Booking an aft balcony cabin

[mrar]

Hi there, I'm looking to book an aft cabin on RC adventure of the seas NEXT December (2012), but on expedia I can't find any aft balcony rooms or junior suites available. Are they really all taken up or maybe certain travel companies can't sell that room or something??? A carnival ship for the same dates has plenty of aft cabins (even wraps) but we like the RC itinerary just a little more and have heard many people prefer RC to carnival (haven't tried either line yet).

[wcook]

They could be all sold out. Or RCI might not have released those rooms to Expedia. Or the computer may be requiring a minimum of 3 people per room and you are trying to book a room with just two.

 

Call RCI and ask.

[Jimbo]

dec 2..... 1694 and 1394

dec9..... 1694 and 1394

dec 23....1694 and 1394

dec 30... 1694 and 1394

 

Jimbo:)

[wantocruisemore]

By going to the RCCL website you can do a fake booking and find out which rooms are available. If they do not list them you can type in the number for availability.

 

One thing I did notice though when making aft reservations with RCCL. Some of the rooms (ie. corner afts) are earmarked for 3 passengers and they will not let you book far ahead for only 2.

 

Plus, you can always call and just book directly. I actually prefer that and was able to monitor prices and ended up getting a couple of really good price adjustments.

[mrar]

By going to the RCCL website you can do a fake booking and find out which rooms are available. If they do not list them you can type in the number for availability.

 

One thing I did notice though when making aft reservations with RCCL. Some of the rooms (ie. corner afts) are earmarked for 3 passengers and they will not let you book far ahead for only 2.

 

Plus, you can always call and just book directly. I actually prefer that and was able to monitor prices and ended up getting a couple of really good price adjustments.

 

 

You mentioned corner aft rooms, are they big (possibly wrap) balconies like I've seen on carnival pictures? We think it would be really great to have a huge hangout balcony since we are going with a small group of friends.

[bcwaves]

Call RCI and ask them. I had a middle hump booked for 2013 because the corner aft I wanted wasn't showing up online at RCI or other travel sites. I called and asked and it wasn't available. I called back a few weeks later and the corner was available (although not showing online) so I switched.

[wwcruisers]

Agreed -- the best way to find out for sure is to call RC and ask about the availability of specific cabins. Although afts are pretty popular (and tend to book-up fairly quickly), I can't imagine them all being gone, well over a year in advance!

Also, be aware that Adventure (as part of the Voyager class) has a prominent "super-structure" on its stern. This tends to block the otherwise stunning aft views. Some cabins are worse than others -- so, you'll need to do your homework. Although I haven't seen her on the boards in a while, if you research old posts by BonnieVoyager, you should find some very good pictures of the various aft cabins.

Good luck! :)

[wcook]

While they aren't "wrap" balconies per say, some of them are huge. Do a search for Voyager Aft Balcony and you should find a couple websites with tons of pictures. (Adventure is a Voyager class).

 

They do go quickly. Part of the "problem" is that RCI doesn't charge a premium for the rooms, so they are highly desired. If interested, your best bet is to call RCI directly.

 

EDIT - To add some perspective, we booked our June 2011 cruise on the day sales opened in March 2010. I called about an hour after RCI opened for business. One of the two "stripper pole" aft baloncy rooms had already been booked. We took the other one.

[Mewissy]

Go to voyager-class.com.

 

There are pictures of the aft balcony rooms and balconies (as well as other rooms).

 

We have 7690 for the Explorer on our next cruise - a corner aft.

[PantherFan]

The Adventure doesn't have any corner wrap cabins. The closest ones to wraps are on deck 6 & 7. With that said I would grab a deck 7 corner or anything on decks 9 or 10

 

The superstructure on the back does block some views but more importantly deck 10 can look down on everyone else except deck 7. Deck 7 in completely covered by the balcony of deck 8.

 

Just my two cents

 

http://www.voyager-class.com/

[wantocruisemore]

The Voyager site is a great resource to check on rooms.

 

But just DON'T BOOK 9390! We had that one this summer and the corner aft balcony was less than half the size of my Bil/SIL's next door at 9392. The balcony cut at a 45 degree angle and when we had the 2 loungers, chair and table out you barely had room to walk between them. We had to stack the loungers to even allow more than one to stand out there. There were 9 of us and we actually hung out on the BIL's balcony and there was plenty of room. I really screwed up when I took the corner one.

 

But on the other hand, the corner ones on Deck 10 and Deck 7 have huge balconies.

 

Do a search on this forum also for "aft voyager" rooms. I know there are some more threads and photos out there.

[ibcnusoon]

We aer sailing Brilliance of the Seas in November 2012. I wanted an AFT and the only AFTs showing on the RC site and other booking engines only showed 3 aft-facing balaconies on Deck 10. I booked and a few days later decided to call.

 

Well, lo and behold, there were a bunch of aft-facing cabins available. Why these cabins aren't listed on any of the cruise search engines or the RC website is beyond me. So, if you have a cabin you are interested in, call and ask.

 

If you can figure out what catagory the cabin you are interested in, you can pull up that catagory on the RC site and then enter the cabin number. It's not easy and RC's website is the pits, so best if you call.

 

We went from an aft-facing cabin to an aft-wrap by calling RC and asking if the aft-wrap was available (It was), but it wasn't showing up on any of the search engines.

 

Good luck!

[vickiw0318]

A CSR once told me that they save the afts for those who know to ask for them.

[mamapan]

Go to voyager-class.com.

 

There are pictures of the aft balcony rooms and balconies (as well as other rooms).

 

We have 7690 for the Explorer on our next cruise - a corner aft.

 

We've got 9690 in a short 79 days... :D

[mrar]

Thank you guys so much! I'm not quite ready to book but I wanted to know the deal with RCCL aft cabins, while I still did some more research. DH and I still have a few student finances to pay off over the next couple months before we book the cruise but I just can't help getting so giddy about it! I'd rather do it sooner but one of the cruisemates works in education and we like to go in cooler months so winter break it is! I'll definitely do my research, I see what you guys mean about some of them having crummy views. Any reccomendations?

[wantocruisemore]

We've got 9690 in a short 79 days... :D

 

 

You may want to lower your expectations some. We had 9390 last month. The balcony cut at a sharp 45 degree angle and was less than half the size of 9392 (which my BIL had).

 

I noticed from looking around the aft that 9690 seemed larger, but it will still not be as large as the one beside it.

 

Anyone know how to post photos from Shutterfly, and I will try to post some.

[wantocruisemore]

I'm going to try to post a photo of our balcony.

 

http://www.shutterfly.com/lightbox/view.sfly?fid=e93a0465c32ad12b6cbbd47cbb382743#1312914896680

 

This is my MIL & DD on 9390. I am at the furthest corner opposite them when taking the photo. You can see how small it is. To the right of my DD you can barely make out the stacked loungers so we could walk out.

 

 

Edited to say: OK, that didn't work. I guess if anyone is interested I can try sending them the share site.

[mamapan]

You may want to lower your expectations some. We had 9390 last month. The balcony cut at a sharp 45 degree angle and was less than half the size of 9392 (which my BIL had).

 

I noticed from looking around the aft that 9690 seemed larger, but it will still not be as large as the one beside it.

 

No need to lower expectations. I've been in 9390 & 9690 and found it fine for our needs. I'd rather stick with the corner anyway to have a broader view, and I really like the round window that's big enough to sit in. Additionally it means a neighbor on just 1 side.

 

We usually book inside cabins so just having a flippin' window is a big step up:D

but this is our anniversary & the kids are staying home, so why not?

 

Thanks

[AngelKappie]

Go to voyager-class.com.

 

There are pictures of the aft balcony rooms and balconies (as well as other rooms).

 

We have 7690 for the Explorer on our next cruise - a corner aft.

 

Hi Melissa!

 

7690 is not a corner aft, want to make sure you are aware of this, don't want you to be disappointed when you get to your room!

 

7690 is next to the corner aft 7688 is the corner aft. You probably know this due to you going on voyager-class.com GREAT webiste helped us pick our rooms. My brother has 7688 and I have 7388 the other corner aft.

[Jimbo]

Go to voyager-class.com.

 

There are pictures of the aft balcony rooms and balconies (as well as other rooms).

 

We have 7690 for the Explorer on our next cruise - a corner aft.

 

call asap and ask for cabin #9692,(It's available for your sailing) its not the corner but it's a larger balcony then the corner one #9690, and deck 9's view is much better then your current cabin on deck 7.

 

If you wanted to upgrade to a D1 Category Cabin #1390 is also available for your sailing.

 

Jimbo:)

[wantocruisemore]

No need to lower expectations. I've been in 9390 & 9690 and found it fine for our needs. I'd rather stick with the corner anyway to have a broader view, and I really like the round window that's big enough to sit in. Additionally it means a neighbor on just 1 side.

 

We usually book inside cabins so just having a flippin' window is a big step up:D

but this is our anniversary & the kids are staying home, so why not?

 

Thanks

 

What matters is you are happy!!!:D

 

I just didn't want you to get blind-sided like I did. I booked last summer and from reading other postings I thought I was getting a bigger balcony than I did.

 

But I certainly didn't let it ruin our wonderful cruise.

 

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!! I wish I was planning a trip without kids!

[mamapan]

What matters is you are happy!!!:D

 

I just didn't want you to get blind-sided like I did. I booked last summer and from reading other postings I thought I was getting a bigger balcony than I did.

 

But I certainly didn't let it ruin our wonderful cruise.

 

HAVE A GREAT TIME!!!! I wish I was planning a trip without kids!

 

Not at all. I may have been more hesitant about the room had I not been in it first and it's always nice to hear from other people who have been in the rooms for more perspective.

 

Thanks so much. We took the kids on the April 2010 cruise but this one is for our 20th anniversary & we'll be with a whole crew of folks we met on the October 2010 cruise we went on alone. They'll come with us on the next cruise most likely - but not in a balcony cabin ;) We'll be back to budget traveling.

[wantocruisemore]

A kind soul in another forum told me how to post from Shutterfly, so here are the balcony shots. The first one is DD & MIL on 9390. I am in the furthest corner away taking the photo. You can barely see to far right the stacked lounges.

 

 

 

 

Next one is MIL & grandkids on 9392. The width of it is much larger than the 5 of them and there is large amt of room depth wise.

 

 

This one is my other DD & my niece that I took from my balcony looking around to theirs:

 

[crookedhalo]

One thing I did notice though when making aft reservations with RCCL. Some of the rooms (ie. corner afts) are earmarked for 3 passengers and they will not let you book far ahead for only 2.

 

I think this has more to do with the sailing than anything else. I booked 7688 in July of 2010 for December 2011 for DH and I with absolutely no questions at all about the number in the stateroom;) We are sailing at beginning of December...I'm sure if we were sailing in the middle of the summer or during a school holiday the outcome would have been different:p