Alaska without a verandah

[justafigment27]

We got back home on Tuesday night from our Alaskan cruise on the Disney Wonder. We cruised in a category 9C stateroom (2004) and I just thought I’d report back on my experience since I love cruising in a verandah room and was very worried that not having a verandah would be a mistake for Alaska.

As it turns out, I was more than pleased with our decision and had no regrets.

Our stateroom was great! The room itself was very comfortable. 2004 is located very far forward and has some extra space due to the curvature of the ship ...there’s a couple extra feet of floor space between the bed and the curtain that divides the stateroom, so you get a chair (looks like the same ones I’ve seen pictured in the family rooms that sleep 5) and the porthole essentially has a bench located underneath it where you can sit and just watch the scenery.

The location of the room was awesome as well. Deck 2 is a hidden gem as far as getting around is concerned. We could easily walk up one or two decks for the main dining rooms, gift shops, lobby, theater, etc. Same for getting off & on the ship at ports ... no fighting crowds for elevators b/c it was an easy walk up or down a flight of stairs to get to/from our stateroom. And elevators are VERY easy to get from the 2nd floor, so going up to 9 & 10 was a breeze as well.

I don’t think I missed having a verandah at all. Part of it was that we were so busy, I think. We had four ports of call (Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway & Ketchican) and did excursions in all of them, so we were off the ship a lot. Another part is that we had great views from our porthole, so we could just look out the window to see the beautiful scenery. I did spend a lot of time on the padded loungers on deck 4 to get my verandah-like fix - it was never crowded there (well, except when we went to Dawe’s Glacier ... but the best views on that afternoon were up on Deck 10 anyway). I also did quite few laps of deck 10 most days in the morning and after dinner ... there were very few people there and it was nice to just to look around and watch scenery from all sides of the ship.

So, yeah, it was a good decision for our family and we all agreed that we didn’t miss having a verandah in Alaska.

That being said ... I definitely don’t think you’ll regret getting a verandah if that’s what you choose! The scenery was AMAZING and our weather was awesome, so I think it would have been perfect verandah sitting weather for most of the trip.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I am happy for you!!! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Laundress]

Thank you for sharing. Helps me in my decision

 

[GPaLarry]

We had a verandah (7018) with daughter & crew next door and the glacier day was a disaster. The smoking area is just above and during the dead calm glacier viewing smokers hung over the railing and we had ashes and smoke all over the our deck. Guest services did little to help. While the ship is moving it is not an issue. We loved the Alaska cruise and would do it again but not high up on the port side of the Wonder. When choosing your verandah stateroom, choose wisely.

 

[daveyc150]

We got back home on Tuesday night from our Alaskan cruise on the Disney Wonder. We cruised in a category 9C stateroom (2004) and I just thought I’d report back on my experience since I love cruising in a verandah room and was very worried that not having a verandah would be a mistake for Alaska.

I don’t think I missed having a verandah at all. Part of it was that we were so busy, I think. We had four ports of call (Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway & Ketchican) and did excursions in all of them, so we were off the ship a lot. Another part is that we had great views from our porthole, so we could just look out the window to see the beautiful scenery. I did spend a lot of time on the padded loungers on deck 4 to get my verandah-like fix - it was never crowded there (well, except when we went to Dawe’s Glacier ... but the best views on that afternoon were up on Deck 10 anyway). I also did quite few laps of deck 10 most days in the morning and after dinner ... there were very few people there and it was nice to just to look around and watch scenery from all sides of the ship.

I’m doing this itinerary in 6 weeks, how was it? Did you take any pictures of the navigators?
I’ve also got a window, I considered a verandah but it was just so expensive and I couldn’t justify it as a solo traveller.

 

[DCL Repeaters]

Ohhhhh I love stateroom 2004! Did a back to back in that room in February. Sailed twice to Alaska and did not have a verandah both times and we had an awesome time. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

 

[Dug720]

I have done Alaska (not on DCL yet) in an inside and a balcony - and honestly I felt like the inside was the better option as it forced me out and up on deck. When I had the balcony I often missed things announced on the other side because I was “getting my money’s worth” on that balcony. Out on deck I could easily scoot to the other side.

 

[deanimal]

My parents have done an Alaska cruise pretty much every year for 20 years now (they live near a port and don't fly so it's perfect for them) and after trying every cabin type, their first choice is lower deck oceanview with a large window. The clear railings on most verandahs are great, but it can be cold outside even in summer and sitting inside in the verandah cabin keeps you set back quite a ways. My dad loves watching for wildlife and he can sit for hours by the window and not get chilly. No worries about noise in the next verandah either. I've only done three Alaska cruises with them but I let them pick the cabins every time and I've always been very happy with their choice.

 

[justafigment27]

I’m doing this itinerary in 6 weeks, how was it? Did you take any pictures of the navigators?
I’ve also got a window, I considered a verandah but it was just so expensive and I couldn’t justify it as a solo traveller.

It was a busy itinerary! I’m glad we got to experience four ports, but I’m not sure that combining Juneau and Dawe’s Glacier in the same day is a great idea. It was a short day in Juneau and basically meant we spent about 90 minutes traveling up Tracy Arm to the Glacier, then just turned around and traveled right back out ... so it was a different experience than those itineraries that have more time to dedicate to “scenic cruising” ... there just was no time for the “normal” things that happen on that day - for example, there was no small boat excursion you could take to get closer to the ice (b/c I totally would have done that) and no scheduled character greetings on deck 10 (which was very disappointing ... they had some characters roaming, but those are just strictly luck and our family didn’t have much luck).

Yeah, it’s an expensive cruise to take. That’s how we wound up deciding on a porthole room. For a family of 4, the price difference between 9C & 5C basically covered all of our excursions and the pre & post cruise hotel nights. I actually originally booked a 9A on deck 5, but then I realized that “downgrading” do a 9C on deck 2 was a $1200 savings over the 9A, so I decided to go for it and I’m so glad I did ... I really liked the convenience of deck 2 and we wound up with a larger room than we would have had on deck 5. I think cruising the week of July 4th and Canada Day didn’t help the price, but it’s the week that worked with everyone’s schedules.

I do have Navigators somewhere ... I’ll try to hunt them down and get pictures up this week.

 

[justafigment27]

Ohhhhh I love stateroom 2004! Did a back to back in that room in February. Sailed twice to Alaska and did not have a verandah both times and we had an awesome time. Glad you enjoyed yourself.

It was the best room! I feel like I shouldn’t talk about it too much b/c it’s such a gem. I was such a verandah snob before this cruise ...

 

[justafigment27]

We had a verandah (7018) with daughter & crew next door and the glacier day was a disaster. The smoking area is just above and during the dead calm glacier viewing smokers hung over the railing and we had ashes and smoke all over the our deck. Guest services did little to help. While the ship is moving it is not an issue. We loved the Alaska cruise and would do it again but not high up on the port side of the Wonder. When choosing your verandah stateroom, choose wisely.

Oh my gosh! I would have been so upset with that!

 

[Mil leech]

We were on the June 24th cruise in an inside cabin on deck 2 midship. Being prone to motion sickness it was a very nice location. Also, we were never in our room but to sleep and change. We were on Deck 4 or 10 or doing activities. We were out and about doing things. Our table mates were in a verandah and did all the excursions, but stated that it was going to take them 2 years to pay off the cruise! I would rather enjoy my inside cabin and not have a financial burden tied up at the end. I would do this cruise again any year and probably select the same cabin or nearby.

 

[LeeLeeK]

We had a verandah (7018) with daughter & crew next door and the glacier day was a disaster. The smoking area is just above and during the dead calm glacier viewing smokers hung over the railing and we had ashes and smoke all over the our deck. Guest services did little to help. While the ship is moving it is not an issue. We loved the Alaska cruise and would do it again but not high up on the port side of the Wonder. When choosing your verandah stateroom, choose wisely.

Good to know, thanks!

 

[Dug720]

We had a verandah (7018) with daughter & crew next door and the glacier day was a disaster. The smoking area is just above and during the dead calm glacier viewing smokers hung over the railing and we had ashes and smoke all over the our deck. Guest services did little to help. While the ship is moving it is not an issue. We loved the Alaska cruise and would do it again but not high up on the port side of the Wonder. When choosing your verandah stateroom, choose wisely.

Oh my gosh! I would have been so upset with that!

I'm not sure what Gust Services was expected to do about it. The people were in a designated smoking area. Guest Services is not going to send someone up to make them stop smoking in a designated area. A simple search of "smoking" on the DCL website pulls up the location of smoking areas, so if you know it will bother you if people smoke in their legal areas, don't book near there.

(And I say this as a non-smoker. You have to do some research if it really bothers you.)

 

[GPaLarry]

I'm not sure what Gust Services was expected to do about it. The people were in a designated smoking area. Guest Services is not going to send someone up to make them stop smoking in a designated area. A simple search of "smoking" on the DCL website pulls up the location of smoking areas, so if you know it will bother you if people smoke in their legal areas, don't book near there.

(And I say this as a non-smoker. You have to do some research if it really bothers you.)

The Alaska cruise is unique in that you spend a day on the ship without moving (you can get an excursion onto a smaller ship to get closer to the glacier as an option). Guest Services put a rope and pole barrier up to keep the smokers from getting close to the railing and sent us a small gift for the inconvenience. After nine DCL cruises, we have been on the Wonder and Magic before and know where the smoking sections are and have had verandah staterooms in the same area with no problems. With the number of years that DCL has been doing this cruise and, I am sure, other people's complaints, they should have corrected this by now. Ashes on our deck furniture and floor is a bit much! DCL states that,
"In an effort to provide an enjoyable cruise experience for all our Guests, smoking (including the use of electronic cigarettes) is only permitted in the following designated areas of the ships:"
What they should say is, "In an effort to provide an enjoyable cruise experience for all our guests (at the expense of some of our guests), smoking is permitted in the following designated areas of the ships:"
Why the smoking areas are not on the aft end of their ships I beyond me.

 

[FireflyTrance]

Thanks for posting. We are visiting Alaska next summer and only got a port hole room since the verandah was several thousand more and I really didn't want to pay it I have two young kids so I can't really sit out on the deck and relax that much anyway

 

[xlxo]

I'm another Deck 2 DCL lover.