Surely its just a window you can open?

[LGW59]

7 minutes ago, RichYak said:

And that's the real unfortunate part right there. If I want an AQ balcony cabin or a mid-ship balcony cabin due to motion sickness or whatever the reason, I can't sail E-class. Then people here on CC say "you can sail S or M class for that. Isn't it nice to have choices." That's not a choice, that's a limitation.

I’d consider it a choice with limitations, much life day to day living 

[mfs2k]

16 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I can't sail E-class. Then people here on CC say "you can sail S or M class for that. Isn't it nice to have choices." That's not a choice, that's a limitation.

 

I know what you mean.

People on CC say to me:  "You can sail Seabourn for that."  But that's not a choice.

Edited August 3, 2022 by mfs2k

[cangelmd]

5 hours ago, WKUTopperFan said:

Hey... that's me! First time Celebrity cruiser and will be on the Apex this Thanksgiving.

 I'm Platinum on Carnival and taken 4 RCCL so I'm experienced. I have got stuck on Carnival the past 10 years because my cruises are comped. Even though the Carnival demographic is not my scene on land... it's hard to justify spending a fare on another cruise line when Carnival provides a free suite, comped flights,  drinks everywhere for 2, and so on... My idea of a cruise is laying out all day and gambling all night... and I smoke when I gamble/drink and Carnival allows it.

 

However, my friends are astonished I sail Carnival as it's low brow. Not my scene. I have made it work.... the suites give me privacy and space. So venturing out to another line to start from scratch at their casino was not my idea of a good time.  Then I was introduced to URCOMPED... and that has changed everything.  I have booked 3 comp cruises on Virgin Comp Suite, Royal Comp JR Suite and this Celebrity... a Comp Infinite Veranda. I was told Celebrity does not reciprocate my free suite offers with a suite on initial sailing.  The Infinite veranda had a nice ring to it, and the Apex was new. Sounded cool and I'd survive not being in a suite. I didn't do any research,  I just booked not knowing what an Infinite veranda was as my casino host said balcony.. 

 

I'm gonna go in with sn open mind but fear I'll hate it. The videos don't get me excited.  At least Celebrity did spring for all inclusive perks as part of Comp. I'll survive  but will miss my morning coffee on a proper balcony.  I'll just have to spend what the casino anticipates and Celebrity will be offering me a Comp suite on next sailing... if I find I like Cx

You may want to reconsider, all Celeb casinos are smoke free and they are very serious about that, comped or not

[SueMo]

I've been on 29 Celebrity cruises.  Although I prefer a regular balcony to IV, I think the E class ships are gorgeous and offer much better entertainment, activities, and food option venues than the other classes.  When we go to the Caribbean, we love to cruise on Edge and Apex.  On the other hand, M class ships have great itineraries and I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on them while touring Europe (although I'd probably skip most of the shows).  We also love the Solstice in Alaska.

I wouldn't let IV be the only deciding factor when choosing a cruise...

[Spif Barwunkel]

3 hours ago, JBare said:

You missed the point, which was to challenge your repeated assertion that the room remains a comfortable temperature with the window open and the bifold doors closed. In climates where the outside climate is way over 30 degrees C and high humidity (as it so often is) in the med this is not true.  I'm ambivalent about the IV but there will be many who don't find these issues as insignificant as you do. You do however point out the screamingly obvious about closing the window and curtains to keep the room cool. BUT, when you close the curtains in a conventional cabin, what do you still have that you don't have in an IV, thats right, you still have a large balcony separate from the room which some people may enjoy and find significant. In an IV its not even an ocean view it's an inside cabin and can be for much of the afternoon/evening.

 

I totally got your point, and then I made another point. Bottom line, apposite to the IV, your concerns and dislikes are not my concerns and dislikes. Your comforts and discomforts are not my comforts and discomforts. As a result, perhaps you look more for the negative in the atypical and I look more for the positive. Therefore, we cancel each other out. We'll just agree to disagree. That's cool, in whatever accommodation we choose.   

[Pinboy]

9 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

I have got stuck on Carnival the past 10 years because my cruises are comped.

You got " stuck on Carnival " ?? For 10 years ?? Because your cruises were " comped " ??

Being " stuck for 10 years " is a long time.

Because you are a gambler , perhaps you would " qualify " to be comped on Celebrity as well ?

 

 

 

[Homosassa]

10 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I’ve never owned or driven a Dodge Caravan but I know I don’t want one.

As someone who owned one, that is a very wise decision (shouldna bought the Toyota Siena right from the start as I wanted do, we ended up with the Siena  after less than three years with the Caravan).

[Ipeeinthepools]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Ok no problem let's call it that.  But you would still not sail this type of cabin on MSC or Celebrity regardless of the name it is called, right?  Some people do very much enjoy it and others do not like it.  At this point it is much too late to change E-Class ship design.  So those not liking the IV concept just need to pick a different ship with traditional balconies.  I agree that Celebrity could be more upfront about just what the IV is as some Celebrity newbies might get a surprise if they signed up for a real balcony.  But most people do their research (even newbies) before a cruise purchase.  And most can change their mind until final payment too.

No, I wouldn't sail in that type of cabin on MSC no matter what you call it.  It will be interesting to see how Royal and MSC market these ocean view cabins with a window that opens. Will they be able to charge as much for the Ocean View with a window that opens as they do for a balcony cabin.  If they can't charge as much for the Ocean View with a window that opens, you have to ask yourself why they added this type of cabin just to decrease the gross income.  I also think that a lot of people who sail in these IV cabins will get duped because they don't do research beyond looking at the cruise brochure.  Many people aren't smart enough to come to CC and ask you and I these questions.

[kwokpot]

32 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

No, I wouldn't sail in that type of cabin on MSC no matter what you call it.  It will be interesting to see how Royal and MSC market these ocean view cabins with a window that opens. Will they be able to charge as much for the Ocean View with a window that opens as they do for a balcony cabin.  If they can't charge as much for the Ocean View with a window that opens, you have to ask yourself why they added this type of cabin just to decrease the gross income.  I also think that a lot of people who sail in these IV cabins will get duped because they don't do research beyond looking at the cruise brochure.  Many people aren't smart enough to come to CC and ask you and I these questions.

SO I did some quick cruise searching and the results are quite interesting. Feb 2,2023 MSC World Europa from Dubai. Trying to compare Apple to Apples (Which is difficult with the way MSC prices their cabins) an Oceanview is $1,356/cabin An Infinite Ocean View $1,616 and the lowest priced balcony $1,476. The reason for this is the room size. Oceanviews vary from 161-172 Sq Ft, IO is 215 Sq Ft , and Balconies 172 Sq Ft with 54 Sq Ft Balcony. 

 

[TMLAalum]

@kwokpot

That foto of MSC's "IV" shows what Celebrity could have done with their IV cabin layout. MSC's opens up the space rather than chopping up the cabin by separating the window area into a "veranda". 

 

[davekathy]

Glad the E class ships have different balcony options. IVs aren't appealing to us. 

Edited August 3, 2022 by davekathy

[kwokpot]

10 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

@kwokpot

That foto of MSC's "IV" shows what Celebrity could have done with their IV cabin layout. MSC's opens up the space rather than chopping up the cabin by separating the window area into a "veranda". 

 

Exactly. And their pricing shows MSC actually charging more for their IO than a standard balcony. 

Edit: looking at the floor plan MSC decided NOT to use the jigsaw/interlocking cabin configurations and went back to the original cabin designs where the room is one continuous rectangle with no indentations.  

Edited August 3, 2022 by kwokpot

[jagoffee]

On 8/2/2022 at 9:34 AM, RichYak said:

It these cabins were called "Oceanview Breeze", then I would agree with you. When Celebrity calls them Infinite Veranda, the expectation that there might actually be a veranda is warranted.

I am sure a lot of people are fooled by the term “French Balcony”.  At least with an Infinite veranda, you get more space in your cabin.  
The only time that I have cruised in that type of cabin was on a river cruise.  I liked it, but only compared to a window only cabin.  
 

It will be interesting to see if the prices for an Infinite Veranda drop significantly.  

[Ipeeinthepools]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

SO I did some quick cruise searching and the results are quite interesting. Feb 2,2023 MSC World Europa from Dubai. Trying to compare Apple to Apples (Which is difficult with the way MSC prices their cabins) an Oceanview is $1,356/cabin An Infinite Ocean View $1,616 and the lowest priced balcony $1,476. The reason for this is the room size. Oceanviews vary from 161-172 Sq Ft, IO is 215 Sq Ft , and Balconies 172 Sq Ft with 54 Sq Ft Balcony. 

 

 

Excellent for MSC, I hope it works out for them.  Marketing is everything.   There's not quite enough information there to do an actual apples to apples comparison but at lest this indicates that the prices will be comparable.  Cabin location maybe the difference in the prices if you compare obstructed view balconies to a premium location for the Infinite Ocean View.  Thanks for the info.

Edited August 3, 2022 by Ipeeinthepools

[TeeRick]

21 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

No, I wouldn't sail in that type of cabin on MSC no matter what you call it.  It will be interesting to see how Royal and MSC market these ocean view cabins with a window that opens. Will they be able to charge as much for the Ocean View with a window that opens as they do for a balcony cabin.  If they can't charge as much for the Ocean View with a window that opens, you have to ask yourself why they added this type of cabin just to decrease the gross income.  I also think that a lot of people who sail in these IV cabins will get duped because they don't do research beyond looking at the cruise brochure.  Many people aren't smart enough to come to CC and ask you and I these questions.

To this day I have not seen an explanation as to why Celebrity went in this IV direction for E-Class.  But although not for everybody, plenty of people seem to like or love the IV and the ships have plenty of passengers. So they had their reasons and I assume it was a big decision for them and it was well researched.  We have not sailed an IV so some here would remind me not to be negative about them and I have tried to be neutral.  My DW loves a real balcony and when we sailed EDGE it was in a CS.  On E-class we would sail in a suite or an aft sunset veranda.  I would prefer to not say who is "smart" but rather think that many folks do not know about the info here on CC.  But really, almost everybody will do some type of search and get information.  Why would I care one way or another?  It is pretty hard to be "duped" these day for most doing basic research.

[RichYak]

16 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

It is pretty hard to be "duped" these day for most doing basic research.

On the contrary, it's easy to be "duped". The most basic research would be looking at the room description on Celebrity's website. Right at the top, in addition to the total size of the room, it mentions the size of the "veranda". That's pretty deceitful, no?

 

Total living space 243 sq. ft.
Veranda 42 sq. ft.

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by RichYak

[Ride-The-Waves]

On 8/1/2022 at 6:18 PM, jelayne said:

This debate has been beaten to death.  

Makes me wonder if people complained as much when ocean liners with no balconies converted to cruise ships with balconies and IVs.  Change is not easy for many.  The E class is purposely structured/designed to accommodate IVs.  

[Ipeeinthepools]

4 minutes ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Makes me wonder if people complained as much when ocean liners with no balconies converted to cruise ships with balconies and IVs.  Change is not easy for many.  The E class is purposely structured/designed to accommodate IVs.  

 

Given the number of suites on the E-class ships that have balconies, I think it's apparent that there aren't any structural limitations in the ships design that prohibit them from putting traditional balcony cabins almost anywhere.  I agree that they have added structure to accommodate the sliding window.  

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

On the contrary, it's easy to be "duped". The most basic research would be looking at the room description on Celebrity's website. Right at the top, in addition to the total size of the room, it mentions the size of the "veranda". That's pretty deceitful, no?

 

Total living space 243 sq. ft.
Veranda 42 sq. ft.

 

OK I guess I give people too much credit, particularly Celebrity cruise passengers who I assume are a bit more sophisticated.  Also see the attached links as I was very curious on meanings.  I think Celebrity used Infinite Veranda and not Infinite Balcony for a reason.  On their web site (under EDGE for example) they use the word "terrace" for the outside portions of all suites.  For other classes (IV, SV, AQ, CC) they use the word "veranda".   Maybe they use "balcony" on older ships?  On Reflection, they use "veranda" for all categories. 

 

Not sure if "terrace" is correct either.  Probably a lot of marketing people debated all these terms for years.  As marketing people do.  Is it misleading? Is most marketing misleading to some extent?  I am not looking to debate this stuff.  Just observations.

 

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-verandah-and-balcony/

 

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-balcony-and-vs-terrace/

 

 

 

Edited August 4, 2022 by TeeRick

[LGW59]

9 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

OK I guess I give people too much credit, particularly Celebrity cruise passengers who I assume are a bit more sophisticated.  Also see the attached links as I was very curious on meanings.  I think Celebrity used Infinite Veranda and not Infinite Balcony for a reason.  On their web site (under EDGE for example) they use the word "terrace" for the outside portions of all suites.  For other classes (IV, SV, AQ, CC) they use the word "veranda".   Maybe they use "balcony" on older ships?  On Reflection, they use "veranda" for all categories. 

 

Not sure if "terrace" is correct either.  Probably a lot of marketing people debated all these terms for years.  As marketing people do.  Is it misleading? Is most marketing misleading to some extent?  I am not looking to debate this stuff.  Just observations.

 

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-verandah-and-balcony/

 

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-balcony-and-vs-terrace/

 

 

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinion of what this is or should be called.  To me, when I look at the official marketing material (videos/pictures) I see very clearly that is a portion of the room with a window that opens.  Then when I look at very detailed close-up videos on YouTube it is even more clear to me that is a room with a window that opens.  It's not difficult, can discuss what it is/isn't, should be called/should not be called from here to eternity, it ain't gonna change a thing and Celebrity is not gonna slide those cabins out and replace them all too soon.  Now please excuse me, I am going to sit outside on my veranda and enjoy a cup of iced coffee.  

[NMTraveller]

21 hours ago, davekathy said:

Glad the E class ships have different balcony options. IVs aren't appealing to us. 

????

The last time I checked E class had about 36 sunset verandas AKA real balconies.  These need to be booked about a year or two in advance in order to get one.    The balconies on the side were not that appealing to me.  They had their own set of issues.

[TeeRick]

4 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

????

The last time I checked E class had about 36 sunset verandas AKA real balconies.  These need to be booked about a year or two in advance in order to get one.    The balconies on the side were not that appealing to me.  They had their own set of issues.

Unless you book a suite.

[NMTraveller]

22 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

OK I guess I give people too much credit, particularly Celebrity cruise passengers who I assume are a bit more sophisticated.  Also see the attached links as I was very curious on meanings.  I think Celebrity used Infinite Veranda and not Infinite Balcony for a reason.  On their web site (under EDGE for example) they use the word "terrace" for the outside portions of all suites.  For other classes (IV, SV, AQ, CC) they use the word "veranda".   Maybe they use "balcony" on older ships?  On Reflection, they use "veranda" for all categories. 

 

Not sure if "terrace" is correct either.  Probably a lot of marketing people debated all these terms for years.  As marketing people do.  Is it misleading? Is most marketing misleading to some extent?  I am not looking to debate this stuff.  Just observations.

 

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-verandah-and-balcony/

 

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-balcony-and-vs-terrace/

 

 

 

People look at the Celebrity advertisements that show IVs with all of the benefits and none of the issues.  Who would have thought that E class would have removed the foward looking area AKA Sky Lounge.  Most ships have these.  Yet they did.  Most people though the newest E class ship was going to be better.  I certainly did.  However it did not come close to living up to the overblown hype and was a lesser ship that S class in most regards.

 

Another example of overblown marketing is the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  You look at Hollywood's pictures and then go there for yourself and it is definitely not the same experience.  You may not even bother getting out of the car.

 

Now Cruise Critic where they go into great detail on discussing this topic has great merits.

[NMTraveller]

1 minute ago, TeeRick said:

Unless you book a suite.

Great point.  So they did not impose these faux balconies on their suite guests?  I guess that tells you quite a bit.

[RichYak]

26 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

On their web site (under EDGE for example) they use the word "terrace" for the outside portions of all suites.  For other classes (IV, SV, AQ, CC) they use the word "veranda".

SV class cabins (as well as the porthole cabins) are called "veranda" cabins and have an outdoor portion. So X uses the word "veranda" interchangeably whether there's an outdoor space or not. The space size is described similarly to the other classes (IV, AQ, and CC).

 

202-228 Sq. ft.
Veranda 40-89 Sq. ft.