Aft balconies on Cat D/E cabins on Freedom Class - loungers or no?

[setsail]

What cabin number is this? That balcony is HUGE!! Do you have any pictures of the inside of the cabin you can share? Thanks!

 

 

Looks like 7708 to me. It is huge. The cabin is just a regular size E2

[phabric]

Looks like 7708 to me. It is huge. The cabin is just a regular size E2

 

We are in 7708 on the Independence. If that is the balcony, I think my husband will only be off the balcony is to eat and at night.

[Toddcan]

Looks like 7708 to me. It is huge. The cabin is just a regular size E2

 

Yes, this is 7708. I only booked this cruise about 2 months ago, and I asked if any aft cabins were available. They told me this one was, so I said.. sure. I found out later how good it really is.

 

Yes, the cabin itself is a standard E1. But, THAT balcony!! :D

 

Here is a pic I found of the Freedom 7708 (twin to the Indy).

Edited October 15, 2012 by Toddcan

[setsail]

We are in 7708 on the Independence. If that is the balcony, I think my husband will only be off the balcony is to eat and at night.

 

 

We have stayed in 7708, I would say its one of the largest non suite (gs and up) balconies on the ship, it more than doubles the size of your living space .

[jamies78]

Wow, from the deck plans I would not have had any idea that the balcony of that cabin was that big!!! I am sure it is hard to book this one as it goes fast!

[Toddcan]

Wow, from the deck plans I would not have had any idea that the balcony of that cabin was that big!!! I am sure it is hard to book this one as it goes fast!

 

It's probably not a coincidence that the 3 bookings in a row around my sailing are all Cruise Critic Members :D Because, you are 100% correct - the deck plans to not show the actual balcony shape/size for this one.

 

From what I learned, deck 7 corner aft (7708 & 7408) are THE best non-suite balconies out there. Deck 8 - has no side "cutout" (the large round hole). Deck 6 has the cutout, but the balcony actually sticks out a little from deck 7, meaning that those above you can look straight down and see some of your balcony. Deck 7 and deck 8 stick out the same - so those on deck 8 do not look down onto deck 7 balconies.

[wantocruisemore]

And I'll add that the Deck 9 corner aft balconies cut across at a 45 degree angle, making them half the size of the ones next to them. I know because we had a corner deck 9 aft last summer and our SIL/BIL had the one beside us. I actually did the booking and had thought ours would be bigger.

 

And it's here on cruise critic that you learn all those little tricks and treats about the ships and cabins! ;)

 

It's probably not a coincidence that the 3 bookings in a row around my sailing are all Cruise Critic Members :D Because, you are 100% correct - the deck plans to not show the actual balcony shape/size for this one.

 

From what I learned, deck 7 corner aft (7708 & 7408) are THE best non-suite balconies out there. Deck 8 - has no side "cutout" (the large round hole). Deck 6 has the cutout, but the balcony actually sticks out a little from deck 7, meaning that those above you can look straight down and see some of your balcony. Deck 7 and deck 8 stick out the same - so those on deck 8 do not look down onto deck 7 balconies.

[jamies78]

Cruise critic!!!!!:)

[Granny&Pap]

It's probably not a coincidence that the 3 bookings in a row around my sailing are all Cruise Critic Members :D Because, you are 100% correct - the deck plans to not show the actual balcony shape/size for this one.

 

From what I learned, deck 7 corner aft (7708 & 7408) are THE best non-suite balconies out there. Deck 8 - has no side "cutout" (the large round hole). Deck 6 has the cutout, but the balcony actually sticks out a little from deck 7, meaning that those above you can look straight down and see some of your balcony. Deck 7 and deck 8 stick out the same - so those on deck 8 do not look down onto deck 7 balconies.

Thanks Toddcan for all the information:) We are booked in 7408 in January on the FOS....this will be a FIRST!!:D Always wanted to do this; but just didn't....NOW, so happy we have. Don't even care about the loungers. In an earlier post; did you say you would be in that cabin in October?? Please post again when you return and take pictures.....PLEASE (or are some of the pictures already posted the same).??:confused: Judy

[Toddcan]

Thanks Toddcan for all the information:) We are booked in 7408 in January on the FOS....this will be a FIRST!!:D Always wanted to do this; but just didn't....NOW, so happy we have. Don't even care about the loungers. In an earlier post; did you say you would be in that cabin in October?? Please post again when you return and take pictures.....PLEASE (or are some of the pictures already posted the same).??:confused: Judy

 

We don't cruise until March.

Here is another pic that might be helpful to those who are keepign track of this topic:

[Granny&Pap]

WOW!! And Thanks Toddcan for the great picture....how did you do that:confused: After reading over this board; saw that it is 'Sammage' that is going on the Freedom in October:o We cruise several times a year (you can do that when your retired) and ALWAYS do interior as we don't spend much time in our cabin anyway. TA thought there was a mistake when she saw the booking (FCC) as a E1:confused::rolleyes: Have had balconies a couple of times; but wasn't in the cabin 'enuff' to enjoy; AND we don't want the sun waking us up on vacation. BUT, since we like the Freedom so well; decided to do something special this cruise AND your pictures and information (and all the info on this board) put the 'icing on the cake'.:D Thanks again. Judy

[wantocruisemore]

Thanks for this wonderful photo. It should help alot of people decide. I'm going to bookmark it for future use.

 

We don't cruise until March.

Here is another pic that might be helpful to those who are keepign track of this topic:

[Toddcan]

WOW!! And Thanks Toddcan for the great picture....how did you do that:confused: After reading over this board; saw that it is 'Sammage' that is going on the Freedom in October:o We cruise several times a year (you can do that when your retired) and ALWAYS do interior as we don't spend much time in our cabin anyway. TA thought there was a mistake when she saw the booking (FCC) as a E1:confused::rolleyes: Have had balconies a couple of times; but wasn't in the cabin 'enuff' to enjoy; AND we don't want the sun waking us up on vacation. BUT, since we like the Freedom so well; decided to do something special this cruise AND your pictures and information (and all the info on this board) put the 'icing on the cake'.:D Thanks again. Judy

 

 

I cannot take credit for that aft shot with all the cabin numbers. I found it on an old post from some other CC member.

 

Judy -you make a great point about an inside cabin - no light. We actually loved it on our first cruise - very easy to sleep/nap.

 

However, when we cruised our first balcony - boy, were we hooked! I just love sitting on the balcony watching the sea - read a book, go on the laptop, nap, eat breakfast, whatever. It's just a little piece of private paradise.

 

Although I am new grandpa (3 weeks ago!), Im only 49, so I am a bit away from retirement. I still try to get at least one cruise every other year in though. I am a firm believer in enjoying vacations while the health is good. We tend to do land vacation then cruise. We have talked about how we will spend our retirement. If I was a betting man, it would be spending ~3 months per year in Florida, and catching a cruise while we're down there. (We're from Canada)

[Granny&Pap]

Congrats on your new/first grandchild.:) They are truly blessings. We have 8...6 to 19 yrs of age.

We winter in Orlando and catch many cruise bargains; mostly Pt.Canaveral. Our balconies were to Hawaii (Pacific is a little ruff) and Alaska (not the best temps);:( so I guess we just didn't choose well. Have had ocean view and found if your on a low floor, water right outside the window wasn't for 'my' eyes.:( Soooo, with prices 'RIGHT'; we choose to go interior and get more for our money...AND lot more cruises.;):D Thanks again for all the information and being so nice. NOW!! ENJOY THAT NEW GRANDCHILD....they do grow up fast. Judy

[Toddcan]

Congrats on your new/first grandchild.:) They are truly blessings. We have 8...6 to 19 yrs of age.

We winter in Orlando and catch many cruise bargains; mostly Pt.Canaveral. Our balconies were to Hawaii (Pacific is a little ruff) and Alaska (not the best temps);:( so I guess we just didn't choose well. Have had ocean view and found if your on a low floor, water right outside the window wasn't for 'my' eyes.:( Soooo, with prices 'RIGHT'; we choose to go interior and get more for our money...AND lot more cruises.;):D Thanks again for all the information and being so nice. NOW!! ENJOY THAT NEW GRANDCHILD....they do grow up fast. Judy

 

We are driving down to Florida for our March cruise. We'll wave from the I-79 as we drive through Pittsburgh :)

[Granny&Pap]

We will be in Kissimmee, Fl in March:cool: You can wave from I-95 as you drive down to Cocoa Beach. Kissimmee is about 45 minutes west of Pt. Canaveral as North Huntingdon is the same east from I-79. We do most of our cruising in winter...soooo many good last minute deals.:eek: Those FL residents are so lucky, if they truly like to cruise.:D What is the date of your Freedom cruise and where to?..Eastern/Western

Judy Grandchild?? male/female??

[Toddcan]

We will be in Kissimmee, Fl in March:cool: You can wave from I-95 as you drive down to Cocoa Beach. Kissimmee is about 45 minutes west of Pt. Canaveral as North Huntingdon is the same east from I-79. We do most of our cruising in winter...soooo many good last minute deals.:eek: Those FL residents are so lucky, if they truly like to cruise.:D What is the date of your Freedom cruise and where to?..Eastern/Western

Judy Grandchild?? male/female??

 

Our cruise is in my signature: Independence of the Seas, March 10, 2012. Western Caribbean. We love the Western route - we've done it twice already. I absolutely love Haiti because I lived there for 18 months as a missionary back in the 80's. I still speak Haitian Creole. Looking forward to speaking again, and buying some more Haitian Art for my rec room.

 

We were just in Kissimmee this summer - stayed there for a week, and toured the area (again).

 

My grandchild is a girl - little cutie :)

[Granny&Pap]

Daaaaa!!:o If I had read the whole post I would have seen which ship/where/when you were cruising. We normally do the Eastern Caribbean. Used to have friends in St. Thomas who had a little bar/shop and we would always stop and see them....they moved back to Florida. Also have friend in St. Maarten who has a jewelry store. We make Eastern Caribbean our 'visiting cruise'.:D Can't wait to see this aft balcony....but don't want to wish the time away. Summer went fast 'enuff':( Judy

[phabric]

Anybody living in Ontario, might want to check their prices. I put in Ontario for place of residence and my price dropped by $340.

[Toddcan]

Anybody living in Ontario, might want to check their prices. I put in Ontario for place of residence and my price dropped by $340.

 

Looks like savings only on the Mar 16th sailing

Edited October 20, 2012 by Toddcan

[Granny&Pap]

Back again.... We had booked 7408 on the Freedom; a corner aft.... BUT, we were upgraded to a JR Suite:D AND loved it. Royal has created a couple of monsters.;) Now, that doesn't mean we won't do the interior any more; BUT, really loved the JR Suite 9544....the walk-in closet was about as big as our 'little' interior cabins.:eek: AND we did have 2 loungers on the balcony along with 2 chairs and a small side table It was wonderful.:D We have booked Freedom again for next January 2014 and booked JS-1406..thanks to being able to see the back of the ship and find the sizes...still give credit to you, toddcan, for posting the picture. Your March cruise is right around the corner. I'm sure you will be glad to get away from the 'COLD' weather. Judy

[CHAMPDDS]

Back again.... We had booked 7408 on the Freedom; a corner aft.... BUT, we were upgraded to a JR Suite:D AND loved it. Royal has created a couple of monsters.;) Now, that doesn't mean we won't do the interior any more; BUT, really loved the JR Suite 9544....the walk-in closet was about as big as our 'little' interior cabins.:eek: AND we did have 2 loungers on the balcony along with 2 chairs and a small side table It was wonderful.:D We have booked Freedom again for next January 2014 and booked JS-1406..thanks to being able to see the back of the ship and find the sizes...still give credit to you, toddcan, for posting the picture. Your March cruise is right around the corner. I'm sure you will be glad to get away from the 'COLD' weather. Judy

 

We have JS 1406 (and 1402 & 1404) this coming June...first time on the aft..can't wait!!

 

D:D

[Sammage]

We're back in 7408 March 10. Can't wait! Just loved the balcony. Confirmed Aft lover now. ;)

[Granny&Pap]

We have JS 1406 (and 1402 & 1404) this coming June...first time on the aft..can't wait!!

 

D:D

Will be keeping this 'thread' in my 'favorites';) and will await your comments on JS-1406. Our January 2014 on Freedom will be our 'first' aft.:D If you know how to put pictures on....would sure appreciate....I don't know how. Thanks, Judy

[CHAMPDDS]

Will be keeping this 'thread' in my 'favorites';) and will await your comments on JS-1406. Our January 2014 on Freedom will be our 'first' aft.:D If you know how to put pictures on....would sure appreciate....I don't know how. Thanks, Judy

 

 

Will do!!!