carnival dream cove balcony or cloud 9 balcony

[d1cso4]

we are thinking of doing the dream on november 24th ..we are deciding on two balconies..cove or cloud 9 ? how is the cloud 9 and its perks ? and the cove and its positive and negatives ...thanks

[annarack]

We've just booked a spa balcony on the Breeze for October, really excited to try out the Cloud 9 facilities. Also looked at the Cove balcony as liked the idea of a more private balcony, but then decided against it as thought it might not get much sun. Am sure both will be great, let us know which you choose in the end...

[kona_wahine]

We booked a cove because we want the privacy and to be closer to the water. Haven't had a balcony before so looking forward to it. :)

[rickcop44]

We had a Cloud 9 spa cabin in February on the Dream. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed. You get a supposed private entrance and exit, but I quickly found anyone and everyone uses it. The one "perk" of being in a spa cabin is that you get unlimited use of the facilities such as the saunas, steam rooms, relaxation rooms, etc. Anything else you pay for just like everyone else. My wife and I booked a massage which was great, but then we got the high pressure sales pitch to buy pretty much everything in their inventory. When we declined, the massage therapist left and returned with her supervisor who also gave us the high pressure pitch. We declined again and then got out of there. But everytime thereafter that we went up to the spa, I felt like we were getting daggar stares from the workers when we passed. We finally stopped going up to the spa on about day 4 or 5. Oh, I don't know what sizes you guys are, the slippers we found in our cabin barely fit my wife. She's an 8. I just chuckled at them. As for the robes, they're one size fits all - provided you are no more than 5-10 and about 175 pounds. I'm a tad larger than that and couldn't come close to even closing the robe.

 

This February we've booked a cove balcony. It seems people can't say enough nice things about them plus we like the idea of the shade (and privacy) the life boats hanging above afford. I also understand the balcony in a cove cabin is a bit larger than the standard balcony.

 

Good luck with your choice.

[Winterstale]

We are sailing in a Spa Balcony on 10/21 on the Magic -- we've done a Spa Balcony on the Splendor and we love it.

 

There really isn't much difference between the Spa Balcony and a regular balcony - the size is the same. The decor is a little different - tones are a bit more muted, "artwork" is different, and you get "spa" amenities - different shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, etc -- not that big a deal.

 

However...we LOVED having the unlimited access to the spa - we also loved the fact that this ended up being a quieter section of the ship. There is also no smoking anywhere - not even out on the balcony. I don't mind it (and ocassionally sneak one myself when I've had a bit too much ;)) but my husband is really bothered by smoke so that was a definite plus for us. We used the facilities quite a bit. My husband is 6'1 and 200 lbs and had no problem with the robes fitting.

 

We almost booked a Cove on this sailing - but we are sailing with our BFFs and want connecting balconies -- the Coves do not connect. Also - if you DO opt for a Cove, I've read reviews on some that are underneath the galley and can be noisy so make sure you check the decks above....

[iceleven]

I always book a spa cabin if available because they are the only ones (Carnival) that don't allow smoking on the balconies. I've never had a problem with the staff and always found them accommodating but then again, I would never book a massage on a cruise ship so I never had to deal with any type of sale's pitch.

 

The cabins are pretty much the same as the others but with a bit more subtle color accents. I believe all cabins on the ship have robes so the sizes will be the same problem, if any problem at all. The slippers were on the huge side for me and I could not use them. Maybe they gave us two men sized pair?

 

I don't play bingo or trivia nor participate in many of the on-board activities so the quiet and relaxing atmosphere is perfect for my expectations for a vacation. The T-pool does not use chlorine and is quiet with no competing with children. My personal favorite is the steamroom (one gets nice and hot, the other isn't as hot) and the heated loungers with a wall of glass, overlooking the ocean is blissful.

 

My next cruise, in two weeks, is on a Princess ship that doesn't have these offerings but the itinerary is my focus for this one. But, I'm booked on the Splendor in December and booked on a spa deck.:D

 

BTW, you can purchase a spa package (use of the facilities) and have your cove balcony, too. They can only be purchased once you embark and they do limit how many they sell so you would need to go to the spa early after embarking.

 

One major perk, at least to me, was that you can use their showers and dressing area which is much larger than the cabin's standard bathrooms. This comes in handy if you are traveling with more than two people in a cabin or if you are rushed to get ready for dinner or other activities.

 

The Elemis products that are offered in all spa cabins are just so-so. Didn't impress me at all.

 

I would love to try a cove balcony because I would love the experience of being closer to the water but if the weather is rough (high seas) you would not have access to your own balcony because they physically close all of them. Now the chances of that happening in November are slimmer than in the summer during the more active hurricane season.

[Winterstale]

One major perk, at least to me, was that you can use their showers and dressing area which is much larger than the cabin's standard bathrooms. This comes in handy if you are traveling with more than two people in a cabin or if you are rushed to get ready for dinner or other activities.

 

Yes - agree - the showers in the spa area were great -- it was really nice to be able to go to the steam room and Thalasso pool late in the day and then shower for dinner right afterwards and just head to the cabin to get dressed!

[LauraKRN]

We booked a cove in August because of all the great reviews- I love having my coffee on the balcony and the little extra room is a great perk. I don't mind about the shade because I use the balcony to relax and not tan. There is plenty of sun elsewhere and the shady spot is perfect for reading. I will probably get a day pass to check out the spa but I'm always so busy on a cruise I don't know if I'd get enough value at unlimited access.

[CruisersNC]

We had a cove on the Dream last summer. We enjoyed the view of the ocean....the quietness.....the privacy....and since we hate being out in the sun we loved the shade! The only negative I can think of was that we were under the galley and heard some loud noises at around 3am on 3 nights. We've got another cove balcony this fall on the Dream! :)

[smc0320]

If the price difference is LESS than $249.00 total, book the Spa Balcony.

 

If the price difference is MORE than $249.00 total, book the Cove Balcony and buy the Spa Pass for $249.00....it's just a hike up 10 decks to get there.

[vacationmom0103]

There are some connecting Cove balconies. The partition can be removed. If you check out a website that shows deck plans you can see this. Traveling on Dream soon in Cabin 2330 and mine is connecting:)

[katiel53]

We had a Spa balcony on our last Dream cruise. I loved that there was no smoking and it was so nice looking straight out and seeing the water instead of seeing the lanai deck as we do when we book on deck 8.

 

We didn't really use the spa facilities at all. We did go to the thalasso pool one day, but the weather on our trip was not the best for using that pool. The pool water was sloshing up and over the sides the whole time we were in the pool. I, personally, didn't like the scent of the much advertised Elemis products that were in the bathroom, so I was happy that I brought my own.

 

I did like the fact that we could walk right out of the cabin area and be on the deck where omelets were made outside. It was so much easier than having to go to wait in line at the Lido buffet. By the way, we were on deck 11 and it was quiet and great. On deck 12, people above can look right onto your balcony, thus not allowing privacy. We don't do anything that would make any difference, but it's just the idea.

 

I would stay in a spa cabin again if the price were right, but I wouldn't do it for a couple of hundred extra. I can't comment about a cove balcony as we haven't ever stayed in one.

[KimtheCruiser]

Cove! But just avoid cabins 2375 and those immediately adjacent - you are across the hall from the laundry room, where people seemed to congregate at all hours. And you are under the galley, or it seemed to perhaps be an area where they were rolling carts back and forth until about 3am.

 

Otherwise, we love the cove balcony!

[Lady_831]

We had a Spa suite on the Dream last year and we loved it. We were in the Thalassotherapy pool every day. We also got massages and did a couples "mud" shower thing...lol, plus enjoyed a couple of other things. The area where our cabin was located was very quiet and not too many people used the private entrance to the spa.