First Alaska cruise. Best stateroom choices?

[gerberdaisy1234]

Hello, fist Alaskan cruise will be next year. What are best verandah room choices for see the most/best? Thank you

 

[dcassetta]

Most of the Category 6 and 7 verandahs have a high metal wall that makes it hard to see over when seated. For a plexiglass wall, chose category 5 or higher.

 

[Dug720]

Basically what landscapes one side sees on the way up, the other will see on the way down.

Wildlife is a wild card. There could be a pod of whales that goes by on one side of the ship very close to it - but there is no predicting if that will happen or which side. There could be bears sighted on the way down but not the way up.

So if you have a veranda and plan to spend most of your time there, you need to be prepared that there could be announcements about wildlife on the opposite side.

Personally if I ever do Alaska again (not likely...BTDT, skipped getting the t-shirt - other than hanging out on the promenade deck one morning as a pod of whales went right by (this was on HAL) I could take it or leave it), I'd save the money from a veranda for excursions and get an OV or even an Inside and just plan to be on the main decks where I can easily move to the other side if necessary.

 

[GPaLarry]

Five years ago we did this cruise and had a verandah forward, port side, on the 7th deck of the Wonder. On glacier day, when the ship stops, then turns from side to side so all verandahs can view the glacier, we walked out on our verandah and, yikes! Our verandah was covered in ashes and the smell of smoke was everywhere. Just a deck or two above us was the smoking area. It was dead calm, smokers were hanging on the railing and flipping their cigarettes and puffing up a storm. Our daughter had a connecting verandah even closer to the front and her area was a mess as well. We called guest services and they put up a rope barrier by the railing above us so no one could stand there, but the tables were still up there and smoke still came down. I would imagine that normally there is a breeze and this would not have been an issue, but for us, it was a real pain. Just a heads up!!!!

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

Basically what landscapes one side sees on the way up, the other will see on the way down.

Wildlife is a wild card. There could be a pod of whales that goes by on one side of the ship very close to it - but there is no predicting if that will happen or which side. There could be bears sighted on the way down but not the way up.

So if you have a veranda and plan to spend most of your time there, you need to be prepared that there could be announcements about wildlife on the opposite side.

Personally if I ever do Alaska again (not likely...BTDT, skipped getting the t-shirt - other than hanging out on the promenade deck one morning as a pod of whales went right by (this was on HAL) I could take it or leave it), I'd save the money from a veranda for excursions and get an OV or even an Inside and just plan to be on the main decks where I can easily move to the other side if necessary.

Thank you for your insight. Makes me think a river cruise might be a better option.

Five years ago we did this cruise and had a verandah forward, port side, on the 7th deck of the Wonder. On glacier day, when the ship stops, then turns from side to side so all verandahs can view the glacier, we walked out on our verandah and, yikes! Our verandah was covered in ashes and the smell of smoke was everywhere. Just a deck or two above us was the smoking area. It was dead calm, smokers were hanging on the railing and flipping their cigarettes and puffing up a storm. Our daughter had a connecting verandah even closer to the front and her area was a mess as well. We called guest services and they put up a rope barrier by the railing above us so no one could stand there, but the tables were still up there and smoke still came down. I would imagine that normally there is a breeze and this would not have been an issue, but for us, it was a real pain. Just a heads up!!!!

Yikes! Good to know in general about rooms below that area on the wonder. Thanks.

 

[anricat]

So I will say, I know you asked for verandah, but we had a deck 2 port hole and LOVED it. Unsolicited advice. If you're absolutely sold on the verandah just stop reading. Otherwise.... we loved being right down close to the water line (and thus the shore, iceberg, and SEAL line) and sitting on the couch and looking out the window and being warm. It was a bit cold on our cruise and we didn't spend as much time outside as I would have thought (we had to get bundled up each time). There are die hard MUST HAVE VERANDAH IN ALASKA people, but I'm most definitely not one of them. It was an easy hop up to deck 4 if I absolutely needed to see something from an outside view (happened rarely) and the price difference between oceanview and verandah was astronomical on our sailing. We used the extra money to splurge on some fantastic excursions. I didn't regret it for a second and would make the same decision in a heartbeat. We plan to go back to Alaska some day (the 9 night is calling my name) and we will try for the exact same room, deck 2 midship.

 

[tvguy]

Two Alaska cruises. The best views are on the top deck of the ship. Usually packed because there is so much to see on both sides of the ship.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

The best stateroom for an Alaskan cruise is (in my opinion) the one that you can afford that gets you on the ship. We cruised Alaska in 2014 in an inside room and spent lots of time out on deck enjoying the views. We are going back in 13 days (!) and of the 3 rooms we have booked we have 2 inside and one verandah.

 

[gerberdaisy1234]

So I will say, I know you asked for verandah, but we had a deck 2 port hole and LOVED it. Unsolicited advice. If you're absolutely sold on the verandah just stop reading. Otherwise.... we loved being right down close to the water line (and thus the shore, iceberg, and SEAL line) and sitting on the couch and looking out the window and being warm. It was a bit cold on our cruise and we didn't spend as much time outside as I would have thought (we had to get bundled up each time). There are die hard MUST HAVE VERANDAH IN ALASKA people, but I'm most definitely not one of them. It was an easy hop up to deck 4 if I absolutely needed to see something from an outside view (happened rarely) and the price difference between oceanview and verandah was astronomical on our sailing. We used the extra money to splurge on some fantastic excursions. I didn't regret it for a second and would make the same decision in a heartbeat. We plan to go back to Alaska some day (the 9 night is calling my name) and we will try for the exact same room, deck 2 midship.

I appreciate the perspective since I have never been on an Alaskan cruise. I know my brother raved about having the corner aft balcony on his carnival cruises so I assumed that veranda was a must have.

Two Alaska cruises. The best views are on the top deck of the ship. Usually packed because there is so much to see on both sides of the ship.

Good to know. thanks

The best stateroom for an Alaskan cruise is (in my opinion) the one that you can afford that gets you on the ship. We cruised Alaska in 2014 in an inside room and spent lots of time out on deck enjoying the views. We are going back in 13 days (!) and of the 3 rooms we have booked we have 2 inside and one verandah.

Good point! I appreciate all the feedback. Sounds like I can stop stressing about which room and just pick which cruise

 

[Cheburashka]

We sailed in a port side Navigator's verandah on deck 5 and loved it. Beautiful views, some shield from the wind.

 

[anjuan]

Another vote for the navigator's verandah. Loved the built in bench and the oval opening helped to block out some of the wind.

 

[Elle1777]

The navigator's verandahs seem so cozy to me. Are there any in the front or midship? I checked the deck plans and didn't see any. I get sea sick in the aft

 

[dcassetta]

The navigator's verandahs seem so cozy to me. Are there any in the front or midship? I checked the deck plans and didn't see any. I get sea sick in the aft

Only aft

 

[Elle1777]

I would save so much money if I didn't get seasick or claustrophobic lol

 

[anricat]

I would save so much money if I didn't get seasick or claustrophobic lol

I am both of these things and the deck 2 large portholes were great for me. It felt like being right there next to the water.

 

[wildzootv]

The best stateroom for an Alaskan cruise is (in my opinion) the one that you can afford that gets you on the ship. We cruised Alaska in 2014 in an inside room and spent lots of time out on deck enjoying the views. We are going back in 13 days (!) and of the 3 rooms we have booked we have 2 inside and one verandah.

now that you have experienced both, what did you think comparing the two?

 

[wildzootv]

I am both of these things and the deck 2 large portholes were great for me. It felt like being right there next to the water.

are the port holes low enough to see out sitting down?

 

[dcassetta]

are the port holes low enough to see out sitting down?

Yes.

This is an older thread but has good images of the OV rooms. https://www.disboards.com/threads/wonder-oceanview-question.3510469/

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We have sailed twice to Alaska on DCL. We had verandah rooms on the aft of the ship for both sailings. One trip was starboard side, Deck 6, the other was port, Deck 7. No ash. Scenery is around you everywhere. Yes, the top decks are great for seeing everything, but when you need to escape the people and still want to watch the scenery, nothing beats a verandah.

 

[revdon64]

I say this based solely on the research I did for our 2021 Alaska cruise that never happened: itinerary is infinitely more important than room choice. If you're only even planning to do Alaska once (bucket list), then Glacier Bay is a must.