Second guessing my aft....

[cruise*chic]

I booked cabin 9404 on the Freedom for May. In recent reviews, some have said they experienced vibrations. We sailed Carnival Conquest last year and the vibration was awful in the aft part of the dining room. I concerned it will be similar. Also, I am very concerned about the door. I LOVE to open my sliding door to enjoy the sight and sounds of the ocean. With 9404 there is no sliding door and a big circle window. I really want to try an aft but I don't want to be disappointed. Is it really worth it for that cabin or should I try for another?

 

Thanks in advance for all responses.

[Philly Steve]

We enjoyed our first aft cabin on our last cruise aboard the smaller Grandeur and detected little if any vibration. We probably spent more time on our balcony than any other cruise we have taken. Great place to retreat for an afternoon of watching the wake.

 

The only issue was a petroleum odor in the air during port stops but maybe it was just the way the wind was blowing.

 

There is a reason why aft cabins are snapped up quickly.

 

Enjoy! :)

[marci22]

Seems like no sliding door is your biggest worry, so consider that.

 

We tried an aft once on Liberty. We had 7708 (and 7398). I didn't notice any bad vibration in either cabin. Aft vibration feels side to side vs up and down when you are forward. I prefer aft in terms of vibration.

 

The view and balcony are very nice when you are aft, but I still prefer being midship near elevators.

Edited March 11, 2016 by marci22

[Teeara]

9404 looks like an interesting aft cabin to have. Personally I would do anything to have an aft cabin, but if you HAVE to have the sliding glass door to leave open (which you aren't supposed to do), then you will need to change your cabin. Assuming you aren't to far out from your sailing date, perhaps you can see if another aft cabin has opened up that you can switch to?

[papaflamingo]

Can't speak for Freedom, but had an aft cabin on Rhapsody twice. The balcony on Rhapsody is HUGE. Don't know about Freedom. But we felt some vibration. Didn't bother us, but it's there. Again, Freedom is a much bigger ship so it may be considerably less.

As for the "petroleum smell," it is a ship that emits an exhaust. If the exhaust is trailing aft, as it likely will, you could get some smell and soot. But on Rhapsody we didn't experience anything. We had a Crown Loft on Oasis once and when the wind was right we would get some stack gas smells, but only during specific wind conditions.

Bottom line, if you really want the sliding door, change cabins. But if you think you'd like to sit on the aft balcony and enjoy the beautiful view, give it a try. You'll know if you want another one.

[George C]

We are also big fans of aft cabins, was very happy when aft cabin opened up for my 12 day cruise in September.

[Paul65]

I'm sure you have a fine aft; don't second-guess it. :cool:

[Big_G]

The vibration the OP has been reading about is specific to Freedom. We experienced it twice but it wasn't bothersome as much as noticeable. We thought replacing the azipod would have eliminated it but apparently it did not.

[finz2u]

Love the afts. Wish the larger ships had them.

[Beardface]

I was on Freedom last week. She's definitely come down with Parkinson's, and its pretty noticeable towards the back of the ship. I joked with my wife that usually to feel shaking like that you normally have to put a quarter in a bedpost or something.

 

All joking aside, you'll get used to it. Its not a jarring shake, but it is constant when sailing, and you can still feel it when its at port. My guess is that an engine isn't timed correctly or is out of alignment.

[beerman2]

Had an aft on the Freedom 2 years ago and loved it! Noticeable yes , bothersome NO!

 

You will enjoy the large balcony.

[cruise*chic]

9404 looks like an interesting aft cabin to have. Personally I would do anything to have an aft cabin, but if you HAVE to have the sliding glass door to leave open (which you aren't supposed to do), then you will need to change your cabin. Assuming you aren't to far out from your sailing date, perhaps you can see if another aft cabin has opened up that you can switch to?

 

Oh gosh, I did not know there was a door rule. Is it because of the a/c? If so, on the Oasis and Allure the a/c shuts off when the door is open. I thought they all did that.

 

Yes, I like having it open during the evening, but I also like the view throughout the day.

[TigerLady]

I booked cabin 9404 on the Freedom for May. In recent reviews, some have said they experienced vibrations. We sailed Carnival Conquest last year and the vibration was awful in the aft part of the dining room. I concerned it will be similar. Also, I am very concerned about the door. I LOVE to open my sliding door to enjoy the sight and sounds of the ocean. With 9404 there is no sliding door and a big circle window. I really want to try an aft but I don't want to be disappointed. Is it really worth it for that cabin or should I try for another?

 

Thanks in advance for all responses.

 

We had an aft on Indy in December, for two weeks.. Didn't notice any vibrations or petroleum smells. We were one deck up in 1402.. LOVED it..

I am now spoiled and want one each cruise...lol

[debshomespun]

We had an aft without the sliding door, and in order to listen to the wake at night, I would put a towel in the bottom of the door, to keep it ajar just a bit. SHHHH, don't tell anyone.

[jaak1008]

Just got back from Freedom of the Seas on March 6 and was in cabin 9708. There is some vibration when getting ready to dock, but other than that there was not much movement. I was a little skeptical at first with everyone talking about how great the aft cabins were, but after this cruise, I'm a big fan. There's just something to sitting on the balcony and seeing the wake of the ship extending to the horizon. I think you will enjoy this cabin very much.

[jtdlmc]

We were in corner aft 7408 last week on the Freedom. There was a really strong vibration once in a while, the bed even shook, lol, but I think that was throughout the ship. There was a milder vibration sometimes in the cabin but hardly noticeable to me, although my son-in-law commented on it as soon as he walked into our cabin.

Edited March 11, 2016 by jtdlmc