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

[vermonter16]

2 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

I really start to wonder if those who say they do not like them ever stayed in one?

Celebrity has lots of ships you do not like it sail on one of them.

After I cruised on the Edge (aqua class) in July I came home cancelled my Reflection cruise and booked Apex. But... the Sky Suite does not have it.

 

I stayed in one on the Edge back when it first came out and never again.  I'll either have to do a SV or a SS if we ever sail one of those classes of ships. 

[drakes2]

22 hours 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! 

No interest in booking an IV unless it was a free upgrade.

[Straughn]

I am in the group who doesn’t like the IV cabins, so my E class sailings are in an SV or SS. I can see them  being useful in colder climates where using the balcony w/o bundling up isn’t possible.  On warm weather cruises, I want my balcony.

 

My thoughts on why the IV was developed are this. There are no balcony rails with wood and metal to be maintained. It is much easier to have the Bridge close and lock all the windows and then go zipping along with the window washer. The cabin steward can clean the IV the same way he/she cleans the rest of the cabin. With a true balcony, the cabin steward has to clean it every day, hose it down a couple of times a week to get rid of the salt spray, and clean the interior of the glass. There are complaints about dirty chairs, tables, floors.  With a regular balcony , the wooden rails must be periodically refinished and the metal framing rusts. I am sure there are a lot of complaints about the condition of the true balconies. 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Straughn

[Ex-Airbalancer]

IV are fine it is the rest of the E-class ship I don’t like 😁

[RichYak]

4 hours ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

Knowing if a living space is habitable/functional requires use, not your gut feeling if it’s putrid.

Why do IV fans feel the need to demean the mental capacity of those that don't care for them? Any reasonable person can know the difference between sitting next to an open window and going outside to sit on a balcony, without wasting money on an IV cabin first.

[southernbreezes]

I do not demean the mental capacity of anyone but...I am sick of all you complaining about them day end and day out for months on end. You don't like them fine no is telling you to. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Compared to the Voyager of the seas balcony, IV is great 

just spend 3 weeks on it on Arctic cruise 

 

[Salt Lifer]

3 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

IV are fine it is the rest of the E-class ship I don’t like 😁

 

Just out of curiosity, what is it you don't like about the E-class ships? No judgement from me, just curious as E is the only Celebrity design I have experienced first-hand.  

[D C]

7 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

I really start to wonder if those who say they do not like them ever stayed in one?

Celebrity has lots of ships you do not like it sail on one of them.

After I cruised on the Edge (aqua class) in July I came home cancelled my Reflection cruise and booked Apex. But... the Sky Suite does not have it.

 

Stayed in one twice. 

Really didn't like it the first time.  Then covid and time passed.  We thought that maybe it wasn't as bad as we remembered.  Found a good deal and tried it again. It was WORSE than we had remembered. 

 

They're slow (15+ seconds to open, nearly 30 seconds to close) 

They're filthy. Looking through 2 panes of dirty, tinted glass is terrible compared to a REAL balcony. 

They're loud. You can hear when any of your neighbors are opening/closing theirs (which doesn't happen too often because of the first 2 points) 

Plus the AC turning off, the clunkiness of the bifold doors, the inability to quickly slip out onto the balcony without disturbing someone, the tiny size of the 'balcony' with the bifold doors closed.   I could go on.  Suffice it to say, the only redeeming quality of the entire room, in my opinion, is that the bathroom is quite nice. 

 

[D C]

7 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

I really start to wonder if those who say they do not like them ever stayed in one?

Celebrity has lots of ships you do not like it sail on one of them.

After I cruised on the Edge (aqua class) in July I came home cancelled my Reflection cruise and booked Apex. But... the Sky Suite does not have it.

 

Stayed in one twice. 

Really didn't like it the first time.  Then covid and time passed.  We thought that maybe it wasn't as bad as we remembered.  Found a good deal and tried it again. It was WORSE than we had remembered. 

 

They're slow (15+ seconds to open, nearly 30 seconds to close) 

They're filthy. Looking through 2 panes of dirty, tinted glass is terrible compared to a REAL balcony. 

They're loud. You can hear when any of your neighbors are opening/closing theirs (which doesn't happen too often because of the first 2 points) 

Plus the AC turning off, the clunkiness of the bifold doors, the inability to quickly slip out onto the balcony without disturbing someone, the tiny size of the 'balcony' with the bifold doors closed.   I could go on.  Suffice it to say, the only redeeming quality of the entire room, in my opinion, is that the bathroom is quite nice. 

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 9/22/2022 at 7:59 PM, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

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.

 

Many have speculated it's more aerodynamic and therefore they save fuel

[Fly and Sail]

While we're on the topic of IV's I really hate how often the windows are blocked centrally by the bridge for whatever reasons. I like to open my windows in the morning and on two out of seven days they locked it up for a hours at a time. I complained but to no avail.

[laslomas]

14 hours ago, southernbreezes said:

I really start to wonder if those who say they do not like them ever stayed in one?

Celebrity has lots of ships you do not like it sail on one of them.

After I cruised on the Edge (aqua class) in July I came home cancelled my Reflection cruise and booked Apex. But... the Sky Suite does not have it.

 

 

I have not stayed in an IV, but really think, in fact know, they are not for me. I enjoy time on my 'real' balcony rather than fighting for a lounger on the pool deck and believe the lack of the feeling of being outside would be missing with an IV. 

 

I would hate to plan a cruise and look forward to it for months, only to be disappointed. Maybe if I had several cruises a year I would book an IV as a tester and decide then. But, as I save for and look forward to my cruise for many months, or years in advance I think it is not something I would chance.

 

Yes, there are lots of ships to choose from. I have tried other cruise lines but really love Celebrity and as I choose my trips for itinerary my search for a cruise I want in a regular balcony cabin is becoming more difficult. I am all for innovation but I think new ships should include both types of balcony. That would satisfy both sides of the argument.

[southernbreezes]

I have to say if I spent lots of time on a balcony I would dislike them also with the air shutting down. So I get it.

[deliver42]

After seeing the IV balconies on the Icon, I'll stick to the Oasis class. We're booked on the Beyond for December, and opted for an aft balcony which is a real one.

[sjb317]

We sailed on Apex last February in an IV.  Based on comments I had read on various threads regarding IVs, I fully expected to not like it but I really did like it.  It just made the cabin seem so much larger and gave an open feel to it.  I would book one again.

 

Sherri🙂

[Cruise a holic]

We didn't like the IV on the Edge.  Many people didn't like the IV either- who knows why Royal is adding on their new ships.  Made cabin feel narrow wih no true balcony.  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

10 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

 

Just out of curiosity, what is it you don't like about the E-class ships? No judgement from me, just curious as E is the only Celebrity design I have experienced first-hand.  

On the pool deck , cabanas take up on side of the pool area 

Location of Martini bar , doesn’t not flow, very noisy and the noise over takes Bacio , the acoustics are terrible there 

Sunset Bar wasn’t as nice as S-class ships 

the whole retreat area takes over the bow of the ship on the upper deck 

Theatre layout 

The whole Eden area didn’t feel relaxing 

what’s with the hall to Eden, It plays with my sense in all the wrong ways , it was like a House of Mirrors , which is fine when I was 9 , but not now 

One thing I don’t understand on both S-class and E-class ship why are the OV HC cabins at the bow 

it takes 950 steps to walk to Oceanview and back 

I find there is less Chairs I can sit in outside , after 2 hips and 2 knee replacements, I find lounges uncomfortable to sit in 

These are just my own opinion, so I will try to stick to S-class and m-class ship 

The E-class ship are much better than Voyager class ships on RCL 😁

 

 

 

[drakes2]

3 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

what’s with the hall to Eden, It plays with my sense in all the wrong ways , it was like a House of Mirrors , which is fine when I was 9 , but not now 

We didn't like it either. Found it eerie.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Wow…I’d guessing only 25% are on team IV over a real balcony…Maybe RCG is trying to downgrade the “balcony” rooms, if you want the retreat experience which now is the only way to obtain a real baloney, book a suite 

[Orsino]

I'd be okay with IV if the design of the room made better sense. We liked the non-balcony balcony on river cruises and felt the added space in the room was worth not having a true balcony. Plus we could enjoy a balcony-like experience from a comfy sofa by the open doors.
On Celebrity, IV looks like a balcony space shoved indoors. No point to that. The design of the room should take advantage of the space and not make a lower quality fake balcony experience. I'd like to see a comfy sofa next to the window, that would be more worthwhile because while I like balconies, the chairs are never all that comfortable. So when they put two chairs and a table by the IV... what's the point?!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

It's pretty simple... Some people like IVs, some people don't like them. Very few seem to be indifferent - even if they never tried them. No one is convincing anyone to switch sides just from "discussing".

 

If you don't want to sail in an IV, book a different category on ships that have them OR book on ships without them.

 

If you like them, book them.

 

Clearly they are getting good enough feedback (coupled with the added efficiency due to reduced drag caused by regular balconies) if they are now adding ships company-wide. 

 

But there are plenty of ship options for those have tried them and who don't like them or who just won't try them.

[Lastdance]

On 9/23/2022 at 6:23 AM, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

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. 

Where was this particular itinerary and what time of year, as both, or one, could be the issue?  Thanks and sorry about all that heat etc.

[actuarian]

I do not think IV cabins are “a disaster”. However, I do think that they are poorly named. The name “infinite veranda” sounds like a particular kind of veranda and that is not really what it is. It is really a panoramic ocean view cabin with a window that opens. Unfortunately, it is difficult to come up with a short name for such a thing. However, I think they will spread to more and more cruise lines in the future simply because, as other posters have pointed out, replacing veranda cabins with panoramic ocean view cabins is a way of conserving fuel, regardless of whether the windows open or not.

[Salt Lifer]

7 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

On the pool deck , cabanas take up on side of the pool area 

Location of Martini bar , doesn’t not flow, very noisy and the noise over takes Bacio , the acoustics are terrible there 

Sunset Bar wasn’t as nice as S-class ships 

the whole retreat area takes over the bow of the ship on the upper deck 

Theatre layout 

The whole Eden area didn’t feel relaxing 

what’s with the hall to Eden, It plays with my sense in all the wrong ways , it was like a House of Mirrors , which is fine when I was 9 , but not now 

One thing I don’t understand on both S-class and E-class ship why are the OV HC cabins at the bow 

it takes 950 steps to walk to Oceanview and back 

I find there is less Chairs I can sit in outside , after 2 hips and 2 knee replacements, I find lounges uncomfortable to sit in 

These are just my own opinion, so I will try to stick to S-class and m-class ship 

The E-class ship are much better than Voyager class ships on RCL 😁

 

 

 

Thanks for explaining and much of it makes sense to me.  Your point about the Retreat taking over the bow of the top of the ship is a pet peeves of mine, too.  I miss not having an area where "regular" passengers can experience the front of the ship as it is moving.