IV--Would You Book or Book Again?

[hcat]

I was thinking of the same fixes..Remove the electronic  sun shades...not needed..just another gizmo to break down. 

 

  Add curtains/ drapes between the Enclosed Veranda and  carpeted  area. It  will make it look nicer...less sterile,  add privacy, and  block out light while the  other person ( me) enjoys early sunrises.  They can re-categorize these staterooms as  Enclosed  Window Veranda. (EW) 

 

Not sure how they can fix the open window A/C  issue;  or fact that if  the inside doors are closed, the Veranda person will be  in a very  heated small space ,,,( didn't this come up in planning? )  

 

Also, the master control disabling  feature.....seems necessary but annoying

[floridatravelersforlife]

If we ever do an Edge ship again, we will not book an IV again.  We would rather book one of the Oceanviews,  if we were in that price category.  We usually book upper end suites.  In that category, Celebrity is way out of the ballpark with their current asking prices.

 

 

 

[dodger1964]

On 12/18/2018 at 10:05 AM, ohhbother said:

How does open/ closed position affect A/C in cabin and the veranda space?

If you open the window without closing the doors, the cabin gets very warm very quick. Thus, we didn't open the window very much.

 

I thought if the window was open the AC didn't work (or at least worked at a reduced output). I thought the doors had nothing to do with it??

 

(but my impression is just from reading these threads)

 

thoughts?

 

[ohhbother]

2 hours ago, dodger1964 said:

I thought if the window was open the AC didn't work (or at least worked at a reduced output). I thought the doors had nothing to do with it??

 

(but my impression is just from reading these threads)

 

thoughts?

 

 

I can’t say with absolute certainty. Other posters may know for sure. Just from room “feel,” the cabin was uncomfortably warm when we lowered the window and left the doors open. It got hot almost instantly. 

 

The one time we closed the IV doors when we opened the window, the main portion of the cabin stayed comfortable. We didn’t stay in that setup long - maybe 15 minutes. But the AC definitely felt as though it was working. The temperature didn’t seem to change substantially. 

 

If I were guessing, I’d say the AC remains on regardless of whether the doors are open or closed. But that’s just a guess. 

[ecslady]

45 minutes ago, ohhbother said:

 

I can’t say with absolute certainty. Other posters may know for sure. Just from room “feel,” the cabin was uncomfortably warm when we lowered the window and left the doors open. It got hot almost instantly. 

 

The one time we closed the IV doors when we opened the window, the main portion of the cabin stayed comfortable. We didn’t stay in that setup long - maybe 15 minutes. But the AC definitely felt as though it was working. The temperature didn’t seem to change substantially. 

 

If I were guessing, I’d say the AC remains on regardless of whether the doors are open or closed. But that’s just a guess. 

 

The glass doors do not create a seal, there are gaps all over that you probably noticed. So, the AC goes off automatically when the window is lowered, even a little bit.  Since you did close the glass doors, I'm sure it kept the main part of the cabin a bit cooler, a bit longer.  The temp went up rather quickly and the humidity just flowed in when we opened the window.  The  veranda space is so teeny tiny that it is almost claustrophobic with the doors closed. I understand from another thread that the veranda is 2 ft. Less deep than the balconies on the other X ships we are used to. That seems correct.

Edited December 20, 2018 by ecslady

[ohhbother]

“The temp went up rather quickly and the humidity just flowed in when we opened the window.  The  veranda space is so teeny tiny that it is almost claustrophobic with the doors closed.”

 

That’s a very good description! The humidity did just flow in, and the veranda space was definitely claustrophobic when the doors were closed. It certainly wasn’t enjoyable to stay in that little box the doors created. 

[hcat]

6 minutes ago, ohhbother said:

“The temp went up rather quickly and the humidity just flowed in when we opened the window.  The  veranda space is so teeny tiny that it is almost claustrophobic with the doors closed.”

 

That’s a very good description! The humidity did just flow in, and the veranda space was definitely claustrophobic when the doors were closed. It certainly wasn’t enjoyable to stay in that little box the doors created. 

Oh my...

[awhfy]

On 12/18/2018 at 9:05 AM, ohhbother said:

We sailed in an IV cabin on the Dec. 1 preview cruise. We would not book one again unless it was for a cold-weather cruise. We are sailing on the Edge again in April - booked in an aft S1. Honestly, we've toyed with canceling the booking, but we've decided to keep it and give the "suite life" on Edge a try. To the questions someone asked above:

 

Will it be easy to open the bi fold doors and close them without moving the chairs?   (Esp for those with arthritis  in hands) 

 NO. You have to move the furniture to open and close the doors. We only tried once -- it was way too much trouble.

 

How does open/ closed position affect A/C in cabin and the veranda space?

If you open the window without closing the doors, the cabin gets very warm very quick. Thus, we didn't open the window very much.

 

Does the window operation make noise?How long does it take to open and close.?  Do you have to keep your hand on the button.?  How does the window being open affect cabin and Veranda A/C..?

The window does make a loud "hum" when being raised and lowered - similar to electronic shades. Probably takes 10-20 seconds, but I didn't time it. I believe you had to keep your hand on the button, but I'm not sure. The window being open completely messes with the cabin AC unless you close the doors.

 

When the window is down, can  a  person of avg height ( 5' 5" to 5' 10" )

see out when seated,  or is the double pane too thick.. (someone posted pics someplace..I lost the link, )  Is the window seam/ bar  the same as the  trad balc rail height?

This is one thing we liked better. You can see more from a seated position. I'm 5'6''.

 

Will the Tom Tom fit better as an outside table, if we bring the other  one in as a coffee table?

There really isn't an "outside." You'd just be moving furniture around in your cabin. You don't ever step outdoors in an IV cabin. You open a large window.

 

Did the cabin feel more closed in?

Not at all. Because the window is so large and part of the cabin, it lets in a ton of light. We liked that part. We could lie on the bed and see outside clearly. It really is more like an OV cabin with a picture window that opens. I would book an IV cabin for a cold-weather cruise for this reason.

 

Does the Veranda feel closed in if the  bi folds are closed?

Yes. It's so small, you feel sort of crammed into a tiny space if you're on the "veranda" with the doors closed. 

 

Is the Veranda a useful space in rainy weather?

We didn't have any rain, but I would think so. It's just part of the cabin that lets you see out. Again, it's not a separate space from the cabin like a traditional balcony. I'm not sure if the captain would let the window be lowered if it were raining. The Bridge has override capability to disable in-room controls. But I'd think it would be fine to open the window unless the wind were blowing rain that direction - it would blow right into the room.

 

Thank you, you have answered my questions. I know that I’ll not book one of these  glorified oceanview cabins  at such an inflated rate 

 

[miched]

Do you have to have both bifold doors open at the same time or can you just open and close one or crack one open enough to walk out? 

 

Where would it be better to have the bed, by the bath or window? 

 

Thanks 

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[gordylad]

save money book an ocean view

[sunluva]

On 12/19/2018 at 8:37 AM, Silkroad said:

Thanks for your post, sunluva. We felt the same, and have a cruise booked in an IV. I hope we won’t regret it. How often did you find your IV window locked? Would you mind posting your cabin number, and/or posting your cabin information in the Edge cabin spreadsheet  (link below)? 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2609144-edge-class-cabin-information-compilation-please-do-not-post-cabin-questions-here/

 

I found our window locked twice. I think both times were due to rain. We were in 6232. Just above lifeboats.  Didn't like that either but we could put up with that more than the actual IV cabin setup. I will post on the link you provided, on Monday, when I'm on my desktop computer vs. my phone. I think after cruising 13 times in a regular balcony, we just weren't prepared for this change. We always wanted to "try" an inside or an oceanview. DH said after having the IV, we will stick with traditional balconies.  No inside or oceanview for him!

I have absolutely NO complaints about the room itself. It was great! 

[sunluva]

On 12/19/2018 at 1:51 PM, ecslady said:

Sailed Dec 9-16 in an IV also. I doubt I will consider an IV again. It felt much more like an oceanview cabin with a window.  The veranda was more like an enclosed porch to me.

 

The stateroom had enough storage and the beds were comfortable. The Teal color accents nicely complimented the neutral tones. We never slid the vanity desk in that is in front of the full length mirror as we needed the counter space. We only closed the IV glass doors once just to see how they closed.  There are lots of gaps. Otherwise, they stayed open the whole cruise. Anyone I spoke to never closed them either. 

 

The veranda area is real tight, and I thought the chairs were uncomfortable.  I ended up taking one of the king size bed pillows, turned it vertically and put it behind my back for cushioning and also it allowed me to rest my head back a bit. We also used one of the big square Kelly Hoppen pillows as a footrest on top of the small table.  When you open the window, the AC shuts off and the cabin gets warm rather quickly.  We did not have it open that much because of this.  The buttons to operate the window were very tempermental.  If you didn't press the button in the exact spot, the window did not move.  There were times I thought it was broken. Thankfully, it was not.  The shades worked fine, and it was easier to use the control by the door for this.

 

The captain disabled the windows several times.  It shows up on the keypad by the door as "Window Disabled".  The were disabled on embarkation day, debarkation day, at least twice during the cruise when they were washing the windows, and then on the last sea day for a while due to rain.

 

My suggestions to X:  Remove the glass doors and the shades, and put drapes back up where the doors currently are. At least then you can peak out in the morning, and one person can sleep while the other is sitting on the "enclosed porch". 

I totally agree with you on the buttons!  5 or 6 times I told DH that I couldn't get window down. I pressed and pressed. Every time he came over and did it. He had to remind me to press and hold in same exact spot with even pressure. 

[hcat]

8 hours ago, sunluva said:

I totally agree with you on the buttons!  5 or 6 times I told DH that I couldn't get window down. I pressed and pressed. Every time he came over and did it. He had to remind me to press and hold in same exact spot with even pressure. 

Great..I have arthritis so I hope this will be easier than it sounds...

Once it's to the level you want, will it stay there?

Do you have to hold the button for  the window to go back up....?

[ecslady]

17 minutes ago, hcat said:

Great..I have arthritis so I hope this will be easier than it sounds...

Once it's to the level you want, will it stay there?

Do you have to hold the button for  the window to go back up....?

 

Yes, the window stays at whatever level it is when you let the button go. To put the window up, you have to hold the button down till it closes shut.

 

There is no one touch button on the keypad by the door, like there is for the shade.

Edited December 23, 2018 by ecslady

[meow-mix]

On 12/23/2018 at 8:33 AM, hcat said:

Great..I have arthritis so I hope this will be easier than it sounds...

Once it's to the level you want, will it stay there?

Do you have to hold the button for  the window to go back up....?

i was in an IV cabin dec 16-23.  i noticed there is a sensor in the window frame and if it detects a person, for example, leaning over the frame, the open/close window motion stops.  

[meow-mix]

i would not book IV again.

-you don't feel the fresh air all around you when you open the IV.  simply does not feel like you're outside.

-can't go onto the balcony area with one sleeping person since there is no curtain to keep the light from waking the sleeper.

-late one afternoon the sun was shining into my room with IV window closed and with AC set at 70, the room temp was 78. i had to put the shade down to get the room to cool down.

[hcat]

Thanks for posting about the  sun.,On a very sunny day,  I suppose we should set the shade down so the room will be  kept cool.  How dark is the room with the shade down?.  Is the cabin  lighting good .?

 

I am surprised the shade is material rather than  something in the glass that has diff levels of darkening.  Solution for X...remove the bifold doors that take up veranda space & most are not using anyhow.....and install drapes over sheers. 

Edited December 25, 2018 by hcat

[ipeeinthepool]

7 hours ago, meow-mix said:

i would not book IV again.

-you don't feel the fresh air all around you when you open the IV.  simply does not feel like you're outside.

-can't go onto the balcony area with one sleeping person since there is no curtain to keep the light from waking the sleeper.

-late one afternoon the sun was shining into my room with IV window closed and with AC set at 70, the room temp was 78. i had to put the shade down to get the room to cool down.

 

Sounds like another problem that should have been anticipated in IV cabin design.  Passengers will need to find ways to try and make these new IV cabins as good as the old balcony cabins.

[floridatravelersforlife]

On 12/23/2018 at 8:33 AM, hcat said:

Great..I have arthritis so I hope this will be easier than it sounds...

Once it's to the level you want, will it stay there?

Do you have to hold the button for  the window to go back up....?

Maybe the button switch was bad.  Ours worked like any other push button.  Not an unusual instance on a new ship.  Our IV shade broke in its tracks on the first try.

[yorky]

5 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Sounds like another problem that should have been anticipated in IV cabin design.  Passengers will need to find ways to try and make these new IV cabins as good as the old balcony cabins.

They can’t given it’s a design fault in many way.

 

[ipeeinthepool]

10 minutes ago, floridatravelersforlife said:

Maybe the button switch was bad.  Ours worked like any other push button.  Not an unusual instance on a new ship.  Our IV shade broke in its tracks on the first try.

 

Ov maybe the IV concept is just poorly designed

 

[Esprit]

We would definitely book an IV cabin again despite the furniture juggling when closing the blind and bifolding doors.

I like the fact that I can look out to the sea and listen to the waves with the window dropped at little both day and night regardless of the weather.

We had high temperatures and never felt the room became too hot when the window was fully down.

My only criticism would be you can't have the window open with the blind shut and both make a noise louder than I expect for the technology. I also fear the blinds with be torn regularly by objects left on the table and chairs. Small kids could easily poke holes with pencils.

So not perfect but then what is?

[ipeeinthepool]

15 minutes ago, Esprit said:

We would definitely book an IV cabin again despite the furniture juggling when closing the blind and bifolding doors.

I like the fact that I can look out to the sea and listen to the waves with the window dropped at little both day and night regardless of the weather.

We had high temperatures and never felt the room became too hot when the window was fully down.

My only criticism would be you can't have the window open with the blind shut and both make a noise louder than I expect for the technology. I also fear the blinds with be torn regularly by objects left on the table and chairs. Small kids could easily poke holes with pencils.

So not perfect but then what is?

 

I can open a conventional balcony door a couple of inches and listen and see the ocean in a conventional balcony

[Cruise a holic]

We will be on the Edge in a few days sailing in an IV cabin.  While I am truly looking forward to the new ship and sailing on her- the IV cabin has had so much negative press- I am cautiously optimistic.  Will experience myself on Saturday.  We also have a March 2020 cruise booked in a sky suite- if this cruise isn't great- will consider other options.  We probably will keep the window closed and the folding doors open to give us more space in the cabin.  Hopefully the AC will work properly with the bifold doors open and window closed.  

 

My other big concern is storage- since we will be away for a couple of weeks- the closet and drawer space leaves much to be desired.  

Edited December 25, 2018 by Cruise a holic

[NJtraveler]

I just got back from the 12/16 cruise. Almost everyone I talked too did not like the IV cabins including myself. I had a great time but would never book an IV again.