Just off Apex - infinite balcony cabin

[Ergates The Ant]

We have always booked balcony cabins in the past, but a last minute booking to Norway meant only Infinite Bacony available. 
We loved it! I’d nearly go so far as to say that it could be a deal breaker for us, we found it so much to our taste. 
This is why it appealed so much to us, as your personal requirements will be different. 
We love to hear the sea, and it was lovely to be able to sleep with the window at least partly open without the AC playing up. Loved the privacy of being able to sit right by the edge of the open window, without balcony neighbours being obvious. Hardly knew there was anyone next to us on either side. If I hadn’t seen them going into their rooms, I might have guessed that both were unoccupied. 
The extra space made a huge difference in the cabin too. It would probably have been too cold to sit out for too long in Northern Europe, but we had the window open for hours at a time. Wonderful to see straight down to the sea, too. 
We often leave our curtains open at night anyway, and we only closed the blind once to test how it worked! Perfect for cruising the fjords, when  we passed mountain ranges in the small hours by the light of the moon.
We would book this type of cabin again without hesitation, but appreciate that the climate in the Caribbean would present different challenges. I’ve never visited there, and have no plans to do so, but for cooler climates and scenic cruises, it exceeded my expectations.

[cruisetonowhere10]

13 minutes ago, Ergates The Ant said:

We have always booked balcony cabins in the past, but a last minute booking to Norway meant only Infinite Bacony available. 
We loved it! I’d nearly go so far as to say that it could be a deal breaker for us, we found it so much to our taste. 
This is why it appealed so much to us, as your personal requirements will be different. 
We love to hear the sea, and it was lovely to be able to sleep with the window at least partly open without the AC playing up. Loved the privacy of being able to sit right by the edge of the open window, without balcony neighbours being obvious. Hardly knew there was anyone next to us on either side. If I hadn’t seen them going into their rooms, I might have guessed that both were unoccupied. 
The extra space made a huge difference in the cabin too. It would probably have been too cold to sit out for too long in Northern Europe, but we had the window open for hours at a time. Wonderful to see straight down to the sea, too. 
We often leave our curtains open at night anyway, and we only closed the blind once to test how it worked! Perfect for cruising the fjords, when  we passed mountain ranges in the small hours by the light of the moon.
We would book this type of cabin again without hesitation, but appreciate that the climate in the Caribbean would present different challenges. I’ve never visited there, and have no plans to do so, but for cooler climates and scenic cruises, it exceeded my expectations.

Great to hear.  We have one for Alaska this summer and I’m thinking it should work well there too.

[Tina99]

Just adding to the content and giving my opinion. I was solo on Apex in Jan, Caribbean cruise, my first time with an IV cabin. Although I read a lot of reviews prior to, pros and cons, I stepped into my cabin fully neutral to the experience of this sliding window idea passing for a true outdoor balcony. I actually didn’t mind it a bit. The extended cabin space was wonderful. I agree with Ergates that it provides more privacy from your neighbors. Will again be in an IV solo on Beyond in Sept. 

[Lastdance]

I will be in an IV on Ascent for its fall TA, so whether I like it for not will definitely give me time to access the pros and cons.  I prefer suites/SV’s because of being outside and more emersed with the sea air, but going with an open mind, especially if a MoveUp is not in my future.  Okay, so I am very skeptical, but this trip will determine whether I ever book this in the future..Concierge GTY because that was all that was open except a rediculous price for a suite!  My DH said to just book it!

[kabmab]

We always try to book balcony cabins, having had SVs and DPVs on Apex and Edge.  On our Ascent TA we had an IV for the first time and liked it.  Enjoyed having the large expanse of glass (although it had a lot of sea spray and was never cleaned), and loved hearing the ocean with the window down.  Never closed the blind, although we should have for our end of cruise very early morning arrival in Barcelona.  Nice to have a little more space in the cabin, and we just went out on deck if we wanted to sit outside.   We did hear our next door neighbors -- just because they were very loud.  IV will definitely be an option for us although our next cruise on Beyond is a SV.

[KKB]

6 hours ago, Ergates The Ant said:

We have always booked balcony cabins in the past, but a last minute booking to Norway meant only Infinite Bacony available. 
We loved it! I’d nearly go so far as to say that it could be a deal breaker for us, we found it so much to our taste. 
This is why it appealed so much to us, as your personal requirements will be different. 
We love to hear the sea, and it was lovely to be able to sleep with the window at least partly open without the AC playing up. Loved the privacy of being able to sit right by the edge of the open window, without balcony neighbours being obvious. Hardly knew there was anyone next to us on either side. If I hadn’t seen them going into their rooms, I might have guessed that both were unoccupied. 
The extra space made a huge difference in the cabin too. It would probably have been too cold to sit out for too long in Northern Europe, but we had the window open for hours at a time. Wonderful to see straight down to the sea, too. 
We often leave our curtains open at night anyway, and we only closed the blind once to test how it worked! Perfect for cruising the fjords, when  we passed mountain ranges in the small hours by the light of the moon.
We would book this type of cabin again without hesitation, but appreciate that the climate in the Caribbean would present different challenges. I’ve never visited there, and have no plans to do so, but for cooler climates and scenic cruises, it exceeded my expectations.

We, too, are fans! It is particularly suited to cooler climates but we enjoy the extra space & floor to ceiling glass even in warmer climates. It is little different than a fully covered balcony, imo.

[lv2cruisgrl]

We are a fan of the IV also!  Glad you liked it!

[Lena11033]

Thanks for this, I've done a IV once and enjoyed it but I'm also on a cruise to Norway in July in a IV again so nice to have something to compare to

Edited May 27 by Lena11033

[jwlane]

It seems that most of those that diss the IV have never actually stayed in one.

[mrgabriel]

We've been in an IV in the Caribbean and to say we disliked it is putting it very mildly. Different strokes, right? 

 

However, I can see how there might be advantages on a cold weather cruise, maybe to Alaska or the Fjords. 

[TGfromTX]

17 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

We've been in an IV in the Caribbean and to say we disliked it is putting it very mildly. Different strokes, right? 

 

However, I can see how there might be advantages on a cold weather cruise, maybe to Alaska or the Fjords. 

Was it due to room getting hot?  I have one booked in July and I feel like it'll be similar to sitting on a porch vs patio.  Some reviews suggested the issues with heat vs heat being on balcony were exaggerated, so it's hard to tell what I'll think.  I know the chairs I see in photos look uncomfortable.

[Ergates The Ant]

I think if you were reliant on air conditioning for cooling, you might have a problem. In Northern Europe, our first reaction to a warm room is to open the windows! No air con in our homes. We enjoyed the sea breeze when we stuck our heads out, but even with the ship at full speed, it wasn’t unpleasant with the window open. 
The view from the window also seemed less restricted, looking up and side to side seemed less close in than a balcony did. Excellent for Norway, when I can remember having to bundle up in jackets and lean over the balcony rail to see the sides of the fjord. Instead, we relaxed on the chairs by the window with a fantastic view, and even in the cold mornings, we could open the window enough to hear the waterfalls!

We found the chairs perfectly comfortable, but we have never used previous balconies for lounging or sunbathing. 
The glass was cleaned twice on our 8 night cruise. The salt was only evident on those occasions when the window was facing the sun, but we have experienced this on regular balconies when the glass got dirty. At least we didn’t have to go outside to see out!

Two views from the room, at 3am, window closed and cosy and warm!

And a view of a fjord from the open window.
 

[Peteymil]

19 hours ago, jwlane said:

It seems that most of those that diss the IV have never actually stayed in one.

I'm not sure that is accurate. I had an IV and it is not for me, but glad many enjoy it.

Edited May 28 by Peteymil

[Stockjock]

We have an upcoming cruise out of "Rome" on Ascent.  I considered an infinite veranda, but there was about $1,000 price difference, and the oceanview cabin I booked is, I believe, the same size and configuration, only the window does not open.  I think we'll be good with that, although it's always nice to be able to hear the ocean.

As a side note, on MSC's new World Class ships (World Europa, World America, etc.), these cabins are called Infinite Oceanview, and priced accordingly, which I think makes more sense.

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 5/27/2024 at 6:29 AM, Ergates The Ant said:

We love to hear the sea, and it was lovely to be able to sleep with the window at least partly open without the AC playing up.

I'm so curious about this.  On other ships with traditional balconies, if one leaves their door open for extended periods of time...like to hear the ocean while sleeping, it will deactivate the a/c (or heat) from the neighboring staterooms due to the units being on a bank system.  This actually happened to us in the Caribbean where our room was sweltering at night and it turned out that our neighbor was sleeping with their door open.  Once they realized that their choice to sleep hot was impacting those around them, they kept the door closed at night.

 

My question is, does it work differently on E class?  We will be in Alaska next week and I would love to allow the cool air into our room at night but I don't want to deactivate the heat or A/C for my neighbors.

[mrgabriel]

2 hours ago, TGfromTX said:

Was it due to room getting hot?  I have one booked in July and I feel like it'll be similar to sitting on a porch vs patio.  Some reviews suggested the issues with heat vs heat being on balcony were exaggerated, so it's hard to tell what I'll think.  I know the chairs I see in photos look uncomfortable.

It was a number of things. It’s not like the balcony - where there is a physical separation and one can sit outside and read while the other watches TV. There’s no sound barrier. You also can’t sit by the window with it open on a hot day because as soon as that window opens, the air conditioning turns off. 
 

I also missed being outside on a dark balcony at night, in the evening air. 
 

Just not for us. We’ll book ocean view cabins and you all are welcome to the IV 😊 

[Ergates The Ant]

The great thing about the infinite balcony cabins is that the AC is independent of any other cabins. When the window is opened, the AC goes off immediately, and comes on again when the window is shut. We are not big fans of air conditioning, and cruising in Europe, are happier to regulate cabin temperatures by opening windows or doors.

You will be able to open the window as you please and enjoy the sea air, and the sounds of the waves. I’m not sure if the regular balcony cabins on the rest of the E class ships have the same arrangement?

[TGfromTX]

I could definitely see them being helpful for cooler weather cruising where no one wants to be on the upper deck or on a traditional balcony.  I've heard the public hangouts are over run with people trying to find a window to look out of.  I don't think I'll see any of these sailing through Alaska though. I want to take a transatlantic someday.  I think one of these rooms might be a perfect option since those tend to happen in between the hot & cold seasons.

I was never aware of any room beside me able to cut my AC off in past.  That is good information to know.

[Mr. Click]

Since the IVs were first announced I have had my doubts about the whole idea.  I am a big fan of being able to sit out on my balcony and watch the world go by, make some pictures etc etc.  We did a trip on Beyond last winter and we booked late so the only option for us was an OV and while the cabin itself was nice I did not like being that low, our window while a decent size was covered with spray more often than not.  For a Caribbean/warm weather cruise I think I would stick with the S class, if we were going back to the north, Norway and the like I might follow the OP's lead and go for the IV but over all I think that it is not for me but isn't that why they make ice cream in chocolate and vanilla?  

Edited May 29 by Mr. Click

[Shep_Proudfoot]

I can see IV working well for Norway or Alaska perhaps, but I simply can’t imagine a warm weather sea day in one of these cabins and being happy with it. Far too many compromises.

[Tigerfnan23]

We've done IV on two hot weather cruises and while we enjoyed aspects of the room we definitely lost all room cooling within a couple minutes of opening the window and it took quite a while to get the room cooled back off.  Obviously this isn't as much of an issue on cooler weather cruises. 

[Germancruiser]

Thank you OP for that interessting and different opinion of the IV- cabins. I was not very happy just seeing them- but what you wrote makes so much sense. I might try one now - as I sailed Apex on her Maiden I was in a Sunset- which was wonderful- but- now reading your experience I am no longer such an opponent to them cabins.

[NMTraveller]

I think that most that dislike the IVs have moved on to other cruise lines or sail in suites.  Myself included ...  The better itineraries are going to the E class ships ...  No way for one to be on the balcony and the other to be in the AC ...

[TMLAalum]

23 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I think that most that dislike the IVs have moved on to other cruise lines or sail in suites.  Myself included ...  The better itineraries are going to the E class ships ...  No way for one to be on the balcony and the other to be in the AC ...

That's why we are trying a deluxe porthole veranda on the Apex. We have been in an IV and for us, there were other drawbacks to that type of cabin in addition to the AC issue, for example the room darkening shade.

[CruisinNana]

You either love them or hate them. We hated them. After our already booked cabin on Beyond, I sill stick to older ships. I also felt the casino was too small for the ship.