The elusive aft wrap booking

[soonernstlouis]

Hi All.

 

I‘ve been going back & forth on booking our next Carnival Cruise and am now considering Valor out of NOLA.  Since the pricing out of season on this ship is normally reasonable, I want to choose a balcony.  But I’ve heard so many good things about booking an aft wrap balcony I was really wanting to go for one of those.  Unfortunately there are only about 6 such rooms on the Valor and even selecting cruises well into 2021 finds nothing available.  So my questions are:

 

•What is the typical upcharge from per day from balcony to aft wrap?

•Is “aft extended balcony” really any better than balcony if aft wrap is not available?

•How far out did you have to book to get the aft wrap or did you have to use a PVP/TA to actually locate one?

 

Thanks

[ShakyBeef]

For my VS on Carnival Pride years ago, I believe I booked about a year-and-a-half out.  I'm sorry, I don't know what we paid compared to a Balcony on the same sailing - I didn't happen to look at Balcony pricing.  And I can't remember what our cruise fare was, anyway.  So, I'm not being very helpful here.

[elcuchio24]

18 minutes ago, soonernstlouis said:

Hi All.

 

I‘ve been going back & forth on booking our next Carnival Cruise and am now considering Valor out of NOLA.  Since the pricing out of season on this ship is normally reasonable, I want to choose a balcony.  But I’ve heard so many good things about booking an aft wrap balcony I was really wanting to go for one of those.  Unfortunately there are only about 6 such rooms on the Valor and even selecting cruises well into 2021 finds nothing available.  So my questions are:

 

•What is the typical upcharge from per day from balcony to aft wrap?

•Is “aft extended balcony” really any better than balcony if aft wrap is not available?

•How far out did you have to book to get the aft wrap or did you have to use a PVP/TA to actually locate one?

 

Thanks

 

It is more expensive. Obviously the cost depends on the cruise but I would expect at least $200pp or so more.

 

They book VERY quickly. Keep in mind you have alot of folks out there that have TA and or PVPs that know they have clients that will jump on an aft wrap, so many times these sell out in the first few days they are available to book.

 

We have done the wrap, and its great. Just make sure its the corner wrap. Just the REAR FACING balconies we do not like. Less privacy, dont like the layout, and frankly dont like looking backwards. 

[soonernstlouis]

9 minutes ago, ShakyBeef said:

For my VS on Carnival Pride years ago, I believe I booked about a year-and-a-half out.  I'm sorry, I don't know what we paid compared to a Balcony on the same sailing - I didn't happen to look at Balcony pricing.  And I can't remember what our cruise fare was, anyway.  So, I'm not being very helpful here.

I think I might have found it-listed under Premium Vista Balcony & not just Balcony.  And the upcharge on the one I saw was hefty $30/pp/per day.

 Appreciate the reply anyway.

Edited October 28, 2019 by soonernstlouis

[elcuchio24]

13 minutes ago, soonernstlouis said:

I think I might have found it-listed under Premium Vista Balcony & not just Balcony.  And the upcharge on the one I saw was hefty $30/pp/per day.

 Appreciate the reply anyway.

 

Ya, that upcharge sounds about in line with what I have seen. 

[marci4tony]

They are well worth the $$

 

We also like the aft extended balconies - watching the wake, sunsets, and the stars at night with nothing obstructing your views are priceless in my opinion.

[ShakyBeef]

I just did a mock booking for a September 2021 cruise on Carnival Pride (I realize not the same as Valor, but Pride is the ship I cruised in an Aft Wrap) for the same Vista Suite in which we cruised, and then another mock booking for an Extended Aft Balcony on the same deck.

 

Vista Suite:   $228.09 per person per day

Ext Aft Bal:   $122.71  per person per day

 

So, in this case (which was probably similar pricing to my sailing): The price difference in the two cabins is an extra $105.38 per person per day. 

[DeesEscape]

We are going out of NOLA on the Valor in early December and we have an aft-wrap booked. It is a Premium Vista Balcony. I booked about a year and a half out and secured a Deck 7, starboard side cabin. The total cost of our trip for two which also includes paid gratuities and travel insurance came to approximately $1,800.00. I also booked the cabin under the Early Saver fare to get the best price deal. Getting this cabin was a miracle because I too had heard that aft-wraps are the hardest to secure because they are so limited in number. When I saw they had one available I jumped at the chance to experience it at least once. I'm a balcony/oceanview girl any way so this was an added bonus. I've been monitoring the bookings on the ship and noticed that the other aft-wraps available weren't all gone until a few months ago which was surprising knowing their popularity. And not all aft-wraps are created equal as the ones I see now on the newer ships have no appeal due to their lack of privacy. 

 

I say go for the opportunity to secure one. It's more expensive but the experience in my opinion would also be more immersive as well. Have a great cruise. 

Edited October 29, 2019 by DeesEscape

[soonernstlouis]

4 minutes ago, DeesEscape said:

And not all aft-wraps are created equal as the ones I see now on the newer ships have no appeal due to their lack of privacy. 

 

I say go for the opportunity to secure one. It's more expensive but the experience in my opinion would also be more immersive as well. Have a great cruise. 

I was surprised that Valor did have a lot of these rooms still available around the dates we were

looking once I realized to look under Premium Vista.  Fell in love with a YouTube video of

8448 mainly due to bed facing windows.  What do you see advantageous about deck 7 and starboard?

 

https://youtu.be/ttEcmlLqLOs

 

 

[DeesEscape]

53 minutes ago, soonernstlouis said:

I was surprised that Valor did have a lot of these rooms still available around the dates we were

looking once I realized to look under Premium Vista.  Fell in love with a YouTube video of

8448 mainly due to bed facing windows.  What do you see advantageous about deck 7 and starboard?

 

https://youtu.be/ttEcmlLqLOs

 

 

I chose Deck 7 for two reasons: the first is that before I book a cabin on any ship I do a survey of the best and worst cabins and cabin locations on the particular ship I'm sailing on. I believe the website I go to is called Deckplans.com or something relative to that name. It provides you with information from past cruisers as to which decks and cabins are most desirable and why and the same for those that are undesirable. I've found the information invaluable. It will let you know if a cabin you are considering is around a busy crew service area, underneath or over an entertainment venue, near obstructions of view, etc. 

 

For the Valor Deck 7 was noted as being a great deck to book on mainly because most of the cabins on this deck tend to be quieter due to being in between two other decks of cabins. I like Starboard so that is merely a personal choice. The aft-wraps on Deck 8 were available when I booked but I didn't want to take a chance at being under the Lido deck although I have read reviews by others who have stayed in these cabins on this deck and they had no issue with noise, things being tossed down onto their cabins from above, etc. 

 

I think with any of the aft-wraps you can't go wrong. A lot of people want their aft-wrap on Deck 6 because those are apparently (on the older ships) the only cabins that also have a couch in their cabin which we do not. 

 

Hope this helps. 

[jimbo5544]

Aft wraps are usually the first category fully booked.   We sail in them often, and feel they are well worth the premium.  On most ships there are 8 total aft wraps.  As an example, on a Journey cruise on the Breeze we got an aft wrap the day they became available, within 24 hours, all were booked.  

Edited October 29, 2019 by jimbo5544

[nybumpkin]

We love aft wraps and have done them on Conquest-class, Spirit-class, Vista-class and whatever they're calling the old Destiny-class. I don't think you can really compare the Spirit-class wraps because they are suites - the cabins are completely different. We have a wrap booked on Radiance (ex-Victory) next August - booked it about a month ago. We use a PVP - just tell him what we want and he looks for it. I suspect we were able to get it because our cruise originally was a 9-day Journeys cruise that included Havana. Obviously that's not happening, and the substitute port is Nassau (meh).

 

One problem I have with the extended aft balconies is the lack of shade. Many (not all) aft wraps afford you some shade.

[bingomamma19]

I have done the aft wrap on the Freedom.   Loved it and had a 25 percent off from a previous cruise that missed a couple of ports.   I booked it a year out.

 

Go for it if you can, contact a PVP that can help you find one if need be.

[Linsuesue]

We have sailed in 3 Aft wrap/vista view cabins on the Spirit class ships- Spirit and Miracle. I book them the day they show up which is about a year and a half out. We like deck 4, because of the bigger overhang to provide shade. They always book fast when I am looking for them. 

[figdu]

We booked an aft wrap on Sunshine in January 2016 for a September 2017 sailing.  It was the last one available. 

[xitappers2bx]

On 10/28/2019 at 2:27 PM, soonernstlouis said:

Hi All.

 

I‘ve been going back & forth on booking our next Carnival Cruise and am now considering Valor out of NOLA.  Since the pricing out of season on this ship is normally reasonable, I want to choose a balcony.  But I’ve heard so many good things about booking an aft wrap balcony I was really wanting to go for one of those.  Unfortunately there are only about 6 such rooms on the Valor and even selecting cruises well into 2021 finds nothing available.  So my questions are:

 

•What is the typical upcharge from per day from balcony to aft wrap?

•Is “aft extended balcony” really any better than balcony if aft wrap is not available?

•How far out did you have to book to get the aft wrap or did you have to use a PVP/TA to actually locate one?

 

Thanks

 

[xitappers2bx]

I've done the aft wrap, and really don't think it's all that "better" or "worse".  The benefit is, you get a lounge chair, which you don't get if you have a regular balcony.  I also don't think it's worth the sometimes 1000$ more price tag.  I also have a strong bias against being in the back of the ship; we were in the aft wrap suite a handful of years ago and I found that to be really too soothing and anytime we were in the room I either felt the movement too much and didn't love it, or I would find myself not being able to stay awake.  If you've never had a balcony, then you're in for a treat either way.  I know some people swear by aft rooms; I prefer mid ship.  

 

Edited October 30, 2019 by xitappers2bx

[BTromboneFrack]

We've done a number of aft wraps.   We're not picky on our itinerary or where we leave from, but we love the view and the privacy of the aft wrap, so we pretty much take the best itinerary that still has one open.    It's closest we can be to being outside while cruising.  We never have to fight for a deck chair and we can have dinner with a view any time we want.

[shellster1]

30 minutes ago, BTromboneFrack said:

We've done a number of aft wraps.   We're not picky on our itinerary or where we leave from, but we love the view and the privacy of the aft wrap, so we pretty much take the best itinerary that still has one open.    It's closest we can be to being outside while cruising.  We never have to fight for a deck chair and we can have dinner with a view any time we want.

I feel the same way! I grew up near the ocean, but now I live so far from it that I need at least an aft balcony so I can be out there with more room and without the annoyance of the wind. Plus having a better view of the stars (and sometimes moon) at night is so worth every extra cent (for me)....and the aft-wrap is a huge bonus. I can't ever book more than 6 months out, but I've still been lucky in getting an aft, then I stock the website daily to see if a wrap becomes available. Usually, one always does. 

[shellster1]

12 hours ago, shellster1 said:

I feel the same way! I grew up near the ocean, but now I live so far from it that I need at least an aft balcony so I can be out there with more room and without the annoyance of the wind. Plus having a better view of the stars (and sometimes moon) at night is so worth every extra cent (for me)....and the aft-wrap is a huge bonus. I can't ever book more than 6 months out, but I've still been lucky in getting an aft, then I stock the website daily to see if a wrap becomes available. Usually, one always does. 

Not that it matters, but last night I had some wine when I posted this. I re-read it a few times. Something about it looked weird, but I couldn't figure it out. So I just thought, "oh well", closed my computer and got ready for bed. Then this morning, I woke up with a visual of my post. I realized I typed "stock" instead of "stalk". So odd, that was my first thought when I woke up! I had a bit of a laugh, and thought I'd get on here and correct it. So, yeah, sometimes I "stalk" the website for better cabins. On another note, I used to "stalk" the website for FTTF which has worked as well. :)

[ShakyBeef]

22 minutes ago, shellster1 said:

Not that it matters, but last night I had some wine when I posted this. I re-read it a few times. Something about it looked weird, but I couldn't figure it out. So I just thought, "oh well", closed my computer and got ready for bed. Then this morning, I woke up with a visual of my post. I realized I typed "stock" instead of "stalk". So odd, that was my first thought when I woke up! I had a bit of a laugh, and thought I'd get on here and correct it. So, yeah, sometimes I "stalk" the website for better cabins. On another note, I used to "stalk" the website for FTTF which has worked as well. 🙂

 

Been there.

 

[thesmiths]

We love the Aft Wraps. (See my signature.)

We actually have 3 booked now over the next 2 years on the Horizon, same cabin. 7459

( Wait until my wife finds out, she knows about 1.)

 

Talk about spoiled, Havana Aft Wraps.

 

More money yes, I work hard and when on vaca I want to relax and enjoy.

 

 

 

Started off with an Aft Cabin then I peeked around the divider....

Edited October 31, 2019 by thesmiths

[soonernstlouis]

21 minutes ago, thesmiths said:

Talk about spoiled, Havana Aft Wraps..

 

Oh my!  That’s quite a splurge.  And funny since we are down to choosing between Horizon (Western Caribbean) Havana interior or Valor balcony aft wrap which is slightly less expensive.  
 

No way I could afford or convince my wife to accept paying $1,800 more than the Havana interior but I could dream....

[nybumpkin]

21 hours ago, BTromboneFrack said:

We've done a number of aft wraps.   We're not picky on our itinerary or where we leave from, but we love the view and the privacy of the aft wrap, so we pretty much take the best itinerary that still has one open.    

Funny story with one of our aft wrap bookings. In 2010 we booked an aft wrap on Conquest out of Galveston. Not for the ship (although we love Conquest, not for the itinerary (visited all the ports before) - we booked because an aft wrap was available for the week we wanted. Our sons were booked in the aft balcony next to us. Two days before sailing Carnival called - wanted to move us and sons to a grand suite for an additional $500. We said no - after all, we booked the cruise for the aft wrap. A few hours later Carnival called again - this time to move us to the grand suite with our sons' cruise fares as OBC. That time we said yes - they were going to pay us to move. As much as we wanted that aft wrap, we gathered that someone else wanted it even more.😀

[jimbo5544]

45 minutes ago, nybumpkin said:

Funny story with one of our aft wrap bookings. In 2010 we booked an aft wrap on Conquest out of Galveston. Not for the ship (although we love Conquest, not for the itinerary (visited all the ports before) - we booked because an aft wrap was available for the week we wanted. Our sons were booked in the aft balcony next to us. Two days before sailing Carnival called - wanted to move us and sons to a grand suite for an additional $500. We said no - after all, we booked the cruise for the aft wrap. A few hours later Carnival called again - this time to move us to the grand suite with our sons' cruise fares as OBC. That time we said yes - they were going to pay us to move. As much as we wanted that aft wrap, we gathered that someone else wanted it even more.😀

Nice!!