The Benefits of Having A Balcony!

You can't join the "balcony club" unless your room has a balcony.

So... my husband and I are cruising for our second time next week. For our first cruise, we had an ocean view stateroom. This time, we will have a balcony! I know there are so many out there that love having a balcony! I thought it'd be fun to hear from everyone their favorite reasons to have a balcony. Come on... help me get excited! :D

Love to be on my balcony as the ship pulls into or out of port.

Love to sit on the balcony with a drink and just enjoy the peaceful whoosh of the water against the ship.

Love to open the door to the balcony and let the fresh air into my stateroom.

Love to enjoy room service breakfast on my balcony, especially if we are in port or arriving at the port.

Great people watching.

Great place to read a book in the sun.

We normally try to book 2 or 3 cabins in a row and then have the partitions open between them -- it makes it easier to scoot between cabins in pj's etc when kids are traveling.

Enjoy people watching from balcony (especially at ports)

Enjoy sail away from ports

Enjoy last drink of day sitting on balcony and listening to the waves hit the ship (this was especially helpful when kids were younger -- it gave us an escape while they fell asleep and we had some time to unwind).

Sunning on the balcony

Reading a book on the balcony

Love to be on my balcony as the ship pulls into or out of port.

Love to sit on the balcony with a drink and just enjoy the peaceful whoosh of the water against the ship.

Love to open the door to the balcony and let the fresh air into my stateroom.

Love to enjoy room service breakfast on my balcony, especially if we are in port or arriving at the port.

Great people watching.

Great place to read a book in the sun.

I think murphalina summed up all of my favorite reasons to have a balcony.

I had one the first 6 cruises and swore I would never go without one.

However, due to budget constraints we have not been able to get one the past 3 cruises and I do really miss the morning breakfasts/coffee on the balcony and the fresh air that you don't get when you are in an inside cabin.

We've decided to not cruise for a year so we can afford to treat ourselves to a balcony next time we go.

We have sailed 26 times & 20 of the sailings have been balconies. Just sitting out there & smelling the fresh sea air with a drink in hand & the peacefullness there is nothing like it.

So... my husband and I are cruising for our second time next week. For our first cruise, we had an ocean view stateroom. This time, we will have a balcony! I know there are so many out there that love having a balcony! I thought it'd be fun to hear from everyone their favorite reasons to have a balcony. Come on... help me get excited! :D

You can join the Balcony Club!

Once you have one it's hard to go back. Love morning breakfast,moonlight talks.......

We willl be celebrating our 10th wedding anniv. in 2011 with a cruise and our 1st balcony. My husband has always desired a balcony but I could never justify the price. I am looking forward to the experience, but I also fear that regardless of the savings, I have seen my last inside cabin:o

It's like being on a beach vacation and overlooking the ocean.....rather than having a view of the parking lot!

Lovely place to sit while the other person is dressing...or just to chill for a bit! It doesn't take the place of the upper decks and the wide-open views, but it's nice all the same!

DH is a smoker..... I know.... I know.... :(

We've discovered the joys of an aft balcony and watching the wake disappearing at sailaway or any other time from a balcony is a unique treat.

People watching...... the ones running to catch the ship.... morning coffee.... evening chocolate.... peace....sun.... breeze....

I also fear that regardless of the savings, I have seen my last inside cabin:o

This is precisely what happened to us. We just have to save a little while longer before we cruise, because after we had our first balcony there's no turning back.

You actually feel like you are on a ship in the ocean...something you don't get with an inside cabin. Love to hear,smell and see the ocean. With the extra space of the balcony, feel like the cabin is much larger.

So... my husband and I are cruising for our second time next week. For our first cruise, we had an ocean view stateroom. This time, we will have a balcony! I know there are so many out there that love having a balcony! I thought it'd be fun to hear from everyone their favorite reasons to have a balcony. Come on... help me get excited! :D

I always book a balcony. There is nothing like watching the ship enter a port or maybe just enjoy the sea at night. I have actually not booked a cruise if they didnt have a balcony available, so now I book well in advance.

I love stargazing from our balcony. On a clear night, you can watch shooting stars streak across the sky. What a thrill !!!!!

All of these reasons are why we DONT book a balcony. :( I am afraid of getting hooked on booking balconies and this would seriously cut back on our cruise budget!! If I don't try one, I won't know what I am missing, therefore I can cruise more often. :D

Maybe in the future when we are most established in our careers and life we will move on up to the balconies... but we'll stick with insides and promenades in the meantime.

Once you have one it's hard to go back. Love morning breakfast,moonlight talks.......

Or having an adult beverage in your birthday suit while watching the sunset, feeling the ocean breeze.;)

There's nothing like sneaking out while DH and DD are still sleeping with my first morning cup of coffee watching the sunrise over the water......

what wonderful reasons, so glad i booked a balcony, hubby doesn't know i have so it will be a great suprise, i'll tell him it was on sale ;)

Reasons to book a balcony:

I don't enjoy the sailaway party on the main deck, but I do like to be on my own balcony to watch the ship leave port.

It's the cheapest way to get extra space.

That extra space gives Dad a place to which he can escape while his teenaged daugthers are changing clothes.

That extra space is wonderful when someone's sleeping or watching TV and someone else wants to read or talk.

My daughters love to sit out there and draw.

It's fun to sit out there with your sweetie, a battery-powered candle, and an adult beverage.

It's nice to be able to watch the ship pull into port, even if you aren't really up and dressed yet.

I don't care to eat out on the balcony, but many people do.

The balcony's a great place to dry wet swim suits or kids' beach toys.

Having said that, if it's a choice between cruising without a balcony and not cruising . . . I'll forego the balcony. I'm too claustrophobic for an inside room, but I can enjoy any other room type: humble or grand.

No chair hogs on our balcony :)

We too have booked our first balcony for our B2B in April, 2011. The main reason being my DH is a smoker. We spend very little time in our room so it's not like he will be out there chain smoking, but nice for him to be able to have that last smoke before bed at night. We cruise with other people, so spend most of our time on board in other places besides our cabin. We have cruised inside and ocean view, and if it were a choice between not going or not having a balcony, I would still go back to an iside room.

We actually like how dark it is, at home I have room darkening shades on our windows and they are never opened. But, I am sure once we have the balcony, we also will never go back.

This one might sound a bit odd but... Although we have central Air at home we do not use it! DH works outside so he is use to the weather and I am almost always cold! So when we have a balcony room we leave the door open at night so it warms up! Sound crazy?? We got married 8/16/06 cruiseing on the FOS (yes in the caribbean) and we had our balcony door open every night!

Also enjoyed sitting out there while the other one was getting ready for dinner. And unwinding after excursions. We actually used the balcony alot. Then again we sit out on our front porch alot in the summer days and back deck in the summer evenings! :D

We had our first balcony way back in 1998 on the Carnival Destiny. We have always had a balcony since. There is NOTHING like having your own balcony, your own little slice of the sea. (The balcony club ain't bad either.) Hope the wife does not see this one......

-----------------------

Sea ya!

Ron and Lee

Canton, Ga

Proud RCCL Platinum Member

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria." – Ben Franklin

We are proud Oasis Camel Cruiser – April 17, 2010

The Oasis Camels Website

Previous Cruises – 59 Days at Sea!

Carnival Mardis Gras - 3 Day Bahamas - April 1982

Carnival Destiny - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 1998

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - April 1999

Princess Sea Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2000

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2002

RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2003

RCCL Mariner of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 2005

RCCL Freedom of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - 6/18 - 6/25/2006

RCCL Liberty of the Seas - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - 7/19 - 7/26/08

Planned Cruises

RCCL Oasis of the Seas – Our Friends Cruise - April 17, 2010

RCCL Allure of the Seas – Our Neighborhood Cruise - 2011

The BIG One - Southeast Asia 14 day – 2012?

Princess Cruises - The Med – 14 day – 2013?

Morning coffee on the balcony

Reading a book on the balcony

Before dinner drink

Just soaking up the sea air

I also enjoy leaving the door open at night if it isn't too muggy. The sound of the waves puts me right to sleep. :D