Cabin Question Pro's/Con's of V1 Fascination

[AugustWest]

Thinking about upgrading to Jr.Suite Cat.11 Cabin V1 on the Fascination. It is the furthest forward cabin on the starboard side. Any known problems with being the furthest forward?

[serene56]

if you hit rough waters you will feel every wave.. Not only are you that forward-- but also high up.

 

Being that forward you will also hear the anchor drop.. very loud and will last only a few seconds.

 

that cabin is also located under the gym.. people are not kind when they are lifting weights-- then tend to drop them.

 

Whats the price difference to upgrade?

[bellera]

We were in V2 on the Inspiration 2 weeks ago.

 

We never heard the anchor drop and the only thing above us was the outdoor jogging track. No noises were heard at all from inside or outside the ship.

 

Downfalls - your balcony is right on the stairs, so you say hi to way to many people as the go from place to place on the ship. Also, I was very dissapointed with the size of the "suite". It was not very big compared to what I am used to. Now others think they are large - but not me.

 

We really liked being away from it all, but if you do not like walking - it is far from everything!

 

If I were to do it again I would upgrade to the Cat 12.

[Drew's Wife]

We have V2 on the Fantasy for our upcoming Anniversary. Just thought it might be more private being that far away, now I am beginning to wonder if we did the right thing! Please, anyone that has been in these rooms, your opinions and experiences, good and bad! I still have time to change to a Cat 12 suite, but need to do it ASAP. Thanks so much!.

[bellera]

Personally, I would upgrade to the Cat 12.

 

V2 has no privacy - you always have to have your blinds closed because everyone walking up and down the stairs can look right into your room. And you can literally reach over touch them if you are on your balcony!

[Curt Jerome Wild]

Hey all,

I've been in both of these categories, and will give a picture link at the bottom of this post. Here's a cut and pasted comment from what I said in another post:

I cruised on both the Elation and Ecstasy (same class), when they both sailed out of Los Angeles a few years ago.

Booked a Category 11 balcony on Verandah deck on the Elation.

Ablsolutely loved the room and the balcony (obviously you can see there's a balcony theme with me). It was more open to the sun, and the views were incredible. The best thing ever was just being able to sit out on the balcony in the morning with my girlfriend (now fiance) and have coffee, and sit out and have some wine before dinner.

Then, booked a Category 12 balcony on Upper deck on the Ecstasy for a later cruise. Even though it was a bigger room, the balcony was more "enclosed", so for me didn't like it as much.

Also bear in mind, that these are older ships, so even the suites aren't huge compared to the new ships. But in that Cat 11, after you're in it and think it's "small", go check out some of your neighbors regular rooms, and you will feel like you're in a palace in comparison. Context makes all the difference.

Pros and Cons:

Category 11 - You are high up, and will feel a bit more rocking. Just take some bonine before and during the cruise, and you'll be fine. You will also get gently rocked to sleep every night. But, you are in one of the least trafficked (sp?) private areas of the ship. There are so few cabins, so it is quiet. Even on the lido deck you see in some of the pictures, notice nobody is on it. It is always empty. I think the entire cruise we saw people on it literally twice. You have to find this secret-ish door behind one of the bars to get to it, so needless to say very few people ever find it. The balcony looks a little small in one of the pictures, but it's bigger than what it looks. (The Cat 12 is not much bigger, sorrry for some reason I didn't take any pictures of the inside of the Cat 12 balcony, I guess it's because I wasn't as impressed). It is open and sunny! It was my own private place to lie in the sun if I wanted (no fighting for deck chairs by the pool. (That was one of the best perks).

Category 12 - You are midship, so less rocking. But, there was tons of traffic outside our door day and night. There is a small bathtub (I think I used once). The balcony is very enclosed. It feels a bit like you're in a sardine can with one side opened. Never enough sun to enjoy, so had to fight for deck space with everyone else.

So it kind of comes down to if you want less traffic, more open space.

Or more outside traffic, and more enclosed balcony space.

As you can see it depends on what kind of person you are, and what you're looking for.

Myself, if I ever book on this class ship again (which I prefer, because it's smaller and more intimate), I would go for the 11, I wouldn't book a 12 again. But that's just because of my personal preferences.

Hope this is all helpful in some way.

Curt Jerome Wild

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

 

PS Just read the post above, I was in V21, not V1 or V2, so keep that in context...

[smoothdancer]

We were in V30 on the Fasciniation. The balconies are small. Here is a link to our review. I think it is page two that has a few suite pictures, and a balcony picture. You will need to scroll down, click on the Carnival button.

http://WWW.Justeatin.com

[AugustWest]

 

Whats the price difference to upgrade?

 

$500.00 for a 4 day cruise.

 

Thank you all for your input. I need to check out the above reviews and pictures, I really appreciatte the help.

[Drew's Wife]

Thanks to everyone for sharing the pictures! They helped so much to get an idea of what the Veranda Deck will be like and the Cat 11 rooms.

Although the balconies might be small, they will be just great for sitting out in the early morning for coffee or late at night! The more I read, I think we did right with our choice of the V2 and will just stay with that room. Oh, just 215 more days to go!!! Thanks again and everyone have a great day!!

[Curt Jerome Wild]

I'm adding a link that I found to a closer picture (V7) so you can see the stairs that Bellera is talking about.

I also added a pic I found from V23, where you see the stairs from further away. (Notice again in both pics there are no people around).

My personal suggestion is go with your V2 (it sounds like you looked at all the posts and pictures, and your instincts are what you should listen to...

If you instincts were telling you "NO", then that would be a different thing) and if you happen to meet or see anybody on the stairs while you're on the balcony, just make sure you have a cocktail in hand!

You'll make new friends, and they'll be jealous.

My fiance and I were at a table of about 5 couples our age, and the first night, everybody asked where everyone's cabin was located. We told them about our Verandah Balcony, and by day 6 of a 7 day cruise, only one of the couples had managed to find the lido deck below (because of that hard to find door to get to it behind a lido deck bar). My now fiancee and I were having before dinner cocktails, and we invited them up to see the cabin, and they said they have to book that next time.

Also, be sure to please take pictures of the views from the balcony, so that you can add to people's questions on this board in the future.

Maybe also, if you're totally good with your choice (which I would be), that's cool, but ask whoever you booked this through, that if any Verandah Balcony rooms open (get cancelled, anything can happen), that you request to get a cabin further aft. Doesn't hurt.

So, have fun, enjoy (your cruise is what you make it), and check my new pic added from my link above.

Also, here's the link to the balcony view from V7:

http://community.webshots.com/album/158982045CrsOcR/1

 

Curt Jerome Wild

[bellera]

I really wish I had of seen your pictures before we sailed Curt Jerome Wild.

 

I was so dissappointed with our suite. But that is just me and DH opinion of course. I was really expecting way more room and a little more privacy.

 

I have to say that I think everyone on our Inspiration cruise must have known about the "quiet" front part of the ship. It was crazy busy. The day we departed I had to listen to one guy on his walkie talkie try and explain to his wife and kids where he was! He yelled into that thing for over 30 minutes until he finally decided to go and find them himself!

 

Not the nice quiet sail away I had envisioned! I left my 4 loud kids at home!:rolleyes:

 

But as I always say, to each their own! Everyone prefers different things and these message boards are great to get different opinions!

[Drew's Wife]

Curt, Thanks for sharing the pictures! Looks like you all had a wonderful time on your cruise! Drew and I have decided to keep the V2 that we booked. You know what they say about going with your first choice! We know there will only be someone on one side of us, so that will be fairly private, and since my husabnd is a musician and hardly ever gets a free weekend, the main thing is we want as much privacy as possible during our Anniversary. We are not anti-social (LOL) just always on the go and so looking forward to a few days of spending time just the two of us. The main reason we went with a suite this time, just to have a balcony, as we don't do the shows and all the extras on the ship. I guess we are pretty "boring" people! LOL

I'll have to check out the Anniversary decorations as I noticed how nice the Birthday decor was for your Mom's Birthday. THanks again for sharing. Have a great day!

[Curt Jerome Wild]

I have to say that I think everyone on our Inspiration cruise must have known about the "quiet" front part of the ship. It was crazy busy. The day we departed I had to listen to one guy on his walkie talkie try and explain to his wife and kids where he was! He yelled into that thing for over 30 minutes until he finally decided to go and find them himself!

Not the nice quiet sail away I had envisioned! I left my 4 loud kids at home!:rolleyes:

LOL 1:

Oh Bellera! I'm laughing and crying for you at the same time.:D :eek: :(

It's like they say, "You can choose everything you want on a cruise, except the other 2,000 passengers onboard with you"! It's luck of the draw on that one. I know that on my sailing there were maybe 8 to 10 people at that front area when the ship sailed from the port on day one (all quietly just enjoying the view), and then almost never saw anyone out there again the rest of the cruise. But the fact that the guy you're hysterically describing tried to explain how to get there for 30 minutes, and his family still couldn't find him, exactly shows what I was talking about before... It's not the easiest spot to find, even if you're trying to find it.

LOL 2:

Drew's Wife,

That's not my mom! That was a link I found of another CC member (whose name I can't remember) that I had saved just because it had a picture of a cabin closer to the stairs. Ha ha! My pics are the first link (above and below). But I think it's also the difference in what Bellera said, seeing the pics and knowing what you're getting beforehand manages your expectations to be realistic, and therefore happier and making the most out of it.

Also, you should start a separate thread on Anniversary/Birthday decorations for the cabin. (Or do a search on it first and see if it's been answered). I seem to remember a while ago, that there was some information on companies that specialize in this, and give you a better bang for your buck (or at least more options) than what the cruiselines do directly.

And to both, yes, I'm glad that the pictures were helpful (and I'm sorry I wasn't on this board before you booked bellera, due to work and family situations, I was off the boards for almost two years until recently).

But, that's what these boards are so great at... helping other people with info. That's why I hope that when Drew's Wife get's back, she'll post some specific pics of V2 and the balcony views, so that will help others in the future.

You know "Pay It Forward"!

Curt Jerome Wild

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

[Drew's Wife]

Curt, You sure fooled me! LOL Still looked like a nice birthday party!! We booked our cruise directly with the promotions dept of Carnival and asked for V2 after checking our the layout of the Verandah deck. I think we will be more than pleased. as long as the weather is not rough!

I'll certainly try to do the picture thing. I'm still trying to find time to get them done from our first cruise! :) As soon as I do, I will try to share them with everyone.