Enchanted Princess -balcony at bow or aft ?

[chisoxfan]

Hello. Well now that we are 'back' to cruising I knew we would be soliciting views from this esteemed board shortly and here is the question. As recently posted, we booked a balcony on a 26 day August cruise in the very front of the ship (leaving a HAL booking to save 6k). I appreciated comments on this but my only concern was use of the balcony, ie. wind and that the 'railing' is steel and high. Fooling around on the site I saw an aft Deluxe Balcony available which I reserved thinking these are usually in short supply. So my question is whether the gentle readers would prefer a front 15 deck balcony or an aft 11 deck deluxe balcony. I assume the rooms themselves are the same other than location but don't know this. The caveat is that the rear cabin is 2000 more. That said I do like the rear cabins, know they are generally in demand, and should be usable at all times. I would really appreciate your insights on this particularly referring to things I may be missing on this class of Princess ship. Hopefully my booking will be finalized and I will pose no more questions.....at least for a week or so.

Thank you in advance.

[Steelers36]

What is going to be a challenge to know is if Princess has resolved the "soot" issue from the smokestack where it fell in places on aft balconies of Royal, Regal sister ships and so forth.  This one is not been used as yet so hard to know. 

 

There is a range of opinions on the soot issue.  Some would avoid cabins with the problem.  Others say no big deal as Stewart cleans it up each day.  Those that love the aft setting will put up with almost anything is my interpretation of a lot of posts over the years.

 

Hopefully you will get some info from folks who have sailed SKY as I think that is the newest that has sailed with passengers.

 

[nini]

Yes, "useability" is a factor. That is why the aft balconies cost more. The huge now balconies attract many people, however, act is more useful IMHO.

[chisoxfan]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

What is going to be a challenge to know is if Princess has resolved the "soot" issue from the smokestack where it fell in places on aft balconies of Royal, Regal sister ships and so forth.  This one is not been used as yet so hard to know. 

 

There is a range of opinions on the soot issue.  Some would avoid cabins with the problem.  Others say no big deal as Stewart cleans it up each day.  Those that love the aft setting will put up with almost anything is my interpretation of a lot of posts over the years.

 

Hopefully you will get some info from folks who have sailed SKY as I think that is the newest that has sailed with passengers.

 

Great point. We have only had two aft cabins- a suite on NCL Jade and an enormous balcony on RCCL.

We did not have soot issues but I remember the concerns raised depending on ship.  I agree that aft passengers can be 'fanatics'. We are not those people but have had pleasant experiences (2) in the back of the ship and are leaning towards this.......it would be nice to always be assured of the 'perfect' cabin. 

[Married15]

We prefer the forward cabins, especially on a port intensive cruise. It is pretty cool to be on your private balcony during sail in, especially for those early morning arrivals. The only time we had a problem with wind was cruising through the Tasmin Sea between NZ & Australia. Whichever you choose, I am sure it will be a wonderful cruise! 

[memoak]

We are aft crazed cruisers - nothing like the sound of the wake at night

[jwattle]

Aft! The large balcony, usually protected from wind, with the view of the wake...LOVE IT!!🥰

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Married15 said:

 

Just wondering if you update your CC handle every year.  😍

 

Ooops, just occurred to me the "15" may be for 2015 and not the number of years.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Steelers36

[Sea Hag]

We've always loved and booked cabins as far forward and as high up in the ship as we could get. We like the motion. We haven't minded the wind and the solid balcony railing and simply love the view.

 

But honestly, we've never had an aft cabin. We have two aft cabins booked right now, one a suite and one a premium balcony. Wouldn't it be a hoot if we liked that better? 

 

Maybe try something you haven't tried before?

[LACruiser88]

We have tried both aft and forward.  We prefer forward...

[MileHighAko]

I love aft.

I love having a wide view, shore to shore view.

I love the sound of the wake as the ship moves through the water.

I love the gentle vibration of the engines.

I love the jarring vibration when docking - I love watching the docking process.

I love the rocking while I sleep.

I love how there is little wind on the balcony.

I love the easy access to the rear of the ship - which is generally less crowded.

 

For me, I prefer to be as high up as I can be. I don't mind if people on deck above me can see down on my balcony - so what (although I know others enjoy the privacy of going out without being watched, but I don't care what people see). I like being up high because I love the view of the sky, landscape, and water all together.

 

I don't like soot. I've never been on a ship where it was a big problem, but when any ship goes slow (think Glacier Bay), soot happens. If you're changing lenses on your camera, watch out for soot.

 

I love aft.

 

[Crystabel]

DH won’t cruise unless we have an aft cabin. I guess he’s one of the “Fanatics”. 

[chisoxfan]

Cmon everyone...... I need a definitive answer ! Generally we like high and forward as preference for a 'standard' balcony. The aft ones we have had were fantastic but of course every ship is different. The wrinkle that this ship adds is the very high and very front balcony , the steel railing, and possibility that the balcony access could be restricted. . If this was a 7 day Caribbean cruise, no problem I would try the front facing balcony (and had planned to do so)  but am concerned if not to our liking this is a long cruise to live with it.

Kind of leaning towards the aft as " hopefully" will be less windy and and more accessible for lounging.

morning coffee, etc.

We do love leaving the balcony door open at night also which may be less possible in the bow?

[johnmik1]

38 minutes ago, chisoxfan said:

Cmon everyone...... I need a definitive answer ! Generally we like high and forward as preference for a 'standard' balcony. The aft ones we have had were fantastic but of course every ship is different. The wrinkle that this ship adds is the very high and very front balcony , the steel railing, and possibility that the balcony access could be restricted. . If this was a 7 day Caribbean cruise, no problem I would try the front facing balcony (and had planned to do so)  but am concerned if not to our liking this is a long cruise to live with it.

Kind of leaning towards the aft as " hopefully" will be less windy and and more accessible for lounging.

morning coffee, etc.

We do love leaving the balcony door open at night also which may be less possible in the bow?

We have had both bow and stern cabins and prefer the front facing cabins on the newer ships unless it is an east bound transatlantic crossing.The bow balcony’s are huge on the newer ships and normally less expensive than the stern cabins.We have 56 nights booked on Sky next year all on the bow.There is also the soot issue on the rear balcony’s of the newer ships to contend with.

[Pet72Vet]

We have experienced both forward and aft. Definitely prefer forward. We encountered the soot problem on the deluxe aft balcony of the Regal Princess. It was a "free upgrade" which we didn't consider an upgrade at all. The cabin steward did not always clean the table and chair surfaces on the balcony and they would have soot on them. A throw rug was placed at the balcony door in an attempt to catch the soot tracking from the balcony floor onto the cabin carpet, so it was a known issue. It was dirty, annoying...and we would never again opt for a deluxe balcony aft. Give me a forward any time!

[nini]

BTW- we have never had soot issues in our aft cabins.

Edited June 4, 2021 by nini

[chisoxfan]

Thank you everyone..... trust you know I was joking about the definitive answer as I know this is a bit like asking what is the best color. That said I really value input from those who have had these cabins on the newer Princess ships. 

I looked at some cabin videos and understand that the railing will be steel but not that high.

I understand that this constitutes the obstructed' part of these cabins. The website does refer to the balcony only being usable ie opened in port? I am sure this is not true but understood the door could be locked automatically by crew?  

We also like the idea of keeping the door open at night.... any experience with this on bow cabins?

 

Appreciate your indulgence in all of these questions !  Searching on line has not brought much info but that is why these boards are so great. Yes, there is a significant price difference (2,000,

significant to me at least).

[Lady Arwen]

Your balcony door will not be locked ever!  However, you cannot leave it open at night, because your drapes have to be closed so that the light does not interfere with the navigation on the bridge.  This will be strictly enforced!  We have been told by every room steward on the first day to make sure we follow the instructions.  Other than that restriction, you can use the balcony whenever you want, but keep in mind that it gets very windy when you are at sea.  We love the location,  but it is not for everyone.

Edited June 4, 2021 by Lady Arwen

[chisoxfan]

Hello. Thanks again everyone for the valued feedback. I did find a video on L101 that was helpful.

So while I know Aft is a 'proven commodity' I think we will do a flip and try the front balcony.

Like the expanded size and who can tell what weather/wind will be.

The savings will pay for a lot of specialty dining and excursions.

 

Will no doubt return to this site seeking info on dining packages, etc. Excited to be on a new ship

and giving Princess another 'shot'.

[nini]

The rail is tall enough that you will NOT be able to see the view when sitting on your deck furniture.

True, our balcony door was never locked, but must be closed at night with the curtains closed as to not interfere with the bridge.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 6/3/2021 at 10:13 PM, Pet72Vet said:

and we would never again opt for a deluxe balcony aft. Give me a forward any time!

same here - we had a deluxe balcony cabin in the middle and middle forward and loved it. I hate soot and the "exhaust" smell.

On a TA cruise, I'd go with a deluxe or regular cabin in the middle or middle-forward

We've stayed in E502, E504 and E332 on Regal and loved it. Granted they are obstructed view, many people would probably pay a little more and get an unobstructed balcony on the decks 9 and above..