Central Park Balconies on the Oasis

[aidansaunt2004]

What do you think about the Central Park Balconies on the Oasis? Are they nice? This will be our first cruise with RC. The concept is different but I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's a few hundred dollars less than an oceanview balcony.

[skandls]

We did a CP balcony on the Oasis. I did not like the 'view' of the other cabins. I saw women in undies doing hair and makeup. If I can see them they can see me. When we booked the Allure we got an ocean view balcony. The extra privacy was worth the extra cost. DH did not mind the CP view as much as I did but he tends to be a much 'freer' spirit than I am.

[Langley Cruisers]

You will find a mix of replies here - some loved them, some hated them. Personally, as stated, there is a considerable lack of privacy with the inward balcony rooms in Central Park and Boardwalk. One person on here described it as living in the projects because of all the wet laundry strewn over the balconies (no offense intended - that is what they said).

 

I would spend more for an ocean balcony. Trust me, on this class of ship with the "inward facing neighbourhoods", you will have a difficult enough time finding the ocean (my opinion). We loved the freshness of the ocean balcony. I cruise to be on the ocean, not in a Mall or something like that (yes, I will admit, Oasis was my DH's choice that trip!).

 

Obviously, JMHO, but you did ask.

.

[CVU]

We had a guarantee CP cabin on Allure but would not do it again. We too did not like the lack of privacy and it was very noisy. We were opposite the water play area and there were a lot of kids on board that cruise.

[NorthernVAPirate]

I'll be in a CP balcony room on deck 11 in 3 weeks. I'll report back what I find out....but I'm a glass half full kind of person so it'll probably be fabulous.

[JCCRYPTO]

We were not happy with our CP balcony. The extra money for and ocean view balcony is well worth it.

We always enjoy sitting out on the balcony and reading. It was much to noisy on the CP balcony. Also agree with the privacy issue

[WeLove2CruiseRCI]

We would never do a CP balcony, we love our small private piece of the ocean. On our Oasis cruise this past November our M&M group did a cabin crawl and 1 of the rooms was a CP balcony. One thing I noted in visiting the cabin (other than the lack of privacy) is when I went out on the balcony, in the middle of the afternoon, it was very hot with the sun above the ship. No breeze as you would have with the ocean view balcony.

[Mande30]

I'll be in a CP balcony room on deck 11 in 3 weeks. I'll report back what I find out....but I'm a glass half full kind of person so it'll probably be fabulous.

 

We're also looking forward to our CP View Balcony. Its going to be great!!!

[wheretonow?]

We had a CP Balcony for the Allure Holiday cruise and loved it. The weather was mild so we didn't overheat during the day. You could sit out on the balcony and see the warm blue sky and hear the pool band during the day and in the evening look out at Central Park and listen to the jazz group.

 

Not the same peace and tranquility as an ocean view balcony, sure, but fun people watching and a nice view just the same. Of course, we also love Promenade rooms, so we are used to remembering to close the curtains and hope other people do too :eek:

 

If you have never cruised or had a balcony, the ocean view might be a more traditional way to go, but if the extra savings on the room means you get to upgrade your experience (shore excursions, specialty dining) in other places, it is worth considering. JMHO

[lsr]

We had an OV balcony on our Allure cruise, a Boardwalk balcony on our Oasis cruise and we're about to have a CP balcony on our upcoming Oasis cruise. By far, the OV balcony is our preferred way to go for all the reasons that the previous posters mentioned. That said, we just couldn't justify the extra cost to upgrade to an OV this time. Something else to consider is if you're travelling alone or with other couples. My husband and I have always found that when we travel alone, we tend to spend more time in our cabin and therefore out on the balcony but when we travel with others, we really don't. So spending the extra money on a balcony that we won't really use doesn't seem wise. There are so many retailers that I can donate my extra money to in Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten!!!

 

Bottom line from my humble opinion is that, if money is not an issue, OV balcony is definitely the way to go!

 

I hope this helps!

Laura

[swedish1]

Can Central Park Balconies that are adjacent be opened just like OV Balconies?

[golfer1966]

What do you think about the Central Park Balconies on the Oasis? Are they nice? This will be our first cruise with RC. The concept is different but I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's a few hundred dollars less than an oceanview balcony.

 

We did one on Allure and its just ok. As others have said, its kinda weird sitting out there and looking across and seeing people doing " whatever". We just booked Oasis for October and we took a CP Balcony again, because it was a few hundred bux cheaper. I personally think I will change to a D at some point because I just love watching the water go by and seeing land and watch us docking...etc. I have to talk to my accounting dept ( my wife ) and try and talk her into switching. Dont get me wrong, its a lovely view of the park and trees and hearing the crickets is nice and all, but I have a habit of going on the balcony half naked :eek: cuz nobody can see on a ocean view balcony, but on a CP, its shirt and shorts for me. I just prefer looking at the water. If you dont mind others seeing you and visa versa, go for a CP to save the cash.

[jd10367]

We had CP view on Oasis last spring and loved it. Bird noises piped in during the day, cricket noises piped in at night. Everything lit up pretty, people strolling to dinner in nice clothes. It felt like a swanky land resort. We've been on a dozen cruises and can get a regular oceanview balcony on any ship; this is something different. (Then again, we spend little time in our cabin or on the balcony anyway.)

[elephant98]

We had a Central Park balcony on Deck 10 of the Allure and loved it. Of course, there were a couple of considerations that were unique to us that it made it more worthwhile to us than it would for others. First, we were traveling with a toddler who still takes two or three hour naps after lunch, and who goes to bed relatively early at night. Having a Central Park balcony was wonderful because our baby monitor (picture and sound) worked up and down the entire length of the Central Park. So, not having one of us stuck in the room during naptime/bedtime was terrific. Second, we really enjoy listening to live music on the ship. With a toddler in tow, we rarely get to lounge around on the pool deck and listen to Caribbean band for very long, much less go to a showroom for the ballroom dance music. So, we actually enjoyed being able to sit on the balcony or in Central Park and listen to Caribbean band that was playing songs up on the pool deck during the day or the violinists/jazz band/bag pipes that were playing in Central Park in the evenings. When the balcony door was closed, we didn't hear any of the outside noise in the room. But, we did leave the door open a few times to listen to music too. That was nice. Third, there is absolutely NO SMOKING allowed on Central Park balconies, or in Central Park. As someone who is sensitive to smoke, I found this to be a very big positive. As much as I love oceanview balconies, I have been on several cruises where the person(s) in the adjoining stateroom are chainsmokers, and the smoke was so bad that I ended up spending little time on it.

 

Yes, the fact that you can see directly across into the rooms of your neighbors if the privacy curtain is open is an obvious downside. (On that note, you can even see through the sheer curtain at night if the lights are on, so be careful about that). Also, there is no light on the Central Park balconies (probably for ambience purposes). So, you can't sit out there to read at night, unless you have your own booklight. But, for us, at this point in our cruising lives, the Central Park balconies were terrific.

[Familygoboston]

We had a Central Park balcony on Deck 10 of the Allure and loved it. Of course, there were a couple of considerations that were unique to us that it made it more worthwhile to us than it would for others. First, we were traveling with a toddler who still takes two or three hour naps after lunch, and who goes to bed relatively early at night. Having a Central Park balcony was wonderful because our baby monitor (picture and sound) worked up and down the entire length of the Central Park. So, not having one of us stuck in the room during naptime/bedtime was terrific. Second, we really enjoy listening to live music on the ship. With a toddler in tow, we rarely get to lounge around on the pool deck and listen to Caribbean band for very long, much less go to a showroom for the ballroom dance music. So, we actually enjoyed being able to sit on the balcony or in Central Park and listen to Caribbean band that was playing songs up on the pool deck during the day or the violinists/jazz band/bag pipes that were playing in Central Park in the evenings. When the balcony door was closed, we didn't hear any of the outside noise in the room. But, we did leave the door open a few times to listen to music too. That was nice. Third, there is absolutely NO SMOKING allowed on Central Park balconies, or in Central Park. As someone who is sensitive to smoke, I found this to be a very big positive. As much as I love oceanview balconies, I have been on several cruises where the person(s) in the adjoining stateroom are chainsmokers, and the smoke was so bad that I ended up spending little time on it.

 

Yes, the fact that you can see directly across into the rooms of your neighbors if the privacy curtain is open is an obvious downside. (On that note, you can even see through the sheer curtain at night if the lights are on, so be careful about that). Also, there is no light on the Central Park balconies (probably for ambience purposes). So, you can't sit out there to read at night, unless you have your own booklight. But, for us, at this point in our cruising lives, the Central Park balconies were terrific.

 

You make some really excellent points here! I think that the idea of being able to bring your monitor with you to the bars and dining areas on the park is an excellent one for people with even older children. I think nothing would be more miserable than sitting in your interior cabin with the curtain closed while the young ones sleep! So the CP balcony certainly solves that problem for not too much more $.

And the smoking is a big deal for some...that's why I booked a Boardwalk balc for my teens; they simply can't bear a whiff of smoke, and they love to people watch, so this is perfect for them!

It's funny how depending on your priorities or travel group, which cabin works for you changes. For our romantic Oasis cruise, we had a big d1 balcony to enjoy together, but on our Allure cruise I expect we will be busy with the kids and so just booked a d 8.

[nelblu]

We loved it. It was very different than an ocean balcony. When we sat

we felt as though we were in a city overlooking a park. It was enjoyable seeing pax strolling the park and entering the various restaurants adorning CP. Our room (12609) overlooked The Park Cafe and the cafe got a workout with all of the eaters. Also, got a kick in seeing the movable bar. Our room was centrally located and in the pm we enjoyed the ship's pool band.

 

I would recommend CP balcony rooms, however, the only down side was our bed being near the bathroom--what a hassle getting to the closet.

[DonnaK]

Can Central Park Balconies that are adjacent be opened just like OV Balconies?

 

Yes. (the divider between my daughter's room and the next room had been left open after the previous cruise, and we didn't notice it until the third day, and then we put in a request to have it closed)

 

 

OP: Our daughters (young adults, not kids) loved their CP balcony on Deck 10 (10585) They thought it was very peaceful at night, and they liked being able to monitor the crowd in the Park Cafe so they could pop down there when it wasn't too busy). The air on that balcony seemed much less humid and more confortable than on our oceanfront balcony, which was almost too hot/humid to use.

[Virtopia]

I just booked my first Balcony room on the Allure and I'm glad I opted for the OV instead of the CP. I love looking into the water and reading with the sounds of the ocean and I feel the traditional balcony will meet all my needs.

[Mande30]

We loved it. It was very different than an ocean balcony. When we sat

we felt as though we were in a city overlooking a park. It was enjoyable seeing pax strolling the park and entering the various restaurants adorning CP. Our room (12609) overlooked The Park Cafe and the cafe got a workout with all of the eaters. Also, got a kick in seeing the movable bar. Our room was centrally located and in the pm we enjoyed the ship's pool band.

 

I would recommend CP balcony rooms, however, the only down side was our bed being near the bathroom--what a hassle getting to the closet.

 

I read that the idea of the CP balcony rooms came from the high rise apartments that overlook the real Central Park in New York. I think they did an excellent job recreating the scene, only on a smaller scale.

[swedish1]

I read that the idea of the CP balcony rooms came from the high rise apartments that overlook the real Central Park in New York. I think they did an excellent job recreating the scene, only on a smaller scale.

Looks more like an Embassy Suites to me.