Infinite verandas - PROs and CONs

[ISABELLA]

Thinking of  booking a cruise on Beyond, but not sure about infinity balcony. Please tell me what you like or don't like about infinity verandas. Thank you for your input.

 

[Turtles06]

Do a search in this forum for “infinite verandas” and you’ll find plenty of discussion. 

[LGW59]

So nice to see a topic very rarely discussed 😎 

[cruisestitch]

Cons

 

its not a verandah stateroom , it’s a room with a window that opens.  Those who book it expecting something like a traditional balcony stateroom are frequently surprised.

 

When the Captain chooses to close the window, passengers cannot override that

 

when the window is open, the room a/c goes off

 

 

 

 

 

[drakes2]

2 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Cons

 

its not a verandah stateroom , it’s a room with a window that opens.  Those who book it expecting something like a traditional balcony stateroom are frequently surprised.

 

When the Captain chooses to close the window, passengers cannot override that

 

when the window is open, the room a/c goes off

 

 

 

 

 

Never been in one but haven't read too many positive reviews about it. I'd take it if a free upgrade from an inside cabin. 

[Jeremiah1212]

Pros and cons. We've started to enjoy them quite a bit. I like the extra space and unobstructed view.

 

We will be joining the Viking Octantis later this summer which shares the exact same veranda design, although they call it a Nordic Balcony. 

[Alakegirl]

More cons,

 

if you are used to draping wet bathing suits over the verandah chairs you won’t be able to do that

 

if you are used to sitting on the balcony while your roommate naps in a darkened room, you won’t be able to do that

 

if you like to open the connection between your neighbor’s verandah and yours on an S class ship, you won’t be able to do that

 

 

 

[the penguins]

10 hours ago, Alakegirl said:

More cons,

 

if you are used to draping wet bathing suits over the verandah chairs you won’t be able to do that

 

if you are used to sitting on the balcony while your roommate naps in a darkened room, you won’t be able to do that

 

if you like to open the connection between your neighbor’s verandah and yours on an S class ship, you won’t be able to do that

 

 

 

Perfect for people who like the idea of a balcony but don't actually use it i.e. you get a bigger inside spacen, a window that opens (albeit with the Aircon turned off), chairs with low backs that don't recline, and a tiny table. In short totally useless for the way we use our balcony cabin.

[MicklemouseDD]

Study the deck plans carefully before selecting for 'obstructions' and 'overhangs'.

 

Some IVs have the bed near the bathroom and others right by the Veranda folding doors leaving a narrow gap of about 1ft or so between the bed and the door.

 

The ones by the doors show a wall 'recess' by the IV and those by the bathroom the wall 'recess' nearer the bathroom.  You'll see it on the plans when you look. 

[vickykay]

We were not fans when on a Caribbean cruise this past Feb on the Apex (but loved the ship). We missed a regular balcony for that cruise.   But thought it would be perfect for cool weather as it does make the cabin bigger.  

[Cruise a holic]

We were on an edge cruise- Infinite balconies not for me- we originally went to that cabin, but fortunately were able to change.  The cabin was long and seemed narrow.  Didn't like the fact that the captain could close the window when she deemed necessary- fortunately, we were lucky as a sky suite became available and we paid extra and moved the same day as boarding.  

 

I would suggest an aft balcony which is a true balcony.  Soe people like infinite balconies, not for us. 

[drakes2]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

Perfect for people who like the idea of a balcony but don't actually use it i.e. you get a bigger inside spacen, a window that opens (albeit with the Aircon turned off), chairs with low backs that don't recline, and a tiny table. In short totally useless for the way we use our balcony cabin.

Why would someone pay for a balcony cabin and not use it unless they just like to look outside. Seems a waste of money.

[MarkE]

Think of of it as a car window hit the button the window goes down.  Did not like it.

[drakes2]

58 minutes ago, MarkE said:

Think of of it as a car window hit the button the window goes down.  Did not like it.

Exactly. Never booked one and never will. Actually love the Edge inside cabins. If I need to look outside pool deck literally steps away from my cabin.  The money saved covered my flight. 

[LGW59]

6 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Exactly. Never booked one and never will. Actually love the Edge inside cabins. If I need to look outside pool deck literally steps away from my cabin.  The money saved covered my flight. 

I could not ever do an inside cabin, ever.

[TeeRick]

8 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Exactly. Never booked one and never will. Actually love the Edge inside cabins. If I need to look outside pool deck literally steps away from my cabin.  The money saved covered my flight. 

Well one reason for an IV instead of an Inside cabin- Covid isolation rules if you become positive.  I would go crazy isolating in an Inside cabin.

[AbbyCruiser45]

Pros: if you book a room with the couch close to the IV, you have a stunning and unobstructed view of the water. I personally loved this and sat on the couch and just watched the world go by. 

 

Cons: Not the best to have open for warm weather cruises. It gets very humid in the room. We mostly kept it closed. 

 

You can also crack the window just barely to get the wonderful ocean noise, but not let in all the warm air. We would do that while just hanging out in the room to hear the sounds of the sea. That's what I have attached here. And our deck of cards, didn't have to worry about the breeze messing with them. 

 

With that being said, I am also not outside a lot on warm weather cruises (very sun and heat sensitive) so the IV is a huge perk for me. The view from inside on a normal balcony cabin is obstructed unless standing. With an IV, it is the perfect view. It also gives more space in the room itself. Maybe I'm the minority, but I'm a big fan of the IV. 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by AbbyCruiser45

[Jeremiah1212]

2 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Why would someone pay for a balcony cabin and not use it unless they just like to look outside. Seems a waste of money.

I always book a balcony and probably spend less than 15 minutes a day just sitting out there. After having IV’s a few times it made me realize how little we actually use the balcony. 

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

I could not ever do an inside cabin, ever.

@LGW59I didn't think I could either until I stayed in one during my February Edge cruise this year. Huge King bed lots of drawer and closet space plus beautiful bathroom. Same square footage as balcony minus that awful so called verandah.  Only time spent in cabin was to sleep and change. 

[PTC DAWG]

I'm going to try one next time I book E Class...I want to experience it first hand.  Done with SV's for a while.  My most 2 recent bookings in them were the definition of HOT on the balcony...with occasional soot.  

[Luvcrusn]

Con:

If you like to go onto your balcony and spray yourself with sunscreen or insect repellant be prepared to breathe the fumes in your room for hours!

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Why would someone pay for a balcony cabin and not use it unless they just like to look outside. Seems a waste of money.

The boss (Anita) uses ours every sea day for between 2 and 4 hours. We are always on deck 7 and when we look along the ship practically every balcony is unoccupied. Same goes for sail aways almost noone is on their balcony.

[RichYak]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Well one reason for an IV instead of an Inside cabin- Covid isolation rules if you become positive.  I would go crazy isolating in an Inside cabin.

Is X isolating positives in their own cabins now?

[TeeRick]

47 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Is X isolating positives in their own cabins now?

It seems so from recent posts from people in isolation.  But not sure about every case on every ship.  Probably some exceptions.

[STLCRUISIN]

The IV makes the room look a little bigger and provides an unobstructed view. 

However, I did not like the fact that when the window is open you are sitting there looking through two panes of glass. I found that annoying. And with me being 6' tall I found the area very cramped. I was always banging my arm on the side wall or the folding door. My wife has no issues with the IV since she's only 4'10".

 

She loves it...I don't. Needless to say, we're on a B2B on Edge this fall in an IV. You can see who won that battle...lol.