Raewriter

We will be on this cruise as well. Hope we get the chance to tell you congrats!

Adding my two cents. We are taking our second suite cruise in June. First was on the Dawn in the Owners' Suite with large double balcony to the western Caribbean out of New Orleans and it was the perfect cabin for our family. We are a family of four and have one son in a wheelchair and though the Dawn doesn't even have a Haven, we absolutely loved the extra space for our son and all his medical supplies, plus all the other suite perks. We especially loved the HUGE front and side balconies. The OS has a separate bedroom with a sliding door for privacy as well as a very large living area. We could put our son to bed in the master on his raised-bed inflatable mattress that we pack alongand still hang out in the living room or on the side balcony.

When we decided to take another cruise to Alaska (the 3rd for my husband and I, first for our boys), we actually looked at Disney as we're kind of Disney nuts. Because of our older son's needs and the space his wheelchair and supplies take up, we would have needed two separate cabins for the four of us. We just couldn't fit in a regular cabin. The cost for an inside accessible cabin and a balcony cabin on Disney was actually MORE than booking the Owners' Suite again on The Pearl, where we could all be together.

The Haven OS does cost a lot but the benefits to me more than offset the cost. Our older son loved everything about our last cruise. It was his favorite vacation by far and we all created wonderful memories (his brother became a full-on shuffleboard nut!). I fully expect our experience on The Pearl to match or exceed our previous suite cruise and can't wait.

Thank you so much for this fantastic thread. I'm loving every minute of it! We're sailing on the Dec 23 Dawn departure, staying in a 2-balcony Owner Suites on Deck 10. I'm a little worried about rough seas and wind, since we'll be right out in front, riding the waves!

Can't wait to see what's next.

My family is traveling on the Dawn leaving Dec 23 in the OS 10506. Just wondering if anybody has recent pics since dry dock and whether they got rid of that wild carpeting.

Thanks!

RaeAnne

What about Star 8566? From the deckplans, it looks as if it has the small boat in front of it but I'd like to know anyone with firsthand experience.

Thanks!

RaeAnne