Alaska Cruise: Inside Stateroom vs Oceanview Deck 2

[sazzle12]

We are currently booked in an inside stateroom, midship Deck 2 (hoping for less movement down), for our Alaska cruise in July, but have heard from others who have cruised Alaska that we should book at least oceanview. The oceanview room would be gauranteed 1 large port hole on deck 2, but Disney assigns the room. Balcony is out of ur price range.

Others who have cruised- would you spend the $1000 extra for the large porthole?

It's hard to say how much time we will stay in our room. We have two young kids, one who still naps, but we are hoping he will use the nursery during this time. I've heard the outside decks can be cold and wet, but that the views from up top are much better than anything you can get in your stateroom. We've cruised many times (not disney and not with our kids) and have enjoyed all of our cruises whether we were inside, oceanview or verandah, but maybe Alaska is worth $ for oceanview bc of the scenery?

 

[Ljbadfan]

We have done four or five Alaska cruises. We always have inside stateroom. We are never in our room enough to want a balcony or a window.. we only are in room to sleep or nap or change clothes for dinner. Also you say you are going in July and that’s the time of year it’s daylight until 11pm or 12am everyday. I don’t think it’s worth the money. Everything you can see from your room you can see on deck. The only time it might be worth it is if you have real little children who need nap time or what ever. We have panama westbound 2020 and Alaska in sept 2020 booked and they are inside state rooms. To me it’s not worth the extra money

 

[jdb in AZ]

Different strokes -- last time we had an ocean view I felt claustrophobic. So we usually spring for a veranda so I can open the door for fresh air without getting dressed to go up on deck. We enjoyed watching the whales, sea lions, and other "critters" from our balcony. I'd hate to think I was missing something by not having a window.

As always, your mileage may vary.

 

[Seamama]

With the exception of our first cruise, we’ve always been on Deck 2 (love it!) and our first couple cruises (Pacific Coast and Alaska) were ocean view. The last one (Bahamas) was inside, and the next one (Alaska again) is inside.

If we could afford it, I’d do oceanview every time. I just appreciate the natural light and it’s fun seeing stuff out the window. But we’ve been content with inside rooms. You’ll see great views all over the ship once you’re on Deck 3 and will feel surrounded by the constant beauty even if you’ve got an inside room.

 

[havaneselover]

We did Alaska last year and we did inside and my mom did a 7a across the hall. Honestly we were never in our room. Doing Alaska again next year and we are doing a 10c. Can't justify an extra $1000--that's our excursion money

 

[Dug720]

I’ve done 2 Alaska cruises (sadly not DCL). The first time I splurged on a balcony because I figured it was a one-time thing. I missed a lot out on the ship and socializing with the running group I was with feeling like I had to get my money’s worth from the balcony - plus 9 times out of 10 when the captain or naturalist announced a wildlife sighting it was on the other side of the ship and I missed it whereas if I was on Deck I could move to the other side. The cruise was ok, but I missed so much. (I bolded it because very few actually acknowledge this when singing the praises of balconies - but it is reality. The wildlife will not always be on “your” side of the ship.)

Second cruise I did an inside and I enjoyed it and saw SO much more because I was out of the cabin other than to shower, sleep, and get dressed. I socialized more and more importantly was able to move around to see the wildlife. Much better experience!

 

[MommaBerd]

@sazzle12 - I am so glad you asked this question! We are considering an Alaskan cruise, probably 2021. I just assumed balcony was THE way to go, but from the responses, now I’m thinking inside might be the better route for us.

 

[soccermom1422]

We are booked in an inside cabin for our Alaska May 2020 cruise. On previous cruises we have never spent much time in the room. We have had both ocean view and inside cabins. While its nice to have a view, our inside room cruises have been just as magical. Rather than use our money to pay for a more expensive room, we would rather use it for excursions or to book our next cruise.

 

[ScooterScott44]

Only you can determine if something like looking out from your room is worth it.

We sailed another line this May and had a balcony room. Based on our experience I wouldn’t do Alaska without a view. It was posted that they make announcements about wildlife, and it was hit or miss if it was on the correct side. For us more than half of our wild life sightings were from just being outside, no announcement for the ship. It really is luck.

Being on the upper decks can be better but remember it does rain in The summer there. While it may not be terribly cold, changes are it may be wet. Not the worst thing but still should be considered.

The big bonus for the inside is with sleeping. Due to the long days, the darkness of the room can be a benefit. We never had a problem blocking the light with the curtains but some people are very light sleepers. (Pun intended)

It will be fantastic views no matter what stateroom you pick, happy cruising.

 

[fredandkell]

No I would not spend the $$ for an ocean view. We had one on our Alaska cruise and I felt like it was “worst of both worlds.” You could tell there was great stuff outside but you couldn't really see it and needed to go up on deck anyway, and then the light/sunrise at 3am would wake us up. I think Alaska needs to be interior (for light blocking reasons) or balcony (for view access reasons).

 

[Mom24Princesses]

So glad I stumbled across this thread. I just assumed you “had” to have a veranda on an Alaskan cruise. ( or that one that goes around the Hawaiian islands) to see all the sites. I’m still not convinced that if we can swing a veranda we won’t. But then I’ll stress over which side of the boat to be on!

 

[Dug720]

So glad I stumbled across this thread. I just assumed you “had” to have a veranda on an Alaskan cruise. ( or that one that goes around the Hawaiian islands) to see all the sites. I’m still not convinced that if we can swing a veranda we won’t. But then I’ll stress over which side of the boat to be on!

The nice thing with Disney’s Alaska itineraries is it doesn’t matter. You go back the way you came.

(For NCL’s Hawaii it is Port Side because of the Na’Pali Coast sail-by. Yes, they turn and go back the way they came by it, but they are further out on the return trip. I am splurging for a balcony on that one because 50th birthday.)

 

[lklgoodman]

We had an OV when we did our Alaskan cruise. We don't spend a lot of time in the cabin, but I still liked being able to have the curtain open for the view while we were in the cabin. However I wouldn't spend an extra $1000 for an OV, a few hundred sure, but not $1000!

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

Alaska is so beautiful and it is almost always light enough outside to see scenery (though blackout drapes will allow you to sleep). If you can afford it, oceanview would be worth it.

Btw, we had a Navigator's Verandah on our Alaska cruise and loved it. It did not keep us from enjoying other activities at all, and on glacier day, they turn the ship so that both sides get a long view of the glacier. No missing out. To the contrary, the special view from our room was an additional special experience that only added to the other magic we enjoyed on the cruise.

 

[lilkitty819]

When I did an Alaska cruise I had a balcony, we did enjoy having it as we would have a glass of wine and relax on it. Now I would not pay extra for an ocean view room only because usually the beds are on the same wall as the porthole is on most ships, not sure about Disney for I only did 1 cruise with them and it was an inside cabin. Also if you want to relax and take in the scenery there are many decks you can do that on. Save your money. Have a great time

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

I would not pay extra for an ocean view room only because usually the beds are on the same wall as the porthole is on most ships, not sure about Disney for I only did 1 cruise with them and it was an inside cabin.

The bed is not on the porthole wall on Disney ships, so that isn't an issue. It's to the side, so you can easily look at the porthole from the bed and from the couch.

 

[cmph]

The higher cost was worth it to me, partially to have the natural light and view, but also b/c we prefer the oceanview room layout to the inside room layout. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but everything I have seen shows the inside layout flip-flopped. Meaning - the oceanview room curtains off the 3rd and 4th bunks, so the queen is nearest to the bathrooms. It's the opposite for the insides. With our kids, that means they are in bed and the curtain is shut while we (the parents) get ready for bed without disturbing them by walking back and forth past them, b/c the bathroom is on the side we're sleeping on. Plus we can get ready for bed with the lights on! No matter their ages, the light has always disrupted my kids' sleep... when they were little, they couldn't settle down if we were still moving around in the light, so we always had to rush to get everyone ready for bed at the same early time. Now that they're older - they complain about our lights keeping them awake. Same thing in the morning - if the kids were still asleep, I could get up and get ready without walking past them and waking them up.

We have brought clothespins to keep even small amounts of light from getting through the porthole curtain, but even without them - it's not nearly as much light as artificial in the same room.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

I think the answer really depends on how you’re going to use the room and if the extra $1000 will keep you from being able to do other things (for your vacation and life in general). We loved our verandah for our Alaska cruise and I wouldn’t do an Alaskan cruise without it. But we spend a lot of time in our room relaxing and enjoying the views.

 

[Jay Kat]

We got a verandah, and were NEVER out there. The glaciers are much more majestic on the deck and sharing the experience with others made it more special. At port we were GONE, and on sea days it was too chilly just to sit out. We are doing the Baltic next year, and got deck two. Cos I am betting it will be very similar!

 

[BruinEd03]

We are currently booked in an inside stateroom, midship Deck 2 (hoping for less movement down), for our Alaska cruise in July, but have heard from others who have cruised Alaska that we should book at least oceanview. The oceanview room would be gauranteed 1 large port hole on deck 2, but Disney assigns the room. Balcony is out of ur price range.

Others who have cruised- would you spend the $1000 extra for the large porthole?

It's hard to say how much time we will stay in our room. We have two young kids, one who still naps, but we are hoping he will use the nursery during this time. I've heard the outside decks can be cold and wet, but that the views from up top are much better than anything you can get in your stateroom. We've cruised many times (not disney and not with our kids) and have enjoyed all of our cruises whether we were inside, oceanview or verandah, but maybe Alaska is worth $ for oceanview bc of the scenery?

As a lot of people have said, it really depends on you. For example, I wouldn't do an inside room simply because I'm always afraid I would get seasick (which is somewhat irrational for Alaska) as it is only rocky between Vancouver and the Inside Passage. Once you're in the Inside Passage it is probably one of the smoothest sailing experiences. That is really gears towards me though.

Here are some things to consider:

Do you get seasick? If yes, then that leans towards an OV. If no, then that leans towards inside room.

Are you the type of person that would rather sit in your room, or would you go out onto the ship/deck? If the former, that lean towards the OV. If the latter, that leans towards the latter.

Would the $1,000 stretch your budget? If yes, then go inside room.

Would the $1,000 prevent you from doing Port Adventures/Excursions? If yes, then go inside room.

If you got an OV room, would you then want a balcony? If yes, then go inside room.

Just remember there's always better and you may not notice the difference if you've never experienced it. It's hard to resist that temptation to upgrade. We originally had a navigator's verrandah for our first sailing. For our second sailing, we decided to try to go to an OV. However, prior to sailing, we upgraded back to a navigator's verrandah. Then, prior to our sailing, I kept thinking about upgrading to a "white wall verrandah" and a "normal verrandah." However, during the trip though, I barely thought about the "white wall verrandah" or the "normal verrandah."