I was wondering about cabin selection. I did a 4 night sailing on the wonder and had a balcony (cat 4). I was sailing alone so there was a toon of room and i liked it but i felt it was kind of wasteful - short cruise and just me. Now i am getting ready to sail on the TA with a friend and we are cat 11 GTY. Cat 4 is so expensive (prohibitive, really) but i was weighing whether or not to upgrade to Cat 8 - while there wont be much to look at "at sea", the window would provide a lot of light and the room is a bit bigger. For those of you with so much experience, which is the best value? would I enjoy Cat 8 that much more (especially for 2 WEEKS?) Thanks.
Also - silly question. How do each of you copy, or "quote" a prior posting when you respond to questions on the thread? I can't figure out how to get the prior posting to show up in the "quote" box? Thanks.
Walt
On the cabin selection, we sailed three times in suites, then sailed a week or so ago in a Cat 8 cabin to see if we could survive it, since we've booked Cat 8 GTY for this cruise. We decided that we really like the light from the window, and didn't really use the verandahs enough to warrant paying a lot extra for them. I noticed that Cat 9 and 8 GTY have been available recently for this sailing (at least for a party of 4 that has been sold out for awhile) so I'd consider them if you want to ensure some natural light in your room.
What I liked about the Cat 8 GTY, and why we picked it over the Cat 9, though it was an extra $100 or so at the time we booked, is that the Cat 8 rooms are all located under staterooms, while some of the Cat 9 rooms are located under less desirable locations like kitchens, night clubs, etc. Also, by booking GTY, which means that Disney will assign us a room as we get closer to the sailing date, and that we are guaranteed to get a room that is at least the category booked (Cat 8 in our instance) we could get a higher category room assigned, which would mean a free verandah room upgrade. So we were willing to take our chances on the room assignment.
With your Cat 11 GTY room, you'll get at least an standard inside room on a higher deck without the split bath. You could get as high as a Category 8 assigned since
DCL doesn't usually go above 3 categories on free upgrades. But those large upgrades are usually reserved for 1st time cruisers and you've cruised before. You always want to make sure you book a room that you will be comfortable sailing in, since there is no guarantee you will get an upgrade, or that an upgrade will be available to purchase at the port.
One other thing nice about the Cat 8 room that we just stayed in, was the convenience and proximity to the adult and entertainment areas of the ship. That was actually a drawback for us, with 2 small kids, but seems like it would be really nice for someone who actual uses those areas of the ship.
If it's in your budget, and you wouldn't be happy with a Cat 11 or 10 room for 2 weeks, then I'd take the window room. But if you only plan to be in your room for sleeping, and can get your daylight fix in the public areas of the ship, then save the money for more fun things and take the chances on a pixie dust upgrade to Cat 9 or 8.
welcome.
Grabbed airline direct out of Phila to BCN on the 16th. It's getting real now!!!!
MONROE COUNTY DIVISION 1 CHAMPIONS
