Dawn Owners Suites (decks 9 & 10)

[BabsterA]

Looking at a January 2015 cruise and considering the Owners Suites 2 balcony for myself, my son and his girlfriend (adults).

 

How comfortable/uncomfortable is the sofa bed? Some posts indicate there is a door between the bedroom and living room and others indicate a curtain. Which is correct, or does it depend on the deck/suite?

 

Would you recommend a 2 bedroom suite over the two balcony suite? Is there a significant difference between the suites on the two decks? Any guidance is welcome!!!!

[garycarla]

I am a big proponent of the 2BR suite. I think they are better because they have a separate BR, with a real door. And a separate bathroom. And the LR area is closed off from both bedrooms with real doors.

[BabsterA]

We really did enjoy the 2br Haven suite on the jewel in January, but the room was a little tight for the two 'kids'. So torn and trying to make up my mind. I know they're just thrilled to be on a ship!

 

New Orleans is such a handy port for us, that it looks like the Dawn is our ship for 2015.

[philip_eunice1]

We were in room 1006 last year with DS 14 at the time he said bed was very comfortable there is also a REAL DOOR that divides the room at night time we will be back in the room this Sunday minus DS as he has exams didnt take any photos of bed when it was down or door when it was closed anything else just ask

 

 

 

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Edited January 30, 2014 by philip_eunice1

[dexddd]

So it is 3 people total? Who gets the king-ish size main bed? The sofa bed was comfortable for our kids but it really wouldn't be big enough for two adults.

 

As said, there are real doors and curtains between bedroom and living room. The other bathroom is only a toilet and sink so you would all share the main but large bathroom. Plenty of closet space.

 

The ones on 10 have a nook area for a dining table.

[dexddd]

Did you look at the center DOS on the Dawn? Those have two bedroom/baths but no balcony. Great views though.

[BabsterA]

Thanks, y'all!!! We are balcony junkies, and since I'm paying the bills, I get the big bed. :). Although if the fold out isn't big enough for two adults, I MIGHT be willing to sleep on it myself! Do you think it's comparable the the 'futon' in the two BR suite?

 

Some pictures show a full sized sofa in 10006 - old pictures??????

[coka]

I'll try out the couch bed for you and let you know!

 

This cruise critic posted pictures of 10006 in December 2013.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=41057810

 

 

 

Here are some YouTube videos of the owner suites with double balconies that helped me decide.

 

10006:

 

 

10506:

 

 

 

9006:

 

 

9506:

 

 

coka

[BabsterA]

THANK YOU for all the good pictures! It looks like the cabin area of 9006 is somewhat shorter than 10006, but 9006 has an oddly shaped side balcony. What were the parameters that cause you to choose 10006? I'm really leaning toward one of these cabins (I love the starboard) over the two bedroom suite - mainly due to the amazing closet space. My son's girlfriend didn't have NEARLY enough closet room in the Jewel 2 bedroom and would dance with glee over the amount of space I saw in these pictures.

 

I know I can't really make a 'bad choice', but since I'm booking on behalf of the 'kids', I want to make the 'best choice'. Normally I'm MUCH more decisive!

 

I'd be most appreciative of your assessment of the fold out sofa - it **looks** like a double and with a foam topper would probably serve them well. I'm jealous that you're sailing so soon!

[philip_eunice1]

I think the pull out sofa would be of for one but not so sure about two adults the cabin steward makes it into a bed at night the back to a sofa in the morning time if closet space is an issue there is loads of it

 

Pic of the sofa sorry don't have any when it was morphed into a bed

 

 

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[rajones007]

I'll just pass along my thoughts. We were in 10506 on the Dawn.

 

-The 2 suites (10506 and 10006) on deck 10 are bigger than the cabins on deck 9 (9006 and 9506). I think on deck 9 the dining area cubby-hole is either substantially smaller or might not even exist. (I'm sorry, I can't recall either way. I just know the cabins on 9 have less square footage.)

 

-There is a 2nd bathroom just inside the entrance, but it's just a 2 piece.

 

-There really isn't THAT much more closet space than the 2br suites (we've also been in them on the Star and the Epic). The little walk in closet is mostly filled with a dressing table with some drawers. It's big...but between my wife and I, we wouldn't really say it's a huge difference over the master bedroom closet in the 2br suites.

 

-the pull-out couch would be pretty cramped for 2 adults. This is hard to explain in text, but I'll try - the mattress just has one fold, whereas a normal pull-out couch has 2 folds. So you're actually sleeping lengthwise.

 

(look at the photo someone just posted above me. That might help you visualize the size of the pullout couch.)

 

-there are two sliding doors between the master bedroom and the living area. They meet in the middle and latch together. There is also a heavy curtain.

 

Want my personal opinion between the Owners Suite w/2 balconies AND the 2 bedroom family suites? I've been in both.

 

In your situation I'd say go for the 2 bedroom family suite. You get two full bathrooms - one with bathtub and separate shower, the other just a shower. Also, the double bed in the 2nd bedroom can fit two adults who don't mind cuddling. There is also a twin in the 2nd bedroom that pulls down from the wall, as well.

 

The only drawback would be that only the Owners Suites' get access to the private/preferred seating in the theater. The OS also get 3 free bottles of booze and they refill all the soft drinks in the fridge on a daily basis.

 

So it's all in what's most important to you. You can't really go wrong with either choice, to be perfectly honest.

[BabsterA]

That looks a lot like the pullout I have at home and they've made that work just fine. If it's not big enough for two, I can sleep on it. Getting excited and feeling like I'm closing in on a decision.

 

New Orleans is such an easy port for us to sail from and we have to cruise the first week of January to get the kids back in time for school (under grad and grad student). This year we rolled snake eyes on the weather with the 'polar vortex' chasing us all the way to Roatan. Still, a cool, rainy, day on a cruise ship beats a day at work/school ANY day, right?

[coka]

THANK YOU for all the good pictures! It looks like the cabin area of 9006 is somewhat shorter than 10006, but 9006 has an oddly shaped side balcony. What were the parameters that cause you to choose 10006? I'm really leaning toward one of these cabins (I love the starboard) over the two bedroom suite - mainly due to the amazing closet space. My son's girlfriend didn't have NEARLY enough closet room in the Jewel 2 bedroom and would dance with glee over the amount of space I saw in these pictures.

 

I know I can't really make a 'bad choice', but since I'm booking on behalf of the 'kids', I want to make the 'best choice'. Normally I'm MUCH more decisive!

 

I'd be most appreciative of your assessment of the fold out sofa - it **looks** like a double and with a foam topper would probably serve them well. I'm jealous that you're sailing so soon!

 

When I booked, all four were available to choose from. I have never stayed in an owners suite before but I have stayed in the suites in between them on the Star, Pearl, and Sun. I remember deck nine forward balconies being larger than deck ten forward balconies but deck ten rooms being bigger than deck nine. I remember the owner suites balconies being narrower then the balconies in the middle (but owners had a second side balcony to make up for it). I always said if I ever book an owners suite or a garden villa, it would be on the Dawn or the Star. They are much bigger than any other owner suite in the fleet (I think...I am sure someone will correct me if wrong) and I love love love the bow! They were also built before suites became so popular with the masses...hence the bigger rooms. The new ships all feel so tiny...but that is just me.

 

I picked 10006 because at the time, it was the only one I could not find any pictures or YouTube videos of...so I wanted to be surprised!

 

I am looking at the size of the pullout couch and depending on how it pulls out, it might be narrow for two adults...use the pillow to guide you. Even so, I have been a third person in other cabins and always found the pullout comfy...if not, I asked for a topper or extra padding. I will open it up on my cruise and take a picture of it.

 

coka

Edited January 31, 2014 by coka

[cheshyrkat]

I don't know about the 2 bedroom suites but I have been in the Owners Suite with 2 balconies on Jewel and Star. On Jewel we were on deck 9 (9004) and on Star we were on deck 10 (10006). Love those starboard front corner suites! Judging by the pics and videos I saw posted above I would say that though they aren't sister ships, the interior layout for these suites with 2 balconies is very similar...almost identical. On Jewel there was not any sliding glass door separating the bedroom and living area, but on Star there was. Both had heavy curtains. The 10th deck Owners Suites have much more closet space, the full bath is larger and that might make a difference to you. Also, the layout on the 10th deck ones is more spacious because of the nook for the dining room table and resulting placement of furniture. Regarding the space on the balconies, I did not really notice that the 9th deck was significantly larger in the front than the 10th deck. I found the 10th deck side balcony a bit larger. You may find that the forward balcony is uncomfortably windy unless you are in port. We used the side balcony the most because of this.

 

Hope this info is helpful!

Edited January 31, 2014 by cheshyrkat

[BabsterA]

Thanks everyone!!!! I'll pull the trigger tomorrow and have nearly a year to look forward to the week I get to spend with my son and his lively girlfriend. The Jewel was the girlfriend's first cruise so my son and I enjoyed seeing the voyage thru her eyes. We swam with dolphins and they visited ruins. We enjoyed the chef's table, tho we needed a forklift to get us back to the cabin.

 

They really enjoyed the Haven so I'm thinking of getting spa passes to somewhat recreate that sense of relaxation. The spa looks amazing on this ship!

 

Cruising together the first week of the year lets them enjoy Christmas with her family, taking the pressure off from the mad dash from Mississippi to Georgia (my home) and back again.

 

I'll let you know what we decide...no matter which cabin I choose, it will be wonderful. Two Platinums (one newly minted) and a wonderful suite on a lovely ship. **sigh**. Life is GOOD!!!!!

[dexddd]

The ones on 10 have the dining nook and the ones on 9 don't. The ones on 9 supposedly have a larger front balcony. They all have a different color scheme, most noticeably in the bathroom. They have standardized the carpeting which is ugly compared to the original carpeting they had in each room which complemented the art and furniture.

 

The white couch folds out. The top seat cushions come off and are stored off to the side. The back cushions also come off so basically look at sleeping from side to side (head or feet towards side of ship) and an equivalent (roughly) another equal half. For our kids it was fine - they actually put the back cushions as a barrier between them since our son has crazy sleep legs. I briefly laid on it and it felt semi-memory foam type and was comfortable but probably too small for adults.

 

It was nice in the morning as they would get up earlier than us and they would often go outside on the side balcony and play cards and we never heard them.

[DCT61]

We were in a "lowly" SJ suite on the DAWN last year, and got access to the suite balcony seating without any problem.

[Demonyte]

We were in a "lowly" SJ suite on the DAWN last year, and got access to the suite balcony seating without any problem.

 

That depends completely on the concierge onboard and the number of people wanting to take advantage of that perk. There have been numerous reports that the reserved seating is only for high-end suites as well as completely opposite stories, like your's.

Edited January 31, 2014 by Demonyte

[rajones007]

That depends completely on the concierge onboard and the number of people wanting to take advantage of that perk. There have been numerous reports that the reserved seating is only for high-end suites as well as completely opposite stories, like your's.

Yes, that is true. I should have pointed that out.

 

On the Star, the preferred balcony seating was open season for ALL suite guests. We only found that out on our last night when we happened upon the concierge Patrick at the entrance and he walked us to the seats. An old grouch at the end of the bench came over and tried to stop us, even asking me for my cabin number, but Patrick looked back at us and motioned for us to sit down. So we ignored the grouch and just sat down.

 

On the Dawn, however, it was strictly enforced as OS only. The concierge Victoria (??? Valerie? Veronica? Vanessa? I can't remember her name. I'm pretty sure it started with a V.) She reserved the bench on both sides of the theater, so there was more than enough room for all the OS guests. She'd stand in the entrance and look up and see if anybody was there that shouldn't be there. We watched her a few nights policing the port side seats, asking the occasional guest to leave. But we liked the starboard side and most every night we had it all to ourselves and nobody else even attempted to get in.

[dexddd]

Yes, that is true. I should have pointed that out.

 

On the Star, the preferred balcony seating was open season for ALL suite guests. We only found that out on our last night when we happened upon the concierge Patrick at the entrance and he walked us to the seats. An old grouch at the end of the bench came over and tried to stop us, even asking me for my cabin number, but Patrick looked back at us and motioned for us to sit down. So we ignored the grouch and just sat down.

 

On the Dawn, however, it was strictly enforced as OS only. The concierge Victoria (??? Valerie? Veronica? Vanessa? I can't remember her name. I'm pretty sure it started with a V.) She reserved the bench on both sides of the theater, so there was more than enough room for all the OS guests. She'd stand in the entrance and look up and see if anybody was there that shouldn't be there. We watched her a few nights policing the port side seats, asking the occasional guest to leave. But we liked the starboard side and most every night we had it all to ourselves and nobody else even attempted to get in.

 

On the Star with Patrick he kept the reserved GV/DOS/OS seats on both sides strictly for those folks and no other reserved suite seating. When we were on the Dawn with Virginia, she kept that same system but also opened up a "lane" so to speak in the balcony for all suite guests. I specifically asked her about that one night as she walked us to our seats. She would wait at the front of the "lane" and escort people in. That lane was on the starboard side.

[BabsterA]

Thanks, everyone! After see sawing back and forth, I landed on 10006. Got a call from a PCC checking back on my son's girlfriend's latitude sign up then one thing led to another and BAM....booked.

 

BTW, if anyone has any questions about the 2 BR Haven suite on the Jewel, let me know. We selected the next to the last one on the Starboard side and were able to look straight down to the water from the balcony. All the cabins forward of that look down on the walking track below.

[coka]

Thanks, everyone! After see sawing back and forth, I landed on 10006. Got a call from a PCC checking back on my son's girlfriend's latitude sign up then one thing led to another and BAM....booked.

 

BTW, if anyone has any questions about the 2 BR Haven suite on the Jewel, let me know. We selected the next to the last one on the Starboard side and were able to look straight down to the water from the balcony. All the cabins forward of that look down on the walking track below.

 

Hi BabsterA,

I returned from Dawn last Sunday.

The couch bed is plenty big for two adults. It folds out and my brother found it firm yet comfy. Our steward said for those who think it is too firm, he can add a topper to it. There is so much room in the suite...we suggested that steward just leave into a bed and not make it back into a couch by day. He was happy about that! The mattress in the bedroom is divine! I would totally book this category again.

 

coka

[BabsterA]

Thank you!!! My kids (son and ghis lovely GF) just arrived to spend a few days of Spring Break here. I can't wait to tell them!

[philip_eunice1]

In 2013 on the dawn Ryan kept the seating area closed till the show started the opened it up to everyone

In 2014 Patrick kept it closed and if u go all the way to the end you will find seating which is roped off and is for gv and os suites only

 

 

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[coka]

Yes, that was one of many favorite aspects of the OS...the theater seating in the balcony up front...the first row is roped off for for GArden Villa and OWners suites...my brother and I went to the shows every night and we enjoyed them all. The entire side was roped off until the show started but they kept the first one roped during the show.

 

the OS also comes with three bottles of liquor and unlimited sodas and water. When I added up in my head the additional perks that come with this category, I found it was a good value. I also enjoyed the double balconies and the doors that could close off the bedroom from the living room. My bro sleeps with the tv on and when doors are closed, I could not hear a thing.

 

I have only sailed previously in the penthouse forward balconies but the OS is my new favorite....might even cruise less to stay in another one...well, maybe!

 

coka