Help me talk myself into booking Aft Balcony...LOL

[JeanneW1956]

Ok here's the deal, I just went on my first cruise on Imagination and loved it. I had a midship OV on Empress. My hesitation in booking aft is that we had the Spirit dining room which is way aft and you could really feel motion back there as well as some sort of vibration or grinding.

 

The ship I am planning on booking is the new Dream for 2010 and I want to try balcony and I saw diagrams of some corner aft cabins with what looks like very large panoramic balconies!:p

 

I am thinking the one on Empress deck, the Veranda deck above has them but diagram shows cabin much smaller, the deck below, Upper Deck has them and they actually look larger maybe but there is a lounge below with outside deck access just under the balcony so I am thinking noise from late night partiers will be an issue so I guess Empress it is. (If I get the nerve to try it)

 

So in a nutshell I am trying to convince myself that the ship is much much larger and possibly the motion and vibration won't be noticeable at all :rolleyes:

 

Right?? :D

 

anyone with opinions and/or first hand experience of this type balcony cabin please chime in... pro's and con's both... hopefully there are more pro's ;)

[REDZONE]

Ok here's the deal, I just went on my first cruise on Imagination and loved it. I had a midship OV on Empress. My hesitation in booking aft is that we had the Spirit dining room which is way aft and you could really feel motion back there as well as some sort of vibration or grinding.

 

The ship I am planning on booking is the new Dream for 2010 and I want to try balcony and I saw diagrams of some corner aft cabins with what looks like very large panoramic balconies!:p

 

I am thinking the one on Empress deck, the Veranda deck above has them but diagram shows cabin much smaller, the deck below, Upper Deck has them and they actually look larger maybe but there is a lounge below with outside deck access just under the balcony so I am thinking noise from late night partiers will be an issue so I guess Empress it is. (If I get the nerve to try it)

 

So in a nutshell I am trying to convince myself that the ship is much much larger and possibly the motion and vibration won't be noticeable at all :rolleyes:

 

Right?? :D

 

anyone with opinions and/or first hand experience of this type balcony cabin please chime in... pro's and con's both... hopefully there are more pro's ;)

 

I have only been in the Spirit class aft wraps. But I have not have any problems with the motion or vibration. I have also been in aft ov cabins and not have a problem. I have heard others talk about noise and vibration . But not me :D . I love the view of the wake.

[Sirwinston]

Hello JeanneW1956:

I really enjoyed being in and aft wrap on Carnival Pride 7 day Mexico.

Just as there is no perfect ship, there is no perfect cabin. That said we loved the view and the mostly quiet. We did have a bit of motion. But my better half who does get a little seasick was fine, to the point that we are booking the same aft wrap on the Spirit for Alaska this summer. All the way aft is much better than all the way forward..

We did have a little smut problem, but no biggie. I did feel a little prop vibration. It was much worse down in the dinning room in one spot...

I hope this is helpful,

Tom in Long Beach

[dlbutler5]

You also have to realize that those cabins have nothing over the balcony. In the Caribbean that means it can get very very hot. Some posters have said they couldn't even stand to go out some of the time because of the heat from the deck.

[JeanneW1956]

oops...my response posted twice

[JeanneW1956]

Thanks Tim and Tom :)

 

Bear with me here as I am new to cruising.

Would spirit class and the Pride both be larger ships then fantasy class?

Smut? Would that be residue from the smoke stack thing or whatever you call it ? :o

If so, do you get any kind of fumes or odor on aft balconies from that? I'm asthmatic and attacks are often triggered by odors (chemicals, perfumes, certain cleaning products etc)

 

thanks again and keep em coming! :D

[JeanneW1956]

You also have to realize that those cabins have nothing over the balcony. In the Caribbean that means it can get very very hot. Some posters have said they couldn't even stand to go out some of the time because of the heat from the deck.

 

Good point, I'm shooting for Feb so it shouldn't be to awful bad... I hope

[REDZONE]

Thanks Tim and Tom :)

 

Bear with me here as I am new to cruising.

Would spirit class and the Pride both be larger ships then fantasy class?

Smut? Would that be residue from the smoke stack thing or whatever you call it ? :o

If so, do you get any kind of fumes or odor on aft balconies from that? I'm asthmatic and attacks are often triggered by odors (chemicals, perfumes, certain cleaning products etc)

 

thanks again and keep em coming! :D

 

I had soot on my balcony only one time. I never payed any mind to any fumes or anything. If they was a strong odor I would have noticed. Maybe another poster might have had a different experience. I have aft suite 4237 on miracle and an aft ov on the empress deck on imagination in Dec.

 

Yes the Spirit class is larger

[sdirector77]

You also have to realize that those cabins have nothing over the balcony. In the Caribbean that means it can get very very hot. Some posters have said they couldn't even stand to go out some of the time because of the heat from the deck.

 

 

Hot and sunny that is what takes me to the Caribbean. I have had several aft wrap balcony cabins and let me tell you there has never been a time that I could not hang out on the balcony. It is absolutely fabulous.

[mrsfuzzmo]

We have our first aft (a wrap at that!! Woohoo) in January. I love to watch the wake of the ship as well, and I really don't mind any motion or noises. That's what makes it feel like I'm on a ship. We are looking forward to the huge balcony, though during the day, I can guarantee we will be up at the pool areas in the crowds! If it's hot, I'm in the water with a bucket of beer. In the evenings, I can't wait to sit on the balcony with a few friends and a cocktail and watch the sunset. Yea! We've cruised many times and have had insides, OV's, balcony's and a penthouse suite once. This will be our first Aft. Cannot wait, and we will be sure to write a full review when we are done!

[bills blasters]

We have had an aft wrap on the liberty and will have one in Jan. on the splendor. I have no complaints at all.

I have not had a problem with it being too hot or sunny to be out on the balcony. If you go over to the side, there is usually some shade.

We have seen a small amount of soot on the white table, but not enough to bother us. We really wouldn't have even noticed it if it wasn't against the white furniture.

We have never felt any more motion on the aft of the ship than we have in the middle of the ship.

The views are fantastic. So much better than a side balcony. I especially like it when you pull out of the ports.

You will love it. You will be so spoiled that you will only want aft wraps. We always get that or an aft balcony. We are traveling with a group of 10, so we decided to spend the extra money so we will have plenty of room to spread out and all enjoy the balcony.

[JeanneW1956]

We have our first aft (a wrap at that!! Woohoo) in January. I love to watch the wake of the ship as well, and I really don't mind any motion or noises. That's what makes it feel like I'm on a ship. We are looking forward to the huge balcony, though during the day, I can guarantee we will be up at the pool areas in the crowds! If it's hot, I'm in the water with a bucket of beer. In the evenings, I can't wait to sit on the balcony with a few friends and a cocktail and watch the sunset. Yea! We've cruised many times and have had insides, OV's, balcony's and a penthouse suite once. This will be our first Aft. Cannot wait, and we will be sure to write a full review when we are done!

 

 

I can't wait to hear what you think of it, be sure to come back here and let me know :)

[nanuak]

We have an aft wrap, Upper deck, on the Conquest.... Only 26 more days. Although we have had a cabin on the aft, Empress deck, this will be our first wrap.

[mrsfuzzmo]

Absolutely!! Everyone will get a full report!

[jayscore]

Long story short, we were upgraded to an aft on the Veranda deck on the Triumph last cruise, next to a 9A. The balcony was deeper AND 1/3 wider than most. Liked it so much we booked way ahead to get the same type on the Valor for next cruise. Cons: kind of hot at times. Pros: Excellent view all the time, not as windy as port or starboard, no soot, or smell. VERY peaceful later at night, watching the ship's wake. In our case we were one deck below Lido, so we could just walk up and back to our cabin whenever. Can you tell how much we liked it yet?;)

[stlrboo]

Have had an aft extended balcony on the Miracle (6264), for the three of us...:) GREAT!!!

 

Had 8455 (9A aft/wrap balcony) on the Liberty for the two of us.. LOVED IT!!:D

 

Had JS1100 aft wrap Junior Suite on the RCI Jewel of the Seas... HEAVEN!!:p

 

Booked: 8448 (9A aft/wrap) on the Freedom for December 2008!

Cat. 11, (7298) aft wrap suite on the Legend in June 2009...:p

Cat 8G, aft extended balcony on the Glory 2010!....

 

Need I say more....??:cool: ENJOY!!!

[sunrise&set]

I have been on several different cruiselines with an aft balcony and they are the best! I know what you mean about motion in the aft dining rooms but this was never a problem in the cabin. The view is breathtaking and it's so quiet. My parents cruised with us in 2006 in an aft balcony while we had the corner 9A wraparound (Valor) and they were hooked! They love having their morning coffee out on the balcony and then watching the sunset before dinner. This was also their first balcony. Now we're going on the Valor again (got a great deal) and they booked our 9A cabin! We now have my DS and couldn't book 3 to one of those cabins so we booked a suite (yay!) but I will miss that view. I think my parents will have to get used to us hanging out on their balcony with them. I plan to bring DS's blow-up pool again to use on the balcony.

 

Happy Cruising!

[blakeamy]

Long story short, we were upgraded to an aft on the Veranda deck on the Triumph last cruise, next to a 9A. The balcony was deeper AND 1/3 wider than most. Liked it so much we booked way ahead to get the same type on the Valor for next cruise. Cons: kind of hot at times. Pros: Excellent view all the time, not as windy as port or starboard, no soot, or smell. VERY peaceful later at night, watching the ship's wake. In our case we were one deck below Lido, so we could just walk up and back to our cabin whenever. Can you tell how much we liked it yet?;)

 

So how was the aft on the veranda deck? I wondered if it might be noisy from the chairs moving around on the lido deck above. I'm booked in an aft on the Upper right now, but I was thinking of moving up a deck or two.

[Pistol Packin Mama]

We have an aft wrap, Upper deck, on the Conquest.... Only 26 more days. Although we have had a cabin on the aft, Empress deck, this will be our first wrap.

We have an aft wrap on the conquest on the Upper deck also next year, what is your room #? Let us know how you liked it.

 

Have had an aft extended balcony on the Miracle (6264), for the three of us...:) GREAT!!!

 

Had 8455 (9A aft/wrap balcony) on the Liberty for the two of us.. LOVED IT!!:D

 

Had JS1100 aft wrap Junior Suite on the RCI Jewel of the Seas... HEAVEN!!:p

 

Booked: 8448 (9A aft/wrap) on the Freedom for December 2008!

Cat. 11, (7298) aft wrap suite on the Legend in June 2009...:p

Cat 8G, aft extended balcony on the Glory 2010!....

 

Need I say more....??:cool: ENJOY!!!

 

Way to go. We've had them all, inside, OV, balcony, aft balcony, and aft wrap coming up. Have never had any problems with motion, soot, or noise. I would take another room if it was the only way I could cruise, but if I have my druthers - aft wrap or aft balcony it would be.

Have a great cruise!!!! And enjoy the "VIEW".

[JeanneW1956]

Wow great feedback everyone!! thanks! :)

 

A few additional questions now on the actual cabin size/layout.

 

These cabins look larger then your basic stateroom in the diagrams but because of the odd shape do you actually get more space?

(I know that the Dream is going to be the largest Carnival ship to date and of course no way to know for sure what true cabin layout will be but I'm thinking the ship itself being larger will not be reflected in any actual stateroom sizes except for maybe spa & penthouse suites)

 

Trying to envision how they incorporate the bathroom and closets and 2 twin beds into that odd shape. Does anyone have "inside" pictures of an aft wrap on one of the larger Carnival ships?

 

Also as you look at deck diagrams it looks like the aft wrap staterooms get smaller as you go up each level which logically makes sense as each deck up is in fact smaller then the one below.

 

I have other questions but I don't want to post to many at once so I'll wait a bit :)