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5 Reasons to book a balcony...


big al
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Although this is an older thread, and I haven’t read the whole thing, one reason I prefer a balcony is to see how I should dress. Is it cool? Will I need a sweatshirt? In a cabin I wouldn’t know till I went out on the deck, and I get cold far more then my husband does.

 

 

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frostyswife13- great comment! I never thought of that because, like your husband, I never get cold, but my wife always does :D...also, some parts of a ship are often much cooler than others..I.E., the buffet area is usually near the pool area, so it's usually warmer there because of the pool deck doors constantly opening plus the crowds make it warmer also...studies have shown ( saw one on CNN) that women get cold much more often than men do- unless you watch any TV shows or commercials..there it's the men who are always wearing sweaters and bundled up , while the women only have blouses on..next time you watch TV notice that over 80% of men have sweaters on, while only 10% of women do- very weird..I haven't worn a sweater in 34 years..pretty impressive IMO :cool:

 

Big Al

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  • 2 months later...

So, y'all almost have me SOLD on booking a balcony room. I didn't read every single page of responses, so I have a few questions.

 

How much privacy do you actually have on a balcony? I've heard stories about seeing other people who were less than dressed or engaging in inappropriate behavior for a kid to witness on a balcony. Lol. How true is that?? (We'll have our 2 teens with us)

 

Is there seating and a table out there? Is it crowded? How many people will fit out there at one time?

 

Are there better balconies than others?

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So, y'all almost have me SOLD on booking a balcony room. I didn't read every single page of responses, so I have a few questions.

 

How much privacy do you actually have on a balcony? I've heard stories about seeing other people who were less than dressed or engaging in inappropriate behavior for a kid to witness on a balcony. Lol. How true is that?? (We'll have our 2 teens with us)

 

Is there seating and a table out there? Is it crowded? How many people will fit out there at one time?

 

Are there better balconies than others?

 

MomSwag- Great questions! OK, here we go..PRIVACY is different on different ships..Princess has little privacy because their balconies are on a slant..on most balconies, you could lean over & peak at who's there, but that would be quite offensive..size of the balcony is also related to size of the cabin...

..I.E., a regular standard cabin & balcony may be between 175 Sq. ft and balcony 45 SF..they are bigger on Royal Caribbean's larger ships ( Oasis, Freedom class, etc..)..But a JUNIOR SUITE can give you up to 80 SF or more..that large balcony may have a lounger chair & smaller seats & coffee table...If you have a specific ship & cabin you are looking at, let me know & I can tell you the sizes..also, AFT balconies ( in the back) are usually 50-75 % bigger than balconies on the side, BUT they cost more, too...most regular size balconies have 2 chairs & small coffee table..seating for 4 would require a larger cabin & balcony, OR an aft balcony...hope this helps..NOTHING like smelling the salt air, seeing the waves, sun, birds, fish, islands, other ships, etc...

 

Big Al

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MomSwag- Great questions! OK, here we go..PRIVACY is different on different ships..Princess has little privacy because their balconies are on a slant..on most balconies, you could lean over & peak at who's there, but that would be quite offensive..size of the balcony is also related to size of the cabin...

..I.E., a regular standard cabin & balcony may be between 175 Sq. ft and balcony 45 SF..they are bigger on Royal Caribbean's larger ships ( Oasis, Freedom class, etc..)..But a JUNIOR SUITE can give you up to 80 SF or more..that large balcony may have a lounger chair & smaller seats & coffee table...If you have a specific ship & cabin you are looking at, let me know & I can tell you the sizes..also, AFT balconies ( in the back) are usually 50-75 % bigger than balconies on the side, BUT they cost more, too...most regular size balconies have 2 chairs & small coffee table..seating for 4 would require a larger cabin & balcony, OR an aft balcony...hope this helps..NOTHING like smelling the salt air, seeing the waves, sun, birds, fish, islands, other ships, etc...

 

Big Al

 

 

We will be sailing with Carnival. Either the Breeze or Freedom. We haven't booked yet(obviously!), so I'm not sure about which room yet. Are the balconies only available on certain decks?

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We will be sailing with Carnival. Either the Breeze or Freedom. We haven't booked yet(obviously!), so I'm not sure about which room yet. Are the balconies only available on certain decks?

 

 

Balconies are decks 5 or 6 thru 10 ( 9 on the Freedom)...Breeze is much nicer, BTW...Balconies on Carnival are small..35-45 SF..I can tell you on those ships you will have only 2 sitting chairs and a small coffee table..there are some "extended balconies" on both ships, usually cat 9 or 9A...they are bigger and sometimes are wrap around , too..BUT they cost about 25-35% more than regular balconies...also balconies on the "bump" tend to be a bit deeper, but not enough to have lounge chairs...

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Balconies are decks 5 or 6 thru 10 ( 9 on the Freedom)...Breeze is much nicer, BTW...Balconies on Carnival are small..35-45 SF..I can tell you on those ships you will have only 2 sitting chairs and a small coffee table..there are some "extended balconies" on both ships, usually cat 9 or 9A...they are bigger and sometimes are wrap around , too..BUT they cost about 25-35% more than regular balconies...also balconies on the "bump" tend to be a bit deeper, but not enough to have lounge chairs...

 

 

I was leaning towards the Breeze! The balcony will honestly mostly be for my husband and I anyway. I like to get up early and have some quiet time and listen to my worship music before everyone else wakes up. I think a balcony will be perfect for that. :) (Even if I need to use headphones!)

 

I can't think of a more peaceful setting for some quiet time in the mornings! Thank you for all of this information. :)

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So, y'all almost have me SOLD on booking a balcony room. I didn't read every single page of responses, so I have a few questions.

 

How much privacy do you actually have on a balcony? I've heard stories about seeing other people who were less than dressed or engaging in inappropriate behavior for a kid to witness on a balcony. Lol. How true is that?? (We'll have our 2 teens with us)

 

Is there seating and a table out there? Is it crowded? How many people will fit out there at one time?

 

Are there better balconies than others?

deck 10 [carbie] you get a half open half covered i know one person that went topless on her blacony but those above would not have seen her top half but deck 9 is all out in open deck above carbie is fully covered so prob not see anything from anywhwere else , i know the bridge has seen some go naked at night out there not realising they can see all the way down the ship with their side cameras though not sure if they can see fully into those covered balconies maybe just the front of them against the rail would be it etc this was on the Golden Princess

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So, y'all almost have me SOLD on booking a balcony room. I didn't read every single page of responses, so I have a few questions.

 

How much privacy do you actually have on a balcony? I've heard stories about seeing other people who were less than dressed or engaging in inappropriate behavior for a kid to witness on a balcony. Lol. How true is that?? (We'll have our 2 teens with us)

 

Is there seating and a table out there? Is it crowded? How many people will fit out there at one time?

 

Are there better balconies than others?

 

My wife and I are life long nudists (we are now in our 70's). We were on a cruise a about 3 years ago, we were sitting on our balcony, working on our all over tan, when our neighbor poked here head around the divider. She said, "Hi, neigh.....oops, sorry."

 

 

Some Carnival ships have cove balconies on the second deck. We booked one but found it was noisy as there is the galley area above. Some balcony rooms on the top most cabin deck might not have a ceiling. That wouldn't bother us but you get no protection from the elements.

 

Also, Pricesshas staggered balconies so the people above can see you. We only cruised on Princess to Alaska - too cold for nude sunbathing.

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Hmmmmmmm. What happens if one or both of your neighbors smoke on their balcony and you either don't smoke or are allergic to it? What happens if one or both of your neighbors don't appreciate quiet as much as you do? I guess you just go inside and close the sliding glass door. Kind of a disappointment when you have paid double what an ocean view would have cost and can't effectively use what you paid for.

 

Now, I'm quite sure there are many folks that choose balconies and are never bothered by either of those scenarios or the scenarios don't occur. But, I have read quite a few horror stories over the years where people cannot move and just have to put up with it. I, myself, would rather not chance it. Just as I don't chance a guaranteed cabin and don't randomly pick any cabin on the ship without knowing the pluses and minuses. Cruises can be long tortuous events if and when you don't pay attention to the lay of the land.

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Also a Veranda with larger balcony and higher deck is better, I will love my 14 night Eclipse cruise, will have new moon one day before boarding and full moon the last day at sea before arriving to Miami

 

Oh wow! Cool. 😎

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Hmmmmmmm. What happens if one or both of your neighbors smoke on their balcony and you either don't smoke or are allergic to it? What happens if one or both of your neighbors don't appreciate quiet as much as you do? I guess you just go inside and close the sliding glass door. Kind of a disappointment when you have paid double what an ocean view would have cost and can't effectively use what you paid for.

 

Now, I'm quite sure there are many folks that choose balconies and are never bothered by either of those scenarios or the scenarios don't occur. But, I have read quite a few horror stories over the years where people cannot move and just have to put up with it. I, myself, would rather not chance it. Just as I don't chance a guaranteed cabin and don't randomly pick any cabin on the ship without knowing the pluses and minuses. Cruises can be long tortuous events if and when you don't pay attention to the lay of the land.

 

Valid points. Thank you. I guess one must weigh the pros and cons!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Most cruise lines prohibit smoking on balconies. Of course, this doesn't completely stop it, but usually, assuming it's policy (since fire and boats don't mix, it's usually policy) the crew will work with you, if you're able to identify the culprit. Our last cruise (back to back East+West Caribbean on Carnival Glory (never again on Carnival, but that's a not really germane to this discussion...) ) our balcony on deck 7 was directly above the designated smoking area on Deck 3. It usually wasn't too bad, all things considered (my wife is pretty sensitive to smells, and I have COPD, so I'm VERY sensitive to smoke), and since it allowed us to have the same cabin for both legs I'd say it was worth it overall. Also, I don't think the smoking area was marked on the deck plans, so that might be hard to discover without a lot of research.

 

Next cruise, we're definitely getting at least a balcony.

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  • 3 months later...

So it's been a while since I posted, but I have a great story to tell here about a friend who FINALLY booked a balcony after 15 cruises in inside cabins..a reminder, I am both a cruise agent & avid cruiser- been on 36 cruises ( 15 RCI, 6 CCL, 6 NCL, 4 Princess, 2 Disney, 1 HAL, 1 Celebrity & 1 Bahamas Paradise), so I am well experienced..I also have cruised in all 4 major cabin categories: inside, outside window, balcony & suites ...

 

I have a couple, Mike & Carrie, who are pretty good cruisers..they had taken 14 cruises, all on RCI, and ALL inside cabins, and all which I booked them. For years I tried to convince the both of them to try a balcony- I gave them all the reasons to try, even showed them my videos of my wife's & I cruises and how much we loved balconies, but no go..to say Mike & Carrie are a bit "cheap" would be like saying cigarettes are "a bit" addicting..Mike & Carrie are NOT poor- they have good jobs, a very nice 2800 sq ft home with a pool, and 2 kids, but they are gone now & on their own..

 

Mike & Carrie often complained to me about RCI's drink prices ( both are avid drinkers when cruising), so when the drink packages came out, I suggested they try that, and they did..problem is the drink package for 2 for a week's cruise can run around $800 ( $55 pp per day)..sometimes now, they run specials for $46 PP per day, but still a considerable amount of money..specialty dining, which I both love & recommend, was out of the question for them ( again- "thrifty")...so they called me and asked me for suggestions about a cruise where drinks cost less, so I had cruised the NCL Getaway last November with my wife & her sister & hubby, and we LOVED IT..free drinks, 3 specialty dining options for FREE ( BOTH!), great shows & entertainment, great service, the whole package..they LOVED the free drinks concept & dining options, but were a little skeptical about trying anything other than RCI..I yelled at both of them and told them 1) Variety is the spice of life, and that goes especially for cruising IMO..and 2) That if they trust me, they should just take my word for it..so, I initially booked them their silly inside cabin..2 weeks before the cruise I received an e-mail from the NCL agent ( whom I know) saying they had about 10 balcony cabins left at only $40 a day more for BOTH passengers..I called Mike & Carrie, and amazingly, they agreed to "splurge" and try the balcony cabin!! I also booked them Cagney's Steakhouse, Teppanyaki's ( Japanese hibachi) and Le Bistro ( French) for their 3 free specialty dining venues..

 

Fast Forward to the day they got off the ship..Mike called me on their way home and RAVED about the cabin, the cruise, the free drinks, the dining venues, EVERYTHING!! :D....to bust his chops, I said slowly, "say all of that again?".."You were right about the balcony- it was fantastic! We were out there 3-4x a day like you suggested..nights were soooo cool & romantic..we saw 3 rainbows..coming & leaving ports were so cool...feeling the ocean breezes, sunshine, salt air, the waves, just like you've been telling us was like a drug"..."so, NOW do you believe me about spending just a little more to enhance your cruise experience? " I asked...they even dined outside on NCL's wonderful Waterfront area on deck 8 & had LOBSTER OVERLOOKING THE CARIBBEAN, as we did also...what a rush that is, BTW...

 

I have just booked them now on the new NCL Bliss in the fall, which looks sensational..and they booked a BALCONY..so instead of always " Mission Impossible", this is now "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" :cool::cool:

 

Big Al

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I'm so glad to read another great story like this. We also have several friends who cruise often and until recently only booked insides. They finally decided to splurge on balconies with adjoining rooms. Now they love it and say they will never go back to inside cabins.

 

We enjoy balcony suites for all the reasons you gave, and are looking forward to our Christmas cruise this year. Cruising is a fantastic way to travel and having a balcony makes it even more exciting. Happy Travels wherever you go next.

 

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I'm so glad to read another great story like this. We also have several friends who cruise often and until recently only booked insides. They finally decided to splurge on balconies with adjoining rooms. Now they love it and say they will never go back to inside cabins.

 

We enjoy balcony suites for all the reasons you gave, and are looking forward to our Christmas cruise this year. Cruising is a fantastic way to travel and having a balcony makes it even more exciting. Happy Travels wherever you go next.

 

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Thanks JimAOk! I have many other stories like this INCLUDING my wife & went on our first 4 cruises in an inside or window cabin only..then we booked the Grand Princess in 2000 for our 5th wedding anniversary and splurged on a balcony- wow! What a difference! Thanks again for your nice comments!!

 

Big Al

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Big Al

 

Are you allowed to post a link to your cruise videos? I would like to see them. Thanks

 

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I don't post our personal cruise videos, sorry! Just show them to friends & potential cruisers who are not sure about cruising!!

 

Big Al

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I understand. No problem. I was hoping you could post a link. It would be interesting to see the differences between the various types of balconies on different cruise lines.

 

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If you need info on balcony sizes, I have most of them..also you can use www.CruiseDeckplans.com and you can find all cruise ships, cabin size info., along with balcony sizes...hope it helps...I have most cruise ship cabin sizes & balcony sizes memorized...after 20 years as an agent, I should! :cool::cool:

 

Big Al

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So it's been a while since I posted,...

 

Fast Forward to the day they got off the ship..Mike called me on their way home and RAVED about the cabin, the cruise, the free drinks, the dining venues, EVERYTHING!! :D....to bust his chops, I said slowly, "say all of that again?".."You were right about the balcony- it was fantastic! We were out there 3-4x a day like you suggested..nights were soooo cool & romantic..we saw 3 rainbows..coming & leaving ports were so cool...feeling the ocean breezes, sunshine, salt air, the waves, just like you've been telling us was like a drug"..."so, NOW do you believe me about spending just a little more to enhance your cruise experience? " I asked...they even dined outside on NCL's wonderful Waterfront area on deck 8 & had LOBSTER OVERLOOKING THE CARIBBEAN, as we did also...what a rush that is, BTW...

 

I have just booked them now on the new NCL Bliss in the fall, which looks sensational..and they booked a BALCONY..so instead of always " Mission Impossible", this is now "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" :cool::cool:

 

Big Al

 

So glad to hear from you again. Love your posts! Our first 'cruise' was a 5 night winter trip (January) down the Alaskan Ferry system from Haines to Seattle, courtesy of Uncle Sam's transportation allowance. We had an itty-bitty inside cabin for four of us (a six month old baby, a two year old, DW and I) with not enough floor space for the four of us to sit on the floor at the same time.

 

After that, I could never set sail without a balcony! And we have not, hopefully never will have to sail so badly that we don't have a balcony.

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Good reasoning...my Dad used to say, "be cheap at home..pay your bills, save your $$, save for your kid's education ( if you have them), and take at least ONE good vacation every year & but don't be cheap on your vacation"...I try to do that always...we only cruise if we can swing a t least a balcony, or a Junior/ Mini suite if the price is good & we can swing it ...BTW, inside cabins are claustrophobic IMO, but my wife is OK in that sense..you are right about the retreat..it is a sanctuary IMO...nothing beats seeing the sea, blue waters, sun, sky, nature,etc... thunder storms BTW, are AMAZING watching from your balcony, as long as they are a decent distance from the ship...truly spectacular!!

 

Big Al

 

Your dad philosophy is awesome.

 

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So glad to hear from you again. Love your posts! Our first 'cruise' was a 5 night winter trip (January) down the Alaskan Ferry system from Haines to Seattle, courtesy of Uncle Sam's transportation allowance. We had an itty-bitty inside cabin for four of us (a six month old baby, a two year old, DW and I) with not enough floor space for the four of us to sit on the floor at the same time.

 

After that, I could never set sail without a balcony! And we have not, hopefully never will have to sail so badly that we don't have a balcony.

 

Nice to hear from you!!! I remember also shoving my 104 lb. wife ( I'm 215) out of the way in our tiny 119 SF inside cabin on RCI's Majesty Of The Seas...we always seem to bump into each other..bathroom was soooo tiny! Happy Cruising..:D

 

Big Al

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