How much time do you spend in your cabin?

[wadslee]

My spouse and I are planning our first cruise -- Disney Fantasy in May 2015 with our children and some extended family. We're so excited!

 

We're trying to weigh the benefits of a nicer/roomier cabin vs. spending less on a cabin and using the cost difference instead on excursions, Palo, etc.

 

How much time do you spend in your cabin? I understand this probably varies somewhat by person, but I would love to hear what all of you experienced cruisers think.

 

Thanks in advance!

[us2swingu]

We have always gotten the interior rooms except for our 25th Annivesary which was awesome, but other then that trip we really don't spend a whole lot of time in our room and when we do we are exhausted and sleep. I would get the interior and use the savings to do what you really want to do. You will not be disappointed.. Good luck and enjoy !

[vacationmommy]

We alway get a room with a veranda, it helps us not feel shut in and the only way my husband will go on the cruise. That said the Disney staterooms are amazing regardless if you have a veranda or not it's just personal preference really we prefer an evening after all the busy stuff to sit out on our chairs and have a nightcap and relax

 

 

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[us2swingu]

We alway get a room with a veranda, it helps us not feel shut in and the only way my husband will go on the cruise. That said the Disney staterooms are amazing regardless if you have a veranda or not it's just personal preference really we prefer an evening after all the busy stuff to sit out on our chairs and have a nightcap and relax

 

 

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Honestly if I had the choice and could afford it I would get the Veranda every time, but in reality We are just as happy with the interior. So they are right it just depends on the preference of the person. It really is worth it to try it and see for your self..

[ShipsAhoy425]

We've gotten inside both times. We talked about getting an oceanview or a room with a verandah but we just can't justify the cost difference. We slept at night in our rooms, ate breakfast some mornings (room service) and came back to take about 1-2 hour break/change for dinner/etc. once a night. In the future, we'll also be booking an interior on Disney (unless we do go to Alaska, then I want to be able to have a full time view outside)

 

I really just wish they would let me stay on Deck 4 as if that was my own private personal room... you just can't beat that view and the peacefulness you get there. :D

[moki'smommy]

On the Fantasy, the inside rooms have the virtual porthole, which goes a long way toward not feeling "inside."

 

We've been in every kind of cabin. I can be happy in any of them. On thing--if you have a toddler, I'd consider a balcony because it gives you a place to hang out while the little one sleeps. Of course, you can accomplish the same thing with connecting cabins in any category (there is an interior connecting door, so you can hang in the next cabin.

 

On a first cruise--you won't be hanging out in your cabin.

[bear3412]

.....How much time do you spend in your cabin? ...

 

Depends on the category. :D

 

We were surprised how little time we spent on the veranda on our first couple sailings. Too much to do and see. Of course we sailed with young kids, so ...

 

Total approx. veranda time over a week; 1.5 hours. :eek:

 

ETA; Ahhh. You said nothing of veranda. lol. Time spent inside "nice roomy cabin" in a week; 85 hours. :eek:

Edited March 25, 2014 by bear3412

[MizDaisy]

I wouldn't care if my room was the size of a closet, but a verandah is a MUST.

 

There's nothing better than sitting out there at night, reading a book, watching the sky, looking at the moon on the water, smelling the salt air......

 

Same for the mornings, too. Coffee or tea, a light breakfast.....I can do that inside at home, but if I'm on the ocean, I want to be out there enjoying it.

[jalves]

We always get a veranda cabin and actually do spend a fair amount of time in the cabin/veranda. Our usual routine is to take a mid-afternoon break by sitting out on the veranda with a snack ("all hands on deck" from room service) and some beverages before we shower and dress for the evening's activities.

[Cruisin' Along]

We don't spend much time in the cabin at all and much prefer to be out doing things around the ship. While we enjoy a verandah, it's not a "must" for us to cruise, especially if there is a huge cost difference between that and an ocean view room. We haven't yet done an inside but I would consider one.

 

We enjoy spending time on the promenade deck and other upper outside decks even when we have a verandah.

[Irene7]

We don't spend enough time in our cabin to really use a balcony. I love the oceanview cabins but the Family Deluxe is a must for us because it gives the 4 of us plenty of room and the window is so large that we have a beautiful view.

 

We have never stayed in the inside cabin with the magical porthole, but have heard good things about it.

[poohtaz]

I wouldn't care if my room was the size of a closet, but a verandah is a MUST.

 

There's nothing better than sitting out there at night, reading a book, watching the sky, looking at the moon on the water, smelling the salt air......

 

Same for the mornings, too. Coffee or tea, a light breakfast.....I can do that inside at home, but if I'm on the ocean, I want to be out there enjoying it.

 

Completely agree.

It's fun to watch the ship dock while still in the room getting ready. No rush to get on deck, can see where we are right from our room.

[adams1037]

We have a toddler, so it would now make us too nervous to have the verandah stateroom. In past cruises, we've had both types of rooms. We honestly didn't spend too much time in the room itself. Just for a quick afternoon rest, maybe. Then of course just to sleep at night and shower up and get ready for the next day!! Kind of like when we are in DisneyWorld! We'd rather save the extra money for the excursions, etc. However, with that being said, if it's an Alaska cruise (our last one was on RCI), it DEFINITELY pays to have a balcony room because of the spectacular scenery 24-7!!;)

[ducklite]

On larger ships you need a place to get away from the crowds. I wouldn't sail on a ship larger than maybe 600 or so without a balcony, and I wouldn't sail on any ship without at least a window. Palo is only $70 including tip for two adults, certainly shouldn't factor into the cost of the cabin. If all you want to do is beaches, just take a cab from the port and arrange a pickup time later, beach day for the family for about $20.

[BullDawg91]

You can't really judge whether to get a balcony by reviews from people who have never had one or people who have only had balconies.

 

Look for Big Al's thread reviewing his balcony cruise on this Disney board. His theory has evolved to be that people without a balcony never stay in their cabin because there's nothing to enjoy.

 

We've only had balconies on 2 DCL cruises and one Carnival cruise without a balcony. We love it. We don't sit out there for hours at a time, but just having the balcony really opens up the room. If you have people worried about being claustrophobic, a balcony cabin will cure that. I would say the balcony makes you feel like you're in a hotel room instead of on a ship. If you are looking at the Dream and Fantasy, you can connect your cabins via opening the balcony dividers.

 

We enjoyed our balcony as we approached and departed ports. We enjoyed watching Cuba go by from the balcony. We enjoyed the sunset from the balcony.

 

You might consider your party's vacation style. We aren't people on the move every waking hour. We like some downtime. We have friends who would leave in the morning and basically never return. A balcony would be a waste for them. We learned not to vacation together!

 

Let us know what you decide.

[MCC retired]

Many who book Inside Cabins state that they don't spend much time in their cabin anyway. Why would you ?

 

Many with a nice balcony will probably spend much more time in the cabin.

 

We do both , based on $$ we sometimes book an Inside and truly don't spend as much time in there .

[adams1037]

I guess it would really depend on personal preference after reading the previous posts. But we have had it both ways and still had an amazing time either way!!

 

 

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[shellyc]

Many who book Inside Cabins state that they don't spend much time in their cabin anyway. Why would you ?

 

Many with a nice balcony will probably spend much more time in the cabin.

 

We do both , based on $$ we sometimes book an Inside and truly don't spend as much time in there .

DH needs an accessible bathroom so our last three cruises on Disney were

4B accessible family verandah (perfect location mid-ship, expensive)

6A Accessible aft verandah (didn't like the water on the balcony)

11C accessible Fantasy and Dream mid-ship (perfect location, slight noise from luggage room)

Personally I like the verandah, but an inside 11C is fine with DH. He does take rest periods in the inside cabin, but with the magical porthole on, it give nice light.

We have a back-to back booked next in an inside cabin accessilbe 2033 on the Dream.

[moki'smommy]

We've had inside, inside with virtual port hole, oceanview, and various types and sizes of balconies.

 

A balcony is nice. The question the individual family needs to resolve is how much those ocean breezes are worth to them. I fully agree that we spend more time in our cabin when we have a balcony and that going outside for even a few minutes is lovely. Again--I can do 2 cruises inside for the cost of one in a balcony. Only I can make the decision as to whether I prefer another cruise, or the balcony...or spending the money on board, excursions, etc.

 

The kid issue is a "non-issue." The balconies are as Kid proofed as they can be made. There is a lock at the level of my head that you have to open to get out, then the door handle lock and sliding a big, heavy door. The railing on that balcony is just below my shoulders. Can a kid climb onto a piece of furniture and open the high lock? Sure. Can they unlock and move the heavy door? Some can. Can they push a table or chair over to the balcony railing and stand on it? Sure. Would they then be high enough to dive over the railing? Some would. Now reality--can they accomplish all of this in 5 minutes? Not likely. With a kid who is too young to understand the danger, where are the parents? This age should not be in the cabin alone...and the time involved is probably more than mom being in the bathroom. With a kid old enough to know better and being a brat--well, it takes all kinds of idiots to make a world. BUT in almost 16 years, NO kid has gone overboard from a balcony and NO kid has accidentally gone overboard from any part of a DCL ship. There was one instance of a 16 year old intentionally jumping of the Magic while in port, and the area involved has been blocked off. There is one "likely" overboard situation of a CM from the Magic. But NO little kids doing it accidentally. Balcony cabins are as safe as possible for kids, but again, nothing can be 100% safe.

[wdwlvr]

I've cruised inside on other lines and cruised just once with an ocean view on DCL. For all my other DCL cruises we've had a verandah and now I don't think I'd cruise without one. My favorite is the Navigator Verandahs on the classic ships. Partially enclosed and a little more private but you still get views and fresh air. Love sitting out there to read and it is a great place to escape the crowds. I'm not one to spend a lot of time up by the pools.

[Cruise life]

You can't really judge whether to get a balcony by reviews from people who have never had one or people who have only had balconies.

 

Look for Big Al's thread reviewing his balcony cruise on this Disney board. His theory has evolved to be that people without a balcony never stay in their cabin because there's nothing to enjoy.

 

We've only had balconies on 2 DCL cruises and one Carnival cruise without a balcony. We love it. We don't sit out there for hours at a time, but just having the balcony really opens up the room. If you have people worried about being claustrophobic, a balcony cabin will cure that. I would say the balcony makes you feel like you're in a hotel room instead of on a ship. If you are looking at the Dream and Fantasy, you can connect your cabins via opening the balcony dividers.

 

We enjoyed our balcony as we approached and departed ports. We enjoyed watching Cuba go by from the balcony. We enjoyed the sunset from the balcony.

 

This is great advice; the reason for a balcony for most people is relaxing and entertaining. Depending on your extended family, the balcony might be a great place to meet up for sail aways with some room service snacks and beverages. We did exactly this with a suite and the kids watched movies or cartoons in the room with sandwiches, cookies and milk while the adults had a glass of wine and cheese and fruit or sandwiches while enjoying the views as we left port, watching for pier runners and waving goodbye to the island greeters. If your extended group wants to be in the action on the lido deck, this will not be a good reason to have the balcony, but we used the extra space for each port sail away and made some great memories on our cabin balcony as the " meeting place". The longest amount of time in the cabin is usually cycling everyone through showers and dressing for dinner. If you have a napper or child that sleeps late, the balcony can be great for those awake to hang out.

 

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[adams1037]

 

The kid issue is a "non-issue." The balconies are as Kid proofed as they can be made. There is a lock at the level of my head that you have to open to get out' date=' then the door handle lock and sliding a big, heavy door. The railing on that balcony is just below my shoulders. Can a kid climb onto a piece of furniture and open the high lock? Sure. Can they unlock and move the heavy door? Some can. Can they push a table or chair over to the balcony railing and stand on it? Sure. Would they then be high enough to dive over the railing? Some would. Now reality--can they accomplish all of this in 5 minutes? Not likely. With a kid who is too young to understand the danger, where are the parents? This age should not be in the cabin alone...and the time involved is probably more than mom being in the bathroom. With a kid old enough to know better and being a brat--well, it takes all kinds of idiots to make a world. BUT in almost 16 years, NO kid has gone overboard from a balcony and NO kid has accidentally gone overboard from any part of a DCL ship. There was one instance of a 16 year old intentionally jumping of the Magic while in port, and the area involved has been blocked off. There is one "likely" overboard situation of a CM from the Magic. But NO little kids doing it accidentally. Balcony cabins are as safe as possible for kids, but again, nothing can be 100% safe.[/quote']

 

 

Thanks for the stats and parental advice. Still think it's a matter of personal preference.;)

[Irene7]

We've had inside' date=' inside with virtual port hole, oceanview, and various types and sizes of balconies.

 

A balcony is nice. The question the individual family needs to resolve is how much those ocean breezes are worth to them. I fully agree that we spend more time in our cabin when we have a balcony and that going outside for even a few minutes is lovely. Again--I can do 2 cruises inside for the cost of one in a balcony. Only I can make the decision as to whether I prefer another cruise, or the balcony...or spending the money on board, excursions, etc.

 

The kid issue is a "non-issue." The balconies are as Kid proofed as they can be made. There is a lock at the level of my head that you have to open to get out, then the door handle lock and sliding a big, heavy door. The railing on that balcony is just below my shoulders. Can a kid climb onto a piece of furniture and open the high lock? Sure. Can they unlock and move the heavy door? Some can. Can they push a table or chair over to the balcony railing and stand on it? Sure. Would they then be high enough to dive over the railing? Some would. Now reality--can they accomplish all of this in 5 minutes? Not likely. With a kid who is too young to understand the danger, where are the parents? This age should not be in the cabin alone...and the time involved is probably more than mom being in the bathroom. With a kid old enough to know better and being a brat--well, it takes all kinds of idiots to make a world. BUT in almost 16 years, NO kid has gone overboard from a balcony and NO kid has accidentally gone overboard from any part of a DCL ship. There was one instance of a 16 year old intentionally jumping of the Magic while in port, and the area involved has been blocked off. There is one "likely" overboard situation of a CM from the Magic. But NO little kids doing it accidentally. Balcony cabins are as safe as possible for kids, but again, nothing can be 100% safe.[/quote']

 

Not that it makes a difference regarding the OP but wasn't it the Wonder that had a CM most likey go overboard.

[trapezelover]

We were just on the magic in March and had an inside room. We hardly spent any time in the room so I was fine with not having a window or balcony. I couldn't justify spending more money for that knowing I wouldn't be in the room enough to use it!

[mdvlprof]

We've had balcony a couple times. Hardly ever used it. Now we don't spend the extra $$ on stateroom, there are other things we can spend the $$ on.