What is so "wonderful" about an aft cabin?

[janny444]

Hi...even though we have cruised many times we have never had an aft cabin but from what I read on the forum they are desirable.

 

So...what is so good about them...I always imagined that they would be a lot noisier from the workings of the ship... but I don't know. We have a cruised booked on the NOTS and have a chance of having one of the aft cabins...deck 9..at the moment we are deck 7 midship. I chose that because I have a strong tendency towards vertigo/motion sickness but of course it may be no different than being on deck 9 aft cabin.

[CapeCodCruiser]

There is more motion in an aft and a forward. If you have motion issues midship is best for you.

 

We love aft - the view is spectacular, love the motion and we find them far less windy.

 

I have never noticed any ship sounds.

[emmad1973]

Don't do it, you will never want a midship cabin again!! The balconies are bigger, the views are amazing and I really don't notice any extra motion (but that could just be me).

 

It didn't seem any noisier and did I mention the views?

[champagne123]

Don't do it, you will never want a midship cabin again!! The balconies are bigger, the views are amazing and I really don't notice any extra motion (but that could just be me).

 

It didn't seem any noisier and did I mention the views?

 

With the exception of one cruise, we always have a balcony, but have never had an aft. You are all saying "the views". What view do you have that no one else has on any other balcony? Aren't we all looking at the same body of water? :confused: Maybe I am missing something.

[racerxspeedy]

Some of the corner afts have wrap around views. Panaromic pic of 7688 on Voyager Class.

The deck 10 corner afts on Voyager and Freedom class provide JS space for D1 Balcony price. Hard to beat those if you care about space.

 

Edited April 4, 2016 by racerxspeedy
added comment

[kernow]

We've had quite a few afts and love them.

 

My favourite thing is the large balcony, we're people who spend a lot of time on our balcony, we would rather sit out there than round by the pool. The afts are usually big enough for sun loungers as well as table and chairs.

 

We also love the wake view better than the view from the side of the ship when we are out at sea.

 

There is also very little traffic back there so you rarely hear any noise from the corridors.

 

When the seas are calm there is no more motion than anywhere else but we have been aft on cruises which have had some rough seas and you definitely feel it more back there then, so may not be a good idea if you are very sensitive.

 

On some ships we've had a bit of vibration but I wouldn't say it's any noisier than any other cabin.

 

Julie

[harry0]

I am not a fan of Aft-balconies

They are usually a much longer walk to get to.

I like to see where I am going not where I have been.

[Bonnie Voyager]

With the exception of one cruise, we always have a balcony, but have never had an aft. You are all saying "the views". What view do you have that no one else has on any other balcony? Aren't we all looking at the same body of water? :confused: Maybe I am missing something.

 

For us, it is the soothing view of the wake that sends us aft again and again! Yes, the larger balconies are a bonus, but mostly, we just adore watching the churning water and seeing all the shades of blue. We also love sailaway from our aft balconies because you get to watch the islands slowly disappear in the distance. An additional bonus is that when there IS something to see other than water, you don't have to worry about which side of the ship the view is on...because when you have an aft balcony you eventually see the views that are seen from BOTH sides of the ship, and all at once! This is especially a plus when sailing in scenic areas such as: Alaska, Hawaii, The Stockholm Archipelago, Strait of Magellan, Panama Canal, etc... :D

 

[shutterbug63]

I am spoiled by aft cabins. HUGE balconies, generally for the same price as cabins on the side with much smaller balconies. Much more private. There's much less foot traffic by your door because you have far fewer people walking by your cabin to get to theirs. The ability to have a lounger on your balcony without paying for a suite (we've never had a regular balcony cabin other than an aft that was big enough for a lounger.)

 

I don't feel more motion on the aft than on midship. I don't feel vibration and it's very quiet back there.

 

i'd never pass up an aft cabin if it's available.

Edited April 4, 2016 by shutterbug63

[champagne123]

Well, you ladies make it sound very appealing. Perhaps we will try one someday. Thank you for the info.:)

[matj2000]

We have had aft balcony before.

 

Over-Hyped.

 

Lots of churning noise from the water.

 

Long walk down halls from the elevator.

 

Shaken & vibration at various times.

 

And the views on RC ships have obstructions...

[Philly Steve]

We have had aft balcony before.

 

Over-Hyped.

 

Lots of churning noise from the water.

 

Long walk down halls from the elevator.

 

Shaken & vibration at various times.

 

And the views on RC ships have obstructions...

 

True, there can be negatives. Depending on how the wind blows, there can be soot from the funnel on an aft balcony. Also, in port, there was a heavy petroleum odor on the balcony.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Philly Steve

[cruiseguy1016]

I think the biggest reason most people like them is the fact that the balconies are A LOT bigger than regular balconies. There is usually room for a couple chairs AND a couple loungers. The view of the wake is phenomenal. You can't get that view from a side facing balcony. Another big advantage is the lack of noise from people walking by. Because you are at the end of the hallway, there are only a couple other cabins near you so you don't have people constantly walking by making noise. Yes, it's a long walk from the elevator but we see it as an opportunity to burn off some calories. Think about it, you walk from the elevators to the Windjammer/MDR 3 times a day. The Windjammer/MDR (on most ships) are at the back of the ship. Does it seem like along walk when you go to eat?

[Clarea]

Hi...even though we have cruised many times we have never had an aft cabin but from what I read on the forum they are desirable.

 

So...what is so good about them...I always imagined that they would be a lot noisier from the workings of the ship... but I don't know. We have a cruised booked on the NOTS and have a chance of having one of the aft cabins...deck 9..at the moment we are deck 7 midship. I chose that because I have a strong tendency towards vertigo/motion sickness but of course it may be no different than being on deck 9 aft cabin.

There can be quite a bit of vibration, especially when the ship is manuvering in port.

[goodycruising]

True, there can be negatives. Depending on how the wind blows, there can be soot from the funnel on an aft balcony. Also, in port, there was a heavy petroleum odor on the balcony.

 

Soot is certainly a problem on some ships in some weather conditions. It can even get inside the cabin in the right conditions. I have seen the black soot on the bedding of a corner aft on Rhapsody.

 

On the other hand, some wind conditions push the funnel smoke down one side of the ship. We sailed away from one port and were feeling quite ill after about half an hour of the fumes pushing down onto our side balcony. Nothing is perfect all of the time, but those large balconies, they are very attractive.

 

I don't find it easy to walk that far due to health reasons. :(

[cb at sea]

I tend to go back and forth to my cabin multiple times daily...and that long walk to an aft cabin becomes annoying to me....oops...forgot my sunglasses...take a long trek...oops, a button popped off hubby's shirt...another long trek to the sewing kit...

 

I prefer something midships, near the stairs and elevators, simply for the convenience. A side balcony is ample for 2 people!

[BecciBoo]

OK guess I'll have to post these again. A picture is worth a 1000 words...

 

Wouldn't think of Alaska without it

 

Voyager class obstructions- don't give a hoot:

View My Video

[Toddcan]

Advantages:

MUCH bigger balcony

Almost always has loungers (side balconies do not without being a suite)

View of the wake

Longer walk to the cabin (some like it, some don't)

 

 

Disadvantages:

Longer walk to the cabin (some like it, some don't)

Vibrations from time to time (temporary, and not obstrusive, imo)

Superstructure is a partial obstruction

Soot from time to time (We have had 3 afts, and only once had a soot problem - and that was only for a few hours one day)

 

 

For us - the advantages FAR outweigh the disadvantages

[vickiw0318]

Love the feeling of having my own private cruise ship. That's how I feel when I have a corner aft. Watching the wake is so tranquil. I like sunning on my balcony as well so it is very nice to have a lounge. It gives me a choice - I can join those up on deck or I can have my private retreat. The walk doesn't bother me one bit.

 

By the way, there isn't a "superstructure" on Vision class or Radiance class ships.

[Snit13]

Had connecting AFT cabins with friends on a short cruise. The problem we had was the cabins on deck above could look down and see us on our balcony. I seem to recall we were on deck 7. The lack of privacy concerned us more than on mid ship balconies. Had large balcony when we had Grand Suite on 2 cruises and liked that much more.

 

Maybe a corner AFT would work for us. Have Boardwalk on Oasis 11329 on next cruise which is sort of AFT so will be able to view Aqua Theater performances as well as the sea from balcony.

[marci22]

Tried it once. View is nice, balcony is nice. I still like being close to elevators and stairs. Maybe it's claustrophobia.

[Ektrax]

Watching the wake roll out is probably the most serene, peaceful feeling in the world.

[cruiseguy1016]

There have been a few people mention vibrations in the aft cabins. Here's my take. I have been in aft cabins on Voyager class and Radiance class. I had heard comments about vibrations prior to me booking one for the first time so I was on alert for vibrations. Did I feel any? If I really concentrated I could feel a very minor vibration. If I was looking for it, I could feel it. If I was just going about my business, I never knew it was there. It's not like it shakes you out of the bed! I was in a cabin on Majesty once that was above one of the night clubs. The vibration from the bass and the drums was more than I have ever felt in an aft cabin.

[Clarea]

Tried it once. View is nice, balcony is nice. I still like being close to elevators and stairs. Maybe it's claustrophobia.

It's not claustrophobia for us. The huge balcony just does not overcome the inconvenient location for us.

[marci22]

It's not claustrophobia for us. The huge balcony just does not overcome the inconvenient location for us.

double post

Edited April 4, 2016 by marci22