Aft balcony (not wrap around) or "Normal" balcony?

[kwilliams137]

We have the oppy to upgrade to an Aft Balcony for no $$.... Should we do it? What are the +'s for a normal Aft Balcony?

[stlrboo]

We have the oppy to upgrade to an Aft Balcony for no $$.... Should we do it? What are the +'s for a normal Aft Balcony?

'Aft' balconies are normally 'extended', but not always...:rolleyes: The view is wonderful...!:)

 

Is the balcony you have been offered a true 'aft' or only one close to the aft..?? Across the back of the ship are the best!:D

[kwilliams137]

Can you feel the boat move? do you have pictures from the back?

[Le Cruiser]

We are booked in an aft balcony cabin on the Valor sailing this Sunday. The balcony IS an extended balcony (50% bigger). This is our first aft balcony and we're looking forward to it. We've been told that you really don't feel that much more movement being aft, and the views are said to be spectacular. Also, there is much less wind on the balcony. I was sent some photos of the cabin we'll have from another cruiser. I'll try to attach them here but I'm not too good at it. You can email me if you want and I'll send you the photos in a .zip file.

 

 

[Le Cruiser]

Hey - it worked!!! That's the first time for me! Let's try the interior shots...

 

 

[Le Cruiser]

Last one - my favorite - a view from the back of the setting sun....

 

[swimswiththefishes]

After going aft we are not going back and booked our second one on The Liberty in September. I honestly feel i am spoiled now by it.

Here's one of our sunset views we watched from ours :

[w8ing2cruz]

Once you go aft . . . you'll never go back :D Not only are the balconies normally larger but the views are spectacular! It is very quiet back there - no one running or walking by your cabin all day/night. The ONLY drawback - and I look at this as a positive - is the distance to walk anywhere. The afts that I've been on did not have stairs or elevators near the aft end of the ship but only towards the middle. However, it helped walk off those extra calories! Go for it - you'll love it.

[swimswiththefishes]

Once you go aft . . . you'll never go back :D Not only are the balconies normally larger but the views are spectacular! It is very quiet back there - no one running or walking by your cabin all day/night. The ONLY drawback - and I look at this as a positive - is the distance to walk anywhere. The afts that I've been on did not have stairs or elevators near the aft end of the ship but only towards the middle. However, it helped walk off those extra calories! Go for it - you'll love it.

 

THIS

 

I try to walk everywhere and never gain weight on my cruises :)

[Antloe]

Aft is the best.. I wont book any thing else. But shhh this is our secret. I dont want the word getting out. here some of my aft pics on the valor room 7451

[Heirloom]

......twice now have said "no thanks".......no extra charge, but still don't want it. This is entirely personal, but here's why:

 

1) Loss of privacy. This may not be important enough for others, but we

really enjoy being able to look straight out side of ship without seeing

any portion of next door neighbors ! Wanna be strictly alone !

 

2) Worst place on ship during rough waters is front of ship........next is

the back ! Not worth the risk to us. The middle of the ship is closest

thing to motionless while walking or sleeping !

 

3) We just love looking out and seeing nothing but the ocean ! No desire

to see any portion of ship's rear end deck and/or people walkin' on it !

Just the gorgeous, exciting Caribbean sea....period !

 

4) This I'll admit is a bit crazy, but occasionally we like to look out to

see where we're going......not just where we've been. I suppose that

if you get a "roundabout" end balcony you can do both, but we're

comfy enough (the 2 of us) on the standard balcony 4x10.

 

5) To each his own !

[kwilliams137]

We are booked for our wedding cruise on the Legend in June and we think the sunset would be nice, but right now we have a regular balcony room port side. We are just wondering if we go with this room we will not have the port view which we love. And another question we have; do you see the people on the lower decks? After all this is our wedding/honeymoon cruise we would like the privacy.:)

[QLUVS2CRUZ]

Absolutely LOVE the aft balcony...would take one in a heart beat for no extra $$ AND for a reasonable price! We have one coming up on our next cruise...you can get a lounge chair on the at balcony, whereas on the regular you can't...this was one of my favorite parts about it.

[Heirloom]

......I forgot to drop in an older post, where the OP shows you 4 different pictures showing the lack of privacy (from sides and above) you might expect while out on your AFT balcony:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=312964&highlight=privacy

 

 

This ain't for us.

[Wennfred]

We have the oppy to upgrade to an Aft Balcony for no $$.... Should we do it? What are the +'s for a normal Aft Balcony?

 

Read my review on the Aft Balcony cabin:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=416221&highlight=

 

 

 

Fred

[CWcruisers]

I agree with all of the positive statements made about aft cabins. I have had them twice now. Heirloom made some good points, but I don't think they have actually inhabited an aft cabin.

 

So I want to advise you of some of the negatives:

 

If you stand at the rail, you can look down on others and they can look down on you, but if you sit back close to the cabin, it's private.

 

There is no motion in the rear, but there is a steady vibration, which I like but my husband does not.

 

It is noiser because of the wake and the lower your cabin, the noiser.

 

There is basically no roof, so that means a lot of sun or rain so there are times that you may not be able to enjoy the balcony.

 

I have not been bothered by the soot and ciggy butts that others talk about.

 

It is a truly unique cabin and the views are superb. And the fact that I have listed some things for you to think about and yet I have had one of these cabins more than once should say something.

[5waldos]

Do the balconies on both sides of the ship have straight walls rather than the slanted that give less privacy?

[swimswiththefishes]

I agree with all of the positive statements made about aft cabins. I have had them twice now. Heirloom made some good points, but I don't think they have actually inhabited an aft cabin.

 

So I want to advise you of some of the negatives:

 

If you stand at the rail, you can look down on others and they can look down on you, but if you sit back close to the cabin, it's private.

 

There is no motion in the rear, but there is a steady vibration, which I like but my husband does not.

 

It is noiser because of the wake and the lower your cabin, the noiser.

 

There is basically no roof, so that means a lot of sun or rain so there are times that you may not be able to enjoy the balcony.

 

I have not been bothered by the soot and ciggy butts that others talk about.

 

It is a truly unique cabin and the views are superb. And the fact that I have listed some things for you to think about and yet I have had one of these cabins more than once should say something.

 

Thank you CWcruisers, well put.

 

As far as the OP's question of preferring the port side view , we have sailed on both sides and the very front as well as aft. I found our views to be stunning. First there was going under Skyline Bridge in Tampa :

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3365597402_f910540613.jpg?v=0

 

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3421/3365597412_7920dd4db5.jpg?v=0

 

and

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3588/3365597406_30fe7534a2.jpg?v=0

 

In Honduras we woke up to the sounds of roosters crowing and baies crying and watched from our balcony as the sun rose and the whole village came to life. It was amazing. Here is a pix i took from laying on our bed:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3587/3364733531_6ab4903b08.jpg?v=0

 

and here's one from our sunrise in Cozmuel :

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3626/3365554070_8040f6e468.jpg?v=0

 

I defintely never felt i missed out of, but instead got more of, views from the aft.

 

We were on the Empress level right next to the wrap around on the port side. The only time we saw people were when we went to the edge and looked for them. Privacy never seemed to be an issue and i spent alot of time topless suntanning so i would know :) :

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2898140991_86e9b332cc.jpg?v=0

 

And as for noise, we found the sound to be very soothing on the back. My husband fell asleep out there often.

 

oh, and i should point out our Cayman Island destination was canceled due to Hurricane Ike. We had some high and rough seas ! I still did not notice a significant difference in motion then our midship cabin on the same level during another hurricane a few years ago. (we have to sail in Sept, no choice for vacation)

[pnjkeith]

Hey - it worked!!! That's the first time for me! Let's try the interior shots...

 

[ATTACH]110283[/ATTACH]

 

[ATTACH]110284[/ATTACH]

 

Good pics. I like room better without couch. I have 7448 on Freedom in 3 weeks. I believe it has no couch.

[jfe724]

We had an aft balcony on deck 8 on the Glory. We enjoyed the quiet hallways, the view was fantastic, no trash or soot, and we could see our neighbors when at the rail, but if you sat down - complete privacy. If your upgrade is no extra cost, go for it. We have an aft booked for the Pride in May.

[5waldos]

We were on the Empress level right next to the wrap around on the port side. The only time we saw people were when we went to the edge and looked for them. Privacy never seemed to be an issue and i spent alot of time topless suntanning so i would know

 

That will be our room on the Conquest come Sunday! But hard as I try I don't think I'll look like that:( It is nice to know that we'll have some privacy though!

[Le Cruiser]

I have to point out, in a friendly way, that the photos Heirloom posted, while accurate, are also the same "views" we had when we've had side balconys. We actually had to "kindly" request one of our neighbors stop hanging over to see what we were doing. And the people on the balcony above us could also lean over and see us too. So I think those photos are a better representation of ALL balconies for the most part. I will not argue with anyone's preferences, since most people have cruised more than we have. But we're really looking forward to this aft cabin - and hey, we may find we DON'T like it as easily as finding that "once you go aft you never go back"!! :D But since cruising is a personnal choice in all things, we'll see how we like it. I'll hopefully be writing a review when we return. Only FOUR MORE DAYS!!!!!

[Heirloom]

I have to point out, in a friendly way, that the photos Heirloom posted, while accurate, are also the same "views" we had when we've had side balconys.

 

After 3 Carnival trips with side balconies......in a friendly way.....I have no idea WHAT you're talking about !

 

Somebody looking DOWN into a side balcony......never heard of this, and it might be physically impossible unless somebody was holding them by their ankles !

 

Same views of people ? No way ! ALL we EVER saw, depending how the sun was shining....was a rare grey "shadow" of somebody on other side of the non see-through divider.

 

We NEVER had anybody with a turkey-length neck try to bend around the full-size top-to-bottom divider to look at us. In addition, all Carnival standard balconies have a privacy EXTENDER that goes out and over the top of the railing !

 

Aft may have "larger" balconies, sure ! But you can't use the railing half without strangers right up alongside you........like being in a New York

subway train to us !

 

Or looking DOWN on you.....or you looking DOWN on others 'cause the ships's front and back rooms are slanted front and back......na, we like straight up and down.....hey, I didn't take those picks ! Somebody who wasn't happy with their un-private Aft balcony did ! And his pics are very clear in terms of his discontent !! And we THANK him for showing something important to us that apparently doesn't bother most cruisers......we just want to be WITH EACH OTHER !

 

Couple on honeymoon: Per your inquiry, DON'T even think about AFT !!!!

[steveu44]

After 3 Carnival trips with side balconies......in a friendly way.....I have no idea WHAT you're talking about !

 

Somebody looking DOWN into a side balcony......never heard of this, and it might be physically impossible unless somebody was holding them by their ankles !

 

Same views of people ? No way ! ALL we EVER saw, depending how the sun was shining....was a rare grey "shadow" of somebody on other side of the non see-through divider.

 

We NEVER had anybody with a turkey-length neck try to bend around the full-size top-to-bottom divider to look at us. In addition, all Carnival standard balconies have a privacy EXTENDER that goes out and over the top of the railing !

 

Aft may have "larger" balconies, sure ! But you can't use the railing half without strangers right up alongside you........like being in a New York

subway train to us !

 

Or looking DOWN on you.....or you looking DOWN on others 'cause the ships's front and back rooms are slanted front and back......na, we like straight up and down.....hey, I didn't take those picks ! Somebody who wasn't happy with their un-private Aft balcony did ! And his pics are very clear in terms of his discontent !! And we THANK him for showing something important to us that apparently doesn't bother most cruisers......we just want to be WITH EACH OTHER !

 

Couple on honeymoon: Per your inquiry, DON'T even think about AFT !!!!

You go Heirloom !! Pour it on. This way when I go to book my 3rd straight aft wrap next summer, it will be available. Don't forget to tell 'em about the crazy amounts of soot ! Oh, the horror !!!!!!!

[stlrboo]

You go Heirloom !! Pour it on. This way when I go to book my 3rd straight aft wrap next summer, it will be available. Don't forget to tell 'em about the crazy amounts of soot ! Oh, the horror !!!!!!!

My thoughts exactly! :p How could anyone even consider booking one of those 'crappy' aft balconies.. YECHHHHH!:eek::rolleyes: