How can you tell what room??

When doing a mock booking to see pricing, how can you tell what type of room it is?

Like say I try an interior and don't do any upgrades. When you get to the end and it gives you a choice of the room with a room number, how do you know what category this is?

Do you have to look at the room number and do some type of search online for the name of the ship and the room number to figure it out?

When looking on a popular "monitoring" site, it shows a number of cabins that the prices have dropped and the cabin category (for instance for an interior 4J, 4H, 4F and so on). How would I know what category this is?

Thanks in advance. :)

reference the deck plans. find the ship, then on the ship page, click on the deck plans tab. here's conquest as an example:

http://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-conquest.aspx

then click the deck plans tab. click the deck you want. there, you'll see the rooms are color coded, and there's a legend on the right side that gives the category.

another general thing to keep in mind is that for 'normal' cabins - in other words pretty standard rooms, not special floor plans, oversized rooms, etc. - rooms midship are typically +1 category higher. so say an interior on deck 1 forward or aft will be 4A, an interior on deck 1 midship will be 4B.

here's a screen shot to illustrate the deck plan & legend:

from there, you can also click on each room and it will have more information pop up, plus a details tab, etc.

reference the deck plans. find the ship, then on the ship page, click on the deck plans tab. here's conquest as an example:

 

http://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-conquest.aspx

 

then click the deck plans tab. click the deck you want. there, you'll see the rooms are color coded, and there's a legend on the right side that gives the category.

 

another general thing to keep in mind is that for 'normal' cabins - in other words pretty standard rooms, not special floor plans, oversized rooms, etc. - rooms midship are typically +1 category higher. so say an interior on deck 1 forward or aft will be 4A, an interior on deck 1 midship will be 4B.

So this is confusing...the ship decks do not match up with the cabin numbers correct? I'm use to if your cabin number is say 4444, that means you are located on deck "4". If your cabin number in 9393, then you are on deck "9". So if I see a cabin that is 4A, how would I normally know what deck that is on? I just have to keep searching? :confused:

The problem is when booking, it doesn't give you any information but a "room number" at the very end. So you are pretty much saying you have to go searching on maps to find the room, then look at the color, then find out the type of room? So what if you wanted a "certain" type of room. Say I wanted a 4J (have no clue what that actually is, but just saying)...when booking how would I know how to get to that category to book it?

This is so confusing.

Thanks for your help. :)

take a deep breath, it's ok :) honestly i think in an effort to make the user interface when booking more 'user friendly', they made it more 'user unfriendly and very confusing', especially if you're looking for something in particular.

So this is confusing...the ship decks do not match up with the cabin numbers correct? I'm use to if your cabin number is say 4444, that means you are located on deck "4". If your cabin number in 9393, then you are on deck "9". So if I see a cabin that is 4A, how would I normally know what deck that is on? I just have to keep searching? :confused:

the ship decks DO match up with the cabin numbers, for the most part. 4444 would indeed be on deck 4. 9393 would be on deck 9... and because 4444 ends in an even number, it's on port side - and because 9393 ends with an odd number it's on the starboard side. i said for the most part, because once you hit deck 10+, then they would start with a 1 again, like they do on riviera deck 1, that could through you off, but deck 10 cabins would start with 10, and deck 11 with 11 - while those on riviera deck (deck 1, starting with 1) do not.

the CATEGORY does NOT correspond with deck. 4 is interior, 6 is oceanview, 7 is obstructed balcony, 8 is balcony, 9 is premium balcony, and suites have their own categories like OS (ocean suite), GS (grand suite), VS (vista suite), etc. for the letters, the higher the letter the better the cabin. so 4A is the lowest floor, forward or aft. 4B is lowest floor, mid ship OR 2nd floor, forward or aft, 4c is 2nd floor mid ship... and something like 4J can be on different floors, but all are interiors with a window and 'walkway view' (to the secret decks out front)

The problem is when booking, it doesn't give you any information but a "room number" at the very end. So you are pretty much saying you have to go searching on maps to find the room, then look at the color, then find out the type of room? So what if you wanted a "certain" type of room. Say I wanted a 4J (have no clue what that actually is, but just saying)...when booking how would I know how to get to that category to book it?

i'd start with the deck plans. get a few ideas of what rooms you'd be interested, then go price hunting via the prompts in the booking app... this is for more 'standard' type of rooms... say an interior on the first floor. if you say interior, choose my own room - then pick your rate - it will give you the lowest floor option first. it will say for instance forward included in price, midship +5.00 pppd, aft +3.00 pppd... THEN you pick your deck. this is how it's prompting you through the ABC's without actually telling you that's what it's doing.

but then you have more particular rooms like the 4J... from the deck plan's we'd know these are the interiors with picture window (walkway view). this time, go to pick a room, and when given the option of an interior or interior with picture window, pick the picture window one, then it will give you available decks...

This is so confusing.

 

Thanks for your help. :)

i know it is very confusing. it takes a while to get used to or some 'institutional knowledge'... to add to the confusing factor, keep in mind it will only show you 10 rooms available per category per section at a time...

when you get into the specifics, and want a particular cabin, this is where it becomes useful to call the 800 number or a pvp as they can reference all available cabins.

i hope that makes some semblance of sense lol :)

you can also use the fareviewer, here:

http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/FareViewer/

if you want to reference the specific category you're looking for to check for price drops, etc. though for obvious reasons, it won't be too helpful in selecting an actual room, just checking prices.

take a deep breath, it's ok :) honestly i think in an effort to make the user interface when booking more 'user friendly', they made it more 'user unfriendly and very confusing', especially if you're looking for something in particular.

 

You can say that again. It's very confusing. I'm use to going on NCL's site and when you say you want an interior, it breaks it down and you pick "which" interior (broken down into each booking category with the price listed) and go from there.

 

 

 

the ship decks DO match up with the cabin numbers, for the most part. 4444 would indeed be on deck 4. 9393 would be on deck 9... and because 4444 ends in an even number, it's on port side - and because 9393 ends with an odd number it's on the starboard side. i said for the most part, because once you hit deck 10+, then they would start with a 1 again, like they do on riviera deck 1, that could through you off, but deck 10 cabins would start with 10, and deck 11 with 11 - while those on riviera deck (deck 1, starting with 1) do not.

 

 

Ok, got it.

 

the CATEGORY does NOT correspond with deck. 4 is interior, 6 is oceanview, 7 is obstructed balcony, 8 is balcony, 9 is premium balcony, and suites have their own categories like OS (ocean suite), GS (grand suite), VS (vista suite), etc. for the letters, the higher the letter the better the cabin. so 4A is the lowest floor, forward or aft. 4B is lowest floor, mid ship OR 2nd floor, forward or aft, 4c is 2nd floor mid ship... and something like 4J can be on different floors, but all are interiors with a window and 'walkway view' (to the secret decks out front)

 

Um say what? The interiors have a window? A window to what? What's a walkway view and a secret deck out front?

 

When we were on the Dream, we didn't have any windows or any views to anything. :confused:

Oh ok. Maybe that's where the confusion set in then. Now I understand this part.

 

 

i'd start with the deck plans. get a few ideas of what rooms you'd be interested, then go price hunting via the prompts in the booking app... this is for more 'standard' type of rooms... say an interior on the first floor. if you say interior, choose my own room - then pick your rate - it will give you the lowest floor option first. it will say for instance forward included in price, midship +5.00 pppd, aft +3.00 pppd... THEN you pick your deck. this is how it's prompting you through the ABC's without actually telling you that's what it's doing.

 

I think the problem is, most of the time when I'm trying it out and doing pricing, all of the categories are blanked out and you can't pick another category. I only see extra categories every once in awhile.

 

but then you have more particular rooms like the 4J... from the deck plan's we'd know these are the interiors with picture window (walkway view). this time, go to pick a room, and when given the option of an interior or interior with picture window, pick the picture window one, then it will give you available decks...

 

Oh ok, I will have to give this a try although I don't think I have seen it as an available option. Is it actually possible they are all sold out? Would that be a reason for it to be whited out?

 

i know it is very confusing. it takes a while to get used to or some 'institutional knowledge'... to add to the confusing factor, keep in mind it will only show you 10 rooms available per category per section at a time...

 

 

Another problem...EVERY time I have went to do a mock booking on any of the ships I am looking at (at least for the last month), it gives only 1 room available to pick and it's ALWAYS the same room number. Is it possible that's really the ONLY room left for that interior? I find that hard to believe.

 

when you get into the specifics, and want a particular cabin, this is where it becomes useful to call the 800 number or a pvp as they can reference all available cabins.

 

i hope that makes some semblance of sense lol :)

It does and I thank you SO MUCH for being so helpful and it's starting to make some sense.

you can also use the fareviewer, here:

 

http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/FareViewer/

 

if you want to reference the specific category you're looking for to check for price drops, etc. though for obvious reasons, it won't be too helpful in selecting an actual room, just checking prices.

Well this is a neat feature, but I'm not sure how you got to it? I will have to save it for future reference. I did notice 1 mistake on one of the cruises where the numbers aren't right. :cool:

What exactly is the "More=Merrier" share you stateroom? :eek: Share it with who??? :confused:

You can say that again. It's very confusing. I'm use to going on NCL's site and when you say you want an interior, it breaks it down and you pick "which" interior (broken down into each booking category with the price listed) and go from there.

it used to be more like that before they made it more user friendly :rolleyes:

Um say what? The interiors have a window? A window to what? What's a walkway view and a secret deck out front?

 

When we were on the Dream, we didn't have any windows or any views to anything.

the 4Js are a kinda special cabin. there are a few oddball types that are not your 'standard' 4 wall rectangular interiors. they are classified as an interior, but they are all at the front of the ship, and they have full size picture windows with a 'walkway view' the 'walkway' is the deck you see at the front of the ship. it's like a big balcony that almost nobody ever goes to, because they don't know they're their. they're classified as an interior because the view is obstructed - as you see the rail at the front of that deck. here:

that's on conquest 4/11 which i randomly picked - if you want to see how they show up in the booking engine.

other oddballs include PT (porthole) cabins which are basically priced as an interior, but have a porthole / window... 1As, which are the lowest priced cabins as they're supposed to be upper/lower, but they're not all...L shaped balconies, which are priced the same as their neighboring balconies but have a 3x size balcony, aft oceanviews which because they're on the corner have like double the floor space, etc. you get the point.

I think the problem is, most of the time when I'm trying it out and doing pricing, all of the categories are blanked out and you can't pick another category. I only see extra categories every once in awhile.

Oh ok, I will have to give this a try although I don't think I have seen it as an available option. Is it actually possible they are all sold out? Would that be a reason for it to be whited out?

can't comment without a specific example / cruise... it is possible they could be unavailable... if you're looking for spring break - which isn't that far away, they very well might be sold out in those particular categories. or TAs have a hold on cabins still, or carnival has a hold on them for guarantees, etc. you'll see room availability open up / become unavailable often, especially once the upsell fairy starts calling and people upgrade their rooms, etc. also right after final payment.

Another problem...EVERY time I have went to do a mock booking on any of the ships I am looking at (at least for the last month), it gives only 1 room available to pick and it's ALWAYS the same room number. Is it possible that's really the ONLY room left for that interior? I find that hard to believe.

i find that hard to believe too... but it may just be the specific category you're looking at. if for instance, you were looking for a 4J - well there's only like 12 of them on the conquest... again it's hard to say without knowing how you proceeded through the prompts, etc. again, this is when it is helpful to call the 800 number or a PVP to verify what you're seeing is accurate. :)

Well this is a neat feature, but I'm not sure how you got to it? I will have to save it for future reference. I did notice 1 mistake on one of the cruises where the numbers aren't right. :cool:

 

What exactly is the "More=Merrier" share you stateroom? :eek: Share it with who??? :confused:

i'm not even sure how you'd find it via the carnival.com site... i just know it's there and how to get to it. if you search their site or google it'll just take you right to it.

LOL... share with your daughter or whoever you choose to. basically, the point of that fare is to offer lower prices for 3rd, 4th, etc. passengers in the same stateroom. that has the effect of lowering the overall price per person when it's averaged out (they changed from outright displaying the total price for pax 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. to the 'average price per person' a few years ago too - again trying to 'simplify'...).

here's more info (though really not that much more):

http://www.carnival.com/cruise-deals/more-merrier.aspx?numGuests=3

I am so glad that this confuses someone else just as much as me! I'm pretty savvy, and have become a semi expert in all of the cruising research I've done (been on 2 cruises, the 3rd here in about 3 weeks) but the differences in cabin categories I just do not get. At all!

it used to be more like that before they made it more user friendly

 

 

 

the 4Js are a kinda special cabin. there are a few oddball types that are not your 'standard' 4 wall rectangular interiors. they are classified as an interior, but they are all at the front of the ship, and they have full size picture windows with a 'walkway view' the 'walkway' is the deck you see at the front of the ship. it's like a big balcony that almost nobody ever goes to, because they don't know they're their. they're classified as an interior because the view is obstructed - as you see the rail at the front of that deck. here:

 

Well that's pretty neat. I like that. They are probably a lot more pricier than your normal interior since you actually get a full sized picture window and there's only a handful of them. Plus if they all only hold 2 people, that wouldn't work for us. :(

 

that's on conquest 4/11 which i randomly picked - if you want to see how they show up in the booking engine.

 

other oddballs include PT (porthole) cabins which are basically priced as an interior, but have a porthole / window... That's cool too.

 

 

1As, which are the lowest priced cabins as they're supposed to be upper/lower, but they're not all

 

What exactly does an "upper/lower" mean? Is that the bed configuration? Since we have 3 people each time, that would not work for us if there's not room for 3 of us. :(

 

...L shaped balconies, which are priced the same as their neighboring balconies but have a 3x size balcony,

 

This is one thing that I heard someone mention before and I found a picture on the site that shows cabin interior rooms and man they were huge rooms and even had 2 windows. I thought it was a handicapped room at first. But then it showed in the description when I looked it up that it only held 2 people??? It was hard to believe because they could have put several more beds in the room if it's the one I'm thinking of. :confused:

 

 

aft oceanviews which because they're on the corner have like double the floor space, etc. you get the point.

 

I get the point, but wanna know more that would fit 3 people. Is there a thread or a link somewhere that would tell you about all the "hidden gems" on the rooms like this?

 

 

 

can't comment without a specific example / cruise... it is possible they could be unavailable... if you're looking for spring break - which isn't that far away, they very well might be sold out in those particular categories. or TAs have a hold on cabins still, or carnival has a hold on them for guarantees, etc. you'll see room availability open up / become unavailable often, especially once the upsell fairy starts calling and people upgrade their rooms, etc. also right after final payment.

 

Yep, looking around spring break time, so maybe they are actually sold out.

 

i find that hard to believe too... but it may just be the specific category you're looking at. if for instance, you were looking for a 4J - well there's only like 12 of them on the conquest... again it's hard to say without knowing how you proceeded through the prompts, etc. again, this is when it is helpful to call the 800 number or a PVP to verify what you're seeing is accurate. :)

Thanks again for taking the time to help me out and explain. It's very much appreciated. :)

i'm not even sure how you'd find it via the carnival.com site... i just know it's there and how to get to it. if you search their site or google it'll just take you right to it.

 

LOL... share with your daughter or whoever you choose to. basically, the point of that fare is to offer lower prices for 3rd, 4th, etc. passengers in the same stateroom. that has the effect of lowering the overall price per person when it's averaged out (they changed from outright displaying the total price for pax 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. to the 'average price per person' a few years ago too - again trying to 'simplify'...).

 

here's more info (though really not that much more):

http://www.carnival.com/cruise-deals/more-merrier.aspx?numGuests=3

While I understand that the more you have in the cabin, the lower to price per person should be, but that link you gave actually shows a higher price the more people you add? It's going up instead of down. :confused:

Thank goodness it doesn't mean you are sharing your cabin with people you don't know who decided to share their cabin as well. LOL :eek: :p

Some of the 4J's on the Dream hold more than 2 people. There are some great pictures on here somewhere with floor to ceiling windows and a couch for the 3rd person.

there isn't really any thread i know of about the 'hidden gems'. plenty of threads about each type, sure, but not any one consolidated list i know of. i threw out those different 'gem' categories to give you a better idea of the categories in general.

you kind of have to know the ship you're going to be on, to find the gems, as there are certain quirks in occupancy between even ships of the same class. to address your questions above, and add some info for conquest as an example:

the 4Js on 6, 7 are all 2 person. the 4Js on 10 has 1001 (3 pax), 1002 (4 pax). so that could work for you.

on lido deck, there are 6K scenic grand oceanviews - floor to ceiling windows at the front of the ship, and they're huge! - they have 4 pax in 9200. 6J scenic oceanviews 9197, 9198 and 9199 are rated for 4 pax.

the 6B irregular shaped cabins aft deck 2 are only rated for 2 (which is silly, they're very large, look at the deck plans!)

the L shaped balconies too are rated for max 2 people on each deck they're present.

but note that's for conquest. it can and will vary on other ships a little, especially ships of different classes.

dream class ships of course have the 6M deluxe oceanviews which have 2 bathrooms and rated up to 5 pax... they also have cove balconies which are the least expensive, but close to the water on deck 2 which can accommodate multiple pax... i'm not even gonna touch vista with a 10 ft pole yet :)

This thread is interesting. With seven cruises under our belts and two more booked, I've never once knew or cared what category our cabins were. We just pick the cabin we want on the deck we want and go with it. I wonder how many other people actually know what their cabin category is and if that matters to them.

We usually do early saver- through my Carnival PVP. We like a quiet room (and who doesn't) - so she puts us next to 2 person occupancy cabins - she also checks to be sure there isn't a baby booked in the cabin(s) next door at that time.

there isn't really any thread i know of about the 'hidden gems'. plenty of threads about each type, sure, but not any one consolidated list i know of. i threw out those different 'gem' categories to give you a better idea of the categories in general.

 

you kind of have to know the ship you're going to be on, to find the gems, as there are certain quirks in occupancy between even ships of the same class. to address your questions above, and add some info for conquest as an example:

 

the 4Js on 6, 7 are all 2 person. the 4Js on 10 has 1001 (3 pax), 1002 (4 pax). so that could work for you.

 

on lido deck, there are 6K scenic grand oceanviews - floor to ceiling windows at the front of the ship, and they're huge! - they have 4 pax in 9200. 6J scenic oceanviews 9197, 9198 and 9199 are rated for 4 pax.

 

the 6B irregular shaped cabins aft deck 2 are only rated for 2 (which is silly, they're very large, look at the deck plans!)

 

the L shaped balconies too are rated for max 2 people on each deck they're present.

 

but note that's for conquest. it can and will vary on other ships a little, especially ships of different classes.

 

dream class ships of course have the 6M deluxe oceanviews which have 2 bathrooms and rated up to 5 pax... they also have cove balconies which are the least expensive, but close to the water on deck 2 which can accommodate multiple pax... i'm not even gonna touch vista with a 10 ft pole yet :)

Yes...I can't wait til we know the info in Vista cabins..:)

Some of the 4J's on the Dream hold more than 2 people. There are some great pictures on here somewhere with floor to ceiling windows and a couch for the 3rd person.

That's good to know. I'll keep my eyes open for the future.

there isn't really any thread i know of about the 'hidden gems'. plenty of threads about each type, sure, but not any one consolidated list i know of. i threw out those different 'gem' categories to give you a better idea of the categories in general.

 

you kind of have to know the ship you're going to be on, to find the gems, as there are certain quirks in occupancy between even ships of the same class. to address your questions above, and add some info for conquest as an example:

 

the 4Js on 6, 7 are all 2 person. the 4Js on 10 has 1001 (3 pax), 1002 (4 pax). so that could work for you.

 

on lido deck, there are 6K scenic grand oceanviews - floor to ceiling windows at the front of the ship, and they're huge! - they have 4 pax in 9200. 6J scenic oceanviews 9197, 9198 and 9199 are rated for 4 pax.

 

the 6B irregular shaped cabins aft deck 2 are only rated for 2 (which is silly, they're very large, look at the deck plans!)

 

the L shaped balconies too are rated for max 2 people on each deck they're present.

 

but note that's for conquest. it can and will vary on other ships a little, especially ships of different classes.

 

dream class ships of course have the 6M deluxe oceanviews which have 2 bathrooms and rated up to 5 pax... they also have cove balconies which are the least expensive, but close to the water on deck 2 which can accommodate multiple pax... i'm not even gonna touch vista with a 10 ft pole yet :)

Thanks for all the info. I went in an looked at 4 different ships I was thinking about and did every combination possible when doing a mock booking and found a lot of those...also found the crazy prices that seem to climb up with booking those kind of rooms. Ouch. Before long, I had almost doubled my price when searching different types of cabins. LOL

I did discover those rooms with the floor to ceiling window. That was amazing.

I honestly LOVE the cove balconies, actually better than the normal balcony so I guess that's a good thing since they seem to be the cheapest. :D

We usually do early saver- through my Carnival PVP. We like a quiet room (and who doesn't) - so she puts us next to 2 person occupancy cabins - she also checks to be sure there isn't a baby booked in the cabin(s) next door at that time.

I could see that as a "good" thing or a "bad" thing depending on the 2 people in the room beside you...you know, honeymooners or whatever. :D :p

Yes...I can't wait til we know the info in Vista cabins..:)

actually i'd say most of the info on the vista cabins *is* out... just look at the deck plans. there are so many types of specialized cabins on that one though - and knowing mitsu wasn't looking for a europe cruise i wasn't about to write another novel :)

That's good to know. I'll keep my eyes open for the future.

 

 

 

Thanks for all the info. I went in an looked at 4 different ships I was thinking about and did every combination possible when doing a mock booking and found a lot of those...also found the crazy prices that seem to climb up with booking those kind of rooms. Ouch. Before long, I had almost doubled my price when searching different types of cabins. LOL

 

I did discover those rooms with the floor to ceiling window. That was amazing.

 

I honestly LOVE the cove balconies, actually better than the normal balcony so I guess that's a good thing since they seem to be the cheapest. :D

they can get pricey! in a lot of cases, you kind of have to temper it versus other cabins of the type of stateroom... so like the scenic oceanview cabins - sure they're oceanviews, but not at all comparable! the 4Js - classified as an interior, but they have a window, and a semi-private huge balcony out front! there's more 'value' per se in some of the 'gem cabins' which *are* of the same category. like the L shaped balconies - same category, 3x the balcony.. the aft oceanviews, same category, 2x the floor space, etc.

yeah i love the idea of the scenic oceanviews, especially the grand scenics... they tend to sell out pretty quick since there are so few of them.

and agreed with the cove balconies, i'd love to try one of them one day - and depending on the sailing, they can often be rather reasonable!

actually i'd say most of the info on the vista cabins *is* out... just look at the deck plans. there are so many types of specialized cabins on that one though - and knowing mitsu wasn't looking for a europe cruise i wasn't about to write another novel :)

Lol. Good reading tho....thanks for the info we found our cabin on the Vista...lol. ;)

they can get pricey! in a lot of cases, you kind of have to temper it versus other cabins of the type of stateroom... so like the scenic oceanview cabins - sure they're oceanviews, but not at all comparable! the 4Js - classified as an interior, but they have a window, and a semi-private huge balcony out front! there's more 'value' per se in some of the 'gem cabins' which *are* of the same category. like the L shaped balconies - same category, 3x the balcony.. the aft oceanviews, same category, 2x the floor space, etc.

 

yeah i love the idea of the scenic oceanviews, especially the grand scenics... they tend to sell out pretty quick since there are so few of them.

 

and agreed with the cove balconies, i'd love to try one of them one day - and depending on the sailing, they can often be rather reasonable!

Yes I had Ocean Scenic view booked on our upcoming cruise out of San Juan but as luck would have it our ship Valor traded places with the Liberty. :rolleyes: