Benefits of Balcony room location

[Taishartrueblood]

Good evening, quick question for you vets (and thanks, as always, for your help!)

Freedom of the Sea- Oct 20- Southern Caribbean

What is the disadvantage/advantage of a balcony near the front, middle, rear of the ship? I will list my guess but it is just a guess :p

Balcony near the front
Advantage: Near the Spa-- Better view? --- Farther away from the engine so quieter?-- Near the Theatre

Disadvantage: - Farther from all dining rooms-- More movement which is bad for those who can be motion sick?? (I am guessing the vertical movement is maximized near the front of the ship)

 

Balcony near the middle

Advantage: Near everything; least movement

Disadvantage: More foot traffic so louder hallways

 

Balcony at the rear:

Advantage: Near the restaurants; Near the clubs

Disadvantage: Loudest with engine noise/ restaurant noise

 

Did I miss anything? :)

Edited October 7, 2019 by Taishartrueblood

[DarrenM]

we were right opposite the central lifts and stairways on Edge. Didnt hear a thing outside except the odd kid screaming.

 

It was an ideal location for me. Straight out of the room, into lift, and upto pool deck without breaking sweat.

[DarrenM]

Actually just checked the deck plan. We were on deck 9 room 9153, and the lifts were the forward lifts. Still pretty central though.

[MicCanberra]

I like being at the very front or very rear of the ship, at the ends of the corridors so there is as little passing traffic as possible.

[leaveitallbehind]

Over 27 years of cruising, have had many balcony locations virtually every where on the ship - forward, mid-ship. aft, upper, mid-level, lower decks - and would only concur with your first generalized "disadvantage" mentioned of more up and down ship motion felt there, in particular with the higher decks.

 

Relative to balcony staterooms, we've never incurred any noticeable foot noise traffic based on a mid-ship location, v anywhere else, never had any engine noise issues in any location, and never had any restaurant or theater noise issues in any location.  The only location where we ever had any noticeable - and minor - sporadic noise was being directly under the pool deck and one aft outdoor restaurant deck where we heard occasional chair movement noises when being arranged for the next day's use.  But that would be with any stateroom category in those locations.

 

Unless facing forward (of which only a few ships have balconies in the forward facing locations) or in the aft facing locations, the view is the same from any balcony location other than if obstructed by lifeboats or other ship structure.

 

IMO some of the more prime locations are at the main elevator and stairwell locations for convenience, all of which in our experience have been separated by walls or hallways from the actual elevator lobbies, so no additional noise or other issues.  Aft facing also IMO have some of the more unique views and often larger balconies, so they too would be desirable.  They just present a longer walk to the elevators.

 

Again, IMO, I think your generalizations - other than with distances from different venues and forward ship movement - based on our experience are not accurate and would advise that you simplify your thought process and choose a location preference based on whether you want a unique view (aft), or want to minimize up and down motion sensation (mid-ship, lower), or be nearer to the convenience of the elevators, etc., and go from there. 

 

BTW Freedom is a very nice ship and that is a great itinerary - enjoy your cruise.

Edited October 8, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[hallasm]

13 hours ago, Taishartrueblood said:

Balcony at the rear:

Advantage: Near the restaurants; Near the clubs

Disadvantage: Loudest with engine noise/ restaurant noise

Depending on ship - might also be a long corridor from stairs to the rear.

Often bigger balconies but I have experienced problems with black soot from the ship's chimneys - might depend on quality of bunker oil.

Edited October 8, 2019 by hallasm

[Taishartrueblood]

Leaveitallbehind, thank you very much that was super helpful. My advantages/disadvantages were purely guesses so I am glad to have real information to correct it.

 

Thanks!

[leaveitallbehind]

19 minutes ago, Taishartrueblood said:

Leaveitallbehind, thank you very much that was super helpful. My advantages/disadvantages were purely guesses so I am glad to have real information to correct it.

 

Thanks!

 

Glad it was helpful.

Edited October 8, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[evandbob]

I have a little difficulty walking sometimes, due to advancing age, arthritis and stenosis.  But I usually force myself to get some steps in by choosing a cabin midway between stairs/elevators midship.

 

I find that most times the enforced walk helps me to keep moving, greasing the joints so to speak.  They stay "rusty" if I don't move and then hurt even more, lending to even more inertia and weight gain.

 

I lost 10 lbs during a 15 day TA and subsequent stay in Barcelona, but then got home, sat in front of my computer reading CC posts I missed while away, and found those same 10 lbs packed on again!

[George C]

Freedom of the seas and most other ships have extended balconies if true aft. I also love the aft view. 

[leaveitallbehind]

13 minutes ago, evandbob said:

I lost 10 lbs during a 15 day TA and subsequent stay in Barcelona, but then got home, sat in front of my computer reading CC posts I missed while away, and found those same 10 lbs packed on again!

 

...so I guess you just need to cruise more and "CC" less??

[sanger727]

I think the main reason midship rooms tend to cost more and be more desirable is that they aren't too far from anything and the belief that there is less motion midship and better for sea sickness. I don't think front vs aft makes a bit of difference. Personally, I don't worry about where my room is front to back, and worry about where it is top to bottom. My main concern is noise. I always try to pick a room that is sandwiched between cabins top and bottom (so not under or over any public areas). I've never had an issue with a noisy room so from my perspective that works. I did have a friend who was "upgraded" to a room that was right under the pool deck and she found that very noisy morning and night when they set up and took down the pool chairs.

Edited October 8, 2019 by sanger727

[MicCanberra]

Another reason to get the cabins away from the midship.

[parsec0298]

One other thing to consider is if the deck layout has a "hump."  Balconies forward of the hump will have more wind than those aft.  That can be good or bad depending on perspective.  More wind might be less enjoyable for some while sitting on the balcony, but it also means getting more of a sea breeze if you leave your door open at night.  That's just one example.  Balconies ON the hump will usually be larger.

[Markanddonna]

We were in a forward penthouse below the bridge. The fog horn was right above us and the anchor sounded like a freight train going through our cabin at about 5:30 AM.

[leaveitallbehind]

58 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

We were in a forward penthouse below the bridge. The fog horn was right above us and the anchor sounded like a freight train going through our cabin at about 5:30 AM.

 

The anchor noise would only be the case at tender ports - if they are deployed.  At piers, the noise you heard likely was the bow thrusters as they position the ship coming into the pier.

[Markanddonna]

This was a 

8 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

The anchor noise would only be the case at tender ports - if they are deployed.  At piers, the noise you heard likely was the bow thrusters as they position the ship coming into the pier.

This was a tender port and I heard the clanking of an anchor.

[leaveitallbehind]

3 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

This was a 

This was a tender port and I heard the clanking of an anchor.

...as I indicated it would be.  My response was not as a challenge to you but to add clarity to others who may not realize the distinction - sorry if it came off as otherwise.  And BTW, the bow thrusters can create a fair amount of vibration as well when used.

[Zach1213]

We like the middle...well, I don't care, but my wife likes the middle because she is more prone to seasickness and we have found being the the far front or back came be a bit much for her at times. Other than that, I have no preferences as ships aren't that big and I appreciate the walking. 

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

We were in a forward penthouse below the bridge. The fog horn was right above us and the anchor sounded like a freight train going through our cabin at about 5:30 AM.

Having spent way too many years in cabins just aft of the Bridge, we have no desire to buy into the marketing hype of the suites, which are often located in the worst locations on the ship.

 

Ship's whistle generally has 2 issues - in addition to the noise (4 to 6 seconds at least every 2 minutes in fog) on many ships you have significant vibration when the whistle is sounded.

 

Anchor can affect fwd cabins both at sea and when anchoring. In rough seas you can experience noise & vibration from the chain hitting the sides of the hawse pipe and/or spurling pipe. When anchoring, at least the noise from letting the anchor go is fairly short duration.

[Markanddonna]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Having spent way too many years in cabins just aft of the Bridge, we have no desire to buy into the marketing hype of the suites, which are often located in the worst locations on the ship.

 

Ship's whistle generally has 2 issues - in addition to the noise (4 to 6 seconds at least every 2 minutes in fog) on many ships you have significant vibration when the whistle is sounded.

 

Anchor can affect fwd cabins both at sea and when anchoring. In rough seas you can experience noise & vibration from the chain hitting the sides of the hawse pipe and/or spurling pipe. When anchoring, at least the noise from letting the anchor go is fairly short duration.

This taught me a lesson. We typically book balcony and below types of cabins and never had the fog horn or anchor issue.  This was just another experience in learning about the importance of a cabin's location. I was surprised that no one in the reviews for this cabin mentioned this problem. 

[MicCanberra]

There may have not been any tender ports and no fog.

[lenquixote66]

On 10/8/2019 at 9:55 AM, evandbob said:

I have a little difficulty walking sometimes, due to advancing age, arthritis and stenosis.  But I usually force myself to get some steps in by choosing a cabin midway between stairs/elevators midship.

 

I find that most times the enforced walk helps me to keep moving, greasing the joints so to speak.  They stay "rusty" if I don't move and then hurt even more, lending to even more inertia and weight gain.

 

I lost 10 lbs during a 15 day TA and subsequent stay in Barcelona, but then got home, sat in front of my computer reading CC posts I missed while away, and found those same 10 lbs packed on again!

I never gain weigh on a cruise.I tend to watch what I eat.

[marci4tony]

When I book a cabin, I make sure there is a deck above me, with cabins.

 

Avoid a cabin with a "public area" deck above you.  Chairs moving, etc.

 

I also ALWAYS book aft or as close to aft as possible.  Never had a noise issue, occasionally a soot issue, but very minimal.  Movement - not much at all

Edited October 16, 2019 by marci4tony
Forgot location

[lenquixote66]

We always try and get a mid ship cabin ,less chance of getting seasick.However,on our upcoming cruise we will not be midship.

 

We have been on cruises under all different places and never had a problem.