Summit -- Aft CC -- Vista Deck. Did I make a mistake?

[FAR_girl]

Just booked Alaska 2007 on the Summit. As many posters felt that much of the fun was watching the sealife frollick in the wake, I booked an aft CC. On the Vista deck. I thought it would be good that that these cabins are above the penthouse cabins, but I'm starting to think I may have made a mistake. The deck plan in the Celebrity brochure shows white space between the end of the balconies and the line drawn to show the end of the deck. Do these balconies lose view due to an overhang for the Penthouse balconies below??? Should I try to move up to the Panorama deck.

 

Information regarding the realities of the aft CC balconies on the Vista deck would be greatly appreciated.

[Host Karen]

Our aft balcony on deck 7 of Constellation was huge and we looked down onto the deck of the Penthouse balcony. I don't think you'd gain much more of a view if you went up a deck. I also think the aft balconies on deck 7 are the largest of all the decks (please correct me if I'm wrong).

 

We spent most of our time looking out to the sea and the surrounding views rather than down to the Penthouse deck. Enjoy your aft balcony. You'll be hooked!

[ORDPLATAA]

We are cruising this Sunday on the Infinity (sister ship) in Cabin 7203 - an aft CC Balcony. I'll post a review to let you know. From what I have seen through other posts, this should be a great location as it isn't directly above or below any of the public areas.

[FAR_girl]

Karen -- Thanks for the input.

 

ORDPLATAA -- I will look forward to your review.

 

It may just be the deck plan in the brochure that is confusing me. But it seems odd that the Vista deck, and only the Vista deck has this extra "white space" drawn in as if the balconies do not go to the edge of the deck.

[tarheelmjfan]

We are cruising this Sunday on the Infinity (sister ship) in Cabin 7203 - an aft CC Balcony. I'll post a review to let you know. From what I have seen through other posts, this should be a great location as it isn't directly above or below any of the public areas.

 

We were in 7203 on Infinity to Alaska last June. You'll love your cabin!!! You do look down onto the Penthouse balcony, which was perfect for me. I'm acrophobic. :o I don't feel that this obstructed our view in any way. What can you see looking straight down into the water that you wouldn't see looking at an angle? There won't be any sea life that close to the ship. You will love the view. We saw more sea life in the wake of the ship & on chunks of ice near HG than on our tours. We also had a great view of Hubbard Glacier without freezing to do so. Friends from our Roll Call had a corner FV, which provided a side view of the Glacier. We watched with them, until the ship turned, then watched from our balcony. The best thing about the AFT balconies on the Alaskan itinerary is that the ship breaks the wind & you can have breakfast with a view from your balcony every morning. :) Okay, the sea life in the wake would be in close competition with that. :D

[tarheelmjfan]

It may just be the deck plan in the brochure that is confusing me. But it seems odd that the Vista deck, and only the Vista deck has this extra "white space" drawn in as if the balconies do not go to the edge of the deck.

 

The deck plan for Infinity looks the same. I can assure you that the balcony goes all the way to the edge. You'll love it. :D

[Karynanne]

We have had cabins #7206, and #7208....loved them both! Yes, you do look down upon the Penthouse Suite, but it's a fantastic cabin with a huge balcony.

 

We have #7208 booked again, for an upcoming Hawaii cruise in the Fall.

 

Karyn

[FAR_girl]

Thank you all so much!!! I feel a whole lot better than I did last night. Since we're doing this cruise as a CruiseTour, it will be the most we've spent on a cruise to date. I really didn't want to mess things up by picking a "bad" cabin.

 

So, I will plan on having my usual breakfast on the balcony (just a little more bundled up than in the Caribbean) and bring my opera glasses to watch the frollicking sealife. What do you think the odds are of the Penthouse people inviting us down to watch the Hubbard Glaciar from the side portion of their balcony??? :p

[ORDPLATAA]

Thanks for the heads up tarheelmjfan! We have been looking forward to this cruise for almost a year now and I am so glad to hear from someone who has done this trip before (and in the same cabin no less!!). When my TA was able to get this cabin, we jumped at it. It's funny, but I do feel a little better knowning that there is a balcony right below us versus dropping stright down into the sea. I get a little queasy looking straight down from heights (I hate atrium hotels for that reason!!!) so that was also a bit of a bonus.

 

This is our first cruise on X so I'll be happy to report back with some photos.

[tarheelmjfan]

Thank you all so much!!! I feel a whole lot better than I did last night. Since we're doing this cruise as a CruiseTour, it will be the most we've spent on a cruise to date. I really didn't want to mess things up by picking a "bad" cabin.

 

So, I will plan on having my usual breakfast on the balcony (just a little more bundled up than in the Caribbean) and bring my opera glasses to watch the frollicking sealife. What do you think the odds are of the Penthouse people inviting us down to watch the Hubbard Glaciar from the side portion of their balcony??? :p

 

When's your cruise? You may be surprised by the weather. I had breakfast in my lounge wear every morning. There was no need for bundling up. The ship blocking the wind makes a huge difference in the temp.

 

Your cabin will have binoculars, but you will want better ones. Many times we didn't need our binoculars, but they're a must for those times that you do.

 

We rarely saw the people in the PH beneath us. In 10 days, we only saw them 3 or 4 times & we lived on our balcony. You may have better luck making friends with someone in a corner FV. :p

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks for the heads up tarheelmjfan! We have been looking forward to this cruise for almost a year now and I am so glad to hear from someone who has done this trip before (and in the same cabin no less!!). When my TA was able to get this cabin, we jumped at it. It's funny, but I do feel a little better knowning that there is a balcony right below us versus dropping stright down into the sea. I get a little queasy looking straight down from heights (I hate atrium hotels for that reason!!!) so that was also a bit of a bonus.

 

This is our first cruise on X so I'll be happy to report back with some photos.

 

It was our 1st cruise on X also. After this, you'll be hooked. :D Make sure you have dinner in S. S. United States at least once. It's fabulous!!! Worth every cent!!!

[ORDPLATAA]

We leave on June 4th - this Sunday!!!

 

This cruise is actually an Atlantis Events charter, so I am sure that it will be just a tad different from the standard Celebrity cruise (i.e. they announced that Charo is going to be one of our entertainers - how cool is that???) but the nuts and bolts of the trip should be be the same. And yes, we are planning to do dinner one night in the S.S. United States. We had a good experience in the Pinnacle Grill on HAL so want to try it out on Celebrity as well.

 

We looked at the weather and it sounds like it will be in the 60's with chances of rain each day - but we were excpecting that. We did the last of our shopping - just planning on lots of layers and a waterproof jacket and we should be good to go. One of the nice things with this charter is that their is no need for jackets & ties - just a nice casual experience.

[FAR_girl]

When's your cruise? You may be surprised by the weather. I had breakfast in my lounge wear every morning. There was no need for bundling up. The ship blocking the wind makes a huge difference in the temp.

 

Your cabin will have binoculars, but you will want better ones. Many times we didn't need our binoculars, but they're a must for those times that you do.

 

I think it's the last southward run in 2007 -- Sept. 7th. We're doing the land tour portion first, then the cruise. We always bring our own binoculars. My SO has a nice waterproof pair, while I use my little opera glasses. They are only 3x or so, but I'm comfortable with them and find them easy to focus. If I need something more powerful, I snitch the good ones! :D

 

Did you get a "real" table to dine at on the CC balcony, or just a cocktail table? I'm a little spoiled by the Centruy-class Sky Deck SS and used to having a dining height table on the balcony (along with the two upright chairs, two loungers, and little cocktail table). But I also have the Roll-a-Table (another wonderful suggesion from a fellow Cruise Critic) from my Jewel of the Seas cruise.

[lisiamc]

We had 7203 on a Hawaii cruise, and it was wonderful. The only slightly annoying thing was that one of our neighbors in the FV cabins kept leaving their room service tray in front of our door. Other than that tiny problem it was fantastic. We would definitely do it again.

 

Being able to see into the Penthouse suite balcony a little bit is not a bad thing, IMO. If you're nosey like me, you can see what they get up to when they have parties on their balcony! One other thing to keep in mind - the people on deck 8 can see into your balcony a litle bit too!:eek:

 

Lisa

[tarheelmjfan]

I think it's the last southward run in 2007 -- Sept. 7th. We're doing the land tour portion first, then the cruise. We always bring our own binoculars. My SO has a nice waterproof pair, while I use my little opera glasses. They are only 3x or so, but I'm comfortable with them and find them easy to focus. If I need something more powerful, I snitch the good ones! :D

 

Did you get a "real" table to dine at on the CC balcony, or just a cocktail table? I'm a little spoiled by the Centruy-class Sky Deck SS and used to having a dining height table on the balcony (along with the two upright chairs, two loungers, and little cocktail table). But I also have the Roll-a-Table (another wonderful suggesion from a fellow Cruise Critic) from my Jewel of the Seas cruise.

 

You will have the same balcony arrangement as you described. We had friends from our Roll Call that we dined with at dinner. They had an SS on Infinity & were very jealous of our AFT CC. She said next time they would book early enough to get one of those. :)

[carlyshenk]

Hi

We were in 7203 in September to Alaska and loved it! We spent so much time on our wonderful balcony enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather. We were very fortunate to share a dining table with the people in the penthouse right below us. They were a couple from Australia and we had a fabulous table for eight. We all got along like we knew each other forever.

The couple in the penthouse invited us all to dinner one night in the penthouse. It was a fabulous evening. They completely opened up their "home" so we could all experience the "penthouse experience". It was wonderful and something I will never forget, because that is as close to cruising in the penthouse as I will ever get. Unless I win the lottery, of course (ha! ha!)

 

Anyway, enjoy the room on the seventh deck. It is fantastic!

Carol

[emairs]

We have had several cruises in an fv cabin on the Vista deck.

 

We have a CC cabin on the Vista deck this November Panama Canal cruise.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the Vista deck is the best deck for an aft cabin. The deck is huge and half of it is covered for privacy, and the rest is open for relaxing in the sun.

 

You won't be bothered by any noise from the buffet on deck 9, and you can watch the rich people in the penthouse suite below, perhaps make friends with them, and be invited down to tour their amazing suite (which was one of the highlights of one of our cruises).

[rud3685mar]

We have had several cruises in an fv cabin on the Vista deck.

 

We have a CC cabin on the Vista deck this November Panama Canal cruise.

 

As far as I'm concerned, the Vista deck is the best deck for an aft cabin. The deck is huge and half of it is covered for privacy, and the rest is open for relaxing in the sun.

 

You won't be bothered by any noise from the buffet on deck 9, and you can watch the rich people in the penthouse suite below, perhaps make friends with them, and be invited down to tour their amazing suite (which was one of the highlights of one of our cruises).

We're in cabin 7066 on Summit for Alaska on 6/3/08. Appreicate any comments you may have re: this cabin location. It appears to be near elevators. Thxxxxx.......Rudy..........

[brigittetom]

Just another vote. You made the right decision. Actually you've gotten a very diserable cabin that is usually not available unless you book way in advance. We only discovered these cabins because our TA recommended upgrading because of the huge balcony. The best. Enjoy:)

[goldenprincess53]

Just reading these posts about the cabins. I really hadn't given it a lot of thought when we booked AFT 8172 (panorama deck) other than I wanted a balcony. I booked last Sept. for this August and I had the "pick of the litter" so to speak Now I'm getting really excited from all that I have been reading on this thread.

 

Will our balcony be covered or is there a portion that is open to the skies; is the balcony larger than the balconies at the side of the ship?

[mahdnc]

Just reading these posts about the cabins. I really hadn't given it a lot of thought when we booked AFT 8172 (panorama deck) other than I wanted a balcony. I booked last Sept. for this August and I had the "pick of the litter" so to speak Now I'm getting really excited from all that I have been reading on this thread.

 

Will our balcony be covered or is there a portion that is open to the skies; is the balcony larger than the balconies at the side of the ship?

 

8172 balcony is covered from above. Because it is 20 ft deep (and 10 ft wide), it is considerably bigger than the CC balconies on the side of the ship. The balcony in the center of the photo is 8172:

[wa.mama]

The deck plan in the Celebrity brochure shows white space between the end of the balconies and the line drawn to show the end of the deck. Do these balconies lose view due to an overhang for the Penthouse balconies below??? Should I try to move up to the Panorama deck.

 

Information regarding the realities of the aft CC balconies on the Vista deck would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

This is a pic of Summit's Vista deck from port aft. 7203 would be the first or second balcony from the right. You can see the penthouse deck below - it does not obstruct wake view.

[goldenprincess53]

8172 balcony is covered from above. Because it is 20 ft deep (and 10 ft wide), it is considerably bigger than the CC balconies on the side of the ship. The balcony in the center of the photo is 8172:

Wow, thanks so much. I'm sure we will really enjoy it. Thanks for sending the picture!

[dmk]

I have stayed in 8172 twice. As you can see from mahdnc's picture it is somewhat covered from above by another balcony. However, there is enough open sky where the above balcony stops to sit in the sun.:D