Balcony questions (first time cruiser)

[SJ27]

Hi, we are going on the Emerald Princess Baltic tour later this year. We are first time cruisers so are slowly finding out all the stuff, please be patient at these question ;)!

 

I have some questions about the balconies please:

 

1) Are you allowed to smoke on them?

2) How safe are they for toddlers? Are the sides high enough for safety/no big gaps in the railings?

3) How easy is it to overlook other balconies?

4) Is there a part of the ship where the view is better?

 

Thanks

[Katie333]

Hi, we are going on the Emerald Princess Baltic tour later this year. We are first time cruisers so are slowly finding out all the stuff, please be patient at these question ;)!

 

I have some questions about the balconies please:

 

1) Are you allowed to smoke on them? Yes, though technically restricted to cigarette smoke (vs. cigar smoke). If you are going to smoke on your balcony try to be considerate of your neighbours, and ensure you follow all safety precautions with disposal of your cigarettes.

2) How safe are they for toddlers? Are the sides high enough for safety/no big gaps in the railings?

There are gaps in the railings, and they are glass. I wouldn't let a toddler out there unsupervised.

3) How easy is it to overlook other balconies?

Depends which deck you are located on. We prefer fully covered balconies on Baja or Aloha, you can look down on others, particularly Caribe and Dolphin but you'll feel more enclosed. Caribe balconies are bigger however.

4) Is there a part of the ship where the view is better?

Really depends on where you are, time of day etc. We've been on both side and on different decks and generally, have had good views just from our balcony.

Thanks

 

I'm sure you will hear lots but my feedback is above. We are balcony/mini suite addicts!

[mizLORInj]

Hi and welcome to cruising! My 1 year old nephew was with us last year and we never felt unsafe with him on the balcony. One of my favorite photos is him looking through the balcony glass with one hand on the glass wall. sooooooo cute.

The Caribe deck balcony cabins have the largest balconies (of balcony categories; they are BA) that are half covered, half uncovered. Under that deck is Dolphin deck with minisuites and totally uncovered balconies that are large too, but everyone above can look down on your balcony. I would recommend a minisuite if you have a crib in the cabin, as the regular balcony cabins will be tight.

Balcony cabins above Caribe deck have standard sized balconies (read=small)

I would not get a balcony cabin that is under any uncarpeted area on the Riveria deck; we had R602 and were ok because we were under the buffet area which is carpeted.

Sorry can't answer about smoking but I think you can on the balcony.

[SJ27]

Hi guys, wow thanks for the quick, and informative, answers! Which lead me to another silly first-timer question, which is that presumably you can request which deck you are on (subject to availability I guess)? We will most likely go for a minisuite for the space.

 

I can see I need to go and examine the deck plans :)

 

We have been against the idea of cruising for so long and are now doing it with some trepidation ...mainly for the ease of sightseeing without hassling with hotel and transport changes when one has a small child in tow... but the more I read the more I wonder why we waited so long!

[IECalCruiser]

Hi guys, wow thanks for the quick, and informative, answers! Which lead me to another silly first-timer question, which is that presumably you can request which deck you are on (subject to availability I guess)? We will most likely go for a minisuite for the space.

 

I can see I need to go and examine the deck plans :)

 

We have been against the idea of cruising for so long and are now doing it with some trepidation ...mainly for the ease of sightseeing without hassling with hotel and transport changes when one has a small child in tow... but the more I read the more I wonder why we waited so long!

You can request any deck and cabin that is available unlike a hotel reservation. If you choose to go with a mini-suite, the Dolphin deck minis are uncovered but the Emerald deck mini's are fully covered. The attached photo shows Caribe, Dolphin and Emerald balconies on the Emerald's sister the Ruby.

 

If you want and get an Emerald Deck mini and don't want to be on the Dolphin deck open minis, be certain to mark your reservation as "no upgrade". There is always the slight chance of an "upgrade" to a Dolphin deck mini otherwise.

 

I have also attached a photo showing the railing in more detail from a Star Caribe deck balcony.

[Liz54]

It is a tough decision weather to go with the minisuite which is larger and includes a tub or the Caribe deck balconies which are 5 feet deeper than all other balconies (except full suites). The mini suite sofa pulls out into a bed, but otherwise does not seem that much bigger than a regular cabin. There are 2 TVs in the mini, but I don't know if anyone needs 2 TVs on a cruise!!!:eek: If you are accostomed to a tub for bathing your toddler, the mini is great, but if you plan to spend a lot of time on the balcony you may prefer a caribe deck regular balcony cabin. (There are no minis on the caribe deck!)

 

IECalCruser makes an important point. Be sure to mark your booking NO Upgrade or they will have the right to move you and you could lose the cabin you have chosen so carefully. Real upgrades - say from mini to full suite are very rare!

[SJ27]

Pics are great. Thanks again guys, I think this is the most responsive and helpful forum on anything I've ever been on!!

[knbcruisers]

Be sure to check out the Family cruising board. We are traveling in April with DD and 1 year old grandson. There are several great threads on traveling with toddlers with lots of great suggestions to make traveling easy on the parents and the kids.

[IECalCruiser]

Mini-suite balconies are about 7' x 9'. Smaller than the 9' x 9' Caribe deck but larger than the 5' x 9' balconies on other decks. Both the Caribe balconies and the minis have 2 chairs, 2 reclining chairs and a small table rather than the 2 chairs and small table on other balconies.

[SJ27]

Thanks for all the input, so, we have decided to go with a mini-suite. The extra area and bathtub will be useful (we have an older child as well as the toddler so have decided the extra space is worth it, especially in the evenings when they are sleeping and we are still awake).

 

Still trying to decide between emerald and dolphin though. Other than the privacy, what are the advantages of a covered balcony? Also I see emerald is right above the promenade level, i have heard some people say this can be pretty noisy especially if you are near the theatre, any further comments on these issues? If you are able to choose, is closer to midship better or doesn't it really make much difference given where the minisuites are located?

[Saruman]

Other than the privacy, what are the advantages of a covered balcony? Also I see emerald is right above the promenade level, i have heard some people say this can be pretty noisy especially if you are near the theatre, any further comments on these issues? If you are able to choose, is closer to midship better or doesn't it really make much difference given where the minisuites are located?

 

Depends on the itinerary. Covered makes sense if you get light Alaskan "liquid sunshine", or are not into sunbathing. We always take balconies and have been forward, aft, and midships. Forward was a little loud when the seas in the North Atlantic turned ugly and we heard some slapping of waves, but otherwise have enjoyed wherever we were! We have mostly been on Aloha or Baja (uppermost balcony levels) and NEVER had a sound issue. There will those who specify exact decks and cabin locations as favorite and "best", (there are always "Princess and the Pea People" who will say otherwise for themselves) but we'll take ANY balcony and love it! Hope you enjoy it, too!

[cruiserdru]

Keep in mind that there are only 12 mini-suites on the Emerald deck. They are all the way aft and are above Club Fusion.

 

This could raise two issues for you. First, for all of the July and at least one of the August sailings (all I checked) those cabins are no longer available. You may book a guarantee for that category but that only means you will be placed in at least an AD cabin and could end up on Dolphin deck anyway. Many people like the covered minis and book them as soon as the sailings open (almost a year in advance) and mark them as no upgrade.

 

I have not sailed above Club Fusion so I don't know if there are noise issues from the club and if this would be a problem for your sleeping little ones.

 

We often sail in a mini on Dolphin and the open balcony is not a problem to us but it is a matter of personal taste.

 

Good luck with your booking and I'm sure you will have a great time.

[SJ27]

looks like the decision is made for us as apparently only AD cabins are available now! (this is the 26 June sailing) The one quoted for us is on the other side of the ship from Club Fusion so hopefully this will be OK...

Thanks for all the help everyone