What's Your Rationale for Picking Cabin Location?

[Dr. Jack Daniels]

I learned long ago to not book guarantees. On my 2nd cruise (Carnival Victory) I booked a guarantee and the the cabin we were assigned was directly above the Piano Bar!:eek: Every night until late I heard "Sweet Caroline" and "Piano Man" like it was being played right in my cabin.

 

From then on I never booked a guarantee and made sure to ONLY choose a cabin on a deck in which the deck BOTH above and below are all cabins also. And that is my one and only rationale for picking my cabin location.

 

Anyone else like to share their rationale?

 

DJD

[tallblonde]

Same here - I always check above & below...........we like to be near an elevator - and preferably midship....other than that - we're not particular :-)

[Ms belp]

We like aft balcony cabins near the elevators.

[Grandpaul]

If aft are available we take them or Cat. AB rooms. But you're rigth about checking whats above and below. One of our first cruises was a 15 day cruise and we were located directly over an air conditioning unit. And the ship was full. Luckily for us a passenger fell out of bed resulting in a broken wrist and had to go home from Bermuda and we got their room. SInce then, I'm very dilligent about what's above and below. Maybe close tot he casino too. LOL.

[blindrid]

We still do guarantee's and have great luck. We will continue to do so but I do understand your concerns about "Sweet Caroline"......;)

[tiyana4]

Dr. Jack, we learned the same valuable lesson on Carnival. We booked an oceanview guarantee and ended up on one of the lower decks where the crew's room service door was. There was the constant banging of dishes, delivery carts, doors slamming, etc. It drove us nuts! Did it ruin our cruise.........no way! We had a port every day so we spent very little time in the cabin. However, it did teach us a valuable lesson to NEVER book a guarantee in the lower categories. Another thing we learned to look for is gray or white areas on the deck layout plans where there is an absence of cabins even on decks that are between cabin-only decks. These are usually crew designated areas.

 

Our preference is a cabin mid-ship on the higher decks. The food almost always seems to be aft but the shows and casino seem to be forward, so we like to be mid-way.

[CanadianTwosome]

I like to be close to an elevator bank, and I like to pick a room that's easy to find. If I can get the first cabin in a corridor, for instance, I like that. On the Epic I also factored in the proximity to the kids' area, since we were booking a family balcony and we had that option. Thankfully I am not bothered by outside noise, so I never worry about traffic noise or entertainment noise. On the Pearl our cabin was directly over the main theatre and I could only hear the music if I really tried. I imagine being directly across the corridor from the kids' area would worry some as well, but I'm not expecting that to be an issue either. I used to live a block away from a fire station and didn't even know it was there. :)

 

Edit: I also stay away from the lower decks where passengers get on and off the ship in port. That's too much traffic for me.

[djmutters]

We like aft balcony cabins near the elevators.

 

I'm with you on the above :)

[LOWTYD]

I too like the aft cabins but if I do look in to booking other cabins, I do check above and below to see what's there. My aft mini had the Great Outdoors above it but I wasn't bothered it at all.

[Don Haynes]

Chalk up another one who prefers a middle level deck with cabins above and below, preferably midships. I'm retired and wish to cut any walking distance forward or aft as much as possible.

[Seanote]

My advice is to book what you want to be near. I like to be close to the buffet for a quick snack or a cappuccino (on the newer ships). On our last cruise we were very well forward which made a jaunt to the buffet for some quick pizza or fries a tiresome endeavor.

 

Every night until late I heard "Sweet Caroline"

 

What's wrong with "Sweet Caroline"? :confused::confused::rolleyes:

[mpk218]

Aft balcony suite when its a cool (temp)cruise ,, Forward balcony suite when its a warm (carib) cruise...

Or any cabin when one of you invites me ;)

[hawaiilvr]

anywhere on the ship :)

 

Our last two cruises have been towards the front. DW likes the motion.

[retiredonthesea]

We like the stern suites, but learned that on some ships the "garden cafe" can cause a bit of a problem---have had cig. butts, banana peel, and misc. show up on our balcony. :eek:

[Us2inFL]

Stern, stern, stern.... bababooey

 

The AD's on the newer ships, 10166, 10164 etc.

 

The BA's that are at the stern too.

 

We'd leave the stern if there was an upgrade to one of the villas.

[Clay Clayton]

1st choice, Stern balcony

 

2nd choice, Any balcony we can afford. If traveling with others, we try for the opposite side of the ship from them- that way we double our sightseeing opportunities

 

3rd choice, sideways inside

 

I don't have a problem with the lower decks as long as you arent' right at the elevators or stairs. It makes getting off the ship so much easier and when going up in the elevator, you don't have to wait for one with room in it to come by.

[srlafleur]

I, too, check above and below, though I've never actually had a problem at any location...well, except the inside cabins that make me sleep too much. All that dark! :eek:

Aft balcony is our #1 choice, if available and affordable.

Any balcony, otherwise.

Any place on the ship if it's a question of cruising vs. not cruising!

[ZoneHPH]

method/rationale

 

- what is our budget?

- what is the itinerary?

- are we feeling adventurous too book a GTY?

- if we do book GTY i consider the number of cabins in the category. in my own logic, some categories are purposefully kept limited because those are the ones they will more than likely give the upgrade based on the price listed. e.g. Spirit Cat BF...only 4 on this ship. We got upgraded to BD.

 

i suppose we could all do our research on who is above/below/sideways/diagonally from us. but i've had the displeasure of always having the "teenager inside cabin" across from us quite often with the pizza boxes stacked high and the noise from them hanging out in the hallways. i would consider Sweet Caroline and piano lounge music to be nice as i sleep.

 

just my opinion.

[prg2101]

We try to always book Aft suites....Once you start you cant go back..:D

Unlike zone I am way too scared to try the GTY thing.....Havent heard

too many people have great experiences with this route.....:)

[ZoneHPH]

We try to always book Aft suites....Once you start you cant go back..:D

Unlike zone I am way too scared to try the GTY thing.....Havent heard

too many people have great experiences with this route.....:)

 

oh believe me...the anxiety of wondering where you end up can be fun...and nerve racking, i'm sure!

 

the one thing i would not advise is to book GTY on a top level inside (typically higher decks). because if you get upgraded to an oceanview...you can get sent right back down to Deck 4 (or any lower deck) for the simple fact that the next category up is an oceanview...but a porthole.

 

then you also have the GTY within the oceanview category where you could end up with an obstructed view if you book GTY on the lowest OV.

[DivaG]

I've always mapped out where on the ship I would be ... been under the kiddie center and once is certainly enough of that one. LOL I'm usually mid ship/port side - not more than 10 rooms or so from the elevator. Close enough - but not too close. ;-)

 

I'd love to have an aft suite ... hoping for the next cruise I'll be able to do it.

 

Too afraid to book a guaranty ... although "Zone" it makes sense to check out how many rooms are available first - maybe I'll have you make my next reservation. ;-)

 

 

g

[ZoneHPH]

I've always mapped out where on the ship I would be ... been under the kiddie center and once is certainly enough of that one. LOL I'm usually mid ship/port side - not more than 10 rooms or so from the elevator. Close enough - but not too close. ;-)

 

I'd love to have an aft suite ... hoping for the next cruise I'll be able to do it.

 

Too afraid to book a guaranty ... although "Zone" it makes sense to check out how many rooms are available first - maybe I'll have you make my next reservation. ;-)

 

 

g

 

ahhhh...i remember the days you were an NCL newbie. nice that you have come to be one of the proud posters here...along with your TX boys. HOOK'EM!

 

how about Nov 27 on the EPIC?................yes 2010

[SteveH2508]

Bluff old traditionalist here - took a BA balcony right by the middle elevator for the first cruise and loved it - no noise - easy to get to everything (wife uses crutches so this does matter).

Now we always look for a BA in the middle - the only question is port or starboard - depends on the itinerary and land views for that one.

[coka]

My rationale for picking a cabin is how much I can afford. If I am just going with mini-suite, balcony, oceanview or inside, I always select the lowest GTY in that category. Makes no difference what side of ship as what you can't see going you will see coming back (except some itineraries of course). Makes no difference what deck I am on. If I am not near the buffet, then I am near the spa. I think there are benefits to all locations.

 

If I am going higher than a mini-suite, then I would be particular to the location.

 

For the most part, I like the mystery of finding out where I end up.

 

coka

[watchdiva]

I'd never book a gty - we are specific about the suite(s) we want and like booking early knowing that we've got the exact location we wanted! With only 4 AD's on our preferred ships (Dawn, Pearl) it pays to book early....