Aft balcony

Hello,

Can anybody tell me what it is like having a balcony in the aft...pros and cons?

If I get an aft balcony is it generally less breezy more warm outside?

Do you feel any vibration.

Which aft balconies are larger?

I am thinking of going on the Getaway.

Hello,

 

Can anybody tell me what it is like having a balcony in the aft...pros and cons?

 

If I get an aft balcony is it generally less breezy more warm outside?

 

Do you feel any vibration.

 

Which aft balconies are larger?

 

I am thinking of going on the Getaway.

My vote is go for it. We always try to get an aft cabin. It is less breezy, you get a great view of wherever you are traveling, I believe the balconies might be a little larger and that part of the ship is very quiet because you don't have much foot traffic in that area. Others will probably add more pros and cons.

Cole

Hello,

 

Can anybody tell me what it is like having a balcony in the aft...pros and cons?

 

If I get an aft balcony is it generally less breezy more warm outside?

 

Do you feel any vibration.

 

Which aft balconies are larger?

 

I am thinking of going on the Getaway.

The Pros are a larger balcony (typically) and an amazing view. The view really is spectacular and relaxing watching the wake is fantastic.

That said there are also some major Cons. A long walk to your room and the stairs. You will feel more movement. There is typically no wind on the balcony so it can get very hot with almost stagnant air. You can feel vibrations.

On cruises like a Panama Canal or Alaska I would highly recommend an Aft as the view is half the cruise. On other cruises we always tend to go with a minisuite as close to the stairs as possible. We find that this is the most convenient especially on the new larger ships.

6&8

I love the Aft balcony. They are larger and the reduced wind is great. However, I was so thrilled a few years ago to get an aft facing balcony, only to have my friend get sick from the increased movement. It was a New York to Bermuda cruise where the seas are generally more active than a Caribbean cruise. He is not typically a motion sick person.

I recently had an Aft facing on the Sky. It was with someone else so motion was not a concern. The vibrations were pretty bad but I really didn't care. I loved the balcony.

Last year was my first aft - in a penthouse suite on Dawn. I was surprised by the noise. Didn't even occur to me that all that churning water would be so loud. This year I'm going to bring a little pair of foam earplugs. As others have said, the view is amazing. Coming back into Boston last July, we saw whales and dolphins. So cool!

We have our third aft balcony in two weeks. Deep balcony, love the view, and not as breezy. However, definitely more motion (and I am very prone to motion sickness and I will get a patch for the first time for the cruise) and if there are loud or rude people aft it can be a problem. It was great last year but the year before it was awful. People who knew each other were constanting yelling from one balcony floor to another and the same group was catcalling every person that was walking back to the ship while in port in Nassau.

I would go for it especially on the Breakaway and Getaway. When they built these new ships they made the balconies smaller.

I like them, but on southern itineraries they have gotten so hot due to lack of air moving that it was unuseable.

You do feel more vibration in an aft cabin especially coming into ports but I use this as my alarm clock lol that's how I know we're pulling into a port. I love aft cabins and the views are great.

I had a deck 12 aft balcony on Getaway....we had 2 loungers.....2 chairs and a small table. I didn't notice much vibration from ship motion but at night there was vibration from the music at the outdoor club on deck 15.

I saw a regular balcony and it was small....2 chairs and it looked like your knees would hit the balcony glass wall when sitting.

I was told that deck 9 and 12 have the largest balconies.

Even with the vibration from the club I would still book the cabin again...in fact I booked the same cabin on Escape!

We've only cruised once and that was in an aft suite on the Sun last year to Alaska. We loved watching the wake, so relaxing. The vibrations did wake us up when coming into port, but it wasn't a big deal. Like a PP said, it was our alarm clock!

Our next cruise is in May and we have another aft booked. :D

Jim

Had an aft suite in January; deck 13. Love love LOVED it! There was a very strong vibration leaving NYC - strong enough that we couldn't put our champagne glasses on a table and our flower vase almost vibrated off the table in our room. That was really the only time we felt it. The one negative was the soot that did collect overnight on the balcony. Our room steward did a fantastic job of keeping the balcony clean each day to remove the soot but when I would go out there in the morning, I needed to be aware of it or would definitely get dirty. We usually put towels down on the furniture and wiped off the railings and tables. I have heard that it isn't as big a problem on the lower decks. All that being said - we loved our aft suite and I am booked in an aft suite again (deck 9) on Breakaway in May. The pros totally outweigh the cons...great fireworks views, great sail aways...just a perfect location. We never had a problem with the walk to our aft cabin but I can see why some people wouldn't like it.

:D Have a Aft Balcony on Deck 12 booked for my Med cruise on Epic, can't wait...

I look forward to some spectacular views...

I have an Aft Balcony on deck 12 on the Breakaway in November. Very excited, I'm sure you'll love it!

Since my father in law is 78, great shape I may add, he is prone to feeling the movement, I best not get the balcony this time, maybe next time when we cruise without him, thank you everybody!!

7 days til I'm in my aft balcony on the Epic!

Hello,

 

Can anybody tell me what it is like having a balcony in the aft...pros and cons?

 

If I get an aft balcony is it generally less breezy more warm outside?

 

Do you feel any vibration.

 

Which aft balconies are larger?

 

I am thinking of going on the Getaway.

We had an aft suite on the Jewel (9672) in December (our first cruise, BTW). We loved it. Great balcony, very, very quiet (although that may be a function of ship layout), and minimal wind. We didn't notice much vibration or motion, and there was no soot at all. FWIW, we heard people with similar suites in the Haven mentioning noise from the pool bands, and more motion. We would book the same cabin again in a second.

Based on all the reviews I read about aft balconies...pros & cons....seemed like for us the pros won out and we upgraded to aft. 56 days til we sail Epic Aft balcony on deck 10. Could not be more excited!!!

Well its a good thing I didn't book today because now you have me rethinking aft lol

I failed to mention in a prior post that last summer on the Sun the soot from the exhaust plume or incinerator impacted our enjoyment/use of the balcony. It was a constant battle and if DW or I went out in light colored clothes they were invariably stained. We covered the funiture with towels which worked fine until the soot eventually rained down on the towels. Eventually we ended up throwing on the robes when we went out.

Now no aft lol

Considering an Aft balcony for three adults on the Sun for Alaska. It is too crowded for three?

Considering an Aft balcony for three adults on the Sun for Alaska. It is too crowded for three?

I would definitely book an AFT cabin for Alaska! You'll have amazing views. That's a bucket list cruise for me lol

We are huge aft fans. On NCL we've been in aft suites twice and loved them. Our upcoming Epic cruise, we have another aft. Can't beat the panoramic views. For Alaska, it was priceless. That said, the prices have caught up with the demand and they can be pricier than regular balconies. Watch for sales or price groups on these limited cabins. Love watching and listening to the wake. Also depending on the ship some may be uncovered or covered, some are deeper than others, etc. Do your research to position yourself in the one that fits you best.

Had an aft suite in January; deck 13. Love love LOVED it! There was a very strong vibration leaving NYC - strong enough that we couldn't put our champagne glasses on a table and our flower vase almost vibrated off the table in our room. That was really the only time we felt it. The one negative was the soot that did collect overnight on the balcony. Our room steward did a fantastic job of keeping the balcony clean each day to remove the soot but when I would go out there in the morning, I needed to be aware of it or would definitely get dirty. We usually put towels down on the furniture and wiped off the railings and tables. I have heard that it isn't as big a problem on the lower decks. All that being said - we loved our aft suite and I am booked in an aft suite again (deck 9) on Breakaway in May. The pros totally outweigh the cons...great fireworks views, great sail aways...just a perfect location. We never had a problem with the walk to our aft cabin but I can see why some people wouldn't like it.

I have an aft on deck 9 on the Breakaway (9320) booked for the end of July. You have to let me know how they are. I heard they are some of the biggest aft balconies. I have been trying to find any youtube video of one and can't find any for deck 9 on the Breakaway. I'm so excited!

Getaway 9318:

Getaway 9322:

Not the Breakaway (and not 9320), but the Getaway is a sister ship and so most likely your cabin will look like these. Note that 9320 will have a balcony as wide as 9318; 9322's is a little narrower (compare the balcony rail "panels" in the two videos). I've read that 9320 has the bed by the balcony (like 9318). I've also read that deck 9 has the deepest aft balconies on the ship, so I think you made a great choice!