Special Guest Contributor: Selecting a Stateroom
Michele Dakho at PixieVacations continues to contribute great articles about the Disney Cruiseline and the cruising experience. Today - Choosing your Stateroom
Your vacation accommodations are your home away from home, so what does that mean for a floating vessel? It means that your stateroom will be your home for the length of your cruise so it’s important to choose wisely.
Choosing a stateroom is different than picking a hotel room. There are fewer variations in amenities, transportation from resort to park isn’t an issue and the square footage is much smaller than your average resort room.
Disney Cruise Line is proud to offer accommodations that are 20% larger than any other cruise line; but don’t expect an expansive amount of square footage unless you have booked a suite.
So what do the staterooms have in common?
Beds-Every room has a Sealy Posturepedic Premium Plush Euro-top bed with 600 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. The queen sized bed on the Magic and Wonder can be separated to make 2 twin sized beds. The beds on the Dream and Fantasy cannot be separated.
Most offer Split Baths-The split bath really shows that Disney designs with families in mind. A toilet and a sink in one bathroom and a tub/shower and sink in the other. Both have vanity mirrors and storage space for your toiletries. This allows more than one family member to get ready at a time which really does come in handy.
Usable Space-Every square foot inside your stateroom is valuable real-estate. The Disney Dream and Fantasy have re-formatted the bed frames so that your suitcases can fit underneath without a problem. This saves a ton of room in your closet for the clothes you just unpacked.
A large closet-The closet will hold your life jackets, a small safe, and some shelves as well asa hangers. If you need more hangers than what is offered just ask your stateroom attendant to bring more.
Drawers and storage- There are many drawers and shelves for storage space without your stateroom. Remember to think “outside the closet” and utilize the desk drawers and wall cabinetry to store clothing and other items.
Miscellaneous Amenities-There are no “bare bones” amenities in the staterooms. Each has a flat panel LCD TV that’s mounted on a swivel arm. There is individual climate control in each staterooms, a safe (operated by a 4 digit code of your choosing), a small refrigerator, an in room phone and two portable wave phones. The wave phones are complimentary and work onboard to call each other, they also text message and if your children are enrolled in the Kids Clubs this is how they will contact you. There will be a $250 per charge phone if it is lost or damaged. The phones do not work in port but will work on Castaway Cay. BlowDryer-On the Dream and the Fantasy a handheld blowdryer is provided. On the Magic and Wonder the blowdryer is built into the wall in the split bath.
Tip: (Dream and Fantasy Only) The blowdryer can only be plugged in at the desk area, so you might as well keep your hair products in a top desk drawer instead of running back and forth from the desk to the bathroom while you’re getting ready.
So now we know what the basic amenities are in the staterooms, so what makes them different and why is there such a price difference between some of the categories?
Inside Staterooms: These rooms are the least expensive staterooms available. Some of these rooms sleep up to 4. These rooms have no daylight and the rooms are the smallest available (between 169-184 sq. ft.). Inside staterooms are popular because they are the most affordable accommodations.
Oceanview Staterooms: These rooms offer portholes, either one large porthole or two small ones. These rooms allow some sunlight in and a bit of a view. They are a bit more than the inside rooms but less than the verandah rooms. Most sleep 4 and they have split bathrooms. Square footage ranges from 204 sq. feet to 241 sq. feet depending on category and ship. Most of these rooms are located in the forward on the ships, so if that’s a location you want to avoid, this category isn’t for you.
Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah: -These rooms offer either a private verandah or a “navigators verandah”. Private verandahs include two chairs with a small table in between and a view that includes the smell of the salty ocean air! These rooms sleep 3-4 or 4-5 and range from 214 sq. feet to 256 sq. feet (excluding balcony). These rooms are among the more pricy, if you are on outdoorsy type of person who enjoys sitting outside this room could be a nice option for you. Remember there are plenty of common areas on the decks to relax so if the price of a verandah is out of your reach, there are still places to enjoy the ocean air!
Suites: The suites have verandahs and a whole bunch of space and luxury and have a price to match! The suites on the Magic and Wonder can sleep up to 7, on the Dream and Fantasy the maximum capacity is 5. These rooms offer the most square footage and luxury. They include amenities such as separation of sleeping areas, walk-in closets, wet bars, whirpool tubs and extra large verandahs. The suits also come with the benefit of 120 days advanced activity reservations and expanded room service. Concierge service is included but the deposit on these rooms is non-refundable. There are only 22 suites on the Magic and Wonder and only 11 on the Dream and 12 on the Fantasy.
Only you can decide which stateroom category is right for your family but there are categories within these major categories that offer plenty of different options so there really is something for everyone. Choosing your accommodations might not be as easy as you think, before you get frustrated and give up or pick a room that won’t fit your families needs, consider using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. I have cruised many times with Disney Cruise Line and have learned that not all staterooms are equal and your location on the ship can greatly influence your cruise experience. You’ll have a million questions and I’ll be here to answer them all. My services are always free and I’ll help you plan a pixie perfect vacation for your family. Contact me for your free quote or for more information about Disney Cruise Line!