Aft penthouse vs. owners suite

[Donnaluv2cruise]

We are thinking of booking our first Norweigan cruise. We like the space in the owners suite, but I'm worried that it will be too windy on the forward facing veranda. We like the proximity to the Haven courtyard. How long is the hike if we book the aft penthouse? The veranda on the aft looks awesome! We've never stayed aft before, we usually go midship. Does the owners suite have any extra amenities besides the space? Thanks for your experience & opinions!

[craig-n-carol]

We are thinking of booking our first Norweigan cruise. We like the space in the owners suite, but I'm worried that it will be too windy on the forward facing veranda. We like the proximity to the Haven courtyard. How long is the hike if we book the aft penthouse? The veranda on the aft looks awesome! We've never stayed aft before, we usually go midship. Does the owners suite have any extra amenities besides the space? Thanks for your experience & opinions!

 

What ship are you asking about? Many of the OS's have 2 balconies, 1 in front, and one to the side if on Jewel or Dawn Class ships. The newer Ships, i.e. Epic (Only has Deluxe Os's), Breakaway and Getaway, have 1 forward facing balcony.

Edited February 4, 2015 by craig-n-carol
Mistake

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Sorry. The Getaway. Also, do both suites have 2 showers?

[triptolemus]

Here is an amenity chart for NCL suites... basically Suite Amenity 101...

 

http://thehaven.ncl.com/assets/docs/Haven_amenities_chart.pdf

[craig-n-carol]

I was in an Aft Penthouse on the Getaway, they are larger and have a much larger balcony than the OS. When faced with the same decision as you, I chose the aft, and was not disappointed. To my recollection, there were 2 showers in the aft. I have not stayed in an OS on the Getaway. Here is a video of a deck 9 aft PH.

 

It is a bit of a hike to the Haven, but well worth it, especially the restaurant. the food was simply amazing.

[dexddd]

The OS and DOS on the BA/GA do not have two showers. The DOS has two bathrooms though. The 2nd just has a toilet and sink. Have to check on the OS if there is a 2nd bathroom.

[L-in-CLT]

We were in an aft on the breakaway....two bathrooms, both had showers (one much larger that the other). It's a personal preference but we just love the serenity (and lack of wind on sea days) of the aft cabin. Will say that balcony is what makes the room...the actual rooms are nice but did feel small as compared to our suites on diamond princess and RCI's brilliance.

[rvsullivan]

Counterpoint! We only book forward facing suites. The wind is not an issue when sitting down. We eat and spend time out there all the time while underway. Standing at the rail can be windy for sure. However, DOS and OS both include free booze, and certainly receive high levels of service from the staff. On most/many ships it include reserved seating at the show and top shelf care from the concierge. We would never consider another suite to be at the level of DOS/OS and of course the Garden Villas. And as to how far of a hike is it, about 1000 ft!!

[L-in-CLT]

Counterpoint! We only book forward facing suites. The wind is not an issue when sitting down. We eat and spend time out there all the time while underway. Standing at the rail can be windy for sure. However, DOS and OS both include free booze, and certainly receive high levels of service from the staff. On most/many ships it include reserved seating at the show and top shelf care from the concierge. We would never consider another suite to be at the level of DOS/OS and of course the Garden Villas. And as to how far of a hike is it, about 1000 ft!!

 

 

The aft does have reserved seating, great care from concierge and butler, etc....but definitely almost 1000 feet of walking to get from the ADT cabin to the haven. We actually preferred the walking but some might not, for sure! Also...while I use the word serenity in my description of the act balcony, do be aware that when SpiceH2O is rocking (at least on breakaway), so is your balcony (at least on the higher decks, we were on 13). We had music every night and some nights we enjoyed it but other nights we were happy when it was over.

 

 

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[kernie968]

We stayed in the aft balcony on the Breakaway for a December cruise and used the awesome balcony a lot because we were too tired to make the walk up to the Haven. If you want privacy while sunbathing then the aft balcony is the best. If we had stayed in the Haven in the front of the ship we would have used the hot tubs and sauna probably a couple times a day and spent more time lounging in the courtyard where we could have had drinks brought to us. Most people say the walk to the Haven is not that bad, but after making the walk for three days straight back and forth we started to dread the walk to the Haven.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

You guys are so awesome! 👍

[fuzzel]

The aft rooms are horrible. Nobody should ever book them, just keep them available for us... :rolleyes:

[Donnaluv2cruise]

I love the idea of the aft balcony but I'm thinking we'll make some good use of The Haven. Can someone tell me the difference between an owners suite & a deluxe owners suite? Besides, it looks like the aft has booked up for our date.

[dexddd]

I love the idea of the aft balcony but I'm thinking we'll make some good use of The Haven. Can someone tell me the difference between an owners suite & a deluxe owners suite? Besides, it looks like the aft has booked up for our date.

 

Since you are going on the GA we can tell you about those rooms. We went on the BA in one of the two DOS. There are also two OS. One thing to note - and it has been hit or miss from the very few people who have had these rooms and commented, is that there is a movable wall between each OS and DOS. This wall leaks quite a bit of noise between rooms.

 

When we were sitting in the living room, we could clearly hear our neighbors talking. It seemed to be worse when they were sitting at their table that is by the movable wall corner where it gets folded and stored.

 

The OS is 473 sq ft plus 99 balcony. The DOS is 742 and 190. The DOS has a balcony that wraps around to the side. It has a very large bathroom and closet area. If you search there were some pictures in a thread by SOCRDAD and myself around the late summer time.

 

IMO the OS is on the smaller side and not as nice as some of the others in the NCL fleet. Plus, the prices they are asking for these rooms are crazy high in many cases.

 

In terms of wind, not a problem when seated but yes, when standing. As far as getting a level of service that is higher than others is getting is rubbish. Of course YMMV on this from trip to trip and ship to ship.

 

In terms of the BA and GA, from our experience and what others have posted, in the forward theater on the left side in the middle they have a section roped off for all Haven guests that the reserve up to a few minutes before show time. As far as free booze, you get to pick from a small list - 3 bottles plus you have unlimited water and soda.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Thank you Dexddd!