CT New-Cruiser

I hear you! We've gone from balconies to Junior Suites to full suites, and I absolutely love the experience and the space. We're booked in Aqua Class on Celebrity in May, and I'm really looking forward to BLU, but I'm a little apprehensive about being in a "regular" cabin.

We were in an aft Aqua cabin on the cruise before this one. The cabin size was fine (not a GS, but fine). We spent most of our time when in the room on the balcony - which was huge! We had one of the new aft cabins on Millie - the one in the center & the balcony was enormous & very private. It was right above the bar & we made friends with the bartenders. All we had to do was lean over the balcony, call down & a few minutes later our drinks arrived at our door! We enjoyed Blu. The food was good & we liked being able to go for dinner whenever we wanted - no set time. We only had to wait once for a very short time. I liked the smaller dining room. Aqua is nice - enjoy!

We just returned from a cruise on the Majesty. I knew when I booked it I was taking a chance....

On the other cruises we have taken before, we had balcony cabins. DH & I enjoyed spending some time every day on our balcony - usually at night over a drink & watching the stars.

The only cabins with balconies on Majesty are either Junior Suites or better. DH & I decided to splurge a little and book a GS. We booked our kids, and our parents in Ocean View Cabins a floor below.

Well, now we have a problem. I don't think we can go back to a regular balcony cabin. The Grand Suite really was nice. Besides the cabin & balcony being very large, there were a number of other perks that came with the suite - the usual, but some we didn't know about until we were on board (or tried to disembark).

We didn't have to wait on line to embark. We had a separate line for suite guests. We were on the ship within minutes.

After we got on board, I went to the explorations desk to book cabanas for our family on CocoCay. I knew suite guests had priority, so I wasn't too worried about getting one. We got on board pretty early, and 4 of them were already gone. I don't know if we would have gotten one if we didn't have a suite. It ended up being a moot point anyway - we weren't able to stop at CocoCay due to bad weather. Oh well.

There was a bottle of champagne waiting for us in our room. DH & I don't drink champagne. We asked if it could be exchanged for a bottle of wine. The next day, a bottle of Pinot was delivered to us. I thanked Analia (I don't remember her exact title, but she was in charge of suite guests) and mentioned we would enjoy it on our balcony.

The day we were supposed to go to CocoCay, but ended up at sea, I spoke with Analia and she had several board games delivered to us for our family to enjoy - it was such a nice way to spend some time with all 3 generations (even our 17 and 21 year olds had a good time).

The stateroom attendant was great. Dolly took care of everything beautifully - routine & non-routine. We had a problem on the second night with our shower. I went to shower about 45 minutes before our dinner seating and found that the shower was backed up with icky stuff. Within minutes, Dolly had maintenance in our room to fix the problem. As soon as they left, she came in, cleaned & disinfected the shower & bathroom floor.

My in-laws, who were not in a suite, had a problem with their toilet 3 times and by the time someone showed up hours later, the toilet cleared. in the meantime, they had to run to other floors to use the restroom (they are in their late 70s and early 80s). Not fun.

We got back to our room on the last day after touring Key West and found another bottle of wine with a note for Analia saying "Hope you enjoy this on your balcony!".

One of the best perks came when it was time to disembark. We had an early flight booked and had planned to walk off with our luggage. We all gathered on the 9th floor to head down to leave - it took a little while to get us all on elevators (they were all full), but we finally made it down to deck 4 only to be told to go back up to 5 and get on the end of the line which was not moving at all. Turns out there was a problem with RCCL's system and no one could leave. The first guests were finally able to leave around 8 am, but by then the line was unbelievably long. I was a little concerned we might have a problem with our 11:15 flight.

I thought suite guests had priorty to disembark. I found a rep who said we did have priority and she told us where to go. We were able to get off the ship, get a cab, get to the airport, and get through security (which also had a long line - sadly our suite status did nothing for us at the airport!!!), and wait for our flight by about 9 am.

We spoke to my in-laws, who didn't disembark with us as they driven to the port. They said they line moved VERY slowly. It took them until about 10:30 to get off the ship. I hope no one missed their flights.

Anyway - I don't think I can go back to a non-suite. It really was lovely.

Packing Sunday and Flying to Miami on Monday to board Majesty. Sailing with 3 generations - our kids, their grandparents, and my sister (we're the sandwich middle!). Our first time in a Grand Suite.:)

kccrzr - thanks! That was just what I was looking for.

Can anyone tell me the cabana #s on Coco Cay? I think there was a thread where someone had a map or picture and had numbered the cabanas and recommended which ones to try and get.

thanks!

Minivan taxi right outside the door where you pick up your luggage. The fare is 24.00.

Awesome...thanks! This is why I love CC. :)

What is the best way to get from the Miami airport to the cruise terminal? There will be 6 of us.

thanks in advance.

I've managed to get 1140 on the Millennium Alaska cruise on 5th July 2013.

 

Getting to/from Vancouver on BA upstairs in Club, one of the bus tours back to Anchorage, then Air Canada back to Vancouver, followed by a week visiting relatives in BC

 

 

Hope I made the right choice of cabin!

We were in 1140 last July on a cruise to Alaska. We LOVED the cabin! DH and I spent a lot of time on the balcony. The balcony was enormous. Half of it had an overhang which provided privacy from onlookers from above. If we were sitting towards the back of the balcony (away from our cabin), people from above could see down to us. If we were standing by the railing, people in the Sunset Bar could see us. We did enjoy making friends with people who were at the Sunset Bar. Several times we struck up a conversation from above and ended up at the bar drinking with fellow passengers. We got to know the bartenders and we could just yell down to them from our balcony and a few minutes later our drinks were at our door. If we wanted privacy, we just sat closer towards the cabin, under the overhang.

We enjoyed early evening cocktails from the bar and Sushi appetizer from the Windjammer Cafe most nights before dinner on the balcony.

We had a PRIME viewing spot on glacier day, sitting on our balcony.

We were never bothered by noise or smoke. We did have a little bit of ash on the chairs and table once or twice. But, having read on CC that this could be a potential issue, we just made sure to wipe off the table and chairs before we used them.

We loved eating in Blu. We liked the smaller, more intimate setting. The food most nights was good (not the best meals I have ever eaten, but none were bad). I have a food allergy and the staff was great about working with me. I never had an issue with the food. We also liked the open seating and that we could just show up whenever we wanted. We never waited more than a couple of minutes to be seated.

We did use the Persian Gardens a number of times on sea days. It was very peaceful and pretty empty.

The one downside is that it is not the easiest place on the ship to get places. In particular, it was not so easy to get to the fitness center - which we used on the days we were at sea or didn't have an early excursion booked. You either have to go downstairs by the Sunset Bar and walk through the Windjammer Cafe, or go outside and walk across the outer deck (which was difficult on very windy days), or take the elevator down and walk across the ship. It was an inconvenience, but wouldn't stop me from booking the cabin again.

If I were to travel on the M class again, I would get definitely try to get the cabin again.

Happy Sailing!

Thanks for the lesson on how to post pics! Here goes everybody - my pics of cabin 1140 on Infinity - great cabin!

 

Toronto Guy - Thanks for the great pics. Any guess as to how big the balcony is?

Just FYI El Dorado Gold Mine will be combined as of this year with Gold Dredge 8. This doesn't change your plans :) just wanted to share the info. It actually sounds like a better deal! Here's what they wrote to me when I emailed them to make a reservation for El Dorado:

 

"We are going to be combining the El Dorado Gold Mine and the Gold Dredge 8 tours; the new tour is called Gold Dredge 8. The tour will be very similar to what you are already familiar with, you will still take the train ride and pan for gold, but in addition you will be able to view the pipeline and learn about Dredge history. The Gold Dredge 8 attraction will be a bit closer to town; the address is 1755 North Old Steese Highway."

Thanks for the info! Much appreciated.:)

Can't speak to the AK destinations since we will be going on our first Alaskan Cruise in August, but your Seattle/Vancouver choices are great.

 

We did a tour of the market w/Seattle Bites, led by Jan, 1 1/2 years ago. It was excellent. If you like chowder, you MUST go to Duke's on Lake Union! Also visited a great jazz bar downtown, Pioneer Square, can't remember their name though.

 

Stanley Park was great, great, great.....As was Granville Market, and ALL the brewtubs scattered among Yale Town, GasTown, Stanley Park.

If you like Indian, VIJ's is the place to go. Can't wait to go back before or after our cruise. Traveling around the city was easy on light rail and buses. AND I got all of these great tips from Trip Advisor, where everyone was so giving with information.

Hope you have a great trip!

Thanks for the suggestions! This is why I love CC and TripAdvisor. :) What did we do before these sites and the net? :confused:

Question- Is the morning before we embark enough time to enjoy Stanley Park? The ship leaves at 4pm - so we probably need to be boarding around 2pm. Our hotel is at the cruise dock.

Day 1 - Fly to Seattle, arrive in the evening

Inn at the Market

Day 2 - Space Needle, Pike's Market, Underground Tour

Dinner with friends

Day 3 - early train to Vancouver

Capilano Bridge, Grouse Mountain

Pan Pacific Vancouver

Day 4 - tour Vancouver - HOHO

Day 5 - Stanley Park am, board Millenium afternoon

Day 6 - Cruising Inside Passage

Day 7 - Ketchikan, morning Float plane to Misty Fjords with Family Air

lunch and wander in town?

Day 8 - Icy Straight, morning whale watching with F.I.S.H.E.S.

lunch and wander in town

Day 9 - Juneau, dog sledding on Mendenhall Glacier with Era Helicopters

lunch at Tracy's Crab shack, afternoon in town

Day 10- Skagway - Dyea Dave

Day 11- Hubbard Glacier cruising

Day 12- Seward, disembark

Kenai Fjords Park Tour with Major Marine

GoldStar Train to Anchorage

overnight Embassy Suites

Day 13 -Pick up rental car, explore Anchorage

Day 14- early leisurely Drive to Denali - stop in Wasilla for supplies

evening White Water Rafting Denali

stay Denali Dome Home B & B

Day 15-Denali Park Shuttle to Eielson (sp?)

Day 16-early drive to Fairbanks, El Dorado Gold Mine, Riverboat Discovery

overnight Dale & Jo View Suites B & B

Day 17-early flight back home

CT: No not at all, the flag is only there when in port - and the photo makes it look closer than it actually is.

So, objects in the aft view balcony are closer than they appear?;)

Toronto Guy, thank you for posting the pictures. Did the flag that appears in your pictures from the balcony interfere with views from the balcony or did you get used to it?

The aft balconies are "shaping" up like this.

 

I extended the balconies on cabins 1138, 1140, and 1141 based on the pics I've seen so far.

 

I did an overlay of deck 11 and deck 10:

 

 

Not to scale, of course.:)

 

Cabins 1130 and 1133 look like regular balconies.

Cabin 1140 looks like a balcony with a full extension.

Cabins 1138 and 1141 look like they have a balcony with half that extension (due to angle of the railing).

 

1140 looks like the one to grab if you have a chance. No stairs looking at you and the largest and most private balcony.

 

Yay! thank you for this information. Last summer we booked cabin 1140 on Millie for our cruise to Alaska for this coming summer. Was nervous about booking it due to the concerns mentioned by others on CC (privacy, etc). Like others, have eagerly been awaiting pictures and information about these new cabins. This thread, pictures, comments, and now your drawing and comments have made me very happy with our choice. :D