How do you manage to get an aft cabin?

[LadyGodiva]

If anyone's interested, there's an aft JS available on the July 16, 2006 sailing of Rhapsody, 8590. It's next to the corner, and looks like it has a good, large balcony. It's on RCI's website.

[zackiedawg]

Agree with the others - generally booking early is the key. However, do search some of the large internet-based cruise travel websites. These will usually allow you to pick the class of cabin, and will show you all available rooms of that category. If hidden afts are out there that weren't showing up on the RCCL site, these sites will usually show them.

 

You don't always have to book a year or more in advance. I used this method last month when I booked for Radiance of The Seas in October 2006 - I searched the internet agencies and found one single aft cabin still remaining - a D1. There were a total of 12 D1s left when I booked, and the ship was virtually sold out already, yet there was an aft cabin! So I booked it.

 

As for advantages - most of us love it for the view (beautiful wake trailing away, view of 180 degrees so you can see starboard, aft, and port), and the fact that often the aft balconies are larger than those on the side of the ship.

[WhiteSoxFan]

Please tell me why the aft cabins are so great..I am a new cruiser, maybe I need to get one for my next cruise!!!! Thanks for any info...and is it worth the distance from the elevator??:p

 

I have yet to have one but booked mine because of the huge balconey and wake view, even if it is somewhat obstructed. Of course you get a 180 degree view from the side balconey rooms also, it's just limited to one side of the ship. My corner aft will give me a view out the back and side so all the better.

 

As far as the walk is concerned, only you know how much or how little you want to walk. I said that I'm taking a pedometer with me on my next cruise because I figured I must have walked about 25 miles on my last cruise between walking around and up/down the stairs & walking around on shore.

[lisas414]

Can someone please tell me what an AFT is? I am cruise illiterate...sorry!

[LonW]

Can someone please tell me what an AFT is? I am cruise illiterate...sorry!

 

Rear of the ship.

[RSS from SF]

I've been playing with the RCI website, seeing what cabins are available on various cruises. Aft cabins never seem to come up.

What must you do to get an aft cabin? They seem rarer than gold-dust!

Just wondering!

Karen

Find a TA who is a "Key Account" for RCCL. They sometimes have a block of cabins.

 

Like this morning -- when Navigator Transatlantic for 4/14/2007 booking opened -- the corner afts were gone in minutes; the cabins were gone before I had a chance to snag one on my own. (Less than an hour after I had called RCCL directly to see if the bookings were open, and just a couple of minutes after someone had seen the bookings open here on CC.)

 

If you don't know where to find one, google for "agencies compete for cruises" to find the site that allows you to enter the cruise and cabins you like and the agencies email you and tell you if they have the cabin(s) available for you. (...As I savor the thought of the corner aft I'll be enjoying back to back on the Transatlantic and Paris itineraries...)

[LadyGodiva]

Find a TA who is a "Key Account" for RCCL. They sometimes have a block of cabins.

 

Like this morning -- when Navigator Transatlantic for 4/14/2007 booking opened -- the corner afts were gone in minutes; the cabins were gone before I had a chance to snag one on my own. (Less than an hour after I had called RCCL directly to see if the bookings were open, and just a couple of minutes after someone had seen the bookings open here on CC.)

 

If you don't know where to find one, google for "agencies compete for cruises" to find the site that allows you to enter the cruise and cabins you like and the agencies email you and tell you if they have the cabin(s) available for you. (...As I savor the thought of the corner aft I'll be enjoying back to back on the Transatlantic and Paris itineraries...)

 

How does one go about finding a TA who is a "Key Account" for RCCL? I would love to find one since RCCL is the only line I cruise with.

[Bennett'sCruise]

There have been TWO aft staterooms on RCI's website for the RADIANCE's 9/23/06 cruise ... Hawaii Round-trip. They've been available for about two weeks. Any takers?

 

~d

[RSS from SF]

How does one go about finding a TA who is a "Key Account" for RCCL? I would love to find one since RCCL is the only line I cruise with.

If you don't find one from the other sources, let me know. (rssfromsf at hotmail.com) [P.S. I'm not a TA, nor am I affiliated with any travel business.]

[kybill]

We just kept surfing the RCCL website and the cruise we wanted and then low and behold 1600 aft on the Radiance of the Seas was open. We booked it right then. We had a great cruise and really and enjoyed the aft cabin and the extra large balcony.

Bill

[TJW]

Book well in advance. Reserved a D1 aft for the Brilliance TA for Dec 07 today. There are other Aft's available.

[warpdrvr]

Thank you all so much for the great info on aft cabins. I called RCCL this afternoon and spoke with a great customer service rep by the name of Patricia. While both corner aft cabins were already taken, I was able to snag the one right next door to it, 8090, for our cruise from Alaska to Los Angeles in September 2007. I am so excited. That will be our second cruise, our first one being this summer from Los Angeles to Mexico. I'll keep calling back every couple of weeks to see if a corner comes available. Thanks to you all here, I wouldn't have known how cool an aft balcony is.