How important is a verandah?

[luv2sleep]

Thanks! I guess I can get sea bands at the drug store too? I am heading to buffalo in a few weeks so I will try to pick some up while I am there.

I couldn't find them before we sailed but they were readily available on the ship in their store. On the Wonder it was Treasure Ketch.

 

[SG101]

It would be a waste of money for my family as we never spent time in the room. I did want to read one day and found myself on a lounge chair on Deck 4 on the Wonder looking out at rocks in Cabo San Lucas, and I didn't have to spend a dime on a verandah.

Just depends on how much time you want to spend in the cabin.

 

[sdKT]

we love having a verandah. that said, for the $$ - this is the first time i decided against it. we've sailed with both kids before, and the room square footage is actually larger if u just do a window, not verandah cuz they include that as your room footage, where its not really liveable space, if that makes sense.

so if u have $, do it. if not, put it twd something else.
with kids we are out n about a LOT, so u can see the ocean from other decks.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

While we don't actualy use our verandah much, I consider it very important. I'm claustrophobic, and just having that access to the outside is huge. We'll be on the starboard side for our next cruise, so I'm hoping to sit outside and watch as we pull into and out of port at least once. Since it'll be a 7-day cruise, I'd also like to have breakfast out there once.

I suffer from seasickness as well, but I take Bonine and that does the trick. I've found that 1 in the morning, starting the day before we leave home, works like a charm for me. I have never had an side effects, and I do drink alcohol (1 or 2 beers or glasses of wine with dinner).

 

[MrsScooby]

First off, I am very prone to motion sickness (cars, buses, planes, boats, you name it).
Our first cruise was on deck 5 on the Wonder and I had no problems with motion sickness. I did take bonine the night before we embarked and twice the first day and then stopped because I couldn't even feel the ship moving (July 2002). In all our cruises we have never had a cabin below deck 5 and despite rough seas I was fine with taking bonine

My DH, DS18 and DD15 all love the verandah. They will stand out there and watch the waves. I could take it or leave it most cruises, except I was really glad we had it for the Panama Canal cruise. So longer scenic cruises the verandah is definitely worth it IMHO.

As others have said, everyone is different and has different priorities. We won't book a verandah on short (3-4 day) cruises, but for 5+ days, we really enjoy having it. It is a perfect place to get away on crowded sea days!

Also, for motion-sickness, please don't assume bonine won't make you drowsy-- it knocks me out! Most "non-drowsy" medications do have the potential to cause drowsiness, and the most common side effect of meclizine (Bonine) is drowsiness.

The best thing to do is try these OTC remedies before you leave. That way, you will know of any adverse side effects before your cruise! For me, prescription Scopalomine is the only way to go. It causes me no drowsiness, but does dry my mouth and dilates my pupils (sunglasses are a must). But it doesn't work well for everyone and some have more serious reactions. Once again, we all can have different reactions to different medications, and it is best to know of these in advance of your trip.

Have fun!!

Ok, I guess I am lucky that the bonine doesn't make me sleepy, even with a sailaway drink
I do agree trying it out at home before you cruise is a good idea

My experience is that bonine works fast for me and I don't need it in my system for days in advance I just take it with breakfast the morning of our cruise and maybe again at dinner if I am feeling the ship's motion alot. After that I take it as needed. I have tried ginger capsules in the past and they worked really well after you feel sick. But I have heard they can react with some blood pressure meds, so you need to check with your pharmacist or doctor first before taking ginger. (Ginger capsules have no taste unlike the candy which can have a very strong taste.)

Oh, and I do have to remember to take bonine ashore for excursions that involve small boats

Good luck

 

[DesertGal]

We have cruised in an inside cabin, a porthole and a verandah. I felt a bit more motion sick in the inside room but not sure if it was because of that or just rougher seas.

I loved the porthole (both were pixie dust) but we would at least do a 10b for the split bath if we chose inside.

We picked a verandah because we were cruising for a special occasion and it was a great itinerary. We used our balcony a lot. We have small kids and would sit out there during nap time and when they went to bed. We ate breakfast out there each morning too. We probably spend more time than most in our room because our kids need to be in bed by around 9

 

[ilovetexas]

I only go out on my verandah to watch pier runners. DH stays out there a lot and so does my best friend when I cruise with him. Otherwise, I don't care about it; I prefer a really dark room to sleep in!

 

[Justacruiser]

Let me start by saying that we only do Verandah's and that my DW would be very upset not to have one. With that, consider your inside cabin to a hotel room on the ocean. You do have two windows or a large window. Does that work for you? With you and two kids, there might not be that much time you are not doing activities out of your room. Do you like to read? Do your kids require little maintenance? Is there a possibility of ME time? These are all reasons you might look at a Verandah.

Good thing is that you have never had one so you wouldn't know what you are missing. You can't lose when you get to cruise! Unless you are in a hurricane of course.........

 

[Wendilou]

I have been on 2 cruises without a verandah. I have one booked a verandah for our upcoming DCL cruise. I don't see us cruising again without one. It depends on why you cruise and what you want out of the cruise. On our 2 previous cruise, DH and I spent all free time on the ship under the lifeboats where we could just sit, listen to the waves and see the ocean. This is why we like cruising, to just relax. Many people cruise because all that goes on on the ship. If you don't plan on being in the room, I can't see spending the extra $ on one.

Our last cruise, I got seasick. I wished that I had a verandah because I felt my best looking out at the water but didn't like being far from my bathroom so I spent most of the day in my room. Later that cruise my youngest child got a virus and was confined to the room for almost 48 hours. Even at 6 years old, she would have love to be able to see outside at the port instead of seeing nothing but our inside room. We decided then not to cruise unless we have a verandah.

 

[Woodmnky]

We have cruised multiple times in both an inside cabin and in a veranda cabin. In the Caribbean I am fine with or without a veranda. Yes, we like them and use it some but we would just find other things to do if we weren't on our veranda. Honestly, on Disney I would rather have one of the family oceanview cabins with the large porthole. You get the same view, lots of space, and save some money.

I will say that having cruise in Alaska there is no way that I would do that cruise without a veranda. There was so much to see all of the time that we would have missed a lot if we didn't have a veranda.

 

[STLEdge]

Count me in on the verandah crew - we've only taken two cruises, and had one for both, so I can't compare, but I also can't envision cruising without it. I love to read out there, both day time and because I'm more of a night owl than the rest of my family, I use it to have a space I can sit and read after the rest of the family has gone to bed.

The OP's kids are about two years older than mine, but on our last cruise, 7 days, we did spend some time in the room where the kids would watch a movie, my wife would nap and I would sit outside and read - it's nice to have that little bit of extra space sometimes.

But most of the posters hit the nail on the head - only you can determine whether the cost is worth it to you. The posters give a wide range of opinions and the reasons why people think one is worth it or is not worth it to them.

 

[tgropp]

I could never cruise without having a balcony room. After waking up in the morning, We usually spend an hour out there having our morning coffee. Then before dinner from 4-6, we usually have a couple glasses of wine and relax. Then for an hour beforre bedtime, we sit out there and have a Baileys before bed. What a way to relax before going to bed. We always spend between 3-4 hours a day on the balcony. But different strokes for different folks.

 

[ranidayz]

We are looking at booking our first cruise, and I cannot decide on what type of room to book. We will be one adult and 2 kids, age 7 and 9. I tend to get seasick but have never been on a cruise so I'm not sure how it will be on a ship. We won't be sailing during hurricane season.

So how important is a verandah?

We had a veranda with our first cruise. It was nice and good for sunscreen application. By the second cruise I grew concerned that my little lest would figure a way to open the door. We didn't wind up getting a veranda ever again..... The whole ship is a veranda!

 

[SG101]

We have cruised multiple times in both an inside cabin and in a veranda cabin. In the Caribbean I am fine with or without a veranda. Yes, we like them and use it some but we would just find other things to do if we weren't on our veranda. Honestly, on Disney I would rather have one of the family oceanview cabins with the large porthole. You get the same view, lots of space, and save some money.

I will say that having cruise in Alaska there is no way that I would do that cruise without a veranda. There was so much to see all of the time that we would have missed a lot if we didn't have a veranda.

I completely agree with this person ---- I think next time I will get one of those family oceanview cabins with the large porthole, but I heard Alaska is a must for a verandah and that's where I would splurge.

 

[collectoraholic]

We like a verandah, but is it a MUST HAVE? For most cruises, no. But I'd say for an Alaskan cruise (which we have not done), definitely get one. For a Panama Canal cruise (which we HAVE done), definitely get one. For a Med Cruise (which we HAVE done), it's nice to have, but not necessarily necessary, if that makes sense. We enjoyed having it on the Med Cruise (& we've booked another verandah for next year's Med cruise) so we can see the ports as we sail in and sail out and such.

That's my take on it, but only you can truly decide.

 

[jillgunter]

We have had one, one time. We really enjoyed it. Its nice first thing in the morning to go out and maybe take some pictures. We cruised into St Lucia once, and was able to get up at 5:30 am to take pictures coming into St Lucia of the Pitons (two twin mountains). It was neat! We plan to sit on it in the evenings late after DD goes to bed and I can have some wine or a cocktail.

 

[SnipsNSnails]

I have cruised many times but have never had one. My parents always get one. When we sail in February, just me, my boys, and my parents, we got the family w/ balcony on the Magic so we could all stay together and because we were doing the KSF offer. It was cheaper than even booking two inside rooms. So this will be my first time. Last time we cruised the boys were 6 months and 3yr and my parents had a balcony, my family an outside. I would take the baby to their room for his nap so I could sit on the balcony and read. He's 3 now but still naps unless he stops by Feb. and I imagine it will be the same. It's nice to have a space where the adults can sit and chat without disturbing the sleeping chil(ren) at night, in the morning, or during nap. There are locks up high on the balcony doors so I'm not too concerned about them getting out there and really, I expect that we won't be splitting up too much so I can't forsee any situations where there won't be an adult in the cabin area with them.

 

[kcashner]

I've done it with and without a verandah. I get horribly motion sick in small boats, car back seats, etc. but the ship is fine!

OK, whether we have a verandah or not does change some of what we do on the cruise. With a verandah, we are more likely to be in our cabin enjoying our "private space" while without it, we are more likely to be found on a public open deck. We've also had verandahs when we couldn't enjoy them--once it was 106 degrees (way too hot to be out there), other times it has been too cold or rainy. It is sad to pay for a verandah and then not be able to enjoy it.

Your best locations for motion sickness are midship and as close to the water line as possible. All verandah cabins are significantly above the water line. Some people respond best with fresh air or seeing the outside, others do best if they cannot see the horizon (as motion sickness is in part a difference between what your vestibular system is experiencing compared to what your eyes are telling you.

Bottom line--you decide. We liked the virtual porthole on the Fantasy!

 

[TFTM]

We prefer the verandah, but we thoroughly enjoyed cruising without it too.

When we had a teenager in the dropdown bed in front of the verandah it was difficult to navigate around them for morning coffee.

Therefore, on cruises with teenagers we get two rooms inside. GREAT sleep in the inside cabins. Best I've ever had. Wake up, sit on deck. Get to see both sides of the ship.

 

[nancy drew]

Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies!

I definitely would get a verandah for an Alaska cruise, absolutely! And there are excellent points about what would happen if one kiddo gets sick. I'd like to be able to still be outside if we were stuck in our room. I think a verandah will probably be a good choice for us. Thanks!!