Views from Cat. 3 loft cabins?
Hi. My husband and I are booked on the Rhine Connoisseur riverboat trip in late August, northbound. We selected cabin #215, Cat. 2, on the Ruby deck, partly based on cost but also based on location (midship, above the waterline, away from common areas and elevators—we hate their noise). We considered a Cat. 3 loft, but it did not look like you could see the riverbank as you sailed by, or the towns while in port. Although we’d love extra room (who wouldn’t?), I’m more concerned with cabin views. What’s been your experience? Thanks.
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I love the cat 3 cabins. You have a great view of the riverbanks and also the towns when in port. Of course, it depends on which side of the ship you are docked. Good travels!
The loft cabins are our favorite - great price, lots of storage and you can absolutely see out the window. BUT - most of the time, you will be up on the sundeck or in the panoramic lounge when sailing so you can see both sides of the river. We are rarely in our cabin.
We always book the loft cabins except on the ships that don’t have them. They are the best. They are often difficult to get. I don’t know if you have done river boats, but most of the noise is outside going through the locks. The inside noise is minor.
Loft cabins rock.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I’m going to see if we can upgrade, maybe put ourselves on the WL if necessary.
If it were me and cost was a consideration, I would not bother changing to a cat 3 cabin. While I do only have one Tauck river cruise under my belt, we found that we were rarely in our cabin. We were either out on excursions or up on deck enjoying views on both sides of the boat. We have been on one other river cruise which was not with Tauck, all the rooms were really tiny, yet again, we were only there at night. We were out on excursions, having dinner and watching entertainment or crawling into bed quite late after very enjoyable busy days. What we remember of the trip the most is all the activities and fantastic French food and service on the boat.
Add me to the list for Loft 3 cabin enthusiasts. They are great. Even though you don't spend alot of time in your Cabin, there are times when you just want to relax in your room away from others. The loft is a perfect platform to while away the hours while drinking a coffee or a glass of wine and watch the world go by.
The views from the lofts are great. Those windows extend up to the deck above.
Another consideration is the bathroom size in #215. That room looks small, so you may want to ask Tauck for more information on the sizes of the bathrooms in your cabin and the lofts. Tauck has square footage info like that. I've been in the first rooms twice as a solo traveler (202 and 302) which worked fine for me, but those showers were really tiny for normal-sized humans. I'm 5'3" so it was tight but do-able. Room 215 looks pretty small, so you may have a smaller shower in there too. Not sure.
I had friends in the lofts and they loved them. One was an early riser and would start her day with coffee and a book in her loft while enjoying the view from her window.
Enjoy!
My sister/BIL had a loft on one cruise and loved it. He especially liked the small sitting area where you do get great views. He's an introvert who likes time on his own. You also get a lot more space in the room and bathroom than the 150 sqft cabins. I'm very noise sensitive and noticed on a recent cruise in at Cat 1 that the underway noise was louder than up on the Ruby deck where we typically have stayed.
PLEASE stop saying good things about loft cabins. Our first trip was on a cruise with a "loft'. Will not say what we thought.!!! LOL
You mean you didn’t like it? I can’t figure out. It’s good to hear difference points of view.
I think they are trying to get people to stop raving about the Cat 3’s, because it will be more difficult to get one if the popularity goes up. On a recent trip we did the only rooms available were Cat 3’s … go figure. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes. That is fortunate. The rest of us can get the Cat 3’s.
I was in cabin #215 last year on the MS Esprit. The bathroom is small and the shower was tiny. I was on the MS Esprit in a cat 4 cabin a the bathroom was fantastic. Going on the MS Grace in a cat 3 and the bathroom looks just like cat 4. Can’t wait to see the difference in that cabin. Loved opening the French balcony doors every morning.