Help! with cabin choice. What would you do?

[kmurph22]

We're looking at booking the Epic for next August for our family. Very excited!

I've been studying deck plans and shipyard photos and can't make up my mind. We will need 3 adjacent or nearby balcony cabins. If 2 of them were adjoining, it wouldn't hurt.

We will be traveling with 4 kids ages 9 - 14. Also bringing 2 young adults who will help us out as babysitters. Total of 8 traveling.

The "family" cabins seem to me to be exactly the same as the others, just more expensive and located closer to the kids' club. I can't justify it. I particular, they really whack you for the 3rd person in a room in those family cabins, at least for the sailing I"m looking at. So, they're out.

I"d like to have one of the cabins (mom & dad's) at least have an extended balcony on the bulge. Looking at an upper deck, 12 or 13, so we'll only have to take the stairs to get to the good stuff. But now I"m also looking at the aft. I'm a big aft fan! We can get 3 aft cabins in a row, on deck 13, with 2 of them adjoining. But, I can't figure out if the corner aft will be as desirable as it is on other ships. One rendering shows it apperaing to look like a wrap, with a balcony opening in the back and round windows on the side. But the deck plans don't look that way. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.*****************/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_3325_10.jpg&imgrefurl=http://malcolmoliver.wordpress.com/2009/07/&usg=__PniADOug3ke1cUBuCtsG237h72w=&h=365&w=700&sz=40&hl=en&start=52&um=1&tbnid=TzpBoCehVvJ-yM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=140&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dnorwegian%2Bepic%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3De n%26rlz%3D1T4GGIH_enUS270US271%26sa%3DN%26start%3D 36%26um%3D1 (sorry, hope that works!!)

Also, the aft is pretty far from most of the kids' goings on, which are more toward the front of the ship.

What would you do??? Take a gamble on the aft, and ensure the family gets a little more exercise? Or stick close to the front elevators by the kids club, and try to grab a bulge cabin?

[time2cruise1]

We need a little help to reply. I just took a quick look at the Aug 14th cruise and the additional passenger was $699 (not cheap) in all the balcony and inside cabins. I saw no price difference in the family balconies for the addition passengers but the first 2 were about $30 more.. Keep in mind the fares for that first July and August are higher then any other cruises.

My understanding from the NCL webcast the other day is most of the family balconies are set up with a triple connecting to a quad. In your case the kids could all go in the quad and the adults could be 2 two a room.

I would book the aft cabins myself but that is just because I love the view and the sound of the wake. I don't expect any special wrap around balcony on the corner. The image you linked to is an early model and even in that it was clear those round circles were not part of the aft balcony cabin. They are rectangles now. The courner that looks like a wrap is on deck 14 and part of the spa. A little exercise is a good thing on a cruise. 3 or 4 round trips to the kids zone and you walked a mile. :D

http://camembertaroulette.free.fr/album/photos/norwegianepic/640/Norwegian%20Epic%20-%20Loire%20-%2011%20juillet%202009%20(08).JPG

[pokeypoke]

As time2cruise1 stated, the conner aft balconies do not have the wrap-around. I don't know which cabin is going to best suit your situation but if it were me in your shoes, I would lean toward booking the aft cabins. Yes, you are going to be further away from the kid's stuff but the children are not exactly small (ages 9-14), and are going to be so excited about being on the ship, that extra walk is not going to phase them (my thoughts only). You also have 2 young adults along to help with babysitting - I wouldn't think they would complain if they have to escort the kids to the front of the ship. At least with the aft cabins, you would all be next to eachother on the same deck PLUS, the aft cabins are always great:D!

[bahamaman]

I would consider using a reputable travel agent.

[kmurph22]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

I ended up booking the aft for me & DH and a couple of very nearby BD's on deck 12 for all the kiddies/sitters. The price worked out great. I love the view aft too, with or without the wraparound.

I am still trying to figure out what (if anything) is going to be in the space that would have been where a "wrap" would go. In the photos of the ship in the shipyard, It looks like just metal with round windows on the side. It wouldn't be the side cabin's balcony, so what would it be? Hopefully NCL won't waste the space and will give it to the corner afts!! :)

[time2cruise1]

I am still trying to figure out what (if anything) is going to be in the space that would have been where a "wrap" would go. In the photos of the ship in the shipyard, It looks like just metal with round windows on the side. It wouldn't be the side cabin's balcony, so what would it be? Hopefully NCL won't waste the space and will give it to the corner afts!! :)

Those rectangles in the picture would in fact be the side balcony cabins - framed - it you look at the deck plans. In the corners expect like the current ships the storage room for the room stewards or what is in fact an inside cabin they use for contractors onboard.

[kmurph22]

Gotcha. Too bad NCL doesn't use the space for something other than storage, the views can be so nice! Still going to love my aft.