EQUINOX Cabin choice - help!

[TenerifeSharon]

So, we've pretty much decided to do the Equinox TA. When it comes to Millennium class ships and the Mercury, I think I know my way around to pick good OV and FV cabins. Now I'm stuck. I know that nobody really knows yet what the "secret" best cabins are and that it's a case of the "blind leading the blind" at the moment, but can anyone make a more educated guess than I can about a good 1A or 2A cabin? The SVs are all gone - surprise (not). I have 8195 (2A) and 8199 (1A) on hold at X. What does the educated CC group think? The Captain's Club CS rep.(Ernie, Bernie, Eddie??) that I had on the phone yesterday had even less of an idea than I do. Does anyone have any advice??

 

Phil (Excitedofharpenden), this is all your fault!! :p Since your eMail a few days ago, I started looking up this TA. (Should have gotten in on it when I could have booked through the Captain's Club advance booking.) The prices are incredible and were reduced about 2 days ago (put one of them on a courtesy hold then). Yesterday they went back up. But the balconies are still a real bargain.

[houstontx]

Well Sharon,

 

I'm kind of in the same boat as you are (pun intended). I have a 2A balcony on courtesy hold. Trying to decide if we can do the B2B, the Oct 23 Med and then the TA on Nov 5th.

 

I'm a curious one though.

Why are the prices, what seems to me, to be quite cheap?

What's the deal with those 1A rooms in those little "curves" at midship on the 2A deck???

 

They certainly have a lot of excitement and activity going on with this cruise!! That's very cool :)

 

Maybe someone else has some idea about the room cat layout?

 

Alan & Regina

[excitedofharpenden]

Sharon, sorry 'bout that:o Great to hear you are thinking of booking though. As you say it's really difficult to tell at the moment. The deck plans as they are would suggest to me that those 1A cabins will have a larger balcony because Celebrity have them as a higher grade although looking at it, 8197 next door doesn't seem to be any different to the 2As and that is listed as a 1A. I think the deck plans are wrong. If it were me as a liker of the larger space on the bacony I'd take 8199. It's probably not much more expensive than a 2A on what seems to be a well priced cruise on a new ship.

 

The best hi-res view of Solstice being built is here:

 

http://redaktion.meyer-neptun.de/exfiles/8/celebrity%20solstice_mg_2673.jpg

 

Unfortunately the gantry blocks the view of the area you are looking at, but it seems to be a mirror of the "hump" a bit further aft.

 

Phil

[TenerifeSharon]

Hi Phil,

I read it the same way i.e. that 8199 looks to be a larger balcony and maybe (hopefully) bit larger cabin because of the slightly non-symetrical shape. Only negative is that I wonder what the big white space is behind the stairway across from the cabin door (service area, room-service prep. etc.). 8195 is convenient, but - I'm afraid - too close to the elevators. Some people are pretty loud in front of the elevators.:eek: Difference because of the one-day delayed reservation is $120 more p.p.from the 2A to the 1A. Should have reserved the 1A first (in other words, two days ago when I reserved the 2A,there was only a $60 pp difference, yesterday - when I reserved the 1A - there was a $120 pp difference.) Still, incredibly cheap for a 14 day TA excellent balcony cabin.

 

P.S. Thanks for the photo -- it does help the visual impression a lot.

[cruisinelsewhere]

When Solstice was first released I looked at the deck plans to decide where to cruise. I booked a couple of 1As, 9239 and 9294. They are across the ship from each other toward the back of the hump. Close, but not too close to the elevators with cabins above and below. Time (December) will tell if this was the right choice!

[jerseygirl3]

I think trying to speculate on size of balcony, prime location, etc. is difficult at this point. However, when we selected our cabin for the Solstice, as well a this Equinox TA, I looked at what type of cabins were on either side of my cabin. I didn't want an adjoining cabin, as they tend to be noiser (I know Celebrity is building some sort of "vestibule", but I still don't want a door that can open to the next door cabin). Secondly, I didn't want a cabin next to me that had a one- or two-person sofabed as well as an upper berth (which many cabins seem to have). I figured those cabins would house more than 2 people (possibly people with very young children who are not yet school age???), and in turn may prove to emit more noise. I selected cabins that are just double occupancy on either side.

 

Time will tell...

 

Jo-Ann

[signman]

Sharon, I think all of us booked on the TA will be glad to have you with us. What with 2 stops in the Canaries.

[houstontx]

Some good points on choosing cabins. Sounds like you people may have cruised before :D.

Alan & Regina

[TenerifeSharon]

Sharon, I think all of us booked on the TA will be glad to have you with us. What with 2 stops in the Canaries.

So that's the only reason you want us aboard??