Are Connecting Rooms worth it?

[beachloverandfoodie]

My friends and I are going on a girls cruise Jan 2016 and we are looking at going fairly cheaply. I am happy with an interior room on the Empress deck and have our rooms side by side. The other option is to get connecting rooms which we can only do with Ocean View rooms...the issue is that all those rooms are on the first and second decks in the belly of the ship and although they are larger, they are also a bit more expensive.

 

I guess my question is, has anyone cruised with connecting rooms and did you use that feature all the time/was it worth it? I just feel like I'm giving up a prime deck (Empress) but I will do that if we would use the connecting feature a lot. HELP!! Need opinions.

[cb at sea]

Unless you have small kids that need immediate access, no...it's not worth it, just so you don't have to walk 3 steps in the hallway!!

[beachloverandfoodie]

That is what I was wondering about the kids vs friends but I thought it could be fun to have the door open when we are hanging out, getting ready for dinner/etc. Not sure I love the idea of just having the hallway door open all the time!

[Angielovescruising]

Years ago, we did a girls cruise on the Sovereign and had connecting staterooms. We really enjoyed being all together and being able to converse back and forth while being in our own staterooms. We are all cruising again in November on the Brilliance and we have connecting rooms. Looking forward to it. All depends on what you want. And how close you want to be.

[Musigurl]

My usual cruising group is myself and 3 other female friends, mid-40s to mid-50s, so perhaps I can offer some advice.

 

As far as I can see, there's only one negative to connecting rooms: in order for the connecting door to have space to open, there's often only a chair along the wall, as opposed to a sofa or loveseat. That being said, on some cruise lines you actually get a loveseat (as opposed to a 3-person sofa).

 

Positives are many. We kept the door closed to sleep, but otherwise we kept it open. Was fun chatting at night and in the morning. Also, we didn't have to repeatedly knock on their door -- "are you up?" "are you ready to go?"

 

If you end up with a balcony, you can (usually) open that divider too.

 

We really like traveling as a group of four -- as opposed to two groups of two.

[beachloverandfoodie]

Thanks, that is exactly what I wanted to know! Do you think being on the first two levels is a big deal as compared to being up on a higher deck? I think that is my only issue but I might be able to get over it to be close to my friends.

[crystalspin]

If any of you are prone to seasickness (or don't know) then lower and more central (did you say more central?) is better for that. Some even say that a window helps with the same problem but IDK... DH and MIL *were* pretty sick in an inside...

 

If the money is not an issue FOR ANY OF YOU, I personally would go with the larger OV lower rooms; the connecting part just a side benefit. Also ask your travel agent or contact at the cruiseline, if there might be some perks (usually onboard credit) that might ensue from paying to upgrade your cabins. Doesn't hurt to ask!

 

Now, if seasick not a foreseen problem, and paying for the outside room is going to cut into the beverage or excursion funds -- there's nothing wrong with an inside cabin! We have booked an inside on an upcoming transatlantic, figuring that the view will be the same for the ocean part and once we get to Europe it is very port-intensive.

[beachloverandfoodie]

I think some people are just a bit more cost conscious than others. What I told my group was that we don't all have to agree. I am leaning toward OV connecting rooms and so are several in our group. But if 2 people want to save a little bit of money then they can get an interior room maybe even on the same deck! Seasickness has never been an issue for me except when I look out a window and see the waves moving.....not sure how I will handle the ocean view room but I'm sure it will be great.