I booked Aft Penthouse on Jewel, Friends have Front Penthouse

[woodmews]

I booked Aft Penthouse on Jewel, Friends have Front Penthouse. Should I change my cabin. They have 2 cabins 10000 and 10500. I have 10666. Should I switch to 10502 or stay at the aft. Its $200 more for the front. We are going during February school holiday, so it will probably be cold.

[jack300s]

I booked Aft Penthouse on Jewel, Friends have Front Penthouse. Should I change my cabin. They have 2 cabins 10000 and 10500. I have 10666. Should I switch to 10502 or stay at the aft. Its $200 more for the front. We are going during February school holiday, so it will probably be cold.

 

I think you should stay in cabin 10666!

 

Here's why......I'll be staying in cabin 10666 on the Gem for Canada/NE, and I would love to have you give an update on your cabin with pictures and videos. lol...lol.....

 

OK, just kidding. You raise a good question. Maybe some suite traveler can give you some advice. I would think the less windy aft cabin would be better in cooler weather...

[JrzCruiser]

I had 10000 last July and it was so much bigger than my sister's aft ph. I'm not sure how big 10502 will be, but at least you guys will be close.

[RareBird]

I can give you advice in 3 weeks, we are in front penthouse on Star to Bermuda. :). We saw an aft penthouse about a year ago, so I'll have a good comparison. We are in one of the cabins your friend has, 2 big ones on 10th.

 

I love aft cabins, but we booked on bow since cabins are bigger and views are insane sailing out of ny. Plus 3 quiet days parked in Bermuda to enjoy that big balcony.

[mickeysgal]

We are going during February school holiday, so it will probably be cold.

 

Exactly our reason for not wanting a forward penthouse and opted for an aft balcony for our Alaska cruise. From what I understand there can be a wind issue in the forward cabins where the aft cabins are sheltered. In warm weather, I could see this not being such a big deal, but in cold weather, that doesn't seem very pleasant and relaxing to me.

[KeithJenner]

I haven't been in any of these suites, but I've been doing a lot of research whilst planning for next years cruise, and can just confirm a couple of bits about the front Penthouses.

 

As has been said, the two cabins that your friends have are bigger than the other Penthouses on the ship as they have a bit extra that sticks out into the Balcony. This means that the balcony is relatively smaller, but as the balconies on the front are massive anyway, this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

Being on the front does mean that you are at risk of not being able to use the balcony at times, and there is the restriction of having to have the curtains closed at night. I know that this puts a lot of people off of the front suites.

 

Your requirements may well be different, but I came to the conclusion that if I was to be in a front Penthouse then I would much prefer 10000 and 10500, as this additional room means that there is extra room to move inside if you can't use the balcony.

 

One other thing to consider if you can afford it, is the Owners Suites (again deck 10 are a little bigger). I hadn't even looked at them, as I assumed they were out of our price range, but have just got off the phone to NCL to move there, as it was a lot cheaper than I had thought. It's a much bigger cabin, with a second balcony at the side, so it doesn't matter as much if you can't use the front balcony. It also gives access to the Haven.

[Nalagh]

I booked Aft Penthouse on Jewel, Friends have Front Penthouse. Should I change my cabin. They have 2 cabins 10000 and 10500. I have 10666. Should I switch to 10502 or stay at the aft. Its $200 more for the front. We are going during February school holiday, so it will probably be cold.

 

While the suite might be smaller, the aft balcony is private. I would keep yours and the space away from your friends. While it is wonderful to sail with our friends, it is also importantant to us to have our own space.

 

Good luck and happy planning!

[PeleNipsy]

On my last cruise, I stayed in an Owner's Suite while my friends had an aft penthouse. We actually got the best of both worlds. Everyone would be on the front balcony when we went in/out of port, but we'd also have aft views while sailing. Plus, we got our daily exercise walking the entire length of the ship.

[woodmews]

Thanks for all your info. I am not that concerned about the room in the suite, It is just myself and daughter.

 

I was also thinking it would be nice to have some space between us, for their enjoyment as well, they are 2 couples that each have 2 children, but my daughter (16) is friends with on of their daughters and I wasn't sure if it would be better for her to be close.

 

I am concerned about the wind and not being able to have our shades open.

 

I will be sailing in December in a Aft Penthouse on the Pearl, so I could have a taste of both to see which one I enjoy more.

 

Any other comments are greatly appreciated.

[2Cruise4Ever]

I would stay in the Aft Penthouse because of the cold weather. While you're at sea, you won't have nearly as much wind on the Aft balcony that you would in the Forward balcony... that would be my preference anyway.

[Redheel Girl]

I have stayed in an Aft suite, Forward Suite and on the Pearl the Owners suite. It depends on where you are Sailing as to which Suite is better. The Aft Suite is great for many destinations and the Wake is beautiful to watch. The Forward bow Suite is the only one for the Panama Canal but could be cold if the

weather is bad.But the best is the Owners Suite and it has it all. You have two Balconys in the Owners Suite and it is a beautiful Suite with all of the high end aminities plus 3 bottles of Liquor and access to the Villa Suite area and a reserved setting at the Theater. The size of the Cabin is very large.;)

[Tiggertastic]

We had the aft penthouse on the Jade - sister ship of the Jewel.

 

The privacy was wonderful, we had the corner one although it doesn't wrap around the corner. At the front, the bridge sees into your balcony.

 

We used to lay out when we returned from dinner and watch the stars in peace and quiet - it was peaceful

 

The only issue is, don;t get the ones on deck 8 as you hear the winch lowering the anchor at 6am!

[woodmews]

We had the aft penthouse on the Jade - sister ship of the Jewel.

 

The privacy was wonderful, we had the corner one although it doesn't wrap around the corner. At the front, the bridge sees into your balcony.

 

We used to lay out when we returned from dinner and watch the stars in peace and quiet - it was peaceful

 

The only issue is, don;t get the ones on deck 8 as you hear the winch lowering the anchor at 6am!

 

I have the Aft Penthouse booked for my next 2 cruises. Unfortunately one of them is on Deck 8, but I am trying desperately to change to another cabin if one becomes available.

[dutchess43]

I sailed in cabin #10664 on the Jewel this past FEB with my DD & GS(4) it was perfect we had nice cold weather but had no wind & we used the balcony, for this reason I will not sail in a forward facing cabin. I am booked in cabin 10166 for a fall cruise on the GEM for the same reason.

[cabincop]

I have been in both and it will be hard to use you balcony in forward suites at certain times, but I also thought during spring break if you are in aft maybe less people running around the aft area and it is true if you are all in a row you might want a small break from everyone. I loved forward suites for certain cruises but not for winter out of NY. Btw more moment in forward suites than aft, enjoy your cruise