EatPrayCruise

We did the land/ sea cruise last Sept on the Island. We booked the Caribe 727. There was the secret balcony on the back that was awesome. Were able to view from our balcony as wellas the secret deck.

WOW, :eek: we had the exact same room - C727 on the Island Princess for our Alaska cruise in May 2009. We just booked Alaska again for May 2011 on the Coral Princess with the same room because we loved it so much!

We also loved the secret back deck that hardly anyone knew about. As you know, from our balcony, we could see everything from the side of the ship as well as the back of the ship. Great way to view the scenery! We spent most of our time on the ship right out there on our balcony. :)

We always book an inside cabin.

 

Yes, I know that the thrill of having a balcony and lots of room in a cabin is part of the allure of cruising; but, I suggest you first-time - and even experienced - cruisers consider an inside cabin for several reasons.

 

First, we were able to take a 7-day cruise on the RCI Legend of the Seas, out of Tampa, in December 2009, for $70-per-day-per-person. Try doing that with a balcony cabin. We're averaging 2 cruises using inside cabins for the cost of one cruise with a balcony.

 

Second, we spend very limited time in our cabins. Other than to change clothes and sleep, we're out and about all day. Between the pools, libraries, classes, ports and lounges, there is so much to do, so many people to meet, so many photo opportunities, why would we spend more time in the cabin?"

 

 

I can appreciate your views and reasoning and you have very valid points. However, for my husband and I, we took our first cruise May of 2009 to Alaska and opted for a mini-suite w/balcony as Princess was having a 2-for-1 sale when we booked. We spent so much time on our balcony that it more than paid for the extra little bit that we spent (remember 2-for-1).

 

We just booked our second cruise to Alaska for May 2011 and booked the exact same room that we had last year. We are paying double $$ for this trip as there wasn't any sale going on when we booked, but it's worth the money to us since we spent almost every sunrise and sunset on the balcony. We are non-drinkers and early risers found this to be the highlight of our cruise at times.

 

So, my point is, book the balcony if you really think you'll spend a lot of time out there. Otherwise, I'm totally with the booking of an inside room and then you'll eventually get more cruises for your money!

I heard the same thing for Princess Cruises. Can anyone verify?

We cruised on the Island Princess in May 2009 and I had to buy the detergent to use in the washer. I'm not sure if they have changed the process since we cruised.