Balcony tips needed for Infinity or Reflection

[Mocamps]

Hi everyone,

 

I am hoping to take my sister and her husband and our very elderly father on a Mediterranean cruise next year. We will need 3 cabins in total and everyone wants a balcony!! We have narrowed the itinerary to one on the Infinity or one on the Reflection and am currently getting quotes to enable us to decide between them. My husband and I have been on the Infinity a couple of times before, and also once on the Millennium (which I think is the same layout?) and we've been once on the Equinox (is that the same layout as Reflection?).

 

My main question relates to balconies though any tips in relation to cabin choice or general tips with regard to these ships would be appreciated.

 

We would all like balcony cabins but don't think they need to be adjoining UNLESS we can open up the balconies to form a bigger one that we can all sit on. Are there any cabins where this is possible on these ships? If so, what do I need to look for?

 

Many thanks for any advice offered. I'm ending up with all the planning for this holiday as we're more seasoned travellers and I'm the older sister!! What a responsibility!!

 

 

[dkjretired]

Generally on M class ships (Infinity) you can't open the balconies while on S class you can.  (Reflection) 

[jelayne]

On the infinity the aft facing cabins on decks 7,8 & 9 have very large balconies.

on the Reflection the category 1a cabins on the slant also have large balconies. 

[mahdnc]

5 hours ago, Mocamps said:

Hi everyone,

 

I am hoping to take my sister and her husband and our very elderly father on a Mediterranean cruise next year. We will need 3 cabins in total and everyone wants a balcony!! We have narrowed the itinerary to one on the Infinity or one on the Reflection and am currently getting quotes to enable us to decide between them. My husband and I have been on the Infinity a couple of times before, and also once on the Millennium (which I think is the same layout?) and we've been once on the Equinox (is that the same layout as Reflection?).

 

My main question relates to balconies though any tips in relation to cabin choice or general tips with regard to these ships would be appreciated.

 

We would all like balcony cabins but don't think they need to be adjoining UNLESS we can open up the balconies to form a bigger one that we can all sit on. Are there any cabins where this is possible on these ships? If so, what do I need to look for?

 

Many thanks for any advice offered. I'm ending up with all the planning for this holiday as we're more seasoned travellers and I'm the older sister!! What a responsibility!!

 

 

 

Yes, you are right--Millennium layout is nearly identical to Infinity and Reflection layout is very similar to Equinox although Reflection has an extra deck of cabins that Equinox does not have.

 

You will find more variation in balcony size within the same cabin category on Infinity while Reflection balconies (within the same cabin category) tend to be very similar.

 

If you haven't already, be sure to consult the "sticky" threads (posted at the top of this forum) on Millennium class ship cabins and the one on Solstice class ship cabins which give a wealth of data from people who have been in those cabins.

[wrk2cruise]

If you give a bit more info on basic category you would be looking at on each ship type that would help.  I have to agree with @jelayne those are my top choices on both ships.   On Reflection you might be able to get all your cabins in a row on the hump (maybe not the angle) and have all the balconies open.  The other advantage of on the hump on Reflection is you are mid ship right by the elevators.

 

On "M" class I don't mind being aft as there is a rear elevator bank and you can go right up to the back of the buffet generally avoiding the congestion at the buffet entrance.   But it can be a long walk to the theater, casino, sky lounge etc.

[miched]

My advice is don’t do adjoining balconies.   We have done it with friends and it became awkward.    You lose all of your privacy.   You don’t know if they can hear ypu when in your cabin and it takes away from the time you may want on the balcony in privacy 

 

you don’t need to be tied at the hip for the entire cruise.    Get cabins on the opposite sides of the ship to enjoy the different views and for freedom 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅 

[Mocamps]

Thank you all for the advice. Great point about privacy! And I like the tip about different sides. I’d tended to assume we’d all be close on the same side. I think most of the hump cabins are already gone which is a shame. We had one of those on Equinox and I loved it.

[Mocamps]

With regard to grade, it will be the cheaper end of balcony cabins in the interests of budget. Not concierge and definitely not suites!

[CoatRackOfDoom]

Have a look at the "sweet sixteen" cabins on Infinity. The balconies are the largest in the cabin class (about double). And your steward may be able to unlock the barriers between the verandas.

[dkjretired]

2 hours ago, CoatRackOfDoom said:

Have a look at the "sweet sixteen" cabins on Infinity. The balconies are the largest in the cabin class (about double). And your steward may be able to unlock the barriers between the verandas.

Great cabins but the barriers cannot be opened, they are permanent.   

[Turtles06]

14 hours ago, miched said:

My advice is don’t do adjoining balconies.   We have done it with friends and it became awkward.    You lose all of your privacy.   You don’t know if they can hear ypu when in your cabin and it takes away from the time you may want on the balcony in privacy 

 

I read the same advice on here many years ago, and I followed it when we took a cruise with some family members.  I think it's really good advice and it worked well for us.  I do recognize, however, that some families and friends are different and really just want to be hanging out together all the time, including on their balconies.  But it's good to point this out, so folks can give it some thought.

[CoatRackOfDoom]

6 hours ago, dkjretired said:

Great cabins but the barriers cannot be opened, they are permanent.   

Thanks DK. My memory from 9 years ago isn't what it used to be.

[tfg]

On 6/8/2021 at 8:36 AM, CoatRackOfDoom said:

Have a look at the "sweet sixteen" cabins on Infinity. The balconies are the largest in the cabin class (about double). And your steward may be able to unlock the barriers between the verandas.

Hi what is sweet sixteen plus as I'm looking at balconies on infinity.thanks

[CoatRackOfDoom]

23 hours ago, tfg said:

Hi what is sweet sixteen plus as I'm looking at balconies on infinity.thanks

On deck 8, there are 8 cabins on each side that have balconies that are double the normal size. Here's a photo I found on Pinterest... not sure if this photo is of Infinity - I traveled on Millennium. 

[CoatRackOfDoom]

23 hours ago, tfg said:

Hi what is sweet sixteen plus as I'm looking at balconies on infinity.thanks

Shoot, I'm sorry. I meant to say DECK 6. Not deck 8. 

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, CoatRackOfDoom said:

On deck 8, there are 8 cabins on each side that have balconies that are double the normal size. Here's a photo I found on Pinterest... not sure if this photo is of Infinity - I traveled on Millennium. 

Great balconies for depth. Terrible position if the sea is bad - we have had 90 mph and 60 foot waves on Infinity but not where you are planning to cruise.

[tfg]

21 hours ago, the penguins said:

Great balconies for depth. Terrible position if the sea is bad - we have had 90 mph and 60 foot waves on Infinity but not where you are planning to cruise.

Hi the cruise is BCN to vce in may.

[the penguins]

36 minutes ago, tfg said:

Hi the cruise is BCN to vce in may.

The med can be rough at any time. Personally we would never go that far forward especially as you say you have an elderly person with you - my wife uses a 4 wheeled rollator. On 'S" class we love the slanting, rear facing balconies on the hump decks 6 and 7 - out of the wind, protected from the rain, good deck space.

[BourbonNBluesLuvr]

On 6/8/2021 at 8:29 AM, Turtles06 said:

 

I read the same advice on here many years ago, and I followed it when we took a cruise with some family members.  I think it's really good advice and it worked well for us.  I do recognize, however, that some families and friends are different and really just want to be hanging out together all the time, including on their balconies.  But it's good to point this out, so folks can give it some thought.

We are in that “different” category. We always cruise with friends…and we do so because we want to be with them throughout the cruise. We eat together, do shipboard activities together, hit the bars together, tour together (except if the tour involves heights…like the rooftop walk in Stockholm…as one of our cruise friends has a major fear of heights), and open the balcony dividers to hang out together. We  have never felt that our privacy was infringed upon in any way. One of the reasons we like the S Class ships better is being able to open the partitions, and spend 10-14 days “ together” with friends !
 

Enjoy !

 

BBL
 

Edited July 28, 2021 by BourbonNBluesLuvr
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[Travelexpert35]

We enjoy the S class balconies as we sometimes travel with our solo friend and we can open up the partition. Also we’ve sailed in a Sweet Sixteen balcony 6035 to try it out on a 5nt cruise. We enjoyed the bigger balcony but it’s too forward on the ship for us. If there was any motion, you would feel it. We usually book aft cabins and enjoy that location better.

[retired dude]

hope this helps:on the infinity cabins 7080 and 7049 have over-sized balconies and are usually priced ok. Unlike the balconies on deck six, you are not directly over the auditorium which makes things somewhat quieter....just sayin'