Cabin Review

Our stateroom, 9530, was forward on the port side of the ship. It was the first BE stateroom after the BD staterooms. We loved the location. It was very near the elevators, but not too close. It had much less wiggle than the aft rooms would have had. Also, deck 9 is very quiet - no restaurants or activities on this deck or the one above or below. Something we would not have known to consider, but which is really important if you are a light sleeper.

Our room was "cozy," but we had plenty of room for our stuff, and we never felt cramped. Since this was a first cruise, I didn't know what clothing would be appropriate, so I totally over-packed - two 28" suitcases, a 26", as well as two camera bags and a laptop bag. I had packed wire hangers and the closet had 15 wooden ones installed. There were plenty for our clothes. (Yay, Cruise Critic members for that suggestion!) Inside the closet, there were cubby holes for clothes as well as a top shelf and a small safe for valuables. There was a small set of drawers under the TV as well. MORE than enough room for everything we had with us! (I could have packed more, but a. I didn't need half of what I did pack and, b. my husband would have killed me!) After unpacking, I put the 26" inside a 28" and put both 28" suitcases under the bed, where they fit perfectly.

The bed was comfortable, and the couch and desk and chair were very useful. We LOVED our balcony! It was a peaceful retreat from the hustle & bustle, and we loved waking up and photographing sunrise in our pjs. It was a great spot to look at the stars, also. Opening the drapes and watching the ocean sail by was very soothing and a great way to unwind!

The bathroom was "cute." The toilet and shower are each behind sliding glass doors with a sink area in the middle. Again, cozy, but enough room to move comfortably. The only negative is the hair dryer. It is one of the Elisseo dryers which you find in most European hotels. They blow air, but if you have curly hair like mine and want to straighten any part of it (like my bangs), resign yourself to a week of bad hair. I had asked on many boards before we sailed about using my 1850 watt dryer, and I was told it would blow the circuits. I left it home, but I did bring my flattening iron. I was never brave enough to plug it in, though! The room only has a few outlets, and all except for one are 220. The one that is 110 clearly says "Not for Hair Dryers." My husband uses a CPAP, so, again, thanks to previous travelers posting, we knew to bring along an extension cord. It worked perfectly.