Openness / airiness / views: Penthouse Junior vs. Explorer Suites

[jsea]

For those who have stayed in both Penthouse Junior Suites and Explorer Suites, which category is better in terms of sense of openness and airiness?

 

Obviously the bathroom in ES has a window, a plus in the regard to views and light, but what about the bedroom area? My take from viewing photos only is that the bedroom is “darker” in ES compared to PS due to less glass / window area. 

 

We loved the PS we had on Sky this year and are trying one on deck 8 for our next cruise to see if it is any brighter due to less of an overhang from above. But we are still tempted to book an Explorer Suite if only we could convince ourselves it wouldn’t feel darker. 

 

Our one petty complaint about PS is that the smaller window adjacent to the TV is half covered by the curtain even when the curtain is open. To a lesser degree this is also the case for the curtain over the sliding glass door (see attached photo). 

 

Thanks in in advance for any sage thoughts. 

[Choose Something Fun]

I can't speak to the Explorer Suite question but we were on Deck 8 in a Penthouse Junior Suite last January and I found the location to be perfect for our needs as we enjoyed the proximity to the upper level entrance of the Explorer Lounge/Mamsen's. The two issues we had were that there are 2 televisions so close together and sometimes you would try to turn one on and the wrong one would come on. You'd press the button again and both would be on. Then when you tried to turn the other one off, both would go off and you'd start all over again. I just ended up getting out of bed and closing the curtain. The other issue was a neighbor that always had their TV cranked up too loud all of the time but that's just the luck of the draw regardless of which cabin you are in.

[orchestrapal]

The Explorer Suites on the aft of the ship are wonderful and in our eyes worth the splurge.

There are many perks and the services were top notch.

We would never book any other suite on Viking.

[_alan_]

On 11/14/2018 at 6:44 AM, orchestrapal said:

The Explorer Suites on the aft of the ship are wonderful and in our eyes worth the splurge.

There are many perks and the services were top notch.

We would never book any other suite on Viking.

 

Oh, goody!  Exactly what we booked.  An aft ES.  

[orchestrapal]

20 hours ago, flashfearless said:

 

Oh, goody!  Exactly what we booked.  An aft ES.  

 

You will love it!

[aungrl]

On 11/10/2018 at 5:06 PM, jsea said:

For those who have stayed in both Penthouse Junior Suites and Explorer Suites, which category is better in terms of sense of openness and airiness?

 

Obviously the bathroom in ES has a window, a plus in the regard to views and light, but what about the bedroom area? My take from viewing photos only is that the bedroom is “darker” in ES compared to PS due to less glass / window area. 

 

We loved the PS we had on Sky this year and are trying one on deck 8 for our next cruise to see if it is any brighter due to less of an overhang from above. But we are still tempted to book an Explorer Suite if only we could convince ourselves it wouldn’t feel darker. 

 

Our one petty complaint about PS is that the smaller window adjacent to the TV is half covered by the curtain even when the curtain is open. To a lesser degree this is also the case for the curtain over the sliding glass door (see attached photo). 

 

Thanks in in advance for any sage thoughts. 

 

You’ll have no issues with a feeling of darkness in the ES.  The extra space, the bathroom, and wrap-around balcony in the aft ES cabins - we’ve only stayed in aft ES, not forward - are really worth the splurge.   The bedroom IS just slightly darker than the front living area, but certainly not “cave like” in any way.   And the contrast is likely due to the fact that the front living area is SO light-filled, rather than the reverse, if that makes sense.

[Senior Gators]

We have stayed in PS 3's (Deck 6), PS 1 (Deck,8) and ES 3's (both forward and aft on Deck 3).  By virtue of sheer size, the Explorer Suites win hands down.  All of the cabin were light and airy.  But the Penthouse Jr. Suites are all-in-one cabins for living and sleeping areas (stating the obvious). In contrast, the Explorer Suites have distinct separate living and sleeping areas that can be closed off by doors.  It really comes down to what do you like and how much are you willing to spend. We like them both and if price was no object, would elect for the Explorer Suite.  The second time we stayed in one, we had booked a PS 3, but a couple of weeks before we sailed, Viking offered an upgrade/up sell at much reduced price.  It was great to be in the cabin closest to the bow on our trans Atlantic cruise and spent relaxing time watching and listening to the bow waves on our 8 sea days. That being said, we embark in May for our next Viking Cruise and will be in another PS 3.