Ocean View or Balcony

[mattie00]

We are looking into a cruise of the Baltics for June 2011. How worthwhile is it to have a balcony cabin on this itinerary versus an ocean view? The weather should be warm enough, but does the scenery warrant sitting on a balcony vs looking out a window? We love balcony cabins and have had one on both South America and Mediterranean cruises. However, we have also stayed in ocean view and enjoyed that as well. Thanks for any and all comments.

[TLCOhio]

We are looking into a cruise of the Baltics for June 2011. How worthwhile is it to have a balcony cabin on this itinerary versus an ocean view? The weather should be warm enough, but does the scenery warrant sitting on a balcony vs looking out a window? We love balcony cabins and have had one on both South America and Mediterranean cruises. However, we have also stayed in ocean view and enjoyed that as well. Thanks for any and all comments.

 

Things can be a little cooler in the Baltics, even during summer. Maybe a high in the upper 60's. Around 70F, if lucky. Is that best for a balcony? In part, it depends on your wallet flexibility and the type of ship size you are on. We did the Baltics in late July 2008 on a ship with 800 passenger. A balcony would have been nice, but to us it wasn't worth the added cost. Unless you're on a very large ship, it's easy to get up to the top deck for sailing out and enjoying the visuals. With a smaller boat as you are on the top deck, you can see activities on both sides. A balcony only gives you one side. Many of the Baltic ports are only "OK" to average. It's not like being anchored in a nice, scenic port along the Italian coast. You want a large window, not a little porthole, but I wouldn't call a balcony as a must-have. I'd rather spend that added money for port tours, including being able to do a good private tour in a small group in St. Petersburg. Many trade-offs to consider. Which ship line are you planning to use?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[mattie00]

Hi there. The only cruise line we have ever used is NCL and that is the one we are looking at for June 2011 out of Copenhagen. I was definitely leaning towards an ocean view, but thought I would check and get comments from others who have already done the Baltics. Thanks so much for your confirmation of my "leaning".:D

[LHT28]

We did an inside cabin (more $$ for tours) the last trip to the Baltic it was 60-75F most of the time but just as easy to go up on deck to see the sights.

You usually sail late evening (while at dinner) or arrive in the wee hours ( i am not an early riser) so an outside would do us fine

 

It is a personal choice & depends on your priorities

[mattie00]

We did an inside cabin (more $$ for tours) the last trip to the Baltic it was 60-75F most of the time but just as easy to go up on deck to see the sights.

You usually sail late evening (while at dinner) or arrive in the wee hours ( i am not an early riser) so an outside would do us fine

 

It is a personal choice & depends on your priorities

Wonder how many people know what "GTA" stands for:D I was born in Toronto but raised in Kingston. However, have been transplanted to Alberta since 1966. Thanks for your response. Never thought about doing an inside but it is definitely worth considering as we hope to tour a bit in England before and Norway after the cruise so more $$ saved on cruise, more $$ for extra touring.

[TLCOhio]

Wonder how many people know what "GTA" stands for:D I was born in Toronto but raised in Kingston. However, have been transplanted to Alberta since 1966. Thanks for your response. Never thought about doing an inside but it is definitely worth considering as we hope to tour a bit in England before and Norway after the cruise so more $$ saved on cruise, more $$ for extra touring.

 

What is GTA? You are correctly considering the various financial "trade-offs" on type of cabin, port tours, etc. The Baltics are very port intensive so that your cabin-time, needs are more limited than would happen with other cruise locations.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[RachelG]

We had a balcony on our Baltic cruise, but honestly it was only warm enough to enjoy it 2 of the 8 days. And the cruise is so port intensive that you really don't need one. So if finances are an issue at all, I would save money here and get the window (would NEVER do an inside cabin though--too claustrophotic). The sail-in to Helsinki was beautiful, but it was too cold and windy to stand out on the balcony--I just looked through the window.

[LHT28]

What is GTA?

 

Greater Toronto Area

[Giantfan13]

We had a 12 day Baltic cruise last august, with 4 sea days, and we chose an inside cabin to save money for other things. We usually do insides as we are very 'deck friendly' people and just love to sit outside, meet other people and be free to move from side to side depending on where the view is better.

 

As has been said, the Baltics are very port intensive. Very few of the ports offer good viewing sailing in or out, except Stockholm, and if you are cruising NCL it won't make a difference as you aren't docking anywhere near Stockholm.

 

And, also, as others have said, it does tend to get a bit chilly as the ship is moving along. In August you needed jackets to sit outside on most days.

 

Balconies are nice, but for this cruise you will not miss anything by being inside.

 

Oh, just another thought on inside cabins, remember it will not get dark till very late at night, so having that balcony or even ocean view you will need to close the curtains to get some darkness. Something you need not worry about in an inside cabin, perfect sleeping conditions.

 

Cheers

 

Len

[TLCOhio]

Greater Toronto Area

 

THANKS for the "GTA" info! I learned something new today. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[mek]

Six years ago we did a Baltic cruise on Princess in June and I can only tell you that the weather on our cruise was cool/cold and damp with rain in most of the ports and at sea. We actually wore parkas in Stockholm - it was so windy that the cold air was freezing. We were lucky in Russia, the sun came out and the weather was mild. Most of the people who had balconies were terribly disappointed. Personally, I would save the money on a balcony and spend it on private tours in St Pete.

[traveler525]

We had an "obstructed" oceanview room and it was nice to have the window, at least even to see what the weather was:). We went end Aug/start Sep and the weather was really great. As they say about the weather, you never know. Our two sea days we were able to sit outside (on the top deck) and enjoy the sunshine! It even got too hot in the sun. But the evenings were very cool. We did not regret not having the balcony because most of the days we were off the ship and the evenings were very cool. But, it is an individual decision:).

[bardstowntraveller]

We are on the Baltic cruise this June. I'll let you know about the balcony once we return. With that said, we love having a balcony and will use it even if it is cool. The archepeligos around Stockholm and Helsinki are supposed to be beautiful.

[jkw3tx]

Our trip last summer we were on the prominode(sp) deck and most days we just wandered out to our deck chairs and watched everything from there. There were blankets available and my wife did use them several times but we both enjoyed sitting out and watching the trips into most of the ports. Save your money and get a regular cabin. If you aren't an early riser or plan on eating early you'll miss most of the scenery.

JKW

[mattie00]

Thanks all for your input. Sounds like inside cabin is the way to go. Now if I can just convince myself that I won't feel claustrophobic, we will book that category instead of an oceanview:eek:

[TMLAalum]

Thanks all for your input. Sounds like inside cabin is the way to go. Now if I can just convince myself that I won't feel claustrophobic, we will book that category instead of an oceanview:eek:

 

sometimes the price difference spread over the length of the cruise is miniscule! The Baltic ports are spread over time zones and a downside of an inside cabin is that the darkness might lead to oversleeping. You will be tired from a very port-intensive itinerary and, having a window might help wake you each day.

[camNaud]

We have opted for an inside for our cruise in The Baltic in June. As we already live at a latitude of 57N we know that in June there is very little darkness - in fact you only get twilight for 4 to 1 hours. Every June the lack of real darkness hours can interfere with my sleep - and that's the last thing I want on a port intensive cruise. An inside will ensure I sleep well..... ZZZZzzzzzzz !!

 

For guidance here is the sunrise sunset data for Helsinki in mid June...

 

Sunrise: 3:52 AM Sunset 10:50 PM

Civil Twilight Ends: 1:56 AM Begins: 12:46 AM (Sun 6 below horizon)

Nautical Twilight: No Nautical Twilight (Sun 12 degrees below horizon)

Astronomical Twilight: No Astronomical Twilight (Sun 18 degrees below horizon)

 

Effectively you have 1 hour 11 minutes of twilight where you need artifical light to undertake outdoor activities. In fact on clear night you will still see the daylight glow all 'Night'.