All Things Travel Podcast
Listen in each week with Creating Magic Vacations Travel Advisors and destination experts Ryan and Julie.
He is your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. She is a Disney-loving, Maryland mom of 3 and a specialist in family travel.
Whether they're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories…it’s always All Things Travel.
All Things Travel Podcast
How to Choose the Perfect Cruise Ship and Stateroom for Your Next Vacation
Planning a cruise vacation can feel like learning a new language with all the ship options, stateroom categories, and abbreviations. In this episode of All Things Travel, Ryan and Julie break down how to choose the right cruise ship and stateroom to match your vacation style and budget.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- 🚢 How to choose the perfect cruise ship based on your destination, departure port, and budget.
- 🛏️ How to pick the right stateroom — from luxurious suites to budget-friendly interior rooms.
- 🧒 Why your travel party's age and preferences matter when picking a cruise.
- 🧳 Tips for finding the best stateroom location for a smoother, quieter cruise experience.
- 🔍 The pros and cons of newer vs. seasoned ships.
- 🌊 Why balcony rooms are so popular and how French balconies differ.
- 💡 Tips on what to avoid when booking your stateroom to ensure the best experience.
Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a seasoned traveler, this episode will help you make informed decisions to ensure a memorable cruise vacation.
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Hello and welcome to all Things Travel. We've all seen the commercials for the big cruise ships, the river ships, the new ships and more. There are so many cruise lines and cruise ships to choose from. When planning your next cruises, it can feel like a foreign language even. I was confused when I first started planning travel. What are all these room categories and how do I remember which ship is which? today we're gonna break down how to choose the right cruise ship and state room for your next cruise.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Listen in with travel advisors and destination experts. Ryan and Julie. I'm your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and she's a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:All right, so today we're recording on like this random Tuesday afternoon,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:it does feel kind of weird. Yeah, it feels weird. Like, what am I gonna do on, well, it's'cause I'm out of town on Sunday, but what am I gonna do on Sunday night without spending time talking to Julie? I, I don't know.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:I think you'll survive.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:I'll find a reason to be okay.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:I don't know what it's like in Indiana, but at least in Maryland this week, it's like, we're in the sixties.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah, same.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:spending time outside. I think we're just in a more cheerful mood. it's a good week.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Now in the Midwest there's always this skeptical, like yeah, but it's still early, so you know it's gonna snow next week.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:We have the we have the
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:do I put the snow stuff away or are we gonna get a blizzard next
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right, right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:I
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:So,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:wanna put it away.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:but the weather feels really good. I mean, I've been walking outside, not wearing, you know, heavy coats anymore. More sunshine now that the time has changed. hey, I will take it. Julie, tell us what we're talking about today.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:All right, so today we're gonna break down cruise ships, state rooms, all this kind of stuff, because if you've ever pulled up a cruise website and you wanna book a cruise, you put your dates in and you're just like, well, what the heck? Now what, there's so many different room categories and what is aft and forward and middle, and how do I know what deck and all these kind of things. So we're gonna break down. What you should think about when, number one, picking your cruise ship, and number two, picking your state room.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:You mean not everybody gets on and they're like, I'm looking for a four DGTV, 60% obstructed view with a drop down, this, that, and the other thing that people aren't doing that.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:No, and I don't know how familiar you were when you started Ryan, but I know when I started booking travel and planning trips for clients, I was even like, what is D two and D one and each cruise line is. Different with
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:consumers don't see all those abbreviations, but it's important for us to understand them. for the longest time I was like, I need a guide or a cheat sheet, and there just isn't one. So we're gonna break it down in the easiest way we can for consumers so that they understand. oftentimes know when I'm quoting clients will be like, what is this versus this?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:we can ease that confusion.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:No, I love that idea. I think that's gonna be a super helpful, discussion. But before we get into that, please remember if you have not gone back and listened to last week's show, we talk all about solo travel. What are some tips, what are some considerations? And also what are some good locations for your next solo vacation?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:All right, so first we're gonna talk about cruise ships and how to pick your cruise ship.'cause obviously you've gotta pick your ship before you pick your state room. And there's a few big considerations here, really like three main ones the first one is that you've gotta consider your destination. So if you are. Looking at a specific destination that is going to really narrow down your ship for you, and then maybe from there, you're deciding between. Cruise lines
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:So if you're going to the Mediterranean or Alaska, Europe, Australia, basically anything other than The Bahamas and the Caribbean from the United States there's only gonna be a couple ships for each cruise line doing those itineraries.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:pretty narrowed down to start out with.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:and you think of Alaska, do you wanna fly? In and out of the United States. So that means Seattle or Anchorage. most people don't want to go up to Anchorage so that even, brings your options down even more, which could be a good thing. Or could feel pretty limited.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Agree. I had just booked my Mediterranean cruise and initially when stuff was released I was like, oh, it's the Disney Fantasy. That's great. I haven't been on that ship. And then, a couple things moved around before everything got fully finalized, and it's the Disney Dream, which is what I just went on, but I'm not gonna. Not go on my Mediterranean cruise because I've been on that ship before.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:sometimes those things don't matter as much as we think, but if you do have a choice of cruise ship, we're gonna detail that in a moment. you also might be limited, by the port that you wanna sail out of. if you wanna go out of Seattle versus Anchorage, you're really only gonna have one option if you wanna go out of a local port. for me, I have clients that go out of New Jersey or Baltimore. Baltimore has. One Royal Caribbean ship and one carnival ship for the majority of the year. Same with New Jersey. it's two royal ships that alternate and that's it. So if that's the port you're going out of, that's the ship you're going on.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:I would give kind of a counterpoint too, when it comes to Florida. A lot of people think their only option is Port Canaveral, but don't forget about Miami and Fort Lauderdale. So saying you're gonna cruise out of Florida. You do have several different options there, Tampa's another one you really can, if you're willing to be a little more flexible, you can have a lot of option there.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Agree, and I've had plenty of clients in the past year as well, say, throw Galveston into the mix. Show me what's coming in and outta Galveston for the dates that I wanna sail and maybe that itinerary I would prefer. Picking the cruise ship. you could have a lot of options based on ports, for example, if you really wanna go on Icon of the Seas, that's only going out of Miami. thinking about how the port is going to affect the cruise ship you choose, and how your itinerary is going to affect the ship that you choose. the last big one is what your vacation fund looks like. going on a ship like Icon of the Seas versus a ship like Freedom of the Seas from Royal Caribbean have a vastly different price range. Mostly because Icon is brand new
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:to do on that ship. nothing is wrong with the older ships, they're going to be more affordable for those reasons. So that may also, figure out which ship you wanna go on. All right, Ryan, you wanna tell us how. Considering your travel party is gonna help us pick our cruise
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:who's gonna travel with you, and how are those folks broken up? And I'll get to that in a second. if you have babies and toddlers, you're obviously gonna be focusing on nursery splash pads. So looking at a Disney cruise line that has the largest splash pad. Royal Caribbean definitely has those spaces, but they're smaller. remembering the minimum age for a cruiser across all cruise lines is six months. And also if you're traveling with little ones, considerations of are they in a diaper or they aren't, because there's actually, public health regulations If you have older kids or teens looking for interactive, kids, clubs, water slides, Royal Caribbean has really upped the game with this. But so is Carnival. Carnival has really. Tried to position themselves now as a family cruise. So there's a lot of water sport type things on the ship. having teen clubs, depending on your teen, do they want to interact with other kids? Do they want to be more with the family? Kind of knowing your teen. and how they want to be, or do you want more of an adult only experience? And does that mean you're looking for a cruise ship that has adult only spaces, or are you looking for something like a virgin voyages that is completely adult only? we've talked about Viking. one of their big, pushes now is no kids on the ship. That's kind of one of their marketing pushes. And then what I would say, when you're thinking of. Your travel party, how are those people gonna be broken up into the room? So do you want to cram everybody into one state room because you can, or do you want to have multiple state rooms connected? Do you want to have, the older kids have their own room? There's a lot of consideration as we start to put that puzzle together with you, in planning your crews.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah, and going back to the adult only vibe. So yes, Virgin is adults only, but nearly every cruise line is going to have an adults only. Space.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Correct.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:what I would say is consider the capacity of the ship if you're on one of those brand new royal ships where Icahn has a capacity of over 7,000 passengers.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:there might be an adult only section, but is it going to be. Peaceful and the vibe that you want. Do you just want a space that doesn't have kids in it, or do you want a quiet, peaceful space?'cause you're probably not gonna find that on a cruise ship that holds 7,000
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:You might wanna look more towards a celebrity ship that has closer to a capacity of 3000, passengers or even a smaller Royal Caribbean ship or smaller Disney cruise line ship that has closer to 4,000 or 3000 passengers.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Well, even on Royal and Celebrity, the adult spaces are 16 and over, so you know, that can change the vibe. And on longer cruises. Sometimes they will have family hours at those spaces. So you're not, having adults only all the time. if this is something that's really important to you but you're not interested in a full adults only cruise, look and see. What are the spaces within the ship? if I sail concierge, or if I sail in the haven with Norwegian, or if I sail in the retreat with celebrity, what is that gonna look like versus being with everybody else? that's where you can cater that, experience.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:I love that. That's such a great point. And again, showcases you may not know that those areas exist for you, and that's something that we would be able to identify and find the right fit for you. The last kind of big consideration I think people think of when trying to pick a cruise ship is do they want the most updated, the newest ship, or do they prefer seasoned ships? And a seasoned ship to me doesn't mean that it's a bad thing in any way. A lot of seasoned cruisers may prefer a. Seasoned ship.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Absolutely.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:They don't like all the modern stuff they like the darker wood, that kind of thing. There might be less passengers on those ships and they like that vibe'cause they're smaller. and they think of these as the tried and true ships. They have their following. on the other side, maybe you want that brand new ship with the newest bars and the most up-to-date technology
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:the most updated slides and all those things
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:I have booked Royal Caribbean and Disney based on the commercials that families have seen. We want to be on that ship that our kids saw on tv. the newer better is attractive. But what's interesting, Julie, is when folks start cruising and get loyal to a cruise line, they almost kind of collect baseball cards. now, it's not, I want to sail on Royal Caribbean. I want to be on as many different ships as I can on Royal Caribbean or like you said, they fall in love with that one ship and that's their place.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah, they just kind of follow that ship around. do you want that best new thing or do you really prefer that more seasoned ship that's been around for a while?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:we're gonna get into talking specifically about choice of state rooms, but first, Julie, I wanna talk about where in the world is all things travel. This week I found a new location for us, Kernersville, North Carolina, it is the largest suburb of Winston-Salem what was interesting, when I looked at Kernersville, I always looked for interesting places. And corners Folly with a K was built between 1878 and 1880 by Jewel Corner, the grandson of Joseph Kerner, the town's namesake. It is now a tourist location as a result of its very unique design and architecture, featuring 22 rooms on seven levels and 15 decorated fireplaces. It's also houses, the first private theater in the United States dating back to 1896. the house has been featured in the New York Times, Southern living, and on the televised, our state magazine. A model of the house was made into an ornament to represent North Carolina on the White House Christmas tree in 2001. I think those kind of places are kind of cool.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:that is really cool.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:hey Kernersville, we are excited that you are listening to all Things Travel. reach out to either Julie or I, you can do that on our website, all things travel podcast.com, and reach out because I would love to send you a little thank you gift for being featured on today's show. Alright, Julie, we have chosen our ship. we know who's traveling with us, we know where we're going, so that means we're gonna sail on these dates. What's the next thing we need to figure out?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Picking your state room, and this might be just as confusing as. Picking what cruise ship you're going to be on because there is a lot of options. overall you choose a suite, a balcony, a French balcony, an ocean view, an interior room, all different cruise lines. Call them different things. Disney calls them verandas. Some have an obstructed view. There's so much to think about. Again, we are here to delineate those options for you. So let's start with the top of the top. So like the in concierge, being in the Haven, the retreat, is just a specialty area on this ship. Almost like an upgraded club level
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:it's a ship within a ship, if you want to think about it that way. or if you've been to an all-inclusive resort that has a preferred club. it's a club within the club.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:the suites in general are gonna have extra space, they're gonna have a larger balcony, usually a larger bathroom. If you've ever been on a cruise ship, you know that those bathrooms are, nothing to get excited about. They are tiny, but in a suite they look like a regular bathroom,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:bigger than the one that you have at home. You're also going to be getting concierge service, so things like maybe having a concierge to assist you with reservations or upgrades. Having that lounge for just a separate area away from the ship, it's a little quieter. You may have a private pool area, a private sun deck area that's not open to the rest of the ship. One thing I will say about the suites is that larger room does not always equate to a larger. Capacity room. A lot of times these rooms are still only for two or four guests. I think that can be a point of confusion.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:that say, well, we have six. Can we just get a suite? And I'm like, still doesn't really sleep. Six.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Or if it does technically sleep six. Some of those people are sleeping on a pullout or a chair bed when I represent our agency on Icon of the Seas, we did tours of the different room categories and suites I sit there and look at this suite that you're spending, over a hundred thousand dollars for a four night cruise and people are sleeping on a sofa bed. if it's at capacity. And I'm just like, gosh, you know, that's just not what I think of. so keep that in mind. I think even more than hotel rooms, when you look at the bedding configurations because even though a regular state room can fit for, doesn't mean that it can fit for the way that you may be thinking.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Agree. It's not like booking a hotel room at all.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:having toured a couple of ships, those suite rooms, are like a small townhouse, they are big rooms, so they don't come with entry level. Pricing. you really are getting what you pay for in the upgraded service of those spaces, but it's not necessarily for a larger party.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Ryan, tell us about the balcony rooms and why you would wanna choose that.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Sure. So a lot of people will opt for the balcony room and I would say nine times outta 10. I do too. I like balconies because it really extends your state room. It makes it feel bigger. Not only can you have fresh air. But you also have more of a sitting area. you have larger windows than an ocean view. and I really think, especially if you're traveling with multiple parties on some cruise ships, if you're right next to them, not only do they have connecting rooms like hotels, you can actually connect the verandas, which is really fun, and it also gives you some extra spaces. Disney cruise, being able to sit out on the veranda while her kiddos were sleeping and having that space. the one thing I will say is if you have an interior balcony, because some ships have balconies going inside of the public spaces, like the pools or promenades you may have some extra noise. but I would say most of the folks that I work with are interested in the balcony. Just'cause they like that extra space.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:And they like that, separation
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Like you mentioned, the kids are sleeping,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:if they're staying in the room with them doesn't need to be silent. Although, I mean, I wouldn't forego a nap I'd be okay napping as well.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right, right.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:but in the morning, maybe someone gets up earlier and they just don't wanna leave the room yet. They can go sit out on the veranda. I know for us, we loved to do room service We were all awake, but we didn't feel like
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:the
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:We loved doing room service
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:getting your coffee going, and just relaxing for a second. Now, another consideration depending on the type of ship, and this is mostly for river cruises, but definitely ocean cruises too, is the French balcony. So this is a large window of the opens and you have a balcony that is there, but it doesn't extend beyond. the window. Um, so for instance, celebrity has started to build most of their verandas this way, where it's kind of almost like a sunroom, um, instead of a balcony.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:your
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:You don't exit the room, but the, but the window can open up almost fully so you really can get some nice, fresh air. And it feels, it, it feels really good. but it's not the traditional balcony that you can walk on,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:out, uh, if you will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:outside the ship. And we are
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:a separate episode, a twin to this about river cruising. So we'll explain a little bit more and maybe give some examples of that.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Sounds great. Sounds great.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:say that going back to the balconies, the traditional balconies and veranda, a lot of clients come to me with safety concerns about balconies and little kids. And I'm not gonna tell you like it's a hundred percent safe. What I will tell you is that cruise ships that I've been on with the kids, which is I prefer Disney if I have the kids with me. you have to have the handle facing a certain way. You have to have another latch that is almost taller than I,
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yes.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:taller than I am, switched a certain direction before you can even attempt to open the balcony door. And that balcony door is kind of heavy. It's like my kids can't necessarily open it by themselves and there's no way they're reaching that top lock. The other part, and this is on almost every ship, It's that your air conditioning is not going to run if your balcony door is not locked. And that's just a thing so that you're not just wasting air conditioning and having the balcony open so you would know if your balcony door was unlocked
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:it's gonna get hot in your room. you know, just to kind of maybe ease some of those concerns, there are a lot of safety measures in place.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:All right. What's the next type of state room?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:If you don't want a balcony and you don't want a suite, the next one is going to be an ocean view room, and these are rooms that have a porthole of some size. I will say that is one thing to look out for is that the portholes can be different sizes. Sometimes there's one large, sometimes there's two
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:So just being aware of that. the rooms do actually tend to be bigger than the balcony room because you don't have that balcony, but the room is the same size as what the balcony rooms are with the room, plus the balcony. These are really limited on their locations of the ship. And this is something that clicked for me, like after I started selling travel, was that when you look at the cruise ship, what do you see? You mostly see balcony
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:So clearly your ocean view room is not gonna be smack in the middle of the ship on a high deck
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:they're gonna be lower. Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:They're
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:decks. They're usually decks two and three, maybe four, or they're at the very front or the very back. If they're in those very front or very back rooms, you would likely have some sort of obstructed view in some way. so just being aware that if you tell us you want an ocean view room and then you're like, but I don't wanna be on deck two, that might be the only option for those.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:most of the folks that, I work with that do the ocean views. A lot of times it's because they're trying to be budget conscious because they wanna spend their money in different places, whether that's the, the ship or the actual crews or the excursions that they're gonna go on. I think it's a good option. and still gives you a very nice room with a view outside. the third area then is obviously interior. and again, there's different versions of this. So the traditional interior room has no windows. It's very dark. It often is the most affordable. Um, because of that, some now have virtual portholes or kind of monitors where you can see what's happening outside. to be honest, I don't sell this a lot. Um, when I talk to clients, they have to talk me into, this is what we want and this is why. Because I really want them to have at least an ocean view. But what I will tell you, Julie, when I like to book these is when we have parents with, older kids and the older kids go in the interior room and right across the hall the parents have the balcony or the ocean view room. and you split it up that way. Now you can't book it that way an adult needs to be in the room. But once you're on any cruise shift that I've ever. Worked with you can go and switch keys around they're perfectly, willing to accommodate that.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Right, and that works really well if like no connecting rooms are available, or maybe you don't wanna pay for an
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:balcony for your teenagers. But you would like an ocean view
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:I actually have clients that do this every single year. They have a family of five. Their kids are pretty young. they book half of them into a suite room and the other half into a nearby interior room. And they literally use the interior room mostly for luggage.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Well, there you go. That's a, that's a creative use of space. And then, uh, and then, and then whoever snores the loudest gets to, uh, sleep in there with all the luggage.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Well that, but you also get like that extra bathroom, which is kind of nice.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:That's true. I didn't think about that. Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah. two other things I wanna touch on here, Ryan, choosing your deck and choosing your location, do you have something that
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Great.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:to recommend what do you look for when you're picking your client's rooms?
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Well, I will, I will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:present a proposal, I'm telling them exactly what room I'm quoting.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:I look for a couple things. I want to get them in the middle the best that I can, and I want to get them as high as I can, as long as they're not right around heavy traffic areas.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:want them right below the pool. I don't necessarily want them right above the restaurant. Not that that's a huge issue, but there is more noise, and commotion going on in those rooms. Um, it wouldn't really affect you during traditional sleeping times, but it's just a consideration. Um, I also,
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:be
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:yeah. Yeah. So as they're getting the deck ready and they're moving chairs around, you might hear that a little bit more. Really, to be honest, I find most state rooms to be pretty sound friendly, no matter where I am. But anyway, I, so I'm looking for more middle. I'm looking for higher. and then I'm also looking for, am I close to the elevators in the stairs? But am I not right there? I wanna be close enough that I can be there within a minute or so, but I don't want to be right at the intersection, if you will.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Agree. And I'll also kind of look, you know, like on, on a Disney ship, for example, deck nine is kind of my sweet spot. because deck 11 is typically the pool. So I don't wanna be directly below that on deck 10. Um, but I don't wanna be too far down either because that pool deck is also where breakfast is
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yeah.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Cabanas at the buffet. So I don't, and I prefer to take the steps on the cruise ship, so. I don't wanna walk up four flights of steps to get to breakfast, but I don't mind walking down four flights of steps to get to dinner. I don't want to put you on a deck that's right next to a kid's club. sometimes you have to really look for that Royal Caribbean. Kids clubs tend to be deck 14. Deck 12. Disney has been deck two, deck five. It just depends on the ship. I will say I, do have some clients that really prefer an AFT or a forward aft. Is back forward. Is forward.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yep.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:you tend to find one of those better than the other or one better for seasickness?'cause that's
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:I, I don't really, to be honest, and I, I try to find the best fit. Obviously, it depends on when we're booking because, you know, ships fill up
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Mm-hmm.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:so I try to find the best fit for the puzzle. I've never had anyone come back complaining of seasickness, regardless of where we were. even if they've gotten a guaranteed room. Which some cruise lines will offer guaranteed, which basically means they get to choose. they are able to put you where they need you to be based on occupancy. So it's usually a little cheaper. Even the folks that have guaranteed have been happy with their state room. there's not been very many complaints at all. you're not gonna have a bad cruise if the state room isn't exactly where you want it to be.
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Agree with that. I agree completely. I think that if you have the opportunity to choose an ideal location, you take it. Um, but if it's not there'cause you're booking a little bit later, it's absolutely fine and we are going to be there to recommend the best one we can. you know, everything we discuss today truly highlights our role as your travel advisor. We know these ships, we research them. We go on tours of these ships we may have personal experience on the ship, and so we are here to guide you along the right choice for your family.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:Julie, if people want to see our cruise knowledge firsthand, they need to join our podcast Friends Cruise, right?
j_1_03-11-2025_132230:Yes, they should.
ryan_1_03-11-2025_132230:that's gonna be July 25th, three nights out of Port Canaveral on Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas. If you would like information about that cruise, reach out to us or check out our Facebook page. We have a link there to get more information. We have special pricing we would love to have you hang out with us or just go on your own cruise enjoy the special pricing. You wanna plan a trip to an amazing destination, but you don't know how to get started. As your travel advisor, we work with you to create a customized itinerary for your vacation and take the stress of planning away so that you can focus on the fun and creating memories. You can reach out to us at all Things travel podcasts.com and click on either Contact Us or Plan a Trip. We look forward to talking to you next week on All Things Travel, when we let you in on some amazing Disney Secrets.
