Family Panoramic OV Stateroom or Superior OV Stateroom with Balcony?

[Dewnay]

Hi,

 

Our family of four (2 teenage daughters, 15 and 17) is currently booked in a Family Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom on the Freedom of the Seas for an April 2017 Spring Break cruise. We understand that the views are fantastic from this stateroom and that there are only two rooms of this type on the ship.

 

With the current sale, I can switch to a Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony on Decks 9, 7, or 6, for approximately the same price.

 

We have never stayed in either type of room. For those who have, which one do you prefer?

 

Thanks for your input.

 

D.

[wilmingtech]

Hi,

 

Our family of four (2 teenage daughters, 15 and 17) is currently booked in a Family Panoramic Ocean View Stateroom on the Freedom of the Seas for an April 2017 Spring Break cruise. We understand that the views are fantastic from this stateroom and that there are only two rooms of this type on the ship.

 

With the current sale, I can switch to a Superior Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony on Decks 9, 7, or 6, for approximately the same price.

 

We have never stayed in either type of room. For those who have, which one do you prefer?

 

Thanks for your input.

 

D.

I love the oceanviews because you can get some great deals. But if a balcony is the same price, I'd take the balcony.

 

Its nice to be able to sit outside and have fresh ocean air in the room.

 

-Sean

[Clarea]

While I would normally opt for the balcony, I think in this case I'd go for the PF because of the extra space and extra bathroom.

Edited September 3, 2016 by clarea

[Russ Lomas]

While I would normally opt for the balcony, I think in this case I'd go for the PF because of the extra space and extra bathroom.

I agree with this 100%. Our family has both the Family Panoramic cabins booked for an upcoming March 2017 cruise on the Freedom. We had a few major problems on our March 2016 sailing on the Freedom, so bad that we were strongly considering cancelling our 2017 Freedom cruise. However, I did get the opportunity to go into cabin 1804 last March and after seeing it, I simply cannot cancel that cabin knowing that my family is going to LOVE it.

 

We will have 6 people in that cabin, where you will only have 4 in it. I think that having two older children in a balcony cabin, you will find it very tight as opposed to the 400 square foot family cabin. I know the children will likely enjoy the privacy of the small bunk room for themselves as opposed to the sharing the pullout in a balcony cabin. As mentioned above as well, the 1 1/2 bathrooms will be better than just a single washroom.

 

If you have not seen the view from these panoramic cabins on the bow of the ship, you are in for a real treat!

[ginger123snaps]

We typically like to stay in suites. I have to say we LOVED our family panoramic ocean view on Liberty of the seas. There was just something special about having a 180 degree view right at the front of the ship. My husband said he missed having a balcony....I could have gone either way.

 

FYI we had 3 boys ages 8, 8, 7 in the room.

 

It was nice to have two bathrooms. Storage was plentiful!

[wilmingtech]

I'm going to rescind my previous statement. I didn't realize you were in a 400sf room with 1.5 bath and separate sleeping areas. That's a much tougher decision. That's a nice amount of space. And you could always just step up to San Tropez if you wanted a balcony :)

 

-Sean

[robtulipe]

Here are some shots of a Panoramic Family cabin.

 

Living Area

 

 

Bedroom

 

 

Bunkroom

 

Edited September 3, 2016 by robtulipe

[spookwife]

Two teenaged girls? Extra bathroom, hands down.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[robtulipe]

Here's a shot of a balcony cabin on Freedom.

I definitely would go with the cabin with double the space, two bathrooms and bunkroom for the kids for more privacy for all.

 

 

Here are the two piece and four piece PF bathrooms.

 

 

Edited September 3, 2016 by robtulipe

[robtulipe]

Finally here's the view from a P2 cabin at the half way point or 45 degree angle, on the port side curve and two cabins away from the PF on that side of the ship.

 

]

 

Edited September 3, 2016 by robtulipe

[Dewnay]

Thanks to all that have responded, I really appreciate your input. I'm not one that always believes in fate but it may be so in this case.

 

Originally we booked a Promenade Family Stateroom at the beginning of May 2016. I was surprised that I saw it on the Royal Caribbean website because I've read that these are only available to families of 5 or more and that they are only released online if they remain unsold as the sailing date approaches.

 

A month later, the Family Panoramic Ocean View appeared on the RCCL website and we grabbed it after reading the positive comments about the Panoramic OV rooms. It was about $1171 more for the upgrade but we thought it was worth it. I have not seen another Family Panoramic OV Stateroom online since then.

 

Speaking of cost, I think the price is okay considering it is for a sailing during Spring Break but I have no information to compare it against. The FP stateroom totaled $4345 with all fees and taxes and includes a $100 OBC.

 

Our family has both the Family Panoramic cabins booked for an upcoming March 2017 cruise on the Freedom. We had a few major problems on our March 2016 sailing on the Freedom, so bad that we were strongly considering cancelling our 2017 Freedom cruise. However, I did get the opportunity to go into cabin 1804 last March and after seeing it, I simply cannot cancel that cabin knowing that my family is going to LOVE it.

 

Russ, if you don't mind my asking, what were the problems you had on your March 2016 sailing and is it something I need to be aware of?

 

Dave

[Russ Lomas]

Speaking of cost, I think the price is okay considering it is for a sailing during Spring Break but I have no information to compare it against. The FP stateroom totaled $4345 with all fees and taxes and includes a $100 OBC.

 

Russ, if you don't mind my asking, what were the problems you had on your March 2016 sailing and is it something I need to be aware of?

 

Dave

Dave, our issues all had to do with issues created by the "guest services" department and its employees. I will not go into details here publicly, but our entire group of 30 plus people were disgusted with their unprofessional attitude, lies they told, stories they made up and were caught on. It really put a very bitter taste in our mouths about RCCL. It took several weeks of discussions with RCCL head office, but we were compensated in the way of a future credit for the many lies that we caught them in and the general headaches they caused.

 

Other than than (and the fact I was basically confined to the cabin for 2/3rds of the voyage due to a stomach illness), the rest of the ship was wonderful. Best cabin staff and wait staff we have ever had. Loved the MTD experience. Loved the layout of the ship (been on the Independence and Liberty sister ships, so this was no surprise). I am looking forward to hopefully washing away the bad taste the Freedom left in my mouth when we sail her again in March 2017.

 

Dave, are you doing the 6 or 8 day Freedom itinerary? I think you got the cabin at a good price either way. I managed an even better deal for our 6 day, so that is a huge part of why I cannot cancel it. We got the six day for six people in the cabin over Spring break, tax and fees in, for about $3000 ($4200 in Canadian funds).

 

Which cabin are you going to be in? We will be in 1804 and our relatives will be in 1854 a couple weeks before you sail. I may be able to forward you some photos we take of the cabin you will be in.

[Dewnay]

Dave, are you doing the 6 or 8 day Freedom itinerary? I think you got the cabin at a good price either way. I managed an even better deal for our 6 day, so that is a huge part of why I cannot cancel it. We got the six day for six people in the cabin over Spring break, tax and fees in, for about $3000 ($4200 in Canadian funds).

 

Which cabin are you going to be in? We will be in 1804 and our relatives will be in 1854 a couple weeks before you sail. I may be able to forward you some photos we take of the cabin you will be in.

 

Russ, sorry to hear about your issues with guest services and that you were ill during your March 2016 cruise. I hope things will be perfect for you this time around.

 

That's a great price you got. How did you manage that? Did you book onboard during a cruise or was able to take advantage of promotions like Kids Sail Free? We booked during the promotion giving 60% off the second passenger and 30% off 3rd and 4th guests.

 

We are on the 8-night itinerary in April 2017 and will be in 1804. If it's not too much trouble, photos of the cabin when you sail would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

[MikeBTN]

Check the price for 2 connecting OV or Balcony cabins. I've often found the price to be slightly cheaper than booking 4 in one stateroom. It doesn't always work out this way, but more often than not it does. Wacky.....

[robtulipe]

We are on the 8-night itinerary in April 2017 and will be in 1804. If it's not too much trouble, photos of the cabin when you sail would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

 

Photos above, except for window view ones, were of port side PF cabin 1854. Cabin 1804 on the starboard has a mirror image layout so living area is on right and bedroom on left..

Also above bathroom photos above I mentioned a 4 piece bathroom. It's actually a 3 piece as there is a shower stall only.

 

Edited September 3, 2016 by robtulipe

[Russ Lomas]

Russ, sorry to hear about your issues with guest services and that you were ill during your March 2016 cruise. I hope things will be perfect for you this time around.

 

That's a great price you got. How did you manage that? Did you book onboard during a cruise or was able to take advantage of promotions like Kids Sail Free? We booked during the promotion giving 60% off the second passenger and 30% off 3rd and 4th guests.

 

We are on the 8-night itinerary in April 2017 and will be in 1804. If it's not too much trouble, photos of the cabin when you sail would be appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

I would have loved our cruise to be the 8 day one, alas, RCCL always seems to offer the 8 day one the week prior to and the week following our March break week. One of these years we may get lucky....

 

We did have an 8 day booked on the Independence one March break but flipped to a 7 day on the Allure when I found it for just over $600 Canadian each. I don't think I will be able to find that price again on an Oasis class ship prime season.

 

I booked back in May 2015 when it was buy one get one half off. They told me the half off also applied to the 3rd and 4th in the cabin. So I asked if it applied to the 5th and 6th in the cabin as well, and they said it did. We booked both family panoramic cabins immediately upon hearing that. We are paying only $274 Canadian (about $200 US) plus tax for each of guests number 3 through 6. Fingers crossed I luck out and find a similar deal for that cabin in the future.

 

I will take some nice photos of "your" cabin when we are aboard and post them back here. I have both an 11-16mm Tokina lens on my DSLR and a GoPro4 Silver, so I should be able to get some really wide angled shots to show the entire room in one photo in addition to those already posted above.

[Dewnay]

Here are some shots of a Panoramic Family cabin.

 

Living Area

 

 

 

 

Bob, thanks for posting all the great photos. We can't wait to get on the ship!

 

Dave

[Dewnay]

Check the price for 2 connecting OV or Balcony cabins. I've often found the price to be slightly cheaper than booking 4 in one stateroom. It doesn't always work out this way, but more often than not it does. Wacky.....

 

Thanks for the thought, Mike. Just checked and I wasn't able to find any connected OV or Balcony cabins at this time. I priced two non-connected but adjacent OV cabins on Deck 2 and the total came in at $257 more than the Family Panoramic OV with 4 persons.

 

Dave

[Russ Lomas]

I know this is an old thread,but I just wanted to report back here now since we just completed our cruise in a Family Panoramic cabin on the Freedom of the Seas. We LOVED the cabin. You definitely feel a bit more movement being so high up and right at the front of the ship, but if that does not bother you, the cabin is fantastic. The views are incredible and the location is great (on the level just above the pool deck, St. Tropez sun deck right on top of you, straight shot down the stairs into the spa to use the showers, steam rooms, saunas). Loved the location and the room. We had very high winds and there was a bit of creaking in the ceiling panels, but not too bad. We were in 1804.

 

My main reason to post back here is to share some images I took of the cabin. I used a GoPro for the wide angle, then did some corrections for the fish-eye effect. I think these will be the best photos you can find of these cabins. Hope you enjoy.

 

Yep, had to include a photo with my flowboard proudly displayed as they were for the entire week of the cruise.

[Dewnay]

Hi Russ,

 

Thanks for posting the great photos. We will be in 1804 on Saturday!

 

Dave

[Sky616]

Thanks for the photos. We have 1804 on Liberty next April. It looks amazing.

[TNcruising02]

That cabin is huge. Thanks for posting the pictures.

[Russ Lomas]

Hi Russ,

 

Thanks for posting the great photos. We will be in 1804 on Saturday!

 

Dave

Have a great cruise. You will love 1804. It is so quiet in that hallway as well. Your cabin steward will be Catalino. He did an excellent job of keeping the room looking fantastic. You never really see him though. Some of our previous cabin stewards were much more visible and chatty with our kids. Depends if you like this or just want a spotless room. He did handle every request we had immediately. If you do MTD, be sure to ask for Leo as your waiter if he is available. He is awesome. Tell him Russ says "Hi". I am booking the Freedom again for 2019, alas they jacked the price of 1804 so that it is more than one an a half the price of a family promenade, so we will be saving the money and not doing 1804 again on that cruise (unless it drops in price).

[Russ Lomas]

Thanks for the photos. We have 1804 on Liberty next April. It looks amazing.

You will not regret booking that cabin. Just wish the Liberty was back in Florida so we could sail on her again. Enjoy the fantastic cabin.

[Sky616]

You will not regret booking that cabin. Just wish the Liberty was back in Florida so we could sail on her again. Enjoy the fantastic cabin.

Kind of wish we were sailing from FL as well. Don't know why we picked to sail from Galveston as I've heard it's more of a hassle but we like to try new things. Living north we have to fly either way. In 20 years I can move down there. Ha.