Forward-facing suite

[amygutman]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:06 PM, alliecat44 said:

Thank you all for these posts!!! I am feeling super excited again!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 

 

Amy, tgat trip sounds fantastic!! We are in the regular forward facing suite, not the deluxe, so we have the one long shallow/narrow balcony. 🙂 

Yes...but it's a long / shallow / narrow balcony....but it's a FORWARD long / shallow / narrow balcony, so by definition, AWESOME! You are going to have an amazing trip!

[amygutman]

On 4/1/2023 at 7:10 PM, GeezerCouple said:

The Deluxe Owners Suites on the Dawn are not the ones with the two balconies.  

Those are OS (regular Owners Suites, although there's nothing "plain and regular" about those, either!).

The DOS on the Dawn have huge forward windows, but no balconies (alas).

 

I'm mentioning this so no one reads the post and decides to get a Dawn DOS to have those two balconies.

GC

Oh lord...thank you for the correction. I would not want to mislead anyone and apologize. 

Both rooms are certainly amazing, but 2 balconies was a treat that we were excited to have. 

Hell...ANY balcony is a treat (though a suite balcony is super "suite sweet").

 

[GeezerCouple]

31 minutes ago, amygutman said:

Oh lord...thank you for the correction. I would not want to mislead anyone and apologize. 

Both rooms are certainly amazing, but 2 balconies was a treat that we were excited to have. 

Hell...ANY balcony is a treat (though a suite balcony is super "suite sweet").

 

We really missed balcony/balconies on the Dawn DOS, although the views were exceptional, with the full floor to ceiling wall of windows across the full forward view, the side, and a bit down the back to see the side of the entire ship.  (This is the same view the Bridge has.)

 

Our avatar is of "us" lying on the bed, looking forward, over our feet, at the glorious wide forward view.  This was DH's first (and very, very belated) cruise, and the first morning, he was hooked!

 

The only thing like that thus far was the OS on the Sun... and that definitely should be classified as a DOS.  It had the same wide forward view (no side), but a huge (huge!) balcony the entire way across, plus a private hot tub.  🙂 

And we had this for an Alaska cruise.  We snagged it not too long before sailing; someone must have cancelled.  We got a great price, and we were just lucky that it was the starboard side for a Northbound sailing.  So we had all of the wonderful snow-topped mountains much of the way.

 

So far, that Sun OS was our favorite.  We had almost all of our meals served, and sat there in front of those windows (if we weren't on the balcony!).

 

GC

[Travel Junkie Judy]

On 4/1/2023 at 2:35 PM, alliecat44 said:

Hi all, 

 

So I managed to snag the (supposedly) last suite on the upcoming Spirit 16-day Hawaii to Alaska. I am trying not to freak myself out about the limitations of a forward-facing cabin (especially with six sea days and the potentially limited use of the balcony!), and instead trying to focus on the extra room and other “suite stuff.” 
 

Is there anyone out there who can reassure me that forward facing isn’t ALL bad?? I woukd really appreciate it!!! 
 

happy sailing! ❤️

 

A cruise is what you make of it.  We've sailed in forward suites several times and loved it.  It is very quiet with no one going up and down the halls.  When in port, it is awesome.  You can see everything.  When heading into port, it is the best place to be. We even enjoyed being out there when leaving ports.   I honestly don't remember missing the balcony on sea days.  It's been a few years since we've had one, but if it had been "terrible" I would remember.  If you've never been in a suite before, you are in for a lot of fun.  Use your Butler.  Enjoy all he/she can do for you.  Enjoy being pampered.  You will love it.

Judy

[Cruceristanueva]

We have booked a Forward facing deluxe penthouse on the Dawn (under the bridge), and after having watched videos where I could see a sign at the door that says “do not open while at sea”, or something like that, I am concerned now. So can’t we use the balcony during sailaway?? Does that mean that we can only use the balcony while at port? It’s a British Isles cruise.

[RocketMan275]

4 hours ago, Cruceristanueva said:

We have booked a Forward facing deluxe penthouse on the Dawn (under the bridge), and after having watched videos where I could see a sign at the door that says “do not open while at sea”, or something like that, I am concerned now. So can’t we use the balcony during sailaway?? Does that mean that we can only use the balcony while at port? It’s a British Isles cruise.

We booked a Deluxe Owners Suite on Breakaway.  It also has a balcony on the front of the ship.  Twice on our seven day cruise, the crew lashed the balcony furniture together to keep it from being blown over board.  Yes, I know the DOS also has a balcony on the side.  It too was unusable due to the wind.  It didn't matter which direction the ship was sailing, the neither the front or side balconies were usable when at sea.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, Cruceristanueva said:

We have booked a Forward facing deluxe penthouse on the Dawn (under the bridge), and after having watched videos where I could see a sign at the door that says “do not open while at sea”, or something like that, I am concerned now. So can’t we use the balcony during sailaway?? Does that mean that we can only use the balcony while at port? It’s a British Isles cruise.

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

No, you can use your balcony 24/7 throughout the cruise.

 

I posted that message you mention on Post #18 of this thread. But we have sailed in forward facing suites many times and you can always use your forward facing balcony. 

 

There are obvious things like "don't open your balcony door and your cabin door at the same time because the wind will sweep through your room carrying any lose items out into the hall".  And the request from the bridge to keep your drapes closed at night to protect the bridge crew's night vision. 

 

We sailed in Dawn Stateroom 10000 (under the center of the bridge) from Boston to Quebec and had spectacular views as we sailed up the St. Lawrence river 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by BirdTravels

[WillCruiseForMoney]

I concur with Bird Travels comments.

We usually book forward facing balcony suites, and spend many hours on those balconies.  Sometimes it can be too windy while at sea to enjoy, but in most conditions it is not a an issue while sitting.  

 

 

[Turtles06]

8 hours ago, Cruceristanueva said:

We have booked a Forward facing deluxe penthouse on the Dawn (under the bridge), and after having watched videos where I could see a sign at the door that says “do not open while at sea”, or something like that, I am concerned now. So can’t we use the balcony during sailaway?? Does that mean that we can only use the balcony while at port? It’s a British Isles cruise.

We’ve sailed in forward-facing suites under the bridge on the Gem and the Jewel on four cruises. Yes, there’s a sign on the sea door like the one you mentioned. Unless the weather really prevents it, our experience has been that it’s okay to use the balcony when the ship is underway. No one would book these cabins if the balconies could only be used in port.
 

Just be careful whenever you open or close that door — it’s heavy, don’t let your hands/fingers get caught as you are moving the door. 
 

(Atlantic Ocean, by turtles06)

Edited July 30, 2023 by Turtles06

[itsnotjustme]

We just sailed in one on a transatlantic and enjoyed it very much.

 

Regarding the door, just do not open it while your cabin door is open.  You can get a strong gust that will slam the cabin door.

 

We had no limits placed on closing our drapes at night.