Ocean view Stateroom v. Verandah Stateroom on Alaskan Cruise

[jetskigrl]

We used our verandah a lot on our Alaska cruise (in addition to the other decks, not in place of). We had my Mom on the trip with us so it was a must have to give her a place to relax and enjoy the sights without having to do a lot of walking around the ship. And when it rained on Tracy Arm day, it was the perfect viewing spot for her. It was our 8th cruise so we had done most everything on the ship already. This vacation was all about the scenery and since I wanted to take pictures at a moments notice, the verandah was a must. We saw so many things from the room while getting ready for dinner or first thing in the morning, etc that we would have missed otherwise.

But that being said, we saved up so that we could have the verandah room and the excursions we wanted to go on. If it is a choice between a verandah or excursions, take the excursions. As much as a verandah is amazing in Alaska, the excursions are even more amazing and unique

 

[Sir William]

We sailed to Alaska in early September a few years ago. I like spending time on the veranda but on this cruise we could only get an oceanview as the veranda cabins were sold out.

Lacking the veranda, I spent a lot of time gazing our of our large porthole or finding a place on deck. However, on this particular cruise I found being on deck very long was a bit too chilly for comfort so spent a lot of time in our cabin instead. However, I've already decided that I want a veranda on the next cruise and will just bundle up as necessary.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I have only done Alaska on NCL, not Disney. We did just fine with an oceanview, spending a lot of time up on deck on Glacier Bay day (on DCL it is Tracy Arm, not GB.) I imagine an oceanview on DCL would be even better because their portholes are bigger than NCL's.

If you don't have an unlimited budget, I would save the money by booking an oceanview and do some really awesome excursions with the money saved. If the budget doesn't matter much, splurge and get the balcony.

This is just my opinion. Some people insist that a balcony is a "must" in Alaska.

 

[AcuraTL]

These were taken on the top deck. It was an awesome feeling going through Tracy Arm on the top deck. I would not want to be confined into my room during this.

 

[Allabouthemouse]

Cruising Alaska is all about the breathtaking scenery. We loved having a veranda to capture every minute. One night, as we were getting ready for formal night, there were whales along side the ship as we sailed through waters as still as a lake. The long twilight and still waters were amazing. We stood on the veranda for almost half an hour just enjoying the solitude. When we woke in the mornings, the first thing we did was pull open the curtains and balcony doors and see the scenery outside and the houses dotting the shoreline. Everyday was absolutely incredible. For us, we would never cruise Alaska without a veranda. The time in our private space savoring the beauty and majesty before us made us appreciate Alaska all the more. The time we spent on deck was incredible for the panoramic view but not very relaxing given the crush of people trying to have the same experience. We have cruised Alaska twice (one in an interior room and the second with a veranda) and the money spent on the stateroom with a veranda was well worth it (to us).

 

[ldo]

My parents sailed with oceanview. OV was almost 1/2 the price less than verandah. They were very happy with it and said they would get OV again for the savings and spend the $ on excursions or a few extra days before the cruise.

 

[RedHatDisney]

Saw many whales and beautiful sights from our verandah. Also used other decks. We had gorgeous, warm weather until Ketchican. Juneau was overcast. Wonderful cruise on the Wonder!

 

[bcwife76]

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.

This is us, too. We haven't sailed yet but our first cruise is coming up this Sunday, on the Wonder. While onboard I am *hoping* to book an Alaskan cruise for next August, but there is no way we could afford verandah for our family of 4 That being said, if we could afford it, I'm still not sure if we would book it, as I like the idea of being up on deck taking in the 360 views each and every day. But again, I have not cruised - yet ;-)

 

[Aby]

We have taken two Alaska cruises with DCL, both in a Cat 7A, which we loved! We are booked again to Alaksa in 2016, but prices have gone up quite a lot since our last cruise in 2013, and the difference between the Cat 9B we have booked and a Cat 7A is over $1700 USD, which is about $2200 CAD just for 2 adults!

While I would really like to have a verandah again, I just can't justify spending the extra money that could cover all of our other expenses on the trip. So, I'm going to stick with my 9B which I hope that we will enjoy enough to put it on our list for future cruises if we don't want to splurge on a verandah.

Aby

 

[sharksfinatic17]

We were on the Wonder in June. We were fortunate enough to have a veranda. It was great that early in the morning or late at night to go out there and enjoy the sights. We didn't use it for Tracy Arm day as we were up on Deck 10 all day. My parents pay for the cruises, and they will only do verandas. But if it was the difference between going and not going, there are lots of places to hang out on the ship to enjoy the sites. Alaska is amazing!

 

[Geomom]

We're booked for an August 2016 DCL Alaskan cruise, our first ever cruise. Our family of 4 booked an Oceanivew, catagory 9C, 2nd floor. We just can't justify the extra thousands of dollars for a verandah, but we did want a window. We won't be in our room much anyway. If we had young kids that still napped or another reason to be in our room more, maybe a verandah would be worth it.

 

[mom+3girls]

This is us, too. We haven't sailed yet but our first cruise is coming up this Sunday, on the Wonder. While onboard I am *hoping* to book an Alaskan cruise for next August, but there is no way we could afford verandah for our family of 4 That being said, if we could afford it, I'm still not sure if we would book it, as I like the idea of being up on deck taking in the 360 views each and every day. But again, I have not cruised - yet ;-)

Will you come back and give an opinion when you are back from your cruise? thanks

 

[Quellman]

Big fan of wanting a veranda on this itinerary. Just so easy to be there looking at your own stuff. The same type of enjoyment can be held with ocean view, providing you have the large porthole and not the two small ones. We tend to spend more time in our room, so it was an easy decision for us when we cruised Alaska. I suspect that if you don't plan on being in your room often, booking inside is the way to go to save money.

But don't be afraid to shop around a little bit. Disney charges a large premium for the Alaskan sailings. Other cruiselines could provide you with a better stateroom for a cheaper cost.

 

[jetskigrl]

These were taken on the top deck. It was an awesome feeling going through Tracy Arm on the top deck. I would not want to be confined into my room during this.

Yeah, if you feel like you needed to be confined to your room if you had a verandah then it is definitely not the way to go. It should be an add-on, not a replacement to the other viewing areas.

I spend most of the morning on Tracy Arm day out on deck 10. But it was cold and rainy and my Mom could not have done that. She was able to stay warm and dry on the verandah while the kids and I went back and forth between hanging out with her on the verandah and viewing the sights from other parts of the ships. It was one of the most amazing days ever because I could spend it outside and also spend time with my Mom in our own private viewing area. I would have felt awful if she had to miss the sights because she couldn't be outside for extended periods. So for us, it was a no-brainer. The verandah allowed her to be out in the fresh air but kept the wind and rain off of her. Plus her view was not restricted by other people in front of her, etc.

To the OP, it really is a personal and financial decision that only you can make.
Your base price is an inside room on the ship. What ever add-on you decide on (oceanview, verandah, excursions, Palo, pictures, spa, bingo, etc) is a decision that only you have the information to determine what will work for your traveling party. In my opinion, if you are going to worry about how much you spent every time you step out on the verandah, then go with the oceanview. If you have to give up excursions, go with the oceanview. But if you can swing it financially, Alaska is one cruise that I definitely felt the verandah was worth it for us. Because you are near land the whole time, there is always new and changing scenery. Being able to step outside at a moments notice because someone a couple of rooms down shouts "whale" - and getting to see it, is awesome At all different times of the day and night, at least one of us was out on the verandah.

But bottom line - do whatever it takes to get on the ship. Alaska is amazing! Anything above just getting on the ship is a bonus

 

[Pens Fan]

Yeah, if you feel like you needed to be confined to your room if you had a verandah then it is definitely not the way to go. It should be an add-on, not a replacement to the other viewing areas.

I spend most of the morning on Tracy Arm day out on deck 10. But it was cold and rainy and my Mom could not have done that. She was able to stay warm and dry on the verandah while the kids and I went back and forth between hanging out with her on the verandah and viewing the sights from other parts of the ships. It was one of the most amazing days ever because I could spend it outside and also spend time with my Mom in our own private viewing area. I would have felt awful if she had to miss the sights because she couldn't be outside for extended periods. So for us, it was a no-brainer. The verandah allowed her to be out in the fresh air but kept the wind and rain off of her. Plus her view was not restricted by other people in front of her, etc.

To the OP, it really is a personal and financial decision that only you can make.
Your base price is an inside room on the ship. What ever add-on you decide on (oceanview, verandah, excursions, Palo, pictures, spa, bingo, etc) is a decision that only you have the information to determine what will work for your traveling party. In my opinion, if you are going to worry about how much you spent every time you step out on the verandah, then go with the oceanview. If you have to give up excursions, go with the oceanview. But if you can swing it financially, Alaska is one cruise that I definitely felt the verandah was worth it for us. Because you are near land the whole time, there is always new and changing scenery. Being able to step outside at a moments notice because someone a couple of rooms down shouts "whale" - and getting to see it, is awesome At all different times of the day and night, at least one of us was out on the verandah.

But bottom line - do whatever it takes to get on the ship. Alaska is amazing! Anything above just getting on the ship is a bonus

This is one of the best answers I've seen recently for this often asked question.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

A point on the few who say a verandah is not worth it in Alaska.

If DCL released summer Alaska cruises for 2017 and all staterooms were the same price, - bar concierge as it has extra services. These same posters would all book Verandah rooms. The same thing is if they got a free upgrade to a verandah they wouldn't refuse it.

They all know the benefits, the issue is just one and that is price, if it's worth it.

Some have said in the past the higher price is due to tradition, not true, a cruise isn't a antique or painting so no one will pay extra for tradition.

We used our verandah on the Wonder from 6 am to 11 pm, we could still go out for a walk, the same as any room, but we didn't gave to stake our claim to a sport early morning. We could ask, excuse me take a photo and leave. The ship announced what was around and if the bridge picked up they said "whales port side aft. "

I would get a drink or go for a walk say post show, no one on the decks viewing but on my verandah spectacular views at say 10 pm, those with inside rooms were missing. The problem is those with inside rooms, do not know what they are kidding as they do not see it.

The argument of others us you see just one side, well on deck often there are people either side of you so you get limited degree free view without others in your photos. On your verandah you get 180 degrees and you can walk the ship. Kids can be in the room if tired but you can still enjoy the nature.

On my cruise all outside decks 4/9/10 were busy all day all night. DCL tried to stop people using deck chairs to block areas out to reserve them.

If you have a verandah you can go to eat, go to the restroom have room service and do not loose your saved area.

It had some rein and was cold at times, we had the roof of the verandah on top of us and blankets on kegs sitting down, we kept warm and dry, that's not possible on deck.

Other falsehoods here posted are with a verandah you can't sleep as its light, well the rooms have curtains.

Verandah so are expensive in Alaska as the vast majority know the benefit so book them early, it's part of the cruise seeing the wonderful nature and slowly cruising and viewing the different lands.

Each ship and each cruise line is different, different ports different numbers of verandahs, so listen to posters who have been on the Disney Wonder to Alaska and not those who were on other cruise lines.

 

[dsnydaddy]

If you can afford it, then get the veranda. I doubt you'd regret it much. Alaska is much different the nearly all the other cruises. You are cruising by land nearly all the time. There's usually something to see outside at all times.

That said, we did not book verandah. I wanted to do some once-in-a-lifetime excursions and looking at what DCL wanted for a verandah left me precious little to spend elsewhere. I was very happy with my oceanview and ultimately would make the same decision today.

And that what it boils down to... What will you pay for today that you will be happy with tomorrow.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

If you can afford it, then get the veranda. I doubt you'd regret it much. Alaska is much different the nearly all the other cruises. You are cruising by land nearly all the time. There's usually something to see outside at all times.

That said, we did not book verandah. I wanted to do some once-in-a-lifetime excursions and looking at what DCL wanted for a verandah left me precious little to spend elsewhere. I was very happy with my oceanview and ultimately would make the same decision today.

And that what it boils down to... What will you pay for today that you will be happy with tomorrow.

That's just what I'm saying.....

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

We have taken two Alaska cruises with DCL, both in a Cat 7A, which we loved! We are booked again to Alaksa in 2016, but prices have gone up quite a lot since our last cruise in 2013, and the difference between the Cat 9B we have booked and a Cat 7A is over $1700 USD, which is about $2200 CAD just for 2 adults!

While I would really like to have a verandah again, I just can't justify spending the extra money that could cover all of our other expenses on the trip. So, I'm going to stick with my 9B which I hope that we will enjoy enough to put it on our list for future cruises if we don't want to splurge on a verandah.

Aby

I totally agree with you and this is my experience too! We sailed in 2013 in a 7A and I want to say we paid around $5000ish for the three of us and I did not book this opening day (we had actually booked 2014 opening day, then I moved it up to 2013 as the prices hadn't changed that much). For our 8/2016 sailing I did book on Platinum opening day and the difference from a 9C to 7A is $2500. That's nuts. I totally get why a verandah for Alaska is important and special, that I do but the gap between 9C to the lowest cat of verandah 7A is growing further and further apart in price every year which is why I think it's a bigger deal now to figure it out and what's important and balance it all. I think when I compared prices the difference form last year to next was already up $1000 for the 9C to 7A from the year prior.

I get cringes every now and then to upgrade but the 9C has been in GTY status for a long time and there are plenty of verandah's available on our sailing so it's almost like the tide is changing as the prices for the verandah's are getting more out of reach. I have no doubt DCL will sell those verandah's and people are willing to pay it but I have to be smart too. $2500 covers a lot of things for three people and that's me being smart. Sure we *could* swing it, but my rationale is it's our 2nd sailing to Alaska, we did the verandah the first time and we love the deck two cabins and we are willing to give it a shot as we know we'll be up above when we need to and want to do fun and cool excursions and different from our last sailing.

OP - I totally agree with the others, sure if you can swing the verandah and it's in your heart you really want it, go for it but if not other categories will be fine and that's a lot of extra $$ to be put into other areas.

Heather

 

[richkaryn]

We debated if worth the price ourselves. We went ahead and booked the verandah, and I have picked up lots of extra bus duty at school (luckily hardly anyone wants to do it and willingly pay someone else to do for them , and I'm one of few who will do it for pay) that will offset the cost and not cut into our excursion budget. DH has picked up some odd jobs for people we know as well to contribute to our spending/excursion money. So it really does boil down to what you're willing to pay (or work extra in our case) for.