Best balcony to book on Alaskan cruise? Starboard, port, aft?

[Sigyn]

Which type of balcony is best to book for an Alaskan cruise? Obviously starboard vs. port would be dependent on southbound or northbound, but what if it's a Vancouver roundtrip? Or how about an aft balcony? (I've left forward off because of the wind factor.)

 

I'd love to get opinions on this. Thanks!

[d9704011]

I don't think port or starboard makes much difference.  At just about any scenic destination, the captain turns the ship about for passes on both sides.  Personally, I don't care for aft cabins and wouldn't book one.

[CruiserBruce]

Just a half a dozen threads down the board. Side doesn't matter at all, although some prefer aft:

 

 

[Crew News]

Aft for better photo ops and seeing the scenery on both sides of the ship.

[Harry_D]

I’ll always take the aft, being in the very back I can see port, starboard, and aft views. Plus a ship will often back in giving me a great view of the city…

 

[pickle11]

On 10/23/2022 at 7:52 PM, Harry_D said:

 Plus a ship will often back in giving me a great view of the city…

 

I hate the back.  I have mobility problems and it is a long walk to the elevator.   The view you see gets farther and farther away.   And any waterfalls you hope to see while cruising tend to be hidden because of the terrain.  At the glaciers the captains spend more viewing time with starboard and port positions.  Then you see it while leaving.

Which Alaskan cities do you get a great view of the city when backing in?

Edited October 25, 2022 by pickle11

[Harry_D]

On 10/25/2022 at 6:00 AM, pickle11 said:At the glaciers the captains spend more viewing time with starboard and port positions.  Then you see it while leaving.

Which Alaskan cities do you get a great view 

On 10/25/2022 at 6:00 AM, pickle11 said:

At the glaciers the captains spend more viewing time with starboard and port positions.  Then you see it while leaving. 

On my previous three Alaskan cruises my spot in the rear corner is perfect  I get to see it not only on the starboard or port side due to my wrap around deck, I get to see it as we pull away, that’s called a win win. The back is not for everyone but it’s my absolute favorite. 
 

 

[Harry_D]

Oh, the best thing about being in the back of the ship is while it’s underway the balconies on the back get far less wind than either side of the ship making them enjoyable without extra heavy blankets. 

[Cali Viajera]

It isn't really a deal breaker as both sides offer views. You could do port going south and starboard going north.

[pickle11]

On 10/26/2022 at 9:31 PM, Harry_D said:

 

Wrap around balconies are different than aft balconies.  More viewing area.  And a little more expensive.

[Harry_D]

On 10/28/2022 at 2:10 PM, pickle11 said:

Wrap around balconies are different than aft balconies.  More viewing area.  And a little more expensive.

Correct, it’s aft and port or aft and starboard. In Alaska however I always opt for a sunset concierge dead center in the back. My balcony is always useable as I’m not getting hit with air as we sail and there’s a few at sea days to enjoy it.  When it does stop at a glacier we just go to a viewing area to see it and we’ll do both port and starboard viewing plus sit on our balcony and wave goodbye to it as we pull away.

 

it’s not for everyone, but it’s my first pick. Happy sailing…

[Sigyn]

9 hours ago, Harry_D said:

Correct, it’s aft and port or aft and starboard. In Alaska however I always opt for a sunset concierge dead center in the back. My balcony is always useable as I’m not getting hit with air as we sail and there’s a few at sea days to enjoy it.  When it does stop at a glacier we just go to a viewing area to see it and we’ll do both port and starboard viewing plus sit on our balcony and wave goodbye to it as we pull away.

 

it’s not for everyone, but it’s my first pick. Happy sailing…

I would have liked an aft balcony but the only aft balcony left on the Celebrity Millennium was a spa balcony that overlooked a restaurant deck and wasn't right over the water. I decided the noise and lack of privacy would bug me. 

[Harry_D]

On 10/31/2022 at 7:01 AM, njsmom said:

I would have liked an aft balcony but the only aft balcony left on the Celebrity Millennium was a spa balcony that overlooked a restaurant deck and wasn't right over the water. I decided the noise and lack of privacy would bug me. 

Those cabins are in high demand, I’ve been booked for Alaska in August 2023 for six months. Not everyone can book that far in advance.