I am looking into Carnival cruise leaving from San Juan, PR for 7 days on April 2010. This is my first time on a cruise and I need your experience on choosing a room and what level? Does it make a big difference whether you are at the bottom of the ship or the top? Some insite on your experience whether is from this cruise or any cruise would help a lot? Thank you,
I’ve done both as well, and sure, a balcony is terrific to have. However, I’ve had great cruises in my oceanview staterooms as well. I think it’s nice to have a balcony for those evenings after you’ve come back to your room and just want to sit quietly and listen to the ocean. It’s certainly my preference, but I don’t "have" to have one. Is there a huge cost difference between the oceanview that you’re considering and the balcony? I read a cruise blog that I listed in my resource box. I’m not sure if they cover that topic or not but they sell a guidebook on that site that’s called intelligent cruiser. I hesitated for a long time but then I finally bought t and am so glad I did. It saved me lots of money. I hope you have a great first cruise and that you get to go on lots more.
What room should I pick on a first time cruise ocean view or balcony?
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balcony
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You definitely want a balcony. An ocean view gives you a view, but it’s whatever happens to be what that side of the ship is facing. With a balcony, you can go out for some fresh air and look around.
Depending on the exact ship, there may be balconies on the sides on just the top two or three decks, or from the 4th to the 8th. These are called balcony suites and you generally want to be up on the higher decks. The life boats obstruct the view from the balcony and ocean view rooms on the 4th though the 6th decks.
And, be wary about the 8th deck. The main food and entertainment deck – the Lido deck – is on the 9th deck. And, you may get a lot of noise coming down through the ceiling all hours of the night and day. My first cruise was in a balcony suite on the 8th deck and there was a dish cart or something rolling over a bump in the floor (my ceiling) all day and night. I didn’t sleep well the whole time.
I looked up your cruise and it looks like you’re on the Carnival Victory. The standard balcony suites are all the category 8 suites (8A through 8N). The lower secondary letter means the less desirable locations, while the higher letters (and higher prices) mean more desirable locations.
There are also a couple of category 9 suites available. The 9B is a rectangular suite near the back of the ship that’s about 1-1/2 times the size of the regular balcony suites (hence the higher price of couple hundred dollars per person more for the room). But, the 9C is the coolest one on the ship. This is a corner suite on the back of the ship with a wrap-around balcony. Whenever my wife and I go on a cruise, this is the suite we always insist on. It’s expensive ($1129 per person), but so worth it if you have the money to spend.
I even like these better than the really expensive suites, because you’re on the back of the ship, while the others are on the side of the ship. So, the ship itself blocks out all the wind and, with the wrap around balcony, you get about a 270 degree view. The balcony is also huge (about 250 square feet), which is about the size of the smaller balcony suites altogether. And, if you think about it, it’s really only a few hundred more for two people to get this room. I would jump on it if I were you.
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nah, for that cruise go with the inside cabin. You’ll be in a different port almost every day. so a balcony isn’t worth the additional money. and I recommend decks5-7, about in the middle of the decks.
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I’ve done both as well, and sure, a balcony is terrific to have. However, I’ve had great cruises in my oceanview staterooms as well. I think it’s nice to have a balcony for those evenings after you’ve come back to your room and just want to sit quietly and listen to the ocean. It’s certainly my preference, but I don’t "have" to have one. Is there a huge cost difference between the oceanview that you’re considering and the balcony? I read a cruise blog that I listed in my resource box. I’m not sure if they cover that topic or not but they sell a guidebook on that site that’s called intelligent cruiser. I hesitated for a long time but then I finally bought t and am so glad I did. It saved me lots of money. I hope you have a great first cruise and that you get to go on lots more.
References :
Cruise Tips Blog
http://www.last-minute-cruise-specials.info/