Difference in room Categories

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cruiserdru

Guest
Is there any real difference between an AA, AB,...AD stateroom? Just wondering if it is worth the extra bucks to go for the AA. I'll be sailing on the Island Princess on 9/21. My husband has always said that you just don't spend that much time in your room to put up the extra bucks and he has always gone for obstructed view rooms.

I have convinced him that on a 15-night cruise with a lot of time at sea that a balcony is a must. That, coupled with all the comments about the little tiny showers in most of the rooms has got him going in the A category but I just don't know if I get anything from picking AA over AD.

Any advice?
 
C

Cruise cutie

Guest
We stayed on Aloha A503 ..the bump out Mini-suite..on the Coral for our 10 day Panama Canal cruise last year and it was perfect!!..There are only 4 bumpouts on Aloha.Baja, and Caribe..I like being at the top..so when we do book our 2007 15 day Hawaii cruise on the Island Princess..Coral's identical sister ship..that's right I'm going to book Aloha A503..Good luck with your choice but we really loved that mini-suite!!!,and I'm sticking with it..the cost from a balcony room to the mini-suite was 300.00 dollars total cost for the both of us and I figured we were worth 15.00 dollars each for 10 days..:grin...enjoy..Joanne
 
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Natalia

Guest
I had an AD on the Grand... loved it. It had a tub and shower. View was not obstructed, and total privacy on the balcony. For 2 people you may not really need a suite, thats up to you. Only thing is the AD cabins are quite aft, but we prefer that.
 
C

cruiserdru

Guest
I'm all for the mini-suite with balcony. I just didn't know if there was any real difference between an AA, an AB, an AC and an AD mini-suite? Perhaps it is just the location by deck and on a given deck???
 
C

Cruise cutie

Guest
Yes that is correct..the different categories change the price and the level of the ship..we were thrilled with our AD on Aloha..it's just personal choice..Have fun choosing..:)..:daisy..Joanne
 
D

DJA

Guest
Not sure you ever got the complete answer to your original question...

The cabins in those categories are identical. They are ranked first by the hieght of the deck, then within each deck, midship is ahead of fore and aft. On the Island/Coral there are a couple of exceptions to that rule for the corner suites on the bump-outs, they are lower categories because the balconies are smaller.
 
C

cruiserdru

Guest
Thanks, I had pretty much figured it out although things like the corner suites on the bumpouts is something only a been there/done that person would know. While I pondered this, hubby booked an AA room on the Baja deck.

Our approach to any kind of travel is it is an adventure so nothing can really disappoint, just be different.

After having the Norwalk virus on the Royal Princess on the British Isles cruise in 8/02, I kind of take things as they come.
 
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ljeanbrown

Guest
You will really enjoy your balcony :thumb maybe one of the mornings you can order breakfast and have it on your balcony :jump we really enjoy spending time on ours when we are at sea.
 
I

IBDP

Guest
Please, could someone tell me what a "bump out" is? And is it superior, larger, or inferior, smaller than a regular balcony? Thanks in advance.


Donna
 
C

Cruise cutie

Guest
Bump out is the corner of where a balcony juts out on the ship to create a bigger room..there are only 4 rooms with the minisuite bumpout on each of the 3 floors.. Island and Coral Princess on Aloha,Baja ,and Caribe..we stayed in Aloha 503 and the minisuite balcony was a little smaller than Dolphin and Emerald's but I loved the roomand for the price it could not be beat!!!..Good luck..Joanne
 
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DJA

Guest
IBDP --

Take a look at the deck plans for the Island or Coral Princess... You will see where the passageways jut out to skirt the elevator banks and stairwells creating what people are referring to as the "bump-outs". The outside balcony cabins there are identical to outside balcony cabins everywhere else; they just stick out further on the ship. The mini-suites there are the same as other mini-suites except, as noted above, the balconies are smaller. There are other subtle differences too - - like there is no setback, so you don't overlook the balconies below, and on Caribe deck where standard outside balconies are bigger than normal, they are not on the bump-out, and on Aloha, where most balconies are fully covered, these are not.
 
G

gramps

Guest
Hi,

Just wanted to let you know, I read with great interest the comments on the differences in the room categories. We were booked with a CAT BA, but after your comments and a look at the ship, I asked our TA to see about an upgrade to an AD since there were no cabins available on the Aloha Deck. We were fortunate to get a cabin on the Baja Deck, 416 which is on the bump out.

Just wanted to say thanks, and it pays to read the messages.

With kindest regards,

Gramps
 
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