Ocean view Stateroom v. Verandah Stateroom on Alaskan Cruise

[mom+3girls]

We are exploring the idea of doing an Alaskan cruise, my BF would love to see Alaska and me I love Disney. Dream vacation for us! I said go with an inside stateroom he says he wants to see the ocean. There is quite a price difference between the oceanview and the verandah rooms. Can I get some reviews?

thanks

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are exploring the idea of doing an Alaskan cruise, my BF would love to see Alaska and me I love Disney. Dream vacation for us! I said go with an inside stateroom he says he wants to see the ocean. There is quite a price difference between the oceanview and the verandah rooms. Can I get some reviews?

thanks

There are those who say "Verandah is the only way to do Alaska". While others feel that an inside room works best for them (using the extra money for excursions).

For us personally, Oceanview is good for us. But, for full disclosure, one of our cruises we were upgraded from oceanview to verandah, so we have had the experience (albeit not on DCL). While having the verandah was nice for popping out when were in the room and we wanted to see something, we spent most of our time on the upper, open decks.

For the most part, being on deck, where you can cross back and forth for the views, is a better option than just looking out one side of the ship. This would hold true for any ship cruising Alaska.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Go for the verandah so much to see all day.

We went on the Disney Wonder, ensure that any responses are from people who have actually cruised to Alaska on the wonder.

The decks were busy most days.

The views were there from 6 am to 11 pm, if your on deck you miss it.

We saw fantastic things from rolling fog at 6 am, sea life, birds, even local boats, one guy on a speed boat keeping up with us playing a trumpet at 8 pm.

On deck you have to stake out your place, and if you want to eat or use the restroom you loose that place.

On a verandah you get 180 degrees of private space you can have at any time, but you can still go walk about and they make announcements if shakes etc are around, you can have room service on the verandah, get fresh air, and if the kids are bored they watch a movie in room, you watch nature.

Yes the price is higher as most people know a verandah gives a far greater experience so purchase them so the price goes up, but think of the verandah as an excursion that you see sealife, wonderful nature, Eagles, great weather.

You go up one way like Tracy arm and come back down it so see both sides, the same really on all the cruise up then down from Vancouver so you see everything.

Going into port us great, like seeing seaplanes at Ketichan, and approaching the towns.

It is well worth it, rather than getting up at 5 am to snag a place at the front of the ship.

With a verandah, your not locked in your room, but have your reserved place, so you can see from the verandah, but can walk around at any time you wish, go to eat, use the restroom and come back, the best of everything, not restricted to one place you snag early in the morning and then others pushing in, tired legs, getting cold etc.

 

[emilyann415]

Personal opinion varies quite a bit on this question. I will say we have always had a verandah but as our kids get older we find it less an less useful. We spend less time in our room and just don't get "our moneys worth". Again a very subjective thing. That being said, the one place I would get a verandah again is the Alaskan cruise. We were out on our verandah a significant portion of that trip and I would totally do it all over again!

 

[cantontrebor]

We sprung for the verandah and I couldn't have been happier. I'm an early riser so i would grab a coffee and wait on the verandah until the rest of my family would wake up. Unlike caribbean cruises an Alaskan cruise is constant scenary. My kids still talk about the trip 3 years later.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[lucky1]

We did the DCL Alaska cruise on a Deck 5 10A (SPH) which had an obstructed view. When we wanted to see something up close we would go down one deck and walk around deck 4, they have blankets and deck loungers there to sit and relax. During Tracy's arm cruising, we went up to deck 9 and deck 10 and watched and hung out. It was kind of nice to talk to everyone else watching the scenery. Plush you got special pictures taken by the on board photographers that you would not have if you remained in your stateroom.

We have only had one cruise Western Caribbean with a Veranada.. All the rest of been SPH rooms (Alaskan, Eastern Carribean, Norway, Mexico) or Inside (Bahamas)

 

[AcuraTL]

We did the oceanview and we were very happy with our decision. With the money saved from not going with the verandah, we were able to use that money towards excursions.

 

[mom+3girls]

thanks everybody that was quick. Lots of info to consider.

 

[mmouse37]

We have done Alaska on the Wonder and we had an Oceanview room (huge porthole) on Deck 2. We found (for us) a verandah was not necesssary. We were a large group and we all had so much fun hanging out on Deck 4 so we could cross back and forth through the ship to see the sights on each side. Having to have a verandah is a subjective thing. We did not have to stake out a spot all day. Deck 4 was not very crowded and we had blankets provided by Disney and hot cocoa and saw Goofy, Mickey and Minnie walking around Deck 4.

We preferred to use the money saved from not having a verandah for other things.

MJ

 

[sambycat]

If you were fine with an inside stateroom, on ocean view will be great. We did a verandah (and most often cruise with a verandah) and it was amazing!

 

[Heard02]

Verandah for sure! You will not be sorry and worth every single penny!

 

[Gilland18]

I am in the oceanview camp, too. We did Alaska on the Wonder in 2011. We spent most of our time.on deck and the only time we staked out a spot was Tracy Arm day. We wouldn't have needed to even do that because the ship stayed long enough that the crowd dispersed. As you see from the previous posts, this is a very individual decision; there isn't a real right or wrong.

 

[KristiMc]

We loved having a verandah on our June Alaskan cruise. It was nice to hang out their all day while cruising Tracy Arm. Being able to order room service and hop back into the room when we got a little chilly. There is so much to see on a Alaskan cruise and it was nice to have the option to go out there when we were in the room and not have to go up on deck all the time to see stuff.

 

[jeffbear]

We recently sailed to Alaska on the Wonder and decided on a veranda. Not even a second's worth of buyer's regret on that decision. It was simply wonderful to have the deck outside our room, especially in the mornings and evenings as the sun set. I'm sure you can get the same vibe from an oceanview or even from the public decks, but sitting outside your own room? Spectacular.

 

[anricat]

We haven't sailed yet, so take this with a grain of salt, but the price difference, for us, between a verandah and oceanview makes the former completely out of the question. We simply couldn't take the trip. I mean, we could, but we'd literally not be able to do a single excursion. You need to figure out the budget for you and your family. You may want to look at the ports and excursions and figure those into your cost estimate. They are much more than other cruise excursions to places like the Bahamas or Caribbean. We are booked for next year in a large porthole oceanview room on deck 2.

 

[Claireywalsh]

We were on the 24th August sailing and I am so pleased we had a verandah. From the verandah we saw whales, seals and even a bear strolling the coast line.
We enjoyed early morning coffee out there and we could sit out with a beer before dinner while our daughter played In the room. No hustle and bustle.
On Tracy arm day though, it really paid for itself with the views we were so lucky to see. Perfect weather, we sat on the verandah for 4 hours or more, binoculars, wine and it was like a little suntrap, I had a vest and summer pants on, it was the most gorgeous day!
This is the 1 itinerary you absolutely would want a verandah, do it, you will not regret it!

 

[Claireywalsh]

 

[Claireywalsh]

 

[RedHatDisney]

Ditto claireywalsh. Wonder final Alaska cruise this
year. We used the verandah a lot. Also, recommend Upton's Alaska cruise book.

 

[MunFam]

There are those who say "Verandah is the only way to do Alaska". While others feel that an inside room works best for them (using the extra money for excursions).

For us personally, Oceanview is good for us.

For the most part, being on deck, where you can cross back and forth for the views, is a better option than just looking out one side of the ship. This would hold true for any ship cruising Alaska.

Exactly our opinion as well. We never used our balcony and wanted to be up on the deck and able to run back and forth to see both sides actively (like port side whales!). The oceanview is nice for natural light and once there was a pod of dolphins jumping right outside our window. We were late to dinner that night because we couldnt stop watching them!