Aft balcony room question

[Guest debbiejohncruise]

We were looking at the 43 day cruise from Vancouver to Auckland, NZ and wondered if an aft balcony would be a great idea. Has anyone ever done an aft room? Thanks! Debbie

[ger_77]

We just finished a 2 week cruise with an aft balcony and loved it. It was so nice sitting there with a glass of wine and a book, or just watching the ship's wake.

 

Be aware that in an aft cabin you are going to do plenty of walking - this cruise was particularly good for DH because he was able to exercise his new knee. It also helped being in an aft cabin because with all the walking, it meant we could have a dessert without guilt.:D

 

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

[Danbee46]

We are approaching our first HAL cruise but we have had aft balconies on other cruise lines and we love them. It's restful just sitting out there watching the ship's wake. Also, on some ships the aft balconies are a bit larger.

[Queen of DaNile]

Aft cabins cabins are quite popular and given how few there are they disappear quickly. Don't wait too long if you're interested. We've had one on a different line and are looking forward to enjoying an aft on our transatlantic in August:)

[ship2]

Depends on the ship. Some aft wraps are mote exposed than others. Look for an overhang (roof) and you will get mote wind and sun. We had an act wrap on the Zuiderdam on a Panama Canal cruise and it was on deck 4 . I loved it. So close to the locks And the mules.

[mamaofami]

 

Aft cabins are my favorite. They do go quickly.

[kalliekae]

We had an aft with the wrap around deck on the Nieuw Amsterdam. It was a lovely cabin and we would book it again. If you plan to spend a lot of time on your balcony, it is well worth booking it. Be prepared to walk!

Edited February 26, 2016 by kalliekae

[SeaBands]

cabin if available. Great with larger space and my partner's smoking won't annoy anyone.

[lastlook]

We selected an aft balcony cabin on another line (Oceania) for the Panama Canal transit and everything was fine until we exited the canal and encountered very rough seas all the way to Cartagena (and the remainder of the cruise back to Miami.) It took us so long to get to Cartagena, which was supposed to just be a port visit, that we had to overnight there and then missed one of our ports on the way back to Miami.

 

While I managed well, my DH did not - he was very sea sick (along with many others on the ship) and I doubt I could ever talk him into trying another aft cabin. (I would love to have one when we book a cruise to Alaska.)

 

If you (or your traveling companion) are prone to motion sickness, that might be something to consider on the itinerary that you're planning to book. Have a great trip when you go - I'd love to take that cruise!

[lastlook]

p.s. Just to clarify my last post, I am not suggesting that you shouldn't do that itinerary. Just that you might want to consider cabin location in case you encounter any rough seas along the way if either of you are prone to motion sickness that can't be helped with Bonine, Sea Bands, etc.

[Lady Arwen]

Sailed in an aft on Eurodam. Loved it, now it's all we want! No issues with motion, just some vibration is evident to those that are more sensitive.

[Guest debbiejohncruise]

Thanks so much! We don't mind walking long distances either. We nordic walk on board 6 km a day. I was just looking through cruise critic comments on most of the HAL ships and was very disappointed on the many statements on quality of food and worn and outdated rooms. We have had many HAL cruises and had gone to Celebrity because of the smoke in the Casinos and balconies on HAL ships. This itinerary sounded amazing but now I am nervous about booking it.

[sos1720]

We've done three aft-balconies and loved some and hated some. The good- you're protected from wind, smokers and get a fantastic view of the sea and sail-aways. You can see both sides of the ocean, get plenty of sun and they're very private. The bad- some ships, the Prinsendam for example, one can experience excessive vibration when docking, not good in early morning arrivals. Also, ash from smoke stacks can land on your balcony and fumes may also at times waft down to you. After our experiences, we've chosen to forego the aft and stay with the side views. To us the downsides outweighed the advantages of the aft-facing. To each his own, I'm glad we tried it.

[Tom O.]

We absolutely love aft balconies. We can see what goes by on both sides of the ship. We never noticed motion being any worse there. Forward cabins gets the most motion, as the bow of the ship rises and falls in rough seas.

[Fouremco]

We booked our first aft cabin a couple of years ago and have done so ever since when possible. Definitely our first choice! :)

[HELENPSL]

We are probably in the minority in saying we did not like the aft location. The cabin itself was fabulous (Neptune suite with wrap around balcony) but we much prefer a midship location. There was a great deal more noise and vibration in the aft area as opposed to midship. And, as everyone else has mentioned, a great deal more walking. I know we will stick with midship in the future.

 

Helen

[detroit70]

We are probably in the minority in saying we did not like the aft location. The cabin itself was fabulous (Neptune suite with wrap around balcony) but we much prefer a midship location. There was a great deal more noise and vibration in the aft area as opposed to midship. And, as everyone else has mentioned, a great deal more walking. I know we will stick with midship in the future.

 

Helen

 

I have to agree. It was a full two minute walk each way to and from the Neptune Lounge and, while the large wrap-around balcony was impressive, we found we didn't really use the additional space. We decided we wouldn't book another aft suite on future cruises.

[SLOTheta]

Sailed in an aft on Eurodam. Loved it, now it's all we want! No issues with motion, just some vibration is evident to those that are more sensitive.

 

 

Which room were you in? We just moved from a V to a VB aft verandah room (Deck 5) on the Eurodam for our trip this summer. I'm nervous about the possibility of sea sickness, but I'm coming prepared with Seabands and ginger!

 

 

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[SonnekeH]

We just finished a 2 week cruise with an aft balcony and loved it. It was so nice sitting there with a glass of wine and a book, or just watching the ship's wake.

 

Be aware that in an aft cabin you are going to do plenty of walking - this cruise was particularly good for DH because he was able to exercise his new knee. It also helped being in an aft cabin because with all the walking, it meant we could have a dessert without guilt.:D

 

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

 

In an aft cacin you would be above the MDR, no? So not too much walking! But enjoy the dessert;)

[Lizzie68]

We are probably in the minority in saying we did not like the aft location. The cabin itself was fabulous (Neptune suite with wrap around balcony) but we much prefer a midship location. There was a great deal more noise and vibration in the aft area as opposed to midship. And, as everyone else has mentioned, a great deal more walking. I know we will stick with midship in the future.

 

Helen

 

I'm with you there.:) I much prefer a midship location, preferably on deck 7. And in any case, my DH has mobility issues, so it would be way to far for him to walk, and tough for me if I am pushing his wheelchair.;)

[ger_77]

In an aft cacin you would be above the MDR, no? So not too much walking! But enjoy the dessert

 

You are correct about being near the dining room; we were only 2 floors above. However, we like spending time in the Crow's Nest and the library, so that meant walking the full length of the ship several times a day (in addition to walking the Promenade every day). Desserts were good. ;)

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

[Tom O.]

So the bottom line is that there are a lot of people who like aft balconies, but there are some who don't.

Because there are very few of these rooms, there is not enough to supply the demand of those who want them. Result: they usually cost more and are the first to be sold out.

In my case, they are especially hard to get, because we cannot afford a suite, and most aft balcony rooms are suites (depending on the ship). But there are some regular balcony rooms on the aft too, we usually book a year in advance to get them.