Large interior room vs. guaranteed inside

[darlingdeb]

Hi all,

 

Looking at booking first cruise...I was offered a cruise on RC with a large interior room deck 8 for the same price as guaranteed inside. I heard that upgrades on guaranteed inside cabins "can" happen. For someone who has a fear of getting motion sickness and has never been on a cruise before....is a large interior stateroom on deck 8 a good choice?

 

Thanks for any help!

[taglovestocruise]

You didn't say what ship you are on, but inside, mid ship on deck eight would have the least motion of just about any other cabin choice. As far as a upgrade, don't count on it, most ships sail full and most upgrades go to C&A members first. With a inside GTY you could end up in the highest deck at the very back of the ship and feel the most motion, on most ships today you never feel anything unless your in very rough seas. no benefit to a GTY if prices are the same. your chances of a upgrade are slim to none..happy cruising

[Dancer Bob]

If you have a fear of motion sickness, then neither Deck 8 nor a guarantee is good choice. You want a cabin on as low a deck as you can and midship.

[darlingdeb]

You didn't say what ship you are on, but inside, mid ship on deck eight would have the least motion of just about any other cabin choice. As far as a upgrade, don't count on it, most ships sail full and most upgrades go to C&A members first. With a inside GTY you could end up in the highest deck at the very back of the ship and feel the most motion, on most ships today you never feel anything unless your in very rough seas. no benefit to a GTY if prices are the same. your chances of a upgrade are slim to none..happy cruising

 

Rhapsody of the seas.

[taglovestocruise]

Seems like a good choice, you have cabins above and below, cabins by the business center are almost mid deck, take into account that Rhapsody is one of the smallest ships in the fleet. If you are doing the Sao Paulo to Valparaiso then even deck 3 could be a thrill ride, if your going to the Caribbean then it would be very pleasant cruise. happy cruising

[MCC retired]

Hi all,

 

 

 

Looking at booking first cruise...I was offered a cruise on RC with a large interior room deck 8 for the same price as guaranteed inside. I heard that upgrades on guaranteed inside cabins "can" happen. For someone who has a fear of getting motion sickness and has never been on a cruise before....is a large interior stateroom on deck 8 a good choice?

 

 

 

Thanks for any help!

 

 

Re: motion sickness

The last place that you want to be if feeling queasy is in your inside cabin .

Get out and walk around the ship .

Over the years we probably booked 30 some category guarantee's and never on e received the category that we paid for , always an upgrade .

Why lock yourself to an inside when you can have a possibility of daylight ?

[crystalspin]

Darling Deb,

 

I will be the contrarian! I looked at photos of 8039 (a sideways room) and 8515 and also at three other insides NOT on deck 8. Both the sideways and the not-sideways room on deck 8 were significantly bigger than the others! The lower floors' rooms looked like dorm rooms!

 

Were you given a specific cabin on Deck 8?

 

The Rhapsody is NOT a small ship. We sailed a significantly smaller ship, the HAL Zaandam, around Cape Horn of South America (that Valparaiso to the other side mentioned above -- ours went to Buenos Aires) and rarely if ever felt movement. And my husband is quite prone to seasick. Then we crossed the Atlantic on the Nieuw Amsterdam which is just a little larger than your ship and it was so stable, you couldn't tell you were moving without looking out at the wake! ETA: What I'm trying to say is -- it's very unlikely you'll be seasick, and quite unlikely you would get a FREE upgrade to a room with a window.

 

On the Nieuw Amsterdam we had an inside guarantee that I THOUGHT had to be a large/square room on a lower deck. When our room was assigned, it was on a higher deck and a skinny small room with only one chair, no sofa. This was considered an upgrade because of higher deck! (HAL has done some funny things on the ranking of cabins, apparently just to be able to give people rooms that don't sell otherwise! and call it an upgrade!) I do not know if RCI does the same, you might ask on the RCI board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

 

Or you could just book a room you'll be happy to sleep in!

 

I will add -- both of the larger rooms I saw, were tight to pass to the right side of the bed (as you look from the room), when the bed was made up as a queen/king. There was a different piece of furniture blocking the access to slide around the bed! So these rooms will seem even larger if the beds are made up as twins... Of course small insides also seem roomier made up as two beds -- even some oceanviews, ones where a queen bed is in front of the window.

Edited December 19, 2015 by crystalspin

[rockdoctor]

I have always gone by the maxim don't book a guarantee if you wouldn't be happy with the worst cabin in the category. In your situation, I would not book a guarantee. An upgrade to the cruise line may not be an upgrade for you WRT ship motion. Only my opinion.

[darlingdeb]

Darling Deb,

 

I will be the contrarian! I looked at photos of 8039 (a sideways room) and 8515 and also at three other insides NOT on deck 8. Both the sideways and the not-sideways room on deck 8 were significantly bigger than the others! The lower floors' rooms looked like dorm rooms!

 

Were you given a specific cabin on Deck 8?

 

The Rhapsody is NOT a small ship. We sailed a significantly smaller ship, the HAL Zaandam, around Cape Horn of South America (that Valparaiso to the other side mentioned above -- ours went to Buenos Aires) and rarely if ever felt movement. And my husband is quite prone to seasick. Then we crossed the Atlantic on the Nieuw Amsterdam which is just a little larger than your ship and it was so stable, you couldn't tell you were moving without looking out at the wake! ETA: What I'm trying to say is -- it's very unlikely you'll be seasick, and quite unlikely you would get a FREE upgrade to a room with a window.

 

On the Nieuw Amsterdam we had an inside guarantee that I THOUGHT had to be a large/square room on a lower deck. When our room was assigned, it was on a higher deck and a skinny small room with only one chair, no sofa. This was considered an upgrade because of higher deck! (HAL has done some funny things on the ranking of cabins, apparently just to be able to give people rooms that don't sell otherwise! and call it an upgrade!) I do not know if RCI does the same, you might ask on the RCI board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=83

 

Or you could just book a room you'll be happy to sleep in!

 

I will add -- both of the larger rooms I saw, were tight to pass to the right side of the bed (as you look from the room), when the bed was made up as a queen/king. There was a different piece of furniture blocking the access to slide around the bed! So these rooms will seem even larger if the beds are made up as twins... Of course small insides also seem roomier made up as two beds -- even some oceanviews, ones where a queen bed is in front of the window.

 

Yes the rom is 8083. Aldo what is the différence between a sideways room and a regular room. Also, the ship would be traveling through Med, not sure if that changes perspective.

 

Like the above poster said, I really am not planning to stay in the room long, but I do want a comfortable night sleep.

[crystalspin]

Deb:

Well of course, the bed itself will be the same. But the space you have to move around, sit and perhaps have a drink, and store & access your belongings may make a difference in your general comfort level.

 

(1) 8083 is pretty much aft. Potentially a bit more 'movement' as the ship does move something like a seesaw (that's why people recommend mid-ship). However, MDRs tend to be aft and I have remarked (even on the smaller Zaandam, and for sure on the similar-sized Nieuw Amsterdam) that MDR had no noticeable movement.

 

Also on the Rhapsody in particular, Deck 8 aft is under the spa and not a pool or the buffet where heavy chairs or large carts are dragged around at all hours. I presume the spa would be pretty quiet as that's one reason people like to go there!

 

(2) I'm more familiar with HAL sideways, where the door moves to near the foot of the bed(s), and the closets slide around the "aisle" to make an L where the door in a straight room is. But from the pics of 8039 & 8557 on the pay-wall site I use, it's the mini-bar that moves to the end, and they may make some space by having a club chair instead of a sofa! I do not know if you are traveling alone or with someone...

 

(3) Med cruises tend to be VERY port intensive. So even less time in your room!

[Dayenu]

Hi all,

 

Looking at booking first cruise...I was offered a cruise on RC with a large interior room deck 8 for the same price as guaranteed inside. I heard that upgrades on guaranteed inside cabins "can" happen. For someone who has a fear of getting motion sickness and has never been on a cruise before....is a large interior stateroom on deck 8 a good choice?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

If you can get motion sick, you cannot stay in interior or inside (are those different cabins??). You must have a window: obstructed, porthole - any connection to the outside.

 

Location is also important. You must be in the middle of the ship, length-wise in the middle 1/3. Deck 8 may be OK if it's in the lower half of the ship, it depends on how many decks the ship has.

[spookwife]

Hi all,

 

Looking at booking first cruise...I was offered a cruise on RC with a large interior room deck 8 for the same price as guaranteed inside. I heard that upgrades on guaranteed inside cabins "can" happen. For someone who has a fear of getting motion sickness and has never been on a cruise before....is a large interior stateroom on deck 8 a good choice?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

'upgrade' is in the eye of the beholder. an inside on deck 8 would be nice and stable but you can be 'upgraded' to an oceanview or balcony on a lower deck, more forward or aft or underneath a public area( the pool decks get NOISY early am as the crew is moving deck chairs to power wash the areas and underneath the buffet is always noisy)

 

far forward sees a lot more motion and if the seas are even a little rough, it can be an issue. also the anchor chains sound like the world is ending if you are not expecting it(for tender ports)

 

when you book any GTY, you assume you will get the worst possible cabin/location in that category. anything else is a bonus.

 

for that reason we will pretty much never do a GTY booking even if it means paying more.

[Beth8649]

Since you booked an interior cabin & need a horizon line ( window/balcony), see if you can download seasick apps for your phone. I found 3 for the iPhone.

 

Also, take the meds, before you board the ship. I waited until I got sick to take them and stayed sick the entire cruise. We did have a balcony but I did not know to stare at the horizon.

 

I think the phone apps look pretty good. I'd pay and download them all and make sure they all work with cellular data turned off in phone settings.