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CAN1960
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I am looking to book a cruise to Alaska in 2019. For anyone who has been on an Alaskan cruise, is it worth paying the extra money to have a balcony as opposed to having an ocean view. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you :):):)clear.png?emoji-smile-1742

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My best Alaska memory, sitting on the veranda at 2am, full moonlight, calm water and seeing whales pass by...then actually hearing them "blow" ...to top it off we saw faint aurora borealis...our ship was sitting still outside Juneau overnight. if traveling with friends get the same deck opposite sides to see everything. Regardless of time of year bring warm jackets or clothing to layer...

 

 

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I am looking to book a cruise to Alaska in 2019. For anyone who has been on an Alaskan cruise, is it worth paying the extra money to have a balcony as opposed to having an ocean view. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you :):):)clear.png?emoji-smile-1742

 

 

 

Yes yes and yes! My husband and I spent so much time on our balcony on our cruise to Alaska and enjoyed it so much early in the mornings and leaving ports. We had binoculars and big lenses for the camera- so much to see... we'll never cruise without a balcony again

 

 

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If this fits in your budget and you won't be cutting back on shore excursions to do this I would recommend it.

 

But if it means doing less in port then I wouldn't do it as you can get lots of good views from the public areas inside and outside the ship.

 

Keith

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It depends on your budget but we found it way to cold to spend much time sitting out there. There are plenty of public areas that have nice places to sit outdoors for viewing waves

 

 

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Absolutely it is for us (but then again it is everywhere we sail). Loved being in my PJ's wrapped up in blankets sipping hot chocolate and watching Alaska go by on my balcony.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I took a lot of great pics sitting on my balcony. Love the views; both in Alaska and cruising towards Alaska. The pic below is one I took from my balcony

 

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This pic was taken from balcony leaving Skagway. Sure you can take pics from other areas of the ship; but like others say, sitting in a balcony chair taking pics and you don't have to leave the room. Nice

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I loved having a balcony, especially on the Hubbard Glacier morning. We even got up really early one morning to watch the sunrise. It was a little chilly out there sometimes, but well worth it!IMG_0762.thumb.JPG.e6244895b19ff9d7ea58368ab1e50ebf.JPG

 

 

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We are also planning a 2019 Alaska cruise to celebrate 10 years of marriage! We are still very early in the planning phase but the one thing we are 100% certain on - a balcony is a MUST for us. We are currently thinking we want to book an aft (one of our favorite views on previous cruises) cabin on the Solstice in June!

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We don’t routinely book balcony because we don’t spend much time in our cabin. On a cruise we are usually on shore on an excursion when in port or in a lounge on the ship participating in an activity when at sea. This is fine for us when there is nothing but ocean to see such as in the Caribbean.

 

However for certain destinations when the scenery is one of the highlights we WILL spend the extra for a balcony.

 

On our Hawaiian cruise last year on the NCL Pride of America we spent the extra for an aft balcony suite. The wraparound balcony at the back corner of the ship gave us the most incredible views of the islands. And since the ship had two overnights during the cruise we got to see sunrises and sunsets over the volcanic peaks.

 

This year for our Alaskan cruise on the NCL Bliss we booked a balcony again for this reason.

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Hmmm, people over at the Panama Canal thread wrote that if one was to stay on one's balcony for the sight-seeing, then one would miss a great deal of the best sight, for the Panama Canal itinerary that is ...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2621809

 

Would this apply to the Alaska itinerary too?

I am planning a future cruise to Alaska as well, and have always thought a balcony would be a necessity ........ until I read the Panama Canal thread.

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Hmmm, people over at the Panama Canal thread wrote that if one was to stay on one's balcony for the sight-seeing, then one would miss a great deal of the best sight, for the Panama Canal itinerary that is ...

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2621809

 

Would this apply to the Alaska itinerary too?

I am planning a future cruise to Alaska as well, and have always thought a balcony would be a necessity ........ until I read the Panama Canal thread.

 

I maintain the position that a veranda stateroom on an Alaskan cruise is wonderful if one wants to spend the money for such, but the cruise will cost one less if an outside stateroom is booked. And, the veranda, while nice to have if the weather is good, is not necessary.

 

Getting a viewing position in the forward part of the ship provides a much more comprehensive view of the scenery. Depending upon the ship's Master, when the ship is in a specific area that has a scenic attraction, i.e. Hubbard Glacier, the Captain may spin the ship around (slowly, of course) so that all on each side of the ship will have a view of the magnificent Glacier.

 

You are correct, in my opinion, to be re-thinking the issue of veranda vs. no veranda stateroom. Really, it comes down to personal preference, I suppose.

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Alaska was our first balcony room. DEFINITELY worth it. We actually had two connecting balconies for 5 people, the 4 of us + G-Ma rather than a larger family Ocean view for the same price. Make CERTAIN you select one of the cruises that includes the Glacier Bay component as the ship literally sits in the bay rotating as you watch the glacier calve into the sea. You can then watch that from your own balcony rather than having to "compete" with others on the ship to watch it from the top decks. Also don't forget to take a good pair of binoculars with you on that trip. We were able to watch bears, eagles and whales from our balcony.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for my novice question, but if anyone can help.

I plan to take my over-70's mom to Alaska Cruise in June or July this year. It is the last minute plan and I know most of rooms are booked. I plan to book Balcony room so that she gets to sit and relax in our room as she doesn't speak any English. I plan to take Northbound Princess Cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage. If I book the room on the left side of the cruise ( I assume it's called Port Side?), is the sea the only view I can see from the room? I believe most people suggests Star Side, but most are taken. There are few left, but in either Aft or Forward room. Should I still stick to whatever is available at Star Side, or book one which will be on the mid-ship, lower deck (like Deck 7-9), at Port Side? Never been to Alaska and don't know how bad people can get sea sick. Just want to do the best as possible for my mom. Thank you for any advise.

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