Cabin Reviews
Cabin Reviews A selection of reviews by members of Cruising Mates Forum
Splendour of the Seas Grand Suite
© www.cruisingmates.co.uk
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Introduction
This Flip Book contains a selection from the many cabin reviews posted on
the forum by members of Cruising Mates, and will be updated periodically
as new reviews are added to our cabin reviews area.
The reviews have been written by real passengers, and their views and
opinions (and photos!) are their own. We believe that makes this resource
unique in an area dominated by glossy brochures and wide-angle
photographs.
Only the initial reviews are published here; on the forum, each review is
followed up with discussion, questions and answers.
This edition was published in July 2014.
To visit our Cabin Reviews area click: Cruising Mates Cabin Reviews
To visit Cruising Mates Forum, click: Cruising Mates Forum
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Contents
Azamara: Azamara Quest Suite 8091
Celebrity: Constellation Cat C3 Cabin 9100
Eclipse Balcony Deck 8 Cat C1
Celebrity Eclipse Accessible Cabin Deck 10
Silhouette Cat 2B Balcony Cabin 7283
Silhouette Cat 2A Balcony Cabin 7276
Costa: Costa Deliziosa Panorama Suite 4399
Costa Fortuna Stern Balcony Cabin 6467
Costa Serena Cat B3 Balcony Cabin 8382
Costa Pacifica Balcony Cabin 6419
Cruise & Maritime: mv Discovery Outside Cabin 7119
Cunard: Queen Mary 2 B3 Balcony Cabin Deck 4
Queen Mary 2 Balcony Stateroom Deck 11
Queen Victoria Princess Grill Suite 5093
Fred. Olsen: Balmoral Junior Balcony Suite
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Balmoral Premier Suite 1024
Black Watch Outside Cabin 3032 (E)
Black Watch Junior Suite 5004
Boudicca Outside Cabins 4101 & 4051
Boudicca Premier Suite 9016
Braemar Inside Cabin 3120 (Grade I)
HAL: Eurodam Deluxe Balcony Suite Deck 6 Aft 6164
MSC: MSC Divina Yacht Club Suite 15013
MSC Opera Inside Cabin 10156
NCL: Norwegian Epic - Cat BF Balcony Cabin 9257
Norwegian Jade Mini Suite 11532
Norwegian Breakaway BA Balcony Cabin 14780
P&O: Oceana Inside Cabin L338
Ventura Balcony Cabin L304
Ventura Obstructed View Cabin E324
Ventura C deck Balcony Cabin
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Princess: Caribbean Princess Inside Cabin 741
Crown Princess Balcony Cabin 214
Royal Caribbean: Adventure of the Seas Junior Suite 9234
Splendour of The Seas Grand Suite 8510
Saga: Saga Pearl II Superior Outside Cabin 115
Saga Pearl II Owner's Suite Cabin 1
Saga Ruby Inside Cabin J Grade
Saga Sapphire Superior Balcony Cabin 10550
Saga Sapphire N Grade 10030
Seabourn: Seabourn Odyssey Cabin/Suite 431
Thomson: Thomson Celebration Deluxe Cabin 233
Thomson Spirit Deluxe Cabin 200
Viking River Cruises: Viking Neptune Cat A Cabin 311
RV Tonle (Viking Mekong) Double Cabin
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Balmoral Premier Suite 1024 by Dave
For our first cruise in 2004 we chose the cheapest inside cabin. We continued to believe that
"cabins are only for sleeping in" and booked inside cabins for the next few cruises. Then we
had a free upgrade to an outside cabin - "much better" we thought, so it was outside cabins
from then on. But along came the 'inside smoking ban' so we tried a junior balcony suite.
"Wow, this is so much better!" we said, and so a balcony became a must.
When we booked our honeymoon cruise we decided to really go for it. So, being Fred Olsen
fans, we chose probably Fred's best offering - a premier suite on Balmoral (sorry to anyone
who thinks his other top suites are better!). Balmoral isn't our favourite Fred Olsen ship, but
the date was perfect and she was sailing to the Med from Dover - our local port.
We took a few photos (actually, we took lots - this was a whole new world for us!).
The cabin is big. The first door on the right leads to the bathroom, nicely finished in marble
with a full-sized bath. Bathrobes, toiletries, and other bits and pieces are all included. The
second door leads to a large walk-in wardrobe with a full-length mirror, a safe, and masses of
storage space.
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The bedroom area - obviously!
The sitting area has a sofa (which can be made into a bed), a coffee table, and a couple of
armchairs. The 42" TV and home cinema system looks impressive, but the offerings were poor
- the ship's location in Google Earth, a few news channels, and 55 pay-per-view films in low
quality - most of which were aimed at children and teenagers (who only comprised about 1 in
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50 of the guests!). There's also Fred Olsen interactive but we only really used it to order
breakfast and to check our account. (P&O's system is miles better.)
The dining area: Other benefits for 'suite people' included champagne, a goodies bag of
chocolates, etc., slippers, canapés, daily topping-up of fruit bowl, daily news-sheet, and the use
of excellent binoculars (much better than mine) and atlas. We also boarded at 11.30am for a
special lunch and were first to disembark. Complimentary celebration extras included a
second bottle of champagne, and a cake and serenade at dinner!
I don't expect we'll enjoy this level of luxury again (it's a standard balcony cabin on Boudicca
next), but we've got the memories - and a video!
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Norwegian Epic - Cat BF Balcony Cabin 9257 by Wansbrough
On the 21 June 2010 we took a 1 night cruise on the brand new Norwegian Epic. We had
already booked cabin 9219 but unfortunately along with many other cabins on this cruise, it
had not been finished and we were moved to another cabin in the same category.
Looking towards the balcony over the bed.
The cabins on the Norwegian Epic caused a lot of controversy when she was first launched
because they do not have a separate designated bathroom. In most cases the toilet and shower
are either side of the cabin door concealed behind obscure glass. This can then be zoned off
from the rest of the cabin by a curtain to provide extra privacy.
I have to say that I was really taken with the look and feel of this cabin. I can remember lying
on the bed viewing my surroundings and thinking how smart it looked with its long curved
wall of wood and mirror. The cabin is very long but is quite narrow and a clever concept of
making the dividing walls “wave” shaped presumably means they have tried to try and squeeze
more cabins into the design of the ship.
I remember there being loads of storage and lots of little fancy ideas which I have not seen in
other cabins. For me the sink was in a peculiar place being right next to the bed. We were not
too bothered by the need to draw the curtain across for privacy but do recall being aware of
certain sounds being broadcast to the rest of the cabin because the lack of proper door.
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Looking from the balcony end towards the cabin door where you can see the bathroom area and
the curtain.
The very comfortable bed which is tucked into the curve of the wave wall.
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MSC Divina Yacht Club Suite 15013 by Skier Pete
Category := Grade Yacht Club 1 Deluxe Suite. Situated on deck 15, forward port side.
CABIN
The 215 sq. ft cabin measured ~25 ft X 8.5 ft on its maximum dimensions. The furniture
consisted of a queen size bed, 2 small bed side lockers each with 2 very small drawers, a 3 seat
settee and a small oval glass top coffee table. The fixed furniture consisted of a walk-in
wardrobe, ~ 4 ft square, which housed a hanging rail (one half had a full length drop and the
other a half had a half height drop) beneath which was a two shelf unit. The final storage in
the wardrobe was a full height unit containing 6 deep drawers. and 2 shelves, one of which
held the safe. At the top of the room was the top shelf housing the life jackets (4).
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In the cabin itself was a further full height half width shelving unit with five shelves. The final
fixture was the vanity unit/desk/ mini-bar unit with attendant pouffe. There are two quadrant
shelves above the mini-bar one of which houses the flat screen TV.
This was relatively small for a suite, with just adequate storage. But the major factor is it is in
the MSC Yacht Club Area with all its attendant exclusive YC benefits which more than make
up for its size.
This must have been the quietest cabin I've ever stayed in. NO noise problems!
BATHROOM
The bathroom was ~ 6 ft X 6 ft (~36 sq. ft.)with a good sized bath with a adjustable heights
shower head over the bath and a plastic shower screen on the bath.
Storage was 3 quadrant shelves above the sink surround and 4 small cupboards under the sink
area. Bathrobe hooks (2) were on the back of the door and above the bath was a pull out
washing line.
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Bath with shower over.
BALCONY
The balcony was 8.5 ft X 4.5 ft (~40 sq. ft) and was furnished with 2 chairs (non-adjustable)
and one small low table/3rd chair. I consider it a very small balcony for a suite.
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mv Discovery Outside Cabin 7119 by JollyJill
We had been blessed by the upgrade fairy so were delighted to have been given a cabin on
deck 7 instead of deck 5. It was the biggest cabin we had experienced at that time and felt that
it was big enough to hold a party.
The windows were large and there was a light and airy
feel to the room.
There was a bath as well as a shower which we like
because there is more space to hang washing (there is
no self service laundry on Discovery)
The only downside for us was the storage space, which
was in our opinion, inadequate. I appreciate that she is
an old ship but there was plenty of room to add another
wardrobe. Let's hope that the refit has addressed that
particular problem.
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Boudicca Premier Suite 9016 by Dave
A cabin review? What's the point? I suppose I can only say that having booked this cabin I
searched for photos and/or descriptions and could find nothing other than the hopelessly
distorted 360 degree 'panoramic' view on the Fred Olsen website and some tiny out-of-date
photos.
At 550 sq ft, Boudicca's premier suites (together with the Black Watch versions) are Fred
Olsen's largest offerings except for their owner's suites. They're about 25% larger than those
on Balmoral and are real suites (as opposed to a large cabin with a partition or screen), while
Braemar doesn't have either these or the slightly smaller marquee suites.
I think it's important to see this review in context. This may be Fred Olsen's best, but I've seen
what some other lines can offer - through photos that is - but if you cruise that far upmarket
you're probably not even reading this!
So what do you get for three or four times the price of an inside cabin? The answer is space
and privacy, and the perks of the Suite Dreams package - a bottle of Champagne, free spirits
(we had these replaced with free Pepsi!), excellent binoculars, an atlas, free shuttle bus passes,
bathrobes, slippers, canapés, fruit, and so on. Check the brochure for the full list.
The cabin door opens into a short 'hallway' with large cupboards to one side and doors to the
living area and bathroom. The bathroom is unusual in having two sections - a toilet and basin
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part, and a bath / shower and basin part. The sections are divided by a central sliding door and
I suppose the idea is that you can use the toilet while someone's having a bath. This
arrangement also means that the bathroom effectively has two doors because the bath side has
a door to the bedroom, so there are two doors to lock or forget to lock - as the case may be.
A large double sliding door joins the living area and the bedroom, and both are enormous. The
bed is enormous, and so are the wardrobes. There's no lack of storage space!
The balcony was perfect for a cruise in cold waters, being very well sheltered, and our smoke
was unlikely to be noticed by our neighbours since the adjacent balconies were a good three
metres away (and I think they smoked anyway!). But Balmoral's balconies are far bigger and
open to the sky above, and are better for cruises in warm waters.
While the cabin was extremely comfortable and nicely presented in an old-fashioned sort of
way, the bathroom was definitely in need of attention. Although it all worked properly, the
wallpaper was loose in places and looked a bit tatty.
My only other criticism concerns the TV - or rather, what was on the TV: Sky and BBC World
News, some sports channels, the occasional film, and very little else - hopeless!
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Ventura Obstructed View Cabin E324
by bobbyboy
Obstructed view cabins provide a means to some natural light and a bit of an outside view if
you're on a bit of a budget. We have had an obstructed view cabin twice on Ventura and were
happy with our choice given the savings made over the price of an unobstructed view.
Before booking any obstructed view cabin on a P&O ship, make sure you have a look on the
P&O website. You will be able to see what your view will be like. Ventura and Azura are sister
ships so if you can't find the cabin view for one of them then look at the same cabin on the
other.
Don't forget that with Getaway Fares you only get a guarantee cabin so you may end up with a
full view of the side of a tender, so tread carefully when booking an obstructed view.
Let's have a look at cabin E324 (fully obstructed view LA grade)...
What's that? You want to see the inside? Ok then...
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Not bad so far. Here's the en-suite...
...not forgetting the 'pamper pack'...
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The view wasn't brilliant but you could see around the lifeboat at the right angle...
The cabin corridors were nice too...
Obviously, I'd prefer a balcony or a clear view from a picture window, but if the cost is an issue
(it normally is for me) then the right choice of obstructed view is a good compromise between
the choice of an inside or an outside cabin.
Please note that the cabin grades I have used are the new 2013 grades. LA used to be NA and
KA used to be MA. It gets confusing when you're trying to book a cruise as I think the change
to cabin grades takes effect in April 3013 and there will be four different grades of obstructed
view cabins to choose from.
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Thomson Celebration Deluxe Cabin 233 by Dave
We always want a balcony, but since Celebration doesn’t have any cabins with balconies we
chose a ‘deluxe’ cabin on the promenade deck. I put ‘deluxe’ in quotes because we thought the
cabin was anything but!
But let’s deal with the positives first. There were two: the location was perfect being only
seconds from both the promenade deck and the mezzanine area of the show lounge, and the
main shops, etc. being very close. I suppose another positive is that the cabin was big, but
since it was lacking in anything else it might just mean that it was a longer walk to the beds!
Setting aside the cost of excursions, we paid £333 per night between us (or £167pp) for what
was basically a rather tatty outside cabin. Where do I start?
There was no kettle, no ‘free’ room service, the TV was blurry and only provided ship-based
movies and information. The sound system didn’t work, the beds were very small, and there
was no comfortable seating.
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The bathroom worked, but you can probably see the
condition from the photo – stains and repairs are
evident.
It’s true that there was a lot of storage space, but
we’ve never had a cabin where there wasn’t room to
put everything (I’m never sure why people rate this
feature!).
But the really, really bad thing about cabin 233 was
the noise - and I don’t mean noise from the ship, but
noise from other passengers. The walls seemed paper-
thin, as was the locked connecting door shown in the
photo. There might just as well have been curtains
between the cabins! To make things worse, the cabins
on either side were occupied by three people, and
three people make far more noise than two. (I noticed
that the third berth is provided by replacing the small
chairs and table with a camp bed.)
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For us the cabin was the reason why we’re very unlikely to cruise with Thomson again. If I can
put things in context yet again, we paid nearly as much per night for this cabin as we’ve paid
for premier suites on Balmoral and Boudicca, and a lot more than we paid for a nice balcony
cabin on Ventura – there’s simply no comparison.
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Boudicca Outside Cabins 4101 & 4051
by JollyJill
In 2012 & 2013 we booked outside cabins grade D for our 35 night cruises to the
Caribbean/Amazon and Central America. The photos are of cabin 4101. Cabin 4051 was
identical but configured the other way round.
Cabin 4101 was well situated on Atlantic deck 4 (aft). We didn't experience any particular
engine or vibration noise and given that the weather was calm for virtually the whole cruise,
we didn't have a problem with pitch and roll either.
Cabin 4051 was more amidships and whilst we still had no problems with engine and vibration
noise, we did experience some rough weather on the way back across the Atlantic and
certainly did feel the pitch and roll then!
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The supply of toiletries in the bathroom was minimal but shampoo/conditioner/shower cap
was available on request. Gone are the days of the full compliment supplied without having to
ask.
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Celebrity Eclipse Balcony Deck 8 Cat C1 by sevenseascoaster
Our stateroom was as expected, but would have preferred the bed configuration the opposite
way, as with the bed by the patio doors it makes entry onto the balcony very narrow.
The wardrobe space is adequate, I always take extra hangers but find it difficult to move the
sliding doors across. The bathroom is well laid out and plenty of storage, but wish the fixed
tap could be moved to the side, if you wanted to wash out smalls or hair. Adequate plugs make
sure you take adaptors? Very comfortable bed.
We were lucky to have the sun on our balcony most days so we made a lot of use of the
comfortable chairs etc to gaze out at the majestic seas and dream! Everywhere was spotless,
our stateroom attendant Cherryl was super and although tiny! She did an amazing job.
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RV Tonle (Viking Mekong) cabin by Dave
Our cabin was 207 - one of 28 almost identical 'deluxe' double cabins located on decks 2 & 3 -
and we were in and exploring it within seconds of boarding. The remaining 10 cabins are all
singles and are on deck 1. Unlike the doubles, the single cabins have just a porthole and (we
were told) are very small!
The photos were taken from
the doorway. Out of shot to
the right is a small table, a
fair-sized built-in wardrobe
with a safe, and the door to
the bathroom.
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I always find it difficult with my camera to take decent photos of a ship's bathroom but this is
of average size and very much in keeping with the rest of the ship - except for the shower (not
shown) which is tiled in white.
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From the photos below it might appear that we had a balcony. Well, it's a balcony of sorts and
it suited us perfectly (note the ashtray on the table!). The cabins on decks 2 & 3 are reached
from the outside - there are no internal corridors on this ship - and so someone might walk
past occasionally, but in effect it was like having your own balcony.
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Queen Mary 2 B3 Balcony Cabin Deck 4 by bobbyboy
This was the lowest grade of balcony cabin towards the stern on the lowest passenger deck
(Deck 4). A sheltered balcony often referred-to as a Hull Hole due to the fact that it's in the
hull of the ship and has a big cut-out (hole) to the outside world.
It was perfectly adequate on our short cruise in the English Channel but views are restricted
by the steel of the hull when sitting down. The cabin itself was good... as with most shiny, big,
new ships!
You can see the steel front of the balcony in this image...
Clean, tidy and modern... nothing too fancy...
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A quick shot of the en-suite...
A view of the cabin from the doorway...
For a low grade balcony it was great. In spite of being on the lowest passenger deck it was still
high-up due to the enormous size of the ship and the view was unobstructed when standing
up.
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HAL Eurodam Deluxe Balcony Suite Deck 6 Aft 6164 by grannyM
Our stateroom 6164 Aft Deluxe Balcony suite, Upper Veranda deck, was ready when we
boarded and once we found it we were delighted to see how spacious it was. It is definitely the
most luxurious accommodation we've ever had and the welcoming bottle of champagne and
fruit bowl a very nice touch.
As expected the furnishing was of the highest standard. A huge settee, coffee table with two
armchairs either side, a desk with all the usual ship information and personalised stationery. A
large flat screen TV and DVD player. The 4 doored wardrobes had separate hanging space with
loads of hangers in the double wardrobe, a gent's robe which also housed the safe, a long
compartment of shelf space for clothes and shoes.
Also all around the stateroom there was plenty of other doored shelving. The bed was
enormous, the same as most other ships we've been on, very comfortable and a choice of 3
different pillow softness. Although it was spacious and luxurious it was one room and to call it
a suite was a little misleading.
Sorry this photo does not do justice to the size of the stateroom as the wardrobes and
bathroom door are behind where I'm standing.
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The bathroom was fantastic with two sinks, a bathtub and separate shower stall. Both the bath
and the shower had dispensers for shampoo, conditioner and bath/shower gel.
The little dressing room just before the bathroom was a dream with mirrors about the
dressing table and a huge magnified mirror which was great for putting on make-up. Three
drawers down one side for cosmetics kept it tidy.
The best thing of all was a 'real' hairdryer
and not one of those weak slow things that
are the usual on ships and in hotels. 2
electric sockets in here for American and
European plugs.
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Being an aft corner suite the balcony wrapped around the stern and was furnished with a table
and 4 chairs, 2 armchairs and footstools and round the corner on the port side 2 sun loungers.
We seldom used the sun loungers but made great use of the rest of the balcony. This
stateroom could be connected to the next door stateroom and if a family had both and opened
the connecting balcony doors it would be a fabulous facility.
This was the first time we had accommodation at the back of the ship. There was some
vibration but it was not loud and it was not a problem. The great thing about the position was
being able to sit and watch the wake anytime day or night and on one night between Tallinn &
St Petersburg we had a great view of the most fantastic lightning show.
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Splendour of The Seas Grand Suite 8510 by Skier Pete
Situated on deck 8 , forward starboard side. Category := Grand Suite
THE CABIN
The cabin is ~ 19ft x 19ft (~ 350 sq. ft.) of which the bath room is ~ 8ft x 7ft (~56sq. ft.)
Storage is in 5 full height wardrobes, consisting of a double door unit which has full length
hanging space with a high level shelf above for the lifejackets. Two of the other wardrobes
have 4 shelves each and the fifth has two large drawers at the base and half-length hanging
space above.
Fitted in the bar are a mini-bar three full size drawers, a shallow drawer and a narrow
cupboard. In the vanity unit are three drawers, one of which houses the hair-drier. Above the
tea / coffee making facilities is a small cupboard with two shelves one of which has the safe on
it. The bedside tables have three very small drawers in them.
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The seating area has a single arm chair, an L-shaped four person (at a squeeze) settee, a small
glass topped coffee table and a large flat screen TV. The bed area can be screened off using the
heavy duty curtain. Finally access to the balcony is through the four section full height and
width windows. There is room for two cases under the bed and additional cases will go behind
the curtain adjacent to the TV.
Large spacious cabin with masses of storage space, generous seating, large bar area, and a large
his and hers bathroom with full size bath and shower in the bath.
This cabin benefits from the "Suite Guest enhancement Program" and has full use of the
concierge lounge and all the concierge facilities. There are US and European power outlets and
a hairdryer.
NOISE
There was a lot of noise from tables and chairs being dragged about in the Windjammer right
up until 02:00. This was peculiar to this cruise as the opening times are different on South
American itineraries. Usually on European and Caribbean cruises the Buffet shuts at 21:00.
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THE BATHROOM
BALCONY
The balcony is overhung, by about 8ft by
the deck above. Furniture was two wicker
chairs and a wicker, glass-topped coffee
table. Two sun loungers were provided
when we asked for them. Approximately
110sq. ft.
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Balmoral Junior Balcony Suite by Dave
Looking back at the different cabins we've had, there's one that for us was the perfect choice.
Fred Olsen call it a 'junior balcony suite', but a cabin of this size and type might be called a
deluxe balcony cabin or simply a standard balcony cabin by other cruise lines. I believe it's a
bit naughty to call any cabin a 'suite' unless there are separate sleeping and living areas but,
putting the slightly misleading description aside, this was a brilliant cabin nonetheless!
I never find it easy to take a photo of the bathroom (I need a wide-angle lens!), but it was a
decent size, had all the usual necessities, and a bath:
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There's plenty of wardrobe and drawer space, and the furniture and fittings are of a good
quality. The light-coloured wood finish and lots of mirrors create a feeling of space:
Perhaps the only downside to this cabin was that the two single beds were fixed (unless
someone knows differently..?):
The living area was great (and a little bigger than it seems in the photo). There were two
comfortable chairs to sit and watch the world go by, and a decent-size coffee table to put your
feet up on:
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The balcony (like all Balmoral's balconies as far as I'm aware) has an unobstructed view and
was a reasonable size - enough for two chairs, a small table, and one lounger (so you have to
take turns!), and the balcony deck isn't covered in plastic:
We've paid a lot more for bigger cabins but, to be honest, they weren't worth the extra. And
we've paid less for smaller ones, but they were only places to sleep. The Balmoral junior
balcony suite is (again, in my humble opinion) simply the best!
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Celebrity Constellation Cat C3 (Concierge Class) Cabin 9100 by Wansbrough
This was our first time for a Concierge Class cabin and only a 2 night mini cruise across the
channel. The cabin is ideally placed on deck nine right outside the mid ship staircase. You
only need to walk up one deck for the pool deck and buffet.
The ship had only recently been in for a refit to make it more like the newer Solstice class
ships but being as we had not been on her before, we were not able to see what was new and
what wasn't.
The cabin was very light and airy, nice and clean but did have a really small balcony. All the
usual items are there, mini bar, hair drier, safe, etc...
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All in all a very comfortable cabin with a very small balcony which looks right into a suite.
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Celebrity Silhouette Cat 2B Balcony Cabin 7283 by Wansbrough
We love these balcony cabins on the Solstice class ships and feel really at home in them. This
particular cabin is aft to mid-ship on the port side and it is one that can be used as an
adjoining cabin if required. There is a clever doorway which can be folded out for a single
entry door to both cabins.
Looking towards the balcony.
The bed is balcony end and there are all the usual items at your disposal such as safe, hair-
drier, mini bar and also an interactive TV where you can check your onboard account, book a
table in the speciality restaurant, order room service or view the ships photos taken of you. Or
you simply watch a film or the cruise director's daily waffle.
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Slightly angled view looking towards the balcony.
Looking back towards the door from the balcony.
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Costa Serena Cat B3 Balcony Cabin 8382 by Wansbrough
These photos show how the cabin looked back in April 2010. Costa have recently re-branded
their cabin category's so I am not sure what it would be in today's brochure. It is a very typical
Costa balcony cabin, plenty of room and not too fancy, very clean and ample storage.
Our only grumble would be that it is just under the buffet and you could hear the waiters
trolleys being wheeled up and down at various time during the day.
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Ventura C deck balcony cabin by Dave
There's been some talk about the advantages of choosing a balcony cabin on C deck on
Ventura as opposed to other decks, so I thought I'd share my opinions in a 'cabin review', and
hopefully it might also be of interest to those considering other Grand class ships such as
Azura, Grand Princess, etc.
This was only our second cruise with a balcony. We've had a junior balcony suite on Balmoral
and, since the general layout and sizes were very similar, comparisons were inevitable.
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I felt Ventura's cabin was functional and rather cramped which, given its reasonable size,
might seem puzzling. The 'bathroom' (no bath!) was the smallest we'd ever had - including
those in our previous inside and outside cabins. Taking a photo wasn't easy!:
Between the bathroom and the rest of the cabin was this great big... er, space. Actually, it was
a space with a shelf and a rail and I suppose it could be described as a walk-in wardrobe. It
might be better described as a wardrobe with no doors:
It was a bit of a squeeze to get past the bed, but at least this was a double (unlike Balmoral's
two singles!)
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But the saving grace for this cabin was the balcony - it was not only quite big, but it was half-
covered by the balcony above which meant that we could pop outside for a fag - even in the
rain!
Although the balcony has ample space for a couple of loungers, there were only two chairs, a
small table, and one footstool. Looking down on the balconies below, we could see they all
had two footstools, so I asked our cabin steward where our other one was. He told us that only
the deluxe balcony cabins have two footstools! So sun-bathing on the balcony required laying
out towels on that green plastic stuff that's very painful to walk on in bare feet...
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Queen Mary 2 Balcony Stateroom Deck 11 by sevenseascoaster
Our Room was an A1 balcony on deck 11 amidships. We were pleased to see that the
refurbishments that had taken place since our last cruise on her had made a big difference.
Gone were the tired furnishings, carpet and bed linen and replaced with new and pleasing
colours, everything was spotless, and a welcome bottle of sparkling wine.
The best part of the cabin is the ample wardrobe space (except the rail is not high enough to
cope with the length of Ladies Formal Dresses! And those awful hangers that are attached to
the rail) lots of lovely drawer space and the safe at eye level. Ample space in the bathroom for
all sundries. Another minor gripe is NO kettle, as it sails from British waters not much to ask
for? for those that like a cup of tea made with boiling water! And at any time required, without
having to call for room service and then the water is lukewarm?!!
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Black Watch Junior Suite 5004 by Dave
We wanted this cruise and there was only one cabin available, so although it's not one we
would have chosen, I accept that 'beggars can't be choosers'. However, I feel it might be of
interest if I explain why this deck 5 junior suite was probably our least desirable cabin to date
on any ship. There are two main reasons for our disappointment: the standard of the cabin,
and its location.
First though, perhaps I ought to mention the price - £705pp for a 4 night cruise booked at the
very last minute works out at nearly £180pp per night. Last year an early booking of a premier
suite on Balmoral worked out at about £190pp per night on a 14 night cruise. Given that four
nights really means three-and-a-half days, the prices per day were very similar but the
packages were vastly different, not least in that a junior suite doesn't have a balcony.
On arriving at suite 5004 our impression was that this was simply a big cabin. The room was
very similar to our deck 5 outside cabin of two years ago - but wider. There was a double bed
instead of the two singles (one of which became a sofa during the day), a basic sofa, an extra
easy chair, and there was a bath in the bathroom. There was a fruit bowl, but the 'Suite
Dreams' extras don't apply to this grade.
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This was a cabin that looked as if nothing had been done to it in twenty years. The wear and
tear was obvious (although not that apparent in the photos) - from wardrobe doors that
wouldn't stay open because the catches were broken, to a bath panel that I had to wedge to
stop from banging as the ship rolled, to a lockable draw that I couldn't unlock (luckily there
was another!). Perhaps the only thing that had changed in twenty years was the TV - an LCD
model with a screen smaller than the average laptop. In a word, the cabin was tatty.
Too make it worse, I know that 'junior suite' cabins are found on decks 5 and 7. Those on deck
5 are at the front on the ship (where the movement is greatest) and have a small window,
whereas some on deck 7 are on a very attractive passageway with much larger windows. There
really is no comparison, yet both are the same grade in terms of price.
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Many deck 5 junior suites have an extra bed or two and are probably ideal for families - there
was a family in one a couple of doors along from us - but for two people, a lot more money
buys little more than a bit of extra space. I rarely criticise Fred Olsen (my last three cabin
reviews have been positively glowing) but I'll make an exception this time; please don't call
this a 'suite' Fred, call it a 'big cabin'. And get the decorators in!
(Looking back on what I've written I suspect I'll be accused of sour grapes because I'd have
preferred a cabin on deck 7. That's true, but at least prospective junior suite passengers will be
aware that they're not all the same!)
Above: Deck 5 Junior Suites. Below: Deck 7 Junior Suites.
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Adventure of the Seas Junior Suite 9234 by grannyM
Size 265 sq.ft.
After a walk around the ship the staterooms were ready at 2pm and we made our way to ours
to have a look before the Lifeboat drill. Previously we’ve had balcony cabins on Navigator and
Independence and we thought they were as good as some mini-suites on other ships but this
time we had a junior suite and it was much bigger.
A kettle and small coffee maker was provided and a fabulous walk-in wardrobe with loads of
hangers were another difference from Navigator. I have to say that in our experience Royal
Caribbean have had the best shelves and drawer space compared to other ships we've sailed on
so far.
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The bathroom was small and the only difference from the balcony cabins was it had a bath.
Again lots of shelves behind the long mirrors above the wash-hand basin which are very useful
for keeping the bathroom tidy.
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The balcony was the real bonus as it was much bigger and completely private as the sides were
solid from top to bottom. We experienced little noise from either side and really enjoyed the
use of the balcony throughout the cruise. Size 75 sq.ft.
The suitcases arrived one at a time and we unpacked the first one and was putting it under the
bed when we discovered a pair of sandals and a half full bottle of water. We found a stateroom
attendant but he wasn’t ours. He said ours would be along soon and he took the items away.
Eventually when ours did show he apologised and gave us the ’so much to do on turn-around
day’ routine. He also told us that they do not have assistants now which really does make for a
lot more work in a very short time which we do appreciate. However, although everything was
always spotless he didn’t inspire confidence as there was a lot of little things that we found
irritating. For instance, we had used the one coffee bag provided on the first day and asked
him the next morning if we could have more than one. He said of course but there was only
one left the next day. It didn’t really bother us as the one-cup coffee maker was a pain and the
coffee wasn’t great either so we stuck to tea. However, days went past when we had no
ordinary tea-bags or white sugar. Although we were bringing them up from the café we kept
them in a drawer to see just how long it would take for him to replace what we had used.
Eventually after a few days I had to ask him for them.
This was a great cabin but unfortunately I have to say the stateroom assistant was probably
one of the worst we've had compared to our other 2 RCI cruises. Or for that matter on any
other cruise.
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MSC Opera Inside cabin 10156 by JollyJill
We had never booked an inside cabin before but because the itinerary appealed, we decided to
get the cheapest deal we could.
Actually, we were both pleasantly surprised. I didn't feel in the least bit claustrophobic and I
guess that is because of the clever use of the lighting and mirrors. I also liked the complete
darkness when it was time to sleep; in fact I had quality sleep throughout the cruise, which
can't be said when I am at home.
The cabin was
situated on deck 10
just aft of amidships
and at no time did
we feel any pitch
and roll whilst at
sea.
There was adequate storage space, and the shower room was fine although not big.
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Norwegian Jade Mini Suite 11532 by grannyM
First impression of Jade was that she was a well laid out and organised ship. Everyone was very
helpful and welcoming. Our stateroom was 11532 amidships and although it was a mini-suite at
26.5 sq m. was no bigger than a balcony stateroom on RCI. The balcony was of similar size too.
The only flat surface used as desk/dressing table was a bit cramped because it contained the
coffee maker, the hairdryer and all the electric sockets for these and the television. There was
only 1 American and 1 European socket for personal use. The hairdryer was excellent as were
the mirrors and lighting round them but there really was not enough room here for all you
needed to do.
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I was struck by how clean everything seemed and then remembered that Jade had been
refurbished earlier this year.
It was obvious in the fittings and especially the bathroom and toilet which looked brand new.
This was not a spacious bathroom and the toilet is separated from the bath/shower and wash
basin area by a sliding glass door making the bath and wash basin area feel even smaller. The
shower was over the bath and an addition of a frame for the sliding glass shower panels made
it rather awkward to get in and out of. The three glass panels did a good job of keeping the
shower from flooding the floor.
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While I’m pointing out the negatives the
absence of any drawer space at the
bedside was greatly missed. On one side
there was a small table which held the
phone with a shelf underneath for books
etc,. but on the other side was a tiny little
shelf that held no more that a book. Not
really very convenient for keeping
personal items tidied away.
Apart from these small grievances overall the stateroom had great hanging and loads of
drawer space for two people. Suitcases went easily under the bed and the bed itself was of the
usual good quality you find on cruise ships. Of course the obligatory 100% Egyptian cotton
sheets and pillowcases are always a treat.
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A section of deck 11 does have an overhang from the sun deck above. It didn't bother us as far
as we do not sun bathe, but there was quite a lot of noise of sun-beds being dragged to be put
out in the morning and again when they were being stacked in the evening. If you are a sun
worshipper you should take note of which section of deck 11 these staterooms do have
'overhang' from above when booking.
All in all everything about this cabin was well placed and adequate but I don't know that it
should be called anything other than a Balcony cabin. We liked it so much that we booked the
same category for the next year.
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Seabourn Odyssey Cabin/Suite 431 by JollyJill
First of all Seabourn cabins are classed as suites and rightly so because they are bigger, better
furnished and more luxurious than the average cruise line when you book a standard cabin.
Suite 431 was on deck 4 and being one of the cheaper suites did not have a balcony. It didn't
matter to us though as we like to spend as much time as possible on deck. The suite itself was
furnished very comfortably with large twin beds, a sofa and a table with 2 chairs.
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There was plenty of wardrobe and storage place - enough for world cruise if we could afford
one.
The cabin attendant kept it all spotlessly clean and made sure that we had an endless supply
of fresh fruit and that our favourite tipples were topped up.
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Azamara Quest Suite 8091 by sevenseascoaster
Deck 8 aft, our Suite, was great. A separate lounge, large bedroom, with a whole wall of
wardrobes, all the wood is dark but with the space it really looked good. The incorporated
fridge was well stocked and there was a safe, writing desk area, make up/dressing area & TV.
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The bathroom had a whirlpool Jacuzzi bath, two shower units, lots of lovely toiletries and soft
fluffy towels. And there was another separate bathroom for guests!
The lounge area had plenty of chairs, a sideboard, large TV, DVD etc. The sideboard was
topped off with four bottles of spirits. There was a dining table with four chairs.
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The wrap around balcony or Terrace Balcony as it was called was 233 sq ft huge. Perfect for
catching the sun's rays in different positions and wonderful views all round. Two giant size
loungers, huge glass table with four chairs and a couple of separate chairs and foot stools.
All this luxury came with its own Butler, named Mevin, who was great and extremely efficient,
and once again nothing was too much trouble, but I found it difficult to ask for anything, (not
used to that luxury!!) and couldn't help myself in clearing up etc.!
If you're in a Suite you are entitled to use the two speciality restaurants for no charge.
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Costa Pacifica Balcony Cabin 6419 by Wansbrough
Costa Pacifica Classic Balcony Cabin No 6419 Bohème Deck (6) was our home for 7 nights in
April 2013. It is just about identical to any Costa cabin we have ever had with the exception
that this one has a flat screen TV in it.
The ship's theme is "Music of the Seas" and the art in the cabin reflected this. It amused me to
see a Union Jack on the picture above the bed. It was comfortable and spacious enough for all
our needs. As with all previous Costa cabins it is kept spotlessly clean.
Something we noticed on this cruise was the continual slamming of balcony doors, the closing
mechanism seemed to catching a lot of people out or either they just didn't care about making
noise when shutting the doors.
The bathroom is basic and it has one of those lovely clingy shower curtains.
The cabin was well maintained and I did not see any areas which needed attention. There's
plenty of hanging storage space (which I forgot to photograph!).
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There are 2 sockets in the cabin, one is a Euro type and the other is the US version. If you are
taking UK adapters there is only enough room to plug one of these in so maybe if you are
relying on two sockets you should invest in some leads that will fit the sockets. I have some
but couldn't find where I had put them before I went. There is a hard wired hair-drier in the
top drawer.
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Norwegian Breakaway BA Balcony Cabin 14780 by Wansbrough
We selected this cabin for its central location and first impressions of the cabin were good but
having spent some time in it there are a few things that did not work for us.
The storage space is very limited and there are no drawers except for the ones under the sofa
which on this occasion were empty but would presumably be used to store additional bedding
for the third person sleeping in the cabin.
The wardrobe is a good size but access is very tight beside the bed. I would say there is only
about 15" between the wardrobe and the bed and you have to stand immediately in front of it
to gain access and walk in a crab like fashion to get to the other end where the hanging is. I
like to stand back a bit to look in which you cannot do here. The safe and shelving are behind
the first door in and it was very awkward to see what was on the lower shelves. I wish I had
taken a photo now to show how narrow it was.
I really liked the look and feel of the rosewood effect lacquered doors and with the sweeping
curves it all helps to make the cabin feel slightly larger than it actually is.
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There is a flat screen TV where you have all the usual access to guest services and you can
check your account, book tables, excursions or simply just use it to watch a film or TV.
The balcony is tiny and there is not much privacy when sat on it from adjacent cabins. The
cabins on deck 14 are also right under the overhang from deck 15 and would be surprised if you
get much sun on these even in warmer climates.
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The cabin also has a coffee machine and there are 4 sockets ( 2x Euro & 2 x US). Lights in the
cabin can only be operated after inserting your sea-pass into a slot next to the door.
NCL have introduced a clever system for communicating with your steward, there are two
switches near the door where you can switch them on and off to show a light over the door on
the outside, these lights can indicate if you need the cabin made up or simply that you do not
wish to disturbed. They have basically replaced the piece of card you hang over the door
handle but now nobody can mess with them as you have control from inside the cabin.
Something else we have not seen before in our cruising experience is cabin doors that open
out into the corridor. This again is to presumably gain more room in cabin.
The bathroom is nice and compact and although it's not too big, it is very user friendly, the
shower having its own glass cubicle with some decent pressure too.
A nice cabin but maybe a little too compact in places. I have to admit to being disappointed
with what I found.
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Caribbean Princess Inside Cabin 741 by Peka
As my cabin (sorry stateroom) was an inside, situated right at the back of the ship it was
relatively quiet (apart from a bit of engine or whatever noise/vibrations) but at least I knew
when we were arriving in port every day, without having a window to check!
Split into two areas, I thought was good, first from the door to the right - the bathroom and
dressing area and then into the main “living” area.
Overall comfortable and spacious - approximately 163ft according to the Princess website, with
plenty of storage (at least I thought so, for one person on a 12 day trip, but I don’t take much!).
Bed… hmm the bed was a bit “Goldilocks” for me. The twin beds made into a queen sized
bed… one side a little soft, the other side alright… but I often ended up falling down the
middle trying to get comfortable and as the bed kept deciding to part!
Two bedside cabinets with two drawers and a shelf each. I did have a problem a few nights,
maybe it was a little bumpy as the drawers flew open, scaring the life out of me! The bedside
lamps, with very annoying twisty turn off (we all had problems with them) - it either twists
around and around and doesn’t turn off, or twist and the light closes off so quickly with a pop,
you aren’t sure if you had blown the bulb, so end up twisting it again to check! In fact, the
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bulb did blow in my parents room and even exploded in my grandparents room as they found
fragments of glass one day.
Large hanging open space more than enough for me – I counted 30 hangers. I only needed
about 6, I must have used the man’s share of the hangers! I did find that I had to push all the
hangers to one end, as they swayed and clanked about at times. There is a shelf above that
stores the life jackets and beach towels plus space for other stuff (I put my holdall out of the
way up there and still had space).
My case stored easily in the wardrobe space, I think it would have gone under the bed OK, I
didn’t think of putting it there until writing this! (But there was plenty of things already under
the bed - spare sheets etc by the looks of it.)
Next to the wardrobe a large cupboard with about six shelves one of which houses the safe
(nice and easy to use, I’ve never bothered with the safe before, I don’t possess anything worth
nicking!) I just used it for the fun of it, mainly locking my chocolates away every night!
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Desk/vanity whatever you want to call it, a large mirror with spotlights above, with three
drawers. Fitted hair-dryer, I tried it once, OK, I guess - it got my hair from wet to dry! Two
(US) power sockets to the side (why are they always placed so low it is hard to plug items in?).
I couldn’t find the spare adapter before we went, so I had to trek down the corridor to charge
stuff, until I discovered the sockets for the bedside lamps were Euro fittings.
Fridge to the side, stocked with a bottle of water and 4 sodas (I can’t remember if they were
there to start with, I think I checked first and it was empty). Ice bucket - I just used the ice - it
soon melted and provided me with enough cool water to refill my bottle everyday!
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TV above the fridge, fitted slightly wonkily to the wall. I think channels 47-49 relayed info
from the ship, weather, position etc/webcam. Channel 50 showed anything that was broadcast
on the big screen up on Lido Deck (Movies Under the Stars); other channels had the usual
movies, US TV shows, news and sports etc. Picture quality was poor, the menu had been
disabled so you couldn’t adjust the brightness/contrast and colour. Reception was OK, not
that we were anywhere remote, but in-house stuff, the picture was worse! There is a daily
“Wake show” with the Cruise Director, mainly pointless as he basically read the info direct
from the Princess Patter/port info sheets – showing them on screen but all you could see were
white sheets of paper! The only interesting part of the show was that it was hosted from
different areas of the ship you don’t usually see.
There is a small circular table placed in the room in the stupidest place, against the wall
between the desk and walkway leaving about a foot to negotiate around.
Bathroom - shower, toilet, hand basin pretty much what you’d expect! Three open shelves to
the side, I didn’t take much so there was plenty of space for my stuff. A shaving point, large
mirror with spotlights so probably not a fantastic light for applying make-up maybe explaining
some of the orange looking people but OK for putting contact lenses in.
The toiletries provided are all branded as Lotus Spa (ship’s own) - shampoo, conditioner, body
lotion and soap, but no shower gel! As I was travelling light I almost didn’t bother packing my
own, but luckily added a small bottle in my case last minute. They are usable but nothing
special, found the shampoo a little drying, the eucalyptus scent made me feel like a koala
Replenished daily (if I removed a bottle there would be a replacement in the evening) so I
have a few extra bottles, they are quite nice for refilling.
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I found the shower a little small, smashing my elbows, regularly and if the shampoo or
whatever fell out the holder, it was pretty hard to bend down and pick it up again without
hitting your head or something. The shower pressure wasn’t great even after adjusting the
shower head, the temperature (I don’t like exceedingly hot showers) but turning it all the way
50°C and it not feeling hot isn’t so good!). Another thing was the fact that the shower head is
at a fixed height about three inches from my head. I am about 5’9” so anyone 6 foot + would
probably stay dry. The only adjustment just sprayed the water at the wall or hit the stupid
shower curtain and make a big puddle on the floor.
The towels, were tiny and you could barely wrap them around yourself, without them falling
off if you tried to move or even breathe. I won a large magnetic clip, so ended using it to hold
the towel together and keep it in place, not its intended use I am sure!! The hand towels were
so small, I couldn’t wrap one round my head to dry my hair as I really don’t like to use a hair-
dryer. Great, I made myself sound fat and big headed in the space of one paragraph! I think I’ll
finish now!
My parents' and grandparents' cabins were at the front of the ship on the same deck (also
inside, exactly the same, though a different category, zero difference) but seemed very noisy in
the evening - you could hear the music thumping from three decks below, so maybe that
made a slight price difference, I have no idea. Unless they all had very noisy neighbours!
My friend’s cabin was on Plaza Deck 5 outside; she had a picture window, that was purely the
only difference.
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Saga Ruby Inside Cabin J Grade by khkate
As you walk in the door, this is the view of the main area of the cabin – quite compact, but
surprisingly spacious. Plenty of drawer space between the beds – 3 very deep and large drawers
– with a pull-out shelf at the top for your morning tea tray.
This is the view looking towards the door from the beds. I was trying to photograph the cabin
without getting myself in shot. To the left were two wardrobes with an adequate supply of
hangers (although I always bring my frocks on their own hangers). There was also the
complimentary bathrobe in each wardrobe.
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Just at the foot of the bed on the left was a wall-mounted flat-screen TV which could also be
used as a DVD player if desired.
Behind the door are some coat hooks for hanging coats, cameras, walking sticks, sunhats, etc.
Behind the mirror is the bathroom. There is the large mirror shown which has a separate light
above it (quite good for doing make-up) and a chair. To the right of that there was a waist
high drawer unit with 5 large drawers in it and above it a cupboard where the room safe was
located as well as the shoe cleaning kit, laundry bags and lists, complimentary hairdryer and
complimentary binoculars.
Adjoining that was a waist high cupboard, which housed the fridge (where we kept our bottle
of champagne), topped by another 2 large drawers and an flat area where the complimentary
jug of iced water and complimentary bowl of fruit could be found.
There were also two sockets (2-pin 110V EU type) and another light above this smaller mirror
which was fairly ineffective to use.
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View of the shower in the bathroom – shower mat supplied - which was compact but drained
easily and did allow oneself to shower quite comfortably. The bathroom overall was of a better
layout than some previously experienced.
The toilet just to the right had a wall-mounted corner cupboard just to the right of that (3
good shelves inside) and then to the left of the shower was the hand basin.
Shower gel, shampoos, hair conditioner,
moisturiser, liquid soap, bars of soap, flannels
and towels all provided – and changed/topped
up as required.
Being an inside cabin, there is no view to the outside world, but we used Channel 2 on the TV
(Bridge webcam) to get our view. The cabin was relatively quiet as were near the end of the
ship, so not much passing traffic. We were only disturbed a couple of times by the sound of
the engines if they went into reverse thrust, usually for coming into port. Otherwise the cabin
was very comfortable.
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Saga Sapphire N grade 10030 by spekid
Thought I’d have a go and see how I did with some pictures on the forum!
The photos are from our Iceland cruise last summer and it was on board the Saga Sapphire -
our first trip on the Sapphire, and the cabin was on deck 10 number 10030.
Lovely big cabin with ample storage space, including the usual suitcase dumping ground
under the bed. Nicely chilled bottle of bubbly waiting for our arrival and a couple of comfy
chairs and reasonable sized table for cabin service, which we used fairly often!
Cabin service is included and 24/7 providing a wide selection of goodies on offer and we used
it regularly on returning to ship after day out or excursion. Although there are no tea/coffee
making facilities in the cabin, you simply use cabin service; it’s a very quick service indeed.
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Wardrobe and shelving storage to the left of the picture and a safe in the shelved area; fridge
under the TV to the right and two windows on the right hand wall. TV may be a bit small, but
what the heck, we’re on holiday, used it for the forward camera more than anything! The cabin
door is to the left of the wardrobes.
Bathroom was to the right of the bed area; loads of towels and quality shampoos and other
things, as well complimentary robes which were a decent size as well! Loo to the right as you
entered and vanity unit to the left and then beyond that occupying the space beyond a rather
nice sized shower.
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Viking Neptune Cat A Cabin 311 by Dave
The deck plan shows that Viking Neptune has five cabin grades. That's true, but there are only
two different sizes - normal (deluxe) and small (standard). All the cabins except the tiny ones
on the lower deck are much the same, and the grade (and hence the price) depends on the
location.
My first impression on entering the cabin was that it was very smart. Not big, but bright and
modern (although my photo makes it look dark). And I immediately loved the huge opening
window. The window ledge was wide enough to sit on and although the weather was cold the
air-conditioning vent on the ledge kept me warm!
The bed was extremely comfortable, although strangely the duvet was a bit short so it was
important to set the cabin temperature just right.
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The bathroom (no bath though) was very nicely equipped with modern fittings and quality
toiletries and towels. In size, it was like most cruise ship bathrooms and certainly bigger than
the one we had on Ventura!
Unlike many other cruise lines, Viking don't charge for bottled water. I've never understood
why, having paid £thousands for a cruise, lines such as Thomson charge a silly amount for
something that costs them so little.
You can also make out two radio receivers in the middle of the photo. These are taken on
excursions so you can always hear the guide, and they work really well.
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Although it was rather small, the TV offered a much wider variety of channels than we've seen
before as well as films shown at set times. We didn't use it though and I wonder how many
people do - there are more interesting things to do on a cruise than watch the telly!
As we've always found in every cabin we've had, there was plenty of storage space. Our cases
fitted under the bed easily and there was room to spare in the generous wardrobe and
drawers. There was a safe in the wardrobe and unlike certain other cruise lines (sorry again
Thomson) it was free to use.
In conclusion, I felt this was a very nice cabin. However, I'm not sure I'd want to pay extra
simply to be higher and in the centre of a ship that doesn't sway anyway, and where nothing is
more than a few seconds' walk away, so my advice would be to go for a lower grade. If I try to
compare this cabin with ones we've had on ocean-going ships I'd have to say it's like a typical
balcony cabin - without the balcony (although the window is some compensation).
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Celebrity Silhouette Cat 2A Balcony Cabin 7276 (Hump Cabin) by Wansbrough
We chose this cabin for its central location and close proximity to the coffee machine in The
Haven where we had anticipated the same hours of service we had enjoyed on our previous
cruise on the Silhouette. Unfortunately the coffee machine is now not available until 9:00 so
we took it in turns to visit the Ocean View Cafe each day for our caffeine fix and bring it back
to the balcony to drink. We are not big believers of using the room service.
The Solstice class cabins on Celebrity are very alike and this cabin is no exception. It is clean
and modern looking and above all very comfortable. The cabin itself can accommodate 5
people but I would not want to try it as I would imagine space would be very limited. The sofa
doubles as a bed with trundle bed underneath. There is also a bunk which drops from the
ceiling to make up the 5 bed. There is also the facility to link the entrance door with the cabin
next door if you are travelling as a family group and need to adhere to the cruise lines age
requirements.
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There is ample storage space for our requirements and although I have heard criticism of the
cupboards over the bed I have always found them to be very useful and easily accessible. Extra
hangers were supplied after asking our steward.
As with most balconies on this class there is ample space and much more than some of the
newer ships we have seen recently. Because it is centre hump you can look down without any
lifeboats restricting your view and also you have a clear view forward and towards the aft. The
ship was 2 years old when we stopped in this cabin and the only sign of damage was to the
plinth under the mini bar. Everything else was immaculate.
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Celebrity Eclipse Accessible Cabin Deck 10 by sevenseascoaster
We were invited to see this cabin by a couple we had met on board. The husband was
disabled and used a wheelchair.
Hopefully this will be of interest if you need a disabled cabin. It was situated on Starboard
side Deck 10 quite near to the lifts.
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Large accessible bathroom and shower wet room with folding chair:
There are wider than normal doorways, and a ramp to the larger than normal balcony.
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Costa Fortuna Stern Balcony Cabin 6467 by Wansbrough
I will start with the cabin's location. As you will see from the image below this is an aft facing
cabin on deck 6. We have not had an aft cabin on Costa before but were not put off after our
previous MSC experience where because there are only 2 areas to change decks meant you had
to walk a fair distance every time to go up or down. The Costa ships we have been on have 3
stair/lift areas and the rear one is within quick reach of the cabin.
Our location meant that almost nobody walked past the cabin as it was right in the centre at
the aft so from that respect the cabin was quiet.
Although classed as a premium cabin is no different than any other Costa cabin we have had
except ....... for a little pinch point right outside the bathroom. At first we couldn't understand
why but eventually I think I sussed the reason. There appears to be a large structural support
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running down one side of the cabin and I believe this has meant that a lot of the cabin has all
been pushed over to accommodate it.
The cabin itself was well maintained and very clean, plenty of storage, hangers and drawer
space. It's really just a very typical comfortable and basic Costa cabin.
The only other grumble would be that you could sometimes hear music from the bar below
but we always sleep with the balcony door open and the noise from the turbulent water
outside drowned it out anyway.
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The bathroom is again a no thrills typical Costa one which was clean and well maintained.
Lovely sticky shower curtains which are always cold when you touch them! Yuk!
I had done some research into the aft balconies on these ships and discovered that due to the
profile of the ship they are in fact deeper than the standard balcony. It all does look a little
tired but there is a reason for this which I will explain. The ship is 11 years old and I think
overdue a dry fit and one of the things which soon became apparent was the funnel often
spewed out flakes of soot which consequently landed not only over parts of the upper decks
but also on our balcony. The steward hoovered our balcony every day as well as mopping it
but I think he is fighting a losing battle. The seats and deck show signs that this has been
happening a while. Once we were aware of it we became more careful what we touched or
leaned on. Would I book this cabin again? Yes, it was still a great cabin in a great location.
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Costa Deliziosa Panorama Suite 4399 by Dave
We experienced our first balcony cabin four years ago and ever since the balcony has been the
single most important feature of any cabin for us. The bed, bathroom, seating and space are all
important too, but it's the balcony that really matters. And that's what a Panorama Suite on
Costa Deliziosa is all about - the balcony is huge. How huge? Well, I sort of measured it and
it's 20 paces from end to end so I reckon it's about 50 feet long!
There are 10 such cabins on Deliziosa and ours was on Deck 4 - the lowest of the balcony
decks. This turned out to be the perfect choice for two reasons: We discovered that the two on
Deck 4 are slightly larger than those above because they extend further out to the side than
those above by a couple of feet and this gives a little more chance of sun on the balcony. Also,
when standing at the rail there's only the sea below - not someone else's balcony.
The balcony is furnished with two sun beds, two reclining chairs, and a small table. Given the
amount of space I was surprised that there was no large table (similar to what Fred Olsen
provided on Balmoral) where we could more comfortably have breakfast. A Jacuzzi would
have been nice too!
I can't stress enough how much we loved this balcony. It was nearly always possible to
sunbathe somewhere on it; there was always somewhere that was sheltered from the wind;
and, standing on the corner gave an incredibly wide view (nearly 270 degrees) and felt close to
the sea. Absolutely fantastic!
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This was a very spacious cabin. It was perhaps a little smaller inside than Fred Olsen's premier
suites on Balmoral and Boudicca but much larger if you include the balcony, which is where
we spent most of our waking hours.
In the most important respects I can't fault the Panorama Suite. The bed was large and
extremely comfortable, and we had a choice of pillows. The furnishings were immaculate and
tasteful; there was a convenient safe; plenty of drawer and wardrobe space; lots of lighting
options and sockets (although we only took one adaptor!); and the seating was comfy. Perhaps
the coffee table might have been bigger though... We always had our breakfast brought to the
cabin (no charge in suites) and it would have been nice to have had a proper table as in the
Fred Olsen suites, but the coffee table just about sufficed. Breakfast was delivered by the
butler - always exactly on time - but I think that was really the only use we made of him,
mainly because his English wasn't great. Actually, we'd have preferred not to have had a butler
because he'd pop in from time to time and we never needed anything. It became slightly
irritating!
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The bathroom was brilliant. I loved the whirlpool bath - especially with some bubble bath and
the power turned up high! Like everywhere on Deliziosa, the fittings were of high quality and
the chrome gleamed. This was such a contrast to Thomson Celebration's tatty bathroom on
our previous ocean cruise.
Overall, this suite is my favourite so far but that's down to the balcony and the bathroom. The
TV was far smaller than Fred Olsen's 40" (or so) screens. As I mentioned, there wasn't a proper
dining table, and the suite lacked many of the touches you might expect for the price. Fred
Olsen provided complimentary drinks (although we did get a bottle of something that might
have been champagne), free room service (we only had it free for breakfast), quality binoculars
and atlas, and other little extras. But with that balcony I could forgive Costa anything!
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Queen Victoria Princess Grill Suite 5093 by sevenseascoaster
As you enter, first impressions, that it is not any difference to any other balcony cabin. Lovely
muted colours and of course spotless. Further down the cabin, it widens out to a very nice
sitting area, with large table, comfy chair and long but comfortable sofa. Plenty of room to
entertain guests! Nice touch was the spray of white orchids, my favourite, and the addition of
a poinsettia plant as we got nearer to Christmas. Two televisions, one for the sitting area, and
one for watching from the bed.
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Outside two adjustable mesh type chairs and mesh table, not a big balcony but still plenty of
room to stretch out. Unfortunately in December, not used a lot.
On arrival, two bottles of sparkling wine, chocolate covered strawberries, tray of chocolates,
all very nice! Bowl of fresh fruit on Bar area.
There was ample space to walk past the bed, although a little tight in area on the right hand
side of bed. All control light system from the bed area was useful.
Loved the desk area, with the computer set up here there was plenty of space for everything,
with a decent chair at just the right height for working.
The bar area was a large curved area with wine glasses set up for the odd tipple and bowl of
fruit, with open spaces underneath for extra storage. Plenty of area to store all the daily views,
etc, that you collect every day, on the top.
I loved the walk in wardrobe, so much nicer than the door type (on Celebrity Eclipse) where
it's difficult to access your clothes easily. Being a bit of a tidy freak, it was good to easily be
able to organise clothes. The biggest point for us was being able to store OH's scooter folded
at the bottom of the wardrobe with ease, and once the clothes were hanging you had no idea it
was there. So no problem for the staff when cleaning, etc.
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Bathroom, with bath and shower, quite compact but plenty of storage areas and daily
replenishment of the nice Cunard toiletries.
The doorways on normal suites, (not disabled) and corridors on the QV are quite narrow so if
you had a large scooter I doubt whether it would go through the doorway, as ours is a mini, no
problem.
I loved the whole cabin, having just everything that we needed.
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Black Watch Outside Cabin 3032 (E) by JollyJill
On our Portugal/Spain cruise on Black Watch in November 2013, we booked an outside cabin
on deck 3 which is called Marina Deck.
Although it is a cheaper grade cabin, or 'steerage' as I call it, we were pleasantly surprised at
how spacious it was and with amount of storage space.
The beds were configured in a L shape layout which meant that there was plenty of room in
the centre of cabin.
There were eight drawers in the dressing table: four either side and two wardrobes which
provided plenty of hanging space, plus another five areas for storage. These consisted of a
lockable drawer which was a substitute for a safe and four sliding open drawers for just about
anything.
Although our cruise was only for eight days, we found that we had more than enough storage
space, some of which remained empty.
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As you can see by the reflection in the mirror, the shower room/Loo was opposite the
wardrobes. It was what most of us get with a standard cabin but it was still big enough and the
actual shower cubicle was probably bigger than we have experienced before. The downside
was the shower curtain which is never as good as a screen.
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Braemar Inside Cabin 3120 (Grade I) by JollyJill
We booked an inside cabin as an Anchor Fare and were allocated cabin 3120 on Atlantic Deck
3, which was just aft of amidships.
It was very convenient for access to the Thistle Restaurant which was situated aft on Deck 4,
where we usually went for breakfast.
The beds were arranged in a L shape in order to maximise on space.
There was plenty of room to move around; there were two wardrobes, again with plenty of
hanging space with shelves above and plenty of floor space below for shoes, and a safe was also
situated in the wardrobe. There were two small chests of drawers and another two large, deep
drawers as part of the dressing table.
A kettle was provided with tea, coffee and milk.
The hair dryer plugged in by the mirror at the dressing table and was powerful enough, unlike
those that you sometimes find in the wall in the shower room.
The cabin had plenty of mirrors which of course made it feel more spacious.
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The shower room was as you would expect, being pretty small, although neither of us had to
do battle with the shower curtain as there was plenty of room to shower comfortably.
Gone are the days of Fred Olsen supplying a full complement of toiletries which used to
include, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, shower cap etc. There was just a Cole and Lewis
shower Gel container on the wall in the shower itself and on the wall by the wash basin.
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P&O Oceana Inside Cabin L338 by jsb
We had booked this cruise as a getaway deal and were allocated the above cabin two weeks
before sailing. I was worried as it is forward on the Lido deck and I suffer from sea sickness,
but luckily we were blessed with calm seas throughout our cruise.
This was our 7th cruise and it was the smallest cabin we have ever had. It is a 3 berth cabin but
in my opinion it would be very cramped and claustrophobic with 3 people in it.
There were plenty of drawers and adequate wardrobe space, the bathroom was the usual size
but the shower was surprisingly large.
There was only one UK plug socket.
The cabin is situated above the buffet, and the only time we heard any noise would be around
10.30 in the evening for around half an hour, but nothing too bad and not everyone goes to
bed as early as us. It was handy being so close to the open decks and the buffet.
The cabin was ok for a week but I don't know if I would be able to have an inside for any
longer.
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P&O Ventura Balcony Cabin L304 by bobbyboy
Cabin L304 is a 'Higher Deck Midship Balcony Cabin' situated on Deck 15 (Lido). We booked a
guarantee cabin and were allocated L304 as an upgrade to the guarantee grade booked.
My initial concerns were regarding the location of the cabin. It is five cabins away from a
swimming pool on the same deck and near to a lift and stair well so the corridor is a useful
thoroughfare to get to the pools. In the event, this didn't prove any bother to us and indeed
proved a handy location for getting out on to the decks. For people who like using the pools or
who would like to nip out for a burger and a drink to bring back to consume on their balcony
then this could prove an ideal location.
There is open deck above and I did hear early morning noises around the time that the sun
loungers would be getting put in position but I don't think it would have woken me up. It
certainly didn't disturb Sleeping Beauty next to me!
There were tea and coffee making facilities (with biscuits) and room service was
complimentary.
Suitcases could be stored under the bed although we had to open ours and lay the lids flat to
get them underneath. We could also stand one up in the open wardrobe.
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The cabin is a standard Ventura layout which I find user-friendly and the bed configuration
(twin or queen) can be chosen and amended on the cruise personaliser before you embark. It
has an open hanging space near to the bathroom and sufficient storage space in the form of
shelves and drawers.
The balcony was compact but adequate for us and had an unobscured view but it did have an
overhang of a couple of feet which obscured the sun as it rose high in the sky.
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Crown Princess Balcony Cabin 214 by grannyM
The Balcony Cabins on this ship and what we
remember from Grand Princess do not
compare favourably with the Balcony cabins on
Royal Caribbean ships that we have been on.
They are quite small and there is a lack of flat
surfaces and drawer and cupboard space in
comparison.
There was only the dressing table top and the
area under the television with a tray for glasses
so these could get a little cluttered. There is a
small fridge under the television area with an
ice bucket which was filled with fresh ice every
day. We never had to ask. You could also order
fresh fruit to be delivered to your cabin every
day but we didn’t take advantage of this as it
was always available in the buffet most of the
day anyway.
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The bed was of the usual high standard and very comfortable. The sheets and pillows lovely
and soft. There was a fresh pillow slip on both the top pillows every day and the sheets were
changed regularly.
There is one armchair and a straight chair for use at the dressing table. Above the dressing
table is the hairdryer which was powerful unlike the usual standard of dryer on ships and in
hotels. However the cord was messy and got in the way of the electric sockets.
Two US style sockets which were placed so close together that it was impossible to use both
with a plug converter at the same time. Thankfully we had purchased the Swiss travel multi-
converter with double USB ports so you could re-charge two items like Kindles or laptops at
the same time if necessary. We used it for our e.cigs. For the mobile or camera batteries it had
to be one at a time.
The walk in wardrobe beside the shower room is absolutely brilliant with plenty of hanging
space and shelves so this more than made up for the overall size of the cabin.
The shower room is also small. In fact it is probably the smallest shower we’ve ever had.
Shower curtain was weighted at the bottom so not too clingy but definitely not as good as a
glass door. Some toiletries were provided. Bathrobes provided on request and although they
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were supposed to be ‘one size to fit all’ there was a big difference in the two we got. The
smaller of the two barely wrapped round me and the larger was the same on OH so I got that
one and he just used the his own.
The balcony has two chairs and small table. There is an overhang on this deck which does not
bother us as we don’t sunbathe. On this trip there was little sun anyway. Although we did
have some nice evenings after some pretty awful weather during the day so we were glad to
have the opportunity to use the balcony. On previous cruises on Grand Princess we had
staterooms on lower decks Caribe and Dolphin, where the balconies are overlooked from
above but Deck 12-Aloha as well as the 2 decks above, 14-Riviera and 15-Lido, as well as 11-Baja
below us were not.
I must mention our stateroom attendant Ricardo, from Mexico, who was excellent. Our cabin,
and especially the shower room, was always cleaned to perfection and towels changed whether
we left them on the floor for changing or hung them on the rail. We never had to ask for
anything because he did his job so well.
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Saga Sapphire Superior Balcony Cabin 10550 by Cocochanel
This cabin was situated on Deck 10 upper aft. and we chose this cabin for its close proximity to
a door leading straight out onto the outside decks. The location of this cabin was fantastic and
apart from the drawing room all other venues were easily accessible as they were all located,
on various decks, more or less directly beneath the cabin. As this cabin is the very last one at
the end of the corridor it is very private with hardly anyone walking past your door. We
experienced no noise at all and even with the very rough weather towards the end of the
cruise, very little motion was felt. The cabin was not as big as other balcony cabins that we
have had on other cruise lines, but that said, it was more than adequate in size for 2 people.
View of the room as seen from the entrance to the cabin. The double bed was very
comfortable with plenty of storing space for suitcases underneath it. The bed had only a fitted
sheet with a duvet over. There was no top sheet nor any blankets on the bed.
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The bathroom cabinets had plenty of packing space with lots of well lit mirrors.
The balcony had 2 chairs and 2 side tables on it and even though it was not very wide, we
thoroughly enjoyed using it! We watched the Northern Lights in the comfort of our cabin
from the balcony and also saw fantastic scenery float by from here. Any misgivings we had
about it not being of much use in the extreme cold weather of Norway in winter was
unfounded and we most certainly used it a lot! Due to the fact that the balcony is much more
sheltered, it was not nearly as cold out there as it was being out on the open decks! We can
100% recommend getting a balcony cabin!! Fabulous!!!!!
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Saga Pearl II Owner's Suite Cabin 1 by baldrick
The entrance to the cabin is on the same level as the Bridge. Looking towards the lounge area.
The drinks replaced free when empty!
The shower and bath areas of the bathroom.
The wash basin area is to the left of the shower.
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Looking towards the dining
area. Through the sliding
glass door gives access to
balcony which is next to the
bridge. To the left is the
entrance to the bathroom.
The flowers got changed 3
times during the cruise, just
as frequently as the bottle of
Whisky!
Taken from the dining area.
The door on the left leads to
the walk in wardrobe. The
bathroom is on the right
hand side with the cabin
door on the right.
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Thomson Spirit Deluxe Cabin 200 by CGBOWLER
Cabin 200 is one of six which span the front of Deck 6. The centre two have twin beds, the rest
have queen size beds.
The wall behind the curtains, which are hiding picture windows, slopes. The wall at the bed
heads is the centre of the ship.
There are two double wardrobes, eleven drawers, a small table, 2 comfy chairs, dressing stool
and a flat screen TV under which you can see an orange pool towel. This was to prevent the
TV wobbling with the vibration of the ship.
There is a stocked fridge in the cupboard under the TV.
The bathroom has a bath with shower over and there was plenty of storage space. There's a
retractable washing line over the bath.
We never heard a sound from our neighbours next door!
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Saga Pearl II Superior Outside Cabin 115
by barry
We decided on a bit of a treat for our 33rd Wedding anniversary and to celebrate the early
retirement of my better half and a Christmas Present - all rolled into one. We’ve been on the
Pearl before and she is a lovely small ship, maximum 450 passengers or thereabouts.
Pictures say more than a description, so, the first picture is from the doorway into the cabin:
To the right of the TV
is the bed area. There
are only twin beds in
these cabins and there
are only six cabins like
this on this section of
deck, so it was very
quiet!
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Looking back
towards the
door - to the
left is the
dressing area
and bathroom.
There's tons of storage in this cabin - in fact there was cupboard and hanging space spare and
we do not travel light!
Probably about the best planned/laid out cabin we’ve had. There was plenty of room with a
three-seater settee, table and two chairs as well, so lots of room if you have visitors. Not the
largest cabin we’ve had but certainly the best laid out. All the usual things you would expect of
course: ample toiletries, bathrobes, fridge/safe/decent sized TV, etc.
We’ve really enjoyed this cabin and after 24 nights could not think of anything to improve it!