Verandah on baltic cruise?

[Masonmj84]

We're thinking of doing the 7 night Baltic Cruise in 2020.

On all of our previous cruises, we've had a verandah stateroom but I'm wondering if it's really worth it on the Baltic cruise.

We're a family of 4 and our teenage son has more or less outgrown the smaller cabin beds (I think he'll be over 6' by the time we take this cruise).

In addition, for this particular cruise (and our children's ages), it's looking like two inside or window staterooms (with 2 of us per room) will likely be cheaper than 1 verandah stateroom (with all 4 of us).

2 staterooms with verandahs is beyond my price point for this cruise. So it's either 1 verandah room, (which would probably have to be the kind that sleeps 5 with the Murphy bed) or 2 non-verandah (either inside or window) rooms.

Suggestions?

 

[gilsan]

We're thinking of doing the 7 night Baltic Cruise in 2020.

On all of our previous cruises, we've had a verandah stateroom but I'm wondering if it's really worth it on the Baltic cruise.

We're a family of 4 and our teenage son has more or less outgrown the smaller cabin beds (I think he'll be over 6' by the time we take this cruise).

In addition, for this particular cruise (and our children's ages), it's looking like two inside or window staterooms (with 2 of us per room) will likely be cheaper than 1 verandah stateroom (with all 4 of us).

2 staterooms with verandahs is beyond my price point for this cruise. So it's either 1 verandah room, (which would probably have to be the kind that sleeps 5 with the Murphy bed) or 2 non-verandah (either inside or window) rooms.

Suggestions?

I personally would go with 2 rooms inside or porthole. You can easily go to Deck 4 if you want to see the scenery. We have never spent enough time on our verandah to justify the cost and usually book an oceanview for the natural light and you can still look out and see where you are.

 

[kiford]

It really depends on how you want to spend your money. We had a balcony on our Baltic cruise and we really liked it. But we also spent a fair bit of time on deck because we were sailing with friends and there was more space there. They also put out blankets on the chairs (which was definitely needed) so that was a nice feature. If you don't want to pay for the balcony cabins, spending time on deck is definitely a good option and I would recommend it. There's a fair bit of scenery.

 

[Gentry2004]

I’d probably go with 2 inside rooms. Also summer days are loooong in that part of the world so your room will be darker for sleeping.

 

[JTlikestheDuck]

For a verandah room on the Baltic cruise, does anyone have a recommendation between port or starboard? We're looking to book a 2020 Baltic cruise as long as St. Petersburg is still on the list of stops.

 

[GPaLarry]

When we did the Baltic DCL cruise we had a porthole room, 7008. We were off the ship at each port for most of each day and did not miss having a verandah, even during "at sea" days. A verandah for Alaska is a different matter. If you can, take the Tivoli and Tallinn DCL excursions, they were awesome. With DCL you usually get "fast pass" and/or early entry into the sites you visit. Cruise on...

 

[Ladybugx87]

We loved having our verandah for Baltic but have younger kiddos. I sat out on the balcony quite a bit and especially recall sailing into Stockholm as an amazing morning.

 

[Intr3pid]

We are on the 10-night Baltic cruise this year in two adjacent inside rooms and then again on the 7-night Norwegian Fjord cruise a week later in a 4B. We are a family of five.

The Baltic cruises tend to be chilly in open waters with the wind, and the 10-nighter has 3 sea days plus a mini-stop in Frederica on a fourth day. The port days are full-on touring days, and the two-night stop in SPB will have us out in the city till late for the ballet.

We have struggled to justify the cost of a verandah on this cruise. For the price difference with an OBD on the two insides plus a little extra, we have added on the 7-nighter to Norway in a verandah!

Trust me, you can also find a much better use of that price difference.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We were on Princess, and had a large window. It was enough, when we wanted more, we went on a deck. The islands en route to Stockholm we’re so lovely, we stayed by our window for hours.

 

[aggiedog]

It's not usually comfortable sit and relax on the balcony weather. My favorite picture is my son in the pool while the lifeguard has full-on North Sea fisherman gear, hat and hood included. We usually get verandahs, but if I went again I'd be perfectly happy with a window instead, especially knowing the money I'd be saving that I could apply to another trip.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

We are on the 10-night Baltic cruise this year in two adjacent inside rooms and then again on the 7-night Norwegian Fjord cruise a week later in a 4B. We are a family of five.

The Baltic cruises tend to be chilly in open waters with the wind, and the 10-nighter has 3 sea days plus a mini-stop in Frederica on a fourth day. The port days are full-on touring days, and the two-night stop in SPB will have us out in the city till late for the ballet.

We have struggled to justify the cost of a verandah on this cruise. For the price difference with an OBD on the two insides plus a little extra, we have added on the 7-nighter to Norway in a verandah!

Trust me, you can also find a much better use of that price difference.

We, too, are a family of 5 and DW & I are looking at the 10 night Baltic for '20 (assuming school schedules work out) Did you do placeholders for both your inside/connecting rooms? How much did you save? I costed it out for our 11 night southern this summer on Fantasy and the cost difference was a wash ($23). TIA for sharing your experience

 

[KashasMom]

We had a balcony on our Baltic cruise (RC) and used it a lot. I'm an early riser so enjoy watching us come into port and same when we left. However, it seems like you'd all be more comfortable with 2 rooms. I'd have no problem doing that either.

 

[Barbamama]

My family of four had an oceanview room. My parents had a huge verandah because they needed an accessible stateroom for reduced mobility issues. Although the verandah was fantastic, we were so busy going on excursions and to activities on the ship that I feel it isn’t worth the extra cost for a verandah for this cruise, especially with the sometimes chilly weather and the fact that you can have the same beautiful views from the general decks.

 

[Intr3pid]

We, too, are a family of 5 and DW & I are looking at the 10 night Baltic for '20 (assuming school schedules work out) Did you do placeholders for both your inside/connecting rooms? How much did you save? I costed it out for our 11 night southern this summer on Fantasy and the cost difference was a wash ($23). TIA for sharing your experience

When the bookings opened up in Feb 2018, we put deposits on several European cruises - including the 7-N Baltic and 7-N Norway. It was going to be a part of our grand European tour, but - in reality - we were scared of how much the prices would shoot up over time. As a comparison, we secured one OV + one inside on the 7-N Baltic for ~$14K at the open, while that exact combo later would have set you back almost $19K!

Since then, we have replaced the 7-N Baltic with its 10-N version and kept the 7-N Norway. Both 10-N rooms have a 10% discount - the net cost just over $15K. A 4B on this cruise is currently going for just over $23K.

I haven't seen much of the verandah premium on the Caribbeans cruises - or maybe the bigger ships. You feel the pinch the most in Alaska and Europe.

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

When the bookings opened up in Feb 2018, we put deposits on several European cruises - including the 7-N Baltic and 7-N Norway. It was going to be a part of our grand European tour, but - in reality - we were scared of how much the prices would shoot up over time. As a comparison, we secured one OV + one inside on the 7-N Baltic for ~$14K at the open, while that exact combo later would have set you back almost $19K!

Since then, we have replaced the 7-N Baltic with its 10-N version and kept the 7-N Norway. Both 10-N rooms have a 10% discount - the net cost just over $15K. A 4B on this cruise is currently going for just over $23K.

I haven't seen much of the verandah premium on the Caribbeans cruises - or maybe the bigger ships. You feel the pinch the most in Alaska and Europe.

Based on your comment, I ran the numbers last night basing costs off of this years 10 night. The raw numbers weren't the focus, really, I was looking at trends and percentage of cost difference. We only have one placeholder discount in hand, so I compared and contrasted a 4A to connected Cat 9A (deck 7) and connected Cat 10 (deck 2). DW was less than enthused of the idea of the Cat 10s (which showed a savings of ~17% or $3600 compared to the 4A even using one room discounted). The Cat 9A is only ~3% or $800 savings, but there are 2 rooms (read 2 BATHROOMS - I have twin teenage daughters) and windows for DW. We use the verandah extensively on the Caribbean cruises; even short 3 or 4 night cruises. On our Alaska cruise, we tried to use it, but it was too chilly to be out there for long. My wife and I agreed that on opening day - should the dates be right for school - we'll do connecting Cat 9A instead of the 4A that we usually book. Thanks for bringing this up!

 

[Intr3pid]

Based on your comment, I ran the numbers last night basing costs off of this years 10 night. The raw numbers weren't the focus, really, I was looking at trends and percentage of cost difference. We only have one placeholder discount in hand, so I compared and contrasted a 4A to connected Cat 9A (deck 7) and connected Cat 10 (deck 2). DW was less than enthused of the idea of the Cat 10s (which showed a savings of ~17% or $3600 compared to the 4A even using one room discounted). The Cat 9A is only ~3% or $800 savings, but there are 2 rooms (read 2 BATHROOMS - I have twin teenage daughters) and windows for DW. We use the verandah extensively on the Caribbean cruises; even short 3 or 4 night cruises. On our Alaska cruise, we tried to use it, but it was too chilly to be out there for long. My wife and I agreed that on opening day - should the dates be right for school - we'll do connecting Cat 9A instead of the 4A that we usually book. Thanks for bringing this up!

Makes sense. Here's something else to ponder.

Based on the cruise port schedules, you can see that Magic will do the Iceland cruise in late August in 2020. It might be a roundtrip from Dover or a repositioning cruise from Copenhagen. But, what does it mean for the Baltic cruises? Possibly that the 10-N Baltic might be moved up to July 2020 and - unfortunately - could sport a bigger sticker.

Alternatively, as the 7-N Baltic was very popular this year, they might replace the 10-N Baltic with an 8-N Baltic with an extra night in SPB. And reposition through Norway.

Something like this:

Second half of July: Reposition from Dover to Copenhagen through Norway or Baltic
First half of August: Two of 7-N Baltic, or 7-N + 8-N Baltic, or 7-N Baltic + 7-N Norway
Second half of August: Reposition back to Dover through Iceland

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

Makes sense. Here's something else to ponder.

Based on the cruise port schedules, you can see that Magic will do the Iceland cruise in late August in 2020. It might be a roundtrip from Dover or a repositioning cruise from Copenhagen. But, what does it mean for the Baltic cruises? Possibly that the 10-N Baltic might be moved up to July 2020 and - unfortunately - could sport a bigger sticker.

Alternatively, as the 7-N Baltic was very popular this year, they might replace the 10-N Baltic with an 8-N Baltic with an extra night in SPB. And reposition through Norway.

Something like this:

Second half of July: Reposition from Dover to Copenhagen through Norway or Baltic
First half of August: Two of 7-N Baltic, or 7-N + 8-N Baltic, or 7-N Baltic + 7-N Norway
Second half of August: Reposition back to Dover through Iceland

Honestly, I'd pay more to go in July. This past August we did Alaska and it was amazing, but our local school system changed up the start dates of school (after we booked and had a healthy amount paid off) so the kids missed the first 2 weeks of school. Less than awesome. We're really excited to do the Baltic. In all my years in the Navy, I've never been and the whole family is looking forward to it.

 

[xavier2001]

What about doing 1 regular verandah, and an inside across the hall for the kids. We spend A LOT of time on the balcony looking at scenery, its nice to be in a quiet, private space. It all depends on how you like to vacation.

 

[FSU Girl]

I love verandahs, but if the cruise is very port heavy where you'll barely be in the room it might make more sense to do an ocean view instead to save money. It would depend on if you plan on spending a lot of time on it or not. I used to only sail in ocean view as a kid, but have been in balconies for all my Disney cruises and I don't know if I could go back I love it so much. Would probably also depend on the price difference. If it's only a couple hundred dollars I would, for a couple thousand more I probably wouldn't.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

What about doing 1 regular verandah, and an inside across the hall for the kids. We spend A LOT of time on the balcony looking at scenery, its nice to be in a quiet, private space. It all depends on how you like to vacation.

Definitely consider this! For our Alaska sailing, it was less expensive to book a verandah and an inside than two oceanview rooms.