1st Time Cruising...What Deck is Better?

We're planning our first ever cruise in August 2016 to Alaska. This is probably a stupid question, but what makes one deck preferable to another? Is higher better than lower? Is one side of the ship preferable to the other?

At this point we're leaning towards Princess, but we're rather clueless as far as which deck we should be looking for. It's just my wife and I. Any help you can give us will be appreciated by us newbies.

We're planning our first ever cruise in August 2016 to Alaska. This is probably a stupid question, but what makes one deck preferable to another? Is higher better than lower? Is one side of the ship preferable to the other?

At this point we're leaning towards Princess, but we're rather clueless as far as which deck we should be looking for. It's just my wife and I. Any help you can give us will be appreciated by us newbies.

On large ships, there's really no real difference except proximity to the public rooms that you'll be going to frequently.

On older (smaller) ships, there is a benefit to a lower deck because the lateral motion of the ship is less pronounced.

The characteristic that most look for is forward, midship or aft. Midship cabins are more steady, which is why they are usually priced a bit higher. As a practical matter, however, in most cases the difference is negligible.

So check the deck plan carefully (showrooms, bars, restaurants, shops, etc.) to see where your on board activities are located and choose on that basis.

We prefer the higher decks. We get a balcony, so you can get a view over things from the high decks

Based on your cruise going to Alaska, I can almost bet anywhere on the ship you want to be will be good as far as motion goes. But, as Walt pointed out, being close to the shipboard things you like would be more of a driver of where you choose a cabin. You might prefer to also avoid being under the show lounge or galley or the Lido deck dining areas due to potential noise. We also prefer to be a little further from the elevator banks located midship because of heavy passenger traffic. But, wherever we have been, we never had a bad cruise! :D

Have a great cruise and prepare to come back addicted!

What ever deck you can afford. The further up you go the more likely to get noise if the floor immediately above you is a dining area, pool , or nightclub, carefully look over the layout available on the cruiselines website. Very low decks are alot less expensive but also may have additional noise from the various engine workings. Personally I go for the middle it is often closer when its time to disembark and in between food and fun. A balcony is nice for Alaska but no matter waht side you pick if you go back the same way you arrived you won't miss anything. Enjoy,:) if you need more help check out my travel blog www.atouristlife.com

My 2 cents:

If at all possible, book a balcony cabin. So nice, especially for Alaska.

Give yourself a buffer of a deck between your cabin and an "activity" deck. Port or starboard really doesn't matter.

Mid-ship and lower decks tend to have less motion (think of them like the fulcrum of a seesaw).

If your trip to Alaska is a return trip...start and end in Seattle then it would not matter if it was a port or starboard cabin that you choose.

If you are doing a one way....Vancouver to Anchorage (Northbound) then you would want a cabin on Starboard side. Southbound you would want a port side cabin. Of course this would only really make a difference if you had a balcony cabin.

Also look on the deck plans for a big area without any rooms. Usually indicates a crew section, can be a little noisier than having other rooms across from you.

There are so many factors that determine the "best" location that it totally depends upon your needs. Forward versus center versus stern - pitching. Upper versus lower - rolling. Exact location - what other things are near your cabin. Inside versus outside restricted versus outside versus balcony - the difference is obvious. Etc., etc., etc. Nobody can tell you what is the best location for you except you.

DON

Balcony room on Lido deck(close to the food) near an elevator(I'm lazy):)

Like others have mentioned, midship gives you less boat movement but that is debateable.

If its youre first time to Alaska then try to get a Balcony and get one high up.

I would think you would want to try to avoid Deck 7 and 8 as thats where all the happenings is at noice may be an issue. Of course I have no experience in that as ive always been up higher.

Enjoy your cruise!

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

We prefer to be higher up -- always with a balcony/verandah.

We also prefer port side -- we have found that most captains in Alaska keep the port side facing the glaciers longer.

We have done all staterooms. Finally settled on the inside cabin setting. It's only used for sleeping, showering, changing. Prefer Lido or one deck down. Had several balcony which while nice, didn't not allow for "total vision" of where we were going or where we were. Lido deck provides an easy way to walk from side to side and not miss anything, plus a chance to meet with fellow passengers which puts more eyes on the things that may be going on. We cruise Princess also and are sold regarding their service and pricing. Example: Alaska. With a balcony, you can sit inside and see things as they go by. For greater visibility? Dress warm and go outside. Lido? Dress warm and wander around. Port or Starboard and don't miss anything. Just an old mans thoughts. Happy cruising there. Harry

Try to get a mid ship balcony on a deck without activities and not above/below a club, restaurant, bar or anything that would be active at night. You might have to pay a little more but it should be worth not having a miserable cruise because you can't get a decent night sleep. We booked on the spa level to avoid heavy foot traffic and away from the elevators. The only question mark is the SUNdeck above us but that shouldn't be a problem at night. Check the deck plan of the ship you are traveling on and look at pictures of the ship for clues where the cabin would be located in perspective to the rest of the ship. Good luck and book early. With a little patience and research you should get a good cabin for your trip.

We're planning our first ever cruise in August 2016 to Alaska. This is probably a stupid question, but what makes one deck preferable to another? Is higher better than lower? Is one side of the ship preferable to the other?

 

At this point we're leaning towards Princess, but we're rather clueless as far as which deck we should be looking for. It's just my wife and I. Any help you can give us will be appreciated by us newbies.

Narrow down your options a bit and then search the cabin reviews here on CC. I thought I had found the perfect cabin, checked here, found that it had an obstruction blocking part of my view. For Alaska on Celebrity in August 2016 most if not all landward cabins (starboard northbound, port southbound) are already booked. I don't know but suspect that other lines will be the same. Have fun!

Generally a higher deck is preferable to maximize view- with one passenger deck between you and an " activity" deck to insulate against noise. On a "one way", such as a trans-Atlantic, you may want to pick the sunny side -- otherwise, port or starboard makes little difference.

For Alaska I need to have an aft balcony. THen I dont have to worry about being on the "other" side for views.

But the higher you go the more you will pay.

Book a cabin between decks that house cabin space and away from public areas.