Stateroom classifications

I tried saving angst once, but couldn't do it.

We spend a lot of time finding a cabin for our cruises. We also like cabins above and below. Wife likes the bed close to the closet and the sitting area by the balcony, so we never let someone pick a room for us. We give an option for several cabins.

The stateroom designations aren't really anything to worry about. On our last cruise we had an A and upgraded to an AA. The only difference was a better location

Good information and insights

Great minds thinking alike! We always try to snag one on an upper deck midship, right next to where the suites usually start (depending on the ship). its sort of like getting a seat in a theatre in the next row behind the expensive seats. heheheheheh...the only exception we're making to that is on BREAKAWAY AND GETAWAY. we got bump out balconies on all 4 of em.

For us the most important thing is to have cabins above, cabins below and not next to the elevators (for some reason that particular ding wakes us up a night). We don't worry about the classification so much if it meets these requirements. We also prefer a balcony mid ship. Often I look to see where the suites are located and get a cabin nearby.

Yankee and Old Grey Wolf give good advice. It is important to take time doing research and due diligence when deciding on a cabin. Don't count on a TA to do that for you. Learned the hard way. Pay particular attention when they say "obstructed view". One time we had such a cabin, outside view, on the promenade. I sort of checked it out and couldn't figure what they were referring to. On embarkation day and after entering our cabin, we found the view to be almost 99% unobstructed. Man did we luck out, I arrogantly thought. Then came sail away time, they pulled the gangway and hooked it to the hull right in front of our window.

It may seem overwhelming, but its really not... learning to read those deck plan layouts and what the lil icons mean goes along way toward saving you a whole lot of angst, when you discover you can't see out your window, or you're under the pool or some such...Even if you use a TA, being able to figure out where you want to be (or where they want to put you which usually aren't the same thing) kicks you up about 3 notches. The very first thing we do when we plan to book a cruise (besides looking at the calendar and the checkbook) is look at those deck plans. To us, its even more important than the destination.

The stateroom classification indicates the type of room and sometimes the location and whether it is obstructed view if facing the sea. Depending on the line it may also indicate forward aft or mid location. Best to visit the cruise lines website and look for the ship you plan to sail and check their staterooms. You should be able to see the cabin classes and note the differences between them