What is the draw of the Sunset Verandas

[cgolf1]

We found a couple of cruises where the sunset verandas are fairly reasonable. Reading on here I have noticed that a lot of people really like to book them. So, what is the draw of these rooms? Is it more than the larger veranda?

[Cruise Gopher]

Usually bigger balcony, but overall I just love the view and sound of the wake. 

[jelayne]

On E class ships only the Sunset Verandas  & Suites have a true balcony.

The other attraction of a SV is the view of the wake.

[cgolf1]

15 minutes ago, jelayne said:

On E class ships only the Sunset Verandas  & Suites have a true balcony.

The other attraction of a SV is the view of the wake.

 

17 minutes ago, SkierRobUMN said:

Usually bigger balcony, but overall I just love the view and sound of the wake. 

I do agree about watching the wake. On ships with outdoor buffet seating we love eating outside and watching the wake. Not sure what it is about the wake, but it is really pretty to watch. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

Aft balconies always have the best wind protection on the ship; if one thinks it's windy on a aft balcony, you don't want to see how windy it is anywhere else on the ship 

[lobsternight]

23 minutes ago, cgolf1 said:

 

I do agree about watching the wake. On ships with outdoor buffet seating we love eating outside and watching the wake. Not sure what it is about the wake, but it is really pretty to watch. 

We are the same, love eating breakfast while watchimg the wake.  Just booked our first SV for next August based on all the good reviews. 

[hcat]

On Edge..the cabin itself is larger and there's a nice size  true outdoor balcony.. views of the wake, sunrise, sunset stars at night are exceptional!

 

We will have an aft sky suite on Reflection if  cruise goes in Jan.  

Should be lovely!

[hcat]

Nice views..day and and night!

[Ken the cruiser]

Picture leaving a port and being able to enjoy the view of the entire seaside town as you’re leaving or going through the Panama Canal and watching what happens behind you, not only regarding the gates but also what type of ships are following behind you. Or you’re cruising through the Norwegian fjords and you can see both sides as well as the views behind you off in the distance. For us it’s all our the views! 😎

[Torfamm]

The view is beautiful! For us, the negative is the lack of shade. We said never again after one cruise, we just couldn’t take the full sun.

[jgmorgan]

We had a sunset veranda on our Alaska cruise and thought it was wonderful.  The balcony was much larger  than other veranda staterooms and the wide-angle view of the Alaska landscapes were awesome.

[Azulann]

Aft cabin  have the great view of wake, , at end of hall less traffic in the hallways.

On the Century and Constellation they were huge. Doing the Panama cruise in aft balcony was priceless.  Favorite type of cabin.

I have since gone to Viking Ocean cruises and have a aft cabin, small balcony but same wake and no noise in hallways. 

[canderson]

X is turning them into suites, but the corner cabins on 7/8/9 have amazing views, especially for Alaska cruises, as noted above.  The only downside is if on 9, it can get a little noisy as they shut down for the night up on 10.  These cabins also have extra closet space, and there are NO issues with shade.  You can hang out under the first 1/3 of the huge veranda with steel above, the second 1/3 with an awning of sorts, or the last 1/3 in the open sun.  Take your pick.

 

As has been noted .. there's just something about watching the wake.

 

More space inside and out than any Sky Suite on an M class ship, and at a heck of a lot better price.  Even more closet space!  Worst possible thing back in the day was to get an 'upgrade' to a SS!  That's why the FV (Family View is what they used to call them) Guarantee wasn't a good idea if you had your heart set on an FV.

 

We've sailed in these cabins probably a dozen times on all but Millenium, and they've always been our favorites.  After 20 years, X eventually woke up to the fact that these were some of the most sought after cabins on the M class ships, turned them into suites, and started charging more for them than a SS (perhaps even a CS, I can't recall last pricing I saw). 

[keesar]

24 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

The view is beautiful! For us, the negative is the lack of shade. We said never again after one cruise, we just couldn’t take the full sun.

Our concerns with those cabins is the walk to the elevators, soot on the balcony and rocky  motion in high seas.  However, the view is great from those cabins.

[canderson]

2 minutes ago, keesar said:

Our concerns with those cabins is the walk to the elevators, soot on the balcony and rocky  motion in high seas.  However, the view is great from those cabins.

Must be a problem on S or E class.  I can't remember the layout. 

M class FV and other cabins in the stern aren't that far from the aft elevator bank.

[GeorgiaPeach51]

We have had two aft corner sky suites and loved them for all the reasons mentioned by others.  Since we keep track of miles walked we liked the added steps that naturally accumulate from walking the ship end to end.  We found that especially true on the Edge where the Retreat area is the opposite end of the ship.

 

Anyone who needs to avoid extra steps for whatever reason would need to consider carefully because it can be a long trek, especially if the ship is rocking, as someone mentioned.

[4774Papa]

4 hours ago, cgolf1 said:

We found a couple of cruises where the sunset verandas are fairly reasonable. Reading on here I have noticed that a lot of people really like to book them. So, what is the draw of these rooms? Is it more than the larger veranda?

I you go to Alaska or where the weather is a bit chilly, aft cabins are the best, since you don't get the chilly winds.

[basenji56]

3 hours ago, Torfamm said:

The view is beautiful! For us, the negative is the lack of shade. We said never again after one cruise, we just couldn’t take the full sun.

That would be a deal breaker for me too.  I love the shady side of the ship.  Don't need more skin cancer.

[ChucktownSteve]

It's the view for us.  We have an Apex Aft view S1 in February.  What a way to start cruising again.

Edited August 8, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[hcat]

Love all the pics.

 

On EDGE, deck 7 middle SV,  there was just enough overhang for some shade except if mid day direct sun.

 

Nice quiet area with great service. But a long walk to and from elevators..got our extra walking in..abd tried not to forget  stuff!

 

Cannot recall a soot issue???

[NeroliGirl]

We always try and get an SV if we can - principally for the views of the wake and the experience of the sail-aways as you leave port. We did the Norwegian fjords twice in an SV and the views were magnificent.

You also see a fair bit of marine life - you get plenty of dolphins following the ship and once we saw a turtle swimming by (in the Med!)

We've never had a problem with soot, and we've found that being right at the back of the ship the rocking seems less than further forward.

As other posters have said, it is a fair walk from the elevators to the cabin, but we don't mind the exercise after all the rich food! I've noticed that on decks 9 and above (S-class) the SVs are classed as Concierge so you need to go up a grade to book those SVs (although the rooms and balconies are the same size, you're just higher up and it's not such a long walk from the elevators).

All in all we'd book SVs whenever we can - unless we get a really good deal on a suite of course!😉

[slewis7]

I am really enjoying this thread in anticipation of our SV cabin Apex Transatlantic coming up in October (fingers crossed).  This will be our first time in an SV, but we were in an aft DV cabin on a Viking ship once and it was a special experience.  We also have an SV cabin booked for 2023 on an S Class ship.

Edited August 8, 2021 by slewis7

[miched]

15 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Picture leaving a port and being able to enjoy the view of the entire seaside town as you’re leaving or going through the Panama Canal and watching what happens behind you, not only regarding the gates but also what type of ships are following behind you. Or you’re cruising through the Norwegian fjords and you can see both sides as well as the views behind you off in the distance. For us it’s all our the views! 😎

We were invited many times to be on the Heli deck for sailing away from a port.  We did it once.   It was the worst place as it was very low to the sea and didn’t really have much of a view.   
 

We never did it again.  Didn't see the fascination in being there.  Like being at the back on a higher deck for the reasons you stated

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[canderson]

11 minutes ago, miched said:

We were invited many times to be on the Heli deck for sailing away from a port.  We did it once.   It was the worst place as it was very low to the sea and didn’t really have much of a view.  

The first time we were invited to the helo deck, it was for entrance to Stockholm.  Windy and cold up there that day.  Fun for a one-time experience of the venue, but yes, that was enough.  At the time, we had an aft cabin (corner FV) and should have stayed there!

[Oceangoer2]

17 hours ago, hcat said:

On Edge..the cabin itself is larger and there's a nice size  true outdoor balcony.. views of the wake, sunrise, sunset stars at night are exceptional!

 

We will have an aft sky suite on Reflection if  cruise goes in Jan.  

Should be lovely!

We booked SV Edge for next June Europe cruise.....looking forward to the larger balcony and now I hear it's a somewhat larger cabin?  Also have cruised SS1 Reflection...you'll love the wrap around balcony and the cabin itself!  Hopefully our Nov. cruise sails without incident...hate to have to cancel ANOTHER sailing.