Bed near balcony vs. bed near bathroom

[Bruin Steve]

I was just doing a little pre-cruise research for my January Allure of the Seas cruise and noticed a old post stating that the bed in our cabin-- 8690-- is closer to the bathroom...with the sitting area adjacent to the balcony...

 

Personally, I tend to prefer it that way--making the sitting area seem somewhat larger being contiguous with the balcony area outside...

 

But, it also occurred to me, having just completed our third cruise on a Celebrity S-Class ship, that, at times, there may be some advantages to having the cabin configured the other way...

 

On our most recent Celebrity Silhouette cruise, we had cabin 2106...a 12th deck Concierge Class cabin...and an excellent cabin, being on the "hump" with a balcony almost three times standard size! But the bed was next to the balcony...At first, my thought was "a bit disappointing"...then, I realized that on those S-Class ships, there is one VERY GOOD reason that the bed being next to the balcony was actually much better: The closets on the S-Class are PARALLEL to the sliding glass door and toward the side of the room with the bed's headboard...So, the bed being next to the bathroom means it runs along the entire lenth of the closet--making the closet that much harder to access...When the Sitting Area is next to the closet, you have space to walk right up to at least the left hand side of the closet and it's not to hard to reach in to the right hand side...

 

Of course, on the Allure, that shouldn't be an issue as the closet is located in the hallway area across from the bathroom...

 

BUT, it did get me thinking...

 

What are people's views on the pluses and minuses of the bed being next to the balcony vs. the bed next to the bathroom on Allure?

[Mary loves to travel]

I tend to agree with you - bed near the bath so the combined sitting area / balcony is contiguous and more spacious in total.

[Ocean Boy]

I was just doing a little pre-cruise research for my January Allure of the Seas cruise and noticed a old post stating that the bed in our cabin-- 8690-- is closer to the bathroom...with the sitting area adjacent to the balcony...

 

Personally, I tend to prefer it that way--making the sitting area seem somewhat larger being contiguous with the balcony area outside...

 

But, it also occurred to me, having just completed our third cruise on a Celebrity S-Class ship, that, at times, there may be some advantages to having the cabin configured the other way...

 

On our most recent Celebrity Silhouette cruise, we had cabin 2106...a 12th deck Concierge Class cabin...and an excellent cabin, being on the "hump" with a balcony almost three times standard size! But the bed was next to the balcony...At first, my thought was "a bit disappointing"...then, I realized that on those S-Class ships, there is one VERY GOOD reason that the bed being next to the balcony was actually much better: The closets on the S-Class are PARALLEL to the sliding glass door and toward the side of the room with the bed's headboard...So, the bed being next to the bathroom means it runs along the entire lenth of the closet--making the closet that much harder to access...When the Sitting Area is next to the closet, you have space to walk right up to at least the left hand side of the closet and it's not to hard to reach in to the right hand side...

 

Of course, on the Allure, that shouldn't be an issue as the closet is located in the hallway area across from the bathroom...

 

BUT, it did get me thinking...

 

What are people's views on the pluses and minuses of the bed being next to the balcony vs. the bed next to the bathroom on Allure?

 

No, on Allure and Oasis the closet is located as you described on Celebrity's S class ships. I have had a cabin with the bed by the closet. It is very difficult to get in the closet when someone is sleeping without waking them up. I am a very early riser and I always got what I needed for morning out of the closet the night before. That being said, I do like the sitting space by the balcony door. When you first walk into a cabin with the bed by the closet it makes the cabin seem small and cramped until you get past the bed. My first reaction when I first entered our cabin on Oasis was what the heck is this, the closet? I guess there are pros and cons to both set-ups. I still much prefer the cabins on the Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom class ships.

Edited July 30, 2013 by Ocean Boy

[Bruin Steve]

No, on Allure and Oasis the closet is located as you described on Celebrity's S class ships. I have had a cabin with the bed by the closet. It is very difficult to get in the closet when someone is sleeping without waking them up. I am a very early riser and I always got what I needed for morning out of the closet the night before. That being said, I do like the sitting space by the balcony door. When you first walk into a cabin with the bed by the closet it makes the cabin seem small and cramped until you get past the bed. My first reaction when I first entered our cabin on Oasis was what the heck is this, the closet? I guess there are pros and cons to both set-ups. I still much prefer the cabins on the Radiance, Voyager, and Freedom class ships.

 

Uh-oh...

I guess I was mixing up the configuration with other Royal Caribbean ships...it's been a year and a half since I've been on Allure...

 

Well...I guess I'll cope with it this time...the cruise is only seven nights, so we'll have a lot less stuff than we did on any of our S-class cruises (all 13-14 nights)...I love the cabin location and the still available others in the category are not as good. We had a similar location the last time we were on Allure--deck 8 near the Aft elevators...and it was very convenient...walk right out into Central Park, up the elevators to the Windjammer, down to the Boardwalk and to the Dining Room...and a pleasant walk across Central Park to the forward elevators to go to the Diamond Lounge or the Showroom.

[Donut23]

Generally I prefer the sitting area near the balcony---seems more private. However, our last cruise, on the Brilliance.....see video....in cabin 1104, having the sitting area near the closet was a tremendous convenience.

 

At the time we didn't realize it was the beginning of a heart problem. We only knew I was under the weather. So tired, at the last minute my Jim ordered a scooter for me.

 

There is no room to leave it in the hallway....how thoughtless that would be!

 

I was actually able to bring the scooter into the cabin, turn it around alongside the bed and the scooter spent the night alongside the sofa. Amazingly, there was plenty of room to move around.

 

The layout of Royal's cabins have often amazed me.....all our bags disappear under the bed, way too many cloths can fit into the closet an even something simple like rounding the corners of the bed makes access soooooo much easier.

 

I KNOW these cabins were designed many years before the thought of accommodating a scooter was concerned. I'm not sure a scooter would work inside the smaller cabin with the love seat....but it fit like a glove in our D1.

 

Here is our cabin 1104 on the Radiance.

 

By the way, being tired all the time, I took advantage of this wonderful balcony so much more.

 

[liljay6915]

A parents perspective here but I prefer the bed next to the balcony. With the addition of a pack n play in the room I found out that if I move the side table to the other side of the room and Scoot the couch up against the bed the crib fits perfectly between the couch and the closet. I also like to wake up with the sun I my face so it's nice to sleep next to the sliding door!

 

 

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[Snooksi]

I think there are pros either way.

 

Personally, I enjoy the couch area next to the balcony because we used it more than the bed and enjoyed the oceanview. We only used the bed to sleep in and when we packed/unpacked.

 

However, if the bed were next to the balcony, what an awesome view to wake up to everyday.

 

You can't lose either way and I think it's just personal preference.

[Ocean Boy]

I think there are pros either way.

 

Personally, I enjoy the couch area next to the balcony because we used it more than the bed and enjoyed the oceanview. We only used the bed to sleep in and when we packed/unpacked.

 

However, if the bed were next to the balcony, what an awesome view to wake up to everyday.

 

You can't lose either way and I think it's just personal preference.

 

I'm usually up before the sun so I don't have to worry about the view from the bed.:D

[Snooksi]

I'm usually up before the sun so I don't have to worry about the view from the bed.:D

 

Oh yeah, you're probably one of those people who goes and HOGS the pool chairs, ever so early in the morning, before everyone else even gets out of bed.

 

Sorry, couldn't help it. Just finished reading the chair hog thread and it cracked me up!! :)

[Sherri914]

I have had it both ways -- by closet and by balcony. I sought out a cabin with the bed by the closet for my next cruise. I weighed how much time I'd spend getting into the closet vs how much time I'd spend enjoying sitting with the balcony doors open in the evening enjoying the breeze, and for us, a bed by the closet works better. It's just us, no kids, so the close proximity of the bed and closet weren't much of a concern for me. I'm in the closet probably twice a day. But I use the balcony doors many, many times a day. It's a matter of personal preference. Either way, you can't go wrong. ;)

[Ocean Boy]

Oh yeah, you're probably one of those people who goes and HOGS the pool chairs, ever so early in the morning, before everyone else even gets out of bed.

 

Sorry, couldn't help it. Just finished reading the chair hog thread and it cracked me up!! :)

 

I should be insulted but your post made me laugh!:D

[akcruz]

I'm usually up before the sun so I don't have to worry about the view from the bed.:D

 

Or, the drapes are closed so you can't see out anyway.

 

I agree that there are definitely pros and cons to both configurations. We have had both when booking 2 cabins next to each other so have experienced both.

 

Yes, the closet can be tough to get into with the bed near it, but if it is made into one bed it is do-able. If you split the beds it makes it much more difficult. If you need/want split beds those by the balcony probably make more sense to me.

 

If you have more than 2 people in the cabin having the bed by the closet definitely gives you the feeling of more space as the balcony can "blend" into the cabin a bit easier.

 

Of course it all comes down to same the same thing as many others on a cruise, personal preference and what works best for your individual situation. IMO there is no correct answer to which is better overall.

[FLACRUISER99]

To me it doesn't make a difference and never give a thought when booking.

[cjdixon4]

At my age, a bed near the toilet is pretty important.

[Ocean Boy]

Or, the drapes are closed so you can't see out anyway.

 

I agree that there are definitely pros and cons to both configurations. We have had both when booking 2 cabins next to each other so have experienced both.

 

Yes, the closet can be tough to get into with the bed near it, but if it is made into one bed it is do-able. If you split the beds it makes it much more difficult. If you need/want split beds those by the balcony probably make more sense to me.

 

If you have more than 2 people in the cabin having the bed by the closet definitely gives you the feeling of more space as the balcony can "blend" into the cabin a bit easier.

 

Of course it all comes down to same the same thing as many others on a cruise, personal preference and what works best for your individual situation. IMO there is no correct answer to which is better overall.

 

Actually, if you have more than two people you don't have any options. The cabins on Oasis and Allure that accomodate more than two people all have the beds by the closet. This, of course, does not include that major suite categories which are an entirely different ballgame.

[dshebert]

I remember seeing a thread that explained how to figure out where your bed was located in any cabin. I can't find it now. I'm going to be in cabin # 9728 next May on Oasis. Does anyone remember if my bed is going to be close to closet or balcony? Thanks.

[akcruz]

Actually, if you have more than two people you don't have any options. The cabins on Oasis and Allure that accomodate more than two people all have the beds by the closet. This, of course, does not include that major suite categories which are an entirely different ballgame.

 

True that if you book a regular cabin for more than 2 this is how it has to be. To be a bit more clear, we sail with our kids who have their own cabin, when they are in our cabin, which happens at least a few times a day, having the open space near the balcony helps out a lot.

 

We have found that works best for us if mom and dad in the cabin with the bed by closet and kids in the cabin with beds by balcony. This way they don't fight over closet access as nobody is right next to it, and we have the larger feeling space in our cabin which is where we usually are all together.

[Host Star]

I prefer the bed by the balcony for easy access to the closet.. however the deal was so good for the allure on a balc. guarantee that I'll be happy with whatever I get :)

[Ocean Boy]

I remember seeing a thread that explained how to figure out where your bed was located in any cabin. I can't find it now. I'm going to be in cabin # 9728 next May on Oasis. Does anyone remember if my bed is going to be close to closet or balcony? Thanks.

 

The bed will be by the balcony.

[PCWalton1]

To me it doesn't make a difference and never give a thought when booking.

 

Same here, I had to go back and look at the pictures from my cruise to see where it was located in our JS as I could not remember (bad was near the closet :))

 

Bill

[dshebert]

The bed will be by the balcony.

 

Thank you sir!!

[Ocean Boy]

Thank you sir!!

 

You're welcome. I'm happy to help.

[BAreEhD]

You're welcome. I'm happy to help.

 

Is there a way to figure this out for all rooms?

 

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[skiiergirl]

Is there a way to figure this out for all rooms?

 

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Forums mobile app

 

I know several years ago someone had done a chart/spreadsheet for this for OA. I can't find the thread though.

[akcruz]

Is there a way to figure this out for all rooms?

 

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Forums mobile app

 

 

General rule of thumb is find a connecting cabin near yours (if yours is not). Looking at the cabins from the hallway the connecting cabin on the left has the bed by the balcony. The one on the right has the bed by the balcony. The cabins switch back and forth between the configurations so go back and forth until you get to your cabin to see which you have.

 

If there is any different type of cabin (like a JS between balconies) or other non cabin something it can throw off the above "calculation", but otherwise it is pretty consistent.