IV--Would You Book or Book Again?

[hcat]

51 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

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

 

And you could have a great meal on your balcony on a  nice table and chairs ...image posted today by someone on Infinity!

 

We are giving the IV a try....concept sounded good but  the veranda sounds too small to be enjoyed  as a balcony with the bifolds closed!

[Duanerice1]

I guess it's all in what you expect and how you use your balcony.  I know a lot of people that say they hardly use the balcony but like seeing out and the occasional ocean breeze.  For them, this is probably ideal.  

 

Then there is the other camp (like us) that use the balcony quite a bit.  We pretty much live out there.  On a sea day, most of our day is on the balcony.  On a port day we have breakfast out there then when we get back it's out on the balcony until dinner.  About the only time we don't use it is in the evening and when we are off the ship.  So as we use it a lot, the IV isn't for us. 

 

whatever you choose, enjoy.  You're still at sea! 

[boscobeans]

1 hour ago, Esprit said:

 

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

 

 

 

 

We have been cruising the Caribbean exclusively for almost 20 years and always in what are the months of January, February and March.  

In our experiences over those years leaving our veranda door open would almost always make our stateroom extremely uncomfortable to say the least.  Maybe they have discovered something new with the IVs?? 

 

[hcat]

Reg balc doors are not supposed to remain open...that immediately affects the AC system,  and leads to a whoosing noise into the hallway....an ongoing problem which we thought the IV set up would alleviate. So maybe they were on to something  conceotually with the IVs .

 

My expectation was that with bifolds closed, A/C in cabin portion is supposed to operate while the Veranda can serve as a balc with window open...But it sounds like the Veranda is too small & very boxed in with the bifolds closed...and if you are out there with  bi folds  & window  closed,  a real hot box.

 

Maybe better for Alaska and  other cold weather cruises.?????

[meow-mix]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

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. 

 

the cabin does have good lighting.  i used the touch panel most of the time to turn all the lights on/off at once.  

 

the shade is made from an opaque pleated fabric (or thin plastic?) i believe.  i did not inspect it carefully.  we did use it nightly as we were on deck 6 and the lights from the public balcony area on deck 5 below would shine into our room.

 

[deeva211]

1 hour ago, boscobeans said:

In our experiences over those years leaving our veranda door open would almost always make our stateroom extremely uncomfortable to say the least.  Maybe they have discovered something new with the IVs?? 

 

 

No new discovery!  It the window was down, the cabin became hot and humid!!  Closing the doors just kept the heat and humidity at bay for a while longer but it still came in!

[Silkroad]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Solution for X...remove the bifold doors that take up veranda space & most are not using anyhow.....and install drapes over sheers. 

Hcat, I must respectfully disagree with you. Please, Celebrity, do not remove the bifold doors before I have a chance to try the IV in April. I want to try using the infinite veranda with the bifold doors closed. Instead, move the tracks for the shade closer to the window, if possible, which would give us a little more space on the veranda when the bifold doors are closed. Also, put fixed curtains on each bifold door. 

[marylander2]

1 hour ago, boscobeans said:

In our experiences over those years leaving our veranda door open would almost always make our stateroom extremely uncomfortable to say the least.  

If I may kindly ask you, what specifically was making your room extremely uncomfortable while leaving the door open?
We have sailed for years with balcony, including Caribbean, and the only reason was that we love to open the door slightly while sleeping. Except a few very hot nights here and there (South Pacific, Indian Ocean etc.), it is a very pleasant experience, which we always enjoy...

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

 

And you could have a great meal on your balcony on a  nice table and chairs ...image posted today by someone on Infinity!

 

We are giving the IV a try....concept sounded good but  the veranda sounds too small to be enjoyed  as a balcony with the bifolds closed!

 

I agree with you 100%.  This looks great on the balcony.  Celebrity has made a fatal mistake with the iv cabin design.  Making the balcony smaller was a loser idea from the start.  The smaller balcony is below the critical space required to do what is shown in the picture.  The idea of stealing space from the interior part of the cabin to use outdoors assumes that there was extra space in the older style cabins. It also eliminates better furniture on the balcony. I don’t understand the size numbers on the iv balcony design. Supposedly they are nearly the same size but there are many reports that the cabin is cramped and people need to move stuff to the balcony for adequate space.  In addition, it appears the desk has been eliminated and replace with some IKEA-like sliding contraption. And the cabin still feels cramped to many people.

[Oville]

59 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Supposedly they are nearly the same size but there are many reports that the cabin is cramped and people need to move stuff to the balcony for adequate space.  In addition, it appears the desk has been eliminated and replace with some IKEA-like sliding contraption. And the cabin still feels cramped to many people.

Again, the actual IV cabin is on par with the S class veranda but slightly larger.  The only reports of moving furniture to the veranda are in S1, S2 and S3.  People are moving the large rocker outside.

[RICCruisers]

The total square footage including balconies/verandas of the E and S Class cabins are about the same, but the E Class balcony is about 25% smaller than the S Class balcony.  This is for standard balcony/veranda cabins. The E Class cabins are larger than S Class not including the balcony/veranda. Most of the extra space is in the bathroom. 

[Nymich]

On ‎12‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 8:44 PM, Oville said:

We sailed in an IV on11/27 and we didn’t cancel our April ‘19 cruise also in an IV. There is a lot of hysteria on here from people who never stepped on board Edge.

Fair point and congratulations on having sailed Edge.   That being said I have also seen some hysteria as you called it from those who have sailed Edge.

[villauk]

On 12/18/2018 at 1:04 PM, bajathree said:

I was on Edge in a concierge IV....I would not book an IV again unless maybe if it were for a cold weather sailing like Alaska. It did not have the same feeling at all as a regular balcony cabin like used too. The faux balcony space was small and cluttered with furniture that you were constantly moving around every time you used the space or tried to close the bifold doors. Also not having a curtain inside of the bifold doors was an issue for us...couldn't use while significant other slept in. An IV cabin IMHO is a glorified oceanview cabin with a window that opens.

 

1 hour ago, Oville said:

The only reports of moving furniture to the veranda are in S1, S2 and S3.  People are moving the large rocker outside.

 

The top post is from this very thread stating having to move furniture around in the IV, so there are definitely posts stating this fact. Or are you referring to those with a proper balcony as you highlighted the suites in your post having to move their furniture too?

[ipeeinthepool]

7 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

The top post is from this very thread stating having to move furniture around in the IV, so there are definitely posts stating this fact. 

 

That's been my impression from the same post you referenced as well as others.  I'm not buying or selling, I'm just trying to understand these observations.

[Oville]

3 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

The top post is from this very thread stating having to move furniture around in the IV, so there are definitely posts stating this fact. Or are you referring to those with a proper balcony as you highlighted the suites in your post having to move their furniture too?

You do have to move furniture around on the veranda to close the bifold doors.  I replied to  “there are many reports that the cabin is cramped and people need to move stuff to the balcony for adequate space.”.  To be honest, in an IV cabin the only thing you could move would be the desk chair and it is not in the way.

[Oville]

2 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

That's been my impression from the same post you referenced as well as others.  I'm not buying or selling, I'm just trying to understand these observations.

But you said this: “there are many reports that the cabin is cramped and people need to move stuff to the balcony for adequate space.”

[ipeeinthepool]

2 minutes ago, Oville said:

But you said this: “there are many reports that the cabin is cramped and people need to move stuff to the balcony for adequate space.”

 

Yep, that's true.  That's been the reports.  I'd like to understand why people have that observation if the cabins are the same size.

[Rob the Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Nymich said:

Fair point and congratulations on having sailed Edge.   That being said I have also seen some hysteria as you called it from those who have sailed Edge.

 

Agreed. I don't need to purchase a product to determine if I would like it or not. I wouldn't like an IV cabin just as I wouldn't like an OV or inside cabin.

[Hlitner]

We have noted a disturbing trend with both RCI and Celebrity.  The corporate emphasis now seems to be on producing large innovative vessels aimed at those who love "new" and big.  At the same time, they have cast aside an important part of their heritage which is "quality."   Quality now takes a back seat to maximizing onboard revenue, cost cutting measures (as miniscule as taking away free botted water from Aqua Class), a big reduction in the quality/quantity in the MDRs and Lido, etc.  And with entertainment you now see more pre-recorded shows in the main theater (sophisticated Karaoke), jazz quartets that have become duets, duets that have become solo musicians, etc.  Those little things do matter to some of us and we have acted accordingly by cruising more with other lines and reducing our time on Celebrity.   On our recent MSC cruise (in their wonderful Yacht Club) we actually met two other couples who told us they had also "moved on" from Celebrity.  The cruise industry is becoming more and more competitive as MSC continues to expand (by 2 ships a year) and Virgin gets ready for their first season.  Celebrity would be wise to remember an old adage of "compete or get beat."

 

As to the Edge Class, my question would be why book that class at its higher cost.? We could care less that it's new (our favorite ship is the soon to be retired Prinsendam which is quite old) and glitzy.  Our questions would be is the cuisine in the MDR and Lido better, higher quality, etc?  Is the entertainment so much better as to justify paying more money per person/day?  We will likely try an Edge Class cruise once they offer longer more interesting itineraries, are price competitive, etc.  We were recently on MSC's Divina (an amazing experience in their Yacht Club) where we ran into a Senior Officer we knew from another cruise line.  His thoughts on the Edge included a comment about whether Celebrity could recoup the cost of a Billion dollar vessel with their current quality.  The answer is in the stars :).  But if quality and service suffer because of debt service obligations the future may not be so bright for X or some of their senior management.

 

Hank

[Esprit]

6 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

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

But you have the balcony floor and glass screen/rail in your eye line to view the sea. Not as good as being in a IV cabin IMHO

[Oville]

15 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Yep, that's true.  That's been the reports.  I'd like to understand why people have that observation if the cabins are the same size.

Well for sure the veranda is cramped with the doors closed.  We were only on for 2 days both of which were chilly.  We sat out there with the window opened about 3” and it was fine.  I’m not totally sold on the IV concept and we came close to canceling our April cruise, but decided we should give it a try.  The cabin itself however is very much like an S Class veranda cabin but with a bigger and nicer bathroom.

Edited December 25, 2018 by Oville

[hcat]

We're not cancelling  either of our 2 EDGE bookings . ...but not booking anything new either

 

 Starting to look at AZ or a Royal ship one size below Oasis...not a perfect solution but we'll have Diamond perks and be able to afford a suite.

[Esprit]

Seems to me that there are some Celebrity diehards that will find the smallest thing to complain about but to see so much negativity from people who haven't yet been on the Edge is incredulous.

The  M class ships look like they are made of LEGO bricks in design and the S class ships have a stupid staircase that descends onto a tiny dance floor. A design flaw in my eyes but didn't stop me sailing on them and having a great time.

Of course we all have our own opinions but base them on experience not on what someone else tells you please.

Edited December 25, 2018 by Esprit
Typo

[Stateroom_Sailor]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

 

 

Maybe better for Alaska and  other cold weather cruises.?????

 

I would only book it at prices slightly above a normal OV myself.  Without much of an overhang, I would imagine that these IV windows will get hit heavily with rain and salt water.  I wouldn't be surprised if the "normal" verandas on the Edge, start selling out early, or spiking in price.

[ipeeinthepool]

24 minutes ago, Esprit said:

But you have the balcony floor and glass screen/rail in your eye line to view the sea. Not as good as being in a IV cabin IMHO

Agreed. But the standard balcony is much better than the IV.  It's all about trade-offs.  If the view is more important than balcony function, then the IV's a better choice.