Difference between Balcony BA-BF on Spirit?

[dg222]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm preparing for my first NCL cruise, which will be on the Norwegian Spirit from NY to the Bahamas. I've decided on a balcony cabin, but I can't figure out the differences between all the balcony categories. Is there a size, bedding or decor difference?

 

I'm planning to get a BA cabin on the 11th deck, as it seems to be the "highest" category, but I'm not sure if it's worth the roughly $30 pp difference from BF and others. The floor plans and cabin descriptions haven't been very helpful. Ideally I'd like a queen bed and an unobstructed view from the balcony, but I'm not too picky. The more space the better, of course.

 

Any thoughts or specific cabin recommendations would be much appreciated.Thanks!

 

Cheers,

DG

[WaldosPepper]

DG - as a general rule, balcony cabins in all categories are basically the same layout, size, etc. The difference in category is based upon location. The higher the balcony category, the better the location. It's up to you to decide if a particular location is better and worth the extra $$ or not.

 

For instance, is it important to you to be near the pool and buffet deck, etc.

 

Hope this helps! :)

[KEKCruiser]

It's great being on higher decks for the convenience, but if you go to bed early, people walking around at the pool and upstairs from you might not be a good idea. It does stay noisy for the whole evening. I was given a balcony right next to the teen disco on deck 10 on the Spirit, and I changed it to Deck 9, since it's rooms above and below and both sides, so it'll be quieter. My son is almost 2, and a light sleeper. We go on Sunday, so hopefully I chose right!

[cruiser01]

According to a Cruise brochure that I recently viewed that had the Sprit deckplans, it described BF as "possibly obsructed view", though NCL claims they don't. You will also notice that the Spirit only has 4 BF room. My logic here would be that they are obstrcuted to a degree and as such, NCL has chosen to classify them as their own catagory. Spend the extra $30 per person and don't risk getting an "obstructed view".

[dg222]

WaldosPepper: thanks a lot for the advice. In that case, it sounds like it won't be worth it for me to upgrade from BF to BA. Being on the 11th vs. 10th deck doesn't matter to me, and I've found that lower cabins are a little less prone to rocking.

 

What about beds? Some balcony categories say "two single beds" and others say "two single beds or one queen." I'd also heard that all the beds are convertible into queens, so I'm not sure who to believe. Thanks again!

[kenlin67]

Stayed in cabin 9200 (Catagory BF) 1/19-1/29 Cruise. No obstructed view at all. Queen Bed. I believe all balcony cabins have the same layout. Cabin was very quiet at night. Will be glad to answer any further questions.

[dg222]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I just got another BF quote from a different travel agent that's $100 cheaper per person than my BA quote. However, it's a "guaranteed cabin type" quote, with the actual cabin to be assigned at check-in. Are there any terrible BF cabins that I might be assigned to?

 

kenlin67: glad to hear you had a good BF cabin. That's great that you had a queen bed, as the floor plans on NCL's website indicate that BF cabins are all 2-twins. The noise factor is also a plus for the lower deck, although I don't plan on going to bed too early.

 

I'm actually more concerned about having two non-convertible twin beds than a partially obstructed view (as one of the main things I love about balconies is the fresh air).

 

Thanks again,

DG

[WaldosPepper]

DG - a guarantee booking means that you are guaranteed at least a BF. There is always the possibility that you could be assigned any balcony cabin, all the way up to BA! ;) Sometimes they can be a very sweet deal indeed!

 

Also, not to worry about the twin beds, because they can always be pushed together to make the queen. You'll discover that almost all the cabins are listed as "two twin beds or one queen" because they convert the twins. As a general rule, if you ar booked as a couple, the beds will already be converted before you arrive at check in. :)

 

Good luck with your booking, and happy sailing! :D

[dg222]

Great to hear that the beds are all convertible. :) Thanks for the tips regarding potential cabin upgrades, and it sounds like 9200 was just fine. None of the four BF cabins is showing as available for selection, so I'm guessing there's a decent chance of ending up with a slightly higher category cabin. I went ahead and reserved BF and will let you know how it goes! (We're sailing on March 12.) Thanks again. :)

[cruiser01]

you will most likely end up with a higher catagory (maybe all the way to a BA). We're on the March 12 Spirit as well. Booked a GUAR H (lowest oceanview catagory). 4 days later we were assigned catagory C.

 

Good luck.

[dg222]

cruiser01: Thanks! Glad to hear you'll be on the ship too. I'm planning to go to the Cruise Critic event on the 13th, so perhaps I'll see you there.

 

My travel agent also advised booking the BF room and said it's very, very likely that I'll be upgraded at least one category. In any case, should be a great trip!

[WaldosPepper]

dg222 - You might want to go to NCL's website and complete your pre-registration online. It needs to be done at least 14 days prior to sailing, and only takes a moment to do. PLUS - it's likely to show you what your cabin assignment is!!! :D Very often the cabin is assigned right away, and there's a good likelyhood you'll be in a higher category.

 

Go to NCL.com and click on the ribbon that says "Booked Guests Register Here". Type in your registration number, sailing date and ship - it'll bring up your info. Be sure to fill in all the questions and print it out - saves time at the pier! ;)

 

Afterwards, let us know if your cabin has been assigned, and what you ended up with ! Good luck!

[dg222]

WaldosPepper: thanks for the tip! However, when I click on "Booked Guests Register Here" and follow the links for advance registration, the form I get (https://submit.ncl.com/apis_04.asp) won't let me submit it without filling in the stateroom number, which of course I don't yet have. :( I was hoping it'd work with only the confirmation number and all the other info, but no such luck. Am I doing something wrong?

[WaldosPepper]

DG - try clicking here: https://nclires1.mis.ncl.com/NCL_AGR/NCLServlet

 

Post back and let me know what happens. Unless the power goes out I'll be checking in frequently all evening in case you need further assistance. ;)

[Toronto Guy]

I just returned from the 11 night cruise with Intrepid Guy. He was in cabin 9000 (I think a BE) and we were in 11608 (BA). There was absolutely no difference in cabin size or amenties - just different decks and colour schemes - I preferred his colours over ours! :)

[dg222]

That link gave an error ("System has encountered an ERROR... Please try again later.") but changing the URL to https://nclires1.mis.ncl.com/NCL_AGR/ did the trick! I was able to preregister and get a confirmation, but alas the stateroom number still shows up as "GTY."

 

Thanks so much, and hope the power stays on! (We've got some cold, high winds here in NY too.)

[WaldosPepper]

So glad you've at least had some success! You can go in and review your registration again at any time, and perhaps as you get closer to sailing your assignment will be visible.

 

Just spoke to my brother in Philly and he was nearly blown off the Schukyll Expressway! :eek: He was not looking forward to getting down onto the Lincoln Drive either, as the winds off the river are even worse there!

 

I sure hope everyone stays safe tonight. ;)