Front or rear?

[Queen of the 7 Seas]

Please help us with a cabin selection. We are booked on the Solstice Sept. 22 to Hawaii. The first 5 days of the cruise are spent crossing the Pacific from Vancouver to the Big Island. Our choice is between a cabin towards the rear of ship on deck 10 or one towards the front on deck 6. Both cabins are about 25 cabin widths from the bow and stern.

 

Is a forward cabin subject to that much more motion and pitching than a rear cabin? My TA mentioned that the bow breaks into each wave which can be uncomfortable in a forward cabin in deep ocean waters.

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited July 25, 2017 by Queen of the 7 Seas
more information

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I often like to book cabins as far forward as possible because I actually like the rocking and it can rock a lot forward if the seas are rough.

 

I generally try to avoid aft cabins because the ship's smokestacks can spray a lot of smoke depending on which way the wind is blowing. Sometimes the smell can be quite strong.

[Purplsmurf]

Cruising on the Pacific Ocean is much bumpier than the Atlantic so I would take the once toward the back. The front might be too much movement.

[Ma Bell]

The front cabin will have more motion than the rear. You will never have to worry about the smokestacks unless you are on the back of the ship and even then it's not much.

[matondo]

Last cruise I took was on the Eclipse we were on a balcony 2 or 3 cabins from the front of the ship. The water was fairly smooth and the rocking at night was wonderful..it the seas had been rough I don't think I would have enjoyed the cabin as much. I would go with the back part of the ship. IMHO

[Sandtrap328]

I would suggest getting one of the "hump" or slant balcony cabins. They are very near the mid-ship elevators and have better balconies than other cabins. Being middle of the ship, the movement is lessened to a large extent.

[CruisingUS]

I got a room in the back once on a different ship on a different CL.....never again....The anchors are very loud and wake me up at like 6 am. I just can't

[ClaudiaB]

We prefer as far aft as possible, with corner aft our favorites. We also like as high up as we can be with cabins above and below.

Never in 14 cruises aft have we had smoke or smoke smell or ash from the stacks.

 

There will be more motion in the front and higher up. Least is center and low. Motion isn't an issue for us. As a matter of fact, I kind of like some rolling seas. Lets me know I'm on a ship. :D

 

So many different opinions on cabin locations.

[Hydrokitty]

I would vote for the aft cabin every time....forward cabins have several disadvantages, IMHO:

 

1. there is more motion because the bow does indeed break the waves;

2. there is a lot more wind coming at you if you're in the front and at times it can make the balcony virtually unusable;

3. depending on your deck you may not be able to use your balcony at night nor will you be able to open your drapes at night if you are in your cabin because the light from you cabin might interfere with the visibility from the bridge.

 

In favor of the aft cabin:

 

1. The view is spectacular and there is no obstruction for picture taking;

2. You can sit on your balcony and be protected from the wind and sometimes the rain because the entire length and breadth of the ship is protecting you;

3. I never heard the anchors and I never had a problem with soot from the stacks...our cabin steward did sweep the balcony every morning.

 

On the downside: IF walking is an issue for you or your cabin mate and you're on the Solstice class ships, like Eclipse, the walk from your aft cabin to the elevator EVERY time you want to go anywhere is very long. I don't know what they were thinking when they designed the ships in this class but there are only 2 elevator banks: forward and mid-ship. On the M class, like Infinity, there's 3 elevator banks, forward, mid-ship and aft....For these reasons we get an aft cabin if we're on Infinity and a "hump" cabin if we're on Eclipse.

[Ma Bell]

I got a room in the back once on a different ship on a different CL.....never again....The anchors are very loud and wake me up at like 6 am. I just can't

Obviously you haven't been on a Solstice Class ship. The place you hear the anchors is in the front of the ship, not the back. The aft anchors are below the public decks, but the forward anchors are up higher.

[CruisingUS]

Obviously you haven't been on a Solstice Class ship. The place you hear the anchors is in the front of the ship, not the back. The aft anchors are below the public decks, but the forward anchors are up higher.

Yes, as I have stated in my original post.

[Ma Bell]

Yes, as I have stated in my original post.

 

Yes, I just don't want the OP to think it's that way on Solstice too. I guess I don't understand the point of your post.

[villauk]

I would suggest getting one of the "hump" or slant balcony cabins. They are very near the mid-ship elevators and have better balconies than other cabins. Being middle of the ship, the movement is lessened to a large extent.

 

Unsure if you missed it in the first post, but the OP stated their 2 options and mid-ship wasn't one of them.

 

OP, I'd much prefer aft than forward. No noise from anchors at the back either.

[mafig]

We prefer aft also. We were on deck 6 on a S class (I think it was Reflection), and while the movement wasn't bad, it was very noisy on certain nights with the ship breaking the waves. It wasn't a pleasant sound, more like Crash, Crash. :eek:

[Queen of the 7 Seas]

A JOINT THANK YOU TO

Gangway Style ,Purplsmurf ,matondo ,Sandtrap328 ,ClaudiaB ,Hydrokitty ,CruisingUS ,Ma Bell,villauk , and mafig for your valuable comments answering my question. The clear consensus is that midships is best, but rearwards is better than front and that's what we will choose.

 

This discussion suddenly reminded me of my one bow cabin experience around 20 years ago. This was our second cruise (the first was in 1966, 5 days in the Aegean on the Semiramis, $80/pax). We were in the South Pacific on the Regal Princess, and we had very calm seas. Cabin choice was limited and we were inexperienced, so we wound up in a cabin next to the anchor chain locker. Every morning that we reached another island we were awakened by the sound and vibration of each heavy link as it passed through the chain hole. That's one cabin choice I won't make again!

Thanks again to all.

[CruisingUS]

Yes, I just don't want the OP to think it's that way on Solstice too. I guess I don't understand the point of your post.

Thesis = don't sleep next to the anchor where ever it may be.

[Ma Bell]

Thesis = don't sleep next to the anchor where ever it may be.

 

Thesis= Know where the anchor is on the particular ship before you post. LOL

[CruisingUS]

Thesis= Know where the anchor is on the particular ship before you post. LOL

Which I again prefaced by saying that I was on a different ship.

 

 

Reading comprehension skills people please...We are going in circles here now

[Ma Bell]

Which I again prefaced by saying that I was on a different ship.

 

 

Reading comprehension skills people please...We are going in circles here now

 

And a different cruise line. No sense of humor? No kidding....I understood everything you said but you apparently didn't understand me. Oh well.