Extended balcony or Aft Balcony?

[Vineyard View]

We are looking at sailing the Oosterdam for the first time. In looking up cabin sizes the balcony cabins have a wide range in size. How does one go about finding the larger?  216 sq ft would feel pretty tight, but the larger end of the range is attractive?  In trying to find this information, I came across two options that caught my attention. Cabin 7149 aft….and 4166 with the extended balcony. We tend to use our balcony quite a bit, so both have their distinct advantages. Does anyone have experience and thoughts on these locations as well as interior space?

We also looked a Signature suite 6115. Not sure if these are worth the extra cost?  
thank you in advance

[Fouremco]

My preference is always to have passenger cabin on the decks above and below me. As 4166 is located above the Vista Dining Room, I'd not consider it. In the event that it makes a difference to you, this cabin only has a shower, no bath.

 

On the other hand, I enjoy stern cabins, and 7149 would be a good choice IMO.

 

Personally, I wouldn't pay the extra money for 6115. We'd rather maximize the number of cruises within our travel budget and forego the extra space and perks associated with a signature suite. 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you for your feedback. I would think that the dining room would be quiet during the night, more so than other venues, but this is a valid point to consider. 
‘With the steep prices in all cruises, it’s a bit more challenging than it used to be. Years back a Neptune we sailed in was a real pleasure, and not as painful as it is now. In today’s retirement dollars it is a different lens we are viewing through, so I looked at the Signature - again, a great point to consider that you are mentioning! 

[3rdGenCunarder]

I love aft cabins, especially on Oosterdam and the other vista class ships. I've been above the dining room and had no issues with noise. Being over an entertainment area, OTOH, is not my idea of a good location.

[tupper10]

We love the deck 4 cabins with the larger balconies above the dining room.  We heard a wine selling event during the day, where the speaker was using a very loud microphone.  It lasted about 1/2 hour.   Other than that we heard no noise at all from the dining room area.  We booked deck 4 again because I loved having a chaise on my own veranda. (You have to get permission but our room steward's supervisor approved it for us and it was delivered to our balcony.) 

[Lauren and John]

The extended balconies are great, but just make sure you are not over public  restrooms — the flushing can be loud. 

[ellieanne]

Personally I would pick the extended balcony. The one time my parents had an aft balcony, it was so covered in soot that it was unusable for most of the cruise. The only good thing about the experience was the cruise had really rough waters and bad weather (cold, windy, stormy) so they couldn't use the balcony most days anyway.

But I would not pick an aft balcony if I had a choice.

[0106]

I love aft balconies, usually book the on deck 8 and have never experienced soot.  Also, the aft provides a bit more protection from the wind if you are in a cooler climate.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you all for additional responses. The aft is on deck 7 so I would hope soot isn’t a problem. From experience, are these cabins on the smaller sq ft size? 
‘the expended balcony is next to crew staircase so it’s actually extended in both in length (1 1/2 vs normal) width and depth. That caught my attention. It’s over the ‘blank area’ of the MDR, so I wonder if that is the kitchen and could be noisy later. 

Edited April 25 by Vineyard View

[Haljo1935]

I've stayed in both 4166 and 7149 and LOVE them both for different reasons. My selection would be based on itinerary - AK would absolutely pick 7149, but in the Caribbean, Mexico or Europe I'd go with 4166. The wider balcony of 4166 is fabulous for hanging out, sharing the views w/others (if you host anyone in your cabin) and dining. The aft wake views of 7149 really help maximize the Alaskan experience (wildlife and glaciers).

Not once have we had soot issues on any aft balcony, no matter which deck (I think we've had aft cabins on every deck). And any noise we had in 4166 was very short-lived and quickly forgotten by the awesome balcony space.

I wouldn't spend extra for the SS 6115 - you can get the larger balcony in 4166.

Safe travels - enjoy your cruise!

[crystalspin]

8 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

In looking up cabin sizes the balcony cabins have a wide range in size. How does one go about finding the larger?  216 sq ft would feel pretty tight, but the larger end of the range is attractive?

The larger cabins in a category are almost always the handicapped version of the rooms. (Exception being the large J & K insides on the Main Deck.)

[Crew News]

An aft stateroom balcony allows views of both sides of the ship while wearing your pajamas, great photo ops, no wind while the ship is moving, three minutes from both the Lido Market and MDR, hot Room Service food, and the sound of the wake for a very restful sleep.

 

In many aft stateroom cruises, soot has not been an issue for me.

 

Another recommendation of a Deck 7 aft stateroom.

[alwaysfrantic]

I have had deck 4 aft rooms on this class of ship numerous times and I have NEVER heard anything from the dining room.  The verandah is much deeper than other decks.  I absolutely love deck 4 and am sorry the aft corners on it were sold out already on my next trip. 

[iowacruiser]

16 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

We are looking at sailing the Oosterdam for the first time. In looking up cabin sizes the balcony cabins have a wide range in size. How does one go about finding the larger?  216 sq ft would feel pretty tight, but the larger end of the range is attractive?  In trying to find this information, I came across two options that caught my attention. Cabin 7149 aft….and 4166 with the extended balcony. We tend to use our balcony quite a bit, so both have their distinct advantages. Does anyone have experience and thoughts on these locations as well as interior space?

We also looked a Signature suite 6115. Not sure if these are worth the extra cost?  
thank you in advance

We have stayed in an aft corner NS on Oosterdam and the balconies are so large you could have a small party on them. They are also less affected by the wind.

We have also stayed in an SS on Amsterdam and Eurodam-both cabins on the bump out. You basically get two balconies in these suites. One facing out and other facing forward. If you love your balconies either would be a good choice.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you all very much for all of these responses!  I sincerely appreciate your experienced input. Sounds like both options are true winners in their different ways! 
I am now in a new quandary. Found another itinerary DH and I like better ( both are next year, first one is E Med and this new one is W Mediterranean) so cabin selection is not quite as attractive and a higher cost (not surprising). Is there an advantage to 7143, 5178….furthest side aft,  but appears to have a ‘blank’ space before the next cabin that is true aft. Does this provide a quiet area without an adjacent cabin?  Thank you again very much!

[Vineyard View]

11 hours ago, crystalspin said:

The larger cabins in a category are almost always the handicapped version of the rooms. (Exception being the large J & K insides on the Main Deck.)

Thank you. So basically all the verandah cabins are 216 sq ft? Including balcony? 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you. So basically all the verandah cabins are 216 sq ft? Including balcony? 

CruiseDeckPlans says:

Cabin: 174 sqft (16 m2)
Balcony: 46 sqft (4 m2)

 

The balcony may vary, as can be seen on the deckplan, and I believe the aft Verandahs gain a couple internal feet for the curvature.

[saskacruiser]

We almost exclusively stay on deck 4, somewhere over the dining room and there is absolutely no noise from below. Love the extended balcony. 

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

...Is there an advantage to 7143, 5178….furthest side aft,  but appears to have a ‘blank’ space before the next cabin that is true aft. Does this provide a quiet area without an adjacent cabin?  Thank you again very much!

Are you talking about this little white space? If so, it's just where the cabin door is recessed back, there's no impact to cabin 5178.

Being a port side person when I am not able to get true aft, I'd take 5178, but there's really no difference in the 2.

[Cruise4food]

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Are you talking about this little white space? If so, it's just where the cabin door is recessed back, there's no impact to cabin 5178.

Being a port side person when I am not able to get true aft, I'd take 5178, but there's really no difference in the 2.

That blank space is where the two rooms have a third door available. If the corner suite and the adjacent aft view verandah room are in a group, they can activate the third door and the two inner doors will allow them to act as one room. Of course, the swinging door on the balcony can also allow them to work as one.

Edited April 26 by Cruise4food
Extra info

[Cruise4food]

I had the equivalent aft view room on deck 7 Koningsdam, and saw how the extra door would work. But never used it. 

[Vineyard View]

6 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Are you talking about this little white space? If so, it's just where the cabin door is recessed back, there's no impact to cabin 5178.

Being a port side person when I am not able to get true aft, I'd take 5178, but there's really no difference in the 2.

 

[Vineyard View]

1 minute ago, Vineyard View said:

 

Sorry. I was referring to this space showing between 7143 or 7134 before the last aft cabins of 7154 or 7142. Looks a bit different than the screenshots that you are all so much helping me to understand. 

[colbe]

21 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Sorry. I was referring to this space showing between 7143 or 7134 before the last aft cabins of 7154 or 7142. Looks a bit different than the screenshots that you are all so much helping me to understand. 

Deleted

Edited April 26 by colbe

[Cruise4food]

20 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Sorry. I was referring to this space showing between 7143 or 7134 before the last aft cabins of 7154 or 7142. Looks a bit different than the screenshots that you are all so much helping me to understand. 

Rooms 7151 and 7142 are Neptunes, taking up that entire space at the corners. I expect my reply is a duplicate.

Edited April 26 by Cruise4food
Correction