AFT E1 8390 Voyager of the Seas

After moving from our Junior Suite from deck 10 and having had an aft balcony also, I must say that the room was tiny in comparison!

However it had the same basics as all the other E and D class rooms but we had just been spoilt for the last week!

What it lacked for in room space, it more than made up for in balcony space. Last year we were on the Navigator and had a balcony on the side of the ship - getting two of us on it in upright chairs was pushing it, but to try three of us was just cramped. Also we found that on some port days the balcony was just too warm due to the glass closing it in. Not so on this corner balcony.

This corner aft balcony had 2 loungers and 2 upright chairs, a small drinks table and we also put the cabin glass table out there to make space inside! Instead of accessing it via a sliding patio door, this balcony was accessed by a single sized hinged door. It was not closed in by a glass panel so felt much more airy.

We used the balcony every chance we got, with sunshine for at least half of each day [morning or afternoon] depending on the ships direction. There was always a nice breeze especially if you were near to the rail, with some shade being afforded in the corners on occasion.

We would definately pick this cabin again for value for money with the benefit of a larger than average balcony afforded to those on the port/starboard sides. It had excellent privacy. As mentioned in my other blog regarding deck 10 and aft balconies, there was a bit more noise from adjoining cabin balconies but this was more noticable when 'docked' as the sound travelled around the back of the ship floating up and down.

This cabin had the benefit of the 3rd bed in a pullman system - this is like a floating bed that pulls down from the ceiling, accessed by removable ladders. My daughter is 15 and found this to be a comfortable bed. This bed also had the benefit of its own reading light so she could read even if we were sleeping. The ladders were not an inconvenience in the night, assuming you remember they are there when trying to go to the bathroom!

The room was a lot smaller than the JS. Ideal for 2 people and for us, a family of 3, more than adequate. The hinged glass door to the balcony did not create a problem and didn't make the room feel closed in by the reduction in glass/light to the room. The bathroom was a standard size, but no bath this time! There was a small two seater settee which was hardly used and the obligatory courtesy curtain that is not much better than useless! As I said earlier it is the balcony that makes this room special.

Hanging space was similar to the JS albeit a bit more of a squeeze to access and the room was missing the shelving unit that was in the JS, however the main vanity unit was set out very similar. My suitcases went in the wardrobe and under the bed.

If we were to travel again on this class of ship and want to take my mum, which we have done in the past on smaller ships and booked two outside cabins, I would be inclined to book this cabin again to get the balcony which would be big enough for all of us and book an inside just across the corridor for the extra beds.

One note of caution though is to do with the noise/vibration. Whilst we noticed it on deck 10, on deck 8 is was a bit more obvious. Not so much an actual vibration, but the drone that came from the engines. Again it was not too much of a problem for us, but some may find it annoying if used to complete quietness. It would not put us off booking this cabin again. However I don't think I would like to go much lower deck wise if on the Aft, after noticing the subtle increase by dropping down from deck 10 to 8.

We also found that deck 8 seemed much noisier in the corridors along the aft - admittedly it was the Christmas week sailing so many more younger families were occupying the larger rooms which might have added to the volume[!], so we found that noise outside the room even though we were tucked away in the corner was more noticable. Our actual room neighbours could not be heard though. On deck 10 the week earlier is was hard to believe that we had any corridor neighbours it was so quiet.

AFT JS 1694 Voyager of the Seas

These are pictures of the view from the balcony of the AFT junior suite 1694 on the Voyager of the Seas.

We stayed in this room for the first week of our back to back cruise, moving from deck 10 to deck 8 for the second week to an E1 cabin. I have typed a seperate blog for that cabin!


The balcony itself was huge but unfortunately covered in due to the overhang from the frame work above. No obvious noise in the actual room from the Windjammer. The balcony was quite echoey [sp?] and noise from other balconies [downwards and sideways] was more apparent than if on a port/starboard cabin. That said the noise was not too annoying, but just to make you aware that it does seem to be more apparent. It was a very private balcony and unless the occupants from next door were to look around the partition then you were completely alone.


Whilst the balcony was great for sitting out on, unless the sun was directly behind then it remained quite shady and not much air circulation caused it to be quite warm.


Vibration and noise from the engines was minimal, but compared to having had a mid-ship, mid-deck room noticable - mid-ship rooms on this size of ship experience no noise whatsoever [unless you have loud neighbours!].


We didn't find the noise/vibration disturbing as it just reminded us of being on smaller ships [900 and 1600 passengers].


The bathroom was a bit larger as it had a bath in it, with the shower attachment overhead. We also experienced the 'extras' such as body lotion, scrunchies [like a buff puff for washing with] and shower gel, along with a bottle of shampoo/conditioner, but this shampoo was only the same as that in the dispenser on the wall. Still they were nice little touches.


The extra bed was made up by pulling out the couch. Whilst it would sleep 2 adults, I think it might have been a bit cramped and I noticed that the bedding mat [portable mattress] and the actual bedding didn't cover the whole of the couch once opened, so again it might have proved bumpy/uncomfortable through the night.


Perhaps as only my daughter was using the pull-out the room steward made it up this way for speed?


There was plenty of cupboard/shelf space and the wardrobe was big enough to put the suitcases away inside. This wardrobe was not a 'walk-in' size, once clothes were hung up there was not much room to actually move around in, even with out suitcases being stored there.


This room had the courtesy curtain that does nothing! Personally for the use that they do I think they are a waste of space, material and also a dust trap.


If they fully extended across the width of the room, or even 3/4 of the width, then they would prove more beneficial especially if sharing the room and would have a purpose. However if this function was available, then the lighting would have to be re-thought as one switch put the whole of the main room lights on, with no way to split the room into two halves.


The main bed did have reading/night lights and they were handy when my daughter was asleep if I wanted to read, but unfortunately if it was the other way round, my daughter had no way to read her own book with out having to leave the main lights on.


The actual room size was excellent, having the couch and two additional easy chairs was a bonus as sometimes lying on the bed can get uncomfortable. Whilst there were only three of us in the room, I think that four adults would not feel too squashed either.


This room had a door that would allow access to the adjoining cabin if you were with a large family group. We never experienced any loss in sound proofing between rooms due to this door.


Personally, whilst the JS was a lovely experience and also allowed us to embark quickly [yes we used the sign that said SUITES with no problem and we did ask an official before joining the queue - if you can call one family in front of us a queue?!] for the extra money I don't know if I can justify the cost. However if I did book a JS on the aft then I would certainly drop down a deck or two to ensure a bit more sun, even if sacrificing complete privacy, or look for a cabin on port/starboard but then you loose out on the larger balcony.


My advice is if money is an issue and you don't mind vibration and its only 3 of you, go for the E1 cabin we got on deck 8 the following week. The room was abit of a squeeze but the balcony was great and could have actually seated 4 comfortably. See my other blog!