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NA aft-facing vs. side balcony


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We are in the process of booking an Alaskan cruise on the NA. Our travel agent has given us pricing on a VB aft-facing balcony (6170) and a VC starboard side balcony (6115). The price is nearly the same for both but I am looking for advice on which one is better. There seems to be a love it or hate it view of aft-facing balconies so I am not sure what to think as I have never been in a balcony cabin before.

 

I am prone to motion sickness if that makes any difference in your recommendation.

 

Thanks in advance.

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We are in the process of booking an Alaskan cruise on the NA. Our travel agent has given us pricing on a VB aft-facing balcony (6170) and a VC starboard side balcony (6115). The price is nearly the same for both but I am looking for advice on which one is better. There seems to be a love it or hate it view of aft-facing balconies so I am not sure what to think as I have never been in a balcony cabin before.

 

 

 

I am prone to motion sickness if that makes any difference in your recommendation.

 

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

Aft facing balconies are our favorite. We find that you can use it more while at sea as the wind is less. Views are fantastic on both sides of the ship. My husband is very prone to seasickness. The motion does not bother him and we have had some rough seas while sailing in aft cabins

 

 

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Aft all the way! If an aft cabin is available, we'll book it. We were in cabin 7138 on the NA (in Alaska) a couple of years ago. That cabin is directly above 6170. I think you'll love the location. You'll have a 180 degree view, so you'll be able to see both sides.

 

We have never had a problem with motion sickness in an aft cabin.

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Aft all the way! If an aft cabin is available, we'll book it. We were in cabin 7138 on the NA (in Alaska) a couple of years ago. That cabin is directly above 6170. I think you'll love the location. You'll have a 180 degree view, so you'll be able to see both sides.

 

We have never had a problem with motion sickness in an aft cabin.

 

did you find you have much noise or vibration in this cabin? I have seen quite a few reviews commenting on that.

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We just booked our third aft wrap. I have terrible motion sickness but I take Bonine and I am fine. A little vibration that doesn’t bother us can be felt and never had any trouble with noise

 

 

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did you find you have much noise or vibration in this cabin? I have seen quite a few reviews commenting on that.
No vibration and no noise, only the enjoyable sound of the wake.

 

One other thing I haven't seen mentioned yet is that the cabins along the stern of the ship have very little foot traffic in the halls.

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My parents had an aft verandah on a cruise and they will never do it again. They couldn't use the verandah while sailing because of the ash that was falling from the smokestack and even when docked, there was a film of ash on everything -- the furniture, the rail, the floor. It was awful. You came in from even a few minutes out on the veranda all over black.

 

That said there was very little noticeable motion in that cabin and we hit very rough seas on that cruise. My cabin as forward on Main Deck and I was rocked out of bed in the rough seas. My parents hardly noticed anything at all. If the verandah furniture hadn't slid around they would not have noticed the seas at all.

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We did not see any ash falling on the NA's or the Eurodam's aft cabins. We did experience this on an NCL ship (the Sun) but only in an aft cabin on the top deck of verandahs, which was quite open. On the Sun the staff even kept carpet squares just inside the cabin so we could clean off our shoes before stepping inside from the balcony. They also supplied us with extra towels to place on the outside furniture so we wouldn't get the ash on our clothing. It was everywhere. Since that single experience, we have not had any issue with ash on any aft balcony, and we've been in many aft cabins.

 

We're booked in another aft verandah in June. We wouldn't keep booking them if they were filthy with ash.

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Love the aft balconies! I would always book them when available, especially if the price difference is minimal. It's great to enjoy the wake of the ship, very relaxing. Aft balconies are longer and you don't feel so cramped. It's nice to have guests visit and enjoy the aft balcony.

 

Enjoy your cruise no matter what you select.

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We had some minimal ash on deck 8 aft morning on the NA. I too have some motion issues but Bonine or meclizine available in the US over the counter really helps.

 

For Alaska it is pretty calm except for one stretch between Vancouver island and Haida Gwaii. So I would go for the aft, but in other areas where I know it may be rougher I would go low midship. There is some sway but that doesn’t seem to bother me.

 

Enjoy whatever you choose!

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We were in a Deck 6 aft on the NA last October for the Panama Canal. LOVED IT!!! Unobstructed views, no ash, plenty of room ... the cabin itself was okay, nothing to rave about, but in excellent shape & our stewards took excellent care of it (and us) ... no noise, no vibrations ...

I think an aft would be fabulous for Alaska

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Nieuw Amsterdam sails out of Vancouver. Pretty much the entire trip is in the Inside Passage- normally as calm as a lake.

 

Unless you go in mid to late September and encounter a big storm should be very little movement. You will love the wrap around balcony in Alaska- views from two sides of the ship.

 

Front Office and Neptune Lounge both have Meclizine available free if you do need it. Also you will likely have green apples in a basket in your suite- also great for nausea.

 

We have stayed in many aft wraps and never had a problem with exhaust soot. You might want to see if one of the SB aft wraps is available on deck 7- closer to the Neptune Lounge :)

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Thanks everyone for your great feedback.

 

Sadly we aren't staying in an aft wrap suite...just a regular aft-facing balcony.

 

We are planning a mid-September sailing as that's what works best for us time wise so hopefully we don't get a horrid storm.

 

As for meclizine, I picked up 100 tablets at Sam's Club for $3.46 so myself and all my traveling companions will be well covered ;) Great tip about green apples though as I've never heard of that.

 

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I'll join the chorus in singing praises for a cabin on the stern of the ship. We've never had any issues, and have enjoyed not having to run from port to starboard to see something. Tune your cabin TV to the bridge cam and you can see what's coming. Makes for great scenery viewing.

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