balcony cabins-best location, best deck, etc

[Laurid]

Hello- We are planning out next cruise-never had a balcony cabin before-and was wondering if I could get some opinions on what the best location would be-forward, aft, or midship? Also, what is a good deck on the princess lines?

I have also noticed on some princess ships that there is an aft balcony that appears to be accessible from the hallway. Can someone confirm this? Are there chairs out there to sit on, and is it generally crowded?

Thanks!

[CruzNut]

My preference for a balcony would be midships ... less walking to everything and smoothest ride. Depends on which ship you choose as to what deck you'd want. Because the Grand style ships are tiered so some of the balconies are more open than others.

[LisaK]

i totally agree with CruzNut. It depends upon which class of ships you are thinking about. The Grand Class ships have tiered balconies and some of the balconies are totally open, and some are covered. Generally the most stable of the cabins are located midships, mideck. Our personal preference is Caribe deck on either the Grand or Sun Class vessels.

[Laurid]

Thanks-by tiered I guess that means that people can look down into your balcony, or are there some decks that offer more private balconies?

Also are the balconies railed, glass, or what? Are they big enough to sit out there and have breakfast, or is it standing room only.

Thanks for your help!

[Fern]

Hi Laurid,

Our favorite is also Caribe deck on the Grand class. The balconies are half covered. If you are standing by the rail people can look down and see you.

If I recall correctly the railings on the balconies have Plexiglass with a wooden top.

There were two small plastic chairs and a small table on our balcony.

I'm not sure what you're asking about the aft balcony? If you can tell us the name of the ship and the deck, I'm sure someone will be able to answer you!

Have a great cruise!

[Laurid]

On the Grand class there appears to be a balcony accessible from the hallway on the Riviera, Aloha, Baja, Caribe, Dolphin, and Emerald decks, aft. At least it looks that way on the deck plans. Does anyone know if those are sun decks with chairs, or what exactly that is?

[Rev22:17]

Lauri,

On the Grand class there appears to be a balcony accessible from the hallway on the Riviera, Aloha, Baja, Caribe, Dolphin, and Emerald decks, aft. At least it looks that way on the deck plans. Does anyone know if those are sun decks with chairs, or what exactly that is?

A cabin located aboard the ship is definitely preferable to a cabin located on the pier.

Beyond that, the location of a cabin really does not matter too much. The cabins nearest amidships theoretically experience less motion than those nearest the bow and the stern, but the reality is that modern cruise ships usually do not have noticeable motion in the first place, thanks to the combination of their size and the use of dynamic stabilizers to counter the ocean's torques. I generally prefer a cabin located above the Promenade Deck because it has more convenient access to the topside facilities (pool and buffet areas, etc.), but the cabins below the promenade deck don't have balconies so even that is not a consideration for you.

Norm.

[ohio cruisers]

We had a balcony last summer on the Caribbean Princess on the Caribe Deck. It was nice size, also being half covered. In may we will have a aft cabin on the Dolphin Deck on the Diamond. I will let you know when we get back . I was told by my TA all aft balconies on the aft are covered.
Ohio Cruisers

[j_cosmides]

i was just on the baja deck, mid ship b603, and we could see right down to people below us, two floors below of balaconies. someone was above us but they could not seee us!