Deb93 Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 I recently booked an Alaskan cruise on DCL and am having 2nd thoughts. A balcony room on RCI is about $2K cheaper for the 2 of us. I did Alaska on RCI before but that was 10yrs ago so I feel like this is pretty much a first cruise and I have lots of questions and don't feel like RCI's website is terribly helpful. So any info you guys can provide - even suggesting better websites - would be greatly appreciated! What are the best balcony stateroom locations - prob category D or E? Are all balconies the same ? I know on DCL some are "porthole" balconies. I want a room with a sliding glass door out to the balcony and a balcony where we can see out while sitting - not a solid bottom wall that you have to stand up to look over? What about aft-facing balconies - good or bad? Also, anything anyone can tell me about the Explorer, dining, shore excursions, extra expenses to expect or any other general if would be great! Thanks so much! deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Welcome Deb. On Royal Caribbean, all balcony staterooms literally have a balcony to them with a sliding glass window. Period. Category D and E usually encompass that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted May 3, 2015 Report Share Posted May 3, 2015 Yep matt is right and on the Explorer they are making some nice changes and I think it will be a great ship for next year We are offering some good group space for 2016 if you want me to send you pricing ALSO - Aft facing are nice if you like to have extended balconies and don't mind the back of the ship at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galveston Steve Posted May 6, 2015 Report Share Posted May 6, 2015 Welcome Deb. On Royal Caribbean, all balcony staterooms literally have a balcony to them with a sliding glass window. Period. Category D and E usually encompass that. I think Matt meant to say sliding glass "door", not window :) Also, Royal Caribbean balcony rooms have glass bottoms under the railings so you can sit on the balcony or look out from the cabin with a great view of the spectacular Alaskan scenery. I've attached a photo from our 2009 Alaska cruise that shows some of the glass balconies. The RCCL ships are great for watching the scenery. We sailed to Alaska with RCCL on Serenade of the Seas in 2009 and LOVED IT! We are booked on Explorer in 2016 for a return visit to Alaska. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LanaH Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Actually, the Explorer's balconies are half glass/half steel unless they were changed in the last dry dock. Pic below is from January 2010 (please disregard mess - we were in a drop and go mode - it was our first cruise and also the date - used hubby's point and shoot because it was handier and he NEVER changes his date! This was a rear aft cabin - 8642 and it was a super cabin and we loved it. For some reason the pics show up blue when you click on them but should be fine if you open in a separate tab. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Keep in mind that the Explorer has a lot more to offer onboard than the Wonder does. While I love Disney, I only cruised them when their prices were similar to that of Royal and other lines. Now that my son is older, Disney isn't the value it use to be when his fare was discounted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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