Cove Balcony, Pros and Cons

[tandemcruzr]

55 minutes ago, amyjoy202697 said:

So happy to hear that they are getting good reviews. I just booked Thanksgiving 2019 on the Horizon and booked a cove balcony. It was much cheaper than a regular balcony.  We are mid ship deck 2 under the atrium...do you think we will hear lots of noise from above?

We were in 2326 which was further back -- under the dining room. No noise at all.

[kcdancerkc]

I will let you all know in January!

 

we booked our first one

not under a lifeboat.  

 

I don’t want shade or obstructing view

 

 

[p_mori7]

We had a CB on Breeze when she first came out in 2012. Cabin itself is the same as all the others. The attraction is the balcony. It has about 30% more floor area than regular balconies, and is shaded. We enjoyed it very much. Video link in my Sig below.

[mcgore83]

We had our first cove on the Vista last December.  Absolutely loved it.  So private and cozy.  Husband was apprehensive, especially after watching videos, but he loved it more than me!  I will always try to book one on future Carnival cruises.

[beachbum53]

11 hours ago, kcdancerkc said:

I will let you all know in January!

 

we booked our first one

not under a lifeboat.  

 

I don’t want shade or obstructing view

 

 

 

Unless the sun is directly in in line with your balcony, you'll have mostly shade, even without a lifeboat directly above you. That's because the cove balconies are recessed. If you're hoping to get a suntan, you'll need to go up to the Lido deck. However,  by not being in direct sunlight, you won't need to apply sunblock. 

[The4Cruisers]

We found that once we went Cove, that's the only balcony we'd have on the ships that offer them.  No more regular balconies when cove's are available!

[pamesacruisin]

We stayed in a Cove on the Vista.  I 'd only book one again if there was a big price difference between it and a regular balcony.  Although we liked being so close to the water, we did not go out on our balcony at all while the ship was out at sea because it was so wet.  When arriving in port and the ship was going slow we could go out but would get salt on our arms and clothes from leaning against the rail.  Salt on the chairs too.  Tracking salt into our cabin was another reason we didn't care for it.  

[DivaColada]

Are all Havanas open to people walking by your balcony.. trying to do a comparison to Coves. Thanks. 

[lazydayz]

15 hours ago, DivaColada said:

Are all Havanas open to people walking by your balcony.. trying to do a comparison to Coves. Thanks. 

The cabanas, yes, but it is only other Havana people.  We had an aft cabana balcony so it was private, except other balconies could see you and you could see them,  loved it. 

[Drazil65]

We are not fans of the coves (had one and done pre covid) , we prefer to be deck 7 or above.  Our balcony or suites have always had covers over them so not full sun.  The coves were too close to the water for us and the dampness plus build up of salt was not something we wanted to deal with daily as we do use our balcony a couple times a day (coffee in the morning and wine pre dinner).   

 

You can only decide what is best for you by actually getting one and then decide if it suits your crusing style.  Have fun anyway no matter what you choose.  

[Potstech]

Another con for the cove balcony's is that in rough weather you will be told to keep your door closed and DO NOT use your balcony.  Many found this out on the Magic this week.

[teknoge3k]

10 hours ago, Potstech said:

Another con for the cove balcony's is that in rough weather you will be told to keep your door closed and DO NOT use your balcony.  Many found this out on the Magic this week.

 

I think that's hit and miss, and there's no rhyme or reason as to when/why they do that. I have heard of them doing that before, though we've sailed through TWO tropical storms as well as other thunderstorms and have sat on our cove balcony and watched the waves. They never shut any doors or made anyone not go on their balcony. 

[happy cruzer]

We loved the Cove balcony on Vista.  We picked the one that is not under lifeboats but it is in line with the gangway/boarding area.  Only negative is that it is a bit of a hike to food/entertainment and the elevators do take awhile.  So if you can't stand or don't like waiting for an elevator, then you might want a different location.

[amysb]

I don't see this mentioned in the comments, so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.  I love the cove balcony for the closeness to the sea.  But I am someone who loves to sit out on my balcony after dark.  Although I expected I wouldn't be able to see the sky very well (even though I did major research and booked a cabin between lifeboats!), I was not prepared for the constant light raining down on you from Deck 5, or whatever deck applies (I was on Carnival Breeze specifically, but this should apply to any Cove balcony).  I could not relax out on the balcony at night as I felt I was always in a spotlight. I personally would not book one again, but certainly lots of people love them.

[TiredTrucker]

5 hours ago, amysb said:

I don't see this mentioned in the comments, so I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents.  I love the cove balcony for the closeness to the sea.  But I am someone who loves to sit out on my balcony after dark.  Although I expected I wouldn't be able to see the sky very well (even though I did major research and booked a cabin between lifeboats!), I was not prepared for the constant light raining down on you from Deck 5, or whatever deck applies (I was on Carnival Breeze specifically, but this should apply to any Cove balcony).  I could not relax out on the balcony at night as I felt I was always in a spotlight. I personally would not book one again, but certainly lots of people love them.

 

In the videos I've seen online they were dark at night unless the staff leaves the work lights on...where exactly was all the light on your balcony coming from? I have one in March.