Need help re: Spirit balcony choices for Alaska Cruise

[imluvncruzn]

Ok...so considering booking an Alaska cruise next year and I've never sailed on a Spirit class ship. The deck plan is confusing because it seems some of the balcony rooms are set further inside than others? Is there a benefit to booking one that is further out or vice versa? Please feel free to give recommendations for great balcony cabins and/or ones to avoid...Also are there any benefits to being on a lower deck (closer to the water) when cruising Alaska? How about aft cabins for this particular route? Please chime in...Thanks in advance!

[falkcor]

if i'm reading your inquiry correctly, then the in/out are a function of placement of the lifeboats in the design of this class ship, see here:

 

 

one of the benefits of having the balconies that are 'out' is that you can look straight down at the sea, and not see lifeboats.

 

then, there are also 'extended' balconies on the side, look at the lowest balconies on the right here:

 

they're about 50% deeper... so that, in this case in particular, is a benefit of being on one of the lower decks:

 

 

also of note - the dividers between almost all cabins can be opened - and they latch to the rail toward the front of the ship. see lower left-ish on the 2nd row up of balconies, deck 6.

 

the very best would be the aft wrap vista (i think that's what they call them now) suites. those balconies are HUGE

 

there are also 3 or 4 balconies that have 3x wide balconies, with a standard sized balcony cabin. check the deck plans. and aft balconies are 'extended' so about 50% deeper than standard, also.

[gail811]

I had a Vista suite (aft wrap) on our Alaska cruise, and would vote aft. If the suite is not in your budget, get an aft on the main deck (4) It offers the most overhang and Alaska weather can be rainy/misty. The views were amazing and I never had to run up to the Lido or Sun deck for any of them! No matter where you end up booking I hope you enjoy your cruise....Alaska remains one of my favorite destinations!

 

 

[luv2cruise777l]

I had a Vista suite (aft wrap) on our Alaska cruise, and would vote aft. If the suite is not in your budget, get an aft on the main deck (4) It offers the most overhang and Alaska weather can be rainy/misty. The views were amazing and I never had to run up to the Lido or Sun deck for any of them! No matter where you end up booking I hope you enjoy your cruise....Alaska remains one of my favorite destinations!

 

 

 

I agree with gail811. We also had a Vista Suite on deck 4 (4237) which had the overhang so you can be out on your balcony even if it is raining. The aft balconies on that deck also have the overhang and will offer the best views from both sides while sailing the passage. If the Vista Suite isn't in my budget next time .....I would definately go for one of the aft balconies on deck 4!

[densol]

We had premium balcony 7301 and I could not believe just how big this room is. It wraps the elevators and there is NO noise at all. Its L shaped and feels like a suite and has a big balcony. I loved this room !!!

 

Denise :D

[babies12]

I'd say go for those triple long balconies! We were in 6232 Carnival Pride. Grant it, it was just DH and I and I have heard you can get bumped as this particular cabin is a quad, but there are others, such as 8232 and I believe 7232 that allow 2 people, not sure about the number, check the deck plan, but if you can snag one of these cabins OMG perfect for Alaska! Super long balcony great for Alaska!

[cathyz]

I'd say go for those triple long balconies! We were in 6232 Carnival Pride. Grant it, it was just DH and I and I have heard you can get bumped as this particular cabin is a quad, but there are others, such as 8232 and I believe 7232 that allow 2 people, not sure about the number, check the deck plan, but if you can snag one of these cabins OMG perfect for Alaska! Super long balcony great for Alaska!

I think you're thinking of 7258, which is one of the extended triple long balconies that is for 2 people. We had had one on the Spirit and it was fabulous for our daily happy hour for our friends (a group of 30) traveling with us. The one thing I didn't like about this balcony, as is the problem with any extended, is that you can't look straight down to the water.

[MrsHeart]

We just went in July and had ocean suite 7345 and it was great.

[imluvncruzn]

Thanks for all the advice! I never thought about the overhang ...do the aft cabins on other floors have a covered balcony or does it get smaller toward the higher decks! Thanks again!

[lindan1020]

We have cruised on the Spirit twice and both times we had extended balconies. 6232 or 7258 are both extended balcony rooms. These balconies are awesome, they are almost 100 feet long with two chairs and two loungers. Perfect for enjoying the scenery. Have a great cruise

[ksat]

We just returned from the Spirit on the 6th of September and had cabin 7137. This was selected because we were traveling with my sister and bil and it adjoins with 7133. We unlocked the door between the 2 rooms instead of opening the divider on the balcony as opening the divider would have obstructed some of the view. I thought it was great for its location.

[flounder315]

We have cruised on the Spirit twice and both times we had extended balconies. 6232 or 7258 are both extended balcony rooms. These balconies are awesome, they are almost 100 feet long with two chairs and two loungers. Perfect for enjoying the scenery. Have a great cruise

 

I booked 7258 on the Miracle for June 2013. Can't wait to see Alaska from this balcony. Do you have any pictures of the balcony or room?

[wasiii]

.....Vista Suite! Vista Suite! Vista Suite! Vista Suite! Vista Suite!

 

:D

 

wasiii

[jrmende63]

We sailed northbound to Alaska and had starboard side 4229. It is on main deck. I would choose it again.

[MNelson486]

We are booked in 7301 for Alaska on the Miracle next summer. I am really looking forward to our first balcony and a little extra room!

 

Anyone have pictures of this one?

 

Missy

[CRUZBUDS]

We really like aft balconies on the Spirit Class ships. The only ones that are fully covered are deck four. The others have only partial cover. Our last Alaska cruise it rained every day.

 

The wrap around and suites look great, we don't spend the money on them. We hope to retire someday ;)

[jsfromsc]

We were on the Miracle in 2010 and this was one of the only things I didn't like about the ship. There was not a clear view looking forward or aft because of cabins that jutted out on either side of us. Our upcoming Baltic cruise will be on the Legend and our PVP even recommended getting one of the cabins mid-ship that are on the portion of the ship that sticks out for better views. We got the forwardmost cabin in that section so that no one would be right next to our balcony on one side and we could see to the front of the ship. If you can afford a suite, I'd go for the aft suite. We had an aft wrap balcony room on the Triumph a couple of times and it was so nice not only to have the extra space but the extra view to be able to see aft for the ship's wake, moonlight on the water, etc. but a side view as well. Wish we could afford a suite but since we'll be ashore quite a bit on the European cruise (not to mention the more expensive airfare), the balcony is going to be expensive enough for us. Hope you get a great cabin. I really like this class of ship and it seems many others do as well.

[Irishlinny]

I booked 7258 on the Miracle for June 2013. Can't wait to see Alaska from this balcony. Do you have any pictures of the balcony or room?

Here's part of 7258...there were also 2 loungers where I was standing. This is our favorite cabin...have had it 3 times on Legend and Miracle:)

 

 

To the OP, although the above is our favorite, for an Alaska cruise, I may choose an aft balcony on deck 4. Yes, you're right, the overhang decreases as you go to the higher decks. The reason I don't get an aft is because we cruise the islands and these balconies tend to get a lot of sun. But in Alaska it would be nice to have the sun and to be able to see both sides of the ship! And yes, if you could afford the aft wrap (Vista), those are awesome...they have a separate sleeping/living area, plus the usual suite perks (like VIP boarding, nicer bathroom, dressing room, etc). Deck 5 Vistas are one big room.

[gusandgidgetsmom]

We cruised on the Spirit last summer to Alaska. We had 4 rooms in our party--a Vista suite, an Ocean suite, an aft balcony and an inside room. This was on the 8th deck. We all agreed the OS was the best room by far. I liked being aft on the ship but the aft balcony room seemed cramped and crowded. The Vista suite was pretty chopped up and because it was on the 8th deck the people above could see in the people --next door could peer over the partition (in our case that was ok because it was one of our party) and there was little to no over hang to prevent the rain or sun from pounding down. We had a great view from the OS and the room had lots of space. I know there are great fans of Vista and aft balconys but guess our group is just not one.

[breenw]

Vista Suites on deck 4 (cabin 4237 and 4228 are in my opinion the best cabins on the whole ship. They are 2 room suites, not just 1 large room. The railing on that particular deck allows for more floor space on the balcony as it is straight down and not slanted. Loved having the separate bedroom where you can shut the door from the other part of the cabin! We are doing the Hawaii trip again in January 2014 and have rebooked the VS on deck 4!

[dk1]

We had a connected pair of OS last September on the Port side. The breaching whales were on the starboard. If we had an aft we would have been able to see them on either side.

That being said, the Port side was actually the side that was the better for seeing as we came into port. I do recall opening the curtain and seeing Juno up close & personal, glad I had a robe on, we were that close.

 

Enjoy it, we did!

dk