The Truth About Royal Caribbean’s Boardwalk View Balconies
This Spring Break 2022, our family enjoyed a wonderful 7-day Caribbean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, and we stayed in two adjacent Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms – 8329 and 8327. These rooms are the furthest aft on Deck 8, next to the AquaTheater Suites, which also means that they are closest to the view of the ocean and the AquaTheater, which is exactly why I selected them!
What sort of stateroom do you prefer when sailing? Is there a certain view from your stateroom that you have in mind? Have you ever considered a Boardwalk View Balcony Stateroom?
Truth be told, I started looking at Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms years ago when Royal Caribbean had initially included soda packages and meals at Johnny Rockets with the booking of these rooms. However, those perks no longer exist, and although I didn’t book and sail Oasis class during the time those perks were offered, I continued to have this vision in mind of sailing with a beautiful view of the AquaTheater with the ocean as a backdrop. Although that sort of view can be guaranteed by booking an AquaTheater Suite, for those of us working with a Balcony Stateroom budget, the Boardwalk View Balconies furthest aft are a dream come true!
Concerns Before Booking
Prior to, and even after booking our two Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms – 8329 and 8327, I read and heard mixed reviews about staying in this room category. The primary cons that I read and heard about are that the rooms are noisy because they face the Boardwalk, and that folks can see into your stateroom since there are other staterooms and balconies directly across the Boardwalk. Now that we’ve enjoyed our weeklong sailing in our Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms, we can honestly say that neither of these were issues for us.
Firstly, with regard to noise, when our balcony doors were closed, we didn’t hear any noise. We repeatedly ate lunch and had drinks while sitting or standing on the balcony to watch the AquaTheater show, look out at the ocean and/or mountains, or people-watch on the Boardwalk. At no time did we find it to be too noisy, and in fact, we enjoyed having our balcony-view of the AquaTheater shows and of the Johnny Rockets’ staff dancing on the Boardwalk! At other points, even while in our actual stateroom and not sitting out on the balcony, we opted to open the balcony door to allow some ocean breeze into our room, and it felt great!
Secondly, we don’t usually walk around our staterooms naked, so we weren’t too worried about neighbors looking in at us. However, we were mindful to keep the curtains closed when going into the bathroom/shower, so that we could freely walk about the stateroom to get dressed afterwards. We personally didn’t stare into anyone else’s stateroom during our cruise, so we doubt anyone was staring into ours, but I guess you never know, so thankfully, it’s simple enough to keep curtains closed if/when one wants privacy.
What We Loved About Our Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms
We highly suggest getting a room like ours – the rooms furthest aft on the ship – because, if you’re in a room that’s even three balconies away from the AquaTheater, you will not have the same clear view as we did of the AquaTheater with the ocean as a backdrop. We know those balconies further back on the Boardwalk may not be as satisfying with the views of the AquaTheater and ocean because the view from 8327, which is second from furthest aft, already has a diminished - although still beautiful - view of those things compared to the view from 8329, which is the furthest aft. It should be noted that Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms 8329 and 8327 are in the same location on Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, and Wonder of the Seas, so if planning to sail on any of these Oasis class ships, we definitely recommend you consider these rooms on the port side of the ships, and the mirror-image Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms on the starboard side of the ships, which are 8729 and 8727. We’re not stating that there are no other good Boardwalk Balcony Staterooms, but we can only vouch for the rooms we stayed in, and, if your desire is to see the AquaTheater shows from your balcony and to also see the ocean from your balcony, then the Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms furthest aft will satisfy that desire.
Additionally, we loved how spacious these staterooms are! While we can look into the square footage details for every room on every cruise ship ahead of booking, that information alone doesn’t always give a good idea of how spacious the room will actually feel. The way things are appointed within the room matters, and Royal Caribbean has done an excellent job on the space within these Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms.
So, were there any cons about staying in a Boardwalk View Balcony Stateroom? Yes, but the pros outweighed the cons.
Cons About Our Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms
The specific Boardwalk View Balcony Staterooms we recommend are those furthest aft, which means that they are a long walk from the elevators and stairs. Cruisers who usually stay in aft staterooms when cruising may already be accustomed to this but, remember, these aft staterooms are on the biggest ships at sea, so that stretch between the elevators/stairs and the room is super long!
Also, on occasion there would be what felt like dust on the balcony railings and tables. However, it would return even after we dusted/wiped it away. We think that this may have been soot from the ship’s funnel, as Oasis class ships are unique in that the neighborhoods – Boardwalk & Central Park – are open, so unlike other ships whose funnels may release smoke into the open air and top deck, the smoke released from the Oasis class ships may cause a light dusting of soot to fall on the Boardwalk View Balconies. My guess is that this may have been the case on Central Park Balconies too.
Conclusion
The pros of staying in a Boardwalk View Balcony Stateroom, specifically, 8329 and 8327, far outweigh the cons! Each of us has said we would gladly stay in a Boardwalk View Balcony Stateroom again. If you’re considering it, we say, “Go for it!”