Balconies on Soltice/Equinox Aft

[wilson4]

As the picture clearly shows there is shade for the aft cabins on Resort Deck - are there any drawbacks with this deck? Which deck would be preferred for an aft cabin?

many thanks for any information on which deck to choose for an aft cabin.

[blubionda]

The resort deck will give you shade, yes; drawback is the public area above you - some have reported hearing chairs move, etc., The other benefit of the Resort deck is that it is the least "exposed" of the Aft cabins as the overhang and top level means you won't have people looking down on you from above.

 

We've had #1200 and #1206 on Solstice - people can see you from above if you are more than 1/2 way out on your balcony and the sun on these cabins can be almost unbearable at times (some afternoons we couldn't go barefoot on the balcony it was so hot and the room air conditioner couldn't keep the room cool enough despite keeping shades closed/door shut).

 

If you want sun, pick any deck other than Resort and the higher up you are the fewer people to look down on you. You should also try to get a wider cabin - #1206 (and each corresponding cabin above/below) is the widest of the afts - that extra width makes a BIG difference IMHO (when we had #1200, one of the smallest, we had to move the chair to get in/out balcony).

[jackdiamond]

Sue,

Thanks for posting.

Jack

[Dunmore2]

We loved our aft room -9303- on Equinox. Lots of sun, an amazing view while sailing and in port and no wind were the determining factors in booking an aft cabin for our next cruise. The extra walk was not a big deal. Just had soot problems one morning.

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

Here is a picture showing the aft pretty well. You can see that some of the balconies are a little wider than others, but as Celebrity Man said, they are no deeper than those on the side. And they are not covered at all except for the Resort Deck. The "lip" above the balconies is no more than 12-18 inches deep.

 

 

The cabins in the vertical column 2152/1674/1206/9382/8344/7364/6312 are the widest

 

The column 2157/1676/1208/9307/8353/7317/6315 are the mid-size.

 

The column 1672/1204/9380/8342/7326/6310 are the smallest.

 

There is just one wide column and a couple of mid-sized ones. We were in 1204 and it felt small but may be the same as on the side. For sure, it isn't any larger. After the M-Class balconies with their huge size and cover, these are a real disappointment. And there is no aft elevator bank so you walk a long way. We have been dedicated aft-enders for years, but have chosen a hump cabin for our Equinox TA and would not take an aft balcony on the S-Class.

 

 

Bob, May be a stupid question, but as the 2152 etc column balconies are wider does that mean the actual cabins are that much wider?? Thanks.

[blubionda]

I'm not Bob, I know, but thought I would "help" out. :)

 

The cabin is not wider, no. The reason the balcony is wider is because the cabin steward's supply closet is next door. You get the width of the closet added to your balcony (if in 2152, 1674, 1206 etc) but not in the cabin.

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

I'm not Bob, I know, but thought I would "help" out. :)

 

The cabin is not wider, no. The reason the balcony is wider is because the cabin steward's supply closet is next door. You get the width of the closet added to your balcony (if in 2152, 1674, 1206 etc) but not in the cabin.

 

 

Thanks for that, just that we have 1674 booked on the Eclipse, just hope we can't hear the cabin steward too early in the morning!!!:eek:

[Mia_One]

Thanks for that, just that we have 1674 booked on the Eclipse, just hope we can't hear the cabin steward too early in the morning!!!:eek:

 

 

We had 1674 on the equinox and we were not disturbed by the cabin steward at all. The balcony is a great size - felt slightly guilty as 1672 is a lot smaller. We had friends in 1676 and had the side panels opened up - we had their table on our balcony for most of the cruise. You will read reports that the aft cabins are a long walk from the lifts - disregard them - the walk is no more then a minute and well worth it. Enjoy :)

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

We had 1674 on the equinox and we were not disturbed by the cabin steward at all. The balcony is a great size - felt slightly guilty as 1672 is a lot smaller. We had friends in 1676 and had the side panels opened up - we had their table on our balcony for most of the cruise. You will read reports that the aft cabins are a long walk from the lifts - disregard them - the walk is no more then a minute and well worth it. Enjoy :)

 

 

Thanks for the heads up on the disturbance issue, as for the walking, we are used to the aft cabins on the RCCL Freedom Class so this shouldn't be a problem.:)

[DeRon]

Good info and photos in this link on Solstice aft balconies:

 

http://www.thepreismans.com/

 

Love these photos! Thanks for sharing

[Brandi1949]

Thank you for the pic of the balconies at the back of the ship. We're booked into 2152 next week. Looking at the pic, it looks like there is no room for lounge chairs, which we thought there would be room for. 1st time we've been able to get a back room. Darn !! Another thing we've recently found disappointing is the level upgrade. On other cruises, when booking a future cruise on board, we were able to get a 2 level upgrade (C3 - C1). They've changed it because they were loosing ,only on the C1's. kind of defeating the purposes of booking on board. One of the perks GONE!!

[excitedofharpenden]

Thank you for the pic of the balconies at the back of the ship. We're booked into 2152 next week. Looking at the pic, it looks like there is no room for lounge chairs, which we thought there would be room for.

You get two high-back reclining chairs with a footstool for each and they are pretty comfortable.

 

Phil

[Brandi1949]

Thank you EXCITED, that sounds wonderful.

[T&JCruisers]

We just got off the Equinox Friday. Had room 2155 (S2) - the balcony is very narrow although reasonably long. It is also completely sheltered. The most disappointing element was the constant dragging of chairs and tables above starting a 5:30 each morning. We complained to deaf ears!

 

We also have a aft balcony on this ship for October and will be contacting Celebrity next week to change. As the old saying goes been there done that!

 

We have had an aft on Oasis and also on the Eurodam and absolutely loved both and have booked one on Enchanment of the Seas for May. No more S classes.

 

We hated the chairs. I could not believe that we had booked a suite and it did not come with any type of lounger.

[Brandi1949]

Thanks for the info Countrygirl. Sounds like cruise a LOT. How envious. One day !!

[Brandi1949]

Nothing to do with balconies. A bit of a peeve. The Future Cruise Staff would get there act together. It's always been my understanding that upgrades are only available when booking on board. No problems with that. In Dec/2012 on a TA, we booked a Panama for Nov this year. When talking to the Future Sales fella (we booked with him before - The Constellation) he assured us (& I confirmed a few times), that because of being a Loyalty Cruiser, if we booked through our Travel Agent, we'd get the upgrades. Not! Just as I expected. So Celebrity please get on the same page.

[excitedofharpenden]

 

We hated the chairs. I could not believe that we had booked a suite and it did not come with any type of lounger.

I actually prefer the chairs on the standard balconies to those of the suite. They are more comfortable and are covered with webbing rather than faux plastic wicker like they have on the suites. They seem easier to adjust too. The seats on the suites either sit you up right forward or they lean right back. Nothing in between.

 

Phil

[Brandi1949]

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone

[Brandi1949]

Got back from our Caribbean cruise. Totally enjoyed it. We were in one of the suites (smaller one) at the back of the ship. We found the balcony to be very nice & the chairs quite acceptable. There were 4 positions, not only straight up & flat back. There were 2 position in between.

[bar_20]

I actually prefer the chairs on the standard balconies to those of the suite. They are more comfortable and are covered with webbing rather than faux plastic wicker like they have on the suites. They seem easier to adjust too. The seats on the suites either sit you up right forward or they lean right back. Nothing in between.

 

Phil

 

Like everything else in the real world get it in writing! Otherwise it's not worth the paper it's not written on!