Just to clarify, I'll tell you our experience with the aft balconies on the Magic and Wonder. Obviously, no one knows for sure yet what the experience will be like on the Dream. Most of the aft balconies, except the larger corner rooms on the Dream, will be deep, and have the dividers, so the wind & rain won't be a problem with those.
But speaking for the corner rooms that are more open to the elements, I think the situations will be the same.
We've been in the aft balconies on the Wonder and Magic 4 times. The last time, I got smart and moved down to HC room #6654.....because although it still got puddles of water on it when it rained, it at least had enough cover over it that we could be out there in July, in the heat and not roast.
But it was just as windy as all of the other, more open, verandahs.
Listen to any video clip on YouTube of aft verandahs on ANY cruise ship and the one thing you'll hear, above all else, is the wind.
We've been in room 8602 twice and 7638 once, and my parents have stayed in 7636.
My hair is short, and in every one of these rooms, I can go outside and dry my hair in the wind.
If it's raining, you can't go out there unless you're prepared to get soaked.
Every time, we've found napkins and food from the buffet on the balcony.
Every night just before our 8:00 dinner time, someone is outside at the buffet, hosing off the decking....which means you can't enjoy a drink before dinner out there, unless you have the early dining.
On Pirate Night, someone will climb onto your balcony, or your stateroom host will let them in, so they can remove any clothes or towels and then spray the balcony with some kind of flame retardant, in case sparks from the fireworks going off above by Palo should happen to drop onto your balcony. Imagine my surprise, in 8602, the first time a guy CLIMBED OVER from the public deck, onto my balcony.
I cannot tell you how many times people above at the buffet leaned over to tell us they envied our balcony.
About that time, I was ready to switch with them, so that I could then lean over and disturb them while they were out there....supposedly enjoying a PRIVATE balcony!
LOTS of black soot from the stacks, on everything that is out there....floor, chairs, table.......and that's in all of the aft staterooms, not just the top deck.
A question might come up as to why we'd repeatedly take those rooms.....well, because we were (at the time) a family who wanted concierge, needed the space, and needed the accessible room.
But the best choice we made was to forget about having a "suite" and moving down to the equally large, and far more private deck 6 accessible room. And also we now don't travel with as many kids, so we don't need the 2nd bathroom.
I'm disappointed that the larger rooms aft on the Dream are not accessible. I'm disappointed with the lack of "nicer" accessible rooms on the Dream....and also the changes to the suites. I think they have better layouts on the other 2 ships....but that's off topic.
There are some things about the Dream that will make at least one issue non-existant. It doesn't look as though there is outside seating at Cabana's buffet in the aft. So maybe they won't be up there every night at dinner time, hosing off the deck. And maybe there won't be food and paper goods dropping to the balconies below.
But they'll probably still "spray" for Pirate Night. And there will still be sun with no shade, and people being able to look down onto the balconies.
Depending on how the aft balconies on the Dream are tiered, the problem with people looking down, and any debris, should only apply to the uppermost deck, 10.
I'm not sure if they will spray all of those balconies on Pirate Night or not, since they do looked to be tiered at such an angle that sparks could enter any of them. But logic might say that any spark dropping below deck 10 may have cooled by the time it lands.
