Aft balcony for glacier viewing

[pickle11]

What kind of views do you get? When the ship is nearest to a glacier it usually stays on the port side then switches to the starboard side and then leaves. It seems that the only good views you would get is when you are leaving. Now I know the best views are on the outside top decks and there is more to an aft balcony. Just wondering.

[DougH]

To me the main advantage of being aft is that you are protected and out of the wind. This allows you to spend a lot more time out on deck comfortably and view the scenery while sailing. I'm always amazed every trip how as soon as the Captain turns the ship around and sails away from the glaciers the decks empty. Same with sailing many other areas, the decks are just empty. An aft balcony is a great way to be outside and still view the scenery without freezing.

 

I sail next week on the Island Princess and she has lots of open aft decks. I'm going to be using the one on my deck as my balcony as my cabin is pretty close.

[Keith1010]

The best place to view the Glaciers is on the open deck where you can easily move from place to place and get a lot of panoramic views.

 

Keith

[pickle11]

To me the main advantage of being aft is that you are protected and out of the wind. This allows you to spend a lot more time out on deck comfortably and view the scenery while sailing. I'm always amazed every trip how as soon as the Captain turns the ship around and sails away from the glaciers the decks empty. Same with sailing many other areas, the decks are just empty. An aft balcony is a great way to be outside and still view the scenery without freezing.

 

I sail next week on the Island Princess and she has lots of open aft decks. I'm going to be using the one on my deck as my balcony as my cabin is pretty close.

Thank you. Me too. I sail in 10 days on a B2B. With all the price drops I upgraded to BX. I got my balcony but thinking about upgrading again. I just have to switch cabins at the halfway point and must repack. Who cares, I can pretend I'm taking a second cruise. And yes I will be outside most of the time. My cabin is on the wrong side both times. Looking forward to Glacier Bay.:)

[DougH]

These will be my 19 & 20th to Alaska and I've never had a balcony. I've had 6 inside, 10 obstructed and only 4 outside cabins. I'm out on deck watching the scenery, the promenade is a great spot and usually very un crowded. Each ship has some great viewing spots if you take the time to search.

 

I spend my money on excursions or the next cruise, not a fancy cabin.

[NoobCruise]

We had the starboard aft corner, so we had both aft and side views, and we spent all day on our balcony in glacier bay. We used the aft part most of the time because we were protected from the wind, which is a huge advantage in Ak. It was very cold on the side balcony so I can only imagine how cold it was on the bow. It was also very convenient to be able to step right inside our cabin to use the restroom, change clothes or just warm up. I will say we greatly enjoyed watching the wake from the ship. As far as glacier viewing, the advantage is you can see both shores at the same time. If you have a side balcony, you only get to see one side. And yes, as you leave the glacier, you get exactly the same view as the bow got going in, so you're really not missing anything that way. On our cruise on the Westerdam, we actually thought the starboard side spent more time facing the glacier than the port side.

 

If you're interested in pics from our balcony, check out my trip report in my signature. Glacier Bay starts on page 3, post #41.

[pickle11]

These will be my 19 & 20th to Alaska and I've never had a balcony. I've had 6 inside, 10 obstructed and only 4 outside cabins. I'm out on deck watching the scenery, the promenade is a great spot and usually very un crowded. Each ship has some great viewing spots if you take the time to search.

 

I spend my money on excursions or the next cruise, not a fancy cabin.

Have you ever cruised in a balcony? If so, why not in Alaska?:confused: As an experienced cruiser wouldn't you think at least once to a balcony in Alaska. After all the best viewing spot for confort and just soaking it up is a balcony. It's hard to go back to an inside after you have had a balcony. Let's face I tried doing it your way but sometimes prices drops are hard to pass up.

[Buck-White Boys]

What kind of views do you get? When the ship is nearest to a glacier it usually stays on the port side then switches to the starboard side and then leaves. It seems that the only good views you would get is when you are leaving. Now I know the best views are on the outside top decks and there is more to an aft balcony. Just wondering.

 

Our experience was that the views were just as amazing from the balcony as they were from the open decks. As the ship was turning - or, indeed, in any place - we were getting the full panoramic view aft and it was just amazing. There was no question of if we were missing something on the other side because, standing at the rail, we could see both sides.

 

The other upside was there was no fighting crowds or potential of not getting a place at the rail. We ordered room service - twice - had hot coffee and hot chocolate brought to the cabin, sat on the balcony, chatted with our neighbors, listened to the running commentary on the ship's PA -- it was one of the most beautiful moments I've had on a cruise ever.

[pickle11]

Thank you NoobCruise and Buck-White Boys. Hopefully I will be able to upgrade on the SB trip. If not, something to wish for in the future.:)

[ROCruiser]

Our experience was that the views were just as amazing from the balcony as they were from the open decks. As the ship was turning - or, indeed, in any place - we were getting the full panoramic view aft and it was just amazing. There was no question of if we were missing something on the other side because, standing at the rail, we could see both sides.

 

The other upside was there was no fighting crowds or potential of not getting a place at the rail. We ordered room service - twice - had hot coffee and hot chocolate brought to the cabin, sat on the balcony, chatted with our neighbors, listened to the running commentary on the ship's PA -- it was one of the most beautiful moments I've had on a cruise ever.

 

And probably not having to deal with the photographers. They came by and asked to have our photos taken at least 6 times when we were admiring the glacier out on deck.

[DougH]

Have you ever cruised in a balcony? If so, why not in Alaska?:confused: As an experienced cruiser wouldn't you think at least once to a balcony in Alaska. After all the best viewing spot for confort and just soaking it up is a balcony. It's hard to go back to an inside after you have had a balcony. Let's face I tried doing it your way but sometimes prices drops are hard to pass up.

 

I'm single so the cost to move up to a balcony can be significant. I'm also the type of person that if I had a balcony and was outside I'd be wondering what I was missing on the other side of the ship LOL

FYI I've had balconies twice, both on sailings with a group of friends also aboard. We all had aft balconies, on one cruise we had about a dozen of the aft balconies and on the other about 7 cabins.

[pickle11]

I'm single so the cost to move up to a balcony can be significant. I'm also the type of person that if I had a balcony and was outside I'd be wondering what I was missing on the other side of the ship LOL

FYI I've had balconies twice, both on sailings with a group of friends also aboard. We all had aft balconies, on one cruise we had about a dozen of the aft balconies and on the other about 7 cabins.

Fantastic. So you know how it feels sitting on the balcony with any type of beverage you want and enjoying the view. I too have also cruised single and know about the double costs. Good luck on your future cruises. I know you still have many more in the future. BTW I did it more for my DW because she doesn,t know about the upgrades.:D

[frugaltravel]

Have you ever cruised in a balcony? If so, why not in Alaska?:confused: As an experienced cruiser wouldn't you think at least once to a balcony in Alaska. After all the best viewing spot for confort and just soaking it up is a balcony. It's hard to go back to an inside after you have had a balcony. Let's face I tried doing it your way but sometimes prices drops are hard to pass up.

 

I am with Doug. I have had a balcony in Alaska and found myself outside up front way more often than on the balcony. You truly miss a lot from a balcony vs. being able to move left or right from a forward viewing area. I haven't had a balcony cabin in Alaska since.