Gem Penthouse Suite - Forward or Aft?

[workingmom200112]

Hello all, I am thinking about booking a penthouse suite on the Gem but would love to know evertone thinks about them. Do you like the forward or aft better? Has anyone been in one since the renovation?

 

Thank you!

[tlreze]

I just booked an AFT Penthouse on Gem.....the balcony is much bigger on front one but I just love the AFT view. I have stayed in many AFT's and love it. There is no wind really and you can always sit out there at any time....I was also concerned that there would be too much wind in the front and concerned about closing curtains etc whenever lights are on in the cabin.

[njhorseman]

We prefer aft. The balcony on the forward suites are unusable on sea days. I can use my aft balcony even in cold weather because of the sheltering from wind.

 

The Gem suites haven't been renovated yet. Whatever renovations they're going to receive won't happen until the dry dock in late 2015.

[Got Tequila?]

Hello all, I am thinking about booking a penthouse suite on the Gem but would love to know evertone thinks about them. Do you like the forward or aft better? Has anyone been in one since the renovation?

 

Thank you!

 

I had an aft penthouse on the GEM on the for the 1/30/2015 cruise, and have cruised in the aft penthouses on the GEM a few times in the past. There haven't been any changes/updates to the suites at all that I could see, there were signs of wear and tear on the furniture. Wouldn't stop me from booking one again.

 

We prefer the aft suites, for less wind and the sound of the wake. The ones on deck 10 aft have larger balconies than the ones below. The balconies on the forward facing penthouses are larger, but less private.

 

The aft/back of the ship also tends to feel less motion than the front of the ship, if that matters.

[workingmom200112]

Thanks for the quick responses. I have a hold on an aft, but wasn't sure because the forward is bigger.

[tlreze]

I had an aft penthouse on the GEM on the for the 1/30/2015 cruise, and have cruised in the aft penthouses on the GEM a few times in the past. There haven't been any changes/updates to the suites at all that I could see, there were signs of wear and tear on the furniture. Wouldn't stop me from booking one again.

 

We prefer the aft suites, for less wind and the sound of the wake. The ones on deck 10 aft have larger balconies than the ones below. The balconies on the forward facing penthouses are larger, but less private.

 

The aft/back of the ship also tends to feel less motion than the front of the ship, if that matters.

 

The deck 10 balconies are larger? I didn't know that but booked 10166 - Were you on a deck 10 Penthouse? If so do you have any photos of balcony?

[njhorseman]

The deck 10 balconies are larger? I didn't know that but booked 10166 - Were you on a deck 10 Penthouse? If so do you have any photos of balcony?

 

Yes, deck 10 aft penthouse balconies are larger.

[workingmom200112]

The deck 10 balconies are larger? I didn't know that but booked 10166 - Were you on a deck 10 Penthouse? If so do you have any photos of balcony?

 

That's the suite I currenly have on hold! :).

[crimmper]

The deck 10 balconies are larger? I didn't know that but booked 10166 - Were you on a deck 10 Penthouse? If so do you have any photos of balcony?

 

We were in this suite last year. Loved it so much we are in the same suite for the 4/24/15 cruise.

I only have 1 picture of the balcony. There are 2 lounge chairs and 2 regular chairs and a small table.

 

[crimmper]

10166 Suite photo.

[emcelh]

That's the suite I currenly have on hold! :).

 

That's a good one. We had aft suites on the Gem and the Jewel. For our last cruise on the Pearl and we tried a forward penthouse. It was nice and a bit larger since we had one under the bridge with a bump-out. Even though the forward deck was nice at times we didn't use it as much due to the wind. We're back in an aft suite (deck 10) on the next cruise.

[crimmper]

You can't beat the view.

 

[tlreze]

We were in this suite last year. Loved it so much we are in the same suite for the 4/24/15 cruise.

I only have 1 picture of the balcony. There are 2 lounge chairs and 2 regular chairs and a small table.

 

 

thanks for the photos :)

[dongordon]

I am definetly an "AFT PERSON! :D

 

For all the reasons above!!

With the wind on the balcony being the main factor.

 

Don

[Got Tequila?]

The deck 10 balconies are larger? I didn't know that but booked 10166 - Were you on a deck 10 Penthouse? If so do you have any photos of balcony?

 

We had 10166....I didn't specifically take any photos of the balcony, but this one probably has the best shot of the balcony depth. We didn't have any cushions on the chairs/loungers this cruise, I know they were there in the past and we never asked about them.

 

Edited February 18, 2015 by Got Tequila?

[tlreze]

We had 10166....I didn't specifically take any photos of the balcony, but this one probably has the best shot of the balcony depth. We didn't have any cushions on the chairs/loungers this cruise, I know they were there in the past and we never asked about them.

 

 

thanks :), this photo makes it look much deeper :)

[johnsak123]

It depends

Do you like to see where you are going or where you have been

I love AFT but FORWARD is definitely the place to be

The balcony is larger and you feel like a king or queen sailing up front

However, the bridge is right above you and the crew can look directly down on you

Either way you can't go wrong

Cheers!!

[crimmper]

It depends

Do you like to see where you are going or where you have been

I love AFT but FORWARD is definitely the place to be

The balcony is larger and you feel like a king or queen sailing up front

However, the bridge is right above you and the crew can look directly down on you

Either way you can't go wrong

Cheers!!

 

True. This is suite 9500. The balcony is HUGE.

 

[crimmper]

10500 on the Jewel class ships the Balcony is smaller and the bridge is directly overhead. We never heard a sound. But, the room is also larger.

 

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This suite was great cruising Alaska.

[ray8905]

10500 on the Jewel class ships the Balcony is smaller and the bridge is directly overhead. We never heard a sound. But, the room is also larger.

 

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This suite was great cruising Alaska.

 

This is the room I always get. It's fantastic and when your sitting on the balcony much of the wind is blocked. rooms and balcony are both bigger forward

[emcelh]

This is the room I always get. It's fantastic and when your sitting on the balcony much of the wind is blocked. rooms and balcony are both bigger forward

 

We had 10000 on the Pearl. We just didn't enjoy the balcony as much as aft. When you're sitting the view just isn't the same and the steward always closed the heavy outer hatch at night to prevent noise from the wind. We missed the sliders on the aft penthouses. The room is bigger if you get one under the bridge but the others are about the same.

[ray8905]

I never had an issue with the steward closing the outer door. I don't think they ever did. I do get the suites below the bridge and never have any noise from above. What about the stories I hear about soot aft and having to wipe down everything before sitting on the balcony?