aft balconies on Solstice class?

Deck plans show aft cabin balconies the same size as side balconies. Is this correct? I hope not, as I am used to very large aft balconies on RCI and am currently in the planning stage for an Equinox cruise.

Bad news for you my friend. The days of the big aft balconies are gone. They are the same size as the side balconies, and some are slightly smaller. There is a chart that shows cabin by cabin information for the Solstice.

We are huge fans of the aft balconies on M-class. But after our cruise on the Equinox we will pick a side cabin, not aft, the next time we sail on the Equinox or one of its sister S-class ships.

The balconies are no deeper than standard, the only really nice aft balconies are the aft Sky Suites.

The balconies are completely open, except for the very top deck. There is no protection from sun, rain, or the view from above. There is a fair amount of soot that settles on the balconies and a white surface area between floors. The room stewards to a good job of washing these off - BUT when doing so they hose them down and the water cascades onto the verandas on the floors below. Not a good situation if you're sitting out there at the time or if you've left anything out on the balcony that you didn't want to get wet.

The only potential benefit to the aft is if one really likes the view and the wind protection, but while we like those benefits we'll take a pass next time we sail one of these ships.

Thanks for the info. Guess we'll have to settle for a side balcony. I'd really rather sail the Millinium class, but the Equinox's 10 night itinerary is soooo good.

39August ~ we got off Equinox today and this is the third time we were in a Sunset veranda (twice on Solstice and now on Equinox). Everyone is correct....these balconies are not deeper like the aft M-class balconies....BUT some of them (like ours) is wider (can't tell you why....it makes no sense to me). We were in 8344 and it has the widest of the aft balconies (and those above and below it are wider as well).

Soot was not a problem on this cruise. But the cleaning of the ship day and night was constant from the noro episode the cruise before ours. So perhaps that was part of the reason why. The one day (out of ten) that they were going to hose down the aft balconies, they actually left a note on our bed the evening before to let us know when it would be happening so we could bring in any items we had outside (a very nice touch).

If you like bigger balconies, I'd suggest looking at the "hump" angled balconies that are bigger and more what you are used to. But .... they go very, very quickly so if you are sailing soon, snagging one is probably unlikely.

I do still love being aft on the ship, even with a smaller balcony. Ours was plenty big enough to relax, read, enjoy breakfast.

some of the Aft Balconies are wider then the side ones though, When you look at the photo you will see. I would choose an aft wide one or a bump out side one

someone posted about which was a little larger then some on the sv salconies I read it somewhere I wish I would have book marked it now does anyone remember that post?

Do your research. Solstice Class aft cabins have serious issues with soot and is unlike other ships.

Do your research. Solstice Class aft cabins have serious issues with soot and is unlike other ships.

Yes I heard that but on our sky suite on the aft we never had any issues so im not sure, and My mom on the Equinox in her Concierge Cabin did not in the med also? so im not sure who knows...seems like things differ week to week HAHA

I had an aft balcony that was a little wider. I'd still pick a standard side balcony in any location over the wider aft one.

At least in the aft, next to one of the center cabins is a steward's closet in the hallway. So the balcony by this room not only has the normal width but the width of the adjacent stewards closet as well. That is why it is a little wider than most. I don't' know if there are rooms on the sides with the same phenomenon.

Yes I heard that but on our sky suite on the aft we never had any issues so im not sure, and My mom on the Equinox in her Concierge Cabin did not in the med also? so im not sure who knows...seems like things differ week to week HAHA

I did not take an aft, but did see the soot with my own eyes in another's cabin. I too don't know of when and why, but can say if it happens, its not a good thing.:o

17 nights in aft S-Class balconies--never saw anything that looked like soot to me...

17 nights in aft S-Class balconies--never saw anything that looked like soot to me...

Ok...please don't suggest that it doesn't occur simply because it did not happen to you.

You were lucky. Trust me. With the cruise line jacking up pricing for aft categories, they should guarantee no soot on S Class!

Ok...please don't suggest that it doesn't occur simply because it did not happen to you.

 

You were lucky. Trust me. With the cruise line jacking up pricing for aft categories, they should guarantee no soot on S Class!

And I'm saying for every person who states that there are "serious issues" with soot on aft balconies, there are a handful of people who have actually stayed in them and haven't had a problem. Real life experiences should be a part of the research you recommend.

Actually, I'll keep my mouth quiet and let the soot myth stay out there so I can get my favorite room for less $ next time.

And I'm saying for every person who states that there are "serious issues" with soot on aft balconies, there are a handful of people who have actually stayed in them and haven't had a problem. Real life experiences should be a part of the research you recommend.

 

Actually, I'll keep my mouth quiet and let the soot myth stay out there so I can get my favorite room for less $ next time.

I saw it and I felt badly for the one whose cabin it was. You can't go with bare feet. Perhaps they will step up and post. Its more than one notable and respected poster who has had the experience.

we got off Equinox today.

Welcome back Anne, we hope you had a nice cruise. :)

I saw it and I felt badly for the one whose cabin it was. You can't go with bare feet. Perhaps they will step up and post. Its more than one notable and respected poster who has had the experience.

Notable and respected...like Host Anne in this very thread?

I'm not saying it doesn't happen and hasn't troubled people. I'm just saying that calling it a "serious problem" is overstating it a bit.

Notable and respected...like Host Anne in this very thread?

 

I'm not saying it doesn't happen and hasn't troubled people. I'm just saying that calling it a "serious problem" is overstating it a bit.

With all due respect, I am not outing anyone.

With all due respect, unless you have seen it, you really can't comment on the seriousness of it, so don't diminish it as a result.

We had an S1 aft corner suite on the Nov. TA.

There was definitely soot on our balcony, but the crew hosed down the balcony frequently. This is when we noticed the soot - floating in the resulting puddles.

It wasn't a problem.

We had no problem enjoying our veranda barefoot on our recent Equinox cruise. If you encounter a problem with soot, I'd suggest discussing it with you cabin attendant first and asking that they keep an eye out for it and clean your balcony accordingly. In the three cruises we've had in S-class aft cabins, we didn't experience soot to an extent that it was a problem. But I've read others who have. So discuss it with your cabin attendant and then guest relations if it really is bothersome.

Thanks Lsimon for the explanation on the cabin attendant cloest. That might explain it. I'll have to look more cloesly when we try Eclipse in 2011.

By the way, the slippers provided in AQ solve the problem of not being able to walk in your bare feet in the cabin or balcony.

If one of the postives of an Aft Cabin is wind protection, the other option is a cabin on the aft portion of the Hump (mentioned before). But the standard cabins just aft of the Hump are good also. We had one aft of the Hump and it was great. Still had privacy ( you saw and were seen standing at your baloncy rail only) and little wind. Loved it. But the Balconies are standard size, which for us (agreeing with Host Anne) was more than enough.

We had a balcony on an M-Class way forward that had the jutout as additional balcony space. It only gave a little more room to stand or stick your feet into, so sometimes this 'bigger balcony' is not that 'big' of deal. Unless of course you are talking about M-Class Aft cabins and some of the SV's on Mercury (which I have this time!! yahoo!).

Denny

Guess we've been lucky, had cabin 2152 three times on Solstice and never had a soot problem. 2152 has a wider balcony, but next month we'll be next to it in 2157 and this time on Equinox.

We had a side sky suite on Solstice's inaugural, and while I loved the cabin I much prefer the aft view.

Mari

someone posted about which was a little larger then some on the sv salconies I read it somewhere I wish I would have book marked it now does anyone remember that post?

This one I think:

Based on this view of the aft and judging only on balcony sizes, I group the aft C1s in 3 categories. Check the width of the balcony wall on either side of the cabin door.

 

 

 

 

Widest balconies:

2152, 1674, 1206, 9382

 

Mid-sized balconies:

2157, 1676, 1670, 1407, 1208, 1202, 9303, 9307, 9378

 

Smallest balconies:

1672, 1668, 1405, 1409, 1204, 1200, 9301, 9305, 9380, 9376

 

Your choices all have about the same size balcony. We were in 1204 and know that it was noticeably smaller than 1202 and significantly smaller than 1208. The smallest balconies are not bad, it's just that the difference in the three sizes is just noticeable. I would pick 9380 as it is closer to the center but any of the three would be good cabins.

I was in SV 6315 on the Continental deck on Equinox for 14 nights and the problem of soot varied from nothing at all to pretty bad. It seemed dependent upon the way the smoke from the stack was blowing and where on the aft you were. I was pretty much dead centre and the problem was there if the smoke was blowing down the line of the ship, but not if it trailed to either side. When the soot was an issue you could also smell the smoke from the stack.

It's a known issue and the hose was always hanging near my door in the morning ready for the steward to go and clean it all off if it happened. The lack of shade was no problem because I like the sun and being a Westbound TA the full glare disappeared after about 2pm. The lack of shelter when it rained was more of an issue as it rendered the balcony useless if it was wet. Fortunately it didn't rain too much.

I've booked an aft cabin for later this year. I'm still contemplating, but love the aft view. I was on deck 7, but have actually moved to deck 6 because there's no-one looking up at you from any balcony below.

Celebrity really need to put an awning over those aft balconies and that would help a lot.

Phil

Celebrity really need to put an awning over those aft balconies and that would help a lot.

 

Phil

That is an awesome idea!!!:)