Got a huge aft balcony on Independence - thanks to YOU guys!

[Chrisconn]

Wow, research and more research pays off. Thanks to all the help from folks here, I scored balcony 1400 on Independence- looks like it's the size of a junior suite, with an extra big balcony. Perfect for our family of four!

 

Feel much better about this now...cost was less than $3,000 for the four of us (versus $5,000+ on either Allure or Disney, in a much smaller cabin).

 

Thanks everyone, for your help!

[RCCL Fan]

I just booked the same room for my soon to be mother-in-law on our Indy cruise next year!! Be sure to post pictures!!

[dln929]

Wow, research and more research pays off. Thanks to all the help from folks here, I scored balcony 1400 on Independence- looks like it's the size of a junior suite, with an extra big balcony. Perfect for our family of four!

 

Feel much better about this now...cost was less than $3,000 for the four of us (versus $5,000+ on either Allure or Disney, in a much smaller cabin).

 

Thanks everyone, for your help!

 

We had the corner aft below on Deck 7 but on debarkation day I sneaked a peek at 1400. The room IS the size of a junior suite! You will be very pleased with it. The balcony is a smaller than what we had but still oversized compared to normal cabins. Here's a pretty good review of it by CC member IamJPT:

 

Cabin we had 1400 which is a corner aft on deck 10. This was a great cabin. The walk aft was not an issue (especially after eating). The peace and quiet was nice. The view was unbelievable. I am now a committed aft cabin junkie. There is nothing like wake watching at sunset with a glass of wine!!! The cabin was much larger than a typical D1 balcony (it was almost as big as a JS). The room does have the infamous stripper pole. It is located at the foot of the bed and was not an issue in walking around (it did provide some interesting entertainment on several evenings!!!). The balcony was huge. It had 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a table. The room and balcony are directly underneath the Windjammer floor structure. We did not hear any noise from the Windjammer. The overhead did cause most of the balcony to have limited sun and lots of shade. While the ship was moving there was a nice breeze but while the ship was still the air was a bit stuffy. The overhead did also protect us from the smokestack dust that was visible on the aft cabin balconies that were below us. They seemed to do a very nice job of cleaning the dust every day but one of our Meet and Mingle friends that had an aft on deck 9 reported that the dust was not only on the deck but also on the loungers and table. I would imagine it could have gotten on your clothes if you left them out to dry. I probably would not take that risk and would aim for a deck 10 aft next time. Another thing about our balcony the ships structure was sloped toward the corner. I am very tall so the far corner parts of the balcony were a bit low to my liking but I never bumped my head. Again this was a great cabin and I would try to book it again. Wait a minute strike all of this the cabin was terrible and you should avoid it at all costs (so that I can get it again)!!!

[gcvt]

Congratulations! We had 1400 on FOS earlier this year. Fantastic room - you'll love it and will be forever spoiled.

[margeecruiser]

To OP: How did you manage to score this top aft cabin? Did you stay up all night to book as soon as it showed up online or did your TA score it for you? I'm willing to do whatever it takes!

 

Margee;)

[Chrisconn]

To OP: How did you manage to score this top aft cabin? Did you stay up all night to book as soon as it showed up online or did your TA score it for you? I'm willing to do whatever it takes!

 

Well, Margee, it helped that we picked one of the cheapest and least full cruises (late January). I also called and told Royal which cabin # we wanted, and asked which cruises in Dec/Jan/Feb of next year it was available on.

 

I think the key to getting a good aft cabin is to book as far in advance as possible. We had an aft on Celebrity on our last cruise- got it the same way, told the TA which room I wanted and she found dates it was available. Flexibility helps! On this cruise, with our family of 4 in the same room, I figured we needed as much space as possible. I'm thrilled to get this, especially for the price!

[margeecruiser]

Thanks, Chrisconn

 

I want an aft corner for my fall 2013 TA. Since they are so popular and there are so few of them, I plan on jumping on the web or calling at midnight when booking opens. Any other suggestions, anyone?

 

Thanks, Margee

[swedish1]

You'll love this cabin just be prepared for little or no wind as it can get very warm on the aft!

[Nigeldelarue]

I got my aft for Nov 7th TA by accident. I called to book my JS and just happened to ask if there was anything else available that wasnt on the web. Low and behold he said he had a aft corner room 7650 ( GOS ) ... I booked it and when I got off the phone I looked it up and WOW thats a nice room.

So i would say if you dont see it on line dont assume it is not available ! ASK

 

Enjoy your rooms ! We will

:)

[Chrisconn]

So i would say if you dont see it on line dont assume it is not available ! ASK

 

Enjoy your rooms ! We will

:)

 

Good point! I had several aft staterooms in mind...and NONE of them appeared on the RCI website, or on my TA website. You do have to ask!

[Esmerelda]

OP, you might enjoy this. I shot this last year on the Freedom in June of 11.

 

 

 

:D

[will773]

OP, you might enjoy this. I shot this last year on the Freedom in June of 11.

 

 

 

:D

 

Wow! :eek:

[Chrisconn]

OP, you might enjoy this. I shot this last year on the Freedom in June of 11.

 

 

 

:D

 

LOL....I already saw it...it came up on my google search for photos of the cabin! Looks awesome! The extra floor space really sold me.

[love2cruise56]

OP, you might enjoy this. I shot this last year on the Freedom in June of 11.

 

 

 

:D

 

 

Thanks for posting.:D

[LESLIEKURZ]

Great to hear. Congrats! You can repay us by packing a few of us in your luggage if you like. I've been practicing yoga for a while so contorting isn't a problem for me... just saying.