Thoughts on Promenade view on Adventure vs. balcony

[DeeDee316]

Hello again CC.  Looking at the possibility of booking 2 connected promenade view on the Adventure for next year.  I love having a balcony, especially b/c we are traveling with kiddos that go to bed way earlier than us. 2 connecting promenade view rooms are 1000 bucks cheaper than a balcony. Hubs and I would have a place to hang when kids are asleep (we would usually sit on the balcony). Just looking for opinions for anyone that has stayed in them... especially with kiddos.

Thanks as always!

[taglovestocruise]

We had a balcony our son had a promenade view on Mariner.  It seemed very small, no privacy at all unless the curtains are closed, no natural light and absolutely no fresh air. .  We have always had a balcony, like you we sit outside a lot,  and if we are in the cabin the door is open,  and would never consider anything else.  How about a balcony and a inside across the hall for the kids, a balcony and a inside would be not much more then two promenades.  Assuming your kids are not toddlers. happy cruising

[Clarea]

I'd go for the two bathrooms.  I'd also check the price on two OV staterooms.  More private and natural light.

[DadPerson]

I would be worried that the promenade rooms would be loud for sleeping kiddos. Those rooms look right down on several of the bars, and that area gets rowdy. I haven’t stayed in one - maybe someone else can comment on the soundproofing for the Adventure? 

 

They did did seem like they would be fun. You might be able to catch some music and people watch. Not as relaxing as an exterior balcony, but maybe more interesting than staring out at the dark at night. 

[RG306]

For me, an oceanview balcony is a must. That being said I can't imagine sailing with 4 in a cabin either.  2 bathrooms would be very worthwhile.  How is the pricing on an oceanview with an adjacent inside cabin?

[LuCruise]

This is what we booked for Navigator (same class ship).  Our kids are looking forward to having their own room (and their own bed) and we get 2 bathrooms. We like a balcony but decided on the 2 rooms for those reasons.  We also like promenade rooms as an alternative to standard inside.

[dplusd]

6 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

We have always had a balcony, like you we sit outside a lot,  and if we are in the cabin the door is open,...

Do you realize that this negatively affects the AC in the rooms around you?

 

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by dplusd
sp

[icsys]

6 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

We have always had a balcony, like you we sit outside a lot,  and if we are in the cabin the door is open,

 

24 minutes ago, dplusd said:

Do you realize that this negatively affects the AC in the rooms around you?

 

 

What is the point of a balcony cabin if you can't have the door open.

As long as the main door is closed when the balcony door is open there shouldn't be a problem.

[icsys]

1 hour ago, DadPerson said:

I would be worried that the promenade rooms would be loud for sleeping kiddos. Those rooms look right down on several of the bars, and that area gets rowdy. I haven’t stayed in one - maybe someone else can comment on the soundproofing for the Adventure?  

 

They did did seem like they would be fun. You might be able to catch some music and people watch. Not as relaxing as an exterior balcony, but maybe more interesting than staring out at the dark at night. 

 

We have stayed in promenade views on several ships, they are quite sound proofed, never noticed any noise.

They are generally bigger than insides, however privacy can be an issue, even with the voiles closed.

[Bloodgem]

We have stayed in a promenade room. We heard more noise from people passing by our door than we did from the promenade.

I loved watching the promenade shows from the room. I could not hear them but still enjoyed watching people dancing and others trying to push through the crowds to get to the other side of the ship. 😁 

[Clarea]

8 hours ago, icsys said:

 

 

What is the point of a balcony cabin if you can't have the door open.

As long as the main door is closed when the balcony door is open there shouldn't be a problem.

 

Unfortunately, leaving the balcony slider open does cause the A/C to be much less effective for surrounding staterooms.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=55435571&postcount=42

[bobmacliberty]

If your kids are old enough and you're OK with it, book a balcony and a promenade across the hall.  We did this a couple of times with our kids and it worked out great.  You get the 2 rooms/baths plus the ocean view for the parents.  You would need to be willing to live without the connecting door and the ability easily move between rooms, but you can get another seapass that let's you get into the PR room whenever needed.  Our kids loved feeling more grown up with their own room and it gave us some privacy.

[smokeykat]

We are just off Adventure. The promenade rooms do face the bars and stores and there are evening parties that happen there too so I would not recommend them unless someone can comment on how sound proof the rooms are.If they are truly soundproof then go for it!

[bobmacliberty]

They aren't sound proof, but do a good job of knocking down most noise.  Exceptions are events like parades or the 70s party.  The only thing that bothered my daughters was a morning Zoomba class, but that was mostly because it disturbed their sleep. 😀.  We would book deck 8, which is the upper most of the 3 decks that overlook the RP, to minimize any noise concerns.

[brillohead]

If my options were four people in a balcony and four people in two connecting rooms (inside, Promenade, or ocean view), I'd definitely go with the two rooms.

 

With separate rooms, you can watch tv, read in bed, use the toilet, or whatever you want (wink wink) without worrying about waking up the kids.  

It also gives the kids a taste of semi-independence, which is a valuable life skill. 

If the kids are old enough, and if you'd use a balcony if they weren't in the room, getting them an inside across the hall from a balcony would be another option.  But if you ONLY use the balcony as a place to sit while the kids are sleeping, you may find that it's an unnecessary expense, and you can use the money you save on excursions or something else.  Some people really do spend a lot of time on their balcony, others don't.  Whether it's "worth it" to spend more for a balcony is a judgment call that each person has to make on their own.

[taglovestocruise]

21 hours ago, dplusd said:

Do you realize that this negatively affects the AC in the rooms around you?

 

 

Yes, but we get a balcony to hear and smell as well as see the ocean. When I typed this I was going to say sorry to Bob as he has made the point many times.  Now I can say sorry to both of you.  happy cruising. 

[JTBCruiser]

We have a Promenada for our upcoming cruise on Adventure.  We had friends who stayed in one of these cabins and loved it.  We checked out their room and was surprised on the amount of room in it.  We normally sail in a cabin with a balcony but we got a great price and it will put us in Diamond on our following cruise.

[icsys]

On ‎7‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 12:39 PM, Host Clarea said:

 

Unfortunately, leaving the balcony slider open does cause the A/C to be much less effective for surrounding staterooms.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=55435571&postcount=42

 

That's an interesting read. I would not have known that there are two separate A/C systems in the cabin.

[Clarea]

5 minutes ago, icsys said:

 

That's an interesting read. I would not have known that there are two separate A/C systems in the cabin.

 

I believe that the need to keep positive pressure in the stateroom for fire safety is one of the reasons that the cruise ship A/C system is significantly  different than the run of the mill home unit.

[TexasPirate]

Our first time experiencing the promenade view cabins was on the Navigator in 2014.  And we thought they were terrific for the price.  Don't get me wrong I like a balcony just as much as the next guy but 2 bathrooms trumps a single bathroom/balcony every time with teen girls......  This December we have 3 promenade rooms in a row on the Explorer.

[icsys]

19 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I believe that the need to keep positive pressure in the stateroom for fire safety is one of the reasons that the cruise ship A/C system is significantly  different than the run of the mill home unit.

 

I completely get it.

This would explain how we could not smell smoke when we had an engine fire onboard Splendour.

Heard a commotion outside early one morning (no alarms sounded). Got up and peered through the spy hole to see what looked like smoke.

We got dressed then opened the door and the smell was quite bad. When we left the cabin, crew in the corridor asked us to go to our muster station.

Edited July 21, 2019 by icsys

[DeeDee316]

Thanks for the feedback guys. We would be sailing with a 4 and 6 year old, so across the hall is not an option for us. 

[Ashland]

Sorry, but personally those Promenade cabins would be like staying in a department store window in a mall.

OP choose two connecting cabins..balcony if possible.

[purplegrapefruit]

We stayed in Promenade cabins on the first two cruises and it was fine for us. The only time we ever heard noise from the promenade was the evening of the parade, but it was fun to watch. We loved the little bay window to sit and people watch. We had more noise from our next-door neighboors!  (kids across the hall from their parents most likely).  We were on deck 7 both times (Freedom and Independance) so we were not directly above the venues.  I would totally do it again if it meant the difference between cruising and not cruising because of $$. We have never had a balcony so we don't know what we are missing. 

Edited July 24, 2019 by purplegrapefruit
clarification

[HBE4]

On 7/22/2019 at 1:52 PM, DeeDee316 said:

Thanks for the feedback guys. We would be sailing with a 4 and 6 year old, so across the hall is not an option for us. 

 

I'd miss hanging out on the balcony at night as well but the bonus (in addition to saving a thousand bucks) is two bathrooms and a little extra privacy while the kids sleep.  The extra seating in the bay window is nice, although not the most comfortable.  I'd also advise to skip deck 6 and look at deck 7 and up just for a little extra space to buffer the noise from the Royal Promenade, especially if you are over the bar or pizza place which tend to attract late night crowds.

 

Seems like an excellent choice!