Rudiger Gussett

Hi Zoo,

By all reports you won't regret it. My wife, mother-in-law and baby girl loved the cabin - reporting no additional noise from the Lido deck, no issues with motor noise, vibrations or seasickness, and a huge room and balcony which they made full usage of. My wife reported that it was definitely the best cabin she'd had on a cruise.

The only disappointing part, was that despite their wonderful size, the cabins apparently benefited very little from the $150m makeover, and they were doubtful that anything inside the rooms had been upgraded. That said, it was only the 2nd cruise after the refit and works were behind schedule and still ongoing - so further improvements may have been completed since - although they did report that the ship was very crowded, at least compared to our previous cruise with the Star Princess.

I haven't logged in here for months, but will speak with my wife to see if she's got any photos of the room so you can see the (minimal ) changes from the photos posted above.

Thanks so much for the feedback, Imluvn! It was exactly what I wanted to hear, and you've put mind mind at ease. Those photos make the cabin look huge and I can't wait to see how good it looks after the makeover.

Glad you rated the room and had a great time - here's hoping my lot do as well.

For anyone who stumbles on this search in the future - after confronting a similar choice, I'll let you know that we went with the premium balcony option in room 8327.

It's under the Lido deck, which I generally avoid, but being tucked away in the far port aft section, I'm hoping they'll not be kept awake by staff dragging deckchairs back into position. At the end of the day, the extra 50+% footprint it affords for 12% more money seemed a fair price for so much space for our new walker to explore, and the extended balcony will be great for them to watch the coastline go by as they sip on their wines while little Miss sleeps.

I couldn't get any info on the size of the new Spa Balcony rooms on deck 11, so had to take a pass even though they looked appealing.

Here's hoping I don't live to regret it! Keep on cruisin'...

Having spoken to friends who've done the journey, none have suggested that it wasn't perfectly doable - subject to travelling with an accomodatinng airline.

To be honest, more than one have suggested that the intercontinental flight was the easy part - the hard part was spending early nights in cabins and hotel rooms with a sleeping child, knowing Europe was just outside their door! That said, after the cruise, I'll be meeting up with them and we'll try and share the load so they get to see some sights, restaurants and culture.

Still umming and ahhing over Midship Balcony vs Premium Balcony vs a new option of Spa Balcony (which is actually cheaper) and seems to include some access to treatments at the fitness centre in what looks like will be a brand new room on the new Sunshine. No word yet about how the size compares the the other two rooms unfortunately, and that is a major part of the decision. Again, appreciate any insights...

Thanks Mr Pete.

I did check for this, and (at least according to the deck/cabin plans at Carnival's website) confirmed that the position of the cabin on both Destiny and Sunshine is numbered the same.

That said, what level of change occurs to the room as part of the $150m makeover is anyone's guess!

Cheers...

Thanks for the great link susie - I've been trawling similar sites all day, but had somehow missed that one!

Looking at the photos, it doesn't look like an L-shaped balcony at all. But it does look like a much larger room with a standard balcony. That being the case, I'm inclined to risk a little noise from above since I think overall, it would be a good space for an infant.

Decisions, decisions... Any other insight greatly appreciated.

I'm planning on my booking a cruise for my wife, mother-in-law and 16month old daughter on board the Carnival Sunshine for 12 nights in June on the Meditterranean. We've spent weeks of deliberating the wisdom of cruising with a young infant, and they've decided this is definitely what they want to do.

And so to choosing a room. Being peak season in Europe and one of the first voyages of the newly refitted Carnival Sunshine (formerly Destiny), sales are already advanced and more sought after rooms are starting to get limited. I've narrowed the search to two - either a midship balcony stateroom (cat 8B or C) on a middle deck (Upper or Empress- 6 or 7) or a premium balcony (9B) towards the aft of the Verandah deck - 8. There's not a lot of info on their site about the premium balconies, but it's shown as only having a neighbouring cabin on only one side nad no nearby elevators or facilities, so in theory I thought that would be good for limiting noise coming from, or heard by our baby. Quick questions;

1) Anyone stayed in one of the equivalent rooms? Thoughts?

2) It is drawn on the deck plan as being almost twice the size, but according to the dimensions, the room itself is no larger than a normal balcony room? (see link below - it's room 8327) The main reason for paying the extra would be for the extra space for a child to run around - but is this so?

3) The Verandah deck is immediately below the pool deck. Given the premium balconies are near the rear of the vessel, anyone able to say how much noise (swimmers and dragging deckchairs) is likely to be heard, especially at night during cleaning?

4) Which one would you choose and why? The premium balcony adds 15% to the price, but I'm happy to pay it *if* they will be more comfortable. I'd hate to end up regretting a safe midship selection if it turns out they're seasick, sleepless from the sound of the engines and cleaning crew on the floor above and in a room no bigger than a standard balcony stateroom.

Really appreciate any feedback - thanks in advance.

Deck plan showing premium balcony 8327 below.

http://www.icruise.com/c/deckplan-popup.php?SailDate=02/16/2013&ShipID=6&DeckNumber=8#dp