Any cove balcony lovers? Please ease my mind

[meggymay]

I just booked a surprise trip on the Mardi Gras next year for my husbands birthday. We've tried the regular balconies and the extended aft ones but we haven't tried the cove ones yet, so I went ahead and got one for this trip. It was a spur of the moment thing. Then I started reading about how people seem to either love them or hate them. I'm worried that the whole thing is going to get covered in sea water everyday and we won't use it much (sitting out on the balcony is one of our favorite things to do). Our cove balcony is the very last one, towards the aft. I'm pretty sure there isn't a life boat above it. Do you think since we'll be far back we won't get the ocean spray from the bow? Has anyone had a cove that stayed dry for the most part?

 

I'd discuss this with my husband but then it would ruin the surprise. lol

[jsglow]

You're fine.  We had the very first cove on Starboard on a cruise last Spring.  Absolutely loved it.  Often I would take a wash cloth out in the morning to wipe the chairs.  Sometimes some light salt but nothing 30 seconds time didn't solved.  Makes it feel like you are getting a 'small ship' experience.

[watermelonqueen99]

Cove balconies are our absolute favorite type of cabin. We've had a "regular" balcony too and much prefer the coves. You'll love it!

[JandPB]

We just booked our first cove on the Breeze and I’m looking forward to it. We always get balconies and this will be a change. We’ve been in spa deck, aft extended, regular balconies. We have a large balcony near the aft on the Conquest coming up. I’m looking forward to being close to the water in the southern Caribbean. Hopefully a nice smooth ride down so we can enjoy it. 

[meggymay]

@watermelonqueen99  Did the balconies stay relatively dry?

 

Edit: Apparently I don't know how to tag people.

Edited September 30, 2019 by meggymay

[jbethel11]

1 hour ago, watermelonqueen99 said:

Cove balconies are our absolute favorite type of cabin. We've had a "regular" balcony too and much prefer the coves. You'll love it!

 

46 minutes ago, meggymay said:

@watermelonqueen99  Did the balconies stay relatively dry?

 

Edit: Apparently I don't know how to tag people.

This should help you out 😉

[spleenstomper]

Loved it on dream and if Mardi Gras has stupid deck 5 around the ship, a cove balcony is the superior choice to 1) getting to enjoy the water and 2) not getting blinded by deck 5 lights. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by spleenstomper

[meggymay]

3 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

 

This should help you out 😉

 

Thanks!

[FSHLOT]

We loved our cove. Never had an issue with ocean spray or wetness,of course we were in calm seas the whole trip. We like the fact that it was semi-covered so we weren't getting killed by the sun all the time. This was on the Dream, so not sure about Mardi Gras. 

 

You can also get a great veiw of flying fish and other sea creatures being so close to the water. Have fun!!! 😎

[wms99]

If a ship doesn't have cove balconies, it isn't on our list for possible "next" cruise. Cove all the way baby!

 

[Pisgah]

We have had a cove balcony on the Dream and loved it.  We booked another one on our Feb Magic cruise.  We have been the first Cove Balcony forward and only had spray in rough water one night/day.

Normally it is not a problem.  We loved being close to the water.  We saw flying fish and dolphins.  I will book a cove balcony every time if they are available.

 

[Joe817]

13 hours ago, meggymay said:

I just booked a surprise trip on the Mardi Gras next year for my husbands birthday. We've tried the regular balconies and the extended aft ones but we haven't tried the cove ones yet, so I went ahead and got one for this trip. It was a spur of the moment thing. Then I started reading about how people seem to either love them or hate them. I'm worried that the whole thing is going to get covered in sea water everyday and we won't use it much (sitting out on the balcony is one of our favorite things to do). Our cove balcony is the very last one, towards the aft. I'm pretty sure there isn't a life boat above it. Do you think since we'll be far back we won't get the ocean spray from the bow? Has anyone had a cove that stayed dry for the most part?

 

I'd discuss this with my husband but then it would ruin the surprise. lol

We had a cove balcony on the Dream. Loved, loved, loved it! Like you all, sitting on the balcony was one of our favorite things to do too! We were on deck 2 midship and didn't get any spray at all. This was back in July with calm seas. We never got wet 1 time. One suggestion: look at the deck plans and see what's above you. We were right below the galley, and heard 'bowling balls' every night around 1am-3am and woke me up every night. I'm a light sleeper though. Wife never was bothered by that noise. I wouldn't suggest a cabin below an area prone to traffic and/or machinery movement. Here's a pic from our cove balcony. The lifeboats shielded us from the blinding sun.

 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Joe817

[meggymay]

37 minutes ago, Joe817 said:

We had a cove balcony on the Dream. Loved, loved, loved it! Like you all, sitting on the balcony was one of our favorite things to do too! We were on deck 2 midship and didn't get any spray at all. This was back in July with calm seas. We never got wet 1 time. One suggestion: look at the deck plans and see what's above you. We were right below the galley, and heard 'bowling balls' every night around 1am-3am and woke me up every night. I'm a light sleeper though. Wife never was bothered by that noise. I wouldn't suggest a cabin below an area prone to traffic and/or machinery movement. Here's a pic from our cove balcony. The lifeboats shielded us from the blinding sun.

 

 

According to the deck plans, I'm right under the ladies restroom. Not sure if i'll hear toilets all night. lol

[bandjwayne]

Like another poster mentioned noise can be an issue.  I was in a cove balcony on the Vista, right across from the Harbor Family Lounge.  Although the balcony was nice, the noise I heard at night kept me up all night long...never again.

[Tom.Terrific]

We love our balconies, and spend a lot of time out there.  Sailaway, coming into port, watching sunrises, sunsets and the stars.  We've had Cove Balconies on both Dream and Magic.  The rooms were under either the excursions desk or the guest services desk, so fairly forward, and we've never been chased away by ocean spray or foul weather.    You won't get a much sun in a cove, and you'll have more privacy.  Really enjoy the closeness and the sound of the water.  We tried different room types and locations across 3 cruise lines and the Cove Balcony is easily our favorite.  

[watermelonqueen99]

Yes, our cove balconies have always stayed relatively dry. There is usually a little salt buildup on the railing, but that's to be expected. 

[EMBFlyer]

We loved our Cove on the Magic several years ago.  Never had an issue with sea spray.  As others have stated, make sure to check the deck plans and find out what's above you.  We were right under the Guest Services desk and had no issues at all.

[TexasRed]

On 9/29/2019 at 8:45 PM, JandPB said:

We just booked our first cove on the Breeze and I’m looking forward to it. We always get balconies and this will be a change. We’ve been in spa deck, aft extended, regular balconies. We have a large balcony near the aft on the Conquest coming up. I’m looking forward to being close to the water in the southern Caribbean. Hopefully a nice smooth ride down so we can enjoy it. 

 

We have had coves on the Breeze twice and loved it.  I would recommend checking the deck plans for what is above you, we were right under the excursion desk, 2272 then 2268 the next time. We never heard anything, but I have heard others heard galley sounds all night.

 

Edited October 1, 2019 by TexasRed

[TexasRed]

You will love staying in a cove!  It is so close to the water, and the view is unobstructed by life boats.  You are also only one floor away from the MDR and the atrium. And coming back to your cabin after a day in port if the line is long you can just walk up a few flights of stairs to get to your room. I would book a cove again in a heartbeat!

[wms99]

Once we were under the galley. First night it was loud and woke me several times. Second night it only woke me once or twice. By the third night it was part of the ambient background noise and it never bothered me again.

[cmichael1279]

I never noticed the noise, but I'm used to loud neighbors in my condo at home, haha!

 

But, we love the cove balconies - it's all we book now.  To me, there's nothing more peaceful than sitting out on that balcony late at night, in the middle of the ocean!  There's also less traffic on that deck generally and it's super easy to get off the ship on the final day!

[NebraskaSatellite]

We stayed in cove balconies twice, on the Breeze and the Vista.  On both ships we were roughly under the excursion desk.  In addition to the privacy and shade, Deck 2 is really pretty convenient being one deck down from the atrium and dining room, and a couple decks up from the gangway.  No waiting for elevators on embarkation or returning from port.  

 

Watching the runners in Cozumel from a cove is fun too.............

 

[CWGrable]

On 9/30/2019 at 10:48 PM, EMBFlyer said:

We loved our Cove on the Magic several years ago.  Never had an issue with sea spray.  As others have stated, make sure to check the deck plans and find out what's above you.  We were right under the Guest Services desk and had no issues at all.

Convenient location for you!   

 

[kdkstormy]

We loved the Cove balcony!  Close to the water and a great view of the runners in Cozumel like stated above!

[tandemcruzr]

We are Cove fans. Love being so close to the water. We really enjoy seeing the flying fish in the ship's wake. We are in a cove next week (10/19) and in a cove on the Mardi Gras next year.