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Starboard or Port? Forward, Midship, or Aft?


mamawolf

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I have booked midship starboard on all of my cruises except for 1 (we were in a RFS on Freedom a couple of years ago, which is aft). Anyway, I did not prefer the far aft location as it was a very long walk for my mother and looking at the wake was just not the same for me. So my question is what part of the ship do you prefer and why? I am currently looking at booking the Mariner in June and there isn't a midship starboard (standard balcony) available for 3 people. I can still have midship if I book port side. Or, I can stay starboard in either a forward or aft. What are your thoughts? When it comes down to it, I'm just happy to be able to go on a cruise! :) But the " dilemma"has certainly got me wondering about the preferences of others!

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We have always booked a Port Mid ship, the side, Port or Starboard doesn't really make a differance. I figure if there is something I wish to see on the opposite side I walk to that side. For one reason you mentioned, we prefer to be mid ship to cut down on the walking if further aft or forward. I have used the 6 to 10 rooms forward of the Lifts as my rule when booking a room.

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Starboard or port don't really matter to me much at all.

 

I have been pretty far aft before and didn't care for it due to the walk but it wasn't super bad. I would take it over nothing.

 

As for forward. I have never personally stayed forward but I don't like the extra movement I know they have. I have heard people that were forward talking about how rocky it was. Once my tablemates were very forward and they said one night it was so rocky they slept with their life jackets because they though the ship was going to tip and we didn't even feel anything.

 

so anything midship.

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I too have been in the JS, GS and RFS aft, forward, port and starboard but for some reason when their's a choice I prefer the port side..Everyone is different but I think you should stay midship and if port is all that's available ...take it..I doubt you'll be sorry ...Enjoy whatever you decide !!!!

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Port or Starboard - I can't even remember which is which without thinking about it. However, on a Voyager class ship my favorite location is a cabin as close to the aft elevators as possible. I also like deck 7 over deck 6 - the library area is quiet whereas the business center where they sell next cruises can be noisy and crowded. Don't know about decks 8, 9, or 10 - the prices are a bit less on 6 or 7.

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Port or starboard wouldn't bother me so long as I had a balcony. We've been midships-ish on Independence and loved it.... deck 6 being perfect to access the Royal Promenade and snacks! However..... aft on Jewel was fantastic and I can just about tolerate the walk back to the room.... just have to be organised enough to not leave something behind!

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I'm surprised at how many people ask about port or starboard. Really, what difference does it make. Now, forward, midship, or aft, makes a big difference, and if you are worried about the long walk, then I would say midship is for you. There, delemma solved.

 

Rollie

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Definitely midship, esp. if there are mobility issues - the convenience can't be beat.

 

Though I've read that port vs. starboard doesn't matter, I can tell you that on our recent Serenade (Souther Carib) cruise, in each of the five ports, the port side of the ship was facing the port, which meant a nice view from our balcony (do I win a prize for the most uses of the word "port" in one sentence? :)). Just one experience - take it for what it's worth.

 

I'd always choose midship over port vs. starboard.

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We prefer midships on the highest deck, since we're at the pool most of the time. Side doesn't matter one bit. I don't care for the aft, either, because of that long walk...it's a pain to run back and forth to the cabin...being near the stairs/elevators is a huge timesaver!

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Thanks for all the replies! I have seen many who really love aft locations, so it was something I was curious about. The only reason I asked about port or starboard was in regards to the view from the balcony when in port. I wasn't sure if one side was typically facing the port over the other. My mom really enjoys being able to "look at the land" and I didn't want to book the "wrong" side! LOL! She is older and the mobility is more of an issue than anything. We are going to stick with midship and I'm sure we will love the port side! Thanks again!

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I don't care what part of the ship I'm in. I don't mind walking...I enjoy burning off the calories from the buffet. All the cabins are exactly the same. And I enjoy the motion of the ocean.

 

I really can't figure out why people actually think some cabins are better than others in the same class. They are more alike than not.

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I'm surprised at how many people ask about port or starboard. Really, what difference does it make. Now, forward, midship, or aft, makes a big difference, and if you are worried about the long walk, then I would say midship is for you. There, delemma solved.

 

Rollie

 

I agree, starboard or aft doesn't make much of a difference unless you are on a one way (repositioning) cruise and you either enjoy seeing the ocean or the land. With that being said, we have always booked on the port side...don't know why we are drawn to that side, but just seems as though we are.

On our last cruise, this was definitely the side to be on. When we were in port, we seemed to be on the dock side of the ship. We watched a couple of shows that were held on the pier and we had the perfect view right from our balcony. So, we lucked out!

Now, not meaning to highjack this thread and bring up this dreaded subject, but if the cruiselines ever thought to place smokers on one side and non-smokers on the other, there would be no question as to which side I would chose on an every time basis.

 

I usually try to book midship as I am sensitive to motion, but aft is a second best choice.

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My personal preference is an aft balcony because of the great views, size and privacy. But the difference between port and starboard for me is dictated by the cruise. If I am sitting on my balcony, I like to be able to see things. So before I book, I check out the route of the ship. If it looks like there is going to be better views from the port side, I book a port side cabin; if it looks like the views are going to be better on the starboard side, I book on the starboard side.

 

I recently sailed "around the horn" from Chile to Argentina. That required me to book a cabin on the port side.

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My personal preference is an aft balcony because of the great views, size and privacy. But the difference between port and starboard for me is dictated by the cruise. If I am sitting on my balcony, I like to be able to see things. So before I book, I check out the route of the ship. If it looks like there is going to be better views from the port side, I book a port side cabin; if it looks like the views are going to be better on the starboard side, I book on the starboard side.

 

I recently sailed "around the horn" from Chile to Argentina. That required me to book a cabin on the port side.

I am looking at your upcoming B2B, aloha, and I am turning PEA GREEN with envy! What an AMAZING itinerary. You MUST tell us all about it!

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I prefer mid ship, starboard side. I always liked the starboard side because if there was land to be seen from my balcony, that was the side MOST of the time to be on. If the ship doesn't back in when it reaches its port, you get to see everything from the starboard side too.

 

But, funny thing is, when I'm in an airplane, I prefer the left side!

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Port or Starbord? Does not matter to me.

 

I do, however, like to feel the motion of the ship. By going farther forward, you will feel more of the up and down motion. By going to a higer deck you will feel more of the side-to-side motion. On our recent Enchantment cruise we had exactly the best postion (thanks to an upgrade to an Owner's Suite) for to feel the motion. Sadly the seas were so calm for the whole trip that we really never felt much of any movement at all.

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We were actually on the Mariner a couple of years ago, and we had mid-ship starboard side (starboard or port really doesn't matter to me). We were located on Deck 8 and loved it. Found the deck to be very convenient for everything and the walk was not too much.

We are scheduled to cruise the Oasis this summer and are again mid-ship (deck 10) only this time port side. I just like being mid-ship.

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Port or starboard can make a big difference in an Alaska cruise, particularly a one way (Vancouver or Seattle to Anchorage, or vice versa). Other than that I don't see the point. Mid-ship has less motion, as does a room on a lower floor. How much less varies, and of course it all depends on the ocean too.

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I like midship but not for less rocking as I like a few bumps. We like to be between the 2 lifts & stairs so that which ever end of the ship you end up on it's not far home. I like starboard on south Pacific cruises as I like to watch the Aussie coast comming home- it just helps bring me back to reality watching the Central Coast lights comming into Sydney.

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Once my tablemates were very forward and they said one night it was so rocky they slept with their life jackets because they though the ship was going to tip and we didn't even feel anything.

 

No need for them to worry about the ship tipping over. The captain on our

last trip said it would take a list of over 47 degrees before the ship would be unable to recover. Take a pen or pencil and place it in the middle of the corner of a sheet of paper diagonally and you will get an approximate

idea of what 47 degrees would be like. This is all mathematically calculated by the ship's engineers and designers. All of the ship's weight is low. Everything from about the middle of the ship up is built of lightweight aluminum. Think of how much space is taken up by air spaces of promenades and atriums which further reduces weight high in the ship.

 

I would be more worried about getting an incurable skin disease from wearing the life jackets or choking myself on the straps.

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