Infinite Balconies

[jules815]

I've watched several YouTube reviews of the Infinite balcony cabins on Edge class ships. I get the concept. I understand what can be the downside of them while sailing in the Caribbean. If you open the window the a/c shuts off, it can get rather warm, etc. 

 

Was reading some comments in a Celebrity FB group about the balconies and some loved them, while others hated them. One thing that stuck out to me is they said the captain locks the windows at night? I can understand bad weather, really rough seas, etc., but at night? Is this true?

 

We're booked in a Prime Edge with Infinite Balcony stateroom for a TA next year on ASCENT. Because this cruise is in April and once we're a few days away from Ft. Lauderdale, the weather will get a little cooler, the complaints about the heat shouldn't be an issue. We do enjoy standing on our balcony at night though, so if the window is locked every night, that may be a problem for us.

 

Has anyone experienced the windows being locked every night?

[jwlane]

12 minutes ago, jules815 said:

One thing that stuck out to me is they said the captain locks the windows at night?

I don't recall ever reading this.

[Arizona Wildcat]

15 minutes ago, jules815 said:

I've watched several YouTube reviews of the Infinite balcony cabins on Edge class ships. I get the concept. I understand what can be the downside of them while sailing in the Caribbean. If you open the window the a/c shuts off, it can get rather warm, etc. 

 

Was reading some comments in a Celebrity FB group about the balconies and some loved them, while others hated them. One thing that stuck out to me is they said the captain locks the windows at night? I can understand bad weather, really rough seas, etc., but at night? Is this true?

 

We're booked in a Prime Edge with Infinite Balcony stateroom for a TA next year on ASCENT. Because this cruise is in April and once we're a few days away from Ft. Lauderdale, the weather will get a little cooler, the complaints about the heat shouldn't be an issue. We do enjoy standing on our balcony at night though, so if the window is locked every night, that may be a problem for us.

 

Has anyone experienced the windows being locked every night?

No.  But if you love standing on you balcony this probably won't make you happy.  The feeling to us was like being in a room with a window open.  It also took hours to get the cabin back to the original temperature and humidity levels.

We were not impressed 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Arizona Wildcat

[cw2go]

20 minutes ago, jules815 said:

I've watched several YouTube reviews of the Infinite balcony cabins on Edge class ships. I get the concept. I understand what can be the downside of them while sailing in the Caribbean. If you open the window the a/c shuts off, it can get rather warm, etc. 

 

Was reading some comments in a Celebrity FB group about the balconies and some loved them, while others hated them. One thing that stuck out to me is they said the captain locks the windows at night? I can understand bad weather, really rough seas, etc., but at night? Is this true?

 

We're booked in a Prime Edge with Infinite Balcony stateroom for a TA next year on ASCENT. Because this cruise is in April and once we're a few days away from Ft. Lauderdale, the weather will get a little cooler, the complaints about the heat shouldn't be an issue. We do enjoy standing on our balcony at night though, so if the window is locked every night, that may be a problem for us.

 

Has anyone experienced the windows being locked every night?

 

I am one who loved the IV and it was never locked by the Capt. 

 

Patty 

[jelayne]

We have never had the window locked.  Fortunately we also haven’t encountered bad weather when in a IV.

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

Was reading some comments in a Celebrity FB group about the balconies and some loved them, while others hated them. One thing that stuck out to me is they said the captain locks the windows at night? I can understand bad weather, really rough seas, etc., but at night? Is this true?

That's totally incorrect and a boldface lie. The only time the captain closes and locks the windows is during window washing and when it's raining. PERIOD. 

[Pinboy]

The IV is not a balcony at all--- (ok, ok, it's my opinion )

It's a 3 ft extension to the room with a small table ( not big enough for a plate with a hot smoked meat sandwich, fries, diet coke ,and a dill pickle ), 2 small chairs (to hang a wet bathing suit on to dry ), and a window that opens.  

 

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, Pinboy said:

The IV is not a balcony at all--- (ok, ok, it's my opinion )

It's a 3 ft extension to the room with a small table ( not big enough for a plate with a hot smoked meat sandwich, fries, diet coke ,and a dill pickle ), 2 small chairs (to hang a wet bathing suit on to dry ), and a window that opens.  

 

You're somewhat correct. No, it's not a balcony at all. But it's not an extension to the room, it's the room with the last three feet make to look like a balcony. 

[Jeremiah1212]

A lot of people sleep with them open at night. A hot humid cabin sounds terrible to me, but regardless, I could see some confusion that they would be locked if there was a chance of rain over night. But there is no hard and fast rule that they are locked at a specific time. 

[jwlane]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

Has anyone experienced the windows being locked every night?

Where did you see this?

[hcat]

I think it'd be a nice cabin style for a Trans atl cruise

We prefer a normal balc but  we used  that area as an extended sitting area, worked out quite well.. 

 We booked one in AQ for Ascent in the carib..perks are BLU and thermal suites

[NutsAboutGolf]

Here’s the easy way to determine if an IV is for you.  If on a previous traditional balcony sailing, did you spend a least a few hours on your traditional balcony?  If yes you’d probably dislike the IV; if no, you’ll probably enjoy the extra space the IV adds to the room.  There could be other factors such an itinerary that has minimal seaday where you’re hardly in your room or perhaps an TA/TP with lots of seadays.  Also the AC shuts off when the IV window is down so if you’re sensitive to heat/humidity and are planning on a mid summer Carribean sailing, maybe you want to skip the IV

 

It should be noted that X had to choice to do whatever they wanted with the suite balconies and they choose to put zero IVs in any of them; they all have traditional balconies

[cruisestitch]

If one of you likes to go out in the balcony while the other stays in a dark room and sleeps late, the IV is not for you.

 

similarly, if one likes to go out on the balcony to read while the other watches tv in the room, the IV is not for you.

[cmaleblanc]

I'm sure they may have a reason why/how the Captain has closed/locked the window. In our experience this has only happened in bad weather, One night on our Apex cruise they closed and locked the windows because the outside was horrible. But that's the only time. We would use the window/IV regularly late at night think 10 pm-12 am after coming back from the late-night show and spending an hour or two in the casino. Never had an issue. 

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I cruised aboard the Celebrity Beyond in February 2023 in an IV stateroom. I did not encounter the window being locked, but the weather was very nice throughout the cruise. On the plus side, these staterooms have an unobstructed wall of glass with potentially excellent views of the ocean or ports. Although I like having a traditional balcony, I typically don't spend much time sitting outside. The IV stateroom met my needs. I enjoyed the view of the ocean with the shade up and occasionally lowered the window to take photos or get some fresh air.

 

I love the Edge class ships (I also have cruised on the Celebrity Apex) and don't have a problem with the IV stateroom. In fact, I have booked an IV stateroom for a cruise on the Celebrity Ascent next year. 

 

Chuck

[dacsmom]

I love the infinite veranda. I use it way more than a traditional balcony and I like the floor to ceiling view in the room. My last one was locked once while during washing. That was the only time. Some people chime in with rumors and saying they hate them but have never sailed in one. Unfortunately, others looking for opinions listen to them and have false information. Try one for yourself. Some people like them while others do not. You have to decide for yourself.

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, dacsmom said:

I love the infinite veranda. I use it way more than a traditional balcony and I like the floor to ceiling view in the room. My last one was locked once while during washing. That was the only time. Some people chime in with rumors and saying they hate them but have never sailed in one. Unfortunately, others looking for opinions listen to them and have false information. Try one for yourself. Some people like them while others do not. You have to decide for yourself.

 

I have no problem with those that enjoy them yet I’m hesitant to say “try for yourself” as there’s potentially many issues with them which could bring unhappiness.  Chief complaints are the AC shuts off when open and if someone wants to sleep in while another wants to enjoy the balcony, due to the noise to open them, no way to block the light when open and possibly the AC being off, they prob won’t enjoy them.

 

The traditional balconies are also pretty much floor to ceiling windows

[RichYak]

2 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

If one of you likes to go out in the balcony while the other stays in a dark room and sleeps late, the IV is not for you.

 

similarly, if one likes to go out on the balcony to read while the other watches tv in the room, the IV is not for you.

I think it’s simpler than that: If you like to go out on the balcony then book a cabin with a balcony, the IV is not for you. 

[jules815]

3 hours ago, jwlane said:

Where did you see this?

It was in one of the Celebrity FB groups that I follow.

 

[jwlane]

32 minutes ago, jules815 said:

one of the Celebrity FB groups that I follow.

It'd be interesting to see that....

[keesar]

1 hour ago, jules815 said:

It was in one of the Celebrity FB groups that I follow.

 

There is some misinformation on some of those FB groups.  

[kearney]

When we were on one of the inaugural Edge sailings. My husband noticed that when I was off on an excursion the captain kept the windows locked..for quite a while as the various windows on the ship were cleaned. The washer is a lot like a car wash ...with a high intensity spray, so you can see why they want the windows up. He thought that they were locked for an hour or more. I am not sure they do this every time they are in port, but it did annoy him at the time. 

 

The comment about determining if you will like an IV based upon how much time you spend on the balconies in past cruises.. seems to be a good tool. I burn just thinking about the sun, so I am not a big balcony user and having the cabin go right up to the edge of the ship, was nice. For my husband, he prefers a regular, real balcony. I think this type of cabin would be great if sailing someplace like Alaska or Scandinavian fjords.. where you could get a great view regardless of weather staying in the comfort of your cabin.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

7 hours ago, jules815 said:

One thing that stuck out to me is they said the captain locks the windows at night? I can understand bad weather, really rough seas, etc., but at night?

Unless it has changed, no.

 

BUT if the captain has a forecast predicting weather/wind that would necessitate them being locked, they certainly could. They have much more specific radar than any phone app would, so that could be a possibility.

 

The only times they were locked when I was on Edge were with notice in the daily paper that one side or the other would be cleaned during the time we were in a port. Even a day that the weather to ME would have necessitated locking it, Captain Kate didn't.

 

However, that said. I would never leave it down when not using it just as I'd never leave a balcony door open when I'm not using it since that affects more than just the a/c in my cabin. And it creates a wind tunnel that whistles in the hall to the point it annoys others around.

[PH2]

We have an IV booked for next May on a short European cruise on Apex and we're going to try it, but from the comments, I'm not sure we're going to like it. But it's only 4 days and I didn't think The Retreat was worth another $2K+ for that short a trip.

[zitsky]

When you close the folding doors or the blinds where are the chairs?  Aren’t they inside the room still?  Booked in IV on Beyond.  Debating on a move up bid to a small suite.

Edited March 27, 2023 by zitsky