Aft Cabins-how far in advance to book??

[berly369]

Hello to everyone that books 'aft' cabins. My DH and I would like to book a "aft" on our next cruise planned for 2007 in the Med. My first question is how far in advance do the cruiselines (Celebrity/RCL) publish their schedules. I am assuming that these cabins are the first to go.?? Any thoughts on these compared to the "hump" cabins on the RCL.?? The second questions is ...do we really need a balcony for a port intensive itin. such as the Meditteranean??

[serene56]

IMO-- If I was cruising on a port intensive itinerary I would forgo the balcony. how much use will it get anyways.

Pricing dont come out until 14-16 months ahead of time. I am still waiting for August 2006 at the present moment.

[KATHYSZ]

I think the cruises can be scheduled about 18 months ahead of time. I know I booked my corner Aft cabin for a Valentines Day 2005 cruise on Labor day weekend 2003. I think the schedule came out that July or August and some of the Aft cabins were already booked.

 

Enjoy!

[madelinerose]

We booked an aft junior suite in December 2004 for April 2006 on RCI Jewel of the Seas and many of the aft balcony cabins are now booked

 

Currently, I believe you can only book as far out as April 2006. I have seen on some online sites that Disney cruises are available for booking through December 2006.

 

You may not "need" a balcony, but DH and I always choose one. We prefer the option of "walking outside" without leaving the cabin, having room service breakfast on the balcony every day and ending the evening there as well. We also like keeping the cabin door open while we sleep, weather permitting, of course. ;)

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[MikeNJ1109]

Generally speaking, the Aft balcony staterooms are amongst the first to go, so you want to be on the phone with either the cruise line or your TA as soon as you know what cruise you want to take. As far as whether a balcony is necessary for a port-intensive itinerary, we respectfully disagree with Serene...for us, we don't know of any better way to start the day then having breakfast on our balcony, and to end the day with a night-cap while watching the wake of the ship, under the stars.

 

Just our 2 cents.

 

Mike & Silke

[RanDe]

We will be getting with our TA tomorrow to book a cruise in February 06. She said that she checked and there were aft balconies still available. However, she indicated that we wouldn't know our cabin number until we got our docs. I thought a TA would get that information as soon as they sent our information in? This is our second cruise and first with a balcony.

 

De:confused:

[serene56]

De- tell your agent you do NOT want a gauarantee cabin. You want to specify the cabin you want- you also want to specify that you do not want any upgrades. Sometimes picking a cabin costs more to do it that way then booking a guarantee. To me--its well worth it.

[serene56]

 

You may not "need" a balcony, but DH and I always choose one. We prefer the option of "walking outside" without leaving the cabin, having room service breakfast on the balcony every day and ending the evening there as well. We also like keeping the cabin door open while we sleep, weather permitting, of course. ;)

 

If I was doing the port intensive med cruise I would not pay the extra money for a balcony. Its different in the Caribbean.

If you ever saw the port intensified cruise there is no time to get on the balcony and have a cup of coffee...lol seems its always run run run. I looked at one cruise-- 7 islands in 7 days. YIKES--

Most ports are starting the day at 7am. by the time the day is over its time for dinner then bed so you can do it all over again tomorrow.

 

I tried keeping the door open on the Victory--everything got wet real fast from condensation so I doubt that I will try that again. (this was August)

Mostly we book aft cabins (if the price is right-) last cruise took an oceanview view coz the balconies were almsot double the price of an oceanview.

[RanDe]

Thanks Serene. I didn't know you could choose on how to pick your cabin. How much higher can they be to do it like that?

 

De

[RanDe]

Doesn't getting a guarantee cabin mean that you're guaranteed the cabin you want? Or is that just a guarantee to get the category cabin that you paid for?

 

De:confused:

[serene56]

De- I jsut went and checked for the Rhapsody for your date among a few online agencies and I am only seeing deck 7 available. (how odd is that??)

I am also not seeing a choice for guarantee for balconies except in suites.

Also the pricing is about 950. (dont pay more then that) including all taxes and port charges.

 

Could you tell me if that is a special sailing??

 

Booking a gauarantee - you are only booking a category-- not a cabin. You are guaranteed a balcony - you cant get anything lower. You could get upgraded for free. Your cabin can be anywhere at all.

[RanDe]

Yes, that is odd!

 

That is the same price as what the TA told me over the phone. If you're not seeing a choice for guarantee, what other choice is there? :confused:

 

It is not a special sailing that I know of. I went to RCCL's website and found the cruise we wanted. I appreciate your help!

 

De

[familycruzer]

Heres a question on the same line. If I plan on booking for another repo cruise in Nov. 2006 while on my Nov. 2005 cruise, what are the chances of getting an aft? If they are full, can you go on a wait list? Is the hump the second best pick?

[serene56]

You can get on a awaiting list. But I would bet your choice of cabin will be there a year out. Booking a cruise while on a cruise is your best bet--to get the cabin credit- you can always transfer it elsewhere.

 

De- Take a copy of the deck plans with you. Agent should have them. All the sites show me a few cabins on deck 7 midship. thats it. nothing else.

You want to make sure your cabin you are picking is between decks of cabins and no public rooms like a show room or casino/dining room etc etc.

[RanDe]

I appreciate your help and will take a copy of the deck plans with me tomorrow. I'll still keep my fingers crossed that there will be an aft cabin available.;)

 

De

[vijoge]

We will be getting with our TA tomorrow to book a cruise in February 06. She said that she checked and there were aft balconies still available. However, she indicated that we wouldn't know our cabin number until we got our docs. I thought a TA would get that information as soon as they sent our information in? This is our second cruise and first with a balcony.

 

De:confused:

 

 

What you want to book is a balcony on the stern. Just booking an aft cabin can put you anywhere past (approximately) the last set of elevators. Absolutely insist on being assigned a cabin number. Your TA needs to reserve a specific cabin (the TA needs to tell the cruiseline what cabin you want, not the other way around.) If you don't get your cabin info til you get your docs then the TA has you booked in a guarantee balcony cabin and I can guarantee this won't be a stern cabin!

[RanDe]

I will make sure that I get an assigned cabin number. I just called RCCL to find out if there was an aft cabin available on that date and was told that there were plenty. I guess I should call and see if they have any on the stern?

 

De

[vijoge]

Look at the deck plans and jot down all the numbers for the cabins on the stern and then call RCI and ask specifically about those cabin numbers.

[ineedacruise]

If you look at your ship deck plans, you will also see that the afts have two catagories... JS and D1. A D1 will be a bit less money but still a nice sized cabin and balcony. I have searched this subject out high and low once I knew what an aft was.

[serene56]

WHat cabin did you book on the Voyager?

 

 

De: all the cabins on the aft on deck 7 are D-1

[RanDe]

Don't tell anyone (I don't want them all booked before tomorrow:p ), but I called RCI with the specific cabins (D1 on the 7th deck) and he told me they were all available! I asked specifically for 7152 first because it's a corner cabin....aren't they suppose to be the best? Thanks to you all for your help. I'm anxious to get this booked tomorrow and to make sure I get the cabin I want assigned to us.

 

Oh, one more question. Do you get a lot of sun on the aft balconies???

 

De:)

[vijoge]

Depends on the time of day and the direction you're travelling. Think of the ship as your house and your balcony is your back yard. You probably don't get sun in your backyard all the time. Our house faces west, so we get sun in back in the morning but no direct sun late afternoon.

[RanDe]

Depends on the time of day and the direction you're travelling. Think of the ship as your house and your balcony is your back yard. You probably don't get sun in your backyard all the time. Our house faces west, so we get sun in back in the morning but no direct sun late afternoon.

 

I like that scenario! But I'd be spoiled if that balcony was my back yard. Our back yard faces south, gets sun all day and has a pool in it. ;) But I'll take any sun that I can get on the ship. DH doesn't like to lay around the pool during sea days and he prefers to play bingo.

 

De

[serene56]

aft balconies are VERY hot. no winds ablowing back there like you get on the sides. Keep your cutains closed during the day to keep the cabin cool

[vijoge]

aft balconies are VERY hot. no winds ablowing back there like you get on the sides. Keep your cutains closed during the day to keep the cabin cool

 

I'd say it depends on where you're cruising and the time of year. We've had cabins on the stern twice and didn't find them hot at all. We spent most of the week on our balcony. Of course, this was the Caribbean in December. I wouldn't expect the same in June, but then again, I went to the Caribbean once in June and I prefer not to repeat the experience.