French Balcony

[Gregrat]

We have booked a French Balcony stateroom for our cruise on Vista.

Any opinions on these staterooms?

[Jancruz]

How could we have any...that  ship hasnt sailed yet..LOL

Jancruz1

[Gregrat]

Actually , I was thinking there were French Balconies on some of the older ships.

Didn’t know that Vista was the first O ship to offer these staterooms.

(My very first post on Cruise Critic and I come off looking like an idiot!)

[osandomir]

13 minutes ago, Gregrat said:

Actually , I was thinking there were French Balconies on some of the older ships.

Didn’t know that Vista was the first O ship to offer these staterooms.

(My very first post on Cruise Critic and I come off looking like an idiot!)

Nothing wrong with your post. That’s true - the ship hasn’t sailed but people may still have their opinion. Let’s say, we don’t spend much time on the balcony in our cabin, but having a fresh air is very important to us. So French balcony on the Vista is an attractive choice for us. These cabins are often booked fast, so obviously they are popular with others as well.

 

Congratulation on your booking.

[Cruzin Terri]

3 hours ago, Gregrat said:

Actually , I was thinking there were French Balconies on some of the older ships.

Didn’t know that Vista was the first O ship to offer these staterooms.

(My very first post on Cruise Critic and I come off looking like an idiot!)

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  Most of us are more welcoming and gentler in our posts.  Especially to new posters. You do not look like an idiot.  We have all been first posters and others should understand that.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you need to.  There are plenty people here willing to help.

Terri

Edited July 14, 2022 by Cruzin Terri

[mauibabes]

Gregrat,

Welcome aboard CC and Vista and quite possibly Oceania. As was mentioned, ask any question you need an answer to and the fine folks on this Board will share “opinions “ 🤪

You will get facts and fiction and supposition so wait for other responses to decide which category the posts fit in.  
Yes, the French Balconies are new and currently only on Vista which sails next April. Vista’s sister ship will be built and be sailing in 2025, also with some FB’s. It is nice to have the fresh air but we do enjoy the time out on our balconies, perhaps more than others. We start our day with views and photos of our port of call so it is important to us.  I am sure the FB’s will be great as will everything about Vista, JMHO. 

JUST A WARNING, we started sailing O in B Verandas and moved to A Concierge on an Upgrade offer. Then an Upgrade offer to PH and my wife was hooked. It is very difficult to go back after having all the extra space and amenities.  Many people will comment about spending little time in their staterooms so they don’t need to spend 💵💵 but that is NOT US, we like the extra space whenever we are in our room. 
 

Just enjoy your cruise, ask your questions and ignore some snarky comments.

Ciao, Mauibabes 

[jonthomas]

We have booked 3 cruises all with a French balcony on the new Vista. Looking forward to it. 

[Queen of DaNile]

Very similar space to the Ocean view cabins on Marina and Riviera. We are wait-listed on a French balcony for a Vista TA. Enjoy your cruise!

[Queen of DaNile]

4 hours ago, Gregrat said:

Actually , I was thinking there were French Balconies on some of the older ships.

Didn’t know that Vista was the first O ship to offer these staterooms.

(My very first post on Cruise Critic and I come off looking like an idiot!)

You're right. The original "ocean view" cabins on Marina and Riviera could have been catagorized as a French Balcony.

[honumaui]

We have enjoyed the french balconies on Windstar. Their motorized yachts formally belonged to Seaborne.  Unless you want to sit on your balcony they are great. Ours was about a foot wide so we could step out and see the complete view the regular balconies have.

[gbits]

A little off topic but can any of the “in the know” posters give us a sense of whether Vista will debut as planned? We are on its 4th cruise and the time that air will open for us to book flights is almost here. I would hate to book and find out the cruise ship won’t be ready to sail….

[Host Jazzbeau]

French Balconies are very common on River Ships – and in fact that is my favorite category on those cruises because they don't steal useable space from the cabin but still give the full view and fresh air opportunities.  It will be interesting to see how they are received on Vista – they may make 'ocean views' obsolete!

[DENIE]

We considered this category when we  booked our Vista January 2024 Caribbean cruise.  Because we are travelling with my wifes sister, we decided the additional balcony space would be well used.  But, if just the 2 of us, we would give a serious look!

[ORV]

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

French Balconies are very common on River Ships – and in fact that is my favorite category on those cruises because they don't steal useable space from the cabin but still give the full view and fresh air opportunities.  It will be interesting to see how they are received on Vista – they may make 'ocean views' obsolete!

I guess they already have on the Allura class ships. It's the lowest category, no oceanviews, no insides. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, ORV said:

I guess they already have on the Allura class ships. It's the lowest category, no oceanviews, no insides. 

Depends on customer acceptance.  How would the guy who reached the top luxury level [on some cruise line, forget where I read this] by sailing only Insides like this new threshold?

 

OTOH, even the cheapest fare gets you some fresh air if you are quarantined.

[amusea]

I have not been able to find any information regarding the fresh air access on the French Balcony cabins on Vista.  Usually that designation means that the door/window can open to let in outside air.  That is not the case with the Oceanviews on Marina and Riviera as far as I know.  Can anyone confirm that the door on the Vista French Balcony rooms will actually open?

[LHT28]

8 hours ago, amusea said:

I have not been able to find any information regarding the fresh air access on the French Balcony cabins on Vista.  Usually that designation means that the door/window can open to let in outside air.  That is not the case with the Oceanviews on Marina and Riviera as far as I know.  Can anyone confirm that the door on the Vista French Balcony rooms will actually open?

Ask again in May  when she sails

No one knows for sure now

[JHLH821]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Ask again in May  when she sails

No one knows for sure now

 

This is a description and layout on Oceania's website. Unfortunately the cabin description does not mention if the windows open but from the schematic it appears that it does.  https://www.oceaniacruises.com/ships/vista/suites-and-staterooms

 

[welshfamily]

For us an actual balcony is a must. This is not just for fresh air. We like to be able to look at the view in our own space. From a balcony you get a fair better view than with a window. Some of our most memorable sailaways/ arrivals were on our balcony with a drink and a snack enjoying the view. We also like to watch the dock, the pilot ship etc if we are on that side of the ship. 
We spend quite a lot of time on our balcony. We love watching the sea. 

[LHT28]

28 minutes ago, welshfamily said:

For us an actual balcony is a must. This is not just for fresh air. We like to be able to look at the view in our own space. From a balcony you get a fair better view than with a window. Some of our most memorable sailaways/ arrivals were on our balcony with a drink and a snack enjoying the view. We also like to watch the dock, the pilot ship etc if we are on that side of the ship. 
We spend quite a lot of time on our balcony. We love watching the sea. 

I think these French balcony cabins are an option to full balcony ones & maybe to replace Oceanview cabins with small windows

We  do not care one way or the other  but others prefer a full balcony

YMMV

 

[AMHuntFerry]

This is from Oceania's 2023 COLLECTION OF VOYAGES (https://www.oceaniacruises.com/request-brochure:

[amusea]

On 1/14/2023 at 2:17 PM, AMHuntFerry said:

This is from Oceania's 2023 COLLECTION OF VOYAGES (https://www.oceaniacruises.com/request-brochure:

 

Thanks for this verification of the sliding door that opens.  We have sailed the Panama 
Canal itinerary seven times which inlcudes the first time in 1970 on the old P&O Oriana and recently twice in 2022 on the Seabourn Ovation.  We have always been curious about how we would enjoy a French Balcony so we are giving it a try.  In November there is a good chance that the weather will be cool enough to enjoy some fresh air at times.  I don't find the balcony furniture particularly comfortable on Oceania so hopefully the stateroom's love seat will be more inviting and sometimes the noise from adjoining open balconies can be aggravating.

Having just booked the stateroom last week the only option was a guarantee.  If we are on the starboard side, the continual sun would make the real balcony only partially useful in any case.

 

Jay in Tucson

[artlee]

I know it's not exactly the same, but we had one of the "virtual" balcony's on a Celebrity cruise instead of a traditional one and really did not like it. It opened up with the window to the balcony going up or down. UGH. It would be a deal breaker for us. I imagine everyone has their on opinion though. We prefer having a separate space for the balcony and being able to sit out there.

[GeezerCouple]

On 1/16/2023 at 1:45 PM, amusea said:

 

Thanks for this verification of the sliding door that opens.  We have sailed the Panama 
Canal itinerary seven times which inlcudes the first time in 1970 on the old P&O Oriana and recently twice in 2022 on the Seabourn Ovation.  We have always been curious about how we would enjoy a French Balcony so we are giving it a try.  In November there is a good chance that the weather will be cool enough to enjoy some fresh air at times.  I don't find the balcony furniture particularly comfortable on Oceania so hopefully the stateroom's love seat will be more inviting and sometimes the noise from adjoining open balconies can be aggravating.

Having just booked the stateroom last week the only option was a guarantee.  If we are on the starboard side, the continual sun would make the real balcony only partially useful in any case.

 

Jay in Tucson

 

These "French balconies" where the door slides open (to an immediate "balcony edge"?) or the "virtual balcony" (? post above, where a window opens?)...  the door/window *stays* open?

 

I thought passengers were *not* supposed to leave balcony doors open, lest it screw up the air-conditioning for that cabin/suite and perhaps others in the same section, due to the air pressure change.

Is this not the case on Oceania?  Do they have a different heat/air conditioning system?

Or...?

 

"Inquiring minds..." 😉 

 

GC

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

These "French balconies" where the door slides open (to an immediate "balcony edge"?) or the "virtual balcony" (? post above, where a window opens?)...  the door/window *stays* open?

 

I thought passengers were *not* supposed to leave balcony doors open, lest it screw up the air-conditioning for that cabin/suite and perhaps others in the same section, due to the air pressure change.

Is this not the case on Oceania?  Do they have a different heat/air conditioning system?

Or...?

 

"Inquiring minds..." 😉 

 

GC

I guess time will tell

 Maybe they have some switch to shut the a/c off  when the door is opened  ???