What is the difference in oceanview staterooms?

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Lew

An "Ocean view Guarantee" will be exactly that. You will be guaranteed an Ocean view stateroom somewhere on the ship. You won't know until a few days before you leave, or maybe not until you check in, which cabin you will be in.
It is a gamble, sometimes you are on a higher deck with a better view than the cabin category you have paid for. Sometimes you get what you paid for, the ocean view is obstructed.
If you want to be sure of an good ocean view, pay the extra and choose the cabin that you prefer, you will be sure then of having the view you want.
We have been lucky (and that is exactly what it is, "Luck") when we have booked a guarantee cabin, we have always received a 2 or 3 cabin upgrade.
The different prices for cabins usually relates to the deck the cabin is on, the higher decks having higher prices than the lower decks, actual size of the cabins are the same. Slightly bigger sized cabins become suites or junior suites and have higher prices.

Penny B

some OV's are restricted view.
some are port hole windows
some are window.

some the bed does not convert to a king.
some are upper/lower
some sleep 3 people.

Bicycle41

Here are some planning ideas for your cruise:

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FLmom3

Depending on which ship you sail on, there is either full oceanview without anything obstructing your view, or oceanview with partial obstruction, meaning that some part of the ship will be in your way, thus prohibiting you from seeing completely. Really though, you most likely will not spend very much time in your room at all except to sleep, so you may as well go for the less expensive room and save your money for extras.

Mary L

Some have partially obstructed views, and some do not. The "guarantee" simply means that you won't know the actual cabin number until shortly before the cruise or until the cruise itself. If you tend to get seasick, pay a bit more if necessary to get a specific cabin reserved in the middle of the ship. Also, cabins on lower decks have less motion than those on the top decks.

Now -- a caution. Some ships have oceanview cabins on decks with promenades, which means that you can't leave your curtains open since everybody who walks by can see in! You don't want one of those cabins! Why have a window if you can't use it?

Finally, my personal opinion is that ocean view isn't worth the price, since if you really want to be able to see out you should pay a bit more and get a private veranda! Just a window is rather foolish and doesn't give you much. If all you ever plan to do is use your cabin for a quick shower and to sleep, an inside cabin might be fine. What I always do is pay for a veranda for the Caribbean since it is so lovely to be on your own veranda for a room service breakfast, to stand on late at night in whatever (or nothing) and watch the water go by, and to watch the ship come into port and leave port. For trans-ocean trips, where there is very little to see and chilly nights in the Atlantic, I get an inside cabin.

LadyD

The only difference with an ocean view room is that you have a window. The rooms are still the same size as an inside cabin. The only difference is that you have a view of the ocean and you won't feel claustrophobic.

Time travler

Location, location,location. They rooms are all pretty much the same but the best rooms are in the middle of the ship because you feel less movement in the middle. So if you are prone to sea sickness, then you want one of these rooms. Also some rooms are near the elevators or the freight elevators. The ones near the freight elevators are kind of annoying the first day as all luggage on your deck come through here. The cruise staff often put up padding next to your room entrance. But, it is only for the first day. So that's pretty much it.

Jen @ Law

I agree with the above posts, but would like to add that in addition to being sensitive to movement, being sensitive to sound is another reason you might not want to book the guarantee category-- we once had a balcony stateroom above a nightclub on NCL and the sound was so awful we ended up being transferred to an inside cabin (for no discount) because we couldn't sleep. Other areas people often complain about is under the buffet and pool decks (chairs dragging around).

Also, from my experience, I would point out that the floor plans run pretty true to scale, so if some cabins look bigger than others, those cabins probably ARE bigger.

Nito610

When you do an oceanview guarantee, they are basically guaranteeing that you will have an oceanview, but until check in on the day you leave, you won't know where your stateroom is. If you pay more and book a specific room, you can at least know the deck plans and see what is on each floor and if any lifeboats or anything else is in the way of your view..if there is and you're ok with it, you can book it, if you're not you can move along and find something better. Good luck :D

Chris L

I am a travel agent, and would love to help you book this vacation if you have not booked yet.

An ocean view guarantee ONLY guarantee's that you'll have an ocean view cabin or higher. The advantage is that the price is likely lower, and you could be upgraded for free(maybe even to balcony), BUT a guarantee is bad if you NEED to pick a cabin location. Why would you do that? If you are a candidate to get sea sick, it's best to book a cabin in the middle of the ship(both height and legthwise), or if you are looking to be close to friends or family also cruising.

I always go for the guarantee because while I got seasick once on a sailboat, I have never got sick on a cruise(been on about 10 cruises).

Please feel free to call me for more information:

Chris Lounder
Cruise Adventure Travel, LLC
www.CruiseAdventureTravel.com
866 570 3391 ext 101

Tivogal

probably the amount of space in the cabin. also it might be whether there is an "obstructed view"

go to cruisecritic.com for more info on cabin choices.

good luck.

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