Fresh off of an incredible seven night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas to the Western Caribbean, we opted for a Boardwalk balcony stateroom. While there are some great benefits to booking one of these cabins on an Oasis class ship, there are also a few negatives that you should know about.
If you are looking into booking a Boardwalk balcony stateroom on an Oasis class ship, here are the pros and cons so you can determine if this is the right cabin for your cruise.
Pros of a Boardwalk Balcony Stateroom
One of the biggest benefits to booking one of these cabins is that you get a balcony for a cheaper price than a standard ocean view balcony stateroom while still getting a partial view of the ocean. Since these cabins are over the Boardwalk neighborhood, you can observe the vibrant ship life below you while getting fresh air.
Boardwalk balcony cabins now come with extra perks, perks that were added the week before our sailing. Book one of these staterooms and you will now receive a complimentary meal for four at Johnny Rockets, a soda package for two, and a rock climbing wall session for the entire family. Your stateroom cards will come with the Coca-Cola sticker on them and you will also receive two tumblers that can be used in the five Freestyle Coke machines on board.
A third benefit to having a Boardwalk balcony is that you can watch the incredible Oceanaria show that takes place in the AquaTheater. However, you may have a partial view depending how far away you are from it.
A fourth benefit is that these staterooms are offer a view that no other cruise ships in the world offer. It’s really is unique experience and yes, we even had an incredible view of the sunset one night.
Video Tour of Allure of the Seas
Cons of a Boardwalk Balcony Stateroom
The biggest con to a Boardwalk balcony stateroom is noise from the AquaTheater. While this isn’t much of an issue for Oceanaria since the shows tend to be earlier, we can easily hear the movies that were played each night when there wasn’t a show. Some nights the movies didn’t get over until 1 AM and if you are a light sleeper like me, you may want to bring earplugs. It is worth noting that my parents in the room next to us never heard a thing, our bed was by the balcony doors and theirs wasn’t.
The second con to having one of these staterooms is the lack of privacy that a normal balcony has. When sitting out on your balcony, you are directly facing other balconies. Just remember to keep your curtains closed and it’s not much of an issue.
Depending on your budget and interests, a Boardwalk balcony stateroom could be the perfect option for you to consider. We felt the pros well outweighed the cons and would gladly book another one of these staterooms on a future cruise.
Next time, try a Central Park Balcony. Much quieter. No view of the ocean, but lots of greenery from the trees and plants. Some noise from the pool deck during the day, but often there is more gentle music being performed in the Central Park below.