What are your opinions of Balconies on Allure/Oasis overlooking Central Park?

We have a CP balcony booked for the June 29 sailing of Allure. We have always taken ocean view balconies on other ships when available, and felt this would simply be different for our new experience on Allure.

Since the CP area is basically enclosed even though there is no roof covering....is the balcony warm or hot?

What have been your experiences with these C1/C2 cabins?

We've had a Central Park balcony 3 times on Allure and are looking to book another one this Fall. We really liked being there.

During the day you hear the (canned) birds chirping and will see birds occasionally hitching a ride. At night the trees twinkle with lights and the sound of (canned) crickets is very relaxing and almost feels magical! Enjoying a late night drink on the balcony is a perfect way to end the evening.

It can get hot there during the day just like any balcony can when the sun is shining on it, especially if the ship is docked.

Biggest thing you have to remember is to close the drapes, if you're changing clothes or are otherwise engaged. ;) You don't want an audience!!

Allure is a wonderful ship. Enjoy!

Just off Oasis yesterday. 14 year old dd loves all things NYC and wanted to go there, so the CP balcony was the compromise ;)

We were on 14- so there was pool deck noise when the music was going, and some deck chair noise, but closed door took care of the bulk of that. She spent a lot of time reading out there, taking pix and enjoying the view. It's hot out, so the balcony gets hot, especially when the sun is on it. It is very pretty, but, like you, I typically go OV. For me, the ocean is what I cruise for- so I did miss it. The cabin and views were lovely, and it was different. You definitely need to be more mindful of privacy! You could sense you were docking but no views of where you were in the process or anything like that.

So, to say it was a disappointment is not even close to accurate. Still very nice and a great ship. First time on Oasis class. But I'll be back outside next time for the sounds, the views and, to a lesser degree, the privacy.

We just booked a C1 14th deck for January 10th on Oasis. We have done all other types and thought we would give this a try. Hope we like it !!!

We are doing an ocean Balcony on Allure in September so after Oasis I will be able to compare.

We considered this area but decided that with the ends closed in that it might feel a little stale. We booked a boardwalk near the extreme aft so we can see the ocean, the aqua theater and boardwalk area. We are hoping with the open aft that there might be more breeze. We'll see.

Thanks to those who replied already, and always looking to hear from others.

We booked a C1 on Deck 11, to have a different experience to go along with the already different experience of being on a Royal ship we have never cruised on before.

I love the ocean, but never found myself sitting out on the balcony for long periods of time, just looking at the ocean -- Sometimes before dressing for dinner after a little pool time, or early morning, when we would order room service to have early coffee before heading to gym and then breakfast or excursion.

I always wondered what it would be like to 'live overlooking' Central Park, so this is the closest I will come to that....birds, crickets, soft noise from below; Just like in NYC, with the close proximity of apartment buildings -- close the drapes. (LOL).

As pointed out an ocean view balcony is hot with the sun baking on it anyway. Looking forward to it.

I'm glad we did it for the week. We paid the same as an inside and honestly that's about all its worth. I did find it hot. Some pool noise (we were on 11) and we could hear the pool band quite well when they played. Loved the evenings the best--listening to classical music and sipping wine. Definitely missed my OV!

had a central park balcony once but that was enough . Its like staying at a land based hotel same view all the time & there are not that many places to see the ocean on this ship so I like ocean view balconies. Just my opinion but good thing we don't all like same things

 

I always wondered what it would be like to 'live overlooking' Central Park, so this is the closest I will come to that....birds, crickets, soft noise from below; Just like in NYC, with the close proximity of apartment buildings -- close the drapes. (LOL).

Lol, I spent some time in NYC, I stayed in the Grand Hyatt. Granted it doesn't overlook Central Park, but the ambiance we got was the constant din of sirens and horns. I think RCI made a good decision to go with the crickets instead.

Love it. We've been on the Oasis & Allure and enjoy looking out over Central Park. We choose the 12th deck, one deck away from the pool area, and opposite the Park Café. It's fun to take inventory, when in cabin, as to the amounts of roast beef sandwiches being ordered and eaten around the Café. On our recent Allure, there were so many Chinese teens that they began lining up at 7am even though it opens at 7:30. It was amazing as this occurred every day.

Ps. As you can see from my signature, we're booked on Oasis in Feb., '16 and made sure of the both location of cabin and bed setting. Made the mistake on our first Oasis, we had 12609 and did not realize that the bed was near the closet--what a hassle getting clothes in/out.

Loved it. We were in 10229, which has the extended balcony. The service room is next door but we were never disturbed by the crew. It wasn't too hot for us and it was very nice at night, listening to the music and people watching below.

Since I am the OP on this thread, I thought I would tell you of our experience.

We had a balcony overlooking CP on our recent Allure cruise. It was very nice. It was mid ship, so not a big walk to either end, depending upon where we wanted to go.

Our cabin also was on Deck 11, and had the bridge from the pool deck overhead, that gave us a little bit of shade in the afternoon from the sun, so sitting on our balcony was nice late in the afternoon before we dressed for dinner.

It was nice to watch people walking in CP and hearing the 'birds and music'. Not noisy, but pleasant to hear.

Next time, we probably will try a balcony overlooking Boardwalk, close to the Aqua Theater, probably on Deck 11 again, would be my guess. That would have a slightly longer walk to midship activities and of course to the other side of the ship....but that will be just fine.

Since I am the OP on this thread, I thought I would tell you of our experience.

 

We had a balcony overlooking CP on our recent Allure cruise. It was very nice. It was mid ship, so not a big walk to either end, depending upon where we wanted to go.

 

Our cabin also was on Deck 11, and had the bridge from the pool deck overhead, that gave us a little bit of shade in the afternoon from the sun, so sitting on our balcony was nice late in the afternoon before we dressed for dinner.

 

It was nice to watch people walking in CP and hearing the 'birds and music'. Not noisy, but pleasant to hear.

 

Next time, we probably will try a balcony overlooking Boardwalk, close to the Aqua Theater, probably on Deck 11 again, would be my guess. That would have a slightly longer walk to midship activities and of course to the other side of the ship....but that will be just fine.

Thanks for the report- We always book ocean balconies and every time I have had a CP balcony booked I end up changing it to an OV- Perhaps I will actually try it someday

had a central park balcony once but that was enough . Its like staying at a land based hotel same view all the time & there are not that many places to see the ocean on this ship so I like ocean view balconies. Just my opinion but good thing we don't all like same things

I agree. If I am on the ocean I want to be able to see it all of the time from my balcony. And also be able to see as we arrive and depart from ports.

:cool:

We also enjoy the ocean view so we always book a balcony. However, we always book a cabin on 8 so that we can walk straight out to Central Park. We love the bars, restaurants, and convenience of the Park Cafe in Central Park.

We have booked a cruise on Harmony.....another of the Oasis class ships and since we missed having even a little bit of a view of the ocean when we cruised on Allure, when we booked a balcony overlooking CP -- on Harmony we have booked the last regular balcony overlooking Boardwalk. We will be near enough to see the Aqua Theater and look out past that to the ocean.

We did enjoy our CP balcony on Allure, and hope that we enjoy this one, at least as much. I know we will enjoy the waterslides that Harmony will have.

Central Park is indeed beautiful at night. It's part of what makes the Oasis class ships so exceptional!

However, CP is very muggy and warm. Beautiful, but it feels like sitting in a greenhouse! I personally would not be able to enjoy the balcony for more than a few minutes at a time, which would defeat the purpose for me. :o

OP ... Happy you're considering a Boardwalk next time!

We have booked a cruise on Harmony.....another of the Oasis class ships and since we missed having even a little bit of a view of the ocean when we cruised on Allure, when we booked a balcony overlooking CP -- on Harmony we have booked the last regular balcony overlooking Boardwalk. We will be near enough to see the Aqua Theater and look out past that to the ocean.

 

We did enjoy our CP balcony on Allure, and hope that we enjoy this one, at least as much. I know we will enjoy the waterslides that Harmony will have.

Have you heard any of the chatter on the Harmony thread that the Abyss could obstruct some of the view. Nothing substantiated

Central Park is indeed beautiful at night. It's part of what makes the Oasis class ships so exceptional!

 

However, CP is very muggy and warm. Beautiful, but it feels like sitting in a greenhouse! I personally would not be able to enjoy the balcony for more than a few minutes at a time, which would defeat the purpose for me. :o

I would not describe our experience of a balcony on CP as being in a muggy environment....but more of one that had no breeze....and that is understandable since it has no ability to have a cross breeze since there really is no open end towards the ocean.

It had other delightful features.

We enjoyed staying in one of these rooms, it definitely was a different experience. Unless things have changed, they're cheaper than an ocean balcony as well.

Others have noted the important tip of keeping the shades drawn. I also wouldn't stay too high up, as you'll get pool noise. I think 2 or 3 decks up from the park is ideal in my opinion.

My only cruise experience has been on the Oasis to the Caribbean; twice with my live-in family of DD, DSIL & DGS; and once with just my younger DD. When 4 of us sailed, we had connecting OV balcony cabins. The accessible OV was a must for my wheelchair-bound DSIL. He didn't gamble or go to any of the shows. Except for dining & port visits, he spent most of his time out on the balcony. That seemed to work fine for all of our first cruise together, but the one this past Feb. was VERY hot and sunny on the way back north, and even my DSIL sun lover spent more time inside the cabin.

My younger DD & I sailed in a far forward interior in Feb. 2014. We liked the cabin fine, but I had problems with the long walks to all of the complimentary dining options (except for the Solarium where we ate breakfast every morning). While I was onboard with the others this past February, I went to book one of the few interior cabins near the aft elevators for 2016. For some reason, none of them were showing up as available to book at that time. However, the agent told me that we could book a Central Park or Boardwalk Balcony for $300 more than an interior, with $300 OBC, so I decided to give the CP a try. I chose Deck 10, which will have cabins above and below, and as far away from the pool deck as one can get overlooking CP. Even though I didn't spend a lot of time on the OV balcony, I had thought the inward-facing balconies might not be that enjoyable - until my DD reminded me how much we like to people-watch, (and make up stories about their lives, without ever meeting them). :)

Even if we find the CP balcony too warm/muggy to spend a lot of time out there, it will be nice to have the natural light that we didn't get in our previous interior cabin. I look forward to being only 3 cabins away from the aft elevators, and closer to the MDR, WJ, wipe-out bar, and the entrances to Central Park and the Boardwalk. If we only spend a short time on the balcony in the mornings, and the evenings, I will consider it worthwhile - especially since it cost at least $1,000 less than an ocean view.

I also have a CP booked for Feb. 2017 on the Harmony. When we sail on the Oasis in about 6 months, there will still be plenty of time to change that booking if we find the CP balcony is not to our liking. However, the price was so good in early June this year, that I doubt I'll find a better one, or decide to change my mind.

My parents had a Central Park balcony once because it was cheaper than booking interior. I had the real ocean balcony while they had the Central Park balcony. I'm not a balcony person, in fact I love to sail interior and save money but there are certain occasion in which you do the math and the balcony is the best option depending on the ship you are sailing in and if the TA pays for the tips, anyways back to your question

I didn't like the Central Park balcony because you have hundred of people facing you with balcony and looking at you. I mean I don't mind if you look at me in a public space but for some reason those balcony are not that private. The most I was standing in my parents balcony was 10-39 sec max daily but I didn't like it for some reason. They will be the same temperature as outside and I Was traveling in May. This is just me, but the birds and the tree made it feel extremely peaceful for me. I don't go to a cruise to relax listening to the ocean breeze I go to do it all and have fun, not a lazy day for me but agains this is how I like to cruise.

Yes I prefer the real ocean balcony over Central Park just because I can look to the sky and waves from the balcony but in average I was in my balcony no more than 4-5 mins daily.

 

I also have a CP booked for Feb. 2017 on the Harmony. When we sail on the Oasis in about 6 months, there will still be plenty of time to change that booking if we find the CP balcony is not to our liking. However, the price was so good in early June this year, that I doubt I'll find a better one, or decide to change my mind.

Which sailing are you on in February 2017 on Harmony?

Which sailing are you on in February 2017 on Harmony?