!!
Have a magical time and Happy Birthday!

Thank you! We are celebrating my son's birthday this time out. He is turning 14 at the end of December, but we could not get away then. This will be number 11 and we are really looking forward to it.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Mostly it is personal preference. Some locations will cost more than others, so if you don't care too much you might be able to save a little money. I have heard some issues with people staying on upper decks right below public areas above, so that is something to consider. If you have at least one deck of staterooms above and below, you should be fine. Some people talk about distance to various things, but I find that you'll be going all over the ship over and over, so any room will be closer to some things and farther from others.

Enjoy! You will LOVE the veranda!

 

[Cackyschmackers]

We prefer starboard forward or mid to forward the most on Deck 10. We have heard that this has more motion but have yet to be sea sick in any way. We also have stayed on Deck 6, and 9 midship before those cabins are great too.
I would recommend getting a midship cabin on Deck 5,6,7 or even 8 for this time out to get a feel for what is out there.

@Sytrace I always choose forward bc I thought there is less motion. Is this incorrect? When at dinner at the back of the ships, we can really, really feel the motion. We have had two very forward cabins on the Magic (deck 8; fantastic, no movement), and one mid (deck 8, closer to aft) on the Fantasy and that was our worst room, felt vibrations all night, and I was sea sick. I thought this was bc we were so close to aft. For next year, we chose four very forward rooms on the Dream, two on deck 9 and two on deck 7, for a B2B, both quite as forward almost as you can get on purpose (bc I thought I felt sick on the Fantasy bc it was bigger and we were pretty aft??). Or do you think just the bigger ships i can feel the movement more? I'm confused now and wondering if i should switch it up.

Also, @V2000 We didn't like sailing out of Galveston in January.... my worst trip ever for seasickness! Bleck! Crossing the Gulph to the Atlantic in January I believe did me in. It was so cold on deck; I was not a happy camper. Then we were fogged in (common) and couldn't get back in to port! We missed our flight. Not good at all. We sailed out of PC on our other cruises in Jan and Feb and no problems. Looks like you are on the Dream so I guess sailing out of PC. We LOVE the family deluxe verandah, it has even more space on the Dream the way the room is configured; just perfect. Also, not sure of your set up, but if you get the family deluxe, no adult will need to use the upper bunk bed (not sure if two will be in the Queen bed or every one needs their own bed). Whatever you decide, have so much fun!!

 

[lanejudy]

OP -- think about who is in your party and what sleeping arrangements you'll want/need. Every stateroom has a queen size bed and a twin-size sofa bed. Some rooms also include a bunk that pulls down over the sofa; some rooms ("deluxe family") also include a murphy bed. So if 2 people will share the queen bed, you're ok with pretty much any configuration. If you'll need 3 separate sleep spaces, will 1 person be willing/able to climb into a bunk or will you need the murphy bed? Be aware that with a party of 3 you aren't guaranteed to have the extra murphy bed. The "sleeps 3-5" categories do not mean every stateroom sleeps the max. There is a thread around that has # and type of beds for the Dream/Fantasy.

Decide if you want an interior room with no window, an oceanview with a porthole, or a verandah includes outdoor balcony. Rooms typically are more expensive as verandahs, and midship and higher decks are more expensive. But that's not to say interior on deck 1 or 2 is low class. Great rooms, and you may not spend much time in your room other than sleeping.

As to location -- deck and forward/midship/aft. It's somewhat of a personal preference. If anyone is particularly prone to motion sickness, it's recommended to be as close to the middle of the ship as possible so lower deck and midship. Otherwise, just pick something that fits your budget as you'll always be closer to one space and further from another regardless of where your room is located but it's not a long walk anywhere (unless someone has mobility issues).

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[vertigo235]

Ohh yes I'm glad someone mentioned the vibrations that are common on aft cabins.

If the ship is steaming pretty hard or has a certain crosswind you will feel vibrations from the engines / propellers.

Also when docking it's really bad (early in the morning). This is less pronounced the further you move forward on the ship.

 

[V2000]

Mostly it is personal preference. Some locations will cost more than others, so if you don't care too much you might be able to save a little money. I have heard some issues with people staying on upper decks right below public areas above, so that is something to consider. If you have at least one deck of staterooms above and below, you should be fine. Some people talk about distance to various things, but I find that you'll be going all over the ship over and over, so any room will be closer to some things and farther from others.

Enjoy! You will LOVE the veranda!

That makes sense! I didn't think about the noise from upper decks. Good to keep in mind.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I personally like deck 9 midship.

Deluxe Family is a little bigger. Some have a Murphy bed, but not all.

My family enjoys having a veranda as we sit out there in the morning & have coffee. We also use it at night.

I hope this helps.

Have a great cruise!

 

[Sytrace]

@Sytrace I always choose forward bc I thought there is less motion. Is this incorrect? When at dinner at the back of the ships, we can really, really feel the motion. We have had two very forward cabins on the Magic (deck 8; fantastic, no movement), and one mid (deck 8, closer to aft) on the Fantasy and that was our worst room, felt vibrations all night, and I was sea sick. I thought this was bc we were so close to aft. For next year, we chose four very forward rooms on the Dream, two on deck 9 and two on deck 7, for a B2B, both quite as forward almost as you can get on purpose (bc I thought I felt sick on the Fantasy bc it was bigger and we were pretty aft??). Or do you think just the bigger ships i can feel the movement more? I'm confused now and wondering if i should switch it up.

Also, @V2000 We didn't like sailing out of Galveston in January.... my worst trip ever for seasickness! Bleck! Crossing the Gulph to the Atlantic in January I believe did me in. It was so cold on deck; I was not a happy camper. Then we were fogged in (common) and couldn't get back in to port! We missed our flight. Not good at all. We sailed out of PC on our other cruises in Jan and Feb and no problems. Looks like you are on the Dream so I guess sailing out of PC. We LOVE the family deluxe verandah, it has even more space on the Dream the way the room is configured; just perfect. Also, not sure of your set up, but if you get the family deluxe, no adult will need to use the upper bunk bed (not sure if two will be in the Queen bed or every one needs their own bed). Whatever you decide, have so much fun!!

We have stayed all the way forward on the past 5 cruises...Cabins 10500(2x) ,10504 (1) and 10506 (2) and honestly felt no motion whatsoever. There were a couple of dips, but nothing severe and we actually found it easier to sleep at night that far forward. There are lots of people though who have experienced more motion on Deck 10 forward than on lower decks forward. However, for my family, we will continue to stay in forward cabins on Deck 10.
Just as an FYI....on one cruise we were on , we felt more sea sick in Animator Palate on Deck 3 aft than at any other time on any ship. lol They were really moving that night though, so maybe it was a combination of speed and water conditions.
Our very first 2 cruises we were midship exactly on Deck 6 , the 3rd and 4th were on Deck 9 midship, the 5th was Deck 6 Aft. And as I said, the most recent 5 were Deck 10 forward.
I would say, that if you have not had problems so far, then stick with what you know and what is working for you and the family.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

There is actually less motion on the lower decks. The fact that upper decks cost more is a throw back to the days of the Titanic where low class passengers would stay on the lower decks and upper class would stay higher.
If you've ever been on a boat traveling from inland waterways to the ocean and watch a buoy as it bobs around on the waves, you would see that the tippy top of the buoy moves back and forth, like an arc, with the top moving the most distance back and forth. The bottom of the buoy moves the least.
So really the most stable place would be midship, deck 1.
Of course this is theoretical; we've stayed all over, fwd and aft, from deck 2 to deck 9 and never noticed a difference in any location.
I love them all.