Solstice Class - Aft balconies

[takemewithyou]

We are looking at booking a cruise to the Med next summer on either Eclipse or Equinox. Considering aft CC or Sunset veranda. Have seen an aft CC cabin on Millie - the deck was huge and there was a considerable overhang which provided some shade.

 

Is it the same on the Solstice class ships?

Will there be some shade or will it be open to the decks above?

Are the aft decks or balconies larger as on the M class?

Thanks! :)

[tjunmin]

We are looking at booking a cruise to the Med next summer on either Eclipse or Equinox. Considering aft CC or Sunset veranda. Have seen an aft CC cabin on Millie - the deck was huge and there was a considerable overhang which provided some shade.

 

Is it the same on the Solstice class ships?

 

Unfortunately, no.

 

Will there be some shade or will it be open to the decks above?

 

Open to the decks above.

 

Are the aft decks or balconies larger as on the M class?

 

No. You can have a better idea looking at this useful post from bob278:

 

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.

[takemewithyou]

Thank you so much for the picture!

[Host Anne]

Takeme ~ sadly, the Solstice class aft balconies really can't compare to the M-class aft balconies (I've been on both) but we still like the aft balconies are still nice on the Solstice class. We are booked in another on Equinox next January. I would avoid the deck just below the Oceanview Cafe (noise from above) and the deck just above the dining room (I don't care for the blue area off these balconies that collect dirt and somewhat obstruct the view to the wake). Bob278 gives you a great idea of the bigger balconies (wider but not deeper).

 

All the info everyone else here has provided is accurate. Have a wonderful cruise whatever you decide.

[DrKoob]

I am with Anne on this (hi Anne!) and I want to add one more thing.

 

The S class ships have only two banks of elevators/stairs. One is a third of the way back from the bow and the other is half way back. That means if you are in an aft cabin (like we were on Solstice) every hike from the elevators/stairs to your cabin is a long one.

 

I had never thought of how far it really was but on our recent Mercury cruise my best friend pointed out that the distance from the midship elevators to the aft cabins is just about as far as from one end of Mercury to the other. You may think, "I'm a great walker" but so am I and it still took me quite a while to run back to the cabin when I would forget something.

 

Jim

[Host Anne]

Hi Jim!!!! How ya doing?

 

Jim is right...it is a hike to the elevators but that's one of the reasons I like the aft cabins. I like the hike. We don't take the elevators to go anywhere on a ship. It's my way of working off those "ship calories." But if walking is a consideration, do be aware that it is a good walk from the aft cabins to the elevators/stairs.

 

Great point, Jim! Thanks for bringing it up.

[takemewithyou]

Thanks - some else warned me while on Milie that the S class only had two sets of elevators and that it's a hike to a set of elevators from the stern. Not sure what to do - still deliberating.

 

There's also Aqua class to choose....

[BlueCat1105]

Takeme ~ sadly, the Solstice class aft balconies really can't compare to the M-class aft balconies (I've been on both) but we still like the aft balconies are still nice on the Solstice class. We are booked in another on Equinox next January. I would avoid the deck just below the Oceanview Cafe (noise from above) and the deck just above the dining room (I don't care for the blue area off these balconies that collect dirt and somewhat obstruct the view to the wake). Bob278 gives you a great idea of the bigger balconies (wider but not deeper).

 

All the info everyone else here has provided is accurate. Have a wonderful cruise whatever you decide.

 

Host Anne - do you have first-hand experience with the deck just below the Oceanview Cafe? I have 2152 reserved for a cruise late in 2010, and I'd like to move down one deck if you really think noise will be an issue.

 

Thanks.

[6502programmer]

Host Anne - do you have first-hand experience with the deck just below the Oceanview Cafe? I have 2152 reserved for a cruise late in 2010, and I'd like to move down one deck if you really think noise will be an issue.

I did some research in the solstice cabin info thread and found that no one seemed to be impacted too much by the noise. We moved from 9307 to 2157 for our cruise on Equinox mostly for the overhang. We love the aft balconies (spoiled on the Infinity!), but the idea of having nearly zero shade (and almost as little privacy) was not an appealing one, to the point of even considering leaving the aft!

[upwarduk]

There's also Aqua class to choose....

 

Not if you are on Eclipse 18th Sept or 4th Oct 2010. They are all sold out.

[C-Dragons]

Host Anne - do you have first-hand experience with the deck just below the Oceanview Cafe? I have 2152 reserved for a cruise late in 2010, and I'd like to move down one deck if you really think noise will be an issue.

 

Thanks.

 

My DD and her family had 2157 and we had 2148 on the Solstice Inaugural. Noise was not a problem. We have 2152 booked on Equinox this November and Eclipse next year. The overhang is great, as you have protection from the sun and rain. IMHO the cabins on the Resort deck are the best AFT cabins.

[C-Dragons]

We moved from 9307 to 2157 for our cruise on Equinox mostly for the overhang. We love the aft balconies (spoiled on the Infinity!), but the idea of having nearly zero shade (and almost as little privacy) was not an appealing one, to the point of even considering leaving the aft!

 

Great move! (IMHO) The AFT cabins on the Resort deck are the ones with the most privacy. This is the view looking down from 2148.

 

[Xport]

We have 2152 booked on Equinox this November and Eclipse next year. The overhang is great, as you have protection from the sun and rain. IMHO the cabins on the Resort deck are the best AFT cabins.

 

I have 2152 booked for the short sail to Cozumel that leaves from Fort Lauderdale on the day you get in from Rome!

 

Got a glimpse of the stateroom while aboard Equinox last week [bed is adjacent to the verandah] and liked what I saw in terms of balcony size and overhang... The steward--who was, I believe, leaving the ship in Rome the same day I did--claimed it was the best of the non-suite afts.

[Jamisonke]

I have 2152 booked for the short sail to Cozumel that leaves from Fort Lauderdale on the day you get in from Rome!

 

Got a glimpse of the stateroom while aboard Equinox last week [bed is adjacent to the verandah] and liked what I saw in terms of balcony size and overhang... The steward--who was, I believe, leaving the ship in Rome the same day I did--claimed it was the best of the non-suite afts.

 

This is great to know! We have 2152 booked for an 11 day Caribbean cruise in March 2011. We're very much looking forward to the ship and the stateroom. Part of me is a little worried, as I am about to experience my first penthouse experience on another line - I hope I'll be able to go back to non-suite life! :)

[Ricky Chan]

Hi Jim!!!! How ya doing?

 

Jim is right...it is a hike to the elevators but that's one of the reasons I like the aft cabins. I like the hike. We don't take the elevators to go anywhere on a ship. It's my way of working off those "ship calories." But if walking is a consideration, do be aware that it is a good walk from the aft cabins to the elevators/stairs.

 

Great point, Jim! Thanks for bringing it up.

 

Likewise, we seldom take elevators when we cruise (never took elevator once after dinner since our first cruise in 1998), for reasons same as Anne.

 

Ricky

[DrKoob]

Likewise, we seldom take elevators when we cruise (never took elevator once after dinner since our first cruise in 1998), for reasons same as Anne.

 

Ricky

 

My point was not about exercise. On a cruise I do at least an hour on a treadmill or a bike every morning and we don't usually take elevators but have since my lovely bride injured her hip. My point was about time.

 

On at least six of our seven nights on board we would get to the Martini Bar before dinner, be at dinner or just after dinner and realized we had forgotten something in our cabin we wanted. It might be my glasses so I could see the show better or our camera to take a particular picture. No matter how fast you walked or climbed stairs (and I would challenge most of you to a race) it took a good 20 minutes for a round trip from deck 5 to our cabin on the aft end of deck 10. That's 20 minutes of fun I missed just walking back and forth to my cabin. Do that over 5 days on a cruise, you lose an hour. Just not worth it.

 

Last week on Mercury I forgot something in my cabin and it took me less than five minutes to go to my cabin (almost all the way aft on deck 12) retrieve it and be back at dinner on deck five. You just cannot do that on Solstice or Equinox.

 

I am not complaining about exercise. I am complaining about the fact that the Solstice class ships have only two elevator/stair banks compared to three on the M and C class. It makes going to an aft cabin a waste of time. Especially because the only reason to have an aft cabin is to get that BIG verandah. And the verandahs on the afts of the Solstice class ships are actually smaller than the balconies on the side cabins. We know we measured them. I think that people (like us and our friends) who booked an aft cabin on the Solstice class ships based on their experiences on an M class ship will be sorely disappointed.

[takemewithyou]

Thank you for all of the replies. It helps to know that the balconies do not compare with the aft balconies on the M class and also about the long walk to the elevators. It's good to keep in mind that some people may need the exercise, but have limitations that prohibit much walking - like hip, knee and back problems.

Thanks, All.

[monkeyinhat]

C Dragon - great picture.

 

What kind of furniture did you have on the balcony. Another pic I saw had just 2 straight back chairs and table, this looks like they have ottomans too. it was a tiny balcony.

 

we like loungers, Watch the wake to lay in the sun and read and nap. disappointed this ship doesn;t have loungers

[shays6291]

Host Anne - do you have first-hand experience with the deck just below the Oceanview Cafe? I have 2152 reserved for a cruise late in 2010, and I'd like to move down one deck if you really think noise will be an issue.

 

Thanks.

how was 2152, I have booked for 2013 cruise and saw some reviews for the older S class ships that noted it was very loud. Was the deck larger than most?