Our AFT Balcony Experience

[katiepe]

Wanted to give my pros/cons of an Aft balcony.

I had problems finding posts when I was trying to decide.

We were on the Glory so can only assume the same would hold true for all afts?

Far more pros than cons..

Loved the extra room as we are real balcony people and spend hours out there and we smoke too.

BTW Smokers on either side as well and below us .

Quiet quiet area of the ship..Deck 7..no hall noise at all.

Great cabin steward. Viktor took excellent care of us and our cabin. Even got us an extra chair right away as there were 3 of us and when we came back from dinner the first night the chair was changed for a lounger. Even better! Left him an extra large tip in addition to our prepaid grats.

Loved the sail aways and the arrival into Roatan-they "back in" to this port.

Loved the sunsets and sunrises and the stars were incredible.

Not too much movement really and what there was I actually enjoyed. Getting "rocked" to sleep..loved it;)

 

Only two cons..

It is true that with the angled sides that there isnt much privacy when neighbors are standing at the rail. We had great neighbors luckily. And everyone I think was careful to maintain each others privacy.

Very hot late afternoon..too hot to enjoy sitting out for a couple of hours.Had to have a later pre dinner cocktail.

But I would certainly book another one. I am a convert.

[English Tim]

Wanted to give my pros/cons of an Aft balcony.

I had problems finding posts when I was trying to decide.

We were on the Glory so can only assume the same would hold true for all afts?

Far more pros than cons..

Loved the extra room as we are real balcony people and spend hours out there and we smoke too.

BTW Smokers on either side as well and below us .

Quiet quiet area of the ship..Deck 7..no hall noise at all.

Great cabin steward. Viktor took excellent care of us and our cabin. Even got us an extra chair right away as there were 3 of us and when we came back from dinner the first night the chair was changed for a lounger. Even better! Left him an extra large tip in addition to our prepaid grats.

Loved the sail aways and the arrival into Roatan-they "back in" to this port.

Loved the sunsets and sunrises and the stars were incredible.

Not too much movement really and what there was I actually enjoyed. Getting "rocked" to sleep..loved it;)

 

Only two cons..

It is true that with the angled sides that there isnt much privacy when neighbors are standing at the rail. We had great neighbors luckily. And everyone I think was careful to maintain each others privacy.

Very hot late afternoon..too hot to enjoy sitting out for a couple of hours.Had to have a later pre dinner cocktail.

But I would certainly book another one. I am a convert.

 

Thanks for the info. I thought smoking was no longer allowed on balconies!

[Texaslandshark]

Thanks for the info. I thought smoking was no longer allowed on balconies!

Wrong.

[craftykitty]

Thanks for the info. I thought smoking was no longer allowed on balconies!

 

Smokers are running out of room else where, they have to be allowed to smoke some place they've paid for.

 

p.s. I do not smoke.

[English Tim]

Wrong.

 

Maybe right one day! I have just checked the t&c. Last cruise we took, smoking wasn't allowed on balconies, but that was because they were spa cabins. Are they're any cabins on Glory, where smoking is prohibited on balcony?

[ibcnusoon]

I beleive the only balconies where smoking is prohibited are the Spa deck balconies.

 

Feel free to light up on any other balcony in the fleet!

[kicia]

Smoking is prohibited inside all cabins and on all Spa balconies. You can smoke on all other balconies. The Glory doesn't have spa cabins so you can smoke on all balconies.

[English Tim]

I beleive the only balconies where smoking is prohibited are the Spa deck balconies.

 

Feel free to light up on any other balcony in the fleet!

 

Thanks. Alas, smoking has sometimes kept us off the balcony and the door shut, so I guess we need to book a spa balcony to ensure our comfort.

[Snowball]

Thanks. Alas, smoking has sometimes kept us off the balcony and the door shut, so I guess we need to book a spa balcony to ensure our comfort.

Or you can book an inside or oceanview cabin. There are plenty cabin options available (and public areas of the ship as well) that will "ensure your comfort". I think that the current arrangement is quite fair.

[Ksea1961]

Thanks for the info OP. I had a chance to upgrade to one of these balcony cabins a while back, but since I could not find much info on them other than "that's all we book" I passed on it. Maybe next time!

[Buckett]

Glad to hear you enjoyed your balcony! I enjoy them for many of the same reasons, watching the sunrise/set, having a pre-dinner cocktail, watching the stars at night, or simply listening to the waves and looking for whales or dolphins. Balconies are great! :D

[klmorg]

Smokers are running out of room else where, they have to be allowed to smoke some place they've paid for.

 

p.s. I do not smoke.

 

This is true. (And I don't smoke either).

[katiepe]

Thanks for the info OP. I had a chance to upgrade to one of these balcony cabins a while back, but since I could not find much info on them other than "that's all we book" I passed on it. Maybe next time!

Ditto here..that is why I posted this. definitely try one you will love it. Also..

Sorry this post seems to have turned into a dreaded smoking thread. I didnt mean it to.:o

[kelkel2]

Just to add to it, I agree with your pros and cons since I have also sailed in an aft and a regular balcony. I would have to add that on our last cruise with an aft balcony, we did have a soot problem. Now, that wasn't by any means a hinderance to us using our balcony, you just had to be aware of it. We kept a small hand towel from the bathroom out there to wipe off the railing and the chairs/table with so we wouldn't get soot on us or our clothes. But, like I said it just wiped away.

[nuthut]

Smoking is prohibited inside all cabins and on all Spa balconies. You can smoke on all other balconies. The Glory doesn't have spa cabins so you can smoke on all balconies.

 

Actually, this is not true. You can not smoke on my balcony.

 

Smoking sucks, why not quit now, the life you save will be your own.

[katiepe]

Just to add to it, I agree with your pros and cons since I have also sailed in an aft and a regular balcony. I would have to add that on our last cruise with an aft balcony, we did have a soot problem. Now, that wasn't by any means a hinderance to us using our balcony, you just had to be aware of it. We kept a small hand towel from the bathroom out there to wipe off the railing and the chairs/table with so we wouldn't get soot on us or our clothes. But, like I said it just wiped away.

Now I worried about soot and didnt have any at all. Even on the lounger that was always at the front of the balcony by the rail. I wonder if it was because it was windy most days? Anyway lucky I guess and as you say wouldnt have been a real issue. We did get "salty" a couple of evenings when it was a bit rough.

[dst]

Actually, this is not true. You can not smoke on my balcony.

 

Smoking sucks, why not quit now, the life you save will be your own.

 

 

 

Seriously......until they make smoking illegal this is a free country; if you think it sucks try living in a country where you have no freedoms.

 

Sorry, not trying to turn this into a smoking thread but some people....

 

 

 

FYI - not a smoker, never even tried one!

[dst]

Nice thread, yes we love the aft balconies, being at the end of the hall seems to keep things quieter. We too love hanging out there for hours and enjoying a beverage.

 

We have never had a soot problem, very thankful for that

 

On our recent Miracle cruise we were on the Main Deck and it was very private......I think it is the layout of that ship

[kelkel2]

Now I worried about soot and didnt have any at all. Even on the lounger that was always at the front of the balcony by the rail. I wonder if it was because it was windy most days? Anyway lucky I guess and as you say wouldnt have been a real issue. We did get "salty" a couple of evenings when it was a bit rough.

 

yeah, I mean it wasn't an issue for us. I just remember when we first went out on our balcony when we first got to our room and I put my arms up on the rail and since it was hot it stuck to my arm. I didn't really realize what it was at first, but I soon learned and learned how to get rid of it. It wasn't really a problem if you were proactive about getting rid of it.

[vwrestler171]

One thing I noticed about the aft when I was on Destiny is that depending on the time of year, it can be too hot to sit out there as there is little to no air flow back there. Didn't stop me from booking another one on Liberty though.

[soccersharon]

Wanted to give my pros/cons of an Aft balcony.

I had problems finding posts when I was trying to decide.

We were on the Glory so can only assume the same would hold true for all afts?

Far more pros than cons..

Loved the extra room as we are real balcony people and spend hours out there and we smoke too.

BTW Smokers on either side as well and below us .

Quiet quiet area of the ship..Deck 7..no hall noise at all.

Great cabin steward. Viktor took excellent care of us and our cabin. Even got us an extra chair right away as there were 3 of us and when we came back from dinner the first night the chair was changed for a lounger. Even better! Left him an extra large tip in addition to our prepaid grats.

Loved the sail aways and the arrival into Roatan-they "back in" to this port.

Loved the sunsets and sunrises and the stars were incredible.

Not too much movement really and what there was I actually enjoyed. Getting "rocked" to sleep..loved it;)

 

Only two cons..

It is true that with the angled sides that there isnt much privacy when neighbors are standing at the rail. We had great neighbors luckily. And everyone I think was careful to maintain each others privacy.

Very hot late afternoon..too hot to enjoy sitting out for a couple of hours.Had to have a later pre dinner cocktail.

But I would certainly book another one. I am a convert.

 

 

We love our aft-balcony on the Liberty! Yes, it did get warm (but being from Montreal - that's the point of cruising!). The view is spectacular...glad you enjoyed it!

[jayscore]

Being an "aft snob", I don't want a cabin anywhere else.. That view can't be beat. Yes, It can get a bit warm, but that is fine with me!

Now as far as the soot and garbage issues goes, I have never had this happen to me. And, there is no passenger traffic "back there"!;)

[themnms]

we love our aft and not had the soot problem!! We have one booked for the Breeze and cant wait to sit back on it as we sail out of Venice, nothing compares!!

[pamurchu]

we love our aft and not had the soot problem!! We have one booked for the Breeze and cant wait to sit back on it as we sail out of Venice, nothing compares!!

 

We have booked our first Aft on the Breeze this summer as well. This thread was very informative-thanks!

 

Cannot wait!

[Mikel1733]

We had an aft wrap on the Freedom and it was wonderful. I was absolutely amazed at the size. We had a group of 8 adults and we all were able to be on the balcony for arrivals and departures to ports. I believe the category is a 9C. I was lucky to snag one because of a cancellation. Would grab another is the opportunity arises.......especially when you have a group.