To Verandah or not to Verandah.. That is the question?

[Im_A_Princess]

Verandah for sure! One of our favorite past times is to sit out there on sea days and read or enjoy a glass of wine. It would be tough to give that up!

Cheese tray via room service...glass of wine...verandah...I AM THERE!!!!!

 

[DVCconvert]

It's clearly a personal choice, but we wouldn't sail at all unless we have a verandah. AM coffee, reading either on sea days or in some ports, evening drinks, watching port arrival/departure operations -- all make us feel this way. YMMV.

 

[American Scrapper]

Definitely Verandah....my favorite time of the day was sitting out on the verandah at night looking into the dark, listening to the water & reading a good book. We have 2 kids and have had no problem with them and the verandah. Gave us a little bit of space too when we were all in the room.

 

[Wunderkind]

I have been thinking a lot if I want to get a verandah for our next cruise in September on a 7 DAY.

For those of you who have cruised inside staterooms for 7 days with kids, tell me how it went.

For those of you who have cruised verandah style for 7 days with kids, tell me how it went.

I want to know if getting one is worth it.! Thanks bunches.

^^^ This depends on you and your kids. We went on a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise when my daughter was 5 yrs. old and my son was only 4 months old! I loved the experience because the verandah stateroom provided me with a quiet haven away from all the action. I was still nursing my son and it was very nice to sit out there and watch the ocean. He would promptly fall asleep afterwards. My daughter enjoyed sitting out there with me and my husband too. Now, I'm hoping to go on another Disney cruise next year. This time I'm not doing a verandah. Apart from the cost, I personally don't feel it is safe for my son. He is a very active little boy and unless there are significant changes in his activity level between now and when we sail, I plan on having a porthole room or even an inside room. It just seems safer to me that way now. Whichever you choose, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. The 7-night Disney cruise is one of the best experiences you'll ever have on a cruise ship. Enjoy!

 

[tea for girls]

Our one and only time to have a verandah the couple next door smoked the entire trip. We had very little time outside where we weren't wheezing. I don't know if I would pay for cabin with a verandah again.

 

[bigbootee]

It's great to relax on the verandah. We had booked a cat 4 for the 11/8/08 WC on the Magic. We upgraded to a cat 3 at port. and I was spoiled completely. Now, I not only won't sail w/o a verandah, but I ended up booking a cat 3 for 8/18/2010 Eastern Med.

 

[andeeNjoel]

We just booked a verandah room last night. I am a little worried that our neighbors might be smoking and unknowingly make me uncomfortable. I don't want to deprive them of something they enjoy on their vacation either- so what can be done- could DCL move us?

 

[Honeibee]

We had a Navigator's Verandah on the Wonder this past May. This cruise was a Christmas present to my husband. We had cruised a couple of times before, on different cruise lines. This was our first DCL cruise so to make it special I booked a verandah room for the very first time. I thought it would be fabulous.

However....neither of us are smokers and we were next to a cabin of heavy smokers. First thing in the morning, last thing at night, and pretty much any other time we wanted to go out on the verandah it was too smokey and we couldn't stand it. You'd think the ocean breezes would blow the smoke away but I think it did just the opposite, blew it right into the Navigator's Verandah.

I asked if we could be moved but the ship was full.

It was a complete waste of money for me to pay for a verandah we could not use. What a shame, because I am sure we would have loved it.

P.S. Turned out we were seated with the Mr and Mrs Chimney at dinner too! Oh they were awful people. Just awful. Complained about everything! We loved the cruise though, despite all the above.

 

[NancyIL]

I agree with kcashner - I would rather cruise twice in a cheap cabin than once in a balcony. We had a balcony cabin on our 4-night Disney cruise - only because I cruised with my mom and she wanted it. (In hindsight - I should've made her pay the difference! ) Another time I got a free upgrade to a balcony cabin on a Royal Caribbean cruise. They're nice to have, and I'd gladly accept one if someone else paid for it!

 

[NancyIL]

We got upgraded to a Handicaped veranda room on our last cruise. The veradanda was HUGE - 25+ feet long (we were in the really big room almost all of the way at the back of the ship). It was so cool!! we spent 10 minutes on it before we left port going "this is so cool" and we spent at least 2 minutes out on it every day saying "this is SO cool".

That's what we had - a cat. 6 handicap-accessible at the back of deck 6. I missed the size of the cabin more than I missed the balcony on subsequent cruises.

 

[Jynohn]

After our second experience with smokers next to us, I won't be paying for a verandah again. On our first cruise we had smokers on both sides of us, so there was very little time that we were able to enjoy the fresh air without someone's smoke wafting over. For the next cruise, we booked a category 9 and while we missed the extra space, the porthole gave us enough natural light that it didn't feel claustrophobic.

We were booked in a cat. 9 again for our trip last week, but were upgraded at the last minute to a cat. 7 with a navigator's verandah. While it was a nice suprise, we didn't get to use it much because of CIGAR smokers next door. It was so bad that we could smell it in our cabin even with the verandah door closed. We didn't complain as it was a free upgrade (although I did mention it on my comment card) but I would have been extremely upset if I had paid $1,000+ for a verandah that I didn't get to fully enjoy.

I know that smokers are within their rights to smoke on their balconies, but until Disney addresses this issue in some way, I'd rather save the money.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

We've tried all three options -

1st cruise - inside cabin (we took a nap one afternoon and woke up in the middle of the night as we had no clue what time of day it was!! )

2nd cruise - Verandah (LOVED it!! )

3rd cruise - knew we didn't want an inside room and couldn't really stretch to a verandah, so had a window. We REALLY missed the verandah -so for us our next cruise (and all future ones!! ) will have a verandah!!

WE just love having our own personal outdoor space - for breakfast, afternoon breaks, late evening - Just bliss (especially now with two children!!)

hope that helps a little!!

 

[TraciM]

We had a verandah this past September when we were on the Wonder. We have booked a 7 day Western for January and got a room with a window. The verandah was nice but really we were not on it that much. If the price were a few hundred dollars difference I think we would have gotten it but it was almost $750 so we passed.

 

[tvguy]

After our second experience with smokers next to us, I won't be paying for a verandah again. On our first cruise we had smokers on both sides of us, so there was very little time that we were able to enjoy the fresh air without someone's smoke wafting over. For the next cruise, we booked a category 9 and while we missed the extra space, the porthole gave us enough natural light that it didn't feel claustrophobic.

We were booked in a cat. 9 again for our trip last week, but were upgraded at the last minute to a cat. 7 with a navigator's verandah. While it was a nice suprise, we didn't get to use it much because of CIGAR smokers next door. It was so bad that we could smell it in our cabin even with the verandah door closed. We didn't complain as it was a free upgrade (although I did mention it on my comment card) but I would have been extremely upset if I had paid $1,000+ for a verandah that I didn't get to fully enjoy.

I know that smokers are within their rights to smoke on their balconies, but until Disney addresses this issue in some way, I'd rather save the money.

DW and I are very sensitive to smoke, and had smokers next to us. As sea it was never an issue...the ship was going 20 miles and hour and add in another 10 to 20 mile an hour beeze, and all we got was fresh air.

 

[Lemonbee]

We decided to splurge and get the verandah for the Med cruise. It's ten days so I think it will be worth it.

 

[mindy327]

Perhaps (DCL if your reading this) they should designate a Verandah smoking area. Like rooms ####-#### be smoking rooms. Maybe that would help. But I think as for my decision were going to go for it! Your own space to chill in your pjs is really worth the thoughts of it to me!

 

[kcashner]

Perhaps (DCL if your reading this) they should designate a Verandah smoking area. Like rooms ####-#### be smoking rooms. Maybe that would help. But I think as for my decision were going to go for it! Your own space to chill in your pjs is really worth the thoughts of it to me!

This is exactly my view. Since they have made the starboard side of decks 9 and 10 smoking areas, perhaps they should extend this so that verandahs on the starboard side are smoking; those on the port side are non-smoking. If the demand doesn't justify an entire side, then designate certain verandahs as smoking areas and book smokers into those cabins.

Yes, smokers have every right to smoke on their verandahs. But I have a right to enjoy my verandah smoke free.

 

[hannahguad]

Hi Mindy,
Okay, now I see that you are going in September---are you doing it this year?? I am in Arizona (North Phoenix) as well and I am going on the western September 19th cruise, I would love to have a fellow Arizonian on there!

BTW, we did our first cruise with a veranda, we now have the veranda bug and will not do it again without one. We ate room service on the verandah several times and it was so peacefull to watch the ocean go by!! No brown desert!

 

[MN_Cruz'n]

Our third cruise is in late August, and this is our first time with a window (no veranda). We have always had a category 11 room.

We just couldn't see justifying the higher price for a window/veranda we never use. Once we are up and awake, we are never in our room. We are always doing something somewhere on deck or in port, so for us, no veranda is not a big deal.

 

[Nik's Mom]

We currently have a verandah room booked for our June 2010 5 day cruise, but I'm seriously thinking of switching to a porthole room. It's so hard to decide. I'm afraid I will regret it.