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.