infinite veranda, does anyone like these things?

[highway180]

4 hours ago, the penguins said:

Just curious. The chairs have low backs and look extremely uncomfortable compared to the high back chairs that recline on the traditional balconies. Can't imagine  relaxing on those chairs for the 3 plus hours we spend on the balcony every sea day. Just how long did you sit for?

they are not very comfortable for any length of time. A quick cup of coffee perhaps that's it.

[Celtic_Creation]

Loved the IV on the Beyond.  Booked another on the Ascent.

Cabin seems so much larger, but you still have a small balcony area if you want.

Btw...love the blinds in the rooms.  Room was so dark we kept sleeping in...lol

[Pennstatedj]

Just off Ascent B2B. Had a sunset balcony and then a Infinity room in that order. We loved the Infinity room. Much larger. Gives us more room when wife is getting ready. Love the view. We do not open window. I do not miss balcony. Wife love balcony but likes the extra room better. I like the chairs and I have a very bad back. They are very comfortable. For those that live on balcony do not get one, you will it. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

I loved mine. Had no issues with it. Granted I’m a rule follower who never leaves her balcony door open, so the a/c cutting off is not an issue for me.

[jmfdr]

Don’t like them.  Wouldn’t sail without a real balcony.  In fact, we dislike the large E class ships altogether. 

[cruisestitch]

5 minutes ago, jmfdr said:

Don’t like them.  Wouldn’t sail without a real balcony.  In fact, we dislike the large E class ships altogether. 

Ditto

[NMTraveller]

13 minutes ago, jmfdr said:

Don’t like them.  Wouldn’t sail without a real balcony.  In fact, we dislike the large E class ships altogether. 

Just one of several things they muffed up on E class...

[kwokpot]

10 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I seem to be the only person who’s concerned about them on cold weather cruises, I know the air conditioning turns off when the window is open but want to know if the heat still works. I think that would be a huge negative in Antarctica or Alaska.

The HVAC turns off when the window is down. 

[Torfamm]

8 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

The HVAC turns off when the window is down. 

No heat is a dealbreaker for me. 

[RichYak]

It's refreshing to see reasonable and rational points both for and against IV cabins in this thread. Depending on how one cruises, they are either great cabins or utter non-starters. I happen to fall in the latter category. If I sailed in concierge or aqua, that would rule out all E-class ships for me. That's the real unfortunate byproduct of this class of cabin.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

5 hours ago, the penguins said:

As we mainly cruise on itineraries with lots of sea days and regularly have lunch on the balcony the IV is a non starter for us. We will be sticking to S class.

I booked the deluxe porthole balcony cabin on Beyond and Ascent. I like traditional balconies and put them to good use, but we also like newer ships. This is a very good compromise for us.

[kwokpot]

33 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

No heat is a dealbreaker for me. 

What we did on last July on our Apex cruise to Iceland is sit by the window and periodically lower the window. When it got too cold (we weren't wearing any coats) since the heat is off we would close the window and just sit by the window with it closed. The panoramic window provides great views. For example the attached photo is taken with the window closed(you can see the controls in the reflection) but I also took photos with the window down. 

[mitchtech]

I don't  understand why people keep complaining  that when you open the window the ac goes off. The same thing happens  in a standard balcony when you open the door. We opened our window every morning  when we woke up. It was so nice hearing the waves and getting  the fresh ocean air. After having an IV on 2 different sailings we only want to cruise on the newer ships that have them. Absolutely  love the IVs

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 minute ago, mitchtech said:

I don't  understand why people keep complaining  that when you open the window the ac goes off. The same thing happens  in a standard balcony when you open the door.

because you can close the balcony door behind you, and your family members inside the cabin can still enjoy the AC, while I enjoy reading on the balcony. Same with when they are still sleeping in the morning. I slip out the balcony door, close it behind me and enjoy the alone time, while the regular curtain is still closed and the AC is still on so that DH and DS can continue sleeping in peace.

[paulh84]

We would not hesitate to book an IV again. We take advantage of the additional cabin space more than the balcony. I would most likely choose an IV cabin over a Sunset Veranda. 

[PTC DAWG]

10 hours ago, Tierun said:

It’s an OV with a window that opens. Anyone that’s happy with an OV cabin would most likely be happy with it.

They don’t seem comparable at all to me..tell me how to get fresh air in an OV? 🙂

[PTC DAWG]

4 hours ago, highway180 said:

it is a definite NO!!

We are huge balcony fans. If one wants to sneak out to the "infinite veranda" while somebody is trying to sleep.....virtually impossible to do without disturbing the person sleeping. First the slow noisy shade has to raise. Then you have to maneuver the furniture so as to close those noisy bi folds, then stand there holding the button to open the window, which is also slow and noisy. We just recently got off the Ascent, beautiful ship....a one and done for us. 

Give me a real balcony any day!

Cheers

 

Do people actually close their curtains while at sea at night?  I don’t see the point at all. I get it during the day if the sun is strong and I’m out of the cabin, it will stay cooler for sure, if I’m in my cabin, the curtains are wide open..I want to see the ocean, etc..

Edited February 8 by PTC DAWG

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I booked the deluxe porthole balcony cabin on Beyond and Ascent. I like traditional balconies and put them to good use, but we also like newer ships. This is a very good compromise for us.

I have friends that liked those cabins…I would try one..

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, Torfamm said:

No heat is a dealbreaker for me. 

In the Caribbean or Alaska?  How cold does it get on the Alaskan cruises in the summer?  50 and up, I’m good..

[AnnieHawk]

1 hour ago, mitchtech said:

I don't  understand why people keep complaining  that when you open the window the ac goes off. The same thing happens  in a standard balcony when you open the door. We opened our window every morning  when we woke up. It was so nice hearing the waves and getting  the fresh ocean air. After having an IV on 2 different sailings we only want to cruise on the newer ships that have them. Absolutely  love the IVs

You are correct. Many balconies have the sliding doors and when you open it to go on balcony, AC turns off. Leave it open to get fresh air in the room, which I need. Other ships have standard doors which close behind you as you walk out. I prop those with a backpack to get my fresh air flowing- also will turn off the  AC. I’d rather get the fresh air circulating and sacrifice room temp for a bit. We’ll have our first IV experience in June on the Edge in Alaska

Edited February 8 by AnnieHawk

[RichYak]

28 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Do people actually close their curtains while at sea at night?  I don’t see the point at all.

I do. I don't want sunlight streaming into my cabin at 6am waking me up. I sleep later than that on holiday.

[mitchtech]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

because you can close the balcony door behind you, and your family members inside the cabin can still enjoy the AC, while I enjoy reading on the balcony. Same with when they are still sleeping in the morning. I slip out the balcony door, close it behind me and enjoy the alone time, while the regular curtain is still closed and the AC is still on so that DH and DS can continue sleeping in peace.

You can close the partition doors behind you and then it is like a regular balcony

[highway180]

45 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Do people actually close their curtains while at sea at night?  I don’t see the point at all. I get it during the day if the sun is strong and I’m out of the cabin, it will stay cooler for sure, if I’m in my cabin, the curtains are wide open..I want to see the ocean, etc..

Actually the room steward puts the shade down when he turns down the bed for the evening. You always have the option to tell him otherwise or just open it yourself.

 

Like i said, it doesn't work for us,but i guess it does for a lot of people, as the ships are sailing full these days

 

[kwokpot]

2 minutes ago, mitchtech said:

You can close the partition doors behind you and then it is like a regular balcony

Not exactly. The room dividers are frosted, so it will still let in a lot of light in even when they are in the closed position. 

On Royal's new icon of the Seas the IV cabins on that ship no longer have bifold screens and blackout shade but instead have just blackout curtains. 

The other point is even with the room dividers closed the space in no way resembles or feels like a regular balcony. In a regular balcony you are outside with air that flows from all sides. Not so in an IV room since you are never outside, you're always inside you cabin. 

[mitchtech]

21 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Not exactly. The room dividers are frosted, so it will still let in a lot of light in even when they are in the closed position. 

On Royal's new icon of the Seas the IV cabins on that ship no longer have bifold screens and blackout shade but instead have just blackout curtains. 

The other point is even with the room dividers closed the space in no way resembles or feels like a regular balcony. In a regular balcony you are outside with air that flows from all sides. Not so in an IV room since you are never outside, you're always inside you cabin. 

The partitions are not frosted. They are brown, wood, maybe and they do blackout the room