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Aft-wrap suite for Hawaii cruise


DaveOKC
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We are considering booking an at-wrap for our 18 day Hawaii cruise and was wondering if this was a good idea or not, since we will have a total of 10 sea days and of course it might get a bit rough at times. The other consideration of course is the views of the islands for the week we are in Hawaii.

 

Thoughts of getting an aft-wrap or should we just choose a Neptune suite closer to the Neptune Lounge?

 

We will be in a Vista class ship.

 

Thanks

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Book the aft corner!!! Unless you plan on frequent visits to the Neptune you won’t miss it. I usually bring an insulated travel mug if I want coffee from their special machine. If you need the concierge you can always call. We’ve gone an entire voyage with only one or 2 visits to the lounge. It really depends on which you would use more, the lounge or the balcony.

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sorry to be contradictory, but I woudn't do an aft on this cruise.

 

Firstly, a lot of days are sea days and there are no superior views in an aft.

 

Secondly, we lucked out and it wasn't that rough (In my definition) but it can get rough in these waters and the last place I would want to be other than forward, is aft ;)

 

You might not be able to use that balcony as much as on a Caribbean.

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An aft wrap will give you a great field of view of the islands. With no wind on the aft portion, you can enjoy your meals on your veranda. That means sunrise breakfasts on the way and sunset dinners on the way home. Add some LED candles and a tablecloth for more ambiance.

 

A special perk for aft staterooms is the hot breakfasts is only a short elevator ride from the kitchen.

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Once in an aft wrap suite was enough for me. Never again.

Terri

 

Once in an aft wrap suite was enough for me. Every chance I get!

 

For me, it's all about the big balcony and great views, even on sea days. That said, I would think twice about an aft for a long ocean crossing, especially the Pacific. The Vistas tend to corkscrew in rough weather, and I find that tough to take. (I sometimes wonder what Magellan was thinking when he said this ocean is "peaceful.")

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It's personal preference - for myself, having done an aft wrap based on all I read here, I will never book one again. 2 rough sea days and my DH was not a happy camper (cruiser). We found the balcony unusable on one side due to winds, as well. But those of you who swear by it, and claim you can get 50 people on the balcony - go for it. We find the mid-ship Neptunes or SS way more to our liking.

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We are considering booking an at-wrap for our 18 day Hawaii cruise and was wondering if this was a good idea or not, since we will have a total of 10 sea days and of course it might get a bit rough at times. The other consideration of course is the views of the islands for the week we are in Hawaii.

 

Thoughts of getting an aft-wrap or should we just choose a Neptune suite closer to the Neptune Lounge?

 

We will be in a Vista class ship.

 

Thanks

 

We have done both, both on a Vista Class ship, and while we loved our aft wrap on deck 5 (Westerdam), which was perfect for our full Panama Canal transit, we've found we prefer cabins closer to the Neptune lounge in general. For Hawai'i, I would be torn, so good luck to you, Dave, whatever cabin you choose. ( I know my post is not so very helpful).

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DW and I are going for our first aft suite next summer on a northbound Alaska trip. We chose it for the 270 degree views we can get from the balcony and the partially "elements" protected part of the balcony. For Alaska it made sense especially given my understanding is that with an inside passage, most of the trip will normally have very calm waters. In the open Pacific around Hawaii, the chances of being affected by rough seas is much higher and I doubt my DW would go for it. :eek:

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We were in our first aft wrap last December on the westerdam. We loved it are looking forward to our next cruise on the Eurodam also in an aft wrap. While we felt a bit more motion of the ocean, it was barely noticeable. Loved sitting on the balcony with a bottle of wine and our battery powered candle every night after dinner, watching the moon and the wake. I didn’t find the longer walk to the NS arduous and did it a couple of times a day. Nice to be close to the aft elevators and the Lido. If you are prone to motion sickness, you may want to steer clear. I actually am but it did not bother me at all.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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DW and I are going for our first aft suite next summer on a northbound Alaska trip. We chose it for the 270 degree views we can get from the balcony and the partially "elements" protected part of the balcony. For Alaska it made sense especially given my understanding is that with an inside passage, most of the trip will normally have very calm waters. In the open Pacific around Hawaii, the chances of being affected by rough seas is much higher and I doubt my DW would go for it. :eek:

 

For Alaska the corner afts are fantastic! That was our first corner aft. I thought I'd only want/need it for Alaska, but once I had one, I was hooked.

 

I've been in a deck 5 corner aft. Yes, it's huge (might be a bit crowded with 50, but probably doable), but since we weren't having a party, we didn't need the space. We prefer deck 7, shorter walk to the lounge.

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For Alaska the corner afts are fantastic! That was our first corner aft. I thought I'd only want/need it for Alaska, but once I had one, I was hooked.

 

I've been in a deck 5 corner aft. Yes, it's huge (might be a bit crowded with 50, but probably doable), but since we weren't having a party, we didn't need the space. We prefer deck 7, shorter walk to the lounge.

And I am exactly the opposite. I thought it was a waste of money in Alaska but heaven in the Caribbean. It was too cold outside to make any real use of that beautiful balcony.

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Once in an aft wrap suite was enough for me. Every chance I get!

 

For me, it's all about the big balcony and great views, even on sea days. That said, I would think twice about an aft for a long ocean crossing, especially the Pacific. The Vistas tend to corkscrew in rough weather, and I find that tough to take. (I sometimes wonder what Magellan was thinking when he said this ocean is "peaceful.")

 

It's personal preference - for myself, having done an aft wrap based on all I read here, I will never book one again. 2 rough sea days and my DH was not a happy camper (cruiser). We found the balcony unusable on one side due to winds, as well. But those of you who swear by it, and claim you can get 50 people on the balcony - go for it. We find the mid-ship Neptunes or SS way more to our liking.

 

I am glad to see some posting about the realities of cruising to Hawaii. The first two sea days out of San Diego can be very unfriendly as can the two returning.

 

What else is in store for you is an unknown, but we had a lot of rain, and the fog that stuff brings so in many places you could barely see some of the islands - let alone tender to them.

 

If you are an aft afficionado, by all means book it, but do listen to the people who have gone / researched going there. It's not Alaska / Caribbean. It's the Pacific and it has it's own mind on weather, waves and what you see ;)

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I can recall sailing between Panama and Pearl Harbor in April while serving in the USCG. The Pacific was like glass leaving Panama. Two days later we were rolling and pitching so much we could barely stand on the fantail for Noon muster. All this on a bright, sunny day! It can be rough around the islands as well.

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It's personal preference - for myself, having done an aft wrap based on all I read here, I will never book one again. 2 rough sea days and my DH was not a happy camper (cruiser). We found the balcony unusable on one side due to winds, as well. But those of you who swear by it, and claim you can get 50 people on the balcony - go for it. We find the mid-ship Neptunes or SS way more to our liking.

Exactly my thoughts.

Terri

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We just got off of the Westerdam, 28 days Venice to FLL, in an aft cabin. From Santorini to Naples, a sea day, we had 26 ft seas and rain. The slight shimmy of the aft part of the ship was barely noticeable, and certainly didn't affect our sleep. We love Aft and Aft-Wrap cabins, whenever we can get them.

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We just returned from an aft wrap-around on the Oosterdam cabin 5190, our first Neptune suite. We loved everything about it especially the verandah. This was a 7 day Caribbean cruise in calm waters so no motion to speak of except first and last nights, but that was felt all over the ship, at least by us.

As to the distance to the Neptune lounge and Pinnacle Grill, unless you have some walking difficulties, it's really not that long of a walk. We used the stairs mostly wherever we went and a little walk here and there wasn't a big deal for us. We visited the lounge several times a day.

We're considering Hawaii at some point in a Neptune aft. I'll look forward to reading about your experience with a Neptune aft if you decide to book it.

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My experience on west coast/Hawaii cruises is that balconies aren't very useful during the crossings because of temperature. The Pacific along the west coast is cold and it was too cool for us to make use of the balcony comfortably. It was a delight to use it while in Hawaiian waters. I don't know the OP's itinerary but it will certainly include Honolulu. Every time I've been there the ship docks bow in, so the aft balcony will be facing the ocean and what you can see of the dock area. Lahaina and Kona are tender ports so you'll have a view of whatever as the ship swings at anchor.

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