Edge-class balcony.

[kwokpot]

I find it rather amusing that after four ships in over five years we STILL are having this debate. 

[mtnlvr53]

40 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I find it rather amusing that after four ships in over five years we STILL are having this debate. 

Me, too. And can't you close the doors and the A/C stays on even with the window open?

The thing we didn't like (once we got the windows fixed to stop the noise) was where the windoow"rail" is. With the small-ish chairs the window rail is right at eye level if you want to sit instead of stand at the rail.

I wish it was curtains rather than the blinds so you could open the curtains a bit in the am to see when the sun is coming up. It just feels really closed in with the dark blinds. But, hey, that's just me...

Did I still have fun? Yes.

Would I book one again? Yes

Edited March 12 by mtnlvr53

[hrhdhd]

1 hour ago, mtnlvr53 said:

Me, too. And can't you close the doors and the A/C stays on even with the window open?

No. The window, not the doors, controls the a/c.

[the penguins]

11 hours ago, jwlane said:

It's obvious the IV concept is a failure.  All those cabins are going unsold, and X is losing $$$ daily.  Oh, wait..........

Your logic is flawed. X is experiencing record bookings across the fleet I.e in all cabin classes and ships. In some markets passengers have no choice as there are only E class ships e.g. sailing from the UK.

We will only know how successful the IV balconies are when X introduces it's next class of ship. To date no other line has followed X down the IV route including Viking which has many of this cabin type in it's river boat fleet but chooses not to have any in it's ocean fleet.

[zitsky]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

Your logic is flawed. X is experiencing record bookings across the fleet I.e in all cabin classes and ships. In some markets passengers have no choice as there are only E class ships e.g. sailing from the UK.

We will only know how successful the IV balconies are when X introduces its next class of ship. To date no other line has followed X down the IV route including Viking which has many of this cabin type in its river boat fleet but chooses not to have any in its ocean fleet.

UK passengers still have a choice.  They can choose to pay more for a veranda/balcony.  They may not like it but that’s a choice.  They can also “choose” to sail on another cruise line.

[kwokpot]

5 hours ago, the penguins said:

To date no other line has followed X down the IV route including Viking which has many of this cabin type in it's river boat fleet but chooses not to have any in it's ocean fleet.

Not true. Celebrity's parent company Royal Caribbean has IV cabins on the Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruiseship. Although not the only type of cabin available it isn't a small amount either, with 3 decks of IV cabins midship on both starboard and port sides. 

And then you have MSC, which has IV cabins, albeit classed as a premium Oceanview, on the World Europa and upcoming World America, both their largest and will be a final fleet of four ships. 

[NMTraveller]

5 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Not true. Celebrity's parent company Royal Caribbean has IV cabins on the Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruiseship. Although not the only type of cabin available it isn't a small amount either, with 3 decks of IV cabins midship on both starboard and port sides. 

And then you have MSC, which has IV cabins, albeit classed as a premium Oceanview, on the World Europa and upcoming World America, both their largest and will be a final fleet of four ships. 

Only 27% on Icon.  LOL.  This suggests that 27% actually like these cabins.  Sounds about right.

[jwlane]

5 hours ago, the penguins said:

Your logic is flawed. 

You missed the "Oh wait......" part........

[RichYak]

25 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

And then you have MSC, which has IV cabins, albeit classed as a premium Oceanview

Imagine that, MSC referring to these cabins as exactly what they are. What a novel concept.

[NMTraveller]

9 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I find it rather amusing that after four ships in over five years we STILL are having this debate. 

Yet still a bunch of misconceptions about what they are and how they work ...

[the penguins]

56 minutes ago, jwlane said:

You missed the "Oh wait......" part........

Sorry  I didn't miss it but perhaps misinterpreted it - I read it as though you thought it was a great idea - clearly not what you meant. 

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

Not true. Celebrity's parent company Royal Caribbean has IV cabins on the Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruiseship. Although not the only type of cabin available it isn't a small amount either, with 3 decks of IV cabins midship on both starboard and port sides. 

And then you have MSC, which has IV cabins, albeit classed as a premium Oceanview, on the World Europa and upcoming World America, both their largest and will be a final fleet of four ships. 

I tend to ignore the Royal ship as the decision was made at the same time and by the same senior team.

However it's the scale that sets X apart - take for example the Edge which on Deck 9, excluding suites, has 12 cabins with true balconies against 162 IV's and the other decks with cabins are the same.

[zitsky]

48 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Yet still a bunch of misconceptions about what they are and how they work ...

They are a window.  That opens.  What misconception?

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

UK passengers still have a choice.  They can choose to pay more for a veranda/balcony.  They may not like it but that’s a choice.  They can also “choose” to sail on another cruise line.

I was referring to the class of ship rather than the cabin split. However  when you look how the ship is marketed in the UK you would be forgiven for thinking that the "balconies" were exactly the same as on all the other classes of ship a decision that may come back to haunt them.

 

[zitsky]

12 minutes ago, the penguins said:

I was referring to the class of ship rather than the cabin split. However  when you look how the ship is marketed in the UK you would be forgiven for thinking that the "balconies" were exactly the same as on all the other classes of ship a decision that may come back to haunt them.

 

“You would be forgiven for thinking….”

 

Do people not bother to research the ships they sail on?

[the penguins]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

“You would be forgiven for thinking….”

 

Do people not bother to research the ships they sail on?

you would. Frankly a lot of people just read the adverts and book. When in the UK you see offers for 3, 4 , 5 different ships /cruise lines/itineraries often in one full page advert and each has a price for inside, ocean view balconies and suites it's not so surprising that people think that the accommodation will be very similar.

Experience tells you otherwise and indeed it's often only after passengers have done a "Cabin Crawl" or two that they begin to realise just how many options are available.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

13 hours ago, tscoffey said:

$5000?

I paid about $2200 for a 13-night TA - less than $100 per person, per night.

 

try pricing a shorter cruise during a school holiday instead. 🙂

[zitsky]

10 minutes ago, the penguins said:

you would. Frankly a lot of people just read the adverts and book. When in the UK you see offers for 3, 4 , 5 different ships /cruise lines/itineraries often in one full page advert and each has a price for inside, ocean view balconies and suites it's not so surprising that people think that the accommodation will be very similar.

Experience tells you otherwise and indeed it's often only after passengers have done a "Cabin Crawl" or two that they begin to realise just how many options are available.

Wait a minute.  You mean the restaurant on the ship I just booked is NOT a Michelin three star restaurant?  Maybe I should have asked first.

 

In the age of YouTube there is no reason to not know what you booked.

[the penguins]

9 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Wait a minute.  You mean the restaurant on the ship I just booked is NOT a Michelin three star restaurant?  Maybe I should have asked first.

 

In the age of YouTube there is no reason to not know what you booked.

you would be surprised at how hard it is to do research even when you have done a few cruises and know what to look for let alone when you are new and don't even know what to ask.

We did our first Princess cruise last year and it never occurred to us that the widths of the entrance door to a standard balcony cabin would be so much less than on S Class that we would need to fold my wife's Rollator to enter and exit. Nor that the corridors are so narrow that the Rollator had to be folded every time we had to pass a Cabin Steward's trolley.

Nor why Independence of the Seas has a number of "stand alone" disabled toilets whereas Silhouette has none. By "stand alone" I mean with direct access from outside without first having to go through/into the conventional single sex part.

Sorry about your Michelin star restaurant. 🤣

[zitsky]

6 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Sorry about your Michelin star restaurant. 🤣

Thanks.  It’s not a problem, as long as they serve hot dogs in Luminae.

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, the penguins said:

 - I read it as though you thought it was a great idea - 

I only thought (as usual) it was a great place for a witty bon mot.  The fact is, X doesn't care what you, I, or ANYONE else thinks as long as the ships are sailing full.

[tscoffey]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

try pricing a shorter cruise during a school holiday instead. 🙂

Which is why I purposely avoid most cruises in the Caribbean at any time (also because of the sun and heat).

If you're willing to experience itineraries outside the norm, there is likely to be a price point on Celebrity (or HAL, or Princess, et. al.) that will work for you.

Also, not needing alcohol, gambling, specialty dining, or extra attention from a "butler" allows me to cruise for 30-80% less in out-of-pocket costs. 

[the penguins]

20 minutes ago, jwlane said:

I only thought (as usual) it was a great place for a witty bon mot.  The fact is, X doesn't care what you, I, or ANYONE else thinks as long as the ships are sailing full.

As we have a Texan grandson we should be used to your humour (sorry humor) by now. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

2 hours ago, tscoffey said:

If you're willing to experience itineraries outside the norm, there is likely to be a price point on Celebrity (or HAL, or Princess, et. al.) that will work for you.

Also, not needing alcohol, gambling, specialty dining, or extra attention from a "butler" allows me to cruise for 30-80% less in out-of-pocket costs. 

not sure what "outside the norm" means, but we cruise with a school aged child, so we must adhere to school breaks, and we only like to sail in the Caribbean at this time.

 

We also never get alcohol packages or specialty dining,  and we don't gamble either. Never had a butler, and the most upscale cabin we ever got was a regular balcony. But mostly inside or obstructed balconies due to cost, though.

 

I am sure that sailing outside of holidays or school breaks would definitely save us money (as it did before our kid started school), but we are not willing to either leave him at home or take him out of school when it's convenient for us to sail.

[NMTraveller]

9 hours ago, zitsky said:

They are a window.  That opens.  What misconception?

1.  People will be in a IV,  but talk about how they are on the balcony 😁  

2.  People think that if you open the window that the AC stays on.  

Edited March 12 by NMTraveller