Think IV cabins are a disaster? Royal is putting them on their newest ship!

[kwokpot]

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/09/22/royal-caribbean-teases-new-features-coming-icon-of-the-seas

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by kwokpot

[hcat]

We managed  with an IV on EDGE...but the cabin was too small overall and  never had the feel of a balcony.  Would not book again! 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

My wife was in jail in a IV cabin , she enjoyed it 

or did she enjoy it because I wasn’t there 🤔

[MustBCruzn]

53 minutes ago, hcat said:

We managed  with an IV on EDGE...but the cabin was too small overall and  never had the feel of a balcony.  Would not book again! 

 

This was our experience with our IV on the Edge. We loved the ship, but were not fans of the IV cabin and won't book one again. Our second Edge cruise was in a SV...now that cabin we really enjoyed and would definitely book an SV again.

[JLMcruise]

Darn - I thought they were putting IV's in the cabin to help you recover from the night before

[cruisestitch]

Well, there’s a ship I shall never sail on…..

[theopup]

They do not look appealing in the least bit

[dlh015]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/09/22/royal-caribbean-teases-new-features-coming-icon-of-the-seas

 

Impressive marketing picture I must say...and that's all I will say...

[dlh015]

What did I say? I only said it was an impressive marketing picture? But I need the approval of a moderator??

 

ETA: I guess it was because I quoted the link??

Edited September 22, 2022 by dlh015

[Germancruiser]

Those IV- cabins with a big- I admit though- a very big window that can be opend, never appealed to me. I refuse to call them balcony cabins. So I choose a SV for the Maiden Voyage of Apex. Wonderful cabin choice- and the only one I would book on board their new class of ships.

Since M Class ships are my favorite and as long as they are around, which might be not for much longer- I stick to them.

[jelayne]

We have done IVs and for some itineraries they are better than veranda, Australia in Jan when it was so hot we couldn’t open the curtains to our balcony much less go out, Caribbean in July or August when it it too hot to be out there,  Antarctica would be spectacular views without freezing.  We enjoyed the space and would book again.  We were talking about it tonight and determined we probably spend about a hour each a day on the balcony.  We thought we spent more but in thinking it through 60-75 min is about it.

Edited September 23, 2022 by jelayne
Error

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

I was disappointed to see these in the latest Icon of the Seas video. There must be some cost benefit for the cruise line to use these instead of the traditional balconies. Maybe lower maintenance cost? Certainly, there's quite a bit of bad feedback on these infinite verandas.

[RichYak]

13 minutes ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

There must be some cost benefit for the cruise line to use these instead of the traditional balconies. Maybe lower maintenance cost?

Significant fuel savings. Balconies are like wind sails and create significant drag.

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

13 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Significant fuel savings. Balconies are like wind sails and create significant drag.

There it is! I knew it was something. Thank you.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

Significant fuel savings. Balconies are like wind sails and create significant drag.

Which is why I think there will be more ships built with similar cabins.  

[the penguins]

7 hours ago, RichYak said:

Significant fuel savings. Balconies are like wind sails and create significant drag.

Until the complex mechanisms start to be affected by the salt air and the windows jam in an open position. 

[the penguins]

8 hours ago, jelayne said:

We have done IVs and for some itineraries they are better than veranda, Australia in Jan when it was so hot we couldn’t open the curtains to our balcony much less go out, Caribbean in July or August when it it too hot to be out there,  Antarctica would be spectacular views without freezing.  We enjoyed the space and would book again.  We were talking about it tonight and determined we probably spend about a hour each a day on the balcony.  We thought we spent more but in thinking it through 60-75 min is about it.

Perfect for those who don't spend too much time relaxing on the balcony. Useless for those of us who use the balcony for an average of 4 hours a day on sea days. Or for anyone who, due to mobility issues/personal choice, need chairs that have high backs/recline with space for a footstool. 

 

[terrydtx]

12 hours ago, cruisestitch said:

Well, there’s a ship I shall never sail on…..

I wouldn't book on RCL anyway and not an IV on and E class either, all of our E class bookings are in Sky Suites with more room and a real open balcony.

[basenji56]

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

Until the complex mechanisms start to be affected by the salt air and the windows jam in an open position. 

Exactly.  We will see IVs locked down in the future until they can be fixed.  Bad news for the people who paid for a balcony and got an ocean view.

[Tierun]

IV felt like an ocean view with the window closed, lower the curtain and it felt like an inside, and with the window open it didn’t feel like a real balcony. So you basically have every cabin except what it’s supposed to be.

[tonyinoc]

I had no problems on an IV cabin on the APEX in the Greek islands it was great . I would lean out of them get the fresh air. feel the breeze and hear the ocean at night with the Window open. the room was so much bigger of useful space. I been on balconies where you have a deck above walls on either side. and a glass door behind you .. and a glass wall to lean over .. when you measure the actual open space between the walls above and the side its not that different . 🙂 but if you dont like them there are lots of other ships to go on .. Each to there own 

 

[mafig]

Everyone who has been in an SV loves them and would book only them again.

 

Trouble is, there's not that many of them and they go fast.

[Jeremiah1212]

2 minutes ago, mafig said:

Everyone who has been in an SV loves them and would book only them again.

 

Trouble is, there's not that many of them and they go fast.

 

Not us. We just spent 11 days in one and used the balcony less than an hour. It was hotter than the surface of the sun, the cabin was unbearably warm during the day, balcony was always wet in the mornings and covered with chunks of soot the rest of the time. I've always thought they were overrated and this was enough to make me switch our next Beyond cruise from SV to AQ.

 

I think the law of scarcity comes into play and people book them simply because they are in short supply. 

[RichYak]

I have no issue with IV cabins themselves. The seem like they should have been a nice alternative cabin class, positioned/priced between oceanview and balcony cabins. Especially for cooler weather itineraries. However, they're not an alternative at all. Celebrity (and possibly now RCI) has gone all-in on IV's.

 

Do you want to sail in Aqua class with a balcony on X's newest ships? You can't.

Do you want to sail in Concierge class with a balcony on X's newest ships? You can't.

Do you want a mid-ship balcony due to motion sickness? Nope, sorry, not on E-class.

Do you want a suite with a balcony? Yes! We don't dare lose your business.

[canderson]

10 hours ago, RichYak said:

Significant fuel savings. Balconies are like wind sails and create significant drag.

I've always read that while laminar air flow along the sides might provide a minor improvement at the relatively slow typical speed of a cruise ship, that hydrodynamics play a vastly (orders of magnitude) larger role vs aerodynamics when it comes to fuel efficiency, and as aerodynamics go, that the CD of the frontal cross-section is the bigger factor there.