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Aft cabin for Alaska was perfect! We actually had a large group and we had all the cabins across the aft so we requested the balcony dividers to be opened and had one huge balcony across the entire aft! Perfect for wildlife watching and the day we went to the glacier.
We love aft cabins. The long walk to us is a benefit because it helps to work off all the food you eat. It is quiet and peaceful. The sound of the sea is amazing. You also don't have to deal with the wind like you would sailing in the bow.
Just returned from a 12 day, Princess Ring of Kerry cruise with an aft cabin. No soot or noise from other decks. One night there was a full moon directly behind the ship which illuminated the wake. Spectacular! This was our 2nd or 3rd cruise with an aft cabin and it was great. Some vibration but drowned out by the sound of the wake. We were in San Francisco with an aft cabin and the views of downtown and the bridges was spectacular. But for some cruises I think it best not to have an aft cabin. We are going to do a South American and Antarctica cruise in 2023 and booked a midship cabin due to the chances of rough seas between South America and Antarctica.
We did an Antarctic cruise on Celebrity. I was so worried just like you. We had a midship cabin but because the shop is so huge we couldn't even tell if the seas were bad.
@@daparkerwoman I’m not concerned about the giant swells that can occur as the rougher it is the better. My wife? Not so much. I was in Antartica in 1974 onboard the Lindblad Explorer. One trip was very rough and the 2nd was calm. You just never know which one you will get.
We had an aft balcony on the NCL Getaway in August and it was absolutely the best. Incredible sail away view, calming wake and a massive space with 2 loungers and a table for 4. I've booked 3 more aft balcony rooms in the next 18 months! Highly recommend and we had no issues with salt or soot.
We were in an aft balcony two weeks ago on the Carnival Spirit for an Alaskan cruise (room #7300). It was our first aft balcony. We absolutely loved it! Not only were the views great, but on chilly nights the wind was almost non-existent, allowing us to enjoy the outdoors on our balcony if it was too chilly on the main outdoor deck.
We absolutely love sailing in an aft cabin. In addition to the great points made in the video, we also like the ability to see wildlife from there. We often missed seeing whales and dolphins when we were on the "wrong" side of the ship. We increased our odds by being in the back and got a second chance to see them as the ship moved on. We sail soon on the Celebrity Eclipse, and booked an aft corner Sky Suite this time.
We are taking a Viking cruise in October and we were able to select our cabin. And we selected an aft facing cabin. Your vid reinforces we made the correct choice. Enjoying your vids. This will be our first cruise in 20 years.
We had an aft facing cabin for a Caribbean cruise. The view was fantastic. Hypnotizing actually. Note: I have no fear of heights, however there was a haunting sensation, that was unsettling for me. - I didn't understand initially, but a little research revealed this to me. "The call of the void" describes an impulse to hurl yourself into, well, a void. While unnerving, it's actually a pretty common experience. It also has nothing to do with suicidal ideation". I'm curious if anyone else has had this sensation too?
We have sailed more than 25 times and probably half of those sailings were in aft cabins on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships. All your comments were spot on regarding pros and cons. We do want you to know that we never...never had an issue with soot but have heard from others who did. We mostly try to book aft-corner cabins for the wrap around views,. The only two cons we would add are ...yes, we have experienced vibrations on some of the smaller ships rear cabins and have had some aft cabins that had very little protection from sun...and therefore rain. But with that said, we have been known to book more than 2 years out to get a "Coveted Aft Corner".
Loved our aft cabin on Princess. Agree with bigger balconcy and partial covering is great. We did have a vertical girder in the center of the balcony but didn't bother us. When the sun hit our balcony it gave us a place to be shaded.
We have an AFT Ext Balcony booked for July 18 on Carnival Breeze. Looking forward to it as we usually get ship side balcony reservations. Thanks for the content.
We had an aft facing cabin on our recent Alaska cruise on Regent Seven Seas Mariner . It was FANTASTIC in every way, especially where there was an amazing view every way you turned. Not sure it would be such an advantage in the Caribbean but in Alaska it made the cruise extra extra special.
We just got off an Alaskan cruise on the Celebrity Millennium, a sister ship, and stayed in the cabin next to the one in the video with the metal lower wall. It is a huge cabin. You get a phenomenal view off the back, plus off the side, half of which has railings, and you can move forward and see to the opposite shore as well, amazing perspective. We did not have a soot problem, nor and issue with any vibrations. I would try for that cabin again. We were on deck 9 also, but the weather was not conducive for people to gather at the Sunset Bar above us.
Hi IIana, firstly we love your videos - (Are channel subscribers) and you are one of the best Vloggers on cruise life from the internet. Based on this video, we have chosen an Aft facing balcony cabin on MSC Divian going out of Miami this Christmas and New Year’s. We are super excited and many thanks to you and all your videos for amazing tips, you are brilliant. Andy and Terri from London, England.
I love the Carnival Cove Balcony "mid ship". main deck. Your close to the water and get to watch all the late runners trying to get on the ship before it leaves port.
We loved the aft balcony on the Disney Fantasy. There was some soot but it was taken care by our room steward twice a day. I would definitely do it again.
We've been in an aft cabin 3 times, all on Carnival (only line we go on). The last was to Alaska on the Splendor. The aft balconies shown in the video seem to be quite a bit larger, definitely longer, then what we've had. The views are INCREDIBLE! We did experience a bit of soot falling on us the first time, but not the others. However, this would be true probably for any balcony cabin behind the funnel. The biggest draw back, I thought, was the engine vibration. We didn't feel it much at all in the Caribbean, but this last cruise on the Splendor was to Alaska. Going Northbound, we REALLY felt it. but, coming back South, hardly at all. But overall, I we can book one, we'll ALWAYS opt for the aft balcony cabin! But, they do sell really fast!
We just got our cabin assignment on the Majestic Princess for an October cruise. It's an aft cabin with no obstructions! This video was so very helpful.
We had an AFT facing balcony on the Ms Konsingdam, Holland America in 2019, Mediterranean Cruise from Rome. It was well worth the additional cost and the views were spectacular. Highly recommend!!
Had my first aft cabin a few years ago on a Norwegian ship on a Caribbean trip, and will again next year on Norwegian to Alaska. I found zero cons. Great view (especially arriving and departing ports), endearing sea sounds, generally no hallway noise. Yes, a long walk from elevators, but this fat boy can use the extra steps. Highly recommend, especially to newer cruisers.
Your description was spot on. princess was too much motion, shuddering motion also as you described, and the noise from the water was Extremely Loud.. But on Royal Caribbean it was amazing. Without motion and noise problems.
Our first experience in an aft cabin was on the Carnival Luminosa, located on Deck 7. I vowed NEVER to book another aft cabin after than experience, because of the noise. The engines are based at the back of the ship, so with the combination of the wake sound and motors at sea, made it impossible to have a conversation on the balcony. The only way was to pull the chairs next to each other. Even then we still had to talk loudly to be heard. Have a number of cruises booked for later this year through to 2025. The latest one booked is another aft cabin on the Pacific Encounter, Deck 10. Will see how that goes :). Loved your video and the advice given. Thank you!
Nice video, good info for those who haven’t tried an aft facing cabin. We're retired and have done over 30 cruises, and have done aft facing cabins 8 times, including Celebrity Solstice: 10 day R/T Sydney to New Zealand and 19 days, Sydney to Honolulu. Thoroughly enjoyed every one. Only once did we experience a soot issue, but that was only one day, on Celebrity Constellation, Fort Lauderdale to Rome. Our cabin steward, just wiped it all down for us. The salt deposit on balcony furniture is something we've experienced with several different cabin locations, like you, we just wiped the furniture down with wash cloth or asked the cabin steward to take care of it if we didn’t have time, or it was late in the evening, etc.
Have you ever stayed in the Celebrity infinite veranda? I have the infinite booked for May 23rd, 2025 for an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle but am considering switching to aft although it is $1,300 higher. This is my husband and I’s first ever cruise and I just don’t know what to do!
We would definitely do the aft cabin for a Real Balcony, I think you would enjoy the Real balcony experience a lot more than the Infinity Balcony. You will actually be outside and can look around a little more. We are booked on Apex, October 23, and opted NOT to do an Infinity Balcony. We tried an Infinity Balcony on Beyond, Panama Canal in February, didn’t care for it. Hope this helps.
We have an aft corner balcony, which we were lucky to get on a cancellation, on Crown Princess for 28 days this fall going through the South Pacific. OMG so looking forward to it. The aft profile of the Crown looks great because there is shade offered on the balcony and no one is looking directly down on you - very private. I will report in upon our return. One word of advice and it is how I got my cabin…although we had booked through our travel agent, I looked at the cruise line’s website EVERY DAY, to see if an aft cabin became available. When I saw that it was, I booked it directly on line with a complimentary 4 day hold, then contacted my travel agent who then dealt with the cruise line and got the newly secured room transferred to my existing booking and cancelled my old room. Had I waited until I got hold of my travel agent, that special corner aft cabin may have been booked by someone else online.
We had an aft facing on the Princess Sky, Regal and Island Princess. Absolutely loved everyone of them. One other point people should be aware of is that if there is rough water the back AND front will have much more movement. We always start out with our sea sick medicine the first night and then generally are fine after that once our bodies get used to the movement. In fact we kind of like it, but for folks that have the potential to get sea sick .....it may not be for you.
I am booked on the NCL Getaway in an AFT balcony cabin. It will be my first time in this type of balcony. Your video reassured me of my pro / cons before I booked. Thank you!
I just came off the NCL Joy. I was in 15868. When I tell you it was THE BEST room I’ve ever had I am not joking: I loved the sound of the waves, the view was extraordinary, it was so quiet because there was no foot traffic at all, the aft elevator was not far so I didn’t have far to walk to get the elevator, it was much wider than a normal balcony - I had two deck and two table chairs, there’s zero wind coming into the cabin unlike a front facing balcony so I could keep my balcony door open at all times. 💖
I've been on 17 cruises and had several side balconies and several aft balconies. I love an aft facing balcony. There is just something about seeing the world disappear in the wake I find very satisfying. I have never experienced soot.
We have sailed on princess ships 3 times and 1 more scheduled with great memories of aft balconies. Royal Princess Europe to ft. Lauderdale was exceptional. The wake viewed at night was a fantastic experience. We try to book this type of cabin for all of our voyages.
I really enjoyed this! My husband and I went on our first cruise on Harmony in May 2022. We would take a walk after dinner every night and hang out AFT....I love the view and the sound, and it reminded him of his Navy ship days. In the future we will try an AFT cabin! My only observation (don't want to call it a complaint) was some nights the exhaust seemed extra thick and it kinda marred the view of the night sky. Nothing a few steps sideways didn't take care of, and we still had the great view of AFT. Thank you so much for your videos!
Thank you for your videos. Yours are one of my go to's because they are honest and thoughtful. We have done one cruise with an aft balcony. That was on the NCL POA around the Hawaiian islands last September (2022). We loved everything about our cabin but you are right about the longer walks. The view is the best and the size of the balcony is fantastic. We have another cruise booked in an aft cabin next year on the Celebrity Constellation (Best of Italy and Croatia). When picking the cabin we had the choice of deck 7 or 9. We booked directly with Celebrity and their Planner suggested deck 7 for the exact reason as you mentioned, noise from the Sunset bar. Keep up the great reviews.
Just and FYI re the CCL Vista class AFT Balcony cabins ( Not the Havana decks). The aft balconies overlook the Havana pool & hot tub deck (think noisy)/ decks 6 & down have no shade above them. BUT the cabins seem bigger and the balconies are much bigger as well. To each his own. Happy cruising everyone. 🛳️🏝️😎
Good overview. Another con is that the aft balconies are often tiered which means those above can see your balcony. Not true on the Rotterdam but true on others and worth checking out. Also, while we like the aft balcony, the side balconies can be especially nice if they face the port and you can watch the activities taking place.
NCL Aft Cabin Went on NCL SUN in July 2022. Had a great time, the views were great. No dirt,soot, or salt problems. Saw some whales, seals and maybe otters on a Alaska Inner passage.
I’ve only recently found your channel and I think it’s great. Sadly, we live in Scotland and currently there are no cruise ports here that ships sail from (but some stop) and the closest is Southampton in the south of England. We love sailing in the Caribbean but with flights etc it gets pricey, so we can only do it when finances permit. I’m so jealous of those in the US who can just drive to a port and sail. This video was useful since I was thinking of booking an aft cabin x
Just got back from NCL Epic in aft balcony cabin. The view is great and balcony is private. Plus, unlike side balconies where the wind is like a hurricane, the aft balcony is very calm. Now, with that said, the noise of the wake during travel is pretty loud. If you leave the door open at night it takes a while to get used to the noise. (It does drown out snoring though.) The vibration can actually be calming, but when the ship docks the entire ship vibrates to the point it will wake you up. And it's a no brainer finding your way back to your cabin because you always just go to the back. No soot at all. I would definitely do an aft cabin again.
We had an aft cabin on the NCL Epic located on Deck 10 on the corner. We liked it a lot but you did feel a pretty strong vibration (in the morning it was enough to wake us up) when the ship arrived in port and was maneuvering to the dock. It did not really bother us. On one of the nights you could smell the exhaust as we cruised. I think a lot matters on the wind. Not horrible but noticeable only that night. Our room was very quiet. I did notice what you said: that the aft can be a long walk back to the room but that was ok to me if it meant we were away from the travelled areas. Our deck seemed almost deserted at times. One thing I did like was being able to watch the whole process of securing or removing the ropes when the ship arrived or left the dock. You have a great view of that from an aft balcony. Overall I am mixed on the aft cabin. It is great for the view and it is bigger. I am not completely sure I'd want to pay a lot more for it compared to a regular balcony.
We love Aft Facing Cabins. We have an upcoming Alaska cruise in August on NCL Bliss. Have 10 couples going and most are all booked on same deck and have all the aft cabins together for most in party. Should be great fun!
I always enjoy your videos. IMO Aft cabins are the BEST. I always try to get one when I cruise. Yes, they are a distance from the action but the quiet and the privacy is a plus for me. I REALLY like my Aft Cabana cabin on Carnival's Panorama. Looking for to my Alaska cruise next year and more of your fun and informative videos.
Our loft suite on Ovation of the seas was fantastic. It was beyond all our expectations and had the most stunning views right from the aft facing king size bed each and every morning on our 14 night Sydney to Singapore sailing. Two story floor to ceiling windows, huge balcony and total privacy from everything including the weather. It was an oasis of luxury. We recently booked the aft owners suite with hot tub on NCL's Viva hoping to match our Star Class experience with RCL back in 2016. Hoping the Heaven lives up to the hype! (Never had any issues with soot or salt Grand Loft Suite 10324)
We've done aft cabins/Haven twice and once just as a cabin (all on NCL). It's our favorite. One time we had our dinner on the balcony. So many great memories. We would rather not go on a cruise than stay in a non-aft facing. Absolute bliss!
We have sailed 4 times with aft facing balconies. The last one was around the world. Watching the wake is mesmerizing. Bigger balcony makes for great sail away parties. Going in and out of ports and through the Suez and especially the Panama Canal was the best. Watching the pilot boat follow us until it was time to come alongside to pick up the pilot was always interesting. Soot has never been a problem. Salty air is everywhere, but it’s never been a problem. A long walk was never a problem. Gotta work off that desert! A vibration can lull you to sleep, is normal and easy to ignore. My next cruise is another around the world on a ship without aft facing cabins. I will miss that. If you love being on the water you will really love an aft facing balcony.
We had an aft cabin on the Celebrity Eclipse on a Baltic cruise. It was amazing!!! We have booked a Mediterranean cruise for next May on the Celebrity Ascent and got an aft facing suite for our 25th anniversary. We’re so excited to try out this new ship!
We had a Havana Wrap aft cabin!! It was amazing. Wouldn't change anything about it. One flight down was the bar and our private havana pool on the carnival vista.
Just booked an aft cabin on Viking Neptune, British Isles tour. I was really happy to see your video and read the positive comments regarding the aft staterooms as I've never chosen it. Thank you for the great info!
We had our first "Aft " cabin about 4 ships ago. We are big Celebrity folks and on the Reflection were talked into getting a Suite. It was nice, large, and very roomy throughout. But, from that point on we have stuck with the Aft room. So nice. Never had a concern with soot at all. the Room steard always seem to wipe down the balacony. I love the part of some of it is sheltered and some of it is for us sun worshipers. I don't believe we will ever change. We love sea days and our AFT Balcony. Drinks just are better there.
This video was very helpful as I was just trying to decide deck nine or deck eight. I am a very light sleeper. I know deck nine offered full shade, but it seems like the three-quarter shade is just as good.
My wife and I had a aft facing balcony many years ago. I loved it. That view is just amazing. My wife didn't like it specifically because of the loud noise from the rushing water below. I guess she is seeking a more quiet and peaceful experience from the balcony.
We had an aft balcony on the NCL Pride of America around the Hawaiian islands. It was huge! We had 2 recliners and table and also 2 chairs with another table.
Loved the aft cabin on the Breakaway except for one issue. Even though we were mid ship, the noise from the outdoor nightclub at the top of the ship very often kept me up. The base in the music made it sound like the band was on our balcony. I am a bit of a light sleeper so I’m guessing some would not be bothered by this. It did not bother my wife although I have literally seen her sleep through a hurricane. TRUTH! Otherwise I absolutely loved it. I’d get it again if the nightclub was in a different area. The sound of the engines etc lulled me to sleep and did not bother me at all. :)
Having an aft balcony is really good. Deck seven is good. When we were on the Celebrity Silhouette we got a stateroom really close to the elevator. Make it easier for my wife. Am already subscribed.
We stayed in aft view cabin on 9th deck(9481) on the carnival breeze, and it was noisy in the night. I am told that it was deck chairs moving around. We were told that they pick them up, not drag them. Other than the noise the room was nice, enjoyed the balcony very much.There was plenty of room and the view was very good, could see the sunset and sunrise. Cannot do that on a side balcony without turning around. We enjoy your videos, keep up the good work.
Just got off the Summit on 7/31 and had an aft facing canon. We we also had the family veranda room and my husband said he never wants another kind of room. 💕
Aft corner is great. There may be a pole but the extra room makes up for it. It is quite a hike to the gym or spa in the forward part of the ship sometimes, but I just look at it as an added bonus of burning additional calories from the delicious food and drinks. Wear flip flops on the balcony. We saw come broken glass on ours last time after the ship cleaned the balconies during a port day. The pressure wash may have upended some hidden glass from broken wine glasses but luckily I saw it and alerted our cabin attendant that there may be glass not as visible. Definitely don’t be afraid of booking and aft cabin. As my Royal Caribbean t-shirt says, “wake view is the best view”.
We sailed on the Carnival Legend on an aft balcony. It was covered in so much soot that it was unusable for us. There were carbon specks every inch or two covering all surfaces. Nowhere to sit without getting on us. And really didn't want to walk around and track it back in on the carpet. Not to mention we kept finding cigarette butts each time we checked to see if they cleaned it. The balcony wasn't cleaned the entire cruise, so the salt really built up. We didn't complain to the cabin steward or the help desk because we got tired of complaining. We are seasoned cruisers and this crew seemed off their game. Our cabin was a wifi dead zone and the MDH food, particularly breakfast was off. Maybe to Carnival's credit, the engine did blow the very next sailing, so that may account for the extra soot. We won't likely book another aft balcony after that experience. We tried to make the best of our vacation.
My son and I had an aft Haven suite on NCL Epic. It was lovely and I sat out there every day. No soot issue that I noticed, but I did feel like it was a Loooong walk to the Haven area and Spa. I have back issues, and so I noticed I didn’t really take full advantage of the Haven amenities, like I would have if I had picked a suite in the Haven. Still, my favourite cabins are aft cabins. There’s nothing like that amazing wake view and sail away view…
This video is perfect timing for me. I have an aft facing balcony cabin booked for my Diamond Princess cruise in September and also on my Holland America Koningsdam cruise in November. I’ve never been in this cabin before and I’m excited to experience it. ❤️
We have been in many aft facing cabins, on many different cruise lines and never seen soot. I too have heard from others of experiencing this, but it will not make me shy away from the aft for all of the same reasons you described.
After booking in early 2020, and cancelling last year, we have an aft cabin on the Viking Mars, Norway to Iceland. I am soooooo excited. Our first big trip since Africa in Feb. 2020.
We always get an aft facing balcony when we can’t a suite. We love the view. Yo❤u can always see the port we found the sound of the engines help us to get to to sleep
We seek an aft room.. We always did a balcony but after an aft facing room we were in love! We don't mind the occasional rocking or movement or the longer walks.
Had Aft facing balcony on NCL Joy in March and loved it. We did have some vibrations not much and one night heard some loud music from event on deck above but other than that can’t beat the views.
Hi! About 10 years ago we cruised on aft cabin and i loved the view & the sounds. Granted it was a lot of walking.. some nights i wondered why i picked such a cabin but then i remembered the view. We have booked a back 2 back Sept 2023 on Pacific Coast in an aft cabin. As for soot.. well we had a fluke while on Oasis in May. We were watching the FlowRider surfers and this nasty soot covered us and stained our clothes & shoes. The floors and seats were all dirty too. Weird!
I love to see the wake of the ship so I booked a spacious aft balcony cabin and I am excited!! It’s our 8th cruise so I’m not worried about seasickness or anything else.
My NCL aft balcony is always the best, unless your cabin is directly under the aft bar and bring food to this area. Around 3:00AM is when this area is cleaned by the workers, they move EVERY chair and table, in turn, the chairs are loudly scooted on the deck. I didn’t do this 1 time, but 3 times before I learned not to have my aft cabin on deck 11 when the bar/food area is on deck 12 above! We leave this Monday, July 10th for my 36th NCL cruise this time to Iceland and Greenland, of course, an aft suite this time.
Leaving in 10 days on a 15 day trans-Atlantic aboard the Enchanted Princess from Southampton to NYC. First time in an aft balcony! Always wanted one. Thanks for the advice! Just solidifies my choice. 🤗
How did you enjoy your aft balcony? What floor were you on and location? We are going on Enchanted Princess in January and have bid on a aft balcony would love to hear how you made out with your location.
@@pennywynia4985 We loved the aft balcony! We were in R734. Great location and the view was fantastic for both sea days and in port. I would recommend this cabin for sure! There was a little bit of black soot from the exhaust, but nothing out of the ordinary. Actually looking at this same cabin for another trans Atlantic in 2023! :)
Thanks for the great info and tips. We have our first aft balcony booked on the Celebrity BEYOND for March 2024 to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We're checking off two bucket list items on this cruise 🛳 aft balcony and Panama Cannel
Aft facing cabins are my favorite! I’ve never really had any complaints. I did experience some soot one time while sailing on Carnival Spirit. I had a vista suite and every day would find a layer of soot on the chairs and tables. Other than that, I’ve never had any issues with aft cabins.
I love Aft cabins! In fact, my favorite to get is one of the CORNER aft cabins. I find that they are much more spacious bc they are oddly shaped - and sometimes you get a wrap deck - it wraps around the corner of the ship. 🛳️ We did have salt but no soot issues. However, I have found that the salt is present on ANY balcony cabin we have had.
Just got off Independence of the Seas, which went to the Bahamas. This was my first solo trip. I loved it, but with all the freedom to do what I want when I wanted to, I had MAJOR fomo (fear that I was missing out on something). Any tips on how to combat this? Also, I think you should do a video on spa services with Royal Caribbean. I had two during my cruise and it was great until the end. I was bombarded from the tech trying to sell my things I didn’t want or needed. When I said no they started commenting on how much I’m aging (I’m 29 😂) It took my relaxation from 10 to 0 real quick.
As a seasoned cruiser, I will NOT sail unless I have an aft facing balcony. Aft facing was on my first cruise and am hooked! As for the cons you mentioned like a long walk, come on, how high is your calorie intake on a cruise? The extra steps will do you good. I have been on many aft balconies and have never had a soot problem. When you are in port, any cabin could have a soot problem and when under way the soot is lost in the wake. If you are concerned about it, just tell your cabin steward to please wipe it down every morning, they will be glad to do so. These ships are so large we rarely feel any rocking or up and down motion. In November I will be sailing on Constellation, your sister ship and will have the cabin right next to you that you featured. I have had this cabin before and do not have a problem with the sides. It is worth it to have one of the largest balconies on the ship. I think there are only 2 balconies significantly larger than ours and they are Penthouse Suites. I can't imagine paying that kind of money for that!
In my opinion, the best cabins on the Celebrity Millennium ships are aft on deck 6. I’ve done 5 cruises in this section on the Millennium, Constellation, and Infinity. Happy 🚢 And the Concierge Class cabins in this location have extra long verandas. They are tucked in by the Royal Suites.
Great advice. I'm guessing you were in #9199 on the Summit. We sailed on the Millenium this summer and had a corner aft facing cabin similar to the one your neighbors had (#9197). We chose deck eight to avoid the noise form the upper deck. Our balcony had the solid metal rail you mentioned and while it did limit the view the space was amazing! We had two loungers, four regular chairs, two tables and a three-person sofa. I didn't measure but I'm guessing the distance from the sliding glass door to the rail was well over 30 ft. because we loved the Millenium cabin so much, we just reserved an aft cabin on the Nieuw Statendam for a Norway cruise next summer.
Just booked our first Aft Balcony cabin. Love the wake view and sound. I didn't know about the soot problem and will keep in mind to wipe everything down.
We had an aft cabin on Celebrity and it was definitely bigger and very nice. I love to watch arrivals and departures from the balcony……it fascinates me for some reason. I really missed it in the aft cabin as I could only see the back of the ship and not the sides…..I had to go to the top deck to watch and it is a very long walk. Having said that, I really liked the long walk, you get your daily steps in for sure. I would definitely stay in an aft cabin again, it feels very luxurious!
We booked an aft facing cabin for an Alaska cruise in 2019. We absolutely loved it except for 1 major exception: Yes, we had a soot/carbon issue. I realized it when I ended up with some of the black soot on my clothes after sitting in one of the chairs. The soot itself was very small black particles that were not immediately noticeable until I was looking for them. We had to get room service to wipe down the balcony area every day.
@@MAEUNC Carnival Legend...I don't remember which deck. Moving up or down would not have helped as the decks taper in from bottom to top and have no cover over the balconies.
Aft cabins are our preference. We love the carnival corner afts, smaller cabin, HUGE balcony. We've had hit and miss on the soot, i think it depends on how the wind is blowing. The cabin steward will delightfully wipe the chairs and tables for you. We have had trouble with trash flying on our balcony, cigarette butts, straw wrappers. Surprisingly this was on Celebrity and not Carnival. The one thing I would add to your comment on the size of the balcony is that it really depends on the ship and the location, some of them are strange sizes, and not all of them are as big as the one you had on your recent cruise.
Just returned yesterday from a cruise to Norway on the brand new Viking Mars. We were in an aft wrap around explorer suite. I do have to say that soot was somewhat of a problem. The stewards had to wipe down and change the towel coverings quite often. Having said that, I highly recommend the aft Exp;lorer suites - much better than the forward facing ones.
Thanks for the information. We are looking forward to our first aft facing balcony on NCL Joy this weekend. Slightly concerned about noise from the waterfront promenade and A-list bar on deck directly below, but I'm sure we will enjoy.
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Aft cabin for Alaska was perfect! We actually had a large group and we had all the cabins across the aft so we requested the balcony dividers to be opened and had one huge balcony across the entire aft! Perfect for wildlife watching and the day we went to the glacier.
what ship? we have an aft balcony with friends next door on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam
We love staying in the aft balconies! That is usually where we stay. Mainly for the peacefulness. nothing better!
We love aft cabins. The long walk to us is a benefit because it helps to work off all the food you eat. It is quiet and peaceful. The sound of the sea is amazing. You also don't have to deal with the wind like you would sailing in the bow.
Just returned from a 12 day, Princess Ring of Kerry cruise with an aft cabin. No soot or noise from other decks. One night there was a full moon directly behind the ship which illuminated the wake. Spectacular! This was our 2nd or 3rd cruise with an aft cabin and it was great. Some vibration but drowned out by the sound of the wake. We were in San Francisco with an aft cabin and the views of downtown and the bridges was spectacular. But for some cruises I think it best not to have an aft cabin. We are going to do a South American and Antarctica cruise in 2023 and booked a midship cabin due to the chances of rough seas between South America and Antarctica.
Great comments! Thanks for sharing
We did an Antarctic cruise on Celebrity. I was so worried just like you. We had a midship cabin but because the shop is so huge we couldn't even tell if the seas were bad.
@@daparkerwoman I’m not concerned about the giant swells that can occur as the rougher it is the better. My wife? Not so much. I was in Antartica in 1974 onboard the Lindblad Explorer. One trip was very rough and the 2nd was calm. You just never know which one you will get.
The sound of the wake after a great dinner n hot shower... Heavenly
We had an aft balcony on the NCL Getaway in August and it was absolutely the best. Incredible sail away view, calming wake and a massive space with 2 loungers and a table for 4. I've booked 3 more aft balcony rooms in the next 18 months! Highly recommend and we had no issues with salt or soot.
I'm leaving soon on the NCL Getaway in an accessible aft facing balcony.
I’m hoping to book my aft facing balcony on the Getaway, would you share the cabin # you had? I need all the info I can get!
We were in an aft balcony two weeks ago on the Carnival Spirit for an Alaskan cruise (room #7300). It was our first aft balcony. We absolutely loved it! Not only were the views great, but on chilly nights the wind was almost non-existent, allowing us to enjoy the outdoors on our balcony if it was too chilly on the main outdoor deck.
We absolutely love sailing in an aft cabin. In addition to the great points made in the video, we also like the ability to see wildlife from there. We often missed seeing whales and dolphins when we were on the "wrong" side of the ship. We increased our odds by being in the back and got a second chance to see them as the ship moved on. We sail soon on the Celebrity Eclipse, and booked an aft corner Sky Suite this time.
Love that! I hadn’t thought of it but that would definitely be amazing
Loved reading this as we have booked an aft sky suite on the Reflection for January.
We are taking a Viking cruise in October and we were able to select our cabin. And we selected an aft facing cabin. Your vid reinforces we made the correct choice. Enjoying your vids. This will be our first cruise in 20 years.
We had an aft facing cabin for a Caribbean cruise. The view was fantastic. Hypnotizing actually. Note: I have no fear of heights, however there was a haunting sensation, that was unsettling for me. - I didn't understand initially, but a little research revealed this to me. "The call of the void" describes an impulse to hurl yourself into, well, a void. While unnerving, it's actually a pretty common experience. It also has nothing to do with suicidal ideation". I'm curious if anyone else has had this sensation too?
I've had this experience, not on a cruise ship but while on a balcony over a precipice. It's a bit scary.
@@manonsinclairladyofblairad9675 Strange. Not the height, nor any self-destuctive tendency, but I could hear the call.
Wow that’s a strange feeling. Definitely hypnotizing
I live in Niagara Falls and we have that same sensation when look at the brink.
Steve yes my friend I was travelling with said the same thing I felt a little bit like it to.
First in August 2024 upcoming, also our first balcony ever! So excited to experience this, me hubs and 10 y/0 grandson
We have sailed more than 25 times and probably half of those sailings were in aft cabins on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships. All your comments were spot on regarding pros and cons. We do want you to know that we never...never had an issue with soot but have heard from others who did. We mostly try to book aft-corner cabins for the wrap around views,. The only two cons we would add are ...yes, we have experienced vibrations on some of the smaller ships rear cabins and have had some aft cabins that had very little protection from sun...and therefore rain. But with that said, we have been known to book more than 2 years out to get a "Coveted Aft Corner".
Loved our aft cabin on Princess. Agree with bigger balconcy and partial covering is great. We did have a vertical girder in the center of the balcony but didn't bother us. When the sun hit our balcony it gave us a place to be shaded.
We have an AFT Ext Balcony booked for July 18 on Carnival Breeze. Looking forward to it as we usually get ship side balcony reservations. Thanks for the content.
Very nice!! I hope it’s amazing!
We had an aft facing cabin on our recent Alaska cruise on Regent Seven Seas Mariner . It was FANTASTIC in every way, especially where there was an amazing view every way you turned. Not sure it would be such an advantage in the Caribbean but in Alaska it made the cruise extra extra special.
Wow!! That sounds like a phenomenal experience
We just got off an Alaskan cruise on the Celebrity Millennium, a sister ship, and stayed in the cabin next to the one in the video with the metal lower wall. It is a huge cabin. You get a phenomenal view off the back, plus off the side, half of which has railings, and you can move forward and see to the opposite shore as well, amazing perspective. We did not have a soot problem, nor and issue with any vibrations. I would try for that cabin again. We were on deck 9 also, but the weather was not conducive for people to gather at the Sunset Bar above us.
We loved our aft cabin. Go out and see the moon at night in the prop wash was beautiful
Hi IIana, firstly we love your videos - (Are channel subscribers) and you are one of the best Vloggers on cruise life from the internet. Based on this video, we have chosen an Aft facing balcony cabin on MSC Divian going out of Miami this Christmas and New Year’s. We are super excited and many thanks to you and all your videos for amazing tips, you are brilliant. Andy and Terri from London, England.
I love the Carnival Cove Balcony "mid ship". main deck. Your close to the water and get to watch all the late runners trying to get on the ship before it leaves port.
We loved the aft balcony on the Disney Fantasy. There was some soot but it was taken care by our room steward twice a day. I would definitely do it again.
We've been in an aft cabin 3 times, all on Carnival (only line we go on). The last was to Alaska on the Splendor. The aft balconies shown in the video seem to be quite a bit larger, definitely longer, then what we've had. The views are INCREDIBLE! We did experience a bit of soot falling on us the first time, but not the others. However, this would be true probably for any balcony cabin behind the funnel. The biggest draw back, I thought, was the engine vibration. We didn't feel it much at all in the Caribbean, but this last cruise on the Splendor was to Alaska. Going Northbound, we REALLY felt it. but, coming back South, hardly at all. But overall, I we can book one, we'll ALWAYS opt for the aft balcony cabin! But, they do sell really fast!
We just got our cabin assignment on the Majestic Princess for an October cruise. It's an aft cabin with no obstructions! This video was so very helpful.
We had an AFT facing balcony on the Ms Konsingdam, Holland America in 2019, Mediterranean Cruise from Rome. It was well worth the additional cost and the views were spectacular. Highly recommend!!
We just got aft 6233 on the same ship. Hoping this is good. The HAL facts doesn’t show the balcony as any bigger. Off to Hawaii!
Had my first aft cabin a few years ago on a Norwegian ship on a Caribbean trip, and will again next year on Norwegian to Alaska. I found zero cons. Great view (especially arriving and departing ports), endearing sea sounds, generally no hallway noise. Yes, a long walk from elevators, but this fat boy can use the extra steps. Highly recommend, especially to newer cruisers.
Lol love it! Thanks for sharing
Your description was spot on. princess was too much motion, shuddering motion also as you described, and the noise from the water was Extremely Loud.. But on Royal Caribbean it was amazing. Without motion and noise problems.
How interesting. Thanks for sharing your experiences
Our first experience in an aft cabin was on the Carnival Luminosa, located on Deck 7. I vowed NEVER to book another aft cabin after than experience, because of the noise. The engines are based at the back of the ship, so with the combination of the wake sound and motors at sea, made it impossible to have a conversation on the balcony. The only way was to pull the chairs next to each other. Even then we still had to talk loudly to be heard. Have a number of cruises booked for later this year through to 2025. The latest one booked is another aft cabin on the Pacific Encounter, Deck 10. Will see how that goes :). Loved your video and the advice given. Thank you!
Nice video, good info for those who haven’t tried an aft facing cabin. We're retired and have done over 30 cruises, and have done aft facing cabins 8 times, including Celebrity Solstice: 10 day R/T Sydney to New Zealand and 19 days, Sydney to Honolulu. Thoroughly enjoyed every one. Only once did we experience a soot issue, but that was only one day, on Celebrity Constellation, Fort Lauderdale to Rome. Our cabin steward, just wiped it all down for us. The salt deposit on balcony furniture is something we've experienced with several different cabin locations, like you, we just wiped the furniture down with wash cloth or asked the cabin steward to take care of it if we didn’t have time, or it was late in the evening, etc.
Have you ever stayed in the Celebrity infinite veranda? I have the infinite booked for May 23rd, 2025 for an Alaskan cruise out of Seattle but am considering switching to aft although it is $1,300 higher. This is my husband and I’s first ever cruise and I just don’t know what to do!
We would definitely do the aft cabin for a Real Balcony, I think you would enjoy the Real balcony experience a lot more than the Infinity Balcony. You will actually be outside and can look around a little more. We are booked on Apex, October 23, and opted NOT to do an Infinity Balcony. We tried an Infinity Balcony on Beyond, Panama Canal in February, didn’t care for it. Hope this helps.
We have an aft corner balcony, which we were lucky to get on a cancellation, on Crown Princess for 28 days this fall going through the South Pacific. OMG so looking forward to it. The aft profile of the Crown looks great because there is shade offered on the balcony and no one is looking directly down on you - very private. I will report in upon our return. One word of advice and it is how I got my cabin…although we had booked through our travel agent, I looked at the cruise line’s website EVERY DAY, to see if an aft cabin became available. When I saw that it was, I booked it directly on line with a complimentary 4 day hold, then contacted my travel agent who then dealt with the cruise line and got the newly secured room transferred to my existing booking and cancelled my old room. Had I waited until I got hold of my travel agent, that special corner aft cabin may have been booked by someone else online.
We had an aft facing on the Princess Sky, Regal and Island Princess. Absolutely loved everyone of them. One other point people should be aware of is that if there is rough water the back AND front will have much more movement. We always start out with our sea sick medicine the first night and then generally are fine after that once our bodies get used to the movement. In fact we kind of like it, but for folks that have the potential to get sea sick .....it may not be for you.
I am booked on the NCL Getaway in an AFT balcony cabin. It will be my first time in this type of balcony. Your video reassured me of my pro / cons before I booked. Thank you!
I just came off the NCL Joy. I was in 15868. When I tell you it was THE BEST room I’ve ever had I am not joking: I loved the sound of the waves, the view was extraordinary, it was so quiet because there was no foot traffic at all, the aft elevator was not far so I didn’t have far to walk to get the elevator, it was much wider than a normal balcony - I had two deck and two table chairs, there’s zero wind coming into the cabin unlike a front facing balcony so I could keep my balcony door open at all times. 💖
@@BrownPeace thank you so very much for telling me about your experience. I am so thrilled to hear this. I am very excited!
I've been on 17 cruises and had several side balconies and several aft balconies. I love an aft facing balcony. There is just something about seeing the world disappear in the wake I find very satisfying. I have never experienced soot.
We have sailed on princess ships 3 times and 1 more scheduled with great memories of aft balconies. Royal Princess Europe to ft. Lauderdale was exceptional. The wake viewed at night was a fantastic experience. We try to book this type of cabin for all of our voyages.
Great to know!
I really enjoyed this! My husband and I went on our first cruise on Harmony in May 2022. We would take a walk after dinner every night and hang out AFT....I love the view and the sound, and it reminded him of his Navy ship days. In the future we will try an AFT cabin! My only observation (don't want to call it a complaint) was some nights the exhaust seemed extra thick and it kinda marred the view of the night sky. Nothing a few steps sideways didn't take care of, and we still had the great view of AFT. Thank you so much for your videos!
We Truly enjoyed AFT facing Balconies they are Awesome
Carnival Paradise, Pride, Panorama, Breeze, and Celebration 🎉
Thank you for your videos. Yours are one of my go to's because they are honest and thoughtful. We have done one cruise with an aft balcony. That was on the NCL POA around the Hawaiian islands last September (2022). We loved everything about our cabin but you are right about the longer walks. The view is the best and the size of the balcony is fantastic. We have another cruise booked in an aft cabin next year on the Celebrity Constellation (Best of Italy and Croatia). When picking the cabin we had the choice of deck 7 or 9. We booked directly with Celebrity and their Planner suggested deck 7 for the exact reason as you mentioned, noise from the Sunset bar. Keep up the great reviews.
Just and FYI re the CCL Vista class AFT Balcony cabins ( Not the Havana decks). The aft balconies overlook the Havana pool & hot tub deck (think noisy)/ decks 6 & down have no shade above them. BUT the cabins seem bigger and the balconies are much bigger as well. To each his own. Happy cruising everyone. 🛳️🏝️😎
Good overview. Another con is that the aft balconies are often tiered which means those above can see your balcony. Not true on the Rotterdam but true on others and worth checking out. Also, while we like the aft balcony, the side balconies can be especially nice if they face the port and you can watch the activities taking place.
NCL Aft Cabin
Went on NCL SUN in July 2022. Had a great time, the views were great. No dirt,soot, or salt problems. Saw some whales, seals and maybe otters on a Alaska Inner passage.
Our aft cabin in our recent cruise was amazing. The sounds of the waves...priceless. total shade on the balcony. Total bliss
which ship?
Love aft cabins. Long walk to it is never a problem as we always take the long wY back to our cabins. Good exercise.
I’ve only recently found your channel and I think it’s great. Sadly, we live in Scotland and currently there are no cruise ports here that ships sail from (but some stop) and the closest is Southampton in the south of England. We love sailing in the Caribbean but with flights etc it gets pricey, so we can only do it when finances permit. I’m so jealous of those in the US who can just drive to a port and sail. This video was useful since I was thinking of booking an aft cabin x
Just got back from NCL Epic in aft balcony cabin. The view is great and balcony is private. Plus, unlike side balconies where the wind is like a hurricane, the aft balcony is very calm. Now, with that said, the noise of the wake during travel is pretty loud. If you leave the door open at night it takes a while to get used to the noise. (It does drown out snoring though.) The vibration can actually be calming, but when the ship docks the entire ship vibrates to the point it will wake you up. And it's a no brainer finding your way back to your cabin because you always just go to the back. No soot at all. I would definitely do an aft cabin again.
Yes, we’ve booked an AFT facing balcony. We loved it, we’ve book other AFT facing balconies because we loved it so much.
We had an aft cabin on the NCL Epic located on Deck 10 on the corner. We liked it a lot but you did feel a pretty strong vibration (in the morning it was enough to wake us up) when the ship arrived in port and was maneuvering to the dock. It did not really bother us. On one of the nights you could smell the exhaust as we cruised. I think a lot matters on the wind. Not horrible but noticeable only that night. Our room was very quiet. I did notice what you said: that the aft can be a long walk back to the room but that was ok to me if it meant we were away from the travelled areas. Our deck seemed almost deserted at times. One thing I did like was being able to watch the whole process of securing or removing the ropes when the ship arrived or left the dock. You have a great view of that from an aft balcony. Overall I am mixed on the aft cabin. It is great for the view and it is bigger. I am not completely sure I'd want to pay a lot more for it compared to a regular balcony.
We love Aft Facing Cabins. We have an upcoming Alaska cruise in August on NCL Bliss. Have 10 couples going and most are all booked on same deck and have all the aft cabins together for most in party. Should be great fun!
Our most recent cruise was in an aft balcony room. It was wonderful. We should have booked on an aft corner. I hear those balconies are amazing.
I always enjoy your videos. IMO Aft cabins are the BEST. I always try to get one when I cruise. Yes, they are a distance from the action but the quiet and the privacy is a plus for me. I REALLY like my Aft Cabana cabin on Carnival's Panorama. Looking for to my Alaska cruise next year and more of your fun and informative videos.
Our loft suite on Ovation of the seas was fantastic. It was beyond all our expectations and had the most stunning views right from the aft facing king size bed each and every morning on our 14 night Sydney to Singapore sailing. Two story floor to ceiling windows, huge balcony and total privacy from everything including the weather. It was an oasis of luxury. We recently booked the aft owners suite with hot tub on NCL's Viva hoping to match our Star Class experience with RCL back in 2016. Hoping the Heaven lives up to the hype!
(Never had any issues with soot or salt Grand Loft Suite 10324)
We've done aft cabins/Haven twice and once just as a cabin (all on NCL). It's our favorite. One time we had our dinner on the balcony. So many great memories. We would rather not go on a cruise than stay in a non-aft facing. Absolute bliss!
We have sailed 4 times with aft facing balconies. The last one was around the world. Watching the wake is mesmerizing. Bigger balcony makes for great sail away parties. Going in and out of ports and through the Suez and especially the Panama Canal was the best. Watching the pilot boat follow us until it was time to come alongside to pick up the pilot was always interesting. Soot has never been a problem. Salty air is everywhere, but it’s never been a problem. A long walk was never a problem. Gotta work off that desert! A vibration can lull you to sleep, is normal and easy to ignore. My next cruise is another around the world on a ship without aft facing cabins. I will miss that. If you love being on the water you will really love an aft facing balcony.
We had an aft cabin on the Celebrity Eclipse on a Baltic cruise. It was amazing!!! We have booked a Mediterranean cruise for next May on the Celebrity Ascent and got an aft facing suite for our 25th anniversary. We’re so excited to try out this new ship!
We had a Havana Wrap aft cabin!! It was amazing. Wouldn't change anything about it. One flight down was the bar and our private havana pool on the carnival vista.
Just booked an aft cabin on Viking Neptune, British Isles tour. I was really happy to see your video and read the positive comments regarding the aft staterooms as I've never chosen it. Thank you for the great info!
We had our first "Aft " cabin about 4 ships ago. We are big Celebrity folks and on the Reflection were talked into getting a Suite. It was nice, large, and very roomy throughout. But, from that point on we have stuck with the Aft room. So nice. Never had a concern with soot at all. the Room steard always seem to wipe down the balacony. I love the part of some of it is sheltered and some of it is for us sun worshipers. I don't believe we will ever change. We love sea days and our AFT Balcony. Drinks just are better there.
This video was very helpful as I was just trying to decide deck nine or deck eight. I am a very light sleeper. I know deck nine offered full shade, but it seems like the three-quarter shade is just as good.
We always book aft balconies on Carnival and have never had a problem with soot. Love them.
My wife and I had a aft facing balcony many years ago. I loved it. That view is just amazing. My wife didn't like it specifically because of the loud noise from the rushing water below. I guess she is seeking a more quiet and peaceful experience from the balcony.
We had an aft balcony on the NCL Pride of America around the Hawaiian islands. It was huge! We had 2 recliners and table and also 2 chairs with another table.
First cruise was a balcony guarantee and because of late booking ended up with corner aft balcony. So relaxing watching the world flow passed you.
Wow!! Nice luck on that 👌
Loved the aft cabin on the Breakaway except for one issue. Even though we were mid ship, the noise from the outdoor nightclub at the top of the ship very often kept me up. The base in the music made it sound like the band was on our balcony. I am a bit of a light sleeper so I’m guessing some would not be bothered by this. It did not bother my wife although I have literally seen her sleep through a hurricane. TRUTH! Otherwise I absolutely loved it. I’d get it again if the nightclub was in a different area. The sound of the engines etc lulled me to sleep and did not bother me at all. :)
We booked an aft cabin on the Summit for November. It looks wonderful! Thank you for the video.
Having an aft balcony is really good. Deck seven is good. When we were on the Celebrity Silhouette we got a stateroom really close to the elevator. Make it easier for my wife. Am already subscribed.
We stayed in aft view cabin on 9th deck(9481) on the carnival breeze, and it was noisy in the night. I am told that it was deck chairs moving around. We were told that they pick them up, not drag them. Other than the noise the room was nice, enjoyed the balcony very much.There was plenty of room and the view was very good, could see the sunset and sunrise. Cannot do that on a side balcony without turning around. We enjoy your videos, keep up the good work.
Just got off the Summit on 7/31 and had an aft facing canon. We we also had the family veranda room and my husband said he never wants another kind of room. 💕
Aft corner is great. There may be a pole but the extra room makes up for it. It is quite a hike to the gym or spa in the forward part of the ship sometimes, but I just look at it as an added bonus of burning additional calories from the delicious food and drinks. Wear flip flops on the balcony. We saw come broken glass on ours last time after the ship cleaned the balconies during a port day. The pressure wash may have upended some hidden glass from broken wine glasses but luckily I saw it and alerted our cabin attendant that there may be glass not as visible. Definitely don’t be afraid of booking and aft cabin. As my Royal Caribbean t-shirt says, “wake view is the best view”.
That’s great and I appreciate you sharing your points
We sailed on the Carnival Legend on an aft balcony. It was covered in so much soot that it was unusable for us. There were carbon specks every inch or two covering all surfaces. Nowhere to sit without getting on us. And really didn't want to walk around and track it back in on the carpet. Not to mention we kept finding cigarette butts each time we checked to see if they cleaned it. The balcony wasn't cleaned the entire cruise, so the salt really built up. We didn't complain to the cabin steward or the help desk because we got tired of complaining. We are seasoned cruisers and this crew seemed off their game. Our cabin was a wifi dead zone and the MDH food, particularly breakfast was off. Maybe to Carnival's credit, the engine did blow the very next sailing, so that may account for the extra soot. We won't likely book another aft balcony after that experience. We tried to make the best of our vacation.
My son and I had an aft Haven suite on NCL Epic. It was lovely and I sat out there every day. No soot issue that I noticed, but I did feel like it was a Loooong walk to the Haven area and Spa. I have back issues, and so I noticed I didn’t really take full advantage of the Haven amenities, like I would have if I had picked a suite in the Haven. Still, my favourite cabins are aft cabins. There’s nothing like that amazing wake view and sail away view…
This video is perfect timing for me. I have an aft facing balcony cabin booked for my Diamond Princess cruise in September and also on my Holland America Koningsdam cruise in November. I’ve never been in this cabin before and I’m excited to experience it. ❤️
Oh nice!! I hope you really enjoy it. I think the view just can’t get any better 👌
We have been in many aft facing cabins, on many different cruise lines and never seen soot. I too have heard from others of experiencing this, but it will not make me shy away from the aft for all of the same reasons you described.
Thanks for sharing
I love aft facing cabins and have never had an issue with soot. Have just scored another aft facing cabin on a transatlantic!
After booking in early 2020, and cancelling last year, we have an aft cabin on the Viking Mars, Norway to Iceland. I am soooooo excited. Our first big trip since Africa in Feb. 2020.
Wonderful!!
Just got my cabin moved to an aft cabin at no extra $$$. This is my first time, excited!
We always get an aft facing balcony when we can’t a suite. We love the view. Yo❤u can always see the port we found the sound of the engines help us to get to to sleep
Nice! Interesting I guess it’s like white noise
We seek an aft room.. We always did a balcony but after an aft facing room we were in love! We don't mind the occasional rocking or movement or the longer walks.
Had Aft facing balcony on NCL Joy in March and loved it. We did have some vibrations not much and one night heard some loud music from event on deck above but other than that can’t beat the views.
Hi! About 10 years ago we cruised on aft cabin and i loved the view & the sounds. Granted it was a lot of walking.. some nights i wondered why i picked such a cabin but then i remembered the view. We have booked a back 2 back Sept 2023 on Pacific Coast in an aft cabin. As for soot.. well we had a fluke while on Oasis in May. We were watching the FlowRider surfers and this nasty soot covered us and stained our clothes & shoes. The floors and seats were all dirty too. Weird!
I love to see the wake of the ship so I booked a spacious aft balcony cabin and I am excited!! It’s our 8th cruise so I’m not worried about seasickness or anything else.
My NCL aft balcony is always the best, unless your cabin is directly under the aft bar and bring food to this area. Around 3:00AM is when this area is cleaned by the workers, they move EVERY chair and table, in turn, the chairs are loudly scooted on the deck. I didn’t do this 1 time, but 3 times before I learned not to have my aft cabin on deck 11 when the bar/food area is on deck 12 above! We leave this Monday, July 10th for my 36th NCL cruise this time to Iceland and Greenland, of course, an aft suite this time.
Just came off an Alaska cruise aft balcony Caribe deck on the Royal. Made the cruise experience unbelievable. Highly recommend these accommodations !!
So nice to hear! Thanks for sharing
Just got back from an RCI cruise Friday. Had an Aft balcony. Amazing.
Leaving in 10 days on a 15 day trans-Atlantic aboard the Enchanted Princess from Southampton to NYC. First time in an aft balcony! Always wanted one. Thanks for the advice! Just solidifies my choice. 🤗
How did you enjoy your aft balcony? What floor were you on and location? We are going on Enchanted Princess in January and have bid on a aft balcony would love to hear how you made out with your location.
@@pennywynia4985 We loved the aft balcony! We were in R734. Great location and the view was fantastic for both sea days and in port. I would recommend this cabin for sure! There was a little bit of black soot from the exhaust, but nothing out of the ordinary. Actually looking at this same cabin for another trans Atlantic in 2023! :)
Thanks for the great info and tips. We have our first aft balcony booked on the Celebrity BEYOND for March 2024 to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We're checking off two bucket list items on this cruise 🛳 aft balcony and Panama Cannel
Aft facing cabins are my favorite! I’ve never really had any complaints. I did experience some soot one time while sailing on Carnival Spirit. I had a vista suite and every day would find a layer of soot on the chairs and tables. Other than that, I’ve never had any issues with aft cabins.
We just booke a vista suite on the spirit for Feb. Amazing looks suite. Its on the 8th floor. Was wondering about any issues. Love the panoramic deck
I love Aft cabins! In fact, my favorite to get is one of the CORNER aft cabins. I find that they are much more spacious bc they are oddly shaped - and sometimes you get a wrap deck - it wraps around the corner of the ship. 🛳️
We did have salt but no soot issues. However, I have found that the salt is present on ANY balcony cabin we have had.
Thanks for sharing!! Those corner ones look like the views are perfect
Just got off Independence of the Seas, which went to the Bahamas. This was my first solo trip. I loved it, but with all the freedom to do what I want when I wanted to, I had MAJOR fomo (fear that I was missing out on something). Any tips on how to combat this? Also, I think you should do a video on spa services with Royal Caribbean. I had two during my cruise and it was great until the end. I was bombarded from the tech trying to sell my things I didn’t want or needed. When I said no they started commenting on how much I’m aging (I’m 29 😂) It took my relaxation from 10 to 0 real quick.
As a seasoned cruiser, I will NOT sail unless I have an aft facing balcony. Aft facing was on my first cruise and am hooked! As for the cons you mentioned like a long walk, come on, how high is your calorie intake on a cruise? The extra steps will do you good. I have been on many aft balconies and have never had a soot problem. When you are in port, any cabin could have a soot problem and when under way the soot is lost in the wake. If you are concerned about it, just tell your cabin steward to please wipe it down every morning, they will be glad to do so. These ships are so large we rarely feel any rocking or up and down motion. In November I will be sailing on Constellation, your sister ship and will have the cabin right next to you that you featured. I have had this cabin before and do not have a problem with the sides. It is worth it to have one of the largest balconies on the ship. I think there are only 2 balconies significantly larger than ours and they are Penthouse Suites. I can't imagine paying that kind of money for that!
In my opinion, the best cabins on the Celebrity Millennium ships are aft on deck 6. I’ve done 5 cruises in this section on the Millennium, Constellation, and Infinity. Happy 🚢 And the Concierge Class cabins in this location have extra long verandas. They are tucked in by the Royal Suites.
Great to know!!
Great advice. I'm guessing you were in #9199 on the Summit. We sailed on the Millenium this summer and had a corner aft facing cabin similar to the one your neighbors had (#9197). We chose deck eight to avoid the noise form the upper deck. Our balcony had the solid metal rail you mentioned and while it did limit the view the space was amazing! We had two loungers, four regular chairs, two tables and a three-person sofa. I didn't measure but I'm guessing the distance from the sliding glass door to the rail was well over 30 ft.
because we loved the Millenium cabin so much, we just reserved an aft cabin on the Nieuw Statendam for a Norway cruise next summer.
Thanks for sharing! These are definitely incredible cabins. Wow, 30 ft 🙌
Just booked our first Aft Balcony cabin. Love the wake view and sound. I didn't know about the soot problem and will keep in mind to wipe everything down.
Looking forward to your pros and cons of front facing cabins. Personally love the front facing cabins on the Princess lido deck
Interesting. Thanks for sharing
Can you share your pros and cons? I’ve got a fwd facing cruise, for the first time, coming up.
Had an aft cabin on the Norwegian Joy on our Panama canal cruise. We had no soot. Loved the view especially when going through the canal
Planning an aft balcony cabin 2023 on Carnival. I cant wait.
We had an aft cabin on Celebrity and it was definitely bigger and very nice.
I love to watch arrivals and departures from the balcony……it fascinates me for some reason.
I really missed it in the aft cabin as I could only see the back of the ship and not the sides…..I had to go to the top deck to watch and it is a very long walk.
Having said that, I really liked the long walk, you get your daily steps in for sure.
I would definitely stay in an aft cabin again, it feels very luxurious!
Such a great point. It’s true you never get that side view. Thanks for sharing
We booked an aft facing cabin for an Alaska cruise in 2019. We absolutely loved it except for 1 major exception: Yes, we had a soot/carbon issue. I realized it when I ended up with some of the black soot on my clothes after sitting in one of the chairs. The soot itself was very small black particles that were not immediately noticeable until I was looking for them. We had to get room service to wipe down the balcony area every day.
what ship? what deck? would movingbup or down help?
@@MAEUNC Carnival Legend...I don't remember which deck. Moving up or down would not have helped as the decks taper in from bottom to top and have no cover over the balconies.
Had aft suites last year on the Discovery & Royal. No problems with soot or vibration. Loved it. Nice cruise is an aft cabin on the Emerald.
Hi! What decks did you stay on on the discovery and Royal? Thanks!
Aft cabins are our preference. We love the carnival corner afts, smaller cabin, HUGE balcony. We've had hit and miss on the soot, i think it depends on how the wind is blowing. The cabin steward will delightfully wipe the chairs and tables for you. We have had trouble with trash flying on our balcony, cigarette butts, straw wrappers. Surprisingly this was on Celebrity and not Carnival. The one thing I would add to your comment on the size of the balcony is that it really depends on the ship and the location, some of them are strange sizes, and not all of them are as big as the one you had on your recent cruise.
Thanks for sharing. It’s good for people to know that they can ask their cabin steward to clean the chairs and table too
Thank you for all of your videos. We have a sunset veranda booked for our first cruise. Can't wait!!
Just returned yesterday from a cruise to Norway on the brand new Viking Mars. We were in an aft wrap around explorer suite. I do have to say that soot was somewhat of a problem. The stewards had to wipe down and change the towel coverings quite often. Having said that, I highly recommend the aft Exp;lorer suites - much better than the forward facing ones.
Thanks for the information. We are looking forward to our first aft facing balcony on NCL Joy this weekend. Slightly concerned about noise from the waterfront promenade and A-list bar on deck directly below, but I'm sure we will enjoy.