Explorer Balconies

[gcorgain]

Sorry for the newbie questions. Looking at the Penthouse suite layouts on the Regent website, they show sofa clusters on the balcony. However the Youtube suite tours show much narrower balconies with a lounger (or two) and a table+chairs. Are both layouts available, and how can you tell which is which? I checked the suite reviews and couldn't tell. The deck plans also seem to indicate some balconies are much wider than others. Are these pretty accurate? And last question, are the balconies for the Penthouse suites off the front of the ship really as dinky as they look in the deck plans? Is that why they appear to be the last sold?

 

Thanks in advance!

Greg

[GOARMY]

gcorgain:  

 

Having been in a Penthouse B (and hopefully again at Barcelona in late October):  

 

Balcony layouts do vary depending on a particular Suite and Deck location.  A VERY "small" matter in the scope of things.  Should you find your particular balcony cluttered, simply ask the Butler to coordinate removing whatever furniture you want removed.  The offending item(s) will disappear.

 

We always book a Penthouse located amid ship and centered.  So, cannot comment on those "in front".  

 

GOARMY!

 

 

    

[mdunne48]

The RSSC Explorer deck plans are very accurate.  They show the individual cabin where a balcony narrows from the wider depth to the narrower on that particular balcony, example cabin 614. 

 

The increased balcony depth allows for 4 couples to have drinks comfortably with multiple conversations going on simultaneously.  

 

The Penthouse suites on decks 12 & 14 have the narrow depth balconies.  The wider balconies start on deck 10 and below but not all Penthouse suites have the expanded balcony.

 

We prefer cabin 917 when booking the Explorer. 

[wishIweretravelling]

I've never gotten a penthouse so can't speak from personal experience, but I do recall someone who had a forward penthouse complaining that they were told to keep their balcony lights off at night because the lights were a distraction for the bridge. That may be why the forward penthouses aren't so popular.

[gcorgain]

Thanks. So is the furniture different on the wider balconies? I'm not so interested in the loungers, but an L shaped sofa configuration with a table sounds a wonderful way to spend an afternoon or evening on a sea day. Looking to book a Panama Canal cruise that has several, so I'm more interested in the balcony than I might be on a more port intensive cruise.

[mdunne48]

We have had the "L" shaped sofa in Penthouse 917 along with a nice sized table and 4 chairs.  Yes, it is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon at sea with a good book and a cup of tea.

 

We have room service for breakfast almost everyday. The butler takes care of the cushions every morning and evening, setting up and stowing them, or if they need to be removed during the day due to weather.   

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

We only book a Penthouse B category, deck 8,  on Explorer and Splendor for the Caribbean and Panama Canal. Love the lazy days aboard, lounging on the sofa. The extra space is well worth the money to us. Great for outdoor breakfast dining. 
Hope I haven’t ruined it … and they will be grabbed up in the future!

sheila

[gcorgain]

Thanks! So is it the Penthouse B's that have the sofa or the wider deck or both?

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

4 hours ago, gcorgain said:

Thanks! So is it the Penthouse B's that have the sofa or the wider deck or both?

 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

4 hours ago, gcorgain said:

Thanks! So is it the Penthouse B's that have the sofa or the wider deck or both?

If there is a wider deck, there is a sofa. PHB on deck 7,8 and 9 all have both. 

[daetchief]

 

Here are pictures of Explorer PH B Suite 818.  A wide balcony.

Consider the standard balcony as one partition segment narrower...

[mdunne48]

You need to be careful when booking your cabin...not every Penthouse B on deck 9 has the wider balcony; 928 / 929 / 930 / 931 all have the narrower balcony.. A good TA can make sure you get what you want.

 

[daetchief]

The deck charts are a good reference.  As a general rule of thumb, the highest Penthouse suites are PH A and are narrow.  A deck or so below the PH A suites become wide and the PH B suites are narrow.  A deck or so lowers and you find the PH B suites being wide and the PH C suites being narrow.  There might be one wide PH C [Port/Stbd] suite with a wide balcony, but it's setup for Disabled Travelers. 

 

Never been sailing in one but I understand that the front facing PH C suites are the same width and depth as any Penthouse but the wind when steaming is a blast chiller and the lights cannot be turned on nor curtains be opened if the cabin lights are on after dark.

[Silver Sweethearts]

Do note that, depending upon your itinerary, a certain trade-off can be the view from a forward-facing suite - and you can be outside and not in a crowded lounge.  You see what the Captain sees.  We had 1201 on the Explorer for a Panama Canal transit, and our outside forward view of the transit was quite impressive and a one-of-a-kind experience.

[daetchief]

On 6/22/2021 at 7:24 PM, Silver Sweethearts said:

...a certain trade-off can be the view from a forward-facing suite - and you can be outside and not in a crowded lounge.  You see what the Captain sees...

Now, that is a Perfect reason to consider the '00' Penthouse Suites. 

Great perspective.  [Yours and the Suite's...]

[minidonuts85]

On 6/22/2021 at 3:58 PM, daetchief said:

 

Here are pictures of Explorer PH B Suite 818.  A wide balcony.

Consider the standard balcony as one partition segment narrower...

We have a hold on 820 (next door to the beauty shown in the pic) but wonder if we should consider more mid-ship 858 or 859, also available. 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

53 minutes ago, minidonuts85 said:

We have a hold on 820 (next door to the beauty shown in the pic) but wonder if we should consider more mid-ship 858 or 859, also available. 

We are very happy in this location. Book it all the time. December 8th cruise…. We have 820. Our children have 859. That was the only one left when they decided to join us. Enjoy!

 

sheila

[minidonuts85]

2 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

We are very happy in this location. Book it all the time. December 8th cruise…. We have 820. Our children have 859. That was the only one left when they decided to join us. Enjoy!

 

sheila

Thank you Sheila! Do you find it windy being closer to the forward section of the ship? 

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

10 minutes ago, minidonuts85 said:

Thank you Sheila! Do you find it windy being closer to the forward section of the ship? 

No more windy than others. We love the L-shaped sofa and table and chairs. It’s wonderfully comfortable and relaxing. We have breakfast on the balcony almost every morning.
We have seven cruises booked on Explorer and Splendor and Grandeur. All are 820, 821 and 818. 
Three others are on Navigator and Mariner. 
Enjoy!

sheila

Edited November 19, 2021 by Bellaggio Cruisers

[minidonuts85]

7 minutes ago, Bellaggio Cruisers said:

No more windy than others. We love the L-shaped sofa and table and chairs. It’s wonderfully comfortable and relaxing. We have breakfast on the balcony almost every morning.
We have seven cruises booked on Explorer and Splendor and Grandeur. All are 820, 821 and 818. 
Three others are on Navigator and Mariner. 
Enjoy!

sheila

Great to know and can’t go wrong with first hand advice. Thinking we will stay in 820. 
This is our first cruise with Regent and albeit Nov 2023, we’re really excited about it. 

[Kwaj girl]

We are in 655 right now with the large balcony.  Fabulous location near stairs/elevators.  SHOGUN is a terrific butler.

[daetchief]

The cruise we did in 818 was a Stockholm to South Hampton via the usual ports of call.  If it was more calm in the midships suites I would have been surprised.   Any motion we did fell was relaxing and soothing and never rough.   [Heavy Sigh!,  I loved that cruise and that suite.]

[claranda]

10 hours ago, Kwaj girl said:

We are in 655 right now with the large balcony.  Fabulous location near stairs/elevators.  SHOGUN is a terrific butler.

That’s reassuring. We could only get 606 when we booked months ago for Singapore to Sydney in December 2022, and I’ve been wondering whether to ask my TA to try for a higher deck when final payment date comes and more suites may be available. Was thinking maybe down there you might miss out on the good butler service and that there could be other disadvantages. I am aware, however that cyclones are not uncommon at the time of year and being in the bowels of the ship may then be an advantage!

[DeepFreeze63]

You should love the location of Explorer606. We've been next door in 608 four times. Great location for us. 

Very quiet. The three nearby H cabins have often been assigned to temporary entertainers/speakers so very little foot traffic past that cabin The tenders below on Deck 5 are tucked in and don't effect your view. Only hear them when they are raised lowered for tender ports (fun to watch that operation).

 

Very stable. Not as far forward as the number implies and low - we were very comfortable in rough seas off the west coast of Mexico.

 

Very convenient. We use the nearby  stairs down and the nearby elevators (four forward) up.