Looking for advice on Jewel cabin selection

[Gumtree]

I understand that D1 cabins have 204 sq ft while E1's have 179. The two E1's are on the hump - one of them (#8102) is on the side where the elevators are, right behind the hump - the balcony looks almost as big as the cabin; the other one (#8586) is on the opposite side of the hump, on the curve, and it's balcony looks larger than the standard size. Or, should I go for the D1 #9572 w/standard size balcony, but 25 more sq ft of inside room? There will be 2 adults/2 teens in this cabin. My hold is on #8201 but am reconsidering my options. Thank you!

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Gumtree,

Do you mean you have 8102 on hold? I don't have first hand experience but from what I understand the extra square footage between a D1 and E1 is noticable. I would think that is especially true with 4 people in the cabin. However, if you have reserved a room on the hump, that balcony would be hard to give up. Can you get a D1 on the hump?

[Gumtree]

Donna, thanks for your reply. Yes, I have #8102 on hold. No D1's on the hump, otherwise life would be grand :) I guess the real toss up is do I choose a huge balcony & smaller cabin, or go with the larger cabin & standard balcony. My toss-up between the two E1 cabins is one side of the hump vs the other. The 8102 balcony is larger, but I'm wondering if the 8586 is better because you don't have the elevator hump in the way. If I keep the 8102 maybe I should bring the Aero bed & let my son sleep on the balcony ~ he'd love it!

 

My first cruise was on the Windjammer for our honeymoon ~ I couldn't sleep in the cabin because of the motion, so everynight I'd sleep up on deck. Made for a lovely honeymoon!

 

Have you been on the Radiance class ships? This is our first RCCL cruise. My in-laws will be on the NOS first week of Feb.

[yfraser]

We were in aft facing balconies aboard the Jewel in November... lovely... large balcony and D1 cabin... so the best of both worlds... here are some photos to help with the decision...

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/yfraser

 

good luck...

[Gumtree]

Thanks for the pics, but no aft's were available :(

[skiiergirl]

Have never had 8102 (or others in that same location) but I understand the balcony is very nice. If there were just 2 of you I would definitely say go for it. We have never had more than 2 in a cabin but I would just think with 4 the larger cabin space would be more important. We had a D1 last year and then went back to an E1 this year and even for just the two of us could definitely tell the difference.

[tinkerme1]

8102 is a nice cabin, the balcony is very deep and same width as most other cabins. From folks that have had this cabin before, they all say that traveling with four in this cabin is pretty cramped, but capable of being okay if everyone is "neat and tidy"! LOL! You'll enjoy this cabin, since it is in a very good location. No noise from elevator. Close to centrum and elevators.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Gumtree,

If you're choosing between those 2 E1 cabins, I would stick with the one you reserved. The balcony looks larger then the other one. I guess I would base the decision on whether to change to a D1 on how much time your family spends on your balcony. When is your cruise?

[beachchick]

My 2 cents: If you like to all be out enjoying the balcony together, get the E1 with the largest balcony (sounds like you have that reserved). We had connecting D1s with standard size balconies last cruise, but the captain wouldn't allow the balcony dividers to be opened so we had to cram ourselves onto one balcony or the other. This was 4 adults. We managed, but it sure would have been nice to all be able to "stretch" out and relax on the balcony.

 

beachchick

[jpmacdonald2]

I was faced with the same dilema and booked 8102 for our upcoming cruise. I figured if someone needed a little space, they could go out on the balcony - it is huge. The aft cabins did not hold 4 and were not available for us. I am sure we will enojoy being in a central location too.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[michigal]

Hi there,

We were in #8586 in November. Here are my comments about that cabin:

 

The balcony was great...there is plenty of room for 4 people on it.

Explorer's Court is just outside that cabin. It's where the international ambassador's desk is (which is almost always empty). There is also a small sitting area there with a sofa and 2 chairs. We used that area when we were waiting for each other to finish dressing for dinner, etc.

 

Regarding cabin size, there were 3 of us. DH and teenage son are both giants, so I was worried about feeling claustrophobic, but it worked out very well for us. Son used the drop down pullman (not the sofa bed). If we had used the sofa bed, it would have been a little difficult for us to get to the Bathroom during the night. There is a curtain between the "bed" and "sitting" area that allowed for privacy - that was nice.

 

If you think you are going to use your balcony a lot, then I would recommend staying on deck 8. Like I mentioned earlier, they only time space might be a big issue is when the sofa bed is opened up at night.

 

If deciding between 8102 and 8586, I might take 8102 because the balcony is even larger.

 

Happy cruising!