Verandah or not?

[Fellowship9798]

I imagine this question must have been asked several times over, but I'm new to DCL and have only been on one cruise previously (Carnival in 2002).

We're looking at the 6 night Disney Wonder repositioning cruise in April 2011 from LA to Vancouver (we live in Vancouver) and I'm trying to figure out what booking category makes the most sense for my family.

There will be me, DW, DS6 and DD4 (ages at the time of the cruise).

Is a verandah worth an extra $600 over an oceanview with a large porthole? Although a verandah is a nice luxury, I'm uncertain whether we would use it or if we'll be out of the room so much it wouldn't be worthwhile. $600 may be better put toward shore excurisions, or just getting us out to LA. Here's my thoughts so far:

• In my previous WDW DVC stays at BWV and VGC I've enjoyed sitting out on the balconies enjoying the view (although what I mostly enjoyed was the activity and people watching which wouldn't be part of the DCL view)
• I tend to be up later than both my kids and my wife, so maybe having the verandah would be a nice place for me to unwind while others snooze (although maybe getting out around the ship would be better)
• I'm concerned about the safety aspects of having small children and the possibility of climbing and falling over the railing if we turn our backs for a moment. I can't see my kids actually doing this but you never know and it's it's straight down to the ocean.

Obviously this is completely a matter of personal opinion, but maybe there is some common wisdom regarding the verandahs out there on this board that I haven't come across yet.

Any thoughts?

 

[kcashner]

In reverse order...

In 11 years, no child has ever gotten out onto a balcony and climbed overboard while a parent was distracted or at any other time. There are several layers of safety features--the balcony doors are quite heavy (even for adults). The locks are high up. The railings are such that the part facing the balcony is solid, whether plexiglass or metal--there is no place for a child to get a foothold.

I suppose it is theoretically possible for a child to get past the lock and heavy door and climb onto the furniture on the balcony to try to jump over a nearly 4 foot high railing...but in 11 years, none has managed it.

I find that the longer the cruise, the more time I spend in my cabin....so my logic is based on 7 day cruises. My biggest concern is that it might be too cold to enjoy the balcony. There are LOTS of public places on the ship where you can enjoy sitting outdoors while you read or whatever. Yes, I prefer my nice private balcony when the weather is warm. Is it worth $100 per day? That's really a personal decision. I tend to think not because I'm concerned about the temperatures you'll experience as you approach Canada.

One other point...do either of the children still take naps? If so, the balcony is wonderful while you or DW is "stuck" in the room with a sleeping child.

 

[disneylove69]

I would say no because all you are going to see is water. Where Disney will port in San Francisco is ugly and you will probably get off. I would save the money.

 

[sbell111]

We would definitely choose the verandah. It's worth it for us.

 

[tammymacb]

I have sailed several times with a Verandah and rarely use it. It always seems like a good idea...'till I get busy doing something else and don't make my way out there.

I booked a SPH on the Magic and would take that room any day. My last cruise was during a "kids sail free" event in May. I booked the cheapest room I could get, knowing that for 3 days, all we'd do in that room was sleep. Total I paid for 4 for that cruise was less than $900. When we arrived at port on the day of sailing ( first in line! ) I was able to upgrade from my Cat 9-booked a cat 12 to a Cat 5 for $300.00 total.

So I got the whole cruise 3 nights - cat 5 for $1200. If I'd booked that room off the bat, it would have been almost 3 x that much.

Sorry for rambeling. But, I've decided on DCL that for most cruises, I'll book the room I'm "OK" with getting, and hope for a deal at the port. If it doesn't happen, I'll be OK with that too.

However, for our Med cruise, I am booking a SPH room, ( I'll still try to upgrade at the port ) but if I don't, I'll be happy for 10 nights in that room.

 

[TiggerTails57]

We would definitely choose the verandah. It's worth it for us.

if you can afford it......go for it!
If not no biggie just get on the ship.....

 

[jilljill]

We find the more we cruise the more we use a verandah so now we are booking them. When we first started cruising it was all about seeing and doing everything on the ship. It just depends on how active you think you and your family will be on the ship. If you just want to relax then book the verandah, if you want to enjoy all the ship has to offer and do everything then book an oceanview or inside cabin.

 

[lar32]

We cruised for the first time back in Nov. and will cruise again this Feb. and because my husband worried about being sea sick we chose one room with a verandah. I wouldn't change that. We have three kids so we are in a cat. 4 but we would find ourselves out there everytime we came back to the room. Plus, it made the place feel more roomy for us. Now I have never sailed with just a view and perhaps that would be fine but I would think the longer the cruise the better it would be to have one... more days at sea and it's nice to sit on the balcony with room service and enjoy even the water!!!

 

[bbn1122]

I agree with lar32. We have only cruised once before 2 balcony cabins on Carnival. That is how we connected our room with are sons. We did not use it much on a 3 day, but it was very nice to have, no claustrophobia.

On our first DC we have Cat 4 for family of 5 on a 7 day cruise, I think for us it is a must. It gives us extra space, a quite place and when in the caribbean what more could you want a private view of the sparkling water.

I know for most people it is price. But, we go about every other year all out for a vacation, so I would always do a balony/verranda on a cruise.

 

[trimix]

Add me to the list of veranda lovers. Disneylove69 may not like to "just see water", but I enjoy eating room service breakfast on the veranda overlooking open ocean, and enjoying an afternoon snack not seeing another ship or land anywhere.

I booked a veranda on the starboard side of the ship for the Vancouver repo. I am going to look forward to enjoying breakfast out there, watching the sun rise over costal mountains (if we are close to shore) or over the water (farther out). If I were on the port side, I would look forward to sunsets.

 

[durango kid]

Just be aware that once you go veranda, you'll never go back!

 

[Fellowship9798]

Thanks very much for the varied answers. It seems like we've got about 4 "yes", 2 "no", and 2 "it's up to you".

Very interesting points about the child safety issues kcashner.

While I think we wouldn't miss it if we didn't have a verandah, I don't know how often we will be cruising, much less a DCL cruise. Since this is likely to be a rare vacation choice for us (cruising vs. a land based WDW or DL vacation), I may just go for it in order to "do it once and do it right".

Is there any big difference in the category 5C, 5B, or 5A cabins (2011 categories are revised from the current ones I believe). I know the higher the category the more central the location and the higher the deck, but how much difference does it really make to be in the center of the ship vs. the fore or aft and is it really worth more money to be one deck higher? Again I'm sure this has been asked a thousands times before.

Although the price difference is small ($60 between 5C and 5B and $150 between 5B and 5A) I just can't see it making any real difference, but I'm a DCL newbie.

Thanks again for all the responses.

 

[TiggerTails57]

5c is aft I think.....so the only difference is forward, aft and midship. We sailed all three and have never got sea sick......we like deck 6.

 

[Jessieknj]

Another vote for Balcony here.. I know some people say they just want to be on the ship but I love sitting out on the balcony at night just listening to the water go by... DH and I sat out there everynight on our cruise while my son fell asleep and it was nice to have fresh air.. we cruised in Jan and weather was awesome. I wouldn't cruise without a balcony.

 

[jilljill]

The aft balconies have a solid white wall verandah and when you are sitting out there you can't see the water. When looking at the deck plans they are marked with *, but you can also tell which ones they are since on decks 5, 6, and 7 they are all past the cat. 7A cabins.
If you are just going to go for a verandah, then get one that does not have the solid white wall.

 

[ppony]

Being a big claustrophobe here, I will NEED that open air area to get away from people and a cramped feeling. I need my own space and that includes a veranda. So I wasn't going to go unless I could have one. I also have a napping toddler. So while he's napping, I plan on enjoying our veranda w/ my sketch pad and colored pencils to dream up new painting ideas. I can' think of a better way to do it! And even if all you see is water. I happen to enjoy that view very much being landlocked in MN. A veranda (like a patio in a hotel or even apartment) makes your room feel that much bigger and the fresh ocean air can't be beat!
But as you said, it's personal to each.
Thumbs up on the veranda says I.

 

[disneymath]

Our first cruise (on any line) will be to Alaska in August 2011. We opted for a Category 7 Navigator's Verandah cabin for a number of reasons.

My dad is a bit claustrophobic, so the option of being able to get fresh air right in our room was apealing.

Having never cruised, we don't know whether or not we're prone to seasickness but figured it couldn't hurt to have access to fresh air from our room if needed.

Alaska is about the scenery and it seemed like a good idea to be able to enjoy the view from our room whenever we wanted. We plan to enjoy all that the ship has to offer, and intend to do shore excursions, but know that we will more than likely need some down time too.

We will be 3 adults in the room for 7 nights (dad, mom and me) ... while we all get along quite well, it seemed like a good idea to have a place where we could retreat for some privacy from each other without having to go to a public area.

Our decision to book the Navigator's Verandah was twofold ... one it is the cheapest verandah category cabin ... two, it seemed like it would be more protected from the elements than a regular verandah stateroom - not that we're in a panic about the Alaska weather. (We're from Northern Ontario so are quite used to extreme cold and snow in the winter - and also know that while summer will never be WDW hot, it's definitely liveable.)

 

[FantasticFour]

We are frequent cruisers. On other lines we would never ever ever travel in a cabin without a balcony (usually a minisuite or up), BUT we never bother with one on DCL. Two reasons... first off, we spend so little time in the cabin on Disney that it wouldn't be worth it; secondly, the cabins on DCL are bigger than most lines and we don't feel as cramped.

If you were taking the actual Alaska cruise, I would tell you that you MUST have a balcony as the scenery is outstanding and standing on the deck will be too unpleasant. You watch the glaciers for a bit and then dart back into the cabin to warm up. (We do Alaska every summer on NCL).

I have done the west coast repositioning several times. Usually in a minisuite, once in a balcony (as Canadians, it is so much more convenient to fly home/to YVR and these cruises are often really cheap). We almost never use the balcony on these trips (and only book that category on NCL or Holland to get the extra room-- brings it up to the inside cabin space on DCL). The weather isn't great, the scenery is not exciting (except for sailing under the golden gate and lions gate bridges). If we were doing this particular repositioning on DCL, we would book an inside cabin and spend the money in port. (BTW-- we got a great pier pass for San Francisco which was a great value).

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

My wife wanted a veranda for our seven night eastern cruise because she thought she would use it a lot during our three days at sea. I didn't think it would get used very much, I was wrong. We were out there during the day, and it is a really nice way to end a busy day; to sit out there at night before turning in for the night.

For two or more days at sea I would consider a veranda again, if it fit into the budget. I would not let it break the bank or keep us from getting out on some fun excursions buy spending extra money for a veranda.

My guess is a child is smarter than the average adult and will not go over the railing of the veranda. As other people have posted, keep the door locked when you're not out; keep a close eye on them and they'll be fine.

 

[Fellowship9798]

Thanks so much everyone for all the replies. I've got some thinking to do. I had been leaning toward the verandah, but I think now I'm back to thinking that the $600 may be better spent on activities in San Francisco or Victoria. Particularly because I really don't know what the weather wil be like in April (actually I live in Vancouver so I know what it could be like) as we head north into Northern CA, OR, WA. It may not be pleasant to use the verandah if there's a chilly wind or rain as there certainly may be in the Pacific Northwest springtime.