Does it Matter what deck you stay on?

In reality, does it really matter what deck you stay on? Now, yes I understand Baloconys give you more room, more private time outside away from the crowds on deck.

We are hopefully booking our next cruise for Aug 2010(Waiting for TA to get back to me about booking..emailed him last night saying "WE ARE GOING LOL).

We are a one income family with 3 kids. This will be our 4th cruise. We always tell the TA we want the cheapest, and inside rooms that connect.

Though found out that with some of the Carnival ships, you cant get the 3 and 2 inside that connect:rolleyes:

Last yr we were on RCCL Grandeur and we got two inside connecting with 3 and 2..

It doesnt matter..still told TA..we want to go the cheapest way as long as rooms connect. He found OV connecting on the lowest deck;)

Afterall we dont spend much time in the room.. So does it really matter if get a cabin on lowest deck?

To me, I would say no...because service great no matter where you are..

We are just excited to be cruising again.Our TA is great..he keeps a look out for us, and gets us bumped up to a highdeck if prices change for the same money.

I have been on most decks. From what you are saying I don't think it matters. I would take the cheapest cabin and more salings.

I do think the lower you are and the closer to the center of the ship the less chance at getting sea sick.

In reality, does it really matter what deck you stay on?

Yes, in reality it does. Unlike many others, I do like relaxing in the cabin and prefer the natural sunlight in balcony cabins and also a balcony to have a drink and relax on. We have kids and don't get to take more than one cruise a year and we consider the balcony, along with dining in specialty restaurant, as the luxuries we don't hesitate to pay for.

Yes, in reality it does. Unlike many others, I do like relaxing in the cabin and prefer the natural sunlight in balcony cabins and also a balcony to have a drink and relax on.

I think you should have added to your post that it matters TO YOU.

In the grand scheme of things it absolutely does not matter. As you pointed out, you get the exact same service, the same meals, the same entertainment, the same ports, the same excursions, etc., etc. (well, unless you're on Cunard).

Some people are "balcony snobs" or "upper deck snobs" or "suite snobs". To them it matters. Although when you're sitting at the pool or at a show, who can tell deck you are on? I've met some of the most interesting, fun, beautifully behaved, elegantly dressed cruisers who only stay in inside cabins. But it is important to some people.

Me, as long as I have natural light I could not care less which deck we are on. I'd rather have the extra bucks for another vacation! ;)

We are another couple who would rather get the lowest price cabin and go more often! We unfortunately don't have unlimited income for vacation. I will say that we do now pay attention to the deck after we had a cabin directly under the nightclub on one cruise and the thumping of the music kept us up until 2am. We also don't book at the front of the ship after hearing the anchor dropping at 5am on on cruise--sounded like it was comming out from under our bed!

Other than those problems, we do book the cheapest cabin if possible, but do pay attention to what is above and below us! Have a great time, cruising is some of our favorite family vacation memories--even when we had 4 in an inside cabin!

I prefer to be on a deck that's closest to the things I am interested in. If I am booked in an inside cabin, this is especially true in relation to an outer deck of the ship. I like to get up and head outside right when I wake up so I can look out over the ocean and have my cup of coffee. I know that having a balcony would make this more convenient, but I usually don't see the increase in price as worth it. For my upcoming cruise on the Spirit, I'm book in an inside cabin on Deck 10 right near the mid staircase. This means I only have to go up 2 flights of stairs in the morning, and I'm right at the buffet so I can grab my coffee and head right outside. If I wasn't able to pick a cabin and I ended up being in the bottom deck of the ship, that's okay too. As long as I'm on the ship!

In reality, does it really matter what deck you stay on? Now, yes I understand Baloconys give you more room, more private time outside away from the crowds on deck.

 

We are hopefully booking our next cruise for Aug 2010(Waiting for TA to get back to me about booking..emailed him last night saying "WE ARE GOING LOL).

We are a one income family with 3 kids. This will be our 4th cruise. We always tell the TA we want the cheapest, and inside rooms that connect.

 

Though found out that with some of the Carnival ships, you cant get the 3 and 2 inside that connect:rolleyes:

 

Last yr we were on RCCL Grandeur and we got two inside connecting with 3 and 2..

 

It doesnt matter..still told TA..we want to go the cheapest way as long as rooms connect. He found OV connecting on the lowest deck;)

 

Afterall we dont spend much time in the room.. So does it really matter if get a cabin on lowest deck?

To me, I would say no...because service great no matter where you are..

 

We are just excited to be cruising again.Our TA is great..he keeps a look out for us, and gets us bumped up to a highdeck if prices change for the same money.

We've always viewed the eating and ports and value as the biggest reason to cruise. We've had numerious interior and have only every gotten upper level view rooms on free upgrades. We wouldn't do it anyother way. It is really up to you. I see balconies as the only real perk with open air and a few more square feet, but for the price I always take that $$$ and splurge on some great excursion. 10 years from now we won't remember the room much, but the memories of a great excursion will last a lifetime.

Save the money has always been our motto :D

I don't think it matters at all. We had an ocean view on the lowest deck last year and it was great! Actually it was really convenient when in port. One flight down and you're off the ship!

I prefer to be on a "sandwich" deck, that is in between decks with cabins. Don't want to be either under or above decks with public areas...such as dining rooms, buffets, pools, etc., so prefer cabins above me and cabins below me.

And I have to have a balcony, not because I am a snob, but because I am claustrophobic and need to have access to fresh air at any moment. I need to go "outside" if I have that type of feeling come over me.

I think you should have added to your post that it matters TO YOU.

 

Why should I have put that in? The OP's question was does it matter TO YOU. I don't speak for others, just me. :rolleyes:

The deck does matter to me....I like to be within a flight or two of where I spend the majority of my time---which is the pool area! I don't mind using the elevator to go to dinner, or a show....but for running back and forth to the cabin during the day, the stairs make more sense!

I'm more interested in the location than the actual deck. On one of our best cruises, we were in an OV on deck 2, midship. Having major issues with motion, I'd take that location over a balcony on a high deck forward or aft. With the motion problem, I like staying in the middle.......... That's up & down as well as front to back. If I can't get the mid/mid location, I'll move down rather than up. Especially if I also have to move forward or back!

It's really all about what works for you and how you choose to spend your money..................

We always take inside cabins and could care less what deck they're on. We do however try to be mid-ship closer to the rear elevators. This makes it quicker to get most of the places we usually go.

We feel the same. On our first cruise we had a balcony as it was our honeymoon and it was very nice but I think we only used it a couple of times. Since then we take the cheapest inside cabin we can get as we either out on deck, eating or watching a show or we're ashore. We only use the cabin for sleeping, showering and changing. The money saved goes to more cruises.

I used to say it didn't matter to us what deck, then we cruised a couple times staying on deck 2 and didn't like it at all. At first I thought it was because we were inside and I felt like we were in a cave, so we tried OV cabins again on deck 2. I felt like we were relegated to the dungeon all the way down there.

Over the years we've gone higher, gotten balconies and are much happier. We don't spend in other areas of the vacation, such as shopping, gambling, bingo, photos, souvenirs, etc... Each of us has their own feelings on the subject and there is no right or wrong answer. I'm sure there are many people who pay the minimum amount and actually have a more expensive vacation than we do with all their extras and that is great for them, it's their own personal choice.

We like a little more space, we enjoy the balcony in the morning, afternoon and evening, we like not having to use the elevator to go up to the pool deck. Value has a diferent meaning for all of us.

We cruise in a balcony. We put the kids in an inside triple. That limits our choices regarding decks (8th 9th 10th) since we like a balc on the aft with a triple inside across that hall. I don't think I could deal with an inside room.....Just the fresh air aspect alone makes the balcony our 1st choice. The kids don't seem to care though. :p

~Connie

I think you should have added to your post that it matters TO YOU.

 

In the grand scheme of things it absolutely does not matter. As you pointed out, you get the exact same service, the same meals, the same entertainment, the same ports, the same excursions, etc., etc. (well, unless you're on Cunard).

 

Some people are "balcony snobs" or "upper deck snobs" or "suite snobs". To them it matters. Although when you're sitting at the pool or at a show, who can tell deck you are on? I've met some of the most interesting, fun, beautifully behaved, elegantly dressed cruisers who only stay in inside cabins. But it is important to some people.

 

Me, as long as I have natural light I could not care less which deck we are on. I'd rather have the extra bucks for another vacation! ;)

Well......it DOES matter to me! DH always uses cruise time for continuting education and studies in the cabin/suite a lot and we really do like the additional space. So although we hope that we are not "snobs" we do always book suites for the additional space. Those medical textbooks take up a lot of room!

I guess I sort of took offense to the "snob" reference....maybe it is late and I should be in bed? But maybe it is sour grapes as well....

Bottom line is that there are those of us who would rather only cruise when we can afford suites and those who go no matter how low or dark their staterooms are. There is room for all of us I think?

Ok - I am going to bed now before all of the nasty responses come back!

Ok, I thought the question is "does the deck matter?" vs. what category cabin you select.

Regarding decks, lower are more stable than higher. And also midships is more stable.

So yes for those concerned about motion the deck does matter. That is not subjective.

some say that higher cabins have better access to the action areas of the ship. That is relative too, lower cabins have better access for debarciing the ship many times. Just depends on how you look at it and what is important to you.

Whether you like outside, inside, or balcony that is subjective depending on what you perfer (some actually perfer dark cabins for sleeping). so that does vary and it's wonderful to have the choices.

I just did a quick search of Carnival ships and found the following connecting cabins.

Conquest Class 6295/6297, 6299/6301, 6303/6305 (Upper deck IS 4D)

Fantasy Class R38/42, R41/45 (Riviera deck IS 4A)

R132/134 (Riviera deck IS 4B)

Triumph & Destiny Class - same as Conquest

No IS connecting on Spirit class

I always book an IS guarantee and don't really care where I end up. So far I've gotten some pretty good upgrades and never had a cabin that was noisy or had any problems.

IMO it matters. I did the lowest deck balcony room and when we had some waves the water would slap against the window. Personally I thought it was incredibly cool, my mother on the other hand would have had a heart attack.

If you are the type to go back and forth from the room a lot it could be a little annoying to have to head to the lowest deck but I never minded. I am also the type to take the stairs and after a few trips from the top to the bottom you learn not to forget things in your room.

The motion of the ocean is more the higher you go. Don't you know.(Poetry. Bad but it rhymes) The sound of pool chairs scraping you awake in the morning is frightening. Look for a cabin that is between two other levels of cabins. The sandwich effect. That keeps sound down. Center would be best. I never got to ride in an elevator on the Sensation. They were full all the time, so I used the stairs. I did not gain one pound on our trip, and I never saw the exercise room.

No. I will stay on any deck, in any cabin.

I know a lot of people say they only use the room to sleep, shower and change. But, after inside and ov rooms I always take a balcony. I often use the room to rest, read, watch a movie or write in my journal. Sure, I could do that in a public area, but I like the privacy and being able to sit outside on my own space. I like the natural light, maybe because I live in Florida and am used to lots of sunlight. So, it is a balcony for me but I do trry to find 'good' prices. just my point of view!

Yes, I do care about the deck. Some rooms are better located than others, and if I can have a better location for the same price . . . well, I want it!

My idea of "best location": If I'm going to pay for a balcony, I want an extra-large aft balcony -- preferably a corner aft. If I were going to have a regular side balcony, I think I'd choose deck 6 (because that's closest to the water). All things being equal, I like the floor directly beneath the pool (though I'd rather have a room at the far aft, not a room directly beneath the pool) because then it's quick to run up the stairs to the pool/buffet -- no waiting for the elevator. Regardless of what room I have, I'd rather avoid being right next to a crew work room; I don't want to risk hearing washing machines, etc. all the time.

Having said all that, I'm speaking as if money is no object . . . but we all know it is! If it's a choice between the "same room" on deck 2 or deck 10, I'd want to know the price difference. Yes, I'd pay $20/week more for the higher deck. I would not pay $100/week more for that higher deck. I'm not sure exactly where the dividing line falls between "worth it" and "not worth it", but I think it's a cruise-by-cruise decision. What I choose this time might not fit my needs next time.

It is really up to you - what matters to YOU. In the past I have always booked the lowest level oceanview although I now think that it is worth paying a nominal amount and being on an upper deck just because it makes it easier to use the stairs and never have to wait for elevators to walk up two or three flights to the pool or down two or three flights to the dining rooms. Not having a window is not for me as I enjoy natural light and would find an inside room with artificial light not to my taste. That is just me. On my last two cruises I have had a balcony and enjoyed it so much that I would pay - up to a point - the extra $ for one. If I am going on a Carnival Cruise with hundreds of kids and adults "fighting" for lounge chairs, there is nothing nicer than knowing that I have guaranteed seating on my balcony! But like I said, no one can really tell you what is best for you. Get all the price quotes for inside vs outside, how much extra you will pay to be on a higher vs lower deck, whether free upgrades are being offered, etc.