Bonnie Voyager.....We need your help!

[firstcruiserDB]

Bonnie.....We listened to your advice and just returned from Mariner Cabin 1688! We toasted to you many times....it was a fantastic cabin!:D We would like to tell you THANKS for telling us about your favorite aft cabin!

 

We LOVE aft cabins, too. We now need your help in deciding our next cabin aboard the Liberty or Freedom. We've tried for 1700/1400, but were told it was not available for only two people. So.......what's the next best aft????

 

We know you've listed your favorites in the past, but we are unable to find it anywhere! Please refresh our memory before we book our next cruise. We will be booking VERY SOON!

 

Again, thanks so much for sharing your expertise about those wonderful aft cabins!!!

[NYCRUISR]

In our opinion, on the big ships......... go down to the seventh deck and try 7688 / 7388 . The room is standard but the balcony is not. We took Bonnie's advice on this a few years ago on Navigator. We have booked it again on Adventure for next April. Last year we had 1700 on Freedom and I agree it is a great cabin.

Note...... some people claim to not like the 7688/7388 balconies because of outward structure. It certainly is not a full sun aft balcony such as 9256 on Serenade but it is the roomiest and has an awesome side view also. We hold big parties on it.......dancing room too.

[mmcruise]

We are staying there in just a few short weeks. Tell tell! What did you love? Any new pics? How was the new bedding? Any other cool stuff?

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself and I have an entire season (almost) yet to go.

 

Thanks!

[firstcruiserDB]

You'll love 1688! The room is the size of a junior suite with a D1 price. The balcony has sun and shade and always had a bit of a breeze. We ate our breakfast out there many mornings. We had two regular chairs, 3 loungers, and a table with plenty of room. It was perfect.

 

The cabin was very nice sized for the two of us. The bed was comfortable, and there was plenty of storage space. The cabin is more square instead of rectangular which allowed for more open space.

 

It is quite a long hallway, but it didn't ever bother us. The room is very quiet, both from above and in the hall. We had a great stateroom attendant. Please tell Stacia hello for us!

 

The infamous pole in the cabin didn't bother us at all. We never even noticed it unless we were both trying to watch TV (which we never did!). The beam on the balcony can be painful.....watch your head! It only took once until you learn to go around it!

 

Have a great cruise......we know you'll love the Mariner and this cabin!!!

 

Now.....Bonnie, WHERE ARE YOU??? We need your expert aft advice!

[weechloe]

We have had 7388 and 7688 on the Mariner and the Voyager and the Adventure. We love this balcony. Lots of space for loungers and five of us ate breakfast out there every morning. We have it again on the mariner on New Year's Eve and March break.

[FitzLA]

In our opinion, on the big ships......... go down to the seventh deck and try 7688 / 7388 . The room is standard but the balcony is not. We took Bonnie's advice on this a few years ago on Navigator. We have booked it again on Adventure for next April. Last year we had 1700 on Freedom and I agree it is a great cabin.

Note...... some people claim to not like the 7688/7388 balconies because of outward structure. It certainly is not a full sun aft balcony such as 9256 on Serenade but it is the roomiest and has an awesome side view also. We hold big parties on it.......dancing room too.

 

That would be 7408 or 7708 on Freedom class ships. We had 7408 on Freedom. GREAT BALCONY!!!!

[Bonnie Voyager]

How exciting! I got my OWN thread! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed "our" cabin! :) I know you are disappointed to not be able to book the equivalent cabin on Liberty or Freedom. I was just in 1700 on Freedom and it was every bit as wonderful as 1688. BUT, since you can't book it with 2 passengers I won't dwell on it and make you suffer even more! ;) You also can't book the aft corner cabin on deck 7 with only 2 passengers on Freedom or Liberty, so that choice is out too. All the D1 cabins on deck 10 require 3 or more passengers so deck 10 aft is out. I would move down to deck 9 and look at cabin numbers 9404, 9406, 9704, and 9706. These are E1 cabins and the cabins themseleves are not as large as D1's but the balconys are still just as HUGE. I personally prefer 9406 and 9706 (and actually have 9406 booked on Liberty). These are NOT the corner cabins but one cabin over. My husband and I do not like too much sun and the corner balconies on deck 9 get a LOT of sun. We booked our best friends in the corner cabin (9404) because they DO like full sun. The corner balconies on deck 9 are not as large as the other aft balconies but it is still much larger than a side balcony and has an awesome unobstructed view and lots of privacy. The deck 9 corner cabin has a single door and a huge porthole window which gives a terrific view of the sea right from inside the cabin! So, that is my opinion. If you can't get deck 10, or the corners of deck 7, move on to deck 9! Decide if you prefer sun or shade and pick your cabin accordingly! :) Also, keep an eye on those deck 10 cabins because sometimes they DO let you book them with only 2 passengers. Once the ship has met its "limit" of quads and triples they may let you move to deck 10 aft if there is still one of those cabins available (and they do pop up every now and then when folks change their plans). Good luck what ever you do! And welcome to our club! "The Happily Ever Afters" ;)

[SUZCRUZ]

I too look for your expert advice and appreciate all your posts. Have to try one of the balconys with the big round window. The more views, the better.

Just printed this post of your for future reference.

Thanks again!

[rollie]

Wow, when did they start that rule. We had 5 aft cabins on deck 10 on the Freedom in Febuary and we were all couples. Really doesn't seem fair to me.

 

Rollie

[gooselover]

I had some experience with the afts on Liberty insofar as booking them. One time, when I called RCL, I specifically asked about "bumping" with the corner D1 afts. RCL told me absolutely that they could do this. Then I called again on another day, asked the same question, and was told, absolutely NOT - that that cabin would be ours. Okay, so I booked it....but then about 1 week into it, I noticed that we had been bumped to another D1. So, had to call RCL and tell them and, of course, they said that I must have done something while looking at my res on the website.

 

Well, I assure you that I did NOT!

 

So, they fixed it, and sure enough - about another 2-3 weeks went by, and we were bumped again. So, I cancelled the cruise and went with Mariner.

 

This is just our experience. And what made me so mad was the fact that RCL kept blaming it on me - that I must have done something when I KNOW that I did not. By the way, there is a thread about this bumping somewhere on this board. Hope this helps.

[rollie]

Wow, I guess we've been really lucky then. We've had the corner aft cabins 3 times (twice on Mariner and once on Freedom) and have never been bumped, or warned that we might.

 

Again, I'd like to thank Bonnie Voyager for putting us on to these cabins. The only one's that come close are the aft CC cabins on Celebrities Mellennium class ships.

 

Thanks again..........Rollie

[brn2crz]

Ok.ya'll are freakin me out.I have had 1690 booked for 2 on Voyager since May of 06...

Is this this "rule' only on Freedom and Liberty? I know I have heard of this happening occassionally,but did not realize it was a hard fast rule...

[FitzLA]

BUT, since you can't book it with 2 passengers I won't dwell on it and make you suffer even more! ;) You also can't book the aft corner cabin on deck 7 with only 2 passengers on Freedom or Liberty, so that choice is out too.

 

Out of curiosity, is this a new thing? We had 7408 (corner aft) on Freedom and we are only 2 people. And our friends just booked in recently as well with only 2 people. When did they start this?

[Gary123456]

Bonnie,

You are great with all this aft stuff....One question did you actually stay in 8690 on the adventure? And if not do you know about it? Is it obstructed? Tell me anything you can tell about it...Thanks so much....My wife and I are going on Oct 21 and staying in that room....

[FLCruiseGirl]

We had 1700 booked on the Freedom this past April (later changed it to a side cabin) and we had it booked for just 2 people. If you really want it, I would call back and talk to someone else. And, if they say you can't do it, call back AGAIN, and keep doing it until you find someone that says yes.

[firstcruiserDB]

Hi all.....

 

Thanks so much for all of your opinions and advice! I'm sooo glad Bonnie saw the post! We listened to her for our recent cruise, and she was right on! Thanks, again, Bonnie!

 

I have called MULTIPLE times to try to get the Deck 10 afts for 2. They have told me they are "cracking down" on booking those to only 2 people. Only one agent said we could get it IF we were willing to book for 3 and then cancel the 3rd person at time of final payment. We aren't comfortable with that. We don't want the chance to get bumped, and we certainly don't want to pay for 3!

 

Last year, when we booked this room on the Mariner (1688), all we had to do was have the agent get it ok'd by his supervisor and put a "do not move" note on the reservation. We had no problems and it was wonderful!

 

Keep the ideas coming....we'll be booking later today, I hope!

[Bonnie Voyager]

Bonnie,

You are great with all this aft stuff....One question did you actually stay in 8690 on the adventure? And if not do you know about it? Is it obstructed? Tell me anything you can tell about it...Thanks so much....My wife and I are going on Oct 21 and staying in that room....

 

No Gary, I have not stayed in 8690 on any ship. But I do know a few things about it. The cabin itself is the same as any other category E1 or E2 except it does not have a double sliding door. It has a single door which on some ships is all glass and on others is 1/2 glass. I don't know which ship has the full glass single door though. The balcony is much larger than a side cabin but is not as large as the other aft cabins (except for 9690/9390 which is similar but a tad smaller than 8690/8390). It is a great view and is unobstructed. It is a sunny balcony, so if you prefer shade then you may not enjoy this balcony so much. I've read many wonderful reviews from folks who have stayed in this cabin and not so many negative reviews so I would think your odds of enjoying it are pretty good! ;)

[Bonnie Voyager]

This whole issue of not allowing 2 passengers to book a triple/quad cabin is very inconsistent. It varies from time to time on ship to ship and on sailing to sailing and I am certain it has to do with the overall make-up of the ships passenger count at any given time. I know the recent computer booking system will not let you put 2 passengers in a triple/quad cabin nor will it let you put 3 passengers in a double cabin. It would take someone from RCCL to override this system. It's not something that your travel agent can simply ignore. I myself have sailed with 2 passengers in 1688 several times, but I also have recently been refused booking in these cabins (refused meaning the computer would NOT let me book it with just 2 passengers). Most of the time I am sailing with 3 passengers so it usually isn't an issue for me anyway. But, I think as the sail date approaches and the legally alloted number of triples and quads that RCCL is allowed to have has been met (keep in mind that there are more of these triple/quad cabins available than they expect to actually have filled to capacity), some of these triple/quad cabins that are still unbooked open up as doubles again in the computer system. So, if after securing one of these triple/quad cabins as a party of 2, RCCL later decides they need your cabin, they are unfortunately within their legal right to move you to a double and place a party of 3 or 4 in your cabin. But I don't think they are "morally" within their right! ;) But I do think that this is what is happening and that is why there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets to book the triple/quad cabins and who doesn't. It's just timing and luck! I do know for a fact that what seems to be etched in stone today, may be extinct tomorrow so if you really want a particular cabin, be persistent and it probably will pay off in the end. But don't let it overshadow your whole cruise experience. A bad cabin on a great ship is far superior to a great cabin on a bad ship! (I've yet to sail on a bad ship though!) ;) But, my point is enjoy whatever you get! It's all good! :D

[joanne59]

Ok, we have 9690 on Mariner in January and we are also concerned about the sun. It will be our 1st aft cabin and it was all that was available at the time we booked. I like the sun, but not for exended periods of time. Can you tell me specifically what "a lot of sun" means in your estimation? Is it certains times of the day? Are there times when there is no shade at all and if so, what time of day. I guess I need to know how much shade I can expect and would appreciate your help in that regard. We will be on the Mariner in September and I intend to try to get a peek of that balcony while on board.

 

Thanks

[zavoscm]

Dear Bonnie,

 

We booked the only aft cabin we could find on the liberty of the seas available 6712 right next to the presidential suite.

We have been told that along with deck 7 the only aft cabins with privacy.

Whats your opinion on that cabin.

 

P.S. Its our honeymoon.

[firstcruiserDB]

Once again, THANKS, BONNIE!

 

I think we've made our decision.....We will book 9404/9704, and then continue trying for 1700/1400. You never know, we might get lucky!

 

We will be happy no matter where we are.....after all, we will be on the AFT and ON A CRUISE!

 

Happy sailing to all.

[rbell]

How exciting! I got my OWN thread! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed "our" cabin! :) I know you are disappointed to not be able to book the equivalent cabin on Liberty or Freedom. I was just in 1700 on Freedom and it was every bit as wonderful as 1688. BUT, since you can't book it with 2 passengers I won't dwell on it and make you suffer even more! ;) You also can't book the aft corner cabin on deck 7 with only 2 passengers on Freedom or Liberty, so that choice is out too. All the D1 cabins on deck 10 require 3 or more passengers so deck 10 aft is out. I would move down to deck 9 and look at cabin numbers 9404, 9406, 9704, and 9706. These are E1 cabins and the cabins themseleves are not as large as D1's but the balconys are still just as HUGE. I personally prefer 9406 and 9706 (and actually have 9406 booked on Liberty). These are NOT the corner cabins but one cabin over. My husband and I do not like too much sun and the corner balconies on deck 9 get a LOT of sun. We booked our best friends in the corner cabin (9404) because they DO like full sun. The corner balconies on deck 9 are not as large as the other aft balconies but it is still much larger than a side balcony and has an awesome unobstructed view and lots of privacy. The deck 9 corner cabin has a single door and a huge porthole window which gives a terrific view of the sea right from inside the cabin! So, that is my opinion. If you can't get deck 10, or the corners of deck 7, move on to deck 9! Decide if you prefer sun or shade and pick your cabin accordingly! :) Also, keep an eye on those deck 10 cabins because sometimes they DO let you book them with only 2 passengers. Once the ship has met its "limit" of quads and triples they may let you move to deck 10 aft if there is still one of those cabins available (and they do pop up every now and then when folks change their plans). Good luck what ever you do! And welcome to our club! "The Happily Ever Afters" ;)

 

hi Bonnie,we are in 1400 on Liberty,Do you have any pics of the cabin and balconie?

[Bonnie Voyager]

Ok, we have 9690 on Mariner in January and we are also concerned about the sun. It will be our 1st aft cabin and it was all that was available at the time we booked. I like the sun, but not for exended periods of time. Can you tell me specifically what "a lot of sun" means in your estimation? Is it certains times of the day? Are there times when there is no shade at all and if so, what time of day. I guess I need to know how much shade I can expect and would appreciate your help in that regard. We will be on the Mariner in September and I intend to try to get a peek of that balcony while on board.

 

Thanks

 

To me, "a lot of sun" means "mostly" sunny! I like to choose a cabin that pretty much ALWAYS has at least a small shady spot. There will be times in 9690 that there is no shade at all, but other times that it is completely shaded. It all depends on time of day and direction travelled. Many aft cabins have "obstructions" that provide a certain amount of shade at all times, but decks 8 and 9 corner cabins don't have these obstructions so therefore are "mostly" sunny. Did that help at all?

[Bonnie Voyager]

hi Bonnie,we are in 1400 on Liberty,Do you have any pics of the cabin and balconie?

 

Here is a link to my photos from Freedom (same as Liberty) and if you look through the nine million photos there are photos here and there of 1700 (mirror image of 1400)

 

http://family.webshots.com/album/558710505mqCbom

 

Here is a link to someone else's photos of 1700 on Freedom. It was a great cabin!

 

http://community.webshots.com/album/549895039TdGWPq

[frito58]

To me, "a lot of sun" means "mostly" sunny! I like to choose a cabin that pretty much ALWAYS has at least a small shady spot. There will be times in 9690 that there is no shade at all, but other times that it is completely shaded. It all depends on time of day and direction travelled. Many aft cabins have "obstructions" that provide a certain amount of shade at all times, but decks 8 and 9 corner cabins don't have these obstructions so therefore are "mostly" sunny. Did that help at all?

 

Okay how about the aft cabins on deck 7. We have 7388 booked on the AOS and my wife wants to know if she we be able lay out and get full sun on our deck. I have seen the pictures and know it is huge and I will be able to get plenty of shade but was curious as to if the obstructions block the sun.