Explorer 7688 or 8690

[elliemaej]

I just booked 7688 for the 10/6 9 day Explorer cruise. We sailed in 7690 on our last cruise and we extremely please with the size of the balcony. We peeked over the railing to 7688 and thought it was even nicer. Here is our dilema...our friends are in the FS 8694 and I was told that 8690 is also available. It would be nice to be only 2 cabins away from them but I'm not sure I want to give up the extra large balcony of 7688.

I would love to hear everyones opinions.

FYI... the nice reservation agent held 8690 for 48 hours for me, so I have to decide soon.

Ellen

[raytownlady]

We loved 8690, the cabin as you already know is a corner aft so the views from the balcony were great. It was also pretty cool only having one set of neighbors.

[weechloe]

7688 is my favourite balcony. Our family of five ate breakfast on the balcony every day. The balcony is HUGE.

[Merion_Mom]

In a vacuum, I would choose 7688 in a heartbeat. But to be near my friends, I would choose 8690, and still know that I had a great cabin and balcony.

[iluvcruzin]

8690 has a single door - not glass sliders. Something you might want to consider in the equation. As far a size - it's just a tad smaller than the other aft cabins but still nice to have that free space next to you.

[lisas414]

Was your view obstructed at all when you stayed their last? We are in 7694 JS and are a bit nervous about the obstructed view, but it was such a good residency deal and we were able to pull our 2 little ones into the room with us, how could we pass that up. Hope we made the right decision. Anyone stay in that one?

[Cruzon]

We're considering booking 9390 or 9690 for next August (similar location to 7688 and 8690). Is there space next to the balcony, or is there a dead wall? Can't really tell from the diagrams. Are those end cabins actually smaller than the E1's inboard of them?

 

Iluvcrusin mentioned that 8690 had a single glass door, rather than sliders. How big is that door, compared to the slider? I'm thinking in terms of the total window space available...

[Bonnie Voyager]

Another thing to consider when comparing 7688 with 8690 is the sun/shade situation. 7688 is a shadier balcony with some sun. 8690 is a predominantly sunny balcony with very little shade. We prefer more shade. Having a full sunlight balcony is a deterent to us. But, since your friends are in 8694, I believe they will have some shade on their balcony, so I guess if you don't mind a sunny balcony 8690 would still be a great choice and you can hang out on your friends balcony if the sun is too strong on yours.

[iluvcruzin]

Cruzon - the door is about 1/2 the size of the glass slider. The top has glass and the bottom is metal. It allows light in the room. Some think it's too dark in the room. I thought it was fine. As far as a sunny balcony, I guess ours was but not that bad. There was enough overhang to sit under in the shade with the 2 regular chairs. I personally liked the open feeling but to each it's own.