Spirit Class - Cabin Selection (Balcony or Suite) Help!

[tybrkr17]

Hey Cruisers - especially cruisers who have sailed on the Spirit class ships - I need your help!

 

I am set to sail on the Carnival Legend (Spirit class ship) next year on my longest cruise to date - 9 Night England/Scotland/Ireland cruise. This will be my 9th cruise and I always book an interior cabin. I am the type of cruiser where I like to spend the minimum amount on a cabin and use the rest elsewhere since I am normally never in my cabin (Drinks, casino, excursions, etc). So when I booked this cruise (before the pandemic happened), I booked an interior room in hopes of maybe getting an upgrade offer down the road possibly. If the offer came, great! - if it didn't, it didn't matter to me since I am used to cruising in an interior cabins anyways. 

 

Due to COVID19, a few of my cruises this year and other non-cruise vacations have been cancelled or postponed and I now have more money in my vacation money bucket than expected. With this cruise being the longest cruise I have taken so far - I want to "splurge" on my cabin and finally upgrade to something other than an interior or ocean view.

 

So before I upgrade I need the following advice/info:

 

1). Normal balcony or extended balcony?  Or is a suite worth the price? (I am still Gold with Carnival, so I do not have platinum/diamond perks yet.)

2.) Which deck do you prefer? (I do not mind stairs or walking long distances. I rarely take the elevator anyways so I don't need to be by one.)

3.) Port? Starboard? Aft?

4.) Any specific cabin category or specific balcony room you have stayed in and loved?

 

Thanks you all 😎

 

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Hello fellow cruiser.  I think you are in another group with me 🙂 

 

I totally recommend a balcony (regular is fine, the extended aren't that much bigger) and if you want the view of the White Cliffs as we sail away you want the port side (even number rooms). 

 

I like to stay away from the Atrium area because it can get loud at night and as a light sleeper who gets up early this is not much fun.  If you don't mind some noise or are a night owl you may not care.

 

[tybrkr17]

30 minutes ago, trvlgirlmq said:

Hello fellow cruiser.  I think you are in another group with me 🙂 

 

I totally recommend a balcony (regular is fine, the extended aren't that much bigger) and if you want the view of the White Cliffs as we sail away you want the port side (even number rooms). 

 

I like to stay away from the Atrium area because it can get loud at night and as a light sleeper who gets up early this is not much fun.  If you don't mind some noise or are a night owl you may not care.

 

 

View of the White Cliffs would be amazing! Thanks for the tip.  And yeah noise does not bother me, I can usually sleep through anything if I am tired enough. And soon you next June!  So excited 🥳

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, tybrkr17 said:

1). Normal balcony or extended balcony?  Or is a suite worth the price? (I am still Gold with Carnival, so I do not have platinum/diamond perks yet.) Is it you or is someone else with you? My DH and I are on Legend out of Rome Sept 2021 and we splurged on an extended balcony. A little extra space to relax. 

2.) Which deck do you prefer? (I do not mind stairs or walking long distances. I rarely take the elevator anyways so I don't need to be by one.) We are on Veranda because it is a floor between floors that have cabins on them.  Empress level has that feature as well.

3.) Port? Starboard? Aft? We like Port side(supposedly you are on the side of the ship that you can view land when coming into your port. We generally like Aft but we are Midship on this cruise because that's what was available with extended balcony.

4.) Any specific cabin category or specific balcony room you have stayed in and loved? Not yet 🙂

Have a great cruise!!

 

Thanks you all 😎

 

 

 

[jimbo5544]

The best rooms on this ship (I have stayed in them) is 4th floor Vista suite.

[Linsuesue]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

The best rooms on this ship (I have stayed in them) is 4th floor Vista suite.

I agree with Jimbo on this one, but those Vista Suites sell out quickly. 

[Elaine5715]

Look at a obstructed view balcony

[jimbo5544]

11 hours ago, Linsuesue said:

I agree with Jimbo on this one, but those Vista Suites sell out quickly. 

Quickest category to go on this class

[jperry2011]

I've had 4 balcony rooms on the Pride so far and our next cruise will be an extended balcony. Locations have all been nice other than deck 8 aft pretty much the center room vibrating obnoxiously.

[MsTabbyKats]

Just about my DH.  He's frugal.  Always wanted an interior because it's the same food, same ports, same entertainment etc.  And I'm the cruiser, not him.  So I went along and booked the cheapest cabin.

 

Then, breast cancer hit (5 years ago...excellent recovery).  I told him "We have money....I'm thru counting pennies."  I started booking more expensive cabins....balcony and above.

 

Now, he won't go below a balcony....not even on OV.

 

So...go for it.  Get the best cabin because you never know what tomorrow brings!

[tandemcruzr]

Our pick is 7258.

[SDPadreFan]

I have a different take on this. Looking at your specific itinerary, you will only have 2 "sea days" in total. The other 6 days it looks like you will be going full on in different ports from early morning till 5pm (give or take). When you get up in the morning, you'll be grabbing breakfast before heading into town. When you get back, you'll be getting ready for dinner. So I'm guessing those 6 days will see minimal balcony use.

 

We normally get a balcony for most cruises. We have a Spa Balcony for a B2B on the Magic this October. We have a Premium Balcony #6277 on the Carnival Miracle on a 15 night Hawaii cruise next April. For those situations I felt the balcony was definitely worth it.

 

We did a 12 night Med Cruise on RCCL Brilliance of the Seas and went with an inside cabin and it was perfect. The cruise was almost non-stop port visits so we would leave the ship early in the morning and not return until dinner time. If we would have had a balcony, I don't know when we would have used it other than perhaps a few minutes each day. For that cruise, an inside cabin was sufficient and we spent the money we saved on excursions, pictures, etc.

[dezertcruzer]

Our favorite cabin on the Spirit class ships is 8237,  not so much for the extended balcony, although that is really nice, but for the size of the cabin.  Since we do like to spend some time together in our cabin, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship, we really enjoy this cabin.  Look up the photos online on one of the sites which show pictures of the various cabins.  I think you'll really enjoy it.

[RoperDK]

On 5/28/2020 at 12:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

Hey Cruisers - especially cruisers who have sailed on the Spirit class ships - I need your help!

 

1). Normal balcony or extended balcony?  Or is a suite worth the price? (I am still Gold with Carnival, so I do not have platinum/diamond perks yet.)

2.) Which deck do you prefer? (I do not mind stairs or walking long distances. I rarely take the elevator anyways so I don't need to be by one.)

3.) Port? Starboard? Aft?

4.) Any specific cabin category or specific balcony room you have stayed in and loved?

 

Thanks you all 😎

 

 

 

Your cruise sounds wonderful! I've never done that itinerary so can't recommend one side or the other.  I've cruised many times on Spirit class ships though and have several cabin types that we always book. As far as not needing a balcony on port intensive cruises, I want to add that sitting on your balcony while the ship arrives or departs ports is a big deal to us.  We love our little slice of outside, so we always book at least a balcony.  I would avoid the couple of lower decks that have the life boats obstructing your view from the balcony.  The extended balconies are 2 feet deeper. We like them, but not necessary for us.  We usually book suites now.  We love the extra room, but we spend more time in our cabin then we used to.  Carnival's suite benefits are pretty slim compared to other cruise lines.  Only you can decide if the extra dollars are worth it to you.  I've listed my favorite Sprit class cabins, they go fast.     

 

1.  Vista Suites are the best!  Aft wraparound balcony with a separate living and sleeping area. Great bath, closet, and dressing area.  We love the deck 4 Vistas (4228 and 4237).

 

2. Premium balcony (9B) cabins are a best kept secret.  Cabin 7299 is our favorite.  The room is like a suite, but the bathroom is like a regular balcony.  No noise from the elevators. 

 

3. The "bowling alley" balconies (7258) are a regular balcony cabin with a triple long balcony.  Lots of room for a couple of loungers as well as tables and chairs.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy!

[JMAE]

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

1). Normal balcony or extended balcony?  We have been on 11 Spirit class cruises.  We have stayed in the balcony cabins from obstructed to extended.  If available I would select an extended, but all are good.

2.) Which deck do you prefer? We always stay on decks 5, 6 or 7.  

3.) Port? Starboard? Aft? We have had staterooms on the port and starboard sides, never had any problems.  I would recommend to stay away from a cabin in a inside corner like 6255.  The view is obstructed based on the ship's structure. 

4.) Any specific cabin category or specific balcony room you have stayed in and loved?  Any balcony stateroom works for us.

 

Enjoy you cruise.  

[jerseyjjs]

I'd book a bowling alley balcony (extended balcony cat.) before the Vista suite.  It's about half the cost and you have less to worry about when it comes to the vibrations rumbling you awake, especially on the lower decks.

[xitappers2bx]

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

Hey Cruisers - especially cruisers who have sailed on the Spirit class ships - I need your help!

I love the Spirit Class!

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

I am set to sail on the Carnival Legend (Spirit class ship) next year on my longest cruise to date - 9 Night England/Scotland/Ireland cruise. This will be my 9th cruise and I always book an interior cabin. I am the type of cruiser where I like to spend the minimum amount on a cabin and use the rest elsewhere since I am normally never in my cabin (Drinks, casino, excursions, etc). So when I booked this cruise (before the pandemic happened), I booked an interior room in hopes of maybe getting an upgrade offer down the road possibly. If the offer came, great! - if it didn't, it didn't matter to me since I am used to cruising in an interior cabins anyways. 

Makes sense

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

Due to COVID19, a few of my cruises this year and other non-cruise vacations have been cancelled or postponed and I now have more money in my vacation money bucket than expected. With this cruise being the longest cruise I have taken so far - I want to "splurge" on my cabin and finally upgrade to something other than an interior or ocean view.

A very good idea; splurge.  

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

So before I upgrade I need the following advice/info:

 

1). Normal balcony or extended balcony?  Or is a suite worth the price? (I am still Gold with Carnival, so I do not have platinum/diamond perks yet.)

My favorite suites are the ones on the Spirit class. the ones at the back of the ship next to the wrap arounds are my absolute favorite.  You get the gentle lull and I can spend hours dozing and reading on the balcony.  If you didn't want to splurge on the suite, a regular balcony is just as good as the extended balcony.  Honestly, we always cruise in suites, and the perks really aren't worth it (although, having the option to chose what time dining we want is great, and I do enjoy that).  

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

2.) Which deck do you prefer? (I do not mind stairs or walking long distances. I rarely take the elevator anyways so I don't need to be by one.)

We have cruised on deck 5, 6, and 8.  I think they're all okay, although I do try and book rooms that are sandwiched between cabin decks, so sticking with 5, 6, and 7 are all good.  

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

3.) Port? Starboard? Aft?

I love aft on the spirit class ships; but forward and aft can be choppy in rough seas so if you're prone to seasickness, go with midship.  

On 5/28/2020 at 1:59 PM, tybrkr17 said:

4.) Any specific cabin category or specific balcony room you have stayed in and loved?

 

Thanks you all 😎