What to do, Disney "Dream;" verandah, ocean view, or inside stateroom

[DisneyGirlJess]

When my husband and I booked our July 1st 4-night cruise on the Disney "Dream" back in August all that was available were verandah cabins so we booked one. I knew it was a STEEP cost for us because we'll also be spending 5 nights in WDW before, etc. but I figured the verandah would be worth it 'cause we LOVED having one on our Alaska cruise with Carnival.

 

Well, a couple months later I happened to look again and both oceanview cabins & some inside staterooms opened up! I called right away & switched to an "oceanview" stateroom to save money, it was nearly $500. cheaper. This will totally cover our Disney Dining Plan cost & spending money in WDW for the nights leading up to the cruise.

 

Anyway, now I am afraid I am making a mistake. After talking to more people some are saying, "those animated portholes are so cool, I'd save more money & go with an inside cabin if you already got rid of the verandah" and some are saying "if you are already used to having a verandah on other cruise lines you are going to miss it & wish you had one on Disney."

 

Two very varying opinion! This is our first Disney cruise btw.

 

Any opinions/advice?

[PopFla]

I'd have to agree that once you've had a verandah room, it's mighty tough to go back.

 

What it really boils down to, though, is just how much awake time you'll be spending in the stateroom. If you'll be there a lot, and you're anything like me, you'd appreciate the sea breeze on the verandah or inside with the door open.

 

But if you're going to be spending the vast majority of your time on deck or doing various activities throughout the ship, either the oceanview with the non-opening porthole or the inside with the cool "virtual porthole" would likely prove totally adequate for you.

 

And, of course, the decision is one only you can make. Regardless of which category you choose, I believe you're really going to enjoy DCL and especially the new ship, "Dream".

[mom x4,grandma x4]

I agree with PopFla,

 

we usually get a verandah and its hard not to have one now, but we finally realised on shorter crusies especially we were hardly ever in the room accept to change clothes or sleep .

So we tried an inside room and ocean view room. Although the fresh air from the verandah was awesome we did like both the other experiences especially with the money we saved we got to spend some time at WDW before the crusie and stayed within our bueget.

 

The animated port holes are unlike any other ship at sea. I think they sound great but Sometimes the hype can make things out to be a bit different than we expect to get, so I will wait until people report back on them to decide for sure, but for now we do have an inside stateroom booked on the Dream.

 

We didnt do it for the view or lack of view, we did it so we could use the extra money to book 5 days at WDW before the cruise. We love having 2 experiences in one vacation and still be within our vacation budget.

Plus like I said we are rarely in the room, we are out having fun instead.

 

It will be an awesome cruise no matter what room you pick.

 

Have fun planning!!!

[ABQcruzer]

4 nights speed by before you know it and there is so much to do on DCL that the stateroom is not an issue. We personally like verandahs because as older folks we tend to spend more time looking out at the sea in the morning and evenings. We are not nightclub or dancing guests. On one 4 night disney cruise my daughter and granddaughter stayed with us in a standard inside room and it was not uncomfortable at all. I few times we did hear some noises from within the ship during the night but it did not bother our sleep. We were on deck 2. I prefer a higher deck. Even being on the port or starboard side has it's advantages and disadvantages. When we go with my grandsons they are in their clubs all day so a stateroom is not of concern for them. They had an oceanview and saw a bunch of stuff thru the window. Everyone has their preferences and budget. Position on the ship is another big topic (forward, center, aft). So either way it will be a fun experience. I think staying within a budget that you are happy with will make the trip more memorable than a type of stateroom. Enjoy!

[DisneyGirlJess]

Thank you for the advice everyone! When I reflect on the 7 nights we had on the Carnival Spirit recently with a verandah I can honestly say we MAY have spent a total of 60-80 minutes out there during the entire cruise. We actually weren't even in our cabin very often 'cause it felt caustrophobic to me. haha. We we just in there to get ready & sleep. I loved being able to open the glass door 'cause our stateroom felt warm to me but hopefully Disney staterooms won't be as stuffy.

 

I think for now I am going to stick with the porthole cabin that I have booked. If we weren't going to WDW for 5 nights before the cruise I'd probably do the verandah but the $500 savings will cover so much for the extra nights. :)

 

PS: speaking of stuffy cabins, does each individual cabin on DCL boats have temperature controls?

[PopFla]

PS: speaking of stuffy cabins, does each individual cabin on DCL boats have temperature controls?

 

Yes.

 

:cool:

[madiandcindy]

I guess I am the minority here, I had a verandah on my first cruise and we hardly used it, we werent in our stateroom most of the time and you are on a ship that is open with many public spaces outdoors which are way more beautiful than the tiny verandah in the stateroom IMHO so I would go with an inside room because it doesnt make much difference to me plus you almost always get upgraded if there is space for free anyway? good luck.