Cat 1 vs Cat 3...is it worth it?

[AmyM]

We are currently booked in a Cat 3 for a 7 night western cruise and are wait listed for a Cat 1. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. Is a Cat 1 THAT much nicer? We stayed in a Cat 5 last cruise and were very comfortable with the space. Any opinions?

 

[MickeyB426]

Amy,

How many are in your party?

We did a Cat 3 last year and are doing a Cat 1 in March.

I usually am relatively balanced with the budget at home, but on vacations I insist on doing everything "top-of-the-line".

We had 5 people (2 adults, three kids) in the cat 3. It was a wonderful suite, a smidgen tight since we like to spread out a bit, but it was fantastic. We lad always dreamed of getting the Cat 1 and now we'll have our chance!

I'm assuming the perks and benefits are the same, but I think you can't go wrong either way.

Have fun!

 

[AmyM]

Thanks Mike! There are only 4 of us and we have 8032 so the Murphy bed is in the living room. I don't mind spending extra money if I feel I am getting value for it. My kids are young (9 and 10) so they don't take up much space. If I could justify the Cat 1, I would do it in a heartbeat (if I could get it), but not sure I can justify it.

Amy

 

[reveric]

If you can swing the cat 1 then I would say for sure try it! We had the Walt suite in October (just for a 3 day) and it was HEAVENLY!!!!

I'm not sure if the perks are the same or not. I can tell you that we had unlimited soda and water. The concierge staff also brought the kids videos. We never went out to breakfast we'd just order it in and room service would set it up at the dining room table for us.

Really though what made the room so special wasn't the perks, it was just the suite itself. It's huge and you really feel like you have room to spread out and relax. We spent alot of time lounging on the verandah in the evenings. There is at least one, perhaps two, lounge chairs out there plus a few chairs and a couple small tables. There were something like 5 televisions (one in the master bathroom that you can see while your sitting in the jacuzzi tub!)

Good luck deciding and let us know what you end up going with!

 

[52plan4]

I'll throw my opinion in, we cruised in April this year Cat 1 on the Magic. The room was spacious and beautful,and surprisingly to me very noisy! I was woken multiple times at night to what I assumed the first night was a big thunderstorm,ahh but clear skies and smooth sailing,this was just the noise from deck 9,it is a shame that these rooms are in such a noisy location!It truly did sound like thunder overhead every night except one and I am not a light sleeper. We have a Cat 3 booked for our next cruise,just don't need anything bigger for the 5 of us,and other than size,the amenities are the same,we actually got a pretty poor serving team for our dining rotation sailing cat 1,they were nice,but no vibrant or bubbly personalities,they were painfully quiet and hard to understand,they just brought us the food we ordered and that was that,I guess after reading these boards I was hoping for a little more fun/lively interaction with our servers oh well . We are so blessed to be able to take a cruise at all let alone in our choice of categories,but for me next time I have choosen 3 over 1- Bet you'll love it wherever you end up!

 

[reveric]

52plan4 - my husband said the exact same thing you did about the noise! When we were booking our 7 day cruise I told the TA that I'd like a room close to the Walt suite because I thought it was so quiet. He looked at me in absolute amazement because he heard the same noises you did! For some reason I never noticed a thing.

I do think the suites are right under some eating area where they move tables and chairs around early in the morning. My dh is not a picky or overly sensitive person so if he noticed it then it was definately noticeable.

 

[AmyM]

52plan4,

I keep telling my kids they have no idea how lucky they are to do the things they do! I completely agree with your last statement. I grew up in a family that was full of love and never felt like I was missing out on anything. No we did not have the money to go on vacations like these. Now I own my own company and do not see my children as much as I would like. They seem to grow up sooooo fast. I treasure the time we have on vacation and try not to cut corners on cost.

Back to the original question...were you in the Walt or Roy suite? Our Cat 3 is right next door to the Walt suite. My kids are pretty sound sleepers so I hope it won't be a problem.

Amy

 

[bkline]

Amy: If you don't mind, what is the approximate cost moving up to a 3 from a 5? On our last Disney cruiise we were in a category 4 and I'm thinking of moving up to a category 3 next time.

 

[MickeyB426]

When I was in the Cat 3, I was in 8546, and had no noise problems whatsoever.

According to the ship's deck plans, I think we were directly under the jacuzzi.

We're staying in the Roy Disney Suite this time around, mainly because I didn't want my son banging on the piano in the Walt suite. The deck plans show that Roy is right underneath the Game Room. That's not bad, since it doesn't open up that early in the morning.

 

[AmyM]

bkline...I sent you a PM on your question. Please let me know if you have any others

 

[52plan4]

We were in the Roy Disney suite #8530

 

[outahere]

We were in 8048 (cat 3) on the Wonder and it was very noisy, to the point that we complained to Guest Services and the Conceirge staff. That helped some (after the second night's complaints), but it was still not totally quiet. The noise you hear coming from deck 9 is the crew getting the tables and chairs set up for the day and rolling carts of supplies to the bars and snack bars. The Walt suite is under Common Grounds, and the Roy suite is under the arcade, but both suites have tables and chairs over them, so you may hear noise.

We have a Cat 4 room booked under the hair salon for our 4/04 cruise. I'm hoping that will be a lot quieter.

 

[markºoº]

Amy, we were in 8032 on the Wonder in August. There were 4 of us, DW, DS10, DS3, and myself. We had plenty of room, especially since we did not use the murphy bed.

After getting the kids settled for bed, we would spend time in the master bedroom and out on the verandah. Since we had our own TV, bathroom and exit to the verandah, we really did not need to enter the living room section.

If, however, you want to use the stereo, VCR, bar, or table - they are all located in the living room in 8032 along with the sleeper sofa and murphy bed. It would be more convenient to have a second bedroom for the kids so that you can use the living room. It might also be handy if your kids are likely to sleep in and you are an early riser and would like to go into the living. Our kids were alway up early.

We did see the Walt suite and it was fantastic. I'm sure you would love it if you could get it. You might also want to consider a Cat 2 since these also have more room with 2 separate bedrooms.

Have a great trip - no matter what you get, the room are fantastic.

 

[CantwaitforJune03]

We have connecting rooms - 8522 and 8524 because I wanted to be able to rattle around without waking the kids. I have seen lots about the noise. Any thoughts what we should expect (do we need to bring earplugs)?

Thanks

 

[howardk613]

AmyM -
We have stayed in both category 1 suites ( the Roy and the Walt)
and they are amazing to say the least. They make an already terrific vacation even more special. In my opinion they are well worth the extra cost If you are lucky enough to get one of them, I would say GRAB IT. Having said that, however, we were in the Walt suite this past Nov. and went next door to look at 8032. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed with that room either. It is as nice as the royal suites only a little smaller. You will have a great vacation no matter which room you wind up in.

 

[AmyM]

THANK YOU Howard! I guess I will leave the fate of our room assignment to the Disney Gods I WILL NOT be disappointed no matter what!!!!! From what I here I am lucky to have grabbed a Cat 3

 

[dmadman43]

The extra room is definately worth it and the cabins are extremely nice. My DW won't settle for anything less now..unfortunately we were unable to get a Cat 1, 2, or 3 for our cruise next week. We loved the room. However, we did find the concierge service leaving us wanting. Aside from booking Palo and Spa reservations for us the first day, we found the concierge service not much different than calling guest services. In fact, I often got the feeling I was putting them out by using their services. We, too, noticed the noise from Deck 9 in the mornings and evenings during cleanings and setting up chairs. I also noticed the sounds of people walking (especially in heels). All that said, I'd book it again in a minute.

 

[howardk613]

Amy -
By the way you have one of the best category 3 cabins on the ship. While all of the category 3 suites are terrific , the 4 midship suites , 8032 , 8034 , 8532 and 8534 are by far the ones to get. Wait until you see the verandah !!