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Cabin Reviews

Cabin Reviews A selection of reviews by members of Cruising Mates Forum

Splendour of the Seas Grand Suite

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Introduction

This Flip Book contains a selection from the many cabin reviews posted on

the forum by members of Cruising Mates, and will be updated periodically

as new reviews are added to our cabin reviews area.

The reviews have been written by real passengers, and their views and

opinions (and photos!) are their own. We believe that makes this resource

unique in an area dominated by glossy brochures and wide-angle

photographs.

Only the initial reviews are published here; on the forum, each review is

followed up with discussion, questions and answers.

This edition was published in July 2014.

To visit our Cabin Reviews area click: Cruising Mates Cabin Reviews

To visit Cruising Mates Forum, click: Cruising Mates Forum

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=235

http://www.cruisingmates.co.uk/forum/

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Azamara: Azamara Quest Suite 8091

Celebrity: Constellation Cat C3 Cabin 9100

Eclipse Balcony Deck 8 Cat C1

Celebrity Eclipse Accessible Cabin Deck 10

Silhouette Cat 2B Balcony Cabin 7283

Silhouette Cat 2A Balcony Cabin 7276

Costa: Costa Deliziosa Panorama Suite 4399

Costa Fortuna Stern Balcony Cabin 6467

Costa Serena Cat B3 Balcony Cabin 8382

Costa Pacifica Balcony Cabin 6419

Cruise & Maritime: mv Discovery Outside Cabin 7119

Cunard: Queen Mary 2 B3 Balcony Cabin Deck 4

Queen Mary 2 Balcony Stateroom Deck 11

Queen Victoria Princess Grill Suite 5093

Fred. Olsen: Balmoral Junior Balcony Suite

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Balmoral Premier Suite 1024

Black Watch Outside Cabin 3032 (E)

Black Watch Junior Suite 5004

Boudicca Outside Cabins 4101 & 4051

Boudicca Premier Suite 9016

Braemar Inside Cabin 3120 (Grade I)

HAL: Eurodam Deluxe Balcony Suite Deck 6 Aft 6164

MSC: MSC Divina Yacht Club Suite 15013

MSC Opera Inside Cabin 10156

NCL: Norwegian Epic - Cat BF Balcony Cabin 9257

Norwegian Jade Mini Suite 11532

Norwegian Breakaway BA Balcony Cabin 14780

P&O: Oceana Inside Cabin L338

Ventura Balcony Cabin L304

Ventura Obstructed View Cabin E324

Ventura C deck Balcony Cabin

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Princess: Caribbean Princess Inside Cabin 741

Crown Princess Balcony Cabin 214

Royal Caribbean: Adventure of the Seas Junior Suite 9234

Splendour of The Seas Grand Suite 8510

Saga: Saga Pearl II Superior Outside Cabin 115

Saga Pearl II Owner's Suite Cabin 1

Saga Ruby Inside Cabin J Grade

Saga Sapphire Superior Balcony Cabin 10550

Saga Sapphire N Grade 10030

Seabourn: Seabourn Odyssey Cabin/Suite 431

Thomson: Thomson Celebration Deluxe Cabin 233

Thomson Spirit Deluxe Cabin 200

Viking River Cruises: Viking Neptune Cat A Cabin 311

RV Tonle (Viking Mekong) Double Cabin

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Balmoral Premier Suite 1024 by Dave

For our first cruise in 2004 we chose the cheapest inside cabin. We continued to believe that

"cabins are only for sleeping in" and booked inside cabins for the next few cruises. Then we

had a free upgrade to an outside cabin - "much better" we thought, so it was outside cabins

from then on. But along came the 'inside smoking ban' so we tried a junior balcony suite.

"Wow, this is so much better!" we said, and so a balcony became a must.

When we booked our honeymoon cruise we decided to really go for it. So, being Fred Olsen

fans, we chose probably Fred's best offering - a premier suite on Balmoral (sorry to anyone

who thinks his other top suites are better!). Balmoral isn't our favourite Fred Olsen ship, but

the date was perfect and she was sailing to the Med from Dover - our local port.

We took a few photos (actually, we took lots - this was a whole new world for us!).

The cabin is big. The first door on the right leads to the bathroom, nicely finished in marble

with a full-sized bath. Bathrobes, toiletries, and other bits and pieces are all included. The

second door leads to a large walk-in wardrobe with a full-length mirror, a safe, and masses of

storage space.

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The bedroom area - obviously!

The sitting area has a sofa (which can be made into a bed), a coffee table, and a couple of

armchairs. The 42" TV and home cinema system looks impressive, but the offerings were poor

- the ship's location in Google Earth, a few news channels, and 55 pay-per-view films in low

quality - most of which were aimed at children and teenagers (who only comprised about 1 in

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50 of the guests!). There's also Fred Olsen interactive but we only really used it to order

breakfast and to check our account. (P&O's system is miles better.)

The dining area: Other benefits for 'suite people' included champagne, a goodies bag of

chocolates, etc., slippers, canapés, daily topping-up of fruit bowl, daily news-sheet, and the use

of excellent binoculars (much better than mine) and atlas. We also boarded at 11.30am for a

special lunch and were first to disembark. Complimentary celebration extras included a

second bottle of champagne, and a cake and serenade at dinner!

I don't expect we'll enjoy this level of luxury again (it's a standard balcony cabin on Boudicca

next), but we've got the memories - and a video!

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Norwegian Epic - Cat BF Balcony Cabin 9257 by Wansbrough

On the 21 June 2010 we took a 1 night cruise on the brand new Norwegian Epic. We had

already booked cabin 9219 but unfortunately along with many other cabins on this cruise, it

had not been finished and we were moved to another cabin in the same category.

Looking towards the balcony over the bed.

The cabins on the Norwegian Epic caused a lot of controversy when she was first launched

because they do not have a separate designated bathroom. In most cases the toilet and shower

are either side of the cabin door concealed behind obscure glass. This can then be zoned off

from the rest of the cabin by a curtain to provide extra privacy.

I have to say that I was really taken with the look and feel of this cabin. I can remember lying

on the bed viewing my surroundings and thinking how smart it looked with its long curved

wall of wood and mirror. The cabin is very long but is quite narrow and a clever concept of

making the dividing walls “wave” shaped presumably means they have tried to try and squeeze

more cabins into the design of the ship.

I remember there being loads of storage and lots of little fancy ideas which I have not seen in

other cabins. For me the sink was in a peculiar place being right next to the bed. We were not

too bothered by the need to draw the curtain across for privacy but do recall being aware of

certain sounds being broadcast to the rest of the cabin because the lack of proper door.

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Looking from the balcony end towards the cabin door where you can see the bathroom area and

the curtain.

The very comfortable bed which is tucked into the curve of the wave wall.

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MSC Divina Yacht Club Suite 15013 by Skier Pete

Category := Grade Yacht Club 1 Deluxe Suite. Situated on deck 15, forward port side.

CABIN

The 215 sq. ft cabin measured ~25 ft X 8.5 ft on its maximum dimensions. The furniture

consisted of a queen size bed, 2 small bed side lockers each with 2 very small drawers, a 3 seat

settee and a small oval glass top coffee table. The fixed furniture consisted of a walk-in

wardrobe, ~ 4 ft square, which housed a hanging rail (one half had a full length drop and the

other a half had a half height drop) beneath which was a two shelf unit. The final storage in

the wardrobe was a full height unit containing 6 deep drawers. and 2 shelves, one of which

held the safe. At the top of the room was the top shelf housing the life jackets (4).

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In the cabin itself was a further full height half width shelving unit with five shelves. The final

fixture was the vanity unit/desk/ mini-bar unit with attendant pouffe. There are two quadrant

shelves above the mini-bar one of which houses the flat screen TV.

This was relatively small for a suite, with just adequate storage. But the major factor is it is in

the MSC Yacht Club Area with all its attendant exclusive YC benefits which more than make

up for its size.

This must have been the quietest cabin I've ever stayed in. NO noise problems!

BATHROOM

The bathroom was ~ 6 ft X 6 ft (~36 sq. ft.)with a good sized bath with a adjustable heights

shower head over the bath and a plastic shower screen on the bath.

Storage was 3 quadrant shelves above the sink surround and 4 small cupboards under the sink

area. Bathrobe hooks (2) were on the back of the door and above the bath was a pull out

washing line.

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Bath with shower over.

BALCONY

The balcony was 8.5 ft X 4.5 ft (~40 sq. ft) and was furnished with 2 chairs (non-adjustable)

and one small low table/3rd chair. I consider it a very small balcony for a suite.

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mv Discovery Outside Cabin 7119 by JollyJill

We had been blessed by the upgrade fairy so were delighted to have been given a cabin on

deck 7 instead of deck 5. It was the biggest cabin we had experienced at that time and felt that

it was big enough to hold a party.

The windows were large and there was a light and airy

feel to the room.

There was a bath as well as a shower which we like

because there is more space to hang washing (there is

no self service laundry on Discovery)

The only downside for us was the storage space, which

was in our opinion, inadequate. I appreciate that she is

an old ship but there was plenty of room to add another

wardrobe. Let's hope that the refit has addressed that

particular problem.

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Boudicca Premier Suite 9016 by Dave

A cabin review? What's the point? I suppose I can only say that having booked this cabin I

searched for photos and/or descriptions and could find nothing other than the hopelessly

distorted 360 degree 'panoramic' view on the Fred Olsen website and some tiny out-of-date

photos.

At 550 sq ft, Boudicca's premier suites (together with the Black Watch versions) are Fred

Olsen's largest offerings except for their owner's suites. They're about 25% larger than those

on Balmoral and are real suites (as opposed to a large cabin with a partition or screen), while

Braemar doesn't have either these or the slightly smaller marquee suites.

I think it's important to see this review in context. This may be Fred Olsen's best, but I've seen

what some other lines can offer - through photos that is - but if you cruise that far upmarket

you're probably not even reading this!

So what do you get for three or four times the price of an inside cabin? The answer is space

and privacy, and the perks of the Suite Dreams package - a bottle of Champagne, free spirits

(we had these replaced with free Pepsi!), excellent binoculars, an atlas, free shuttle bus passes,

bathrobes, slippers, canapés, fruit, and so on. Check the brochure for the full list.

The cabin door opens into a short 'hallway' with large cupboards to one side and doors to the

living area and bathroom. The bathroom is unusual in having two sections - a toilet and basin

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part, and a bath / shower and basin part. The sections are divided by a central sliding door and

I suppose the idea is that you can use the toilet while someone's having a bath. This

arrangement also means that the bathroom effectively has two doors because the bath side has

a door to the bedroom, so there are two doors to lock or forget to lock - as the case may be.

A large double sliding door joins the living area and the bedroom, and both are enormous. The

bed is enormous, and so are the wardrobes. There's no lack of storage space!

The balcony was perfect for a cruise in cold waters, being very well sheltered, and our smoke

was unlikely to be noticed by our neighbours since the adjacent balconies were a good three

metres away (and I think they smoked anyway!). But Balmoral's balconies are far bigger and

open to the sky above, and are better for cruises in warm waters.

While the cabin was extremely comfortable and nicely presented in an old-fashioned sort of

way, the bathroom was definitely in need of attention. Although it all worked properly, the

wallpaper was loose in places and looked a bit tatty.

My only other criticism concerns the TV - or rather, what was on the TV: Sky and BBC World

News, some sports channels, the occasional film, and very little else - hopeless!

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Ventura Obstructed View Cabin E324

by bobbyboy

Obstructed view cabins provide a means to some natural light and a bit of an outside view if

you're on a bit of a budget. We have had an obstructed view cabin twice on Ventura and were

happy with our choice given the savings made over the price of an unobstructed view.

Before booking any obstructed view cabin on a P&O ship, make sure you have a look on the

P&O website. You will be able to see what your view will be like. Ventura and Azura are sister

ships so if you can't find the cabin view for one of them then look at the same cabin on the

other.

Don't forget that with Getaway Fares you only get a guarantee cabin so you may end up with a

full view of the side of a tender, so tread carefully when booking an obstructed view.

Let's have a look at cabin E324 (fully obstructed view LA grade)...

What's that? You want to see the inside? Ok then...

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Not bad so far. Here's the en-suite...

...not forgetting the 'pamper pack'...

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The view wasn't brilliant but you could see around the lifeboat at the right angle...

The cabin corridors were nice too...

Obviously, I'd prefer a balcony or a clear view from a picture window, but if the cost is an issue

(it normally is for me) then the right choice of obstructed view is a good compromise between

the choice of an inside or an outside cabin.

Please note that the cabin grades I have used are the new 2013 grades. LA used to be NA and

KA used to be MA. It gets confusing when you're trying to book a cruise as I think the change

to cabin grades takes effect in April 3013 and there will be four different grades of obstructed

view cabins to choose from.

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Thomson Celebration Deluxe Cabin 233 by Dave

We always want a balcony, but since Celebration doesn’t have any cabins with balconies we

chose a ‘deluxe’ cabin on the promenade deck. I put ‘deluxe’ in quotes because we thought the

cabin was anything but!

But let’s deal with the positives first. There were two: the location was perfect being only

seconds from both the promenade deck and the mezzanine area of the show lounge, and the

main shops, etc. being very close. I suppose another positive is that the cabin was big, but

since it was lacking in anything else it might just mean that it was a longer walk to the beds!

Setting aside the cost of excursions, we paid £333 per night between us (or £167pp) for what

was basically a rather tatty outside cabin. Where do I start?

There was no kettle, no ‘free’ room service, the TV was blurry and only provided ship-based

movies and information. The sound system didn’t work, the beds were very small, and there

was no comfortable seating.

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The bathroom worked, but you can probably see the

condition from the photo – stains and repairs are

evident.

It’s true that there was a lot of storage space, but

we’ve never had a cabin where there wasn’t room to

put everything (I’m never sure why people rate this

feature!).

But the really, really bad thing about cabin 233 was

the noise - and I don’t mean noise from the ship, but

noise from other passengers. The walls seemed paper-

thin, as was the locked connecting door shown in the

photo. There might just as well have been curtains

between the cabins! To make things worse, the cabins

on either side were occupied by three people, and

three people make far more noise than two. (I noticed

that the third berth is provided by replacing the small

chairs and table with a camp bed.)

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For us the cabin was the reason why we’re very unlikely to cruise with Thomson again. If I can

put things in context yet again, we paid nearly as much per night for this cabin as we’ve paid

for premier suites on Balmoral and Boudicca, and a lot more than we paid for a nice balcony

cabin on Ventura – there’s simply no comparison.

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Boudicca Outside Cabins 4101 & 4051

by JollyJill

In 2012 & 2013 we booked outside cabins grade D for our 35 night cruises to the

Caribbean/Amazon and Central America. The photos are of cabin 4101. Cabin 4051 was

identical but configured the other way round.

Cabin 4101 was well situated on Atlantic deck 4 (aft). We didn't experience any particular

engine or vibration noise and given that the weather was calm for virtually the whole cruise,

we didn't have a problem with pitch and roll either.

Cabin 4051 was more amidships and whilst we still had no problems with engine and vibration

noise, we did experience some rough weather on the way back across the Atlantic and

certainly did feel the pitch and roll then!

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The supply of toiletries in the bathroom was minimal but shampoo/conditioner/shower cap

was available on request. Gone are the days of the full compliment supplied without having to

ask.

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Celebrity Eclipse Balcony Deck 8 Cat C1 by sevenseascoaster

Our stateroom was as expected, but would have preferred the bed configuration the opposite

way, as with the bed by the patio doors it makes entry onto the balcony very narrow.

The wardrobe space is adequate, I always take extra hangers but find it difficult to move the

sliding doors across. The bathroom is well laid out and plenty of storage, but wish the fixed

tap could be moved to the side, if you wanted to wash out smalls or hair. Adequate plugs make

sure you take adaptors? Very comfortable bed.

We were lucky to have the sun on our balcony most days so we made a lot of use of the

comfortable chairs etc to gaze out at the majestic seas and dream! Everywhere was spotless,

our stateroom attendant Cherryl was super and although tiny! She did an amazing job.

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RV Tonle (Viking Mekong) cabin by Dave

Our cabin was 207 - one of 28 almost identical 'deluxe' double cabins located on decks 2 & 3 -

and we were in and exploring it within seconds of boarding. The remaining 10 cabins are all

singles and are on deck 1. Unlike the doubles, the single cabins have just a porthole and (we

were told) are very small!

The photos were taken from

the doorway. Out of shot to

the right is a small table, a

fair-sized built-in wardrobe

with a safe, and the door to

the bathroom.

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I always find it difficult with my camera to take decent photos of a ship's bathroom but this is

of average size and very much in keeping with the rest of the ship - except for the shower (not

shown) which is tiled in white.

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From the photos below it might appear that we had a balcony. Well, it's a balcony of sorts and

it suited us perfectly (note the ashtray on the table!). The cabins on decks 2 & 3 are reached

from the outside - there are no internal corridors on this ship - and so someone might walk

past occasionally, but in effect it was like having your own balcony.

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Queen Mary 2 B3 Balcony Cabin Deck 4 by bobbyboy

This was the lowest grade of balcony cabin towards the stern on the lowest passenger deck

(Deck 4). A sheltered balcony often referred-to as a Hull Hole due to the fact that it's in the

hull of the ship and has a big cut-out (hole) to the outside world.

It was perfectly adequate on our short cruise in the English Channel but views are restricted

by the steel of the hull when sitting down. The cabin itself was good... as with most shiny, big,

new ships!

You can see the steel front of the balcony in this image...

Clean, tidy and modern... nothing too fancy...

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A quick shot of the en-suite...

A view of the cabin from the doorway...

For a low grade balcony it was great. In spite of being on the lowest passenger deck it was still

high-up due to the enormous size of the ship and the view was unobstructed when standing

up.

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HAL Eurodam Deluxe Balcony Suite Deck 6 Aft 6164 by grannyM

Our stateroom 6164 Aft Deluxe Balcony suite, Upper Veranda deck, was ready when we

boarded and once we found it we were delighted to see how spacious it was. It is definitely the

most luxurious accommodation we've ever had and the welcoming bottle of champagne and

fruit bowl a very nice touch.

As expected the furnishing was of the highest standard. A huge settee, coffee table with two

armchairs either side, a desk with all the usual ship information and personalised stationery. A

large flat screen TV and DVD player. The 4 doored wardrobes had separate hanging space with

loads of hangers in the double wardrobe, a gent's robe which also housed the safe, a long

compartment of shelf space for clothes and shoes.

Also all around the stateroom there was plenty of other doored shelving. The bed was

enormous, the same as most other ships we've been on, very comfortable and a choice of 3

different pillow softness. Although it was spacious and luxurious it was one room and to call it

a suite was a little misleading.

Sorry this photo does not do justice to the size of the stateroom as the wardrobes and

bathroom door are behind where I'm standing.

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The bathroom was fantastic with two sinks, a bathtub and separate shower stall. Both the bath

and the shower had dispensers for shampoo, conditioner and bath/shower gel.

The little dressing room just before the bathroom was a dream with mirrors about the

dressing table and a huge magnified mirror which was great for putting on make-up. Three

drawers down one side for cosmetics kept it tidy.

The best thing of all was a 'real' hairdryer

and not one of those weak slow things that

are the usual on ships and in hotels. 2

electric sockets in here for American and

European plugs.

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Being an aft corner suite the balcony wrapped around the stern and was furnished with a table

and 4 chairs, 2 armchairs and footstools and round the corner on the port side 2 sun loungers.

We seldom used the sun loungers but made great use of the rest of the balcony. This

stateroom could be connected to the next door stateroom and if a family had both and opened

the connecting balcony doors it would be a fabulous facility.

This was the first time we had accommodation at the back of the ship. There was some

vibration but it was not loud and it was not a problem. The great thing about the position was

being able to sit and watch the wake anytime day or night and on one night between Tallinn &

St Petersburg we had a great view of the most fantastic lightning show.

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Splendour of The Seas Grand Suite 8510 by Skier Pete

Situated on deck 8 , forward starboard side. Category := Grand Suite

THE CABIN

The cabin is ~ 19ft x 19ft (~ 350 sq. ft.) of which the bath room is ~ 8ft x 7ft (~56sq. ft.)

Storage is in 5 full height wardrobes, consisting of a double door unit which has full length

hanging space with a high level shelf above for the lifejackets. Two of the other wardrobes

have 4 shelves each and the fifth has two large drawers at the base and half-length hanging

space above.

Fitted in the bar are a mini-bar three full size drawers, a shallow drawer and a narrow

cupboard. In the vanity unit are three drawers, one of which houses the hair-drier. Above the

tea / coffee making facilities is a small cupboard with two shelves one of which has the safe on

it. The bedside tables have three very small drawers in them.

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The seating area has a single arm chair, an L-shaped four person (at a squeeze) settee, a small

glass topped coffee table and a large flat screen TV. The bed area can be screened off using the

heavy duty curtain. Finally access to the balcony is through the four section full height and

width windows. There is room for two cases under the bed and additional cases will go behind

the curtain adjacent to the TV.

Large spacious cabin with masses of storage space, generous seating, large bar area, and a large

his and hers bathroom with full size bath and shower in the bath.

This cabin benefits from the "Suite Guest enhancement Program" and has full use of the

concierge lounge and all the concierge facilities. There are US and European power outlets and

a hairdryer.

NOISE

There was a lot of noise from tables and chairs being dragged about in the Windjammer right

up until 02:00. This was peculiar to this cruise as the opening times are different on South

American itineraries. Usually on European and Caribbean cruises the Buffet shuts at 21:00.

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THE BATHROOM

BALCONY

The balcony is overhung, by about 8ft by

the deck above. Furniture was two wicker

chairs and a wicker, glass-topped coffee

table. Two sun loungers were provided

when we asked for them. Approximately

110sq. ft.

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Balmoral Junior Balcony Suite by Dave

Looking back at the different cabins we've had, there's one that for us was the perfect choice.

Fred Olsen call it a 'junior balcony suite', but a cabin of this size and type might be called a

deluxe balcony cabin or simply a standard balcony cabin by other cruise lines. I believe it's a

bit naughty to call any cabin a 'suite' unless there are separate sleeping and living areas but,

putting the slightly misleading description aside, this was a brilliant cabin nonetheless!

I never find it easy to take a photo of the bathroom (I need a wide-angle lens!), but it was a

decent size, had all the usual necessities, and a bath:

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There's plenty of wardrobe and drawer space, and the furniture and fittings are of a good

quality. The light-coloured wood finish and lots of mirrors create a feeling of space:

Perhaps the only downside to this cabin was that the two single beds were fixed (unless

someone knows differently..?):

The living area was great (and a little bigger than it seems in the photo). There were two

comfortable chairs to sit and watch the world go by, and a decent-size coffee table to put your

feet up on:

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The balcony (like all Balmoral's balconies as far as I'm aware) has an unobstructed view and

was a reasonable size - enough for two chairs, a small table, and one lounger (so you have to

take turns!), and the balcony deck isn't covered in plastic:

We've paid a lot more for bigger cabins but, to be honest, they weren't worth the extra. And

we've paid less for smaller ones, but they were only places to sleep. The Balmoral junior

balcony suite is (again, in my humble opinion) simply the best!

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Celebrity Constellation Cat C3 (Concierge Class) Cabin 9100 by Wansbrough

This was our first time for a Concierge Class cabin and only a 2 night mini cruise across the

channel. The cabin is ideally placed on deck nine right outside the mid ship staircase. You

only need to walk up one deck for the pool deck and buffet.

The ship had only recently been in for a refit to make it more like the newer Solstice class

ships but being as we had not been on her before, we were not able to see what was new and

what wasn't.

The cabin was very light and airy, nice and clean but did have a really small balcony. All the

usual items are there, mini bar, hair drier, safe, etc...

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All in all a very comfortable cabin with a very small balcony which looks right into a suite.

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Celebrity Silhouette Cat 2B Balcony Cabin 7283 by Wansbrough

We love these balcony cabins on the Solstice class ships and feel really at home in them. This

particular cabin is aft to mid-ship on the port side and it is one that can be used as an

adjoining cabin if required. There is a clever doorway which can be folded out for a single

entry door to both cabins.

Looking towards the balcony.

The bed is balcony end and there are all the usual items at your disposal such as safe, hair-

drier, mini bar and also an interactive TV where you can check your onboard account, book a

table in the speciality restaurant, order room service or view the ships photos taken of you. Or

you simply watch a film or the cruise director's daily waffle.

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Slightly angled view looking towards the balcony.

Looking back towards the door from the balcony.

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Costa Serena Cat B3 Balcony Cabin 8382 by Wansbrough

These photos show how the cabin looked back in April 2010. Costa have recently re-branded

their cabin category's so I am not sure what it would be in today's brochure. It is a very typical

Costa balcony cabin, plenty of room and not too fancy, very clean and ample storage.

Our only grumble would be that it is just under the buffet and you could hear the waiters

trolleys being wheeled up and down at various time during the day.

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Looking back into the cabin, and shots of the bathroom.

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Ventura C deck balcony cabin by Dave

There's been some talk about the advantages of choosing a balcony cabin on C deck on

Ventura as opposed to other decks, so I thought I'd share my opinions in a 'cabin review', and

hopefully it might also be of interest to those considering other Grand class ships such as

Azura, Grand Princess, etc.

This was only our second cruise with a balcony. We've had a junior balcony suite on Balmoral

and, since the general layout and sizes were very similar, comparisons were inevitable.

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I felt Ventura's cabin was functional and rather cramped which, given its reasonable size,

might seem puzzling. The 'bathroom' (no bath!) was the smallest we'd ever had - including

those in our previous inside and outside cabins. Taking a photo wasn't easy!:

Between the bathroom and the rest of the cabin was this great big... er, space. Actually, it was

a space with a shelf and a rail and I suppose it could be described as a walk-in wardrobe. It

might be better described as a wardrobe with no doors:

It was a bit of a squeeze to get past the bed, but at least this was a double (unlike Balmoral's

two singles!)

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But the saving grace for this cabin was the balcony - it was not only quite big, but it was half-

covered by the balcony above which meant that we could pop outside for a fag - even in the

rain!

Although the balcony has ample space for a couple of loungers, there were only two chairs, a

small table, and one footstool. Looking down on the balconies below, we could see they all

had two footstools, so I asked our cabin steward where our other one was. He told us that only

the deluxe balcony cabins have two footstools! So sun-bathing on the balcony required laying

out towels on that green plastic stuff that's very painful to walk on in bare feet...

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Queen Mary 2 Balcony Stateroom Deck 11 by sevenseascoaster

Our Room was an A1 balcony on deck 11 amidships. We were pleased to see that the

refurbishments that had taken place since our last cruise on her had made a big difference.

Gone were the tired furnishings, carpet and bed linen and replaced with new and pleasing

colours, everything was spotless, and a welcome bottle of sparkling wine.

The best part of the cabin is the ample wardrobe space (except the rail is not high enough to

cope with the length of Ladies Formal Dresses! And those awful hangers that are attached to

the rail) lots of lovely drawer space and the safe at eye level. Ample space in the bathroom for

all sundries. Another minor gripe is NO kettle, as it sails from British waters not much to ask

for? for those that like a cup of tea made with boiling water! And at any time required, without

having to call for room service and then the water is lukewarm?!!

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Black Watch Junior Suite 5004 by Dave

We wanted this cruise and there was only one cabin available, so although it's not one we

would have chosen, I accept that 'beggars can't be choosers'. However, I feel it might be of

interest if I explain why this deck 5 junior suite was probably our least desirable cabin to date

on any ship. There are two main reasons for our disappointment: the standard of the cabin,

and its location.

First though, perhaps I ought to mention the price - £705pp for a 4 night cruise booked at the

very last minute works out at nearly £180pp per night. Last year an early booking of a premier

suite on Balmoral worked out at about £190pp per night on a 14 night cruise. Given that four

nights really means three-and-a-half days, the prices per day were very similar but the

packages were vastly different, not least in that a junior suite doesn't have a balcony.

On arriving at suite 5004 our impression was that this was simply a big cabin. The room was

very similar to our deck 5 outside cabin of two years ago - but wider. There was a double bed

instead of the two singles (one of which became a sofa during the day), a basic sofa, an extra

easy chair, and there was a bath in the bathroom. There was a fruit bowl, but the 'Suite

Dreams' extras don't apply to this grade.

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This was a cabin that looked as if nothing had been done to it in twenty years. The wear and

tear was obvious (although not that apparent in the photos) - from wardrobe doors that

wouldn't stay open because the catches were broken, to a bath panel that I had to wedge to

stop from banging as the ship rolled, to a lockable draw that I couldn't unlock (luckily there

was another!). Perhaps the only thing that had changed in twenty years was the TV - an LCD

model with a screen smaller than the average laptop. In a word, the cabin was tatty.

Too make it worse, I know that 'junior suite' cabins are found on decks 5 and 7. Those on deck

5 are at the front on the ship (where the movement is greatest) and have a small window,

whereas some on deck 7 are on a very attractive passageway with much larger windows. There

really is no comparison, yet both are the same grade in terms of price.

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Many deck 5 junior suites have an extra bed or two and are probably ideal for families - there

was a family in one a couple of doors along from us - but for two people, a lot more money

buys little more than a bit of extra space. I rarely criticise Fred Olsen (my last three cabin

reviews have been positively glowing) but I'll make an exception this time; please don't call

this a 'suite' Fred, call it a 'big cabin'. And get the decorators in!

(Looking back on what I've written I suspect I'll be accused of sour grapes because I'd have

preferred a cabin on deck 7. That's true, but at least prospective junior suite passengers will be

aware that they're not all the same!)

Above: Deck 5 Junior Suites. Below: Deck 7 Junior Suites.

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Adventure of the Seas Junior Suite 9234 by grannyM

Size 265 sq.ft.

After a walk around the ship the staterooms were ready at 2pm and we made our way to ours

to have a look before the Lifeboat drill. Previously we’ve had balcony cabins on Navigator and

Independence and we thought they were as good as some mini-suites on other ships but this

time we had a junior suite and it was much bigger.

A kettle and small coffee maker was provided and a fabulous walk-in wardrobe with loads of

hangers were another difference from Navigator. I have to say that in our experience Royal

Caribbean have had the best shelves and drawer space compared to other ships we've sailed on

so far.

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The bathroom was small and the only difference from the balcony cabins was it had a bath.

Again lots of shelves behind the long mirrors above the wash-hand basin which are very useful

for keeping the bathroom tidy.

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The balcony was the real bonus as it was much bigger and completely private as the sides were

solid from top to bottom. We experienced little noise from either side and really enjoyed the

use of the balcony throughout the cruise. Size 75 sq.ft.

The suitcases arrived one at a time and we unpacked the first one and was putting it under the

bed when we discovered a pair of sandals and a half full bottle of water. We found a stateroom

attendant but he wasn’t ours. He said ours would be along soon and he took the items away.

Eventually when ours did show he apologised and gave us the ’so much to do on turn-around

day’ routine. He also told us that they do not have assistants now which really does make for a

lot more work in a very short time which we do appreciate. However, although everything was

always spotless he didn’t inspire confidence as there was a lot of little things that we found

irritating. For instance, we had used the one coffee bag provided on the first day and asked

him the next morning if we could have more than one. He said of course but there was only

one left the next day. It didn’t really bother us as the one-cup coffee maker was a pain and the

coffee wasn’t great either so we stuck to tea. However, days went past when we had no

ordinary tea-bags or white sugar. Although we were bringing them up from the café we kept

them in a drawer to see just how long it would take for him to replace what we had used.

Eventually after a few days I had to ask him for them.

This was a great cabin but unfortunately I have to say the stateroom assistant was probably

one of the worst we've had compared to our other 2 RCI cruises. Or for that matter on any

other cruise.

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MSC Opera Inside cabin 10156 by JollyJill

We had never booked an inside cabin before but because the itinerary appealed, we decided to

get the cheapest deal we could.

Actually, we were both pleasantly surprised. I didn't feel in the least bit claustrophobic and I

guess that is because of the clever use of the lighting and mirrors. I also liked the complete

darkness when it was time to sleep; in fact I had quality sleep throughout the cruise, which

can't be said when I am at home.

The cabin was

situated on deck 10

just aft of amidships

and at no time did

we feel any pitch

and roll whilst at

sea.

There was adequate storage space, and the shower room was fine although not big.

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Norwegian Jade Mini Suite 11532 by grannyM

First impression of Jade was that she was a well laid out and organised ship. Everyone was very

helpful and welcoming. Our stateroom was 11532 amidships and although it was a mini-suite at

26.5 sq m. was no bigger than a balcony stateroom on RCI. The balcony was of similar size too.

The only flat surface used as desk/dressing table was a bit cramped because it contained the

coffee maker, the hairdryer and all the electric sockets for these and the television. There was

only 1 American and 1 European socket for personal use. The hairdryer was excellent as were

the mirrors and lighting round them but there really was not enough room here for all you

needed to do.

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I was struck by how clean everything seemed and then remembered that Jade had been

refurbished earlier this year.

It was obvious in the fittings and especially the bathroom and toilet which looked brand new.

This was not a spacious bathroom and the toilet is separated from the bath/shower and wash

basin area by a sliding glass door making the bath and wash basin area feel even smaller. The

shower was over the bath and an addition of a frame for the sliding glass shower panels made

it rather awkward to get in and out of. The three glass panels did a good job of keeping the

shower from flooding the floor.

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While I’m pointing out the negatives the

absence of any drawer space at the

bedside was greatly missed. On one side

there was a small table which held the

phone with a shelf underneath for books

etc,. but on the other side was a tiny little

shelf that held no more that a book. Not

really very convenient for keeping

personal items tidied away.

Apart from these small grievances overall the stateroom had great hanging and loads of

drawer space for two people. Suitcases went easily under the bed and the bed itself was of the

usual good quality you find on cruise ships. Of course the obligatory 100% Egyptian cotton

sheets and pillowcases are always a treat.

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A section of deck 11 does have an overhang from the sun deck above. It didn't bother us as far

as we do not sun bathe, but there was quite a lot of noise of sun-beds being dragged to be put

out in the morning and again when they were being stacked in the evening. If you are a sun

worshipper you should take note of which section of deck 11 these staterooms do have

'overhang' from above when booking.

All in all everything about this cabin was well placed and adequate but I don't know that it

should be called anything other than a Balcony cabin. We liked it so much that we booked the

same category for the next year.

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Seabourn Odyssey Cabin/Suite 431 by JollyJill

First of all Seabourn cabins are classed as suites and rightly so because they are bigger, better

furnished and more luxurious than the average cruise line when you book a standard cabin.

Suite 431 was on deck 4 and being one of the cheaper suites did not have a balcony. It didn't

matter to us though as we like to spend as much time as possible on deck. The suite itself was

furnished very comfortably with large twin beds, a sofa and a table with 2 chairs.

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There was plenty of wardrobe and storage place - enough for world cruise if we could afford

one.

The cabin attendant kept it all spotlessly clean and made sure that we had an endless supply

of fresh fruit and that our favourite tipples were topped up.

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Azamara Quest Suite 8091 by sevenseascoaster

Deck 8 aft, our Suite, was great. A separate lounge, large bedroom, with a whole wall of

wardrobes, all the wood is dark but with the space it really looked good. The incorporated

fridge was well stocked and there was a safe, writing desk area, make up/dressing area & TV.

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The bathroom had a whirlpool Jacuzzi bath, two shower units, lots of lovely toiletries and soft

fluffy towels. And there was another separate bathroom for guests!

The lounge area had plenty of chairs, a sideboard, large TV, DVD etc. The sideboard was

topped off with four bottles of spirits. There was a dining table with four chairs.

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The wrap around balcony or Terrace Balcony as it was called was 233 sq ft huge. Perfect for

catching the sun's rays in different positions and wonderful views all round. Two giant size

loungers, huge glass table with four chairs and a couple of separate chairs and foot stools.

All this luxury came with its own Butler, named Mevin, who was great and extremely efficient,

and once again nothing was too much trouble, but I found it difficult to ask for anything, (not

used to that luxury!!) and couldn't help myself in clearing up etc.!

If you're in a Suite you are entitled to use the two speciality restaurants for no charge.

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Costa Pacifica Balcony Cabin 6419 by Wansbrough

Costa Pacifica Classic Balcony Cabin No 6419 Bohème Deck (6) was our home for 7 nights in

April 2013. It is just about identical to any Costa cabin we have ever had with the exception

that this one has a flat screen TV in it.

The ship's theme is "Music of the Seas" and the art in the cabin reflected this. It amused me to

see a Union Jack on the picture above the bed. It was comfortable and spacious enough for all

our needs. As with all previous Costa cabins it is kept spotlessly clean.

Something we noticed on this cruise was the continual slamming of balcony doors, the closing

mechanism seemed to catching a lot of people out or either they just didn't care about making

noise when shutting the doors.

The bathroom is basic and it has one of those lovely clingy shower curtains.

The cabin was well maintained and I did not see any areas which needed attention. There's

plenty of hanging storage space (which I forgot to photograph!).

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There are 2 sockets in the cabin, one is a Euro type and the other is the US version. If you are

taking UK adapters there is only enough room to plug one of these in so maybe if you are

relying on two sockets you should invest in some leads that will fit the sockets. I have some

but couldn't find where I had put them before I went. There is a hard wired hair-drier in the

top drawer.

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Norwegian Breakaway BA Balcony Cabin 14780 by Wansbrough

We selected this cabin for its central location and first impressions of the cabin were good but

having spent some time in it there are a few things that did not work for us.

The storage space is very limited and there are no drawers except for the ones under the sofa

which on this occasion were empty but would presumably be used to store additional bedding

for the third person sleeping in the cabin.

The wardrobe is a good size but access is very tight beside the bed. I would say there is only

about 15" between the wardrobe and the bed and you have to stand immediately in front of it

to gain access and walk in a crab like fashion to get to the other end where the hanging is. I

like to stand back a bit to look in which you cannot do here. The safe and shelving are behind

the first door in and it was very awkward to see what was on the lower shelves. I wish I had

taken a photo now to show how narrow it was.

I really liked the look and feel of the rosewood effect lacquered doors and with the sweeping

curves it all helps to make the cabin feel slightly larger than it actually is.

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There is a flat screen TV where you have all the usual access to guest services and you can

check your account, book tables, excursions or simply just use it to watch a film or TV.

The balcony is tiny and there is not much privacy when sat on it from adjacent cabins. The

cabins on deck 14 are also right under the overhang from deck 15 and would be surprised if you

get much sun on these even in warmer climates.

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The cabin also has a coffee machine and there are 4 sockets ( 2x Euro & 2 x US). Lights in the

cabin can only be operated after inserting your sea-pass into a slot next to the door.

NCL have introduced a clever system for communicating with your steward, there are two

switches near the door where you can switch them on and off to show a light over the door on

the outside, these lights can indicate if you need the cabin made up or simply that you do not

wish to disturbed. They have basically replaced the piece of card you hang over the door

handle but now nobody can mess with them as you have control from inside the cabin.

Something else we have not seen before in our cruising experience is cabin doors that open

out into the corridor. This again is to presumably gain more room in cabin.

The bathroom is nice and compact and although it's not too big, it is very user friendly, the

shower having its own glass cubicle with some decent pressure too.

A nice cabin but maybe a little too compact in places. I have to admit to being disappointed

with what I found.

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Caribbean Princess Inside Cabin 741 by Peka

As my cabin (sorry stateroom) was an inside, situated right at the back of the ship it was

relatively quiet (apart from a bit of engine or whatever noise/vibrations) but at least I knew

when we were arriving in port every day, without having a window to check!

Split into two areas, I thought was good, first from the door to the right - the bathroom and

dressing area and then into the main “living” area.

Overall comfortable and spacious - approximately 163ft according to the Princess website, with

plenty of storage (at least I thought so, for one person on a 12 day trip, but I don’t take much!).

Bed… hmm the bed was a bit “Goldilocks” for me. The twin beds made into a queen sized

bed… one side a little soft, the other side alright… but I often ended up falling down the

middle trying to get comfortable and as the bed kept deciding to part!

Two bedside cabinets with two drawers and a shelf each. I did have a problem a few nights,

maybe it was a little bumpy as the drawers flew open, scaring the life out of me! The bedside

lamps, with very annoying twisty turn off (we all had problems with them) - it either twists

around and around and doesn’t turn off, or twist and the light closes off so quickly with a pop,

you aren’t sure if you had blown the bulb, so end up twisting it again to check! In fact, the

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bulb did blow in my parents room and even exploded in my grandparents room as they found

fragments of glass one day.

Large hanging open space more than enough for me – I counted 30 hangers. I only needed

about 6, I must have used the man’s share of the hangers! I did find that I had to push all the

hangers to one end, as they swayed and clanked about at times. There is a shelf above that

stores the life jackets and beach towels plus space for other stuff (I put my holdall out of the

way up there and still had space).

My case stored easily in the wardrobe space, I think it would have gone under the bed OK, I

didn’t think of putting it there until writing this! (But there was plenty of things already under

the bed - spare sheets etc by the looks of it.)

Next to the wardrobe a large cupboard with about six shelves one of which houses the safe

(nice and easy to use, I’ve never bothered with the safe before, I don’t possess anything worth

nicking!) I just used it for the fun of it, mainly locking my chocolates away every night!

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Desk/vanity whatever you want to call it, a large mirror with spotlights above, with three

drawers. Fitted hair-dryer, I tried it once, OK, I guess - it got my hair from wet to dry! Two

(US) power sockets to the side (why are they always placed so low it is hard to plug items in?).

I couldn’t find the spare adapter before we went, so I had to trek down the corridor to charge

stuff, until I discovered the sockets for the bedside lamps were Euro fittings.

Fridge to the side, stocked with a bottle of water and 4 sodas (I can’t remember if they were

there to start with, I think I checked first and it was empty). Ice bucket - I just used the ice - it

soon melted and provided me with enough cool water to refill my bottle everyday!

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TV above the fridge, fitted slightly wonkily to the wall. I think channels 47-49 relayed info

from the ship, weather, position etc/webcam. Channel 50 showed anything that was broadcast

on the big screen up on Lido Deck (Movies Under the Stars); other channels had the usual

movies, US TV shows, news and sports etc. Picture quality was poor, the menu had been

disabled so you couldn’t adjust the brightness/contrast and colour. Reception was OK, not

that we were anywhere remote, but in-house stuff, the picture was worse! There is a daily

“Wake show” with the Cruise Director, mainly pointless as he basically read the info direct

from the Princess Patter/port info sheets – showing them on screen but all you could see were

white sheets of paper! The only interesting part of the show was that it was hosted from

different areas of the ship you don’t usually see.

There is a small circular table placed in the room in the stupidest place, against the wall

between the desk and walkway leaving about a foot to negotiate around.

Bathroom - shower, toilet, hand basin pretty much what you’d expect! Three open shelves to

the side, I didn’t take much so there was plenty of space for my stuff. A shaving point, large

mirror with spotlights so probably not a fantastic light for applying make-up maybe explaining

some of the orange looking people but OK for putting contact lenses in.

The toiletries provided are all branded as Lotus Spa (ship’s own) - shampoo, conditioner, body

lotion and soap, but no shower gel! As I was travelling light I almost didn’t bother packing my

own, but luckily added a small bottle in my case last minute. They are usable but nothing

special, found the shampoo a little drying, the eucalyptus scent made me feel like a koala

Replenished daily (if I removed a bottle there would be a replacement in the evening) so I

have a few extra bottles, they are quite nice for refilling.

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I found the shower a little small, smashing my elbows, regularly and if the shampoo or

whatever fell out the holder, it was pretty hard to bend down and pick it up again without

hitting your head or something. The shower pressure wasn’t great even after adjusting the

shower head, the temperature (I don’t like exceedingly hot showers) but turning it all the way

50°C and it not feeling hot isn’t so good!). Another thing was the fact that the shower head is

at a fixed height about three inches from my head. I am about 5’9” so anyone 6 foot + would

probably stay dry. The only adjustment just sprayed the water at the wall or hit the stupid

shower curtain and make a big puddle on the floor.

The towels, were tiny and you could barely wrap them around yourself, without them falling

off if you tried to move or even breathe. I won a large magnetic clip, so ended using it to hold

the towel together and keep it in place, not its intended use I am sure!! The hand towels were

so small, I couldn’t wrap one round my head to dry my hair as I really don’t like to use a hair-

dryer. Great, I made myself sound fat and big headed in the space of one paragraph! I think I’ll

finish now!

My parents' and grandparents' cabins were at the front of the ship on the same deck (also

inside, exactly the same, though a different category, zero difference) but seemed very noisy in

the evening - you could hear the music thumping from three decks below, so maybe that

made a slight price difference, I have no idea. Unless they all had very noisy neighbours!

My friend’s cabin was on Plaza Deck 5 outside; she had a picture window, that was purely the

only difference.

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Saga Ruby Inside Cabin J Grade by khkate

As you walk in the door, this is the view of the main area of the cabin – quite compact, but

surprisingly spacious. Plenty of drawer space between the beds – 3 very deep and large drawers

– with a pull-out shelf at the top for your morning tea tray.

This is the view looking towards the door from the beds. I was trying to photograph the cabin

without getting myself in shot. To the left were two wardrobes with an adequate supply of

hangers (although I always bring my frocks on their own hangers). There was also the

complimentary bathrobe in each wardrobe.

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Just at the foot of the bed on the left was a wall-mounted flat-screen TV which could also be

used as a DVD player if desired.

Behind the door are some coat hooks for hanging coats, cameras, walking sticks, sunhats, etc.

Behind the mirror is the bathroom. There is the large mirror shown which has a separate light

above it (quite good for doing make-up) and a chair. To the right of that there was a waist

high drawer unit with 5 large drawers in it and above it a cupboard where the room safe was

located as well as the shoe cleaning kit, laundry bags and lists, complimentary hairdryer and

complimentary binoculars.

Adjoining that was a waist high cupboard, which housed the fridge (where we kept our bottle

of champagne), topped by another 2 large drawers and an flat area where the complimentary

jug of iced water and complimentary bowl of fruit could be found.

There were also two sockets (2-pin 110V EU type) and another light above this smaller mirror

which was fairly ineffective to use.

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View of the shower in the bathroom – shower mat supplied - which was compact but drained

easily and did allow oneself to shower quite comfortably. The bathroom overall was of a better

layout than some previously experienced.

The toilet just to the right had a wall-mounted corner cupboard just to the right of that (3

good shelves inside) and then to the left of the shower was the hand basin.

Shower gel, shampoos, hair conditioner,

moisturiser, liquid soap, bars of soap, flannels

and towels all provided – and changed/topped

up as required.

Being an inside cabin, there is no view to the outside world, but we used Channel 2 on the TV

(Bridge webcam) to get our view. The cabin was relatively quiet as were near the end of the

ship, so not much passing traffic. We were only disturbed a couple of times by the sound of

the engines if they went into reverse thrust, usually for coming into port. Otherwise the cabin

was very comfortable.

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Saga Sapphire N grade 10030 by spekid

Thought I’d have a go and see how I did with some pictures on the forum!

The photos are from our Iceland cruise last summer and it was on board the Saga Sapphire -

our first trip on the Sapphire, and the cabin was on deck 10 number 10030.

Lovely big cabin with ample storage space, including the usual suitcase dumping ground

under the bed. Nicely chilled bottle of bubbly waiting for our arrival and a couple of comfy

chairs and reasonable sized table for cabin service, which we used fairly often!

Cabin service is included and 24/7 providing a wide selection of goodies on offer and we used

it regularly on returning to ship after day out or excursion. Although there are no tea/coffee

making facilities in the cabin, you simply use cabin service; it’s a very quick service indeed.

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Wardrobe and shelving storage to the left of the picture and a safe in the shelved area; fridge

under the TV to the right and two windows on the right hand wall. TV may be a bit small, but

what the heck, we’re on holiday, used it for the forward camera more than anything! The cabin

door is to the left of the wardrobes.

Bathroom was to the right of the bed area; loads of towels and quality shampoos and other

things, as well complimentary robes which were a decent size as well! Loo to the right as you

entered and vanity unit to the left and then beyond that occupying the space beyond a rather

nice sized shower.

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Viking Neptune Cat A Cabin 311 by Dave

The deck plan shows that Viking Neptune has five cabin grades. That's true, but there are only

two different sizes - normal (deluxe) and small (standard). All the cabins except the tiny ones

on the lower deck are much the same, and the grade (and hence the price) depends on the

location.

My first impression on entering the cabin was that it was very smart. Not big, but bright and

modern (although my photo makes it look dark). And I immediately loved the huge opening

window. The window ledge was wide enough to sit on and although the weather was cold the

air-conditioning vent on the ledge kept me warm!

The bed was extremely comfortable, although strangely the duvet was a bit short so it was

important to set the cabin temperature just right.

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The bathroom (no bath though) was very nicely equipped with modern fittings and quality

toiletries and towels. In size, it was like most cruise ship bathrooms and certainly bigger than

the one we had on Ventura!

Unlike many other cruise lines, Viking don't charge for bottled water. I've never understood

why, having paid £thousands for a cruise, lines such as Thomson charge a silly amount for

something that costs them so little.

You can also make out two radio receivers in the middle of the photo. These are taken on

excursions so you can always hear the guide, and they work really well.

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Although it was rather small, the TV offered a much wider variety of channels than we've seen

before as well as films shown at set times. We didn't use it though and I wonder how many

people do - there are more interesting things to do on a cruise than watch the telly!

As we've always found in every cabin we've had, there was plenty of storage space. Our cases

fitted under the bed easily and there was room to spare in the generous wardrobe and

drawers. There was a safe in the wardrobe and unlike certain other cruise lines (sorry again

Thomson) it was free to use.

In conclusion, I felt this was a very nice cabin. However, I'm not sure I'd want to pay extra

simply to be higher and in the centre of a ship that doesn't sway anyway, and where nothing is

more than a few seconds' walk away, so my advice would be to go for a lower grade. If I try to

compare this cabin with ones we've had on ocean-going ships I'd have to say it's like a typical

balcony cabin - without the balcony (although the window is some compensation).

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Celebrity Silhouette Cat 2A Balcony Cabin 7276 (Hump Cabin) by Wansbrough

We chose this cabin for its central location and close proximity to the coffee machine in The

Haven where we had anticipated the same hours of service we had enjoyed on our previous

cruise on the Silhouette. Unfortunately the coffee machine is now not available until 9:00 so

we took it in turns to visit the Ocean View Cafe each day for our caffeine fix and bring it back

to the balcony to drink. We are not big believers of using the room service.

The Solstice class cabins on Celebrity are very alike and this cabin is no exception. It is clean

and modern looking and above all very comfortable. The cabin itself can accommodate 5

people but I would not want to try it as I would imagine space would be very limited. The sofa

doubles as a bed with trundle bed underneath. There is also a bunk which drops from the

ceiling to make up the 5 bed. There is also the facility to link the entrance door with the cabin

next door if you are travelling as a family group and need to adhere to the cruise lines age

requirements.

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There is ample storage space for our requirements and although I have heard criticism of the

cupboards over the bed I have always found them to be very useful and easily accessible. Extra

hangers were supplied after asking our steward.

As with most balconies on this class there is ample space and much more than some of the

newer ships we have seen recently. Because it is centre hump you can look down without any

lifeboats restricting your view and also you have a clear view forward and towards the aft. The

ship was 2 years old when we stopped in this cabin and the only sign of damage was to the

plinth under the mini bar. Everything else was immaculate.

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Celebrity Eclipse Accessible Cabin Deck 10 by sevenseascoaster

We were invited to see this cabin by a couple we had met on board. The husband was

disabled and used a wheelchair.

Hopefully this will be of interest if you need a disabled cabin. It was situated on Starboard

side Deck 10 quite near to the lifts.

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Large accessible bathroom and shower wet room with folding chair:

There are wider than normal doorways, and a ramp to the larger than normal balcony.

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Costa Fortuna Stern Balcony Cabin 6467 by Wansbrough

I will start with the cabin's location. As you will see from the image below this is an aft facing

cabin on deck 6. We have not had an aft cabin on Costa before but were not put off after our

previous MSC experience where because there are only 2 areas to change decks meant you had

to walk a fair distance every time to go up or down. The Costa ships we have been on have 3

stair/lift areas and the rear one is within quick reach of the cabin.

Our location meant that almost nobody walked past the cabin as it was right in the centre at

the aft so from that respect the cabin was quiet.

Although classed as a premium cabin is no different than any other Costa cabin we have had

except ....... for a little pinch point right outside the bathroom. At first we couldn't understand

why but eventually I think I sussed the reason. There appears to be a large structural support

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running down one side of the cabin and I believe this has meant that a lot of the cabin has all

been pushed over to accommodate it.

The cabin itself was well maintained and very clean, plenty of storage, hangers and drawer

space. It's really just a very typical comfortable and basic Costa cabin.

The only other grumble would be that you could sometimes hear music from the bar below

but we always sleep with the balcony door open and the noise from the turbulent water

outside drowned it out anyway.

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The bathroom is again a no thrills typical Costa one which was clean and well maintained.

Lovely sticky shower curtains which are always cold when you touch them! Yuk!

I had done some research into the aft balconies on these ships and discovered that due to the

profile of the ship they are in fact deeper than the standard balcony. It all does look a little

tired but there is a reason for this which I will explain. The ship is 11 years old and I think

overdue a dry fit and one of the things which soon became apparent was the funnel often

spewed out flakes of soot which consequently landed not only over parts of the upper decks

but also on our balcony. The steward hoovered our balcony every day as well as mopping it

but I think he is fighting a losing battle. The seats and deck show signs that this has been

happening a while. Once we were aware of it we became more careful what we touched or

leaned on. Would I book this cabin again? Yes, it was still a great cabin in a great location.

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Costa Deliziosa Panorama Suite 4399 by Dave

We experienced our first balcony cabin four years ago and ever since the balcony has been the

single most important feature of any cabin for us. The bed, bathroom, seating and space are all

important too, but it's the balcony that really matters. And that's what a Panorama Suite on

Costa Deliziosa is all about - the balcony is huge. How huge? Well, I sort of measured it and

it's 20 paces from end to end so I reckon it's about 50 feet long!

There are 10 such cabins on Deliziosa and ours was on Deck 4 - the lowest of the balcony

decks. This turned out to be the perfect choice for two reasons: We discovered that the two on

Deck 4 are slightly larger than those above because they extend further out to the side than

those above by a couple of feet and this gives a little more chance of sun on the balcony. Also,

when standing at the rail there's only the sea below - not someone else's balcony.

The balcony is furnished with two sun beds, two reclining chairs, and a small table. Given the

amount of space I was surprised that there was no large table (similar to what Fred Olsen

provided on Balmoral) where we could more comfortably have breakfast. A Jacuzzi would

have been nice too!

I can't stress enough how much we loved this balcony. It was nearly always possible to

sunbathe somewhere on it; there was always somewhere that was sheltered from the wind;

and, standing on the corner gave an incredibly wide view (nearly 270 degrees) and felt close to

the sea. Absolutely fantastic!

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This was a very spacious cabin. It was perhaps a little smaller inside than Fred Olsen's premier

suites on Balmoral and Boudicca but much larger if you include the balcony, which is where

we spent most of our waking hours.

In the most important respects I can't fault the Panorama Suite. The bed was large and

extremely comfortable, and we had a choice of pillows. The furnishings were immaculate and

tasteful; there was a convenient safe; plenty of drawer and wardrobe space; lots of lighting

options and sockets (although we only took one adaptor!); and the seating was comfy. Perhaps

the coffee table might have been bigger though... We always had our breakfast brought to the

cabin (no charge in suites) and it would have been nice to have had a proper table as in the

Fred Olsen suites, but the coffee table just about sufficed. Breakfast was delivered by the

butler - always exactly on time - but I think that was really the only use we made of him,

mainly because his English wasn't great. Actually, we'd have preferred not to have had a butler

because he'd pop in from time to time and we never needed anything. It became slightly

irritating!

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The bathroom was brilliant. I loved the whirlpool bath - especially with some bubble bath and

the power turned up high! Like everywhere on Deliziosa, the fittings were of high quality and

the chrome gleamed. This was such a contrast to Thomson Celebration's tatty bathroom on

our previous ocean cruise.

Overall, this suite is my favourite so far but that's down to the balcony and the bathroom. The

TV was far smaller than Fred Olsen's 40" (or so) screens. As I mentioned, there wasn't a proper

dining table, and the suite lacked many of the touches you might expect for the price. Fred

Olsen provided complimentary drinks (although we did get a bottle of something that might

have been champagne), free room service (we only had it free for breakfast), quality binoculars

and atlas, and other little extras. But with that balcony I could forgive Costa anything!

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Queen Victoria Princess Grill Suite 5093 by sevenseascoaster

As you enter, first impressions, that it is not any difference to any other balcony cabin. Lovely

muted colours and of course spotless. Further down the cabin, it widens out to a very nice

sitting area, with large table, comfy chair and long but comfortable sofa. Plenty of room to

entertain guests! Nice touch was the spray of white orchids, my favourite, and the addition of

a poinsettia plant as we got nearer to Christmas. Two televisions, one for the sitting area, and

one for watching from the bed.

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Outside two adjustable mesh type chairs and mesh table, not a big balcony but still plenty of

room to stretch out. Unfortunately in December, not used a lot.

On arrival, two bottles of sparkling wine, chocolate covered strawberries, tray of chocolates,

all very nice! Bowl of fresh fruit on Bar area.

There was ample space to walk past the bed, although a little tight in area on the right hand

side of bed. All control light system from the bed area was useful.

Loved the desk area, with the computer set up here there was plenty of space for everything,

with a decent chair at just the right height for working.

The bar area was a large curved area with wine glasses set up for the odd tipple and bowl of

fruit, with open spaces underneath for extra storage. Plenty of area to store all the daily views,

etc, that you collect every day, on the top.

I loved the walk in wardrobe, so much nicer than the door type (on Celebrity Eclipse) where

it's difficult to access your clothes easily. Being a bit of a tidy freak, it was good to easily be

able to organise clothes. The biggest point for us was being able to store OH's scooter folded

at the bottom of the wardrobe with ease, and once the clothes were hanging you had no idea it

was there. So no problem for the staff when cleaning, etc.

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Bathroom, with bath and shower, quite compact but plenty of storage areas and daily

replenishment of the nice Cunard toiletries.

The doorways on normal suites, (not disabled) and corridors on the QV are quite narrow so if

you had a large scooter I doubt whether it would go through the doorway, as ours is a mini, no

problem.

I loved the whole cabin, having just everything that we needed.

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Black Watch Outside Cabin 3032 (E) by JollyJill

On our Portugal/Spain cruise on Black Watch in November 2013, we booked an outside cabin

on deck 3 which is called Marina Deck.

Although it is a cheaper grade cabin, or 'steerage' as I call it, we were pleasantly surprised at

how spacious it was and with amount of storage space.

The beds were configured in a L shape layout which meant that there was plenty of room in

the centre of cabin.

There were eight drawers in the dressing table: four either side and two wardrobes which

provided plenty of hanging space, plus another five areas for storage. These consisted of a

lockable drawer which was a substitute for a safe and four sliding open drawers for just about

anything.

Although our cruise was only for eight days, we found that we had more than enough storage

space, some of which remained empty.

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As you can see by the reflection in the mirror, the shower room/Loo was opposite the

wardrobes. It was what most of us get with a standard cabin but it was still big enough and the

actual shower cubicle was probably bigger than we have experienced before. The downside

was the shower curtain which is never as good as a screen.

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Braemar Inside Cabin 3120 (Grade I) by JollyJill

We booked an inside cabin as an Anchor Fare and were allocated cabin 3120 on Atlantic Deck

3, which was just aft of amidships.

It was very convenient for access to the Thistle Restaurant which was situated aft on Deck 4,

where we usually went for breakfast.

The beds were arranged in a L shape in order to maximise on space.

There was plenty of room to move around; there were two wardrobes, again with plenty of

hanging space with shelves above and plenty of floor space below for shoes, and a safe was also

situated in the wardrobe. There were two small chests of drawers and another two large, deep

drawers as part of the dressing table.

A kettle was provided with tea, coffee and milk.

The hair dryer plugged in by the mirror at the dressing table and was powerful enough, unlike

those that you sometimes find in the wall in the shower room.

The cabin had plenty of mirrors which of course made it feel more spacious.

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The shower room was as you would expect, being pretty small, although neither of us had to

do battle with the shower curtain as there was plenty of room to shower comfortably.

Gone are the days of Fred Olsen supplying a full complement of toiletries which used to

include, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, shower cap etc. There was just a Cole and Lewis

shower Gel container on the wall in the shower itself and on the wall by the wash basin.

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P&O Oceana Inside Cabin L338 by jsb

We had booked this cruise as a getaway deal and were allocated the above cabin two weeks

before sailing. I was worried as it is forward on the Lido deck and I suffer from sea sickness,

but luckily we were blessed with calm seas throughout our cruise.

This was our 7th cruise and it was the smallest cabin we have ever had. It is a 3 berth cabin but

in my opinion it would be very cramped and claustrophobic with 3 people in it.

There were plenty of drawers and adequate wardrobe space, the bathroom was the usual size

but the shower was surprisingly large.

There was only one UK plug socket.

The cabin is situated above the buffet, and the only time we heard any noise would be around

10.30 in the evening for around half an hour, but nothing too bad and not everyone goes to

bed as early as us. It was handy being so close to the open decks and the buffet.

The cabin was ok for a week but I don't know if I would be able to have an inside for any

longer.

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P&O Ventura Balcony Cabin L304 by bobbyboy

Cabin L304 is a 'Higher Deck Midship Balcony Cabin' situated on Deck 15 (Lido). We booked a

guarantee cabin and were allocated L304 as an upgrade to the guarantee grade booked.

My initial concerns were regarding the location of the cabin. It is five cabins away from a

swimming pool on the same deck and near to a lift and stair well so the corridor is a useful

thoroughfare to get to the pools. In the event, this didn't prove any bother to us and indeed

proved a handy location for getting out on to the decks. For people who like using the pools or

who would like to nip out for a burger and a drink to bring back to consume on their balcony

then this could prove an ideal location.

There is open deck above and I did hear early morning noises around the time that the sun

loungers would be getting put in position but I don't think it would have woken me up. It

certainly didn't disturb Sleeping Beauty next to me!

There were tea and coffee making facilities (with biscuits) and room service was

complimentary.

Suitcases could be stored under the bed although we had to open ours and lay the lids flat to

get them underneath. We could also stand one up in the open wardrobe.

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The cabin is a standard Ventura layout which I find user-friendly and the bed configuration

(twin or queen) can be chosen and amended on the cruise personaliser before you embark. It

has an open hanging space near to the bathroom and sufficient storage space in the form of

shelves and drawers.

The balcony was compact but adequate for us and had an unobscured view but it did have an

overhang of a couple of feet which obscured the sun as it rose high in the sky.

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Crown Princess Balcony Cabin 214 by grannyM

The Balcony Cabins on this ship and what we

remember from Grand Princess do not

compare favourably with the Balcony cabins on

Royal Caribbean ships that we have been on.

They are quite small and there is a lack of flat

surfaces and drawer and cupboard space in

comparison.

There was only the dressing table top and the

area under the television with a tray for glasses

so these could get a little cluttered. There is a

small fridge under the television area with an

ice bucket which was filled with fresh ice every

day. We never had to ask. You could also order

fresh fruit to be delivered to your cabin every

day but we didn’t take advantage of this as it

was always available in the buffet most of the

day anyway.

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The bed was of the usual high standard and very comfortable. The sheets and pillows lovely

and soft. There was a fresh pillow slip on both the top pillows every day and the sheets were

changed regularly.

There is one armchair and a straight chair for use at the dressing table. Above the dressing

table is the hairdryer which was powerful unlike the usual standard of dryer on ships and in

hotels. However the cord was messy and got in the way of the electric sockets.

Two US style sockets which were placed so close together that it was impossible to use both

with a plug converter at the same time. Thankfully we had purchased the Swiss travel multi-

converter with double USB ports so you could re-charge two items like Kindles or laptops at

the same time if necessary. We used it for our e.cigs. For the mobile or camera batteries it had

to be one at a time.

The walk in wardrobe beside the shower room is absolutely brilliant with plenty of hanging

space and shelves so this more than made up for the overall size of the cabin.

The shower room is also small. In fact it is probably the smallest shower we’ve ever had.

Shower curtain was weighted at the bottom so not too clingy but definitely not as good as a

glass door. Some toiletries were provided. Bathrobes provided on request and although they

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were supposed to be ‘one size to fit all’ there was a big difference in the two we got. The

smaller of the two barely wrapped round me and the larger was the same on OH so I got that

one and he just used the his own.

The balcony has two chairs and small table. There is an overhang on this deck which does not

bother us as we don’t sunbathe. On this trip there was little sun anyway. Although we did

have some nice evenings after some pretty awful weather during the day so we were glad to

have the opportunity to use the balcony. On previous cruises on Grand Princess we had

staterooms on lower decks Caribe and Dolphin, where the balconies are overlooked from

above but Deck 12-Aloha as well as the 2 decks above, 14-Riviera and 15-Lido, as well as 11-Baja

below us were not.

I must mention our stateroom attendant Ricardo, from Mexico, who was excellent. Our cabin,

and especially the shower room, was always cleaned to perfection and towels changed whether

we left them on the floor for changing or hung them on the rail. We never had to ask for

anything because he did his job so well.

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Saga Sapphire Superior Balcony Cabin 10550 by Cocochanel

This cabin was situated on Deck 10 upper aft. and we chose this cabin for its close proximity to

a door leading straight out onto the outside decks. The location of this cabin was fantastic and

apart from the drawing room all other venues were easily accessible as they were all located,

on various decks, more or less directly beneath the cabin. As this cabin is the very last one at

the end of the corridor it is very private with hardly anyone walking past your door. We

experienced no noise at all and even with the very rough weather towards the end of the

cruise, very little motion was felt. The cabin was not as big as other balcony cabins that we

have had on other cruise lines, but that said, it was more than adequate in size for 2 people.

View of the room as seen from the entrance to the cabin. The double bed was very

comfortable with plenty of storing space for suitcases underneath it. The bed had only a fitted

sheet with a duvet over. There was no top sheet nor any blankets on the bed.

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The bathroom cabinets had plenty of packing space with lots of well lit mirrors.

The balcony had 2 chairs and 2 side tables on it and even though it was not very wide, we

thoroughly enjoyed using it! We watched the Northern Lights in the comfort of our cabin

from the balcony and also saw fantastic scenery float by from here. Any misgivings we had

about it not being of much use in the extreme cold weather of Norway in winter was

unfounded and we most certainly used it a lot! Due to the fact that the balcony is much more

sheltered, it was not nearly as cold out there as it was being out on the open decks! We can

100% recommend getting a balcony cabin!! Fabulous!!!!!

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Saga Pearl II Owner's Suite Cabin 1 by baldrick

The entrance to the cabin is on the same level as the Bridge. Looking towards the lounge area.

The drinks replaced free when empty!

The shower and bath areas of the bathroom.

The wash basin area is to the left of the shower.

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Looking towards the dining

area. Through the sliding

glass door gives access to

balcony which is next to the

bridge. To the left is the

entrance to the bathroom.

The flowers got changed 3

times during the cruise, just

as frequently as the bottle of

Whisky!

Taken from the dining area.

The door on the left leads to

the walk in wardrobe. The

bathroom is on the right

hand side with the cabin

door on the right.

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Thomson Spirit Deluxe Cabin 200 by CGBOWLER

Cabin 200 is one of six which span the front of Deck 6. The centre two have twin beds, the rest

have queen size beds.

The wall behind the curtains, which are hiding picture windows, slopes. The wall at the bed

heads is the centre of the ship.

There are two double wardrobes, eleven drawers, a small table, 2 comfy chairs, dressing stool

and a flat screen TV under which you can see an orange pool towel. This was to prevent the

TV wobbling with the vibration of the ship.

There is a stocked fridge in the cupboard under the TV.

The bathroom has a bath with shower over and there was plenty of storage space. There's a

retractable washing line over the bath.

We never heard a sound from our neighbours next door!

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Saga Pearl II Superior Outside Cabin 115

by barry

We decided on a bit of a treat for our 33rd Wedding anniversary and to celebrate the early

retirement of my better half and a Christmas Present - all rolled into one. We’ve been on the

Pearl before and she is a lovely small ship, maximum 450 passengers or thereabouts.

Pictures say more than a description, so, the first picture is from the doorway into the cabin:

To the right of the TV

is the bed area. There

are only twin beds in

these cabins and there

are only six cabins like

this on this section of

deck, so it was very

quiet!

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Looking back

towards the

door - to the

left is the

dressing area

and bathroom.

There's tons of storage in this cabin - in fact there was cupboard and hanging space spare and

we do not travel light!

Probably about the best planned/laid out cabin we’ve had. There was plenty of room with a

three-seater settee, table and two chairs as well, so lots of room if you have visitors. Not the

largest cabin we’ve had but certainly the best laid out. All the usual things you would expect of

course: ample toiletries, bathrobes, fridge/safe/decent sized TV, etc.

We’ve really enjoyed this cabin and after 24 nights could not think of anything to improve it!

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