If you like Infinite balconies, why?

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 minutes ago, AliceS said:

My post was for someone to tell me why they love the Infinite Balcony

It's an interesting topic IMO.  I know you were really only looking for the love factor of the IV but I have learned a lot from reading both sides of the coin.  My DH says he understands the appeal of the IV because it makes the room feel larger and when you want some outside time, you can have it...assuming the captain hasn't deactivated the windows for some reason.  I don't know about aging out but I can say that my preference for the traditional balcony probably reflects my age as I just don't do well with new fangled "gimmicks" (which is how I view the IV). But that's in no way to say that the IV is a bust.  I respect the views of fellow posters.  @Spif Barwunkel made a great point about the virtues of the category and @RichYak pointed out that choice is good.  Bottom line is that having a broad picture of diverse views really helps in making the decision about which category to book...all that to say, I appreciate the thread!

[Mauidiver]

5 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

Really? When it's hot and humid, I want my A/C. 🥵

That’s the point….you can sit in the huge window and enjoy the view without opening it. Same for cold or rain. It gives you the choice without giving up the view.

Edited April 28, 2023 by Mauidiver

[NMTraveller]

7 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

Really? When it's hot and humid, I want my A/C. 🥵

I want my AC also.

[hrhdhd]

9 hours ago, Mauidiver said:

That’s the point….you can sit in the huge window and enjoy the view without opening it. Same for cold or rain. It gives you the choice without giving up the view.

My IV's window was so dirty I couldn't see much after day 1.

[TeeRick]

19 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Infinite balconies have really forced me to reconsider other options for travel.  I love Celebrity (turned Zenith not long ago after 70+ cruises), and each winter season now that we're retired we book multiple cruises.  This year we have a total of 8 cruises booked/taken.  Next year we have 2.  

 

Why?  First, we spend a lot of time on our balcony so would only consider suite class or SV on E class ships that have an actual balcony.  Have you priced them recently?!?!  We cannot afford to spend $5,000+ (and often quite a bit of +) to book the lowest level suite.  Maybe for people who are rich, or who only splurge once or twice a year.  But not for us.

 

To those who say there is a choice, I beg to differ as well, at least to an extent.  I desperately tried to find decent cruises to fill next Feb and Mar in the Caribbean (our 2 cruises are B2B in January) and almost all the options were E class.  The limited S or M class sailings had either itineraries that were repeats of our January sailings, fewer than 7 nights,  or were either already sold out or very, very expensive for the AQ rooms we prefer if we can't justify the suite price.  

 

So instead of our usual 4-6 cruises in February thru April, we are likely going to spend time in Arizona or Florida.  All largely because of infinite balconies.

Why not just cruise on another cruise line in a traditional balcony?

 

(Edit_ sorry I did not see your response to Rich Yak before I posted this)

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by TeeRick

[phoenix_dream]

14 hours ago, AliceS said:

Celebrity has weathered Covid the best…..just not into these cabins?   

I'm not sure what you mean about Celebrity weathering Covid the best, and I think I answered your question above.

[mac_tlc]

15 hours ago, AliceS said:

Aging out?   Wow!   No other line has Infinite Balconies!   No one.   Going on the Equinox with 3 generations in May….they will all know what a balcony looks and feels like.   This particular cabin design just isn’t for everyone and Celebrity has bet the farm on it.   That worries me because I think that Celebrity has weathered the Covid storm the best.   My post was for someone to tell me why they love the Infinite Balcony and you say that I might just be ‘aging out’?   

Not exactly. Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas, will have them —- and also have traditional balconies. If you think the the Retreat prices are high, try a suite on Icon, prices are ridiculous. 
 

We have had an IV and got accustomed to it. Especially when it’s hot, we don’t use the balcony much, it was nice to have a floor to ceiling view of the ocean. Also enjoyed being able to raise the shade after waking up and get a great view without having to get out of bed. 
 

mac_tlc

[phoenix_dream]

26 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Not exactly. Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas, will have them —- and also have traditional balconies. If you think the the Retreat prices are high, try a suite on Icon, prices are ridiculous. 
 

We have had an IV and got accustomed to it. Especially when it’s hot, we don’t use the balcony much, it was nice to have a floor to ceiling view of the ocean. Also enjoyed being able to raise the shade after waking up and get a great view without having to get out of bed. 
 

mac_tlc

I just wish they had built the E class ships with a mix of regular and infinite balconies - that way everyone could be happy.  But in order to get a balcony you have to pay half your mortgage to get a suite or SV these days.  I think the fact that all the suites have regular balconies speaks volumes about them being preferred.  If Celebrity thought they were so wonderful, why wouldn't they use them for their suites?

Edited April 28, 2023 by phoenix_dream

[ScottC4746]

On 4/26/2023 at 1:57 PM, AliceS said:

I am so underwhelmed by this design, I will try not to ever settle for one again.   I will go to an ocean view, or upgrade…..no more infinite balcony.   I was solo…double cost.   The window made so much noise up and down… grrrrrrrrr, grrrrrrrrr……why?   I don’t get it.    It’s an ocean view cabin with a window that opens.

Forget it!

We are in a concierge class on Edge to Alaska.  This will be our first time using one.  I like the idea in cold/hot weather.  My DH hates the idea.

Edited April 28, 2023 by ScottC4746

[Retirement]

We sailed in an infinity balcony for the first time on Celebrity Edge in early April. We absolutely hated our so-called "balcony".

 

One night, we kept the window open, as we love to hear the ocean while we're falling asleep. And, the window is so sound proof that there is no ocean sound when it's closed.

 

During the night, when it became increasingly warm in the cabin, I tried to close the window. However, the window was stuck and would not close. So, we sweltered for the rest of the night. We contacted our cabin steward as soon as he began his shift in the morning and he immediately contacted a technician who arrived promptly to fix the window. According to our steward, this is quite a common occurrence due to ocean salt getting into the window tracks and causing them to jam. 

 

After this cruise, I am determined never to book this category of cabin again. You may as well save your money and book an ocean view.🙁

[rmalbers]

On 4/28/2023 at 9:37 AM, mac_tlc said:

Not exactly. Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas, will have them —- and also have traditional balconies. If you think the the Retreat prices are high, try a suite on Icon, prices are ridiculous. 
 

We have had an IV and got accustomed to it. Especially when it’s hot, we don’t use the balcony much, it was nice to have a floor to ceiling view of the ocean. Also enjoyed being able to raise the shade after waking up and get a great view without having to get out of bed. 
 

mac_tlc

Ya, the Viking new/newer expedition ships have IV, they have another name for them.  That's been my only experience with IV.  I didn't think I would like it but it was ok for the great lakes.  The problem is if you are in an area with bugs, that's a problem.  They have also had a few issues with bats.

[NMTraveller]

I call it the Infinite RV.

[cruise47]

How do European Celebrity cruisers feel about the Infinite Balconies, since all the E Class ships are headed to Europe for the 2023 season?

Edited April 30, 2023 by cruise47

[jaywoods678]

On 4/26/2023 at 4:57 PM, AliceS said:

I am so underwhelmed by this design, I will try not to ever settle for one again.   I will go to an ocean view, or upgrade…..no more infinite balcony.   I was solo…double cost.   The window made so much noise up and down… grrrrrrrrr, grrrrrrrrr……why?   I don’t get it.    It’s an ocean view cabin with a window that opens.

Forget it!

Completely agree! But a lot of people fall for it.

[jaywoods678]

On 4/26/2023 at 7:35 PM, RichYak said:

A choice? How many balcony cabins are there in AQ or CC on Edge class ships?

That's what I was thinking. They are definitely not giving you a choice. Almost all of their "balcony" cabins are just oceanviews with a window that opens. There are only a few real traditional balconies.

[jaywoods678]

On 4/27/2023 at 7:55 AM, poffles said:

Dislike and would not pay ‘balcony’ pricing for this ‘verandah’.

 

Here is my personal opinion (mini review) after my recent first time sailing in one on the Edge (10 night Caribbean) two weeks ago.  Listing what I thought was good/bad about the room in comparing to my typical balcony preference (unfair I know).  Some of it is perspective, some of it is just how it is.

 

Good:

•    Floor to ceiling window view was nice.  Sunsets oh my.
•    Room felt more open, spacy, and bright (blind open of course).
•    Reduced ‘outside’ neighbour noise.  Though we did hear a baby crying from below.
•    Less chance of smelling smoke if someone does the naughty nearby.

 

Bad:
•    It’s a window that can open … not a balcony.  It is what it is.
•    Very noisy opening/closing, especially the blind.  As someone else said here, it was bad. At times we could even hear when neighbours were opening/closing theirs.
•    The chairs felt wrong.  It felt like they should match to a dinner height table.  Padding was nice but the chairs seemed to add to the oddness we felt sitting in front of a window. 
•    Window open – AC off.  I get it, totally makes sense not to let money running the AC float out the window but no ability to enjoy sitting in the ‘veranda’ window open for an hour or so and then immediately shift to the cool of the room. We would open the window until the person not wanting to sit in the heat could tolerate it and then close again.
•    Inability to utilize the veranda as closed off area.  This was a big one for me as an early riser, I quietly sneak out and get coffee and come back and go out to the balcony and enjoy the sun coming up.  Nope, this has to be an all-party choice because not only is noise of opening the blind a problem, but you can’t close off the brightness from the room once you open the blind.  The French doors are silly, and we never used them once.  Also if I opened the window the room would heat up for those ‘sleeping’.
•    Captain can close/disable the window at any time.  When we first got on the ship we were eager getting to our room and seeing this for the first time, went to open the window … nope it was closed by the Captain (it was open by sail away).  Not a big deal but sucked.  It was the only time on our 10 day cruise that we encountered this so no biggy.
•    Mechanical issues.  We encountered many times when the window would just stop in the middle of opening or closing.  The button was very fickle, and it became annoying at times.  What I thought was lacking was the ability to push a button to auto open/close the window much like the blind.  Instead, you had to hold the button the entire time and hope it didn’t stop midway (it did many times).  I thought about why there is no auto button for the window, thought perhaps safety but then considered that the captain can do this remotely, so no safety thought in that.

 

My takeaway thoughts:

 

Not the first one to say this and it is entirely true … these staterooms should not be even slightly compared to a balcony. These really are midway between ‘ocean view’ and ‘balcony’ and if the price aligns then great. 

 

These seem more suited for a moderate to cold weather cruise.  The ability to open such a large window without extreme heat filling the room would be nice.  To have such a great window view without wishing you could sit ‘out there’ … imagine Alaska.

 

We utilized this area totally different than we do a ‘balcony’, basically less.  No mornings sitting 'out there' which I really missed.  We would even typically go out and sit on a balcony in the evening, late at night in the dark, we did not do that once on this cruise as it just isn’t the same.

 

The way you utilize your stateroom during a cruise will dictate your opinion.  Clearly, we are all different which makes having choices a good thing.  Choices are great but don’t be misled.

 

I went in fully aware but wanted to form my own opinion and now I have, which I've now long winded shared with you LOL 🙂

 

.
 

I completely agree. They are midway between a standard oceanview and a standard verandah. And the price should align with that. Unfortunately, the prices does NOT align with that, and as usual Celebrity is trying to get a premium for them.

[Spif Barwunkel]

Whereas I do not feel that post #63 is intended to usurp this thread, it could certainly seem that way. The OP asked a simple question, and as is too often the case, some folks just can't stick to the script. I will not speak for the OP, but I will assume that your country of residence matters not in the total scheme of things. Just answer the simple question, no matter where you live. Nothing more, nothing less.

[jaywoods678]

On 4/27/2023 at 1:24 PM, indy406 said:

They can call it a veranda (it's not), they can call it a balcony (it's not) or they could call it a ham sandwich (it's not.) It's also not a deck or a lanai or a lean-to. It's a part of the stateroom with a big window. No thanks. I'll take CC or Aqua on S-class or M-class ships every time. 

Well one thing that Celebrity does good is marketing. They are marketing geniuses, especially with LLP there. They are also now marketing themselves as Luxury. They are not Luxury. They are a mainstream/premium line. We all know what the true luxury lines are and even the upper premium/luxury lite cruises like Oceania and Azamara. But if one doesn't know better, because of the marketing, they will think they are going to sail on a "luxury" line with a real "balcony" cabin.

[jaywoods678]

On 4/27/2023 at 4:30 PM, rmalbers said:

I've said it before on here: it won't make any difference for the new people that have never sailed in a cabin with a true balcony, they just won't know any different.  People that have had and like balconies are aging out, basically every day, so it's just a matter of time and there won't be any IV discussions.  It just another change with cruising, and changes with cruising have always happened over time.  Other cruise companies are doing it also, it's about cost savings.  

And that's exactly what the marketing gurus at Celebrity are hoping.

[jaywoods678]

On 4/28/2023 at 1:02 AM, NMTraveller said:

I want my AC also.

I'm from the hot and humid South (lived in Georgia and Florida most of my life). We LOVE our air conditioning. I absolutely have to have my AC really cold in my cruise ship cabin.

[RichYak]

5 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

I will not speak for the OP, but I will assume that your country of residence matters not in the total scheme of things.

On the contrary, it does matter to those who are not from the "Florida Space Coast." As an example, Brits that sail with Celebrity annually in AQ or CC out of Southampton are stuck with IV cabins as their only choice in 2024. Post #63 asks a perfectly legitimate question.

[Spif Barwunkel]

15 minutes ago, RichYak said:

On the contrary, it does matter to those who are not from the "Florida Space Coast." As an example, Brits that sail with Celebrity annually in AQ or CC out of Southampton are stuck with IV cabins as their only choice in 2024. Post #63 asks a perfectly legitimate question.

Once again, you and I disagree. Not unusual. Certainly, if the OP is good with turning this thread in to another IV pros vs cons, that is just dandy, and I will yield to AliceS. In the meantime, in some cases, we remain off-script.    

[davekathy]

2 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Because everyone is nice to one another.

Exactly my point.

[shavdog]

Thankyou for posting this....we are very uncertain about this arrangement....but after reading we can announce we are very happy we booked a December 2023 btb on Celebrity Equinox...thanks for posting.....

[kabmab]

2 hours ago, cruise47 said:

How do European Celebrity cruisers feel about the Infinite Balconies, since all the E Class ships are headed to Europe for the 2023 season?

We've sailed on E class four times; three times in SV and once in DPV.  We're  just booking a northern European cruise on Apex and are again booking DPV.  I wanted to try an IV but DH prefers DPV so we'll go with that.  May try an IV on a Caribbean cruise when a balcony is too hot and sunny.  Love the SV but Celebrity has priced them up plus they go fast.