Deck 2 and 3 oceanview

[flamingos]

We are looking at a cruise on Voyager, but the only cabins available are decks 2 and 3.  I'm OK with anywhere, usually, so long as it's on the ship.  Anyone have experience with lower decks?

[brillohead]

31 minutes ago, flamingos said:

We are looking at a cruise on Voyager, but the only cabins available are decks 2 and 3.  I'm OK with anywhere, usually, so long as it's on the ship.  Anyone have experience with lower decks?

A room is a room.  

Only thing that's different about a lower room, IMO, is that when the elevator opens on your floor, it's likely to be empty.  On higher floors, sometimes the elevator is already full and you have to wait until it leaves, push the button, and then wait for another elevator and hope that's empty, too.  Although, with reduced capacities, this isn't such a big deal on any floor.

[2chiefs]

42 minutes ago, flamingos said:

We are looking at a cruise on Voyager, but the only cabins available are decks 2 and 3.  I'm OK with anywhere, usually, so long as it's on the ship.  Anyone have experience with lower decks?

We've booked them for extended days at sea for the smoother ride. Like BrilloHead said, a room is a room. I wouldn't not cruise if it was the only one available.

 

Normally we could care less if we have a balcony but now with the possibility of being quarantined to your room, we book balconies.

 

However, now my understanding is that now you can be quarantined to a lower deck near medical anyway. Not sure exactly how that works. Perhaps someone with first-hand knowledge can elaborate.

[cruiseguy1016]

When we started cruising many years ago, we always booked oceanview cabins on the lower decks. I don't remember having a problem with any of them. Being low, they are close to the water so you'll get a better view of the waves.

[flamingos]

Excellent, thank you.  

[brillohead]

13 minutes ago, 2chiefs said:

However, now my understanding is that now you can be quarantined to a lower deck near medical anyway. Not sure exactly how that works. Perhaps someone with first-hand knowledge can elaborate.

 

If you've been tested and are positive for COVID, you will be moved to a "red zone" on the lower decks near medical.

If someone in your group tests positive but you test negative, you'll be sequestered in your regular room for 24 hours and then tested again.  If you're negative on your second test, you're released and can move freely about the ship again.

So it's really not worth booking a balcony "in case of COVID" when you wouldn't otherwise book a balcony room.  

[Sunshine3601]

14 minutes ago, 2chiefs said:

We've booked them for extended days at sea for the smoother ride. Like BrilloHead said, a room is a room. I wouldn't not cruise if it was the only one available.

 

Normally we could care less if we have a balcony but now with the possibility of being quarantined to your room, we book balconies.

 

However, now my understanding is that now you can be quarantined to a lower deck near medical anyway. Not sure exactly how that works. Perhaps someone with first-hand 

Yes, if you test positive onboard they will move you to either deck 2 or 3 for an OV cabin near the medical center.  They call it zone red.     If you test positive and dont have any symptoms on last full day of your sailing you most likely will quarantine in your balcony.  They will escort you off the ship either before or after all other passengers have disembarked.

[2chiefs]

5 minutes ago, brillohead said:

 

If you've been tested and are positive for COVID, you will be moved to a "red zone" on the lower decks near medical.

If someone in your group tests positive but you test negative, you'll be sequestered in your regular room for 24 hours and then tested again.  If you're negative on your second test, you're released and can move freely about the ship again.

So it's really not worth booking a balcony "in case of COVID" when you wouldn't otherwise book a balcony room.  

Thanks. It was the early days of covid when you got stuck in your own room for extended periods that caused some trepidation for inside rooms. Today, I guess it really doesn't matter.

 

Back to the OP's original question about room availability being the primary driving decision, I personally would go for it. 

[flamingos]

11 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yes, if you test positive onboard they will move you to either deck 2 or 3 for an OV cabin near the medical center.  They call it zone red.

So what do they do with the people who are booked in that area?

[welshrich]

We've stayed in an OV on deck 3 a few times, it's quite nice and not noisy, only seen an OV on deck 2 once and the window was quite small, but it's still nice to have a little natural light.

[time4u2go]

5 minutes ago, flamingos said:

So what do they do with the people who are booked in that area?

They don't book those rooms.

[CaroleC]

7 minutes ago, flamingos said:

So what do they do with the people who are booked in that area?

My understanding is that there are a certain number of cabins which are earmarked for quarantine purposes and therefore are kept empty. I guess anyone with a long-standing booking in one of those cabins will be moved to somewhere different prior to sailing.

 

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by CaroleC

[Sunshine3601]

12 minutes ago, flamingos said:

So what do they do with the people who are booked in that area?

As of right now, they do not book cabins for the red zone.  They keep cabins empty just incase they are needed.  They close the fire door to that section of cabins so others cannot walk thru.

[cruiseboy89130]

We have found the cabins to be VERY noisy as the waves hit the hull - creating noise and vibrations! Would never book them again!

[cruiselvr04]

I almost prefer an inside on a higher deck then deck 2 or 3.  On Radiance class I like deck 4 for an ocean view.  Looking out at the water rushing by so close can make me a little seasick.  Not bad just a little.  YMMV.

[firefly333]

I was thinking the isolation areas are deck 2, or deck 3 if deck 2 is filled.

 

Personally I'm staying away from lower decks for that reason. 

[firefly333]

13 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

As of right now, they do not book cabins for the red zone.  They keep cabins empty just incase they are needed.  They close the fire door to that section of cabins so others cannot walk thru.

Even if it's the other end of my deck I dont want to be on the same deck. Grandeur said deck 2 was used, but over the holidays also deck 3. .. I'm not booking on either. 

[Sunshine3601]

I agree I wouldnt want to book on same deck as medical ctr.    As long as cases stay low and no issues with new variants deck 3 should be fine.

[billslowsky]

I've booked porthole cabins way down low on Carnival. 

 

Two negatives (but the price savings was substantial) - I was way up front and mornings when arriving in port I got to be awakened by the sound of the anchor being lowered (motors).

 

You're far away from the pool deck and fitness center.  I don't mind hiking the stairs for the fitness center, but it was quite a trek.

 

I didn't hear wave noise.

[Sweetsue5680]

2 hours ago, flamingos said:

So what do they do with the people who are booked in that area?

I’m sailing Vision March and all those booked on deck 2 aft received notice that Royal would move us to a different cabin - same category. I am now on Deck 7 in a sideways interior- not my choice but still happy to be sailing again!

[brillohead]

21 minutes ago, Sweetsue5680 said:

I’m sailing Vision March and all those booked on deck 2 aft received notice that Royal would move us to a different cabin - same category. I am now on Deck 7 in a sideways interior- not my choice but still happy to be sailing again!

Have you checked to see if there are any other similar rooms they could move you to?

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, welshrich said:

We've stayed in an OV on deck 3 a few times, it's quite nice and not noisy, only seen an OV on deck 2 once and the window was quite small, but it's still nice to have a little natural light.

The OV windows on deck 2 are small portholes on Radiance class ships. They are large round windows on V/F/O class ships. I don't know about Q class.

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

When we started cruising many years ago, we always booked oceanview cabins on the lower decks. I don't remember having a problem with any of them. Being low, they are close to the water so you'll get a better view of the waves.

We used to do the same. One real nice benefit was when returning from ports of call where gangways are on deck 1, you could skip the lines for the elevators and walk up one flight of stairs and you are home.

 

I never had an issue staying in deck 2 of V/F/O class ships. 

[Sweetsue5680]

20 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Have you checked to see if there are any other similar rooms they could move you to?

Yes as they had moved me to the forward most cabin. The far aft is preferable to me but never stayed in a sideways cabin before so will be a new experience.  I continue checking to see if anything else opens up in my category!

 

[SbbquilterUT]

Interesting about using OV cabins for quarantine.  I had the pleasure of a quarantine on a Celebrity ship last month and it was a balcony.