Cove Balcony or Spa Interior??

[Dalton51]

We have a interior cabin on the lido deck because we like being close to the pool. Well I call my PVP and we can upgrade to inside SPA cabin go up one floor so still close to the pool for NOTHING. OR $50 Buck I think you will be on deck 2 for a Cove balcony. Which one would you do and why?

What all does the SPA come with what makes it?

Cove balcony??? Only balcony we have ever had was on our honeymoon aft. That was great. I dont know about being on the side. Also wouldnt even know which side to choose. But anyways thanks for the help.

[golfadj]

We would take a balcony over the spa interior anyday.

dont think we would use the spa stuff enough to make it even close.

[Bobblefrog]

I was just reading a thread about the spa on the Dream - you might want to be careful as it appears if people don't [I]pay[/I] for the spa upgrade, they don't get the spa privileges - and really that would be the only reason to move to one of those cabins. The coves seem really cool - bigger, people have seen dolphins and flying fish as it's so close to the water) and I would take a balcony any day - but if location is important and you like being by the pool, not sure you want to be down on main. Also if there's any chance of rough weather you might get your balcony closed up for a portion of the time. Hope these bits of information help!

[lauraezzell]

Personally, I would choose the cove balcony over the spa interior. I'm not a big "spa person" so I'm not sure that I would use the extra privileges associated with using the spa. I would love to have a balcony and be able to relax in peace and quiet so close to the water line.

It all comes down to what is more important to you - having a balcony or having spa privileges.

[HilarityEnsued]

I just returned from a cruise on Carnival Dream (yes, the one that was stuck in Sint Maarten for four glorious days). My husband and I had a cove balcony on level 2. My sister-in-law and her husband had an interior spa stateroom on level 11.
Our room was almost twice the size of theirs, so they actually spent quite a bit of time in our room (planning what we were going to do during our port stays/sea days, etc). They did have spa privileges, so they could go to the spa whenever it was open without an extra cost, they had nicer beach towels/slippers/toiletries, etc. So, if that matters to you, go spa. Also be aware that you can purchase a day or week-long spa pass (which is what I did to spend time with my sister-in-law in there) and it's a really nice spa - it has a thassalotherapy pool, two steam rooms, two dry heat rooms, and a room to just sit and relax and drink tea. So, I feel like I got the best of both experiences.
One thing to consider - we had a few days of high seas (12-15 feet) while sailing. You could feel the impact of that in our stateroom, but it was MUCH more pronounced in the stateroom on the 11th deck. We never got even a bit of spray on our balcony. I just sat out on our chairs in awe of the seas. It was also amazing to watch dolphins, fish, and sea turtles going by during various times in our trip. Even though our room was directly under the Crimson Dining Room, it was very very quiet. We never heard any noise from above. I loved how private the balcony was (you would have to lean out over the rail and around to see your neighbors) and quite frankly, I loved the space in our room. I never felt like I was tripping over anyone in there, even with four people in the room. The same could not be said for the interior spa stateroom.

[p_mori7]

Cove Balcony all the way !

See the vidoe in my sig below.

:D

[karinvt]

I was on the Dream in February and had a spa interior. It came with Ellemise toiletries, slippers, and a thicker robe. I love the location being so near the spa and having its own entrance. Plus it seemed like we were away from the traffic. Close to the serenity too. DH and I loved the spa and spent a few hours there everyday. The therapy pool has over 300 jets and could soak in that for hours. Plus the have these chairs in the spa that were designed by chiropractors and you lay in them and the heated tile just soothes the body. The spa cabins comes with use of the spa, if you don't have one it's like $249 per couple (I think).

But a cove balcony is pretty cool. For me I would do the spa but only because I would use it. If you're not into that, then it's not a good value. This is a tough choice.

[uffdafla]

Hi Karin, We were on your same sailing. Enjoyed the Spa, private elevator, and Serenity, but the intinerary was port heavy and we missed 3 days in the spa.
SO, look at your sea days and port days that you don't spend time at vs. being off the ship.
Next time I will try the Cove and buy per day the spa. or have four sea days.

[Colorado Kat]

I would choose the cove balcony. Just love being so close to the water.

[rockbock]

Personally, I would prefer the spa cabin. If I had never stayed in a spa cabin, I probably would have told you to take the cove, but after enjoying the spa amenities on a 7-night cruise, I'd say there's no comparison.

I've seen the Cove Balcony cabins. They are nice. The spa inside cabin isn't quite as nice (I actually stayed in a spa OV, which IMO is a huge upgrade from every balcony cabin on the ship, but I did see a 4S cabin...it's just a normal inside cabin with some nicer towels, robes, etc.). However, for me, the spa privileges were a HUGE perk. And the location of the spa cabins is also far superior IMO.

If you are a person who always books a balcony cabin, you might be disappointed if you don't stick with the cove. However, if you don't mind an inside cabin, give the spa facilities a chance. I never could have imagined how much I loved the spa!

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

For $50 I would take the cove...relaxing on the balcony is fantastic...and it offers an additional living space. I have a comfortable back yard with a pool so its an outdoor living area that is heavily used. I see the balcony similarly. I also like that when you have a balcony and the other person is in the shower you still have the option to really relax at the same time on the balcony while affording the other person privacy. That being said I'm not that into public pools/hot tubs as they seem unclean to me. Ive used the thalosotherapy pools on Celebrity and they are nice but I would rather have a balcony available to me continuously where I can drink my coffee in my robe in the morning or glass of wine in the evening. The natural light is also welcome when you open your curtains in the morning.

Ive had every type of cabin and had a great time in each...whether an inside or suite...but the balcony experience is always better.

[Dalton51]

Which side of the ship should I try and get on?

I was also just reading about sand flees going to St.Martin St.Thomas and Bahamas. Do I need to take bug spray lol...I know question is off topic. :)

[k2excursion]

My vote is for the cove. I've done a spa interior, and I really enjoyed the spa access, but I would take a cove balcony over that. The toiletry items are ultra tiny, and the slippers are a shoe size 830 million. The T-pool is nice, plus there are 4 different sauna-like rooms that have various scents & temperatures. Those are the only real selling points for me. We didn't take advantage of the 2 free classes. The cove is nice, because of the bigger room & being so close to the water. It also puts you very close to the dining rooms, the theater, & other nighttime activities. In other words, when the elevators are busiest, you won't need one. When you need one (when you want to go to the pool), the elevators will not be busy. Plus, getting off & on the ship is very easy. Again, no elevators needed, as long as you can climb a couple flights. So you're just trading one convenience for another.

[quote name='Dalton51']Which side of the ship should I try and get on?

I was also just reading about sand flees going to St.Martin St.Thomas and Bahamas. Do I need to take bug spray lol...I know question is off topic. :)[/quote]

It sounds to me like you're looking at the Dream going to St Thomas & St Maarten. If I guessed right there, then go with the starboard side of the ship. My experience with that cruise is that the starboard is the side that faces the dock. It didn't dock port side in St Thomas & St Maarten for me. If you do go with the cove balcony, stay forward of the midship elevators. Otherwise, you will be underneath the galley/kitchen. There can be noisy spots there, and the noise can be taking place all night, as they're working in there 24 hours a day.

I've been to St Maarten 3X & St Thomas 2X. No sand fleas for me. Maybe we got lucky. You can still bring the bug spray to be safe. I haven't heard that said about these islands though.

[cruiseonthebrain]

I would always take any balcony over any interior. The balcony is that important to me;)

[maggieworkman]

[quote name='Bobblefrog']I was just reading a thread about the spa on the Dream - you might want to be careful as it appears if people don't [I]pay[/I] for the spa upgrade, they don't get the spa privileges - and really that would be the only reason to move to one of those cabins. The coves seem really cool - bigger, people have seen dolphins and flying fish as it's so close to the water) and I would take a balcony any day - but if location is important and you like being by the pool, not sure you want to be down on main. Also if there's any chance of rough weather you might get your balcony closed up for a portion of the time. Hope these bits of information help![/QUOTE]

The OP would be "paying" for the spa room with the upgrade due to the price drop. So she would definitely get the spa amenities.

Maggie

[Dalton51]

[quote name='k2excursion']My vote is for the cove. I've done a spa interior, and I really enjoyed the spa access, but I would take a cove balcony over that. The toiletry items are ultra tiny, and the slippers are a shoe size 830 million. The T-pool is nice, plus there are 4 different sauna-like rooms that have various scents & temperatures. Those are the only real selling points for me. We didn't take advantage of the 2 free classes. The cove is nice, because of the bigger room & being so close to the water. It also puts you very close to the dining rooms, the theater, & other nighttime activities. In other words, when the elevators are busiest, you won't need one. When you need one (when you want to go to the pool), the elevators will not be busy. Plus, getting off & on the ship is very easy. Again, no elevators needed, as long as you can climb a couple flights. So you're just trading one convenience for another.



It sounds to me like you're looking at the Dream going to St Thomas & St Maarten. If I guessed right there, then go with the starboard side of the ship. My experience with that cruise is that the starboard is the side that faces the dock. It didn't dock port side in St Thomas & St Maarten for me. If you do go with the cove balcony, stay forward of the midship elevators. Otherwise, you will be underneath the galley/kitchen. There can be noisy spots there, and the noise can be taking place all night, as they're working in there 24 hours a day.

I've been to St Maarten 3X & St Thomas 2X. No sand fleas for me. Maybe we got lucky. You can still bring the bug spray to be safe. I haven't heard that said about these islands though.[/quote]

Which rooms will you give me a room number just so I can make sure I will be on the right side and in the area where it will not have alot of noise. Thanks alot for you help.

[comeon530]

I'm struggling with the same decision. We had a Cove last year and loved it. But I loved the spa just a little more, so we're booked in a Spa interior in May. Seriously thinking about ugrading to a Cove.

[Bobblefrog]

[quote name='maggieworkman']The OP would be "paying" for the spa room with the upgrade due to the price drop. So she would definitely get the spa amenities.

Maggie[/QUOTE]

That would certainly make sense - I didn't see where the OP said it was a price drop, just that she called her PVP and they offered these upgrades at no cost. On that long thread about the Dream Spa cabins that has been revived the last few days there were one or two people that upgraded at no cost and didn't find out til they got on the ship that they didn't get spa access. Just wanted to warn the OP to get it in writing or something :-)

[luv2trvlnow]

[quote name='Dalton51']Which rooms will you give me a room number just so I can make sure I will be on the right side and in the area where it will not have alot of noise. Thanks alot for you help.[/quote]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=seagreen]I would say anything from 2338 on the port side and 2365 on the starboard side and further aft will be under the galley. That doesn't mean every cabin would be noisy. If you don't want to be under the galley you should pick a cabin forward from these. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=seagreen][/COLOR][/SIZE]
[SIZE=3][COLOR=seagreen]Sharon [/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Mizzouaholic]

cove balcony for sure!