ARGH! I can't believe I JUST found out . . .

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

. . . that our stateroom on the Jan. 30th Victory sailing is a guaranteed 4b. Blink. I had understood it to be an balcony guarantee. :(

 

Now, I know, I don't have much right to complain about a free cruise (company cruise for DH, all expenses paid). In fact, I am very grateful. But I've only done balcony cabins & mini suites before, so this will be a rather different experience for me and it kinda came out of the blue. So, can your collective wisdom help me out here?

 

1) What are the odds of a substantial upgrade? I tried the Carnival website and some online TA's to see what rooms are still available, but this close to sailing they're all saying to call their phone number, or not even showing it at all. I seem to remember somebody saying that the difference between 4a - 4g is negligeable, so it really wouldn't matter unless we made it all the way to the 6a class . ..right?

 

2) Is it true, in your experience, that the lower decks tend to be the bumpiest ride? I've done okay on past sailings, in fact I found the ship's rocking to be very soothing as I fell asleep . . . but again, this was on the upper decks.

 

3) I remember reading a tip about bringing a nightlight for inside cabins, so I will pick up one of those. Any other items I should consider, specific to inside rooms?

 

4) I can't for the life of me find the post about the "hidden" doors on the Victory, leading to the secluded balcony areas in the front of the ship. I didn't pay much attention, since I thought I would have my own secluded balcony. :p Does the 6th floor sound right? Are they just unmarked doors in the hallways?

 

5) Any other words of wisdom?

 

And yes, I know . . . I'm still cruising. :) :) :)

[simkoreb]

I sailed an inside, and the only concern I had was lack of light and no sense of time....bringing the nighlight is a good idea, and bring a clock so you know what time it is....(one morning we slept in past 11 and had no idea!

[sallyb]

La Croisiere,

 

I have been checking and think that the balconies are pretty much sold out. My DH and I are in 8266 (Verandah) and my all time best friend and her DH are in the cabin just forward of us. We intend to open the divider and have a double balcony. You are welcome to join us for parties. Are you planning on going to the meet & greet at the Ionian Lounge on Moday at 11 am? Hope to see you there.

Sally

If anyone knows about the "hidden deck doors" please tell!

[Bunkie103]

Yes, you're right about the forward balcony. It is the Upper Deck or deck 6 all the way forward. Like having your own balcony. Have a good trip. Not an inside room fan, but based on today's weather would consider it. :D

[sallyb]

Let's just hope the weather cooperates so we can get out of here on Saturday!

 

I feel for the people who had flight delays this past weekend.:o

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Are you planning on going to the meet & greet at the Ionian Lounge on Moday at 11 am? Hope to see you there.

 

Yep, that's the plan! Can't wait. :) I know that DH's boss has a couple of things planned for the sea days that they want the spouses to attend, but if something comes up I'll leave a message at your room.

 

And I know what you mean about weather. The forecasts for Chicago change every time I look at them! Fortunately we are leaving Saturday afternoon, so that will give us a bit of a cushion. Hope the snow fairy is good to you too! :p

[Mollypuss]

Walk to the very front of the ship, past the passenger cabins and you will see a door, I believe there is one on each side of the ship. On the Destiny, I accessed it on the Empress Deck....it was actually a set of double doors and it goes out to a very nice deck and there was nobody out there. It is below the bridge, so no lights on....very romantic! FYI, it doesn't go out to the bow of the ship (think Titanic), it is right below the bridge.

[Kethry88]

Actually, the lower the deck, the smoother the ride. Think of it as an upside down pendulum, with the pivot point at the sea level. The farther you are from the pivot point, the more motion you experience. As for the cabin, I have been on three cruises, and had an outside, a balcony, and an inside cabin. Although I would prefer a balcony (heck, who am I kidding, I'd prefer a suite), an inside cabin isn't bad. They are nice and dark, which is great for sleeping. Unless you're afraid of the dark, in which case I suggest bringing several nightlights. If you don't have a balcony to sit on, you generally don't spend much time in the cabin, anyway. If you want a quiet bit of deck to sit on to read or enjoy the view, and don't care if it's shaded, I'd suggest going to the deck that runs the length of the ship, just under the lifeboats. I think it's on Main Deck, you get to it through the atrium doors. Since they're fairly shady, they aren't usually crowded. I'm sure you'll have a good time, regardless of your cabin. And, you could get lucky and be upgraded to an oceanview anyway.

[judyf]

Is there a secret door to a balcony on the Legend???

[RWolver672]

You can access the front of the ship on three decks, 6,7 and 9. The bridge is on deck 8. On deck 9, you will actually be on the top of the bridge. Here is a picture taken from deck 9. The blue areas below are where you can go on decks 6 and 7. The areas below that are restricted for crew only. http://community.webshots.com/photo/64255475/64257187wbEcvC

 

Go all the way forward on either side of the ship. At the end of the passageway, turn toward the outside of the ship. There is a single door there and watch the ramp that's there. Outside that door is another door. There is a lot of pressure on this door because of the ship being underway. That's why there's two doors there. Go through that and you are right out on the front of the ship. This is a great place to go early in the morning or late on a moon lit night.

 

"Is there a secret door to a balcony on the Legend???" No, only the Destiny and Conquest Classes have it.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Thanks to all for the info on the forward balcony areas! Who knows, maybe we'll find that we don't mind the inside cabins . . . in which case, future cruising could suddenly become far more economical! ;)

[suzyaz]

1) What are the odds of a substantial upgrade? I tried the Carnival website and some online TA's to see what rooms are still available, but this close to sailing they're all saying to call their phone number, or not even showing it at all. I seem to remember somebody saying that the difference between 4a - 4g is negligeable, so it really wouldn't matter unless we made it all the way to the 6a class . ..right?

 

 

Seems like our 1st carnival cruise, we found out we were upgraded when we went to purchase goodies through carnival and it showed the upgraded room that they placed us in.

I hope I'm telling your correctly, cause that was 3 years ago.

[dsclark]

See if you can get a forward outside 1A. I had these last month. They have two portholes, so tht helps with claustrophobia. You'll get seperate beds (might like that!), smaller room, but is real quiet. The next time you see the new CCL commercial watch the ship as it flashes across the screen. It is the Victory and the lowest set of port holes in the front of the ship are the 1a rooms. Yeah, I know it's not a balcony, but I "slummed" last xmas in one. Oh, 1a rooms are CHEAPER, so you might be able to get an even trade.

[kathy2323]

I think you shouldn't complain period. Like you said it was free.

[phlydude]

I got a travel alarm at Radio Shack that glows blue when you want it to but is dark otherwise. It is battery operated so no need to run extension cords across the room to plug in an alarm. If folds up nice and fits in a shirt pocket with no problem. Perfect for an interior stateroom.

 

We found leaving the bathroom light on with the door shut was good too for middle of the night bathroom visits.

[lucyjohnz]

It might cost a lot but you could see if you could pay for an upgrade portside - could be and additional $400/cabin (ballpark figure) but it might be worth it to you. Then again, you could save the money and enjoy the dark.

 

For the inside, you might want to use a travel alarm clock that glows in the dark or a regular lit clock. Other than that, I don't think you'll need other specialized stuff for an inside room.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Thanks so much for all your tips!! These boards ROCK. :p

 

I am going under the assumption that we will be inside, and trying to get myself excited for the uninterrupted sleep in the mornings. Then if we get insanely lucky and get a substantial upgrade, it will just be icing on the cake.

 

Leaving in 48 hours, whoo-hoooooo! I'll let y'all know how it turned out when we get back!

[sallyb]

La croisiere,

 

See you on the ship!

Sally