Bed by the window or the bath on Silhouette? Pro's & Cons?

[SRQMom]

There's an option for Balcony rooms for the bed by the window or by the bath.  Advice and preferences please.  Pro's and con's.  From the pictures, it seems like bed by the window would feel less cramped.  But up for suggestions for anyone who has done both and has advice.  Thanks!

[Turtles06]

We’ve done both, and while we prefer the bed by the balcony, it’s not a dealbreaker for us the other way around if we like the cabin location better.

 

There’s no right answer, but we like the bed by the balcony because that configuration opens up the entrance to the cabin more.  It also means you don’t have to walk around the bed to get to the closet or bathroom, or to get dressed.  Also, the really bright nightlight in the bathroom that you can’t turn off on the Silhouette throws a great deal of light into the cabin through the bottom of the bathroom door; we found this much less disturbing with the bed near the balcony. 

 

What I’ve read from folks who prefer the bed by the bath is that they like having a sitting area near the balcony.  I’m sure others will add additional reasons. 

 

Enjoy whatever you choose; the Silhouette is our favorite ship!

[Essiesmom]

I travel with my sister, and we always have the bed divided.  And I always take the side closest to the bath.  So when we have bed by balcony, the couch is next to my side of the bed and I can use it like a nightstand, for clock, tissue, Kindle...EM

[mfs2k]

I'm facing the same dilemma.  I'm currently booked in a bed by the bathroom, but am wondering if I want to switch my cabin to a bed by the wall.

 

You can see the two layouts below.

 

I kind of like the idea of the bed by the bathroom.  It creates a living room space which includes the balcony, so if someone wants to relax while the other is sleeping late, or going to sleep early, they have access to the balcony area too, without disturbing the other.   

 

 

[Turtles06]

8 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

I'm facing the same dilemma.  I'm currently booked in a bed by the bathroom, but am wondering if I want to switch my cabin to a bed by the wall.

 

You can see the two layouts below.

 

I kind of like the idea of the bed by the bathroom.  It creates a living room space which includes the balcony, so if someone wants to relax while the other is sleeping late, or going to sleep early, they have access to the balcony area too, without disturbing the other.   

 

Really, there’s no correct answer; only you can decide what you think you would prefer.  Pick it, then you need to do a second cruise with the other configuration. 

Edited January 31, 2019 by Turtles06

[akcruz]

As Turrtle06 said above bed location is not the top concern for us when booking a cabin, have had both, however if we had a choice we go with the bed by the bath in a balcony cabin.

 

To us having the bed by the bath makes the cabin feel larger as the balcony is part of the room.  The only downside is if you have the beds split it can be tight to get into the closet.

 

 

[Sascol]

This topic always tickles me.  We've taken 25+ cruises and have the bed in both places mentioned.  I can't say that we would ever to be able to recall any positive or negative either way.  It is never a factor when picking a cabin - but that's just us.

[Loracpin2]

As someone who suffers from sever motion sickness, the most important issue for me is.....when I am lying in bed, is my body moving forward with the direction of the ship. For this reason, I only book port side cabins with the bed by the balcony on S-class ships and rely on the S-class Cabin thread to let me know (especially for AQ) if the bed is by the balcony or the bath. 

[Wine-O]

25 minutes ago, Loracpin2 said:

As someone who suffers from sever motion sickness, the most important issue for me is.....when I am lying in bed, is my body moving forward with the direction of the ship. For this reason, I only book port side cabins with the bed by the balcony on S-class ships and rely on the S-class Cabin thread to let me know (especially for AQ) if the bed is by the balcony or the bath. 

If you are on the starboard side, with bed by the bath, when you are lying in bed, your feet will face the direction the ship is moving.  With bed by the balcony, your head will face the direction the ship is moving.

 

On the port side, it is just the opposite.  Bed by the bath, your head will face the direction the ship is moving, and bed by the balcony, your feet will face the direction the ship is moving.

[TeaBag]

2 hours ago, Wine-O said:

If you are on the starboard side, with bed by the bath, when you are lying in bed, your feet will face the direction the ship is moving.  With bed by the balcony, your head will face the direction the ship is moving.

 

On the port side, it is just the opposite.  Bed by the bath, your head will face the direction the ship is moving, and bed by the balcony, your feet will face the direction the ship is moving.

Thanks for that Wine-O.  I had never thought through the difference of bed placement starboard vs Port.  Last Nov, we had our bed by the balcony for the first time in many cruises and we liked it a lot but it's not a deal breaker for us.

[Loracpin2]

2 hours ago, Wine-O said:

If you are on the starboard side, with bed by the bath, when you are lying in bed, your feet will face the direction the ship is moving.  With bed by the balcony, your head will face the direction the ship is moving.

 

On the port side, it is just the opposite.  Bed by the bath, your head will face the direction the ship is moving, and bed by the balcony, your feet will face the direction the ship is moving.

I might be missing something here but, if my head and face are facing forward, my feet are moving in the same direction. On all 18 cruises I have taken on Solstice class ships, I have booked port side balcony cabins with the bed by the balcony and when I am lying in bed.....my entire body is moving forward with the direction of the ship same as it would be sitting in a car.

  

[upwarduk]

On 1/31/2019 at 3:58 PM, akcruz said:

The only downside is if you have the beds split it can be tight to get into the closet

If your bed is by the balcony it is still difficult to get access to the closet, as the arm of the coach is in the way. You can see the doors of the closet ( brown) and arm of the coach ( maroon) in the attached picture.

Edited February 1, 2019 by upwarduk

[Reel Love]

We have sailed with both bed by bath and bed by balcony and enjoy both cabin layouts pretty much equally.  However one aspect that we really like with the bed by balcony is sleeping with the verandah door partially open to fall asleep with the sound of the waves practically right next to you.  Very soothing to me......

[DebInAntigua]

We loved our bed by the balcony on the Equinox last year. This year I "screwed up" and booked a bed by the bath on the Silhouette, C2 on the rear hump. Nice big balcony on that cabin, so I think we'll stay put and give the bed by the bath a try. Who knows, we might like it after all.

[Luvcrusn]

We've done both and prefer the bed near the bath. I like the desk near the balcony because it allows more light as I'm putting on makeup doing hair etc. It also makes the sitting area more bright and cheery. But honestly, what makes the decision for us is the cabin location. Thinking about it, we prefer the bed to be on a ship.

[Buckeye94]

I like having the bed by the bath to open up the "living space" to the balcony.  If I'm on the balcony and want my phone, daily schedule, journal, drink, Kindle, or anything else I've left inside, probably on the desk, I just reach in, versus walking around the bed to get to the desk.  Also, if I lay out clothes on the bed before showering, they are just a step away from the bath.  But really, I'm just happy to have a bed I don't have to make and a bath I don't have to clean! 🙂 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Buckeye94

[Tourist1292]

There is a survey on this topic in another subforum. Basically, around 10% more people prefer the bed by the balcony. We booked two rooms on Solstice with 3x larger balcony for 6 people. We prefer to have the bed by the bath to have larger continuous space with the large balcony. However, we got one of each bed arrangement in the two rooms.

[emmas gran]

 

 

DH has fallen over table when bed by balcony, so not an option for us now always pick bed by balcony

[Solution]

One advantage of having the bed by the balcony is that you have quick access to the blow dryer after your shower. When the bathroom space is at a premium, we put all the hair care products on the desk. This way, I can dry my hair while my wife can use the bathroom.

 

With the bed by the bathroom, you just need to walk a few steps further to the desk. Not a deal breaker.

 

I will take any arrangement as long as I have a cruise.

[Luvcrusn]

18 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

 

 

DH has fallen over table when bed by balcony, so not an option for us now always pick bed by balcony

I'm confused by this.

[Marelaine]

I prefer the bed by the bath, so the sofa forms a living space with the balcony. I also like to be close to the bathroom at night because I'm a klutz and I'd like to reduce the number of things on which I might stub my toe in the middle of the night
My husband prefers the bed by the balcony because he likes to be able to enjoy the view when he wakes from his naps.
Neither of us feel strongly one way or the other about it. 
 

[phoenix_dream]

To me there really is not all that much difference for me to worry about it when I book.  I also get sea sick easily and for me it doesn't really matter which way I face (which is a different issue if I am in a car, boat, or train where I can see the horizon rushing past me backwards - that bothers me; this does not).  Anyway...……….I personally prefer bed by the bath so I don't have to stumble around the bed to get there in the middle of the night (a senior issue).    That does make it a bit more awkward to get into the closet but really, it is no big deal either way.  To me location matters WAY more than where the bed is located.

[Tourist1292]

For the staterooms that we picked, having the bed by the balcony will still be a distance from water due to the 3x size of a regular balcony.

[tarps]

Just got off the Silhouette today from a 21 day B2B and our first bed by the balcony.....I had no issues with bed by the bath but do think I prefer the bed by the balcony after this cruise.   Could be just how our daily routine went but I felt it opened up the cabin upon entering not to be confronted with a bed, and when getting showered and dressed for dinner I had a quick access to the bathroom.   On previous cruises with bed by bath,  the desk (which is my hair and makeup station) by the balcony seemed disjointed from the bathroom and often the sun shone in so brightly and heatedly that I had to close the curtains.     I do have each booked for the next two years but after this last cruise I am sure I will try for the bed by balcony location first off.

[julia]

100% bed by bath here!  We use our cabin mainly for relaxing, reading, sipping wine, chatting, snacking, etc, rather than just sleeping. Therefore, we really enjoy the sofa by the open balcony... that is our "living room!"