Which room should I pick on a last minute Disney Wonder Cruise?

[chordita]

We're looking to go on the upcoming late April , 7 day Mexico cruise leaving from SD. We're a family of four, 2 adults, 2 kids ages 4 and 7. First time cruising for all of us. Verandah/balcony is a must, but I am torn between the regular Deluxe verandah room versus the larger Family deluxe verandah.

Ideally I would get the larger family room on a mid ship position, but not sure I can justify the high cost compared to non mid ship Family Verandah room, or mid ship regular Deluxe Verandah room.

I was hoping for a mid ship room bc I read about vibrations in the aft rooms and am concerned about seasickness in a forward room. However it's my first cruise so I don't know how much of an issue these things are in reality.
I was also hoping for a larger room since its a 7 day cruise and my littlest one still naps sometimes so we would be spending some time in the room.

What do you guys recommend? Would you rather get a smaller room (regular deluxe veranda) in a mid ship position, versus a the larger Family Deluxe room in Aft/Forward. If so, which is less worse - Aft or forward?

Thank you!

 

[OKW Lover]

I'd go with the larger one. I've never found a huge difference in the fore/aft vs mid-ship location in terms of movement or convenience.

 

[DWillowBay]

I can only cite my own experiences, but we stayed 7 Aft on the Wonder and had no vibrations at all. However, since then we have fallen in love with sailing forward due to access to things we enjoy on the ship. I wouldn't break the bank to sail midship, if the price is too steep. Maybe an aft room more towards midship or a forward room more toward midship would be worth considering. We always use the small room for the 4 of us and it's plenty big...but, again, that's just us. We find that the small increase in space is not worth the price differential for us. You're going to have a great cruise no matter what, I promise. Just enjoy!

 

[happycamper47]

We love the Wonder and always have an aft cabin and vibration is never an issue while cruising. You will get some when docking do to the side thrusters.

 

[Travel60]

The regular verandah suite was always fine for us even when two kids were 16 and 19.
Something for you to consider is that one of the kids' beds is an upper bunk. Will your 7yo be ok in a bunk? Some (or all) of the larger rooms have a twin Murphy-style that comes from the wall. If bunk bed is a no go, you might need that.

We actually like 5th or 6th level slightly aft.

 

[chordita]

The regular verandah suite was always fine for us even when two kids were 16 and 19.
Something for you to consider is that one of the kids' beds is an upper bunk. Will your 7yo be ok in a bunk? Some (or all) of the larger rooms have a twin Murphy-style that comes from the wall. If bunk bed is a no go, you might need that.

We actually like 5th or 6th level slightly aft.

My son sleeps in a lofted/top twin bunk now so he should be good. Good to hear that groups of 4 did not feel too cramped in the smaller room

 

[chordita]

Thank you all for the advice! I am less worried now about being Aft/forward. The price is VERY close between an aft/forward deluxe family verandah and a mid-ship regular verandah.

However there is a much bigger price savings if I were to choose the regular verandah on the very back Aft of the boat, on level 5/6. So I'll have to to think about it a little more, since it seems the size difference is not that much.

I suppose I would rather have occasional vibrations/engine noise, than feel seasick, so I am leaning towards aft. Now I need to think if the price is worth the space!

 

[kiford]

We were once upgraded to a family suite just for the two of us and it was really too big. We didn't need all of that space, but if I had two kids I'd say it would be definitely be worth it.

We used to always sail midship until we got moved once or twice after booking and discovered that we not only liked being aft, but actually now don't really care where we are laterally. I still care which deck but aft, forward, midship, close to the elevator lobby, end of the deck - whatever. I'd say that the room size will affect how comfortable your trip is more than the location on the deck.

 

[Mathmagicland]

However there is a much bigger price savings if I were to choose the regular verandah on the very back Aft of the boat, on level 5/6. So I'll have to to think about it a little more, since it seems the size difference is not that much.

Another thing some parents consider and prefer is the kids clubs are on Deck 5. So if your kids might be spending time in the kids clubs, it’s an easy walk to their club without needing elevator or stairs.

 

[CamColt]

We recently spent a week in a regular veranda room on the Treasure with 4 adults...myself, DH, DS and DDIL. If we can do that and are still speaking to each other, you will be fine in a regular veranda room on the Wonder.

In all seriousness though, we have had inside, OV and regular verandas, never the family veranda so I can't compare to that, but the regular rooms have been fine for us, even with 4 adults, the kids being teens or early 20s. I have also never really cared too much about being midship. I actually like forward on the Dream/Fantasy due to locations of things we enjoy (straight up to the adult pool section during the day, I enjoy the morning walk to the buffet and the late night walk back from the clubs). With that said, the thing I look for the most is the price. I would gladly go for a lesser priced cruise with a forward (or even aft) room than to pay more for midship.

 

[SnowWhite2]

Being higher up will be more prone to motion. Deck 2 is best if the motion will bother you. Deck 8 also hears movement of the deck chairs from Deck 9 above early in the morning and late at night. The family stateroom is 3 feet longer. In relation to the total size of the stateroom, it isn't much. Also be aware that if the murphy bed is pulled down from the wall, it blocks the verandah door. You have to walk over the bed to get in/out of the door.

My experience is that location doesn't matter as much. If the boat is rocking, you will be sick no matter where you are located. I'm prone to motion sickness and my favorite cabin location is deck 5 forward. When the boat was in turbulent water, we all (except hubby) felt woosie as did most of the passengers and several crew. It didn't matter where your cabin was located. Just be prepared with Dramamine/Bonine or seabands if needed.

 

[lanejudy]

If there is a “guaranteed with restrictions” offer I’d take that and let DCL assign a room.