Which Mariner Aft Balcony? & Bedding Qs

[keishashadow]

Seeing that the direct aft balconies on Mariner of the Seas sailing I’m booking have dropped to not much more than the inside price.  Time to jump:)

 

Haven’t sailed on this class of ship in the past.  It’s a 3 day we want to do CoCo Cay with GD before moving on to Disney. The Nassau day, other than a quickie stroll thru downtown, will be our ‘sea day’.  Want to pick our favorite location, the best corner aft to meet our needs.  

 

Will have 9 y.o. GD along for this sailing with DH & I.   She would be sleeping in a Pullman out of ceiling that appears to be directly located over where the corner aft beds are located.  Have always booked sofabeds for the 3rd person when cruising, this is new ground for me.

 

Was really hoping for a sofa bed.  The deck plans show otherwise, even though I do see a loveseat sized sofa in many of the online pics i’ve Seen via searching.  Going to assume it doesn’t convert to a sleeping space.

 

Know there is a ladder the steward can attach to the Pullman but wondering where it actually is placed when the twins are pushed together.  

 

GD is a competitive gymnast.  I can see her playfully vaulting out of her berth onto ‘our’ bed in the am.  A wakeup call I’d like to avoid lol

 

I do see, located on deck 10, two corner afts 1388 & 1688.  They are in a different category & cost approx $100 more than the other aft corner balconies. Larger sq ft & a full size sofa bed. Seems like a no-brainer to me but reviews indicate more than a few complaints about the pole’s placement as to people banging their heads & issues viewing the tv. Not sure that would be a deal breaker for us. The windjammer is directly above but sits back a bit.  Have had cabins above MDRs and didn’t have any major noise issues.  Cabins below kitchens, complete opposite, very noisy.

Edited February 23, 2020 by keishashadow

[Merion_Mom]

Grab 1688 or 1388. 

 

You all will be happy with this choice. 

 

The pole is a non- issue IMO. 

[Scoobydobe7]

^^^Agreed^^^...

[reallyitsmema]

Just sailed in 1688 for the third time on Mariner two weeks ago.  I would not hesitate to book that cabin again.  Absolutely no issues with noise from above.  Pole does block the tv viewing from the bed for one person but not an issue to us as we really don't watch tv on a cruise other than the cruise directors morning show as we are getting ready.  Cabin is definitely a little dated with cracked glazing on the sink and some rust on the mirror corner cabinets but overall was very clean.  Balcony looked freshly painted.  We had soot on the balcony, so always sit on a towel and wear something on your feet.

[APDMOM]

I did a summary to compare the corner afts on Freedom (same as Mariner, just different numbers as they are different class ships).  We prefer deck 7 corner aft for the huge balcony and we spend a lot of time outside.  Others prefer the large room on deck 10, which still has a nice large balcony.  You can compare the two in my review here... 1700 is the same as the one on deck 10, while 7408 is the same as the one on deck 7.  Hope this helps!  Unfortunately, this was done when Photobucket was free, so the pictures don’t embed right.  You will have to click on each picture to link to Photobucket to clearly see the photos.  
 

As for bumping heads... you have more of a chance to bump your head on the pullman bed on deck 7 than on the pole. 🤪

 

 

[keishashadow]

Thanks for the speedy response & APDMom - TR!

 

Let the mr decide, surprised he prefered deck 7 because of the ‘porthole’ type side view on the balcony.  

 

Did find a review where somebody put up a hammock on the deck.  Never thought of that

[TYMAN]

We’re actually in 7388 again starting today. It’s our favorite corner Aft on the Mariner! Have done 7688 also. Let me know if you need more pics. Right now there two are chaise lounges, table & 6 chairs on the balcony. Nice...

Edited February 24, 2020 by TYMAN

[keishashadow]

1 hour ago, TYMAN said:

We’re actually in 7388 again starting today. It’s our favorite corner Aft on the Mariner! Have done 7688 also. Let me know if you need more pics. Right now there two are chaise lounges, table & 6 chairs on the balcony. Nice...

Now, that’s a happy coincidence 🙂. More than enough seating for the 3 of us by the sounds of it.  The size of this one rivals & probably beats other large balconies we’ve enjoyed in the past on DCL & a 3 sided wrap balcony on CCL.  

 

Seems to be the perfect place to sneak in a quick, relaxing nap & I just love the idea of that extra personal space.

 

Curious, do you see any way a hammock could be affixed ala the above pic?  Thinking perhaps it’s not exactly encouraged but there sure seems to be enough room.

  

[TYMAN]

15 hours ago, keishashadow said:

Now, that’s a happy coincidence 🙂. More than enough seating for the 3 of us by the sounds of it.  The size of this one rivals & probably beats other large balconies we’ve enjoyed in the past on DCL & a 3 sided wrap balcony on CCL.  

 

Seems to be the perfect place to sneak in a quick, relaxing nap & I just love the idea of that extra personal space.

 

Curious, do you see any way a hammock could be affixed ala the above pic?  Thinking perhaps it’s not exactly encouraged but there sure seems to be enough room.

  

More than enough room, plus the openings in the ceiling helps. I’ll take a few more pics after breakfast. I do know we had trouble putting it up, but it’s mostly cause I’m not good with knots. Ha!

[keishashadow]

7 hours ago, TYMAN said:

More than enough room, plus the openings in the ceiling helps. I’ll take a few more pics after breakfast. I do know we had trouble putting it up, but it’s mostly cause I’m not good with knots. Ha!

Ahh that’s a nice pic 🙂. Starting to wish we were on a longer sailing aboard that ship now.