CC Aft Cabin - Pros and Cons for Alaska?

[6502programmer]

Somehow, I managed to find an aft CC cabin for an August Alaska sailing on the Infinity. I have a courtesy hold on it now while discussing with DW the pros and cons, but need some input from folks who have experienced the aft CC cabins on the Millennium class. I'm interested in both the CC upgrades and the aft cabin differences.

 

Ship Movement:

My wife is prone to seasickness, but only in extreme cases (smallish ships, white capped waters). Would an Aft cabin on Deck 7 be tossed around more than a mid-ship cabin on the same or higher deck? Basically, is it the pitching, the rolling, or a combination of the two that gets you? Is ship movement even a major concern on an average Alaskan cruise?

 

Walking:

While not mobility-impaired, walking to everything from the back of the ship is not necessarily the most appealing thing. My concern is more on the time involved in walking than it is the physical exertion. Did this ever cause any of you to reconsider an activity, thinking, "I don't want to walk all that way for THAT.."?

 

Noise:

From what I've read, on the Millennium ships, there is some vibration and noise in the aft area while moving in and out of port (assumedly due to pod movement), but it is more or less quiet and stable while cruising. We're both heavy sleepers, and are surrounded (above, below, and in front) by cabins, so no worries about joggers at 5:30 waking us up! :D The only concerns are ship noises.

 

Aft View:

While you have an unobstructed 180 degree view in the aft cabin, it's solely of what's already passed the ship. Since the reason for the splurge from oceanview to verandah is for the view, is the aft view that much better / different / improved over a traditional port or starboard cabin? While I've read that wildlife seem to like swimming in the wake of a ship on tropical itineraries, does that hold true for Alaska as well?

 

CC Upgrades:

For me, the CC upgrades are worth the $140pp over a "standard" 2A verandah (the cheapest), and even the $100pp over a 2C "Sweet Sixteen". Champagne on embarkation, take it or leave it. It's more about "the little things" for me. I like personalized attention, but I don't need to be utterly catered to. Is the priority tendering worthwhile, or does it just put you in a slightly shorter line, and is this the same with the priority embarkation / debarkation? This is something that may be important, as two ports on the itinerary are tender ports. Any additional sway with the Maitre d' would also be valuable to me, as I have some unique preferences for where I like to dine, though I think a discreetly passed $20 would likely carry me much further than a CC booking would. :) The idea of the full breakfast menu in the room is one of the other perks that makes CC a worthwhile upgrade.

 

Balcony:

Is the balcony really that much bigger than a sweet sixteen 2C? How do the roofs of the two compare? If it's raining, as Alaska in August is want to do, would I be able to be outside on the 2C without getting wet, or would I sit inside wishing I had gone with the CC?

 

Anything else:

Is there something I've overlooked in my pros/cons of the aft cabins? Please, feel free to let me know!

 

Thanks for your time, everyone! This site has been an invaluable help in planning our first real vacation together.

[claud925]

I'll try to answer some of your questions. I was in 7203 last September to Alaska on Summit. I also had an aft (7206) on Infinity through the Panana Canal.:)

 

Ship movement is minimal, really - hardly noticeable. Even entering and leaving ports, we felt no vibration. I would not be concerned if I were you.

 

I loved that little walk to the aft elevators - it was an exercise I appreciated (the only one I utilized, actually...) - LOL! It really is not that far a walk - certainly didn't keep me from activities taking place in the front of the ship!

 

Noise: none. Aft is very quiet - virtually little foot traffic, too. Another plus in my book.

 

What can I say about the view? Simply spectacular. It's true that you get marine life sightings - porpoise and dolphin (and whales) - particular at sunrise and sunset. And the sound of that wake is just wonderful. This location is really my favorite of anywhere on the ship. And to have your own personal space at this location is, well ... heaven.

 

You will enjoy the upgrades. Extra thick towels. The thicker, terrycloth bathrobe (not the usual waffle kind). The bath mats that say "Concierge Class". Tender tickets are helpful - you gather in Michael's Club instead of the threatre. You really do get priority.

 

I don't know about sway with the MD ... you're probably right that a twenty would carry you just as far regarding table location.

 

The balcony in the back cabins is not just large - it is huge! Easily 3X that of the sweet sixteens. The fact that they are in the rear means you have less wind and better protection against rain. It's approx. 2/3 covered, and the last 1/3 uncovered. You have the best of both worlds with these aft balconies.

 

Oh, yeah, the breakfast menu. Wonderful! Try all the different smoothies they offer. Then just wrap yourself up in your thick bathrobe (don't forget to grab a few of those lovely wool blankets that are available by the pool area to bring back to your cabin); then sit out on your balcony and wait for breakfast to be delivered.:)

 

Hope I've convinced you to hold onto your aft.

[6502programmer]

Thanks for the reply Roxanne! You've convinced me. Now I just need to convince my better half. :) The time and insight you've provided is invaluable to me! 7206 on the Infinity is the cabin we're considering.

[gkm]

Another plus of the aft balconies is you're protected from the wind and can use the balcony all the time. Also, there is an overhang of half of it, so you can sit either in the shade or sun.

 

One of my favorite things about the aft balcony is being able to sit and look at the wake from the back of the ship. It's very relaxing.

 

Also, if you are a picture taker, you will find a much wider range for your shots than if you were on one side of the ship. On the aft, you can take pictures to the left, to the right and of course, straight behind you. When in port, you'll always have a view.

 

Garry

[Karynanne]

We've had both #7206 and #7208 and the M-Class ships. Both are wonderful...no matter what your itinerary may be. The balcony IS quite large, but an added plus, is that there is virtually no wind, that you'd encounter with a CC side cabin. And as you and others have mentioned the view is amazing...even it's just ocean. The wake is mesmorizing...enjoy the cabin and the cruise!!

 

Karyn

[Lsimon]

We love the aft cabins with their huge balconies and great views. There is just something about looking out the back of the ship, at the wake, that is so nice.

 

There is a little more motion there, as compared to mid-ship, if the seas are rough, but our one Alaska trip had very smooth seas as it is mostly in narrow passages, except for maybe one day/night.

 

We've felt no noise or vibration in aft cabins as compared to other locations. There might be a very small amount in mornings when maneuvering alongside the dock at port stops, but it isn't too bad.

 

Here is a picture of the aft cabin locations: Click Here

We have some pics of cabins from past cruises at that site, and will add pictures of 7203 on Constellation in a few days.

[Karynanne]

Garry, good morning!! We were posting at the same time...

 

Karyn

[6502programmer]

Thanks for the replies everyone. It certainly seems like it would be difficult to go wrong with an aft cabin. BTW Larry, I had used your picture of aft cabins with the cabin numbers added for dinking away at Celebrity's web site to check on availability of the aft cabins. Thanks for that--It's a lot cleaner than going to Celebrity's site and looking at each deck for the handful of aft cabin numbers.

 

Mike

[ORDPLATAA]

We also had 7203 on Infinity to Alaska last year (June). It was an amazing cabin. We felt very little movement (except for the last sea day - we hit a bit of a rolling sea that caught everybody off guard!).

 

The balcony was amazing - great for hanging out. One aspect we looved was the fact that you really had your own little "neighborhood" back there - everybody hung out and chatted with each other. It was actually one of the highlights of the trip.

 

GO FOR IT!

[Drew B]

For Alaska, the most scenic elements are very well viewed from the aft. In the inside passage, stunning scenery surrounds you on all sides. From the back of the ship, in addition to the aft view, you can also see the port and starboard views.. And at the glacier, the captain spins the ship around a few times. Therefore, even though all cabins will get a good view of the glacier, the aft ones will get the view for a much longer time, especially as the ship is pulling away.

[RLM77]

6502 -

 

We have been in aft cabins twice, both times on Hawaii cruises. IMO you should absolutely grab the cabin; you were very fortunate to find one.

 

To answer some of your specific questions, bear in mind that an LA/Hawaii round trip requires a long traverse of the Pacific. Four days out and four days back with no land in sight. If any cruise is subject to rough seas, the mainland-Hawaii round trip is the one. Indeed, we had rough weather (40-50 knot winds) for two nights during our first Hawaii cruise. The motion was noticeable in the cabin, but no more so than anywhere else on the ship. Additionally, IMO, the motion wasn't all that bad. Finally, much of the Alaska cruise will be in sheltered waters (land on both sides) so motion should be only a minimal concern.

 

Walking around the ship is not an issue. The aft elevators are not far. And the aft elevators are the most important ones as they are the closest to both the dining room and the buffet.:D:D DW has MS and uses a cane; she walked the length of the ship multiple times to attend enrichment lectures and some of the shows in the theater. Distance is not a big deal at all if you're not impaired.

 

When the ship is traveling at full speed (which is nearly always the case to/from Hawaii) there is a thump-thump-thump that you can feel (more than hear) in the aft cabins. We did not find this particularly disturbing, just noticeable. It didn't keep us awake at all.

 

I've never been in one of the sweet sixteen, but the aft balconies are huge. We had two upright chairs, two loungers, one large table and two small tables on both of ours. We could have fit at least another two loungers had we wanted. The view is spectacular. The wake fading away to the horizon is a memory you won't soon forget.

 

Soundproofing is excellent inside the cabins and no noise from above or outside carries through when the balcony door is closed.

 

The "roof" on the afts is metal for about half to two-thirds the length of the balcony and heavy vinyl for the remainder. The deck seven balconies also have a small area that's completely uncovered. Our afts were on both eight and nine deck. The balcony on eight deck was slightly larger than the balcony on nine. I therefore suspect the balconies on seven are larger still.

 

The priority embarkation that comes with concierge class is not a big deal, as embarkation seems very smooth for almost everyone. However, priority tendering is a big help if you want to go ashore during peak periods. You really do go to the front of the line; wait time is minimal. The bubbly (it's usually Bouvet Brut which is a very nice Cremant du Loire) is worthwhile, as are the mattress pad and the daily canapes.

 

You might find this thread even more informative. Enjoy your cruise and be happy that you were lucky enough to obtain one of these special cabins.:)

 

Rich

[DrKoob]

We agree with the other posters. We have had an aft cabin on the Infinity four times. Once each on decks seven and eight and twice on nine. We loved every minute of it. So much so that we are going back to Alaska in August in 7208. Grab it NOW!

[6502programmer]

Well, we're sold. We booked on the 8/19 Infinity sailing in aft CC 7206. Now it's just a matter of waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more. :) Thank you all ever so much for the time, insight, and input!

 

Mike