OS vs. Aft-Wrap - My Experience

[rpouls]

Let me say that my first balcony was an aft-wrap - I've never had a 'regular' balcony.

 

My first two Carnival cruises were in the early 90's - no balconies. My third was in a 1A cabin - and we (my daughter and I) loved our cruise & excursions.

 

On that cruise, I bought into a vacation club - and I thought that my points were expiring, so I used them all at once for the next cruise and booked the aft-wrap.

 

Being spoiled, we booked one for our subsequent cruise the following year.

 

I booked our most recent cruise in March 2010 - another aft-wrap. Being that I booked ES, I kept checking prices. JS weren't much more expensive, but in reading comments here, they didn't look too appealing - expecially when considering privacy on the balcony.

 

Anyway, a few months ago I noticed that Ocean Suites were going for less than my aft-wrap, so I decided to swap (and get an OBC).

 

My daughter and I both agree that we prefer the OS to the aft-wrap because:

 

-The extra cabin space is amazing - so nice not to have to sidestep each other when navigating around;

 

-Extra closet & cupboard space is phenomenal - we didn't come close to using all of the storage space;

 

-Bathroom was huge compared to the 'usual' size; I.e., full tub (whirlpool) with shower, plus two sinks;

 

-Separate dressing area was really nice as well - plenty of space to store (and leave out) our 'getting ready' stuff;

 

-Balcony was a nice size - albeit much smaller than an aft-wrap:), but we enjoyed it very much.

 

VIP boarding didn't even figure into my decision to switch - while it's a nice benefit, I much more appreciated the extra cabin/bathroom/closet/ dressing area space.

 

Also, since it's just me and my daughter (vs. many family members and/or friends), we didn't miss the aft-wrap balcony so much - a little, of course, but not as much as we thought we would.

 

Since our cabin was port-side, we still got to watch the pier-runners (and there were several).

 

So now we're really spoiled. I figure that if I have to spend the money to fly down (from Cleveland, OH) to FL, pay for the extra luggage fees, pay for a pre-night stay, pay for the shuttle, etc. etc. I may as well spend the extra for a really nice cabin.

 

I'm sure if I lived near a port (as my cousin does - he and his wife cruise alot) I would be more frugal. But since I have to pay quite a bit to get there, I may as well pay a bit more to have the best I can!

 

Now, all I need to do is figure out how I can afford our next cruise - won't be for quite awhile, but I'll be hoping!

[wasiii]

Let me say that my first balcony was an aft-wrap - I've never had a 'regular' balcony.

 

My first two Carnival cruises were in the early 90's - no balconies. My third was in a 1A cabin - and we (my daughter and I) loved our cruise & excursions.

 

On that cruise, I bought into a vacation club - and I thought that my points were expiring, so I used them all at once for the next cruise and booked the aft-wrap.

 

Being spoiled, we booked one for our subsequent cruise the following year.

 

I booked our most recent cruise in March 2010 - another aft-wrap. Being that I booked ES, I kept checking prices. JS weren't much more expensive, but in reading comments here, they didn't look too appealing - expecially when considering privacy on the balcony.

 

Anyway, a few months ago I noticed that Ocean Suites were going for less than my aft-wrap, so I decided to swap (and get an OBC).

 

My daughter and I both agree that we prefer the OS to the aft-wrap because:

 

-The extra cabin space is amazing - so nice not to have to sidestep each other when navigating around;

 

-Extra closet & cupboard space is phenomenal - we didn't come close to using all of the storage space;

 

-Bathroom was huge compared to the 'usual' size; I.e., full tub (whirlpool) with shower, plus two sinks;

 

-Separate dressing area was really nice as well - plenty of space to store (and leave out) our 'getting ready' stuff;

 

-Balcony was a nice size - albeit much smaller than an aft-wrap:), but we enjoyed it very much.

 

VIP boarding didn't even figure into my decision to switch - while it's a nice benefit, I much more appreciated the extra cabin/bathroom/closet/ dressing area space.

 

Also, since it's just me and my daughter (vs. many family members and/or friends), we didn't miss the aft-wrap balcony so much - a little, of course, but not as much as we thought we would.

 

Since our cabin was port-side, we still got to watch the pier-runners (and there were several).

 

So now we're really spoiled. I figure that if I have to spend the money to fly down (from Cleveland, OH) to FL, pay for the extra luggage fees, pay for a pre-night stay, pay for the shuttle, etc. etc. I may as well spend the extra for a really nice cabin.

 

I'm sure if I lived near a port (as my cousin does - he and his wife cruise alot) I would be more frugal. But since I have to pay quite a bit to get there, I may as well pay a bit more to have the best I can!

 

Now, all I need to do is figure out how I can afford our next cruise - won't be for quite awhile, but I'll be hoping!

 

.....you say 'aft wrap' as a general category. The aft wraps that you have had, were they category VS, 9C or other? I had a VS on the Miracle, 5266, this room was one big room rather than separate living/bed room VS's. Never felt cramped in there once and the bathroom was HUGE as all the other VS cabins.

 

:confused:

 

wasiii

[nybumpkin]

rpouls - I'm glad you enjoyed the OS. We had an OS on Glory and Miracle and liked both of them. The bathroom is a great plus. It's nice to not have to worry about bringing clothespins to weigh down the shower curtain.:p However, we're balcony snobs.:D The OS balcony is okay (I know it's a far sight better than what we'll have in an OS on Fantasy in August), but we love the aft wrap cabins on Triumph and Victory class ships. We just had 8455 on Glory - yes, the cabin is odd shaped, but we didn't lack for room for us or our belongings. And the balcony is to die for.

 

Our problem now is that we, like you, are spoiled. Where do we go from here?:p

[rdler]

Celebrity?

[Cold Beach]

Sometimes my wife wears an aft wrap when she gets out of the pool.

[vacation barbie]

Hi, we had an aft wrap suite (vista suite) cabin on the Pride and it also had the separate dressing area, "walk in" closet, double sink and whirlpool tub. We did not have to side swipe each other to get around in the cabin because you could get to the bedroom from the dressing area or from the living area.

 

Maybe the ship you were on was different...

[mizLORInj]

I'm figuring the OP is talking about 9C aft wraps on conquest class ships, and destiny, triumph and victory. Yes, the 9C cabins are not large (though some have more space than others) and the OS is a nice wide cabin (picture 1.5 cabins wide) .

Miracle, Pride etc. aft wraps are category VS (suites), and the cabins are larger.

[quickrate]

Let me say that my first balcony was an aft-wrap - I've never had a 'regular' balcony.

 

My first two Carnival cruises were in the early 90's - no balconies. My third was in a 1A cabin - and we (my daughter and I) loved our cruise & excursions.

 

On that cruise, I bought into a vacation club - and I thought that my points were expiring, so I used them all at once for the next cruise and booked the aft-wrap.

 

Being spoiled, we booked one for our subsequent cruise the following year.

 

I booked our most recent cruise in March 2010 - another aft-wrap. Being that I booked ES, I kept checking prices. JS weren't much more expensive, but in reading comments here, they didn't look too appealing - expecially when considering privacy on the balcony.

 

Anyway, a few months ago I noticed that Ocean Suites were going for less than my aft-wrap, so I decided to swap (and get an OBC).

 

My daughter and I both agree that we prefer the OS to the aft-wrap because:

 

-The extra cabin space is amazing - so nice not to have to sidestep each other when navigating around;

 

-Extra closet & cupboard space is phenomenal - we didn't come close to using all of the storage space;

 

-Bathroom was huge compared to the 'usual' size; I.e., full tub (whirlpool) with shower, plus two sinks;

 

-Separate dressing area was really nice as well - plenty of space to store (and leave out) our 'getting ready' stuff;

 

-Balcony was a nice size - albeit much smaller than an aft-wrap:), but we enjoyed it very much.

 

VIP boarding didn't even figure into my decision to switch - while it's a nice benefit, I much more appreciated the extra cabin/bathroom/closet/ dressing area space.

 

Also, since it's just me and my daughter (vs. many family members and/or friends), we didn't miss the aft-wrap balcony so much - a little, of course, but not as much as we thought we would.

 

Since our cabin was port-side, we still got to watch the pier-runners (and there were several).

 

So now we're really spoiled. I figure that if I have to spend the money to fly down (from Cleveland, OH) to FL, pay for the extra luggage fees, pay for a pre-night stay, pay for the shuttle, etc. etc. I may as well spend the extra for a really nice cabin.

 

I'm sure if I lived near a port (as my cousin does - he and his wife cruise alot) I would be more frugal. But since I have to pay quite a bit to get there, I may as well pay a bit more to have the best I can!

 

Now, all I need to do is figure out how I can afford our next cruise - won't be for quite awhile, but I'll be hoping!

I can see you've never been on a Spririt class ship. Once you have an aft wrap on one of those ships, you will have a hard time booking anything else! Mo comparision!

[rpouls]

Mine were a 9C on the Valor, so the cabin was one room (not a suite).

 

.....you say 'aft wrap' as a general category. The aft wraps that you have had, were they category VS, 9C or other? I had a VS on the Miracle, 5266, this room was one big room rather than separate living/bed room VS's. Never felt cramped in there once and the bathroom was HUGE as all the other VS cabins.

 

:confused:

 

wasiii