NMTraveller

My old house had over 100 IV balconies.

For Juliet balconies I see two types. One is the traditional Juliet balcony where you can go outside for a couple of feet or more in other words stand up and you are truly outside. The other is the more modern cheesed up version where it is just an open/close window. I have twenty some Juliet balconies in my house. Yet only one true balcony. The latter version of the Juliet Balcony where it is just an open/close window seems more of a marketing ploy than anything else. Would most architects even regard open/close windows as a Juliet balcony? I would think not.

I don't like that they are not a balcony. You sit in a skinny box. Mostly CONs. However whether you like it or not depends upon if you spend a great deal of time out on the balcony. We do spend a great deal of time on the balcony. We spend little time in the cabin except for getting around to go someplace. It is a very poor fit for us. However if you rarely use the balcony and instead would like an extension of your room this set up may be for you. But please don't call it a balcony. It is just an open/close window.

Thanks. I think that you have clearly settled this debate. You can clearly see from the outside and the inside that they are just windows and not balconies. Carry on.

You bet. Would you like a very small portion of faux popcorn? We have infinite popcorn in a 2 oz bag. It is not popped corn, but popped quinoa. The price has been adjusted for the marketing hype. Endorsed by (Goop) Paltrow and Alice in Wonderland.

Thanks for the heads up! You used to be able to get a cabin with a decent sized balcony without worrying about it. Now I guess you have to check the square footage, size, and see if it is a real balcony. Oh the cutbacks ...

Actually S-class has 52 sq ft verandas (real balconies) and the IVs are 42 square feet. The problem with the IVs is they are a long strip vs a more square shape. Try laying down at all angles in the box. I bet you can't do it. The skinny strip box in the video just looks ridiculously small. It is just ridiculous. Did Carnival design this? Heres to large real balconies for everyone 🍷

I think that the CFO and shareholders had more of an impact that the Hospitality team. Profits or user experience. Profits won.

At first I did not think that this was a serious question, but here goes. In the IV how can my DW sit in the air conditioned room while I sit out in the box with the window open? My understanding is that the AC goes off when the window is opened. I can do this on a true balcony. My wife can do her makeup and hair in the air conditioned room while I sit out on the balcony and relax. Also the box is rather small and uninviting. Not something that I would choose. The balconies have plenty of space in them. They are good for people who spend large amounts of time on the balcony. Why spend large amounts of time in a small box? Do I prefer opening a window at home or going out on the balcony? Most of the time the answer is going out on the balcony. For us the IVs are just unworkable and the size is disappointing. I fail to see the similarities. It does seem like an upgrade from a window view, but a downgrade from a true balcony.

Yes I was on the Edge. The Expansive Aft view came from the RCL ships. Nothing new here except the RCL ships also have a front view. Now for MDRs I really do not care as I do specialty dining. The specialty dining on Edge was more loud and shouty than I care for. Now the suite level on E-class has superseded most of the negatives of E-class. You have real balconies, a forward looking view, and a quiet place to get a drink. While the Edge was a nice and shiny ship. It was not a very functional ship for a number of reasons. All of which have been enumerated here on this board multiple times.

Great point. So they did not impose these faux balconies on their suite guests? I guess that tells you quite a bit.

People look at the Celebrity advertisements that show IVs with all of the benefits and none of the issues. Who would have thought that E class would have removed the foward looking area AKA Sky Lounge. Most ships have these. Yet they did. Most people though the newest E class ship was going to be better. I certainly did. However it did not come close to living up to the overblown hype and was a lesser ship that S class in most regards. Another example of overblown marketing is the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You look at Hollywood's pictures and then go there for yourself and it is definitely not the same experience. You may not even bother getting out of the car. Now Cruise Critic where they go into great detail on discussing this topic has great merits.

???? The last time I checked E class had about 36 sunset verandas AKA real balconies. These need to be booked about a year or two in advance in order to get one. The balconies on the side were not that appealing to me. They had their own set of issues.

Yes it is for fuel savings. They will tell you this when you take the bridge tour. This is definitely about making more $$.

Why? I can tell if I will like something or not. Why would I subject myself to something below par?

I have heard all of the complaints of the open/close window room. But this video makes it clear. If you close the doors so that you can keep the AC on you are in a box! How unappealing can you get? You are stuck in a small tin box? So this is supposed to be some upscale cruise room? LOL I feel that the IVs are overhyped and seriously underperform. Definitely not even close to a traditional balcony.

I had some miles on Cathay Pacific to burn. I don't think HKG is an option right now due to their zero covid policies? Anyways it looked like their flights from DPS to LAX were going through Qatar. 🙂 And skipping HKG.

It seems as though Bali is starting to show up on the radar of top places to visit. I think I will just stay there. Tokyo would be nice but a long flight away.

I want a place to stay for 3 or 4 days after the cruise. Positioning in a place that has a direct flight to LAX would be a bonus but not required. I will have already been to SIN and SYD. Staying in Bali would be fine also. Just trying to choose the best place for another 3 or 4 days without a long flight to get there.

I have a cruise that ends in Bali. I can stay in Bali, or go to someplace like Cairns, Australia, Tokyo, Hong Kong or some other city/country that has a more direct flight than Bali. I could go to Singapore also but that is where the cruise starts. Your recommendations? I have an extra 3 or 4 days at the end of the cruise.

Does AMA Waterways have a board on this forum? Is it possible that AMA Waterways will drop the vaccination requirement for next summer? We have one in our large group who does not want the vaccine.