How do you choose a room?

[SmittyCo]

Reading through CC over the last couple of years, I've determined that some of you are expert room pickers! How do you choose your room? What makes one room better than another?

 

I'm naive ... always go for mid-ship ... as that's what someone once told me to do!

[OCruisers]

The best cabin for some is not always the best cabin for others.

We want a cabin with a balcony as close as possible to the mid-ship elevator which we find convenient so we never have to walk too far to get to and from the places we most often go. :)

LuLu

~~~

[<3_2_Cruise]

After several cruises, we have determined the best location for us is mid-ship on the Empress deck.

[firemanbobswife]

Depends on what type of room you want - Inside, OV, Balcony, etc. and where you like to spend most of your time.

[Vitamin_Sea]

We like the mid or AFT on the ship. Does not really matter what deck though.

[ferfoodle]

I go to cruisedeckplans dot com and select a mid-ship balcony that has only staterooms above and below and try to stay away from the large mystery gray areas as they are usually the stewards work areas. I also pick port or starboard based on which will have the least amount of sun on sea days (bright white skin and sun don't go hand in hand;)). I don't like to be too high in a ship either as the sway is more noticeable to me. I also like looking at pictures of the outside of the ship to make sure the location I want doesn't have too much obstruction for the view of the ocean. Marinetraffic dot com is a good site for this.

 

That pretty much sums up the weird way I choose my room.

[SmittyCo]

I go to cruisedeckplans dot com and select a mid-ship balcony that has only staterooms above and below and try to stay away from the large mystery gray areas as they are usually the stewards work areas. I also pick port or starboard based on which will have the least amount of sun on sea days (bright white skin and sun don't go hand in hand;)). I don't like to be too high in a ship either as the sway is more noticeable to me. I also like looking at pictures of the outside of the ship to make sure the location I want doesn't have too much obstruction for the view of the ocean. Marinetraffic dot com is a good site for this.

 

That pretty much sums up the weird way I choose my room.

 

 

Awesome tips!

[cynthiacruz]

yes midship is the way to go, if u go aft or fwd and prone to motion sickness you will be sorry, id say upper main Riviera u feel less motion the lower you are the less you feel, empress deck is okay too

left side is port side, google image the cabins, youtube it, read reviews etc.

[Island Crazed]

We like forward deck 7. Usually 2 flights up or down gets you to the desired deck.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Ehpride]

First, I get a balcony. I try to get one in between cabin decks if possible. I prefer midship or aft. Deck 6 or 7 aft is very convenient to lido deck or dining room. I like being able to take the stairs to the public decks as much as possible.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[seeing this world]

call me strange but i like going to those rooms that are different ie. the bowling alley balcony, the L shape room. I like switching it up, and always try to book early enough that i can grab one of those rooms. For our next cruise we have two L shape rooms side by side. The room divider will hopefull be opened up. It is not the same style room every cruise. :D

[FlaCruiser007]

To each their own. Room selection is subjective.

 

Some like interiors for the pitch dark sleeping benefit and the lowest cost to cruise.

Some like portholes for the natural light at an interior price.

Some are bothered by motion so they like to be midship low down.

Some don't mind, and may even prefer, some motion.

OV gives you a nice window.

Balconies are nice for fresh air, smoking, views, the balcony club activities.

Some like the aft views and extended balconies there.

There are limited unique rooms on most ship classes-bowling alleys, L-shapes, wrap a rounds, picture window interiors w/access to the private deck, etc. Those all sound nice to me.

Etc, etc, etc

 

Personally, we like to cruise more so choose less expensive fares, but like natural light. As a result, we've been in PH cabins the most. Finances permitting and/or special occasion cruises, we prefer aft extended. Love watching the wake stretch away toward the horizon! We also like being as high as possible. But most of all, we like being on a ship! So try something different and have fun!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Havana Daydreamer]

After staying in a room directly above the live music stage in the casino last year, I pay attention to what is above and below me!

[gregg204]

I shoot straight for the lido balconies. Love the convince of these rooms.

[k2excursion]

It is very subjective. Some people like lido deck rooms, as it puts them close to the pool & buffet, but it puts them far far far away from dining rooms, entertainment, and getting off/on the ship in ports. When they need to use elevators, almost everybody else on the ship is needing the elevators also. Having stayed up around there twice before, I did feel that the inconveniences far outweighed the conveniences. I prefer to be down on deck 2, as that puts me close to dining rooms, entertainment, & getting off/on the ship. I use stairs always for those things. When I need elevators, they are usually almost empty, especially if I use the forward ones, where there are 10 elevators on Carnival's larger ships. But on deck 2, you must be careful not to get below the galley/kitchen, as that can be noisy all night. I like the porthole rooms at the front of the ship on that deck, or an oceanview or cove balcony below the midship dining room, which is perfectly quiet.

 

Having touched on this already, I try to stay away from having something noisy either above or below me. Galley/kitchen, casino, piano bar, aft lounge, some parts of the pool areas = bad. Dining room, lobby, gift shops, theater (except on Sunshine or if you go to bed before 11:30) = good. Or just go with having staterooms both above & below. Deck 7 midship is a nice central location, as I've done that twice before.

[RWolver672]

We always choose balconies on the Panorama Deck. We got upgraded to that deck once and haven't went to any other deck since then. We always pick the ones closest to the beginning of the cabins on that deck right by the elevators.

[sweetsixteencruisers]

We like mid ship - Empress. Cabins above and below.

[TeresaJ]

I always book mid ship Oceanview. We are a family of 4 and the interiors are too small. The ocean views are nicely sized. No balcony for us, haven't been able to justify the cost since we aren't in our room much.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Forums mobile app

[beachbum53]

After staying in a room directly above the live music stage in the casino last year, I pay attention to what is above and below me!

 

Sometimes you learn from your own mistakes, and sometimes from the mistakes of others. My brother and sister-in-law once had a cabin that was on the Riviera Deck at the front of the ship, and every morning when their ship got into port, they didn't need an alarm clock because the noise of the anchor being dropped woke them up. :eek: Obviously it's very important to look at the ship's deck plans and see what is above, below, across from and next to the cabin you're considering. There's a line from the movie "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" that always comes to mind. "You must choose, but choose wisely".;)

[mpcaruth]

We are a family of 4 and stick with the cheaper cabins. On Carnival, I always try to book the largest (s.f.) cabin for the lowest price. Ocean View cabins are the biggest quad cabins, and there are also special “interior” cabins that are larger than standard interior cabins. The special cabins include PT (porthole), 4J (picture window) and 4K (French door). The special interior cabins cost significantly less than the standard OV cabin. The PTs and the 4J are all the way forward, which is not my preferred place on the ship, but at a savings of over $300 over the OVs, it is worth it. I try to look at it as a way to get more walking and exercise into my day.

 

Now, if money were not a factor, I would get an aft balcony!

[R3DP0]

I like it in the aft.

[CatlinSTJ]

Reading through CC over the last couple of years, I've determined that some of you are expert room pickers! How do you choose your room? What makes one room better than another?

 

I'm naive ... always go for mid-ship ... as that's what someone once told me to do!

 

I print off copies of the deck plans and mark the available rooms so I can see what is under, over, and next to us. Ship motion doesn't bother any of us, in fact I usually sleep much better onboard. I try to avoid being too close to stairs, elevators, or busy areas. We typically get two cabins so I also like to see our options so I can find the best price on two cabins that are next to or across from one another. I take my choice and Google it to see if there are any bad reviews for the room that would affect us personally. (Anchor noise, dining room or Lido chairs, etc.) I have found that the upper deck is our favorite, though we'll be sailing the main deck on this cruise as that's where I could get the cabins together at a price we could afford.

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Breeze June 2014

[bandnurse]

call me strange but i like going to those rooms that are different ie. the bowling alley balcony, the L shape room. I like switching it up, and always try to book early enough that i can grab one of those rooms. For our next cruise we have two L shape rooms side by side. The room divider will hopefull be opened up. It is not the same style room every cruise. :D

 

 

We do the same thing, love the irregular shaped rooms and extended balconies. We also did the two L shaped rooms and opened the divider between, I think it was on the Valor but don't remember for sure without looking at pic's. Loved the extra space!

 

Last year on the Liberty we had an aft wrap and put the kids in the L shape adjoining us and had the divider open, Wow what an AWESOME BALCONY:D

 

Of course we love to spend time on the balcony, so for us a balcony (actually two) is the ONLY way to go!

[Velvetwater]

1) Price - I do not spend more than $150 per night on a cabin

 

2) research secret cabins

 

3) check location (cant be on bottom deck or in an inside)

 

4) search for photos (gaudy or too small puts me off)

 

 

then book...and change if one I like better appears.

[beachbum53]

I like it in the aft.

 

Keep your kinky preferences to yourself.:rolleyes::D