Verandah room- family worth $130?

[Oofies]

Wow, it's been a long time since my last cruise!!! We were spoiled by our upgrade to verandah last time. I really am trying to get the best bang for our buck, but is the upgrade to the family verandah room worth the $130? Family of 4, kids 11, 18. 4 night Bahamas on the Dream Feb 2017 (that's what fits in our available time and budget).
Also-any suggestions on room locations? Which side of the ship and where? It really has been a long time!

THANKS!!!

 

[Kuzcotopia1]

Yes, it is. $130 is a drop in the bucket compared to the entire price of the cruise.

 

[lorimay]

Wow, it's been a long time since my last cruise!!! We were spoiled by our upgrade to verandah last time. I really am trying to get the best bang for our buck, but is the upgrade to the family verandah room worth the $130? Family of 4, kids 11, 18. 4 night Bahamas on the Dream Feb 2017 (that's what fits in our available time and budget).
Also-any suggestions on room locations? Which side of the ship and where? It really has been a long time!

THANKS!!!

Is the $130 for the length of the cruise or per night?
For me, yes 100% worth it, we have always had a verandah and enjoy it very much during the cruise.
I prefer mid-ship locations for convenience to stairs and elevators, plus for my seasickness.
Good Luck

 

[basketlacey]

We've stayed in both the Veranda and the Deluxe Family Ocean View rooms with our 3 kids. We actually really loved the great big window in the Ocean View and it maybe felt like it had a bit more space (you could sit in the window and still be in the "room" with the family). That said, when we did it, the savings was nearly $1000. For $130, I'd probably get the Verandah!

 

[steves100]

Like above per night? We have ONLY stayed in Verandah rooms, so would never NOT do it. But, its all based on your budget..

 

[puffkin]

If that is for the whole cruise, I would say yes, it is worth it. Per night, definitely not. You have to think about weather as well. We had a Verandah on our cruise 2 weeks ago and the verandah was a waste. It was so hot and sticky out there no one wanted to be out more than a minute or two. Even on our sea day, we were moving so slowly if at all that there was never a breeze to cool things down a bit. Plus with only a 4 day, we were hardly in the room and were off the boat in both ports. I would have been fine with an Oceanview stateroom on this particular trip.

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

I elected to skip the verandah for our upcoming 3 night cruise. Since the cruise is so short, I figure we'll hardly use it. If you think you'll get good use out of it for a 4 night cruise, then go for it. Otherwise, there are lots of other ways to put that $130 to good use .

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

You will get quite a few different opinions about verandah rooms. For me, it would be completely worth it. I spend every morning, evening, and down time after a port on the verandah. I love the ocean, especially the sound of it and not having a verandah would reduce my enjoyment of our stateroom.

I like midship and starboard for the views of Castaway Cay.

 

[tvguy]

$130, I might consider. It was $1,300 when we got upgraded for free to a verandah. We used it, we liked it, but we all agreed it wasn't worth $1,300.

 

[Quellman]

Weather in February will be colder than most other times of the year, even if in the Bahamas! We were on the Dream for 7 nights this past February. If you value sitting in the sun while in your room, you may want to consider port (left) side of the ship due to the direction the ship USUALLY faces. We were aft and aft starboard, so we spent more time in the shade than I thought.

However, if you like amazing island views you may want to consider the starboard (right) side of the ship. Disney backs into Nassau and Castaway Cay unless they have drills that dictate otherwise. You'll have a great view of Castaway and a nice view of Atlantis. Even with another ship in port, Disney is usually docked so that the port side is pier side, meaning the boat across from you is generally closer than the boat buffered by water on the starboard side.

 

[scrappinginontario]

For me it would be worth the $130 if that's for the entire cruise. $130/4 = $32.50 a night. It's easy to spend that on dinner. I would treat myself and enjoy the fresh air and views the veranda offers!

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

We try to watch our budget closely, so we choose Inside or Oceanview cabins (I do prefer having more light in the room!). I think $130 is a nice deal if that is for your entire cruise, but whether it's worth it is really up to you. We've had a verandah on a couple occasions (GTY upgrades), but have found we don't use it much, especially on shorter trips. We're too busy doing other things on the ship and only sleeping or getting ready in the room. When the weather wasn't great (too hot or rainy), we didn't use it at all. For me that $130 is better spent on tips, transportation to/from port, excursions, etc. It really is a personal choice. No matter what you choose, I'm sure it will be a great cruise. ENJOY!

 

[wherespluto]

We have been on 2 disney cruises this year (our first) and the 1st one we did oceanview and loved it. The 2nd (4 nights on Dream) we were able to upgrade to a veranda for $60 so we decided to give it a try. We will never go back. We love it (especially if you can get a good deal). We liked to order our coffee and tea and a pastry in the morning and sat outside and enjoyed the views. That alone was worth it. We were aft so the view wasnt perfect, but I hear that the ones midship can see the pirate night fireworks. We stayed on the right side (if looking at the deck plans) and that was perfect for views of castaway cay. To us, it is completely worth it and will be getting a veranda again on our Feb cruise on the Wonder.

 

[Oofies]

The choice is verandah or family verandah... I love verandah but is the size difference with it- and I'll def try to get the sun side!!

 

[wherespluto]

We have stayed away from the family one because i worry we will get the room that only sleeps 4. Those dont have the pull down (top bunk)but have a murphy bed that come down. From the pics i have seen it looks like it would block the veranda when the beds are open. Which wouldnt let us get to it at night.

 

[bumbershoot]

We have stayed away from the family one because i worry we will get the room that only sleeps 4. Those dont have the pull down (top bunk)but have a murphy bed that come down. From the pics i have seen it looks like it would block the veranda when the beds are open. Which wouldnt let us get to it at night.

If you have 5 people you won't be given one that only sleeps 4.

Yes the murphy bed blocks the verandah door when it's in use.

 

[scrappinginontario]

A little OT but thought I'd ask. For those who have stayed in verandah rooms, is it possible to sleep with the door open? We'll be in the middle of winter here at home when we cruise and I can imagine it would be wonderful to wake up to the fresh ocean air!

 

[tiggger1]

A little OT but thought I'd ask. For those who have stayed in verandah rooms, is it possible to sleep with the door open? We'll be in the middle of winter here at home when we cruise and I can imagine it would be wonderful to wake up to the fresh ocean air!

HOT and HUMID

 

[PrincessShmoo]

A little OT but thought I'd ask. For those who have stayed in verandah rooms, is it possible to sleep with the door open? We'll be in the middle of winter here at home when we cruise and I can imagine it would be wonderful to wake up to the fresh ocean air!

As you can see, DCL requests that you don't leave the verandah door open.

In simple terms, doing so will mess with the air conditioning. Not just in your room but the block of rooms (and passageway) you are in.

It also turns your room into a wind tunnel, if anyone tries to open the main room door.

 

[scgustafson]

Wow, it's been a long time since my last cruise!!! We were spoiled by our upgrade to verandah last time. I really am trying to get the best bang for our buck, but is the upgrade to the family verandah room worth the $130? Family of 4, kids 11, 18. 4 night Bahamas on the Dream Feb 2017 (that's what fits in our available time and budget).
Also-any suggestions on room locations? Which side of the ship and where? It really has been a long time!

THANKS!!!

A small price to be part of the verandah club, or rejoining it.