Aft, Back-facing balconies/suites

[CTOM]

I'm sure this has been discussed in other Carnival forums, but I'm looking for pros and cons of "Wake View" suites facing the back of ship.     Many times I see these rear-facing balconies described as "most sought-after" and "highly desirable."

 

I know configurations vary from ship to ship, but are the views mostly straight back?  Or can you see to your right and left as well?

[Howlonguntilmynextcruise?]

View from aft wrap on Horizon. I could look down on the balcony below me, and if someone stretched around, they could see onto mine from the side. 

[Keys2Heaven]

We've been in an aft-extended on 3 cruises.

 

Pros:

• Awesome view, little wind.
• Quieter (I think).
• If you book adjacent to a wrap-around (Premium Vista or similar), you get a bit more view.
• Perfect way to unwind at the end of a long day. The wake has a certain calming effect.

 

Cons:

• Soot from the exhaust stack (depending on the wind) can settle on the railing, so it becomes a habit to wipe them down.
• I'm sure that I will open a can of worms with this statement, but I've seen a lot of people smoking on their aft balconies. Don't know if the thinking is that they are far away from prying eyes or what.

We love them.

 

[bury me at sea]

I have sailed in aft balconies three times on Dream class ships (Magic and Breeze).

 

View from the railing is at least 180 degrees.  Amazing.

 

I never had a problem with soot.  However there is virtually no breeze.  During high summer they get hot.  I haven't had one in more moderate weather.

 

After our first, I booked on deck 9, directly under the Lido deck.  These were given partial shade by the overhang of the Lido deck and were much more comfortable.

 

The wake is mesmerizing.

 

They are very quiet.  No foot traffic in the corridors.

[n6uqqq]

Also with the no wind it can get hot in direct sunlight.

[Keys2Heaven]

2 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

Also with the no wind it can get hot in direct sunlight.

 

True, we really only spent a lot of time out there either early morning or end of the day.

[cloudninecat]

Love aft balconies. We prefer them. I agree with Keys2Heaven's pros but I haven't experienced the cons. The only con I can think of is that your neighbors can easily stick their head around and look into your balcony and when you are at the rail you are visible to those above and below you. The partition between the balconies on the ones we've sailed on was angled so you can see out over the horizon in both directions. t's a lot quieter then the side balconies. It can be a long walk to get to some areas of the ship but we use that as an opportunity to walk off some of the extra pounds. A pro was that it was easy to find your cabin door. 

 

 

[jayscore]

Aside from our first two Caribbean cruises, we have always had either an aft, Vista Suite, or aft wrap.

Can you tell that we might like them?😺

[TerriED]

Our favorite stateroom category is Premium Vista, which used to be called an Aft Wrap. We love aft balcony cabins. The best one so far was on the Sunshine. The one we liked least was on the Dream because it barely wrapped at all

[cloudninecat]

2 minutes ago, TerriED said:

Our favorite stateroom category is Premium Vista, which used to be called an Aft Wrap. We love aft balcony cabins. The best one so far was on the Sunshine. The one we liked least was on the Dream because it barely wrapped at all

We booked our first aft wrap for our B2B  to Cuba on the Sunrise. It looks huge. I was so excited to get it. They've always been sold out when we booked in the past. 

 

[LightCruiser210]

When the ship gets up over 200mph, the front lifts up and the aft balconies dip down real close to the water.  It’s ok to ski then but don’t fall out!

[seastheday2]

We find what ship has the premium vista available and then book that cruise.  We don't care where it goes as long as we have that back corner stateroom.  🙂  

 

[coevan]

Call Carnival and get a PVP and you will be all set with your aft stateroom 

[James4me]

We got our first aft wrap balcony, deck 6 on the Panorama.  Also we get the Havana retreat!  Super excited.

Edited March 30, 2019 by James4me

[busymom_ot]

One of my favorite features is that they are much deeper than traditional balconies and we always get at least one lounger in addition to the 2 chairs. Best nap spot ever!

[pamesacruisin]

DH and I were very excited to try out our first Aft Balcony on our recent Carnival Breeze cruise.  Views were awesome!  It  was too hot to sit out on our balcony.  We really didn't use it much.  The soot was awful!  Our steward cleaned our balcony, chairs, railing etc. every day, but I never sat in the chairs without a towel on them to protect our clothes.  We were on deck 8 and had an extended balcony.  I wonder why soot is a problem on some ships, decks etc. and not others?  

[mafiadon]

I love he aft balconies especially the corner wrap one the balcony is huge and the views are spectacular.  It is very quiet back there as not a lot of traffic and never had a problem with people peeking over and looking on our balcony

[amypintx]

We had an aft balcony on Magic several years ago. The view was great and I loved the lounger. We didn't have a problem with soot but I didn't like the lack of privacy... not so much from the other balconies on the sides but from people on the decks above. Just a personal preference but I wouldn't pay the extra $ for an aft again.

[CTOM]

9 minutes ago, amypintx said:

 the lack of privacy... not so much from the other balconies on the sides but from people on the decks above. 

 

Interesting.   I noted the lack of privacy (from above) in several other forums.   Most people just tell me not to worry, "no one takes the time to stare at other passengers,"  you won't even notice, etc.  I also get the old "What are you doing on your balcony that you don't wants others to see?"...like my desire for privacy is only because I'm up to something bad!

  I've seen people from above shout down to strangers below to ask "How's that suite?"    I've seen a kid toss an ice cube over the rail that landed in a balcony below.  It happens!   I'm not concerned at all about the nextdoor neighbors.   Someone would have to be a real jerk to extend their body around the side wall  to peek into our balcony.   I don't think that will happen.   I'm just more concerned with the folks above who get to see us without any effort.

 

[amypintx]

16 minutes ago, CTOM said:

I'm just more concerned with the folks above who get to see us without any effort.

 

 

Exactly. It's not that I'm doing anything except sitting out there. I just didn't like the feeling I got when I knew people were up there looking down.

[naxer]

I considered the lack of privacy on an aft balcony, but then I thought it's not all that different than at most places on the ship when it comes to laying outside.  Not to mention that as I'm old and fat, nobody's really looking at me anyways, and are more likely to avert their gaze.😄  We'll be trying one on the Panorama.