Navigator - 1690 booked, switch to 7388??

[Jeanne B]

I currently have 1690 (D1) booked for our cruise next year but from what little I've read 7388/7688 (E1?) seem just as popular as the deck 10 aft cabins. I just called RCCL and 7688 isn't available but 7388 is and I'm thinking about switching because I like the idea of a side and aft view vs just the aft view of 1690.

 

7388 has the pullmen bed, right? DD13 will be traveling with us but she likes the idea of the pull down bed vs the sofabed (she slept in a pullmen on our DCL cruise but not right over our heads, my one negative with 7388).

 

Is the balcony of 7388 any less/more private than 1690?

 

Are there any other major differences between the two that I should consider? I know 7388 is a little smaller than 1690 but that's not that important to me, especially considering the huge balcony.

 

Thank you!! :)

[cb at sea]

If you're thinking of switching from a JS to something smaller---DON'T!!!! The larger cabin will make a world of difference in your vacation! The JS balcony will be more than ample!! You have an entire ship from which to view the ocean from any angle possible--but there's only 1 space that is yours alone, and that will be your cabin. Get the largest stateroom you can afford--the balcony will do you just fine!

[brn2crz]

Not a real expert here..But.I do have 1690 on Voyager..

I think that 1690 rivals in size of balcony,but you have the advantage of 7388 being a corner....So you do have that as a plus if you pick 7388 :)

[Jimbo]

If you're thinking of switching from a JS to something smaller---DON'T!!!! The larger cabin will make a world of difference in your vacation! The JS balcony will be more than ample!! You have an entire ship from which to view the ocean from any angle possible--but there's only 1 space that is yours alone, and that will be your cabin. Get the largest stateroom you can afford--the balcony will do you just fine!

 

1690 is not a JS

[Bonnie Voyager]

It sounds like you already have a pretty good grasp of the differences in 7388 and 1690. 7388's balcony is probably twice as large as 1690's but 1690's balcony is very large and has a great view too. 1690's cabin space feels much larger than 7388's (in my opinion and I've been in both cabins). This is truly a win/win decision though and I too would have a hard time making it! Fortunately I've always been able to get my favorite aft cabin, 1688 and haven't had to make the decision you are faced with. I would not like to have the pullman opened right over my bed and for me that is a deterent to cabins 7688/7388 if I am bringing my son with me but as you pointed out, your daughter DOES prefer the pullman to the sofa bed so 7388 might be great for you! 7388 does have a more private feel than 1690. So, if you truly don't mind having 3 passengers in a rather small cabin and having your daughter's bed over your head every night, then I think you would be very happy in 7388. For myself, I think if I were sailing with my son along I would probably pick 1690 just for the extra space in the cabin and to NOT have him sleeping right over my head! If I were travelling just with my husband and had to select between these two cabins I'd be more likely to select 7388. But, my husband would pick 1690, because he DOES prefer a larger cabin. Oh geez! I hope I am never forced to choose between these two cabins!!!! I don't think I could make up my mind!!! :eek:

[bgmtrans]

Hi Bonnie

 

I know this is crazy but i am getting a little concerned with how small our 7688 Navigator cabin may be. I am absolutely in love with the idea of the HUGE cabin-- but how small is " a rather small cabin"? We have three ( me , hubby & 13 yo son who is quite tall)

 

We really fought to get his cabin but are we going to be too cramped?

 

7692 JS has come available across the aft , I know it is more $$( about $800 yikes!) but should we consider it?

If you could let us know just how small 7688 cabin is , I might feel more at ease..or at least know what to do ..

 

By the way - you are an absolute gem helping all of us nervous Nellies out all the time !

[golfer1966]

I am not sure on the exact square footage of 7688, but we've had this cabin and the sister 7388 and we just love it, but you mention a third person. I guess if your all trying to get dressed for dinner at the same time it may be cramped, but IMO, I would have one person get ready and then head to the balcony and wait to leave. In all honesty, we've had 12 people on this balcony for sail away with room to spare. If the idea of the 800 bux is bothering, Id just go with 7688. Im sure when your in the cabin, youll be out on the balcony anyway...I know we are...!! : ) We even sleep out there some nights.

[Jeanne B]

7388's balcony is probably twice as large as 1690's but 1690's balcony is very large and has a great view too. 1690's cabin space feels much larger than 7388's (in my opinion and I've been in both cabins).

 

I didn't realize there was such a huge difference in the balcony size...I thought I had read that the deck 10 aft cabins had huge balconies so 7388 must REALLY have a big balcony!! I've seen a few of the pictures on your website and I can tell 7388 has the bigger balcony but it's sometimes hard to tell by pictures. You mention the cabin size, is 7388 any smaller than the rest of the E1 cabins? I didn't think there was a huge difference in size between E1 and D1 cabins unless this one is smaller than most E1's. We've sailed the NCL Sun and those cabins are even smaller than the E1 cabins.

 

My DD informed me last night that she likes the idea of the pullmen bed even if it's over our heads but I don't know if I like the idea!! :D

 

I'm sure we'll be VERY happy with either cabin so I really shouldn't be so indecisive about it but it's only natural to want everything to be perfect!!:)

[Bonnie Voyager]

It is true that 7388/7688 have incredible balconies! Definitely larger than any of the deck 10 aft balconies which are huge in their own right! The aft E1's are the same cabin size as any other E1 cabin but the aft D1's seem to be a few feet longer than the side D1's making them about 4 to 6 feet longer than an E1. These measurements are purely approximate but as I mentioned previously, I've been inside all these cabins that we are comparing and my personal opinion was that the aft D1 cabins's feel very spacious while the aft E1's feel rather tight. But, with that HUGE balcony to spread out on, you may not care about the smaller cabin. I have also been in some of the cabins on NCL Dawn and I would say that 7388's cabin was probably comparable in size to a standard balcony cabin on NCL Dawn. I find NCL's cabins to feel small too. Maybe it's just my perception though as I have never actually measured the size of any cabin. My only hang-up with 7388 would be that darned pullman over my head! It sounds like your daughter would really enjoy the pullman though, so it might be worth enduring. Another "bonus" about 7388 is that the price should be lower than 1690 so you can transfer those funds to some great excursion or right back into your pocket! Good luck deciding! It really is a win/win though. No matter which cabin you choose you will enjoy it!

[Peggy13]

With 6 in our family, we've always had two E1 cabins (triples) next to each other - 3 in each cabin - with 1 child sleeping on the top pullman above our heads - it is not that small - it wasn't a problem at all. We are lucky to get 7688/7690 and also 7388/7390 (with friends too) booked for our next summer's Mariner cruise!

[dickens56]

We just got off the Navigator 9/30. Our room was 7388. It is a great room with a larger than usual balcony. It did have a pull down bed above the bed. We booked the same room on the Explorer several years ago and the balcony was even bigger. You can see out the side and the back. You will love it. Grab it while you can.

[Jeanne B]

We just got off the Navigator 9/30. Our room was 7388. It is a great room with a larger than usual balcony. It did have a pull down bed above the bed. We booked the same room on the Explorer several years ago and the balcony was even bigger. You can see out the side and the back. You will love it. Grab it while you can.

 

So far, I've left our cabin as is with 1690, still haven't made up my mind if I want to switch to 7388 but I know we'll have a great cabin either way. :confused:

 

By the time I make up my mind the cabin will probably be gone anyway and then I won't have to worry about it. :D

[dege]

We had cabin 1694 on the Navigator last year. It was large enough to hold about 25 people at a get together we had. We've never had the side aft so I can't speak for that. One point you may or may not have considered is when on deck 7, all of the balconies on the decks above look down into the ones below. We considered having a bit more privacy as one of the advantages of being on the uppermost deck. Just something to think about, but again, we've never had the side balcony to compare.

[Jeanne B]

We considered having a bit more privacy as one of the advantages of being on the uppermost deck. Just something to think about, but again, we've never had the side balcony to compare.

 

That's something I thought about, it seems as if there might be a bit more privacy on deck 10 (with the exception of the restaurant above).

[Bonnie Voyager]

If I remember correctly, 7388/7688 were about as private as you can get! They are both completely covered by deck 8. You could only be seen if you were standing right at the railing. I think decks 8 and 9 middle aft balconies are the ones who are not very private. All the corner balconies are fairly private.

[Jeanne B]

If I remember correctly, 7388/7688 were about as private as you can get!

 

Oh, and just when thought I had my mind made up to leave my cabin selection as is!! :p

[golfer1966]

Your right, these two cabins are virtually unseen by othr decks. Nice shade during the hot day or move your chair close to the railing and you have plenty of sun. Deck six sometimes has crew out there to hangout for awhile before dinner, but other than that, like you said, unless your at the railing, you cannot be seen. We love these two cabins. If we can book it, we will not stay in any other cabin. The suites are nice, but we love the balcony on 7688 / 7388.

 

We are on Jewel in January and have 9256 and everyone says this is a big balcony too, but we were in 8168 in March on Serenade and this is a bit smaller that 9256, so this will not be close to the size of 7688.

 

Were you in 9256 and how would you rate it to 7688 / 7388???

[Bonnie Voyager]

Jeanne, if it was my decision, I'm pretty sure I would stick with 1690. Tell your daughter you will get her a pullman bed on your NEXT cruise! As wonderful as 7388/7688 are, they are still my 3rd choice for best aft cabin on Voyager-class ships. #1 is 1688/1388, #2 is 1690/1390.

 

golfer 1966, I haven't sailed on Serenade yet (or any Radiance-class ships) but I am booked in aft JS 1602 for Easter week 2008. I chose this one versus the corner aft JS cabin (1100) because we prefer shade and the corner balconies on Radiance-class ships are pretty much exposed to the sun. 1602 is one cabin in from the corner but has a HUGE balcony with the large dividers on both side to give a better chance of some shade throughout the day. I have seen photos of 9256 (right under 1100) and while it does seem very large, I think the balcony curves in on the corner taking away from some of your space. I think 7688 is probably a bit larger but not too much.