Central Park Balconies

[tomroach]

Could you give me any pros or cons that you have experienced staying in a Central Park Balcony.

 

[jalves]

I haven't actually stayed in a Central Park balcony but I'll share the reasons I won't stay in one:

1. I like to look at the ocean when I sail.
2. I dislike having to have my curtains drawn so that the people across from my can't see into my room.

 

[GTO-Girl]

1 hour ago, tomroach said:

Could you give me any pros or cons that you have experienced staying in a Central Park Balcony.

 

They can be hot because they don’t get a lot of breeze.  But in the evenings there is always beautiful soothing music being played, so it is nice to sit on your balcony and listen...

Edited December 15, 2019 by GTO-Girl

[davelinde]

We've had them both times we cruised in Oasis class.  For me, no cons.  It was like having an apartment in a nice little city - music at night and a great view of a park.  I'd want the same cabin again next time.

[Clarea]

1 hour ago, tomroach said:

Could you give me any pros or cons that you have experienced staying in a Central Park Balcony.

 

 

Lack of privacy.

 

Lack of air circulation can make it uncomfortably hot.

[LookingForward2]

Great rooms, nice views of CP.  Usually lower price than OV.  
have never noticed it being hot, nice to have the fresh air compared to inside rooms. 

We have done them a few times and would do that or BW again. 

[matj2000]

The only thing good about it is that they are the cheapest balcony cabins available..

 

Don't let anyone tell you anything else...

 

[Merion_Mom]

17 minutes ago, matj2000 said:

The only thing good about it is that they are the cheapest balcony cabins available..

 

Don't let anyone tell you anything else...

 

 

Or DO let people tell you something else.  🙄

[DesireeC03]

Pros

cost

ambience

music each evening

 

cons

not the ocean

[taglovestocruise]

Stay away from deck 14. Sometimes overhead noise late at night from the crew moving loungers and doing maintenance.

[Norwich Cruiser]

We always try and book Central Park staterooms when cruising on Oasis class ships have always been extremely pleased with them and find them fantastic value.

We’ve never had a issue with any lack of privacy or air circulation and if we’ve ever wanted a view of the ocean we can always find one.

They are just so peaceful all day and in the evenings find nothing better than sitting on the balcony with a drink whilst listening to the superb music that is being played from the park below.

Oh and of course you are near our favourite Trellis Bar.

 

[JamesEM]

CP staterooms are a good value, have booked them several times without any problems. 

[Grandma Petania]

In the past ten years I have sailed at least once on each of the four Oasis class ships.  The only ocean balcony was arranged by my older daughter, where we had two connecting cabins.  One was a handicapped cabin to accommodate my son-in-law who is in a motorized wheelchair.  I shared the other cabin with my teenage grandson, who spent much of his time sleeping, with the drapes closed.  I joined DD & DSIL on their balcony a few times, but I was more interested in the entertainment and exploring the ship, as this was my first cruise.

 

On my second cruise, I traveled with my younger daughter, and we chose an interior cabin to keep the costs down.  Next time out, we got a Central Park balcony, and we were SOLD!  That’s the only kind we’ll choose now.

 

 I have never found the cabins to be too hot, and don’t have any problems with privacy.  The only time we feel the need to close the drapes is after dark when we are dressing with the ceiling lights on.  When we are clothed, and without the bright lights on, we keep the drapes (and often the balcony door) open.

 

As others have mentioned, the view of the park is beautiful and soothing, the live musicians in the evening are very enjoyable, and people-watching is fun, especially from decks 10 & 11.  We often sit on the balcony to play cards or Scrabble.  Before you base your decision on the nay-sayers (some of whom have never even stayed in a CP balcony cabin), if not overlooking the ocean 24/7 isn’t a deal breaker, I suggest you give Central Park a try.  

 

I almost hesitate to encourage more people, because it might make it harder for us to get the cabin we want on future cruises, but my daughter and I think these cabins are the BEST for us.  (For more comments, check my post on a thread about neighborhood balcony perks ending.)

[brillohead]

I've never had a problem with CP balconies (had them on Oasis and Harmony), but I don't necessarily "prefer" them -- they're just often cheaper than an inside!

Biggest pro -- low cost.
Other pros -- you can clip your wet swimwear to a chair to drip dry, and you have a balcony to sit on if you like that sort of thing.

I don't really have any cons to them -- I'm on a ship, I'm a happy camper.  

I've never had any problem with privacy -- I don't go onto the balcony in a state of undress, nor do I perform any private acts on the balcony.  It's really quite difficult to see inside the room unless it's nighttime and the lights are on and all the drapes are open... and the room steward always pulls the drapes shut as part of turn-down service, so it's never been an issue.  

The fact that you can't see the ocean from the balcony isn't an issue for me, either -- I typically cruise in an inside room.  I have cruised in insides, oceanview windows, CP balconies, and oceanview balconies on a multitude of ships, and I just am not a person who uses a balcony (even with an ocean view) -- they're a waste of money for me, as I'd rather be on the pool deck / solarium area.  Other people use their balcony every single day for hours and hours -- for those people, a balcony is an essential part of their cruise experience and worth every penny.  



 

[toothy26]

We absolutely loved our CP balcony on Symphony! I would choose it over and over again. I loved people watching, the lights at night, the music. It was wonderful!

[John&LaLa]

The ones that end in 229 and 629 have dbl width balconies. Thats nice.

 

[cruisegirl1]

17 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Stay away from deck 14. Sometimes overhead noise late at night from the crew moving loungers and doing maintenance.

Wouldn’t there be the  same issue with an ocean view balcony on deck 14?
 

m

[Tulsacoker]

5 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

The ones that end in 229 and 629 have dbl width balconies. Thats nice.

 

Did you see mat's comment that there's nothing else to say 😄

[Clarea]

23 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Wouldn’t there be the  same issue with an ocean view balcony on deck 14?
 

m

 

Yes.  We would avoid deck 14 on Oasis class.

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Wouldn’t there be the  same issue with an ocean view balcony on deck 14?
 

m

Indeed, we avoid the deck under the pool whenever possible. Unfortunately,  many older ships have suites on that deck. When they designed Oasis, they realized that shortcoming

Edited December 16, 2019 by John&LaLa

[P.A.]

12 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

The ones that end in 229 and 629 have dbl width balconies. Thats nice.

 

 

Nice! Well unfortunately ours isn't a 29. We are about 3 or 4 from aft. We'll squeeze us on there if we have too! 😁

 

Thanks!

[shellunderwater]

8 hours ago, Tulsacoker said:

Did you see mat's comment that there's nothing else to say 😄

That and 25 cents will get ya a quarter.

 

My filter doesnt work when some people have to respond.....  🙄

[momofmab]

We tried one for the first time on Oasis 2 years ago.

 

The biggest "pro" was the significant price difference between the CP balcony and the ocean view balcony across the hall (we still have a school-aged kid at home and have to cruise during peak weeks).

 

We had ZERO issues with privacy or the balcony being too hot.  It was lovely at night, with the music playing.  The complaints about privacy always make me laugh - the rooms are narrow and deep, so unless you are naked on your balcony or right by the sliding glass door, the peeper across the way would have to work really hard to see all the way into your room - and it's so easy to just close the drapes if you're worried about seeing or being seen.  Literally takes less than a second.

 

Some will cite the free bottle of wine as a "pro", but we're not wine drinkers.  I brought the bottle home to my daughter and she was not overly impressed with it.

 

I still love an ocean view though so if cost was not an issue, I would look to book those first - but I enjoyed my cruise just as much in the CP balcony.

[Cruise a holic]

We have sailed in CPV a few times.  Found the cabins slightly larger then the Ocean view.  Liked the big picture windows on deck nine and the balconies on the other decks (except under the pool deck)   It was nice and very cost effective- you get light and can see outside- a little freaky not to see the sea- but so much better then a small oceanview or inside cabin.

[CruisingAlong4Now]

Lower deck CP balconies are like living in the street.