First time celebrity cruiser - cabin question

[bassmaster150]

Hello everyone....My wife and I are long time cruisers, but will be first timers on Celebrity this fall.  We have a reservation on the Celebrity Reflection in Concierge Class (aqua was sold out) in cabin 1044.  This cabin is on the diagonal of the front "hump" of the ship.  Does anyone have any experiences that they can share with this type of diagonal cabin...we were told it is an extended balcony, but I am curious about the pros/cons and if we should select a regular balcony on the "straight" part of the ship.  Thanks

[Luvcrusn]

The balconies on the slant part of the hump are 2-3 times larger than the regular balconies. The cabin interior itself is exactly the same. In addition, the location of those are ideal and convenient to the elevators, but you won't hear noise from the elevators since they are separated from the hallway where the cabins are located by a wall and a sliding glass door. You've got a "plum" cabin! I wouldn't change it.

[Reel Love]

We have not sailed in that particular cabin, but have sailed in one of the "angled" balconies on the slant of the hump and loved it!!  The balcony is much larger (I don't believe there was any difference in the actual cabin itself).  My personal opinion is to keep the cabin you have with the larger balcony.  Don't see any benefit to moving to a same/similar size cabin with a smaller balcony.   Enjoy your cruise! :)

[yorky]

We love the bump out cabins and have one booked for our upcoming cruise. We prefer a cabin on the back of the slant rather than a front slant as you get more protection from the wind.

[K12Guy]

43 minutes ago, bassmaster150 said:

Hello everyone....My wife and I are long time cruisers, but will be first timers on Celebrity this fall.  We have a reservation on the Celebrity Reflection in Concierge Class (aqua was sold out) in cabin 1044.  This cabin is on the diagonal of the front "hump" of the ship.  Does anyone have any experiences that they can share with this type of diagonal cabin...we were told it is an extended balcony, but I am curious about the pros/cons and if we should select a regular balcony on the "straight" part of the ship.  Thanks

1044 should be a really good choice. It's on the forward slant, which means your veranda will be wind protected. No need to change, in my opinion.

[varoo]

2 hours ago, bassmaster150 said:

Hello everyone....My wife and I are long time cruisers, but will be first timers on Celebrity this fall.  We have a reservation on the Celebrity Reflection in Concierge Class (aqua was sold out) in cabin 1044.  This cabin is on the diagonal of the front "hump" of the ship.  Does anyone have any experiences that they can share with this type of diagonal cabin...we were told it is an extended balcony, but I am curious about the pros/cons and if we should select a regular balcony on the "straight" part of the ship.  Thanks

 

When describing the diagonal slant balconies as "larger" some neglect to mention that they are deeper, but no wider than standard balconies.

 

The reason those extended balconies are deeper is that the cabins themselves are recessed inward towards the center of the ship,  positioned further away from the water.

The cabins with the deepest extended balconies are the ones furthest away from the water.

 

A big plus of those deep balconies is that they have plenty of room for  reclining  chairs, or anything else you may want to put out there.

If traveling with small children, it gives them extra space to play.

        

 

The drawback is that you have a narrower view from the cabin because your view to both sides is blocked by the deep dividers.

 

So passengers who prefer a cabin with the widest scenic view book a cabin right out on the edge of the ship close to the water, even though those have shallower balconies, while those who want the deep extended balconies don't mind the narrower view from a cabin that is located further inward, away from the railing.

 

Which is "better" comes down to personal preference as there are pros/cons whichever way you choose. 

 

Edited March 27, 2019 by varoo

[turtleko]

Not only do those angled balconies have wind protection, they are great for shade. As long as you are a little back from the edge, people on the other balconies won't be able to see you, despite the angle.

[Luvcrusn]

In addition to offering you both sun and shade, they offer shelter from rain if that should occur.

[Tourist1292]

I actually booked the same cabin (and 1075) on another S class ship specifically for the extra large balconies and location. Not only the balcony is extra large, it has extended cover and make the cabin slightly darker. We have a group of 6 and may stay in one room most of the time. So the extra space would be great for us.

[bassmaster150]

Thank you to everyone for the replies.  We are looking forward to our first time on Celebrity.  On a side note, we were not able to get aqua class because it was sold out.  Can anyone comment on here as to whether the extra cost for Aqua is worth it?  Thanks

[Tourist1292]

Do you use the spa and want to eat at Blu? We did not pick that as they don't have room for more than 2 people. Also, some of AQ rooms are noisy due to the deck location. I prefer to have the embarkation lunch at MDR with Concierge instead.

Edited March 28, 2019 by Tourist1292

[Luvcrusn]

We enjoy eating at Blu, but that being said, we'd forego it if the differential was too great. The increment varies so much at the time of booking we make each decision on a perk cruise basis.  All in all, having booked both concierge and aqua, we prefer the latter because we feel that we get more that we enjoy. Keep an eye on your cruise towards and right after final payment,  something may open up in Aqua and you may be able to get an upgrade at a no or low cost. 

[cricketgirl]

2 hours ago, bassmaster150 said:

On a side note, we were not able to get aqua class because it was sold out.

 

Many people book way in advance and then cancel right before final payment is due.  If you really want aqua class, check back just after final payment and you may very well see that some have opened up.  You can always upgrade later.

Edited March 28, 2019 by cricketgirl

[bassmaster150]

thanks everyone for the info!!!

 

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, cricketgirl said:

 

Many people book way in advance and then cancel right before final payment is due.  If you really want aqua class, check back just after final payment and you may very well see that some have opened up.  You can always upgrade later.

 

Also worth looking out for upgrading to a suite at this stage too...

[PelicanLvr]

Yes, we have stayed in 1044 on a different S class ship.  Same layout.  Very deep balcony.  I liked it; DW thought it was like being in a "tin can".  Yes it is quite deep, but some love it and some don't.  

[Tourist1292]

Here are some photos I found showing the balcony of 1044 on S Class ships.

[Tricia724]

6 hours ago, bassmaster150 said:

Thank you to everyone for the replies.  We are looking forward to our first time on Celebrity.  On a side note, we were not able to get aqua class because it was sold out.  Can anyone comment on here as to whether the extra cost for Aqua is worth it?  Thanks

 

We sailed on Reflection late January and early February in an Aqua cabin, and we were sorely disappointed. Although there were cabins above us and cabins below us, and our cabin should have been quiet, we could hear thumping and banging all the time. It was the same sound you hear many times when you are under the pool deck, although that was not the case for us.

 

We were also not happy with Blu. We had previously sailed Eclipse in Aqua and loved it, but Reflection has many more Aqua cabins and Blu was crazy busy much of the time. And noisy. Some of the staff were actually running around. The poor wine stewards hardly had time to take a breath. We are flexible about eating times but usually go to the dining room anywhere between 6:30-7:30 pm. and it works well for us on most cruise ships, but on this cruise we were going in at 8:00pm or later just to avoid the chaos. We also found the food to be lacking both in choice and preparation and frequently just barely warm. One night we just went into the Main Dining Room for a change and had a great meal and good service. Our main reason for choosing Aqua was to escape a crowded dining room but on this cruise, it didn't work out that way.

 

We don't use the spa, so that wasn't a consideration for us, and we did get a good group rate on our cabin, but I would have been upset had we paid a premium for Aqua. So in my opinion.....and remember, this is just MY opinion.....I think you dodged a bullet by not getting the Aqua cabin on this ship.

[bassmaster150]

We had a great cruise...the balcony was sensational, and I loved that we were covered from the rain, and shielded from the wind at all times.

[clskinsfan]

13 minutes ago, bassmaster150 said:

We had a great cruise...the balcony was sensational, and I loved that we were covered from the rain, and shielded from the wind at all times.

 

Do us a favor and dont tell too many people about the slant balconies 🙂

[Reel Love]

34 minutes ago, bassmaster150 said:

We had a great cruise...the balcony was sensational, and I loved that we were covered from the rain, and shielded from the wind at all times.

Excellent!  So glad you enjoyed your first Celebrity cruise and also that you liked the slant balcony.  As a first time Celebrity cruiser, will you be posting a review?  If so would love to read it.  

Edited December 26, 2019 by Reel Love

[bassmaster150]

I have never been good at reviews, so I won't be posting an in depth review, however, I will say this.....My wife and I have cruised about 30 times over the last 17 years.  During that time, we have spent the majority of our time on Carnival and Princess with one Norwegian cruise on the Breakaway.  At first, we were determined to be loyal to one brand...but honestly, that is not a good strategy.  We have since become more of what I would call "Destination Cruisers" and what I mean by that is that we don't really care too much about the cruise line we are sailing on, but rather the destination and the itinerary that we are on.  So having said that and having the experience of sailing multiple cruise lines, I can sum up our Celebrity Reflection cruise and experience in one phrase...."Attention to Detail".  What I mean is that Celebrity has an attention to detail that the other lines we have been on do not.  Now, I realize that you pay more for the Celebrity experience over the other lines, but it was definitely there.  It was more of a calm / relaxing experience (similar to what we get on Princess) as well.  One thing I did note and maybe it was due to the fact that our 11 day cruise left on Dec 9 was the age demographic.  I would venture to guess that the average age on the cruise was north of 55....more of a seasoned crowd which we liked.  You pretty much had the entire boat to yourself after 8:00pm.  Should we cruise on a Solstice Class ship again, my first option would be to get a slant balcony forward as they are amazing, and they totally block the wind on sea days.  The food in the Ocean cafe was ok, but not the best.  It was heavily leaning towards Asian cuisine the entire time we were on the ship, and there are definitely not enough tables available on sea days.  The MDR food was great, and the specialty restaurants (especially Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club) were excellent.  We did have an issue during debarkation though.  They only had one gangway available when we docked, so the debark process was an absolute cluster of a mess...we even had a debark tour, but that didn't matter.  Would I sail Celebrity again...absolutely...then again, we just love to cruise, so depending on the destination, we are cruisers for life.

[bassmaster150]

Oh...and the gym.....probably the most incredible gym at sea we have ever experienced.  It is quite large, and all the equipment was new.

[Von & John]

 Glad to hear you had such a great trip… Thanks for the follow up on your original question. 

[ghstudio]

Do NOT give up 1044....Our preference on any of the S-class ships is one of the balcony cabins on the slant.....the ones farthest out from the ship (eg 1044) have the largest balconies.  I would not give it up to get an aqua cabin......