Cabin 1688 or 1690 on Mariner?

[ChampionCruiser]

After posting my previous thread (asking for the best D1 cabin on the Mariner), I have decided to book an aft balcony cabin, and am guaranteed either cabin 1688 or 1690, but I am still unsure as to which I should choose. Right now, I am leaning toward 1688, based on what I saw on voyager-class.com, but I would still like an opinion/comparison of the staterooms, thanks!

[firstcruiserDB]

We just returned from our Mariner cruise......1688 is simply THE BEST!

 

We enjoyed the nice sized cabin, and the balcony is bigger than most. It's in a great quiet corner of the ship. We enjoyed the balcony every morning for breakfast. There were two chairs, a nice table, and 3 lounges with plenty of room! It does have a steel beam down the middle of the balcony, but it doesn't restrict the beautiful view of the wake. We spent a lot of time on that balcony! We were even fortunate to see a beautiful rainbow at sea AND a full moon! Wow!

 

It is quite a walk to the back of the ship, but it wasn't so bad that it bothered us at all. We would (and will!) book this room again in the near future!!!

 

Let me know if you have any questions!

[poppyskim]

Just back from cabin 1694 on the Mariner-Dream location! I think any room on deck 10 would be primo! Your balcony is fully covered from sun and rain while those below are getting scorched or wet. My son actually slept on the balcony on an aerobed a few nights!We left it out there and enjoyed the view while traveling between islands.You are up the highest so no one looks down on you. The walk was not bad at all- bonus one flight up is the Windjammer and yipppeee the serve yourself Ice cream machine!!It was our first cruise and there is no way we'll cruise again anywhere but aft------we ok if you buy I'll cruise in any room. It was the best vacation!

[ChampionCruiser]

We did it-we're officially booked in cabin 1688 for the July 13, 2008 cruise, and we are SOOOO excited! (even though it is a year away). The only negatives I have heard for the deck 10 aft cabins is the long walk (which we don't mind, due to the amount of food we eat on our cruises:) ) and the fact that it might get too warm in the afternoons, due to the lack of wind (once again, a point that doen't nearly overide the cabin size, location, view, etc.)

 

I only have two questions: first of all, is there any noticible vibration at the aft of the ship (I remember there being quite a bit of vibration at the aft of the Norwegian Majesty, but I also realize that the Mariner is ten years younger) And second: Did the pole in the stateroom seem annoying or "get in the way" at all? Looking at the pictures, it is the only thing from making this cabin perfect, even though I don't think it will be a problem.

 

This will be our first cruise on RCI, and I am very excited (much more than I thoght I would be) Hopefully I will have to change my CC signature when we get back:) .

 

Thanks for the information!

[CLQ]

Although we eventually took a free upgrade to a JS on Voyager, we originally chose 1688 after having been there on Navigator. It' s a huge, square shaped cabin that feels larger than most in its category. The balcony is much larger than normal. We like the covering out there. There's just a lot to love. If 1690 isn't a JS, then that'd be an easy one for us.

[cb at sea]

After about 15 minutes, you won't even NOTICE the pole! I've never felt vibrations on Voyager class ships, but if seas are rough, you will feel more motion back there than in the more mid-ship cabins.

[ChampionCruiser]

I'm glad to hear that there isn't a vibration! We're not worried about possible motions, but the vibration at the aft of the NCL Majesty was CONSTANT (we only ate in the aft dining room once, due to the noisy shaking of glass and china)

[firstcruiserDB]

No, vibration was not a problem. The only times I felt anything at all was when we would be just arriving at a port. Otherwise, we didn't feel a thing.

 

The only time the pole bothered me was when I tried to watch tv.....and believe me, we didn't watch it much! Otherwise, I didn't even notice the pole!

 

Enjoy! And, please don't tell too many people about this cabin! We will be booking our next cruise real soon, and I'm hoping 1688 isn't all booked up!!!

[gooselover]

We had a chance at 1688 on our cruise, but we decided to book 1690. Why? There was no obstruction in 1690 in the room or on the balcony at all. I read tons of posts especially Bonnie Voyager who states that her favorite is, of course, 1388 or 1688, but that 1690 would be second choice. I guess, and I may be wrong, that 1690 has the largest balcony.

 

We just didn't want the obstruction. Enjoy your cabin! This will be our first aft also.

[MaryEBS]

1688 or 1388 - you don't even see the pole! Great views and the added advantage of the wrap around view.

[CLQ]

After about 15 minutes, you won't even NOTICE the pole! I've never felt vibrations on Voyager class ships, but if seas are rough, you will feel more motion back there than in the more mid-ship cabins.

These were both non-issues for us. But, I share the hope that these corner aft cabins won't get too popular. I want to be able to book when we want them.