Balcony can only be used in ports

[Tinknock50]

I have seen a post on this where a description of a forward facing balcony can only be used in port. I am guessing it is because it is uncomfortably windy, not because you are barred from using it by the ship, correct?

[Jaymuxman]

We could use it any time we wanted. At sea, it was often times too windy. At night, you cannot have the balcony light on as it interferes with the bridge.

 

[JF - retired RRT]

Correct.

Lots of posts about using the balcony while at sea.

The only hard rule is to keep the curtains closed at night, so your lights don't hamper the bridges view.

[Tinknock50]

3 minutes ago, Jaymuxman said:

We could use it any time we wanted. At sea, it was often times too windy. At night, you cannot have the balcony light on as it interferes with the bridge.

 

 

3 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Correct.

Lots of posts about using the balcony while at sea.

The only hard rule is to keep the curtains closed at night, so your lights don't hamper the bridges view.

Thanks.....that is what I thought I had read. Just being careful to check everything because I am also booking for friends.  🙂

I have often had forward cabins with the closed curtains at night policy.

[memoak]

Usually it is a rule not to use balcony lights at night so tot to interfere with the bridge

[Ombud]

4 hours ago, Tinknock50 said:

I have seen a post on this where a description of a forward facing balcony can only be used in port. I am guessing it is because it is uncomfortably windy, not because you are barred from using it by the ship, correct?

Yes I've read that C100-C105, B100-B105 can only be used in port and are therefore sold as Premium Outside not Balcony. I just booked C101 and it was a lot less than the cheapest balcony. But I've got 10 port/ 2 sea days so it should do. 

[Ombud]

25 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Yes I've read that C100-C105, B100-B105 can only be used in port and are therefore sold as Premium Outside not Balcony. I just booked C101 and it was a lot less than the cheapest balcony. But I've got 10 port/ 2 sea days so it should do. 

Oops. This is only on Grand Class not Royal or Sphere ships

[cruisequeen4ever]

The Princess site would have the disclaimer for the forward facing balconies that they can only be used in port, but no one has ever experienced them being locked while at sea. Yes, it is very windy while sailing, but you are free to use it as you wish. 

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

The Princess site would have the disclaimer for the forward facing balconies that they can only be used in port, but no one has ever experienced them being locked while at sea. Yes, it is very windy while sailing, but you are free to use it as you wish. 

 

I was in a forward-facing mini-suite on the Enchanted in May and there were many times when the winds were calm enough to comfortably have breakfast out on the balcony. It really depends on which way the wind is blowing and how fast the ship is going.

[Tinknock50]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I was in a forward-facing mini-suite on the Enchanted in May and there were many times when the winds were calm enough to comfortably have breakfast out on the balcony. It really depends on which way the wind is blowing and how fast the ship is going.

Good point.....we sometimes overlook how windy it can be even along the sides of the ship....granted the speed of the ship is a big factor in the forward facing cabins.

[Tinknock50]

So these signs are no longer pasted on the glass on Grand class ships? (This picture is from 2010)

[Ken the cruiser]

So just to be clear, what is the practical reality regarding the below statement in red. We will be on a Northern Lights cruise in one of these forward-facing RC mini suites. More specifically, we will be able to go out on our huge balcony to look for the Northern Lights while we're cruising around in the waters off of Norway? 

 

 

Update: I just reread all of the posts on this thread and it doesn't appear we will have to ask our cabin steward to unlock our balcony door. From what I read, it will be at our discretion other than we have to keep the curtains closed and the balcony light off at night, which is fine as we will be looking for the Northern Lights. 😀

 

Edited Wednesday at 09:36 PM by Ken the cruiser

[TAW1963]

We have cruised twice in forward-facing mini suites, with one being one of those four Reserve Collection corner cabins.  We are booked in one of those for the next 5-6 cruises.  The only restriction we encountered for the balconies is that if the winds were strong enough, they might tie down the balcony furniture.   The stewards made no effort to restrict us from going out on the balcony even in strong winds, which appears to be consistent with those who have posted regarding these cabins. 

[QuilterGirl]

@Ken the cruiser and others interested in M107, its siblings, and front-facing cabins:

DH and I are currently in M107 on Discovery Princess.  There is no sign on the door such as shown in Post 11 above (realizing that the Discovery Princess is not a Grand-class ship).  As for limited balcony access, there is no steward-locking-of-doors.  (Yes, the steward will secure the balcony furniture when troublesome weather is expected.) 

 

This particular cabin has an anemometer on a stand just outside the railing... if we can't make out the individual cups as they spin around, it indicates (to us, anyway) that we will not be comfortable on the balcony.  I believe that this - the wind factor - is what is meant by "access limited" in the description.  Also, there is not much covered space out there (just right along the cabin's outer walls), so precipitation and temperature could also be factors limiting your desire to enjoy the huge balcony at times. 

 

As for the "part obstructed view," the panels below the railings are sheet metal, and cannot be used as windows down to the sea, like the Plexiglass panels on most balcony cabins (see photo below).  I'm 5'2" and I can see over ours perfectly well when standing.... not so much when seated (I can see mountains, but not water), so we bring a set of four risers for my balcony chair. 

 

There is no sign in this cabin about balcony or room lights at night, but it would make sense to limit them, if only for other cruisers looking for Northern lights or stars.  As this cabin is above the bridge, I'm not sure how our lights being on could affect it, but it is probably best to have them off.  You could certainly have your curtains open at night if you had no lights on inside.

[Ken the cruiser]

27 minutes ago, QuilterGirl said:

@Ken the cruiser and others interested in M107, its siblings, and front-facing cabins:

DH and I are currently in M107 on Discovery Princess.  There is no sign on the door such as shown in Post 11 above (realizing that the Discovery Princess is not a Grand-class ship).  As for limited balcony access, there is no steward-locking-of-doors.  (Yes, the steward will secure the balcony furniture when troublesome weather is expected.) 

 

This particular cabin has an anemometer on a stand just outside the railing... if we can't make out the individual cups as they spin around, it indicates (to us, anyway) that we will not be comfortable on the balcony.  I believe that this - the wind factor - is what is meant by "access limited" in the description.  Also, there is not much covered space out there (just right along the cabin's outer walls), so precipitation and temperature could also be factors limiting your desire to enjoy the huge balcony at times. 

 

As for the "part obstructed view," the panels below the railings are sheet metal, and cannot be used as windows down to the sea, like the Plexiglass panels on most balcony cabins (see photo below).  I'm 5'2" and I can see over ours perfectly well when standing.... not so much when seated (I can see mountains, but not water), so we bring a set of four risers for my balcony chair. 

 

There is no sign in this cabin about balcony or room lights at night, but it would make sense to limit them, if only for other cruisers looking for Northern lights or stars.  As this cabin is above the bridge, I'm not sure how our lights being on could affect it, but it is probably best to have them off.  You could certainly have your curtains open at night if you had no lights on inside.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience in your M107 cabin on the Discovery! You definitely have put all of my worries to rest. Hope you’re having a great time cruising around Alaska and continue to experience awesome weather!! 😁

[qoap24]

3 hours ago, QuilterGirl said:

 we bring a set of four risers for my balcony chair. 

Can you tell me what type you bring? We will be in a similar cabin on Enchanted and I thought this was an excellent idea. 

[QuilterGirl]

@qoap24, the risers we use are from Home Depot.  They come in a set of eight:  four 3" risers and four 5" risers.  These can be stacked to make four 8" risers.  We generally bring just the 3" ones, nested one inside the other.  They are called "Home-it adjustable bed risers."  I see they are $17.50 (plus tax) for the set of eight, and at least in our area, need to be ordered (not available in-store).  The risers are black molded plastic (thus waterproof) and seem quite sturdy in use.  They are bulky, no getting around that, but fine for us as we can drive to the port (if going to Alaska, anyway!).

[TAW1963]

9 hours ago, QuilterGirl said:

This particular cabin has an anemometer on a stand just outside the railing... if we can't make out the individual cups as they spin around, it indicates (to us, anyway) that we will not be comfortable on the balcony.  I believe that this - the wind factor - is what is meant by "access limited" in the description.  Also, there is not much covered space out there (just right along the cabin's outer walls), so precipitation and temperature could also be factors limiting your desire to enjoy the huge balcony at times. 

 

We were in L107 on the Majestic last month.  I could directly see the M107 anemometer.  I too used this to determine the wind speed for determining the comfort level on our balcony.  As we were returning to Victoria/Seattle and heading down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the anemometer cups all but stopped and, sure enough, there was effectively no wind on our balcony.   It was wonderful to be out on the balcony at that time for it was sunny too.  

 

I see you are in the Seattle area. We lived in Gig Harbor for nearly 16 years, but moved back to Idaho a few years back.   We miss the marvelous beauty of that area.

Edited Thursday at 09:54 AM by TAW1963

[KKB]

On 6/25/2024 at 4:13 PM, Tinknock50 said:

I have seen a post on this where a description of a forward facing balcony can only be used in port. I am guessing it is because it is uncomfortably windy, not because you are barred from using it by the ship, correct?

We were moved to one of these balconies on the Regal in April (there was a loud mechanical humming in our original room that triggered my migraines).

We were sailing the UK & were able to use the balcony at any time--while cruising or in port.

I could see it being unusable in very windy conditions.

[karatemom2]

22 hours ago, Tinknock50 said:

So these signs are no longer pasted on the glass on Grand class ships? (This picture is from 2010)

 

We are currently in M103 on Sky Princess and those stickers are no longer on the door. We LOVE these forward facing cabins - truly just great. Having this cabin for viewing as we have just cruised through the Norwegian fjords has been such a gift. There has only been a couple of days where the weather was stormy that the balcony wasn’t usable, and even on those days we could still go out on the balcony, it just wasn’t too comfortable to stay out there. 
 

But we have literally used our balcony every single day - no worries about open doors or lights or curtains. We have been, after all for a few days in the land of 24 hour sunlight. We have had these forward facing cabins on Lido and Marina several times over the past few years and enjoyed them fully each time. 
 

We did the balcony dinner last night as we cruised the fjord out of Olden  It was spectacular! 

 

 

[rocker57]

13 hours ago, TAW1963 said:

We were in L107 on the Majestic last month.  I could directly see the M107 anemometer.  I too used this to determine the wind speed for determining the comfort level on our balcony.  As we were returning to Victoria/Seattle and heading down the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the anemometer cups all but stopped and, sure enough, there was effectively no wind on our balcony.   It was wonderful to be out on the balcony at that time for it was sunny too.  

 

I see you are in the Seattle area. We lived in Gig Harbor for nearly 16 years, but moved back to Idaho a few years back.   We miss the marvelous beauty of that area.

Just curious, we have this cabin booked for April, what about the side portion of the balcony? If the front is a bit windy, is the side a bit better, or just as bad as nothing blocking the wind?

[TAW1963]

Just now, rocker57 said:

Just curious, we have this cabin booked for April, what about the side portion of the balcony? If the front is a bit windy, is the side a bit better, or just as bad as nothing blocking the wind?

Yes, it is a little bit less windy.   It is also nice to have the side, as well as the front, to give even more viewing perspectives.   It is an awesome cabin.       

[rocker57]

4 minutes ago, TAW1963 said:

Yes, it is a little bit less windy.   It is also nice to have the side, as well as the front, to give even more viewing perspectives.   It is an awesome cabin.       

Thanks for the quick reply. I’m so looking forward to trying this cabin. Even though it’s a few months away, I’m debating with myself that if a suite came up for bids if I would try. I do like the benefits of a suite, but I do want to try this cabin. The horns of a dilemma lol

[qoap24]

19 hours ago, QuilterGirl said:

@qoap24, the risers we use are from Home Depot.  They come in a set of eight:  four 3" risers and four 5" risers.  These can be stacked to make four 8" risers.  We generally bring just the 3" ones, nested one inside the other.  They are called "Home-it adjustable bed risers."  I see they are $17.50 (plus tax) for the set of eight, and at least in our area, need to be ordered (not available in-store).  The risers are black molded plastic (thus waterproof) and seem quite sturdy in use.  They are bulky, no getting around that, but fine for us as we can drive to the port (if going to Alaska, anyway!).

Thank you! 

[azbirdmom]

This sign was to the right of the sliding door in cabin M108 on both the Majestic and Regal.  We will be in a front facing mini suite next door in a couple of weeks on the Discovery and will see if there is any signage.  And no, we weren't restricted from going out on the balcony at any time as the door was open. But there were plenty of times that we didn't want to be out there!