Aft cabin concerns. Is E729 really all that great?

[Cruzin-K]

I'm currently booked in cabin E729 on the Star Princess for my Greek Isles cruise. I'm seriously considering moving up to a category AB cabin to get closer to mid-ship.

 

My very first cruise, on the Carnival Jubilee, found me in the furthest aft inside cabin on deck two. The noise and vibration when we docked was awful. I literally couldn't hear my cabin mate talking when she was only four feet away. This of course was happening at 5 a.m. when I should have been sound asleep.

 

The memory of this cruise has kept me away from aft cabins. However, cabin E729 is spoken of so highly that I jumped at the chance to snag it. Now I'm just not so sure. I'll be traveling with my Mom who thinks she may get seasick, and I do know that motion can be felt more if you are really far forward or aft.

 

Is there a vibration issue in aft cabins? Engine noise?

 

I know the balconies on the Dolphin deck aren't covered, but I don't think that will be an issue on this cruise. We'll be in port all the time. There's only one day at sea.

 

Convince me to keep my cabin, or give me a darn good reason to give it up. :confused:

[robgvic]

We had an aft cabin (a full suite) on teh cb and had not vibrations at all. It was so relaxing to sit and watch the path of the ship

[cherylandtk]

The biggest draw of the aft minis is the covered balcony, as well as the larger balcony in E729. But you have said the balcony being covered/uncovered is not a big deal to you. Whereas engine noise and/or vibration is.

 

GIVEN THAT: I would say you would be better served going with a mid-ship mini. NOT because I think the vibration or noise is something that would be truly bothersome, but because you are far more worried about noise/vibration that than you are about the balcony conditions.

 

Yes, there is a gentle jiggle in the aft which is more noticable than midship, and yes you will feel the thrusters for the few minutes when in use. Is that a problem? Not at all. Will you notice it? Probably.

 

Personally, I prefer the covered balcony and don't mind the slight extra vibration in order to get it. But it seems to me you don't really care about the balcony, and would rather have the quietest, smoothest location. If I got that right, then you should move to a midship room. If I didn't, then keep what you have.

Edited March 27, 2010 by cherylandtk

[NotWthOutablcony]

Hmmm, normally I'll try to convince anyone and everyone to try those minis, but mostly because of location and those wonderful private balconies. The Star Princess was the ONLY ship we noticed vibrations, so much so, the cabin shook all around us and it was LOUD, having said that, from my understanding, it was far worse on the Port side which is the side we continuously used to disembark passengers for one reson or another. We were in E728 Port side, but you'll be starboard and doubt that they'll use Starboard but a few times to disembark. SO, if it was me, even knowing about the possibility of vibrations, I would absolutely stay in that room, we're thrilled to have landed the same room (different number) E731 on the Sapphire for our Hawaii cruise and God himself could not sway us, as we use the balcony a lot!

The motion is completely hit or miss in the aft, it depends where your going and what the weather will be like getting there! The last one be had Gale force 9 and 10 every night, got to love the California Coast! And so we rocked and rolled, but many have reported little to no movement in the aft cabins, just a gentle sway. Good luck in your decision, if you choose to relocate, you should time your cabin to see how fast its filled, I'm sure there's a growing line for that room. I've talked to other CC'ers who tried to get into our room for our upcoming sailing, and once they realized it was taken, they changed their sailing date just because it was available a month or so later, so they're are definitely in high demand! I had to laugh a few times, knowing everyone was after our room lol. :D

[ibfern]

I'm currently booked in cabin E729 on the Star Princess for my Greek Isles cruise. I'm seriously considering moving up to a category AB cabin to get closer to mid-ship.

 

My very first cruise, on the Carnival Jubilee, found me in the furthest aft inside cabin on deck two. The noise and vibration when we docked was awful. I literally couldn't hear my cabin mate talking when she was only four feet away. This of course was happening at 5 a.m. when I should have been sound asleep.

 

The memory of this cruise has kept me away from aft cabins. However, cabin E729 is spoken of so highly that I jumped at the chance to snag it. Now I'm just not so sure. I'll be traveling with my Mom who thinks she may get seasick, and I do know that motion can be felt more if you are really far forward or aft.

 

Is there a vibration issue in aft cabins? Engine noise?

 

I know the balconies on the Dolphin deck aren't covered, but I don't think that will be an issue on this cruise. We'll be in port all the time. There's only one day at sea.

 

Convince me to keep my cabin, or give me a darn good reason to give it up. :confused:

 

I love the aft cabins but they do move a bit more than a mid-ship cabin. One issue is that it depends on the angle of the bed and the angle of the wave action, I learned this from a staff person and this makes sense.

 

Aft balconies have much more space than other balconies and they are always covered, this is why I love them. I am not bothered by noise, and it is noisy with the wake but I love that kind of noise.

 

I met a couple on the Pacific, they were in an aft suite and they hated their balcony because it smelled like exhaust. I met another couple who was in the same suite on the other side of the ship and they loved their balcony and did not notice the smells. Different strokes for different folks, you need to know yourself and what you tolerate.

 

If noise and movement are bugaboos for you, best avoid the aft balconies.

 

Amelia

[Toto2Kansas]

We sailed the better part of a month in E728 (same mini, port side) on the Star from LA to Sydney a few years ago. There was a bit of vibration when pulling into port, but for us the only draw back was the wind on the balcony for about half the voyage. When it wasn't windy, the larger balcony was great. But it was really windy for about two weeks and the balcony had minimal use for us during those times. Since the actual interior of the mini suite is exactly the same as others, we have never chose to book this mini suite again.

We much prefer all the way aft where you have more protection from the wind, or mid ship where we are more centrally located. ;) Enjoy!

[Cruzin-K]

Thanks for all the info. If it was just me, I'd be thrilled at having this cabin but I'm thinking (probably overthinking) about my Mom who has never cruised before. I want to make sure she has a good experience and she is a rather light sleeper (not that you could tell by the way she snores :rolleyes: ). I'm bringing earplugs :D

 

I figure the vibrations/noise will most likely only be an issue when pulling into port, and since we'll have to be up super early for all our excursions and touring anyway, this should be OK. We can get up and sit on the balcony with breakfast and watch the activity around the ship as we arrive (guess that depends on the time of day). I don't imagine we'll have super rough seas in the Adriatic/Mediterranean in August. I hope :eek:

 

I'm going to keep my cabin and keep my fingers crossed for Mom. I figure if I wear her out on the shore tours, she'll sleep better ;)

[bubbadog]

WE Have stayed in these cabins quite a few times,and really love those rooms,The extra room,and bigger bathroom with the tub,and the covered balcony is nice too,I Would keep this room,they sell fast,so if you give it up,it will be gone instantly,hope this helps you a bit,and i hope you have a great time on your cruise,so enjoy;):p

[hydrodriver831]

We had E729 on the Golden last August and loved it. The vibration when docking can be somewhat intense, but last for a very short time. It lets you know that you have reached your port.:). The extra space on the balcony was also a bonus.

[janecambridge]

Just got back from the Antarctica and cabin E729.(STAR) We originally had A510 but the noise from above us (the constant scraping of chairs in the conservatory part of the 24hr buffet)drove us nuts. We kicked up a stink and got this room. It was brilliant. It is a bit noisy at times but we managed. It can be noisy from the lounge below with evening entertainment. It has a lovely covered balcony with extra room so you can see right down the back too.

For our scenic cruise we couldnt have had a better room. The big suites at the back (which we looked at) were big and lovely but only faced the back when on the balcony. We could see where we had been and where we were going.:D

It is very handy for the lifts too.

I feel quite jealous now thinking of someone else in our room.!!:D

Edited March 28, 2010 by janecambridge

[lovevacadays]

Hmmm, normally I'll try to convince anyone and everyone to try those minis, but mostly because of location and those wonderful private balconies. The Star Princess was the ONLY ship we noticed vibrations, so much so, the cabin shook all around us and it was LOUD, having said that, from my understanding, it was far worse on the Port side which is the side we continuously used to disembark passengers for one reson or another. We were in E728 Port side, but you'll be starboard and doubt that they'll use Starboard but a few times to disembark. SO, if it was me, even knowing about the possibility of vibrations, I would absolutely stay in that room, we're thrilled to have landed the same room (different number) E731 on the Sapphire for our Hawaii cruise and God himself could not sway us, as we use the balcony a lot!

The motion is completely hit or miss in the aft, it depends where your going and what the weather will be like getting there! The last one be had Gale force 9 and 10 every night, got to love the California Coast! And so we rocked and rolled, but many have reported little to no movement in the aft cabins, just a gentle sway. Good luck in your decision, if you choose to relocate, you should time your cabin to see how fast its filled, I'm sure there's a growing line for that room. I've talked to other CC'ers who tried to get into our room for our upcoming sailing, and once they realized it was taken, they changed their sailing date just because it was available a month or so later, so they're are definitely in high demand! I had to laugh a few times, knowing everyone was after our room lol. :D

 

Know what you mean about the excitement of landing those great Emerald mini's. I have E731 booked for my Caribbean Princess cruise. I've only done Dolphin mini's so I'm very excited.

[mnslbear]

I purposely booked E 729 on the Star Princess just for the bigger balcony as well as the mini suite amenities. I plan to be on the balcony whenever there is something to be seen...and even when not just in case!

I'll expect some noise and vibrations, but hey, you're on a ship!

 

Myron

[Cruiserkenn]

I'm currently booked in cabin E729 on the Star Princess for my Greek Isles cruise. I'm seriously considering moving up to a category AB cabin to get closer to mid-ship.

 

My very first cruise, on the Carnival Jubilee, found me in the furthest aft inside cabin on deck two. The noise and vibration when we docked was awful. I literally couldn't hear my cabin mate talking when she was only four feet away. This of course was happening at 5 a.m. when I should have been sound asleep.

 

The memory of this cruise has kept me away from aft cabins. However, cabin E729 is spoken of so highly that I jumped at the chance to snag it. Now I'm just not so sure. I'll be traveling with my Mom who thinks she may get seasick, and I do know that motion can be felt more if you are really far forward or aft.

 

Is there a vibration issue in aft cabins? Engine noise?

 

I know the balconies on the Dolphin deck aren't covered, but I don't think that will be an issue on this cruise. We'll be in port all the time. There's only one day at sea.

 

Convince me to keep my cabin, or give me a darn good reason to give it up. :confused:

 

E729 is great! A great aft view from the balcony. Thee is some noise and vibration, but only when leaving port, or arriving in port. If noise bothers you then make the change. I really like this cabin.

[custompcsys]

If you are prone to motion sickness I would shift over to a mid ship location. I had an aft balcony on a caribbean cruise based on the reviews here, and the cabin and balcony were great. However, the motion is more apparent here than in a mid ship cabin, and there was some vibration and shimmy. I'm glad i got to experience an aft balcony but I wouldn't go there again.

[ASeaPrincess1]

She posted this over 4 years ago, so she has sailed by now...;)

That said, I usually try to get this cabin only because I am an extended balcony snob. :p

I like that I can watch the wake from the balcony as well as the side, however, wind has proven to be a problem at times.

Also, I usually travel with several friends, so having the larger balcony is a plus for entertaining.

[custompcsys]

She posted this over 4 years ago, so she has sailed by now...;)

 

Oh good grief....I need to read dates before i post lol :o

[ASeaPrincess1]

Oh good grief....I need to read dates before i post lol :o

 

No worries. :)

It's still a valid question....

[runnerodb83]

We thought it was a bit noisy when at sea with the wind and wake noise. Too noisy to play cards or other games unless you raised your voice quite a bit. In port it was fine.

[DeborahQ]

We had this room going to Alaska in September of 2012. It was wonderful We had a cruise critic get together and had 10 people on that balcony I only felt the thrusters a couple of times and only heard the show music once.I had brought ear pugs and a noise machine and did not need them. I have sailed the Star five times and Princess Ten times. Best room yet! Good Luck

[mnslbear]

We had an aft starboard mini suite on the Coral Princess for a 15 day LA to FLL Canal cruise and loved the 90 degree view. We also had a bow cabin on Oceania when we did a transatlantic and hit hurricane force winds....we survived. Motion sickness has never been an issue and we've done 4 transatlantics so I'm not too concerned. I'm thinking we'll love the cabin. Thanks especially DeborahQ. I'm doubting we'll find fault.

 

Thanks!

Myron

[maggie.1008]

We have E729 booked on the Crown in Oct. How big will our balcony be ? Princess site says 57 ft. ?

[Colo Cruiser]

We have E729 booked on the Crown in Oct. How big will our balcony be ? Princess site says 57 ft. ?

 

 

Approx 9X8.

[KruzPrincess]

We have E729 booked on the Crown in Oct. How big will our balcony be ? Princess site says 57 ft. ?

 

Here's a picture of it. Nice size, but it is very windy. I was in an aft cabin and met the people who had this cabin. They were nice enough to let me see it and take pictures.

 

Added: Just noticed you said Crown. This is the Star Princess, but the size is likely pretty much the same. E731 is the cabin that has the larger balcony on the Crown. E729 is a standard mini-suite balcony. Sorry to confuse....

Edited August 8, 2014 by KruzPrincess

[Colo Cruiser]

We have E729 booked on the Crown in Oct. How big will our balcony be ? Princess site says 57 ft. ?

 

That would be square feet.

[robgvic]

I think that was the cabin I was in in June to Alaska. It can only have twin beds and the bathroom is handicapped with a large walk in shower. The balcony was about 100 sq ft and gave prt views and aft views. a very good cabin