Geez Louise those cabins are small

[KathyPet]

Trying to decide between a a Oct 15th cruise on the Nautica or a April 16th on the Marina for the 10 day Barcelona to ROme Cruise. We would really rather do the fall cruise because we are already booked for a week in the Carribean at our time share in Feb. and DH is fussing about two vacations that close together. Would book a Verandah cabin but those cabins on the Nautica are really small. I know that you don't spend a lot of time in your cabin but you still have to get dressed in there and it seems that there is so little room. I have sailed on Seabourn in their standard room and I consider that relatively small and Nautica is even smaller in size. Any comments?

[LHT28]

If you think the Nautica cabins are small go on the Marina.

The balcony cabin (282 sq ft)

Or book a PH (322 sq ft) on the Nautica

 

We usually spend a month on board in either a B or C cabin and find it comfortable but it is all about your personal preferences

 

Enjoy what ever you choose

 

Lyn

[Bruin Steve]

Cabins on most cruise ships are "small"...

You may have been spoiled by whatever you had on Seabourne...

 

I usually joke with my wife that we leave our 4,000 square foot home with 5 bathrooms to go cruise in a 180 square foot space with one small bathroom...and consider it luxury...

 

I figure that as long as I have room for a bed, room to get around the bed, sufficient closet and storage space, a balcony for some fresh air...and the rest of the ship to wander around...I am happy...

 

If I want more living space, there's an answer to that as well--Get a suite...

[LHT28]

T I have sailed on Seabourn in their standard room and I consider that relatively small and Nautica is even smaller in size. Any comments?

 

What Cabin cat did you have on your last O cruise & how did compare to Seabourn?

[Mura]

Our first QE2 cruise had us in a cabin about half the size of the standard veranda cabins on the "R" ships. While I do consider the "A" cabins too small for me in my old age (!) I don't consider them REALLY small!

 

Besides the option of just booking MARINA which will have larger cabins, you could also try for a PH on NAUTICA. I find the PH cabin to be very comfortable.

 

Then again, look at river boat cabins if you think these are small ...

 

Mura

[Bruin Steve]

Want to see SMALL? Check out this one:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3124

 

100 square foot cabins!!!

 

Sheesh...now I know another reason I likely won't be cruising NCL...

[esther e]

We're at the age where we don't want a small stateroom. We had one on the Regatta and for us it was dreadful. We prefer the PH. We are the strange ones who like to stay in their suites or staterooms and like room to move around, especially in the shower/bathroom. Just our opinion.

[LHT28]

How about this one

I could not do a month in this cabin but we managed for 6 days :D

[Mura]

We're at the age where we don't want a small stateroom. We had one on the Regatta and for us it was dreadful. We prefer the PH. We are the strange ones who like to stay in their suites or staterooms and like room to move around, especially in the shower/bathroom. Just our opinion.

 

I'm the same, Esther. I understand completely. Perhaps my feeling isn't quite as strong as yours. We've been getting PHs for what seems like forever and I had this memory of the impossible shower in the "A" cabins. But we had to take an "A" on Midnight Sun because we booked too late to get a PH (the highest we got on a waiting list was #9) and I do realize what you are saying because now I know I won't do that again. And it wasn't the shower that bothered me! It was the room. I just don't think I consider it quite as impossible as you do, but I won't go there again either.

 

That is why I suggested a PH without having noticed your referencing it.

 

When you are used to a larger cabin, it's hard going back. We were in an OS in November 2005 (a last minute upgrade that was too cheap to pass up) and a Vista in June 2006. I remember going to a fellow passenger's PH and thinking, "This is so small." And I was the one who prior to that had considered a PH more than large.

 

So good luck whatever you decide.

[esther e]

Our first cruise on O was an OS. I kept losing my husband on the balcony. Wherever I looked, he wasn't there. But that was a glorious suite and we were very lucky to have experienced it once.

[lyndenfa]

Talk about small, we took a train trip (American Orient Express). The bathroom was about the same size as an airplane lavetory and the beds were bunk that did not allow sitting in in upright position top or bottom. No room for a chair and the showers were signup only and down the hall. For a few thousand more we could have had some space, but we didn't know any better. We did enjoy our PH on Regatta and wish we had the funds to always get one, but we are now in B2 to save the extra for other things or other cruises.

[lyndenfa]

Talk about small, we took a train trip (American Orient Express). The bathroom was about the same size as an airplane lavetory and the beds were bunk that did not allow sitting in in upright position top or bottom. No room for a chair and the showers were signup only and down the hall. For a few thousand more we could have had some space, but we didn't know any better. We did enjoy our PH on Regatta and wish we had the funds to always get one, but we are now in B2 to save the extra for other things or other cruises.

[wripro]

This discussion is a lot like ones comparing flying business class to economy. To some it's worth it and they will fly no other way. To others it's not so they can save the money for other parts of their trip. That's why it's nice that O offers different cabin types.

[A Knitter]

How about this one

I could not do a month in this cabin but we managed for 6 days :D

 

Lyn, my first cabins was similiar to yours. I believe prison cells are a little bigger:)

[LHT28]

Lyn, my first cabins was similiar to yours. I believe prison cells are a little bigger:)

I wouldn't know :D:D

[A Knitter]

I wouldn't know :D:D

 

 

LOL, I do but on the Law Enforcement side. Most cells are 6' X 8'. My first cabin with NCL in the 70's was smaller:)

[Mura]

But at least you are free to go ................

[A Knitter]

But at least you are free to go ................

 

 

Very True. Retired on Good behavior after 25 years :D

[CintiPam]

I guess if I hung out in my cabin when I cruise, I would care about its size more.

[Mura]

That's very true, CintiPam.

 

We DO tend to hang out in our cabin (or the veranda) and comfort is more important to us as well, now that we are older. When we were "kids", we had cabins with bunk beds and no room to turn around in. But we no longer feel that is luxury!

 

But I have a number of friends who agree with you!

 

To each his own. But I will repeat what I said very early on in his thread .... while the cabins referenced are smaller than we care to be in these days, they really are not ALL THAT SMALL!

 

And of course, layout is important, too. On our first QE2 cruise (we did all of two) we were in an cabin that was all of 128 sf. But the layout was really clever and the place didn't feel that small. The bathroom was a comfortable size (I assume it was a shower, I don't recall) and there was tons of storage. OTOH, the beds were like rocks ...

 

Our next QE2 cruise was in a Queens Grill cabin which was quite different. The first walk-in closet was about the same size as that first cabin had been ...

 

It's a good thing there is something for everyone.

[ShopperfiendTO]

 

On our first QE2 cruise (we did all of two) we were in an cabin that was all of 128 sf. But the layout was really clever and the place didn't feel that small. The bathroom was a comfortable size (I assume it was a shower, I don't recall) and there was tons of storage. OTOH, the beds were like rocks ...

 

Our next QE2 cruise was in a Queens Grill cabin which was quite different. The first walk-in closet was about the same size as that first cabin had been ...

 

 

Hi Mura,

 

Were the Cunard cruises relatively recent, say within the last few years?

 

If so, could you give your opinion on the (non-buffet) food on Cunard at the Britannia level and at the Queen's Grill level as compared to Oceania?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Mura]

The Caribbean cruise was in April 2003 and the north atlantic crossing was in December 2004 -- as far as I can recall. I am away from home at the moment and I only have the most recent trip records on my laptop. But certainly, it has been a while -- and the QE2 is no longer available. I have no experience on the QM2, Victoria or the new Queen Elizabeth so whatever I say may not be of any help at all to you.

 

However, our impression of the food on the QE2 was that it was excellent, even in the buffet. We didn't feel the need to compare it to Oceania so it must have been pretty good! A friend of mine who was in the travel business said that all the restaurants on the QE2 used the same kitchen so that the food didn't really differ from one restaurant to another. The service was more elegant in the Queens Grill, of course! (And maybe he was wrong about all the food coming out of the same kitchen.)

 

Still, we weren't unhappy. However, the few people I've talked to who have been on the QM2 have NOT been ecstatic about the experience.

[wripro]

I honestly cannot say for sure if the Queens Grill on QE2 was serviced by the same kitchen as the other restaurants but I highly doubt it since the Mauretania and Caronia restaurants were on decks far below. But I can definitely say that the QG and PG on QM2 are not serviced by the same kitchen as Britannia. They have their own galley on Deck Seven between the two restaurants.

 

As to quality and service in the QG I would have to rate it as superior to the food on O simply because they are servicing far fewer people, they use very high quality ingredients and you can special order anything you want. You are also assigned three servers to make service very smooth. That said, I would still sail on O on a cruise anytime over Cunard for the overall experience. I only sail Cunard for crossings.

[Mura]

Wripro, I'm not insisting that my friend was right and you are wrong (!) but I WILL say that we were in the third level restaurant on our first QE2 cruise (much larger than QG and PG but modified open seating as opposed to the bottom level restaurant which had two assigned seatings) and I can't say that the food itself was any better a year later when we were in QG. But my memory may also be faulty ... The service was far above the lower level restaurant in QG, absolutely.

 

I agree with you about preferring O to Cunard in general. For one thing, while Cunard did have a no smoking policy on one side of the ship (a lot more was permitted than on O, of course), it was NOT enforced. I saw plenty of people smoking in areas that were clearly NON smoking, and no one said boo to the offenders.

 

Also, O is more status conscious these days than it was at first, but it is nothing compared to Cunard.

[wripro]

Frankly, QE2 was a whole different experience from QM2 even in QG. QE2 was still a true ocean liner both in construction and software whereas QM2 is an ocean liner in construction only. The software onboard resembles a cruise ship much more than what ocean liners used to be like.