Cove Balcony from 4J?

Hello all. I am 150 days away from my very first cruise with a friend ( his first cruise as well) on the Carnival Dream. We have a 4J cabin booked. I recently was able to have our fares reduced by 20pp. Thanks for the tips! I never would have known I could do that without you guys.

While digging around and price checking I found that they have cove balcony cabins available and the price difference is $115pp more. When we were discussing the cruise we had originally thought we would get an inside cabin and not even consider a balcony. Our train of thought was, why pay more for a room we will not spend the majority of our time in anyway? We liked the idea of the window and payed the small amount for the upgrade.

Now me seeing this cove balcony has gotten me thinking that it might be worth it but, I'm unsure if I'm ready to propose this idea to my friend. We have never cruised before and have no idea if we are going to get seasick but it is a concern after reading that the forward cabins feel more motion than the middle. Another reason why I have been rethinking the 4J.

This is where I am hoping some of you might be able to help me lean one way or the other. Convincing him shouldn't be hard if its something I really want ;) but money is always an issue as we have decided to opt for the pricey cheers package as well.

I suppose I should add this is a 7 day cruise to Mahogany Bay, Belize, and Cozumel. We are very excited for this much needed vacation so I know any cabin is a "good" cabin. I just want to make sure I make the most of my time and money.

What are some of your likes/dislike for these two cabin categories? Is the cove really worth around $100pp more ? Any advice or other point of views would be very helpful. :)

My husband and I had cove 2302 on the Dream and loved it. Just make sure you aren't under the galley where it can be noisy; check deck plans or post the cabin numbers you are considering. We found our location to be very convenient, close to elevators, lobby and dining room.

We were in Cove balcony 2252 last year on the Dream and absolutely loved it! It is a more secluded space that a regular balcony and has a bit more leg room. I have heard to stay away from the coves underneath the galley (mid ship), but I have no personal experience to judge on those.

We had a 4J (10205) on the Dream. While we LOVED the extra size of the cabin, I would MUCH rather have a balcony room instead. Yes, you have light coming in the room, but you really couldn't see much out of the window because of the large deck and rail. You can go out two doors and be on the front deck, but it isn't a private deck.

We loved our Cove on the Breeze. It is large and you are so close to the water. Be careful though, most of them are directly under a lifeboat which will block the sun for most of the day and obstruct your view of the sky.

Most of the cabins left are under the galley. There are two that are close to it but are under the Crimson Dining Room. I just talked to my friend and he was excited about the 4J being so close to the front deck but is ok with the switch if I chose to do so. I feel like I should upgrade sooner rather than wait and miss out on these two open cabins. How bad is the galley noise really? Is it something that ear plugs would take care of?

Most of the cabins left are under the galley. There are two that are close to it but are under the Crimson Dining Room. I just talked to my friend and he was excited about the 4J being so close to the front deck but is ok with the switch if I chose to do so. I feel like I should upgrade sooner rather than wait and miss out on these two open cabins. How bad is the galley noise really? Is it something that ear plugs would take care of?

First of all, DO IT!!! :)

Take one of the cabins under the Crimson Dining Room for sure.

Second, Ask yourself this question: Could you see yourself 5 or 10 years from now saying "I wish we wouldn't have spent that $230 to upgrade to that balcony cabin on that cruise we took in 2016"?

I think this answers it for you. :)

What are some of your likes/dislike for these two cabin categories? Is the cove really worth around $100pp more ? Any advice or other point of views would be very helpful. :)

I wanted to add my 2 cents on the inside vs balcony debate :)

Every cruise we have been on has been in a cabin that had a balcony. How many times have I had coffee, drinks, lunch, or dinner on the balcony? Never. How many times have I laid in the lounger on the balcony enjoying the sun? None. How many times have I sat out there and read a book? Zero.

However, I am on a cruise ship and that ship is at sea (well most of the time) and the very 1st thing I do when I wake up in the morning (OK, technically the 2nd) is walk out the door onto the balcony and take in that ocean air. The sights and sounds of the ocean are so wonderful. It is also the the very last thing I do before I go to bed at night. I just stand out there for about 10 minutes or so and take it all in.

I would say that on an average cruise day I spend 30-60 minutes of time on the balcony and that is broken up into 10-15 minute segments but I wouldn't give it up for the world. :)

So for me it is totally worth the experience and additional cost. There just isn't anything else like it.

The Cove balcony is great. We had one on the Dream and both times on the Breeze. We really loved the balcony. We used it often. Sail away from each port with a drink in our hand while enjoying our balcony. Watching the sunset and getting great pictures. We slept with the door open every night. Bring a bungee cord to hold the door open.

I personally prefer to be on the higher decks rather than just above the water line, but that is just me. Lido deck 4j's to me are the BEST bang for your buck, and if you are on the Breeze, that secret deck came equipped with deck chairs.. a perfect place to hang out in peace and quiet just steps from your room. Deck 2 locations are just not my cup of tea.

We were in room 2337 on the Dream this past November. It was our first time in a cove balcony, although we've had balconies on other ships before. We absolutely LOVED it!! If I can get one that's not directly under the galley, I'll book one every time I sail on a ship that offers it.

I do have a tendency to deal with motion sickness so I would never book a forward or aft room. I know a lot of people love them and the size of the aft wrap is really appealing but I don't think I would enjoy myself, so I'll stick with midship.

We have had insides and balconies, both cove and regular balconies usually on deck 7 aft.

I will say this, I do not use our balcony for sunbathing, but we totally enjoy having breakfast out there, getting some quiet time reading or in the evening just sitting and talking about the day or what we might do the next day.

We loved being close to the water, we saw flying fish and just enjoyed the entire experience of being that close.

You can not go wrong with either room...you are on a cruise so go and enjoy. We prefer aft usually due to being able to get up to the aft pool, buffet are etc easier, but fell in love with the coves and will book one anytime we can.

Enjoy your cruise

we had booked a cove balcony on the Magic several years ago and at the last minute Carnival came in and offered a suite upgrade, so we took it. this time we have booked a cove again, really would like to check out being that close to the water.

we mostly do book balconies but realistically we do not spend too much time on them. I generally use them as a place to watch to see that the rest of my group makes it back on board after excursions! and watch the stragglers run to make the ship. Too windy to eat out there, not really enough sun for sunbathing. Husband cannot smoke his cigars out there, so we really only use the balcony for maybe a pre dinner drink. And we have discovered that sometime we can take two cruises with inside cabins for close to what some balconies have cost us.

enjoy your trip whatever you decide.

Beverly

We love the cove balcony. I say give it a try!

Even under the galley you will love the cove balcony. now this will seem sideways but ... Go to bed bath and beyond and buy a $20 Sound Spa white noise machine - it will mask any unwanted noise. A choice of nice soothing zen sounds.

Enjoy the cruise...!

I want to thank you all for the advice. I went ahead and upsold myself and now we are booked in cove balcony 2373! Under the dining room. I am very excited. The deciding factor was my friend has had to suffer seasickness on a charter fishing trip ( huge difference in boat size, I know ) I don't want anything to ruin our first cruise. All of your comments really helped me decide to go ahead and take the plunge :D I would love to see some sea life from my balcony. One of my family members told me they would see jellyfish lit up under the water close to the surface sometimes from their balconies. Fingers crosses for all sorts of creatures or even just one. :p Now if August would just hurry up and get here that would be great haha.