Is a Balcony worth???

[bluehenfan]

No one has asked if you are claustrophobic-if you are in the least then best to not get an inside room. For me it would be like staying in a large walk in closet. No natural light and no way to see outside-just not for me.

 

If you do have an inside room then of course you're only in there to sleep and shower. There is no where to relax and read or just chill out. Friends had their first inside room on our last cruise and hated it. We saw them sitting in the common areas lots of times just so they could get out of that room.

 

Some folks love insides so it really depends on you.

 

That's a good point. I suffer from claustrophobia and no way I could stay in a cabin with no balcony. Our first 6 cruises were on Disney and we had balcony for cruises 1-5. Because of cost climbing and climbing, I thought I'd just try an OV. Didn't work because I couldn't open window for fresh air. I dreaded night time on that cruise. Lay in bed gasping for air nightly. I couldn't wait to get up on deck where I would usually fall asleep exhausted from a sleepless night. Luckily it was only a 4 nite cruise. I have to have a balcony and I use it a lot. I have known other people who got balconies and then say they hardly used them. I am amazed when I hear this. I would love to be able to go with inside or OV - could double the # of cruises I take each year, but can't so I make sure I get a big enough balcony to be able to stretch my legs out and that's my favorite place to be.

[loulu]

I have never had inside just ov and balcony. Haven't had anything but bal for a long time. If the weather ,especially the nights , is warm a bal is worth it . But in colder weather, like Alaska and Canada, inside is good enough for me

[Dolfan2681]

Balcony all the way!!!! As long as its in your budget well worth it

[Funinjune]

We love the balcony. While the girls are getting ready, the boys head out to the balcony to rest and give room inside. Waking up and being able to watch the sun rise is well worth it. We were just on the Legond and we had the best balcony. Room 6232.

 

[mss22859]

We had on Oceanview on our first. It was very good. For our second, on the Liberty, I got an excellent price on a Balcony. DW says we will never go less than a Bal. now,lol! Actually, she likes it 'cause she can go outside to warm up, and we both smoke. Either way, enjoy your first cruise!:)

[sjcruiser]

The price is well worth the experience. After our first cruise, we have only done balconies. Even when we say we are just going to book and IS, we wind up in a balcony by the cruise date, mostly through price drops and paying for upgrades.

[Markmom18]

Yes, without the p.c. junk that goes on everywhere, I wholeheartly say YES!!!:)

[Room Service!]

We love the balcony. While the girls are getting ready, the boys head out to the balcony to rest and give room inside. Waking up and being able to watch the sun rise is well worth it. We were just on the Legond and we had the best balcony. Room 6232.

 

 

I don't think I've seen that before ... hammock on a balcony. Nice!

[OceanRoamer1]

spend the 210. it is definitely worth it and you will always want a balcony room. get one on the back of the ship. no wind and you can always sit out and look at the ocean. it's awesome.

[kingoftheicedragons]

It all comes down to your budget, 210 a lot or a little? Does the extra dollars prevent you from doing an excursion?

 

I have sailed before, balcony, view and inside, at least for me for why I cruise the balcony makes very little differnce. Almost everytime I've booked balcony I've wondered why I wasted the money, but that is me, others couldn't cruise if it wasn't a balcony at a minimum :D

 

I'm the same way. $210 PER PERSON? Yes, that would definitely NOT be worth it in my opinion. I had a balcony on our first cruise, and we rarely used it. We've never had one since because it's not justified, in my book. It's an extremely small space. Yes, it's open, and you can get fresh air, you can sit outside without the crowds, but to me, cruising is a social activity...even if you're not actively approaching the people you meet, it's still fun to sit up on deck and people watch rather than being a recluse on a small balcony.

[Room Service!]

I'm not a "recluse". We enjoy coffee out there in the morning. Gets me ready to face the chogs, buffet rushers, etc. :)

It's also nice to have the balcony to sit on, rather than sitting looking at 4 walls, while the other is showering, dressing, etc.

I also like to feel the air. I want to know if it's raining, or cool. Should I carry a jacket, whatever?

It's also nice to have your own space when coming into a port. We take binoculars to check out the islands. Don't really want to carry them all over the ship.

Last but not least, the balcony club. Can't be a member without a balcony. ;)

[cruiseonthebrain]

Yes yes yes!!! I would not cruise if we couldn't get a balcony and that price difference is very reasonable. If money is tight, I would skip drinks, spa treatments, and excursions just to have the balcony. Have a great cruise!!!

[crusinfamof4]

Yes, it is totally worth it, we have only sailed balcony and I will not sail anything else. Our DSs are in an inside stateroom directly across the hall from us this fall, I am interested to see on how that goes for them. But $210 for a balcony, I would try and do it, you won't be sorry.

[kmbp66]

YES YES YES....sailed the Legend May 6th..first balcony room....had to pay for the upgrade...will never cruise without having a balcony again...you will totally enjoy it...very peaceful....go for it !!:D

[simplelife]

If it's a total of $210 (not per day) that sounds like a very good upgrade if you cna afford it. DH and I tried an inside once and DH hated it - he needs natural light - so we usually book an OV. We did a balcony once (because it was not much more than an OV) but didn't really use it much (granted, it was a colder sailing -NY to Canada). So we will probably continue to book OV's and save the cost of a balcony (unless, as before it is not much more). Once we did book an obstructed view OV for the cost of an inside. Still got our natural light, and could see out SOME (around the edges of the lifeboat). Very good option when money is tight.

[santanna]

It's such a personal choice and you'll get many opinions. Some are claustrophobic so an inside wouldn't work for them. Some need to be able to have access to fresh air and need a balcony.

 

Those in inside rooms say they're never in them except to sleep and that makes perfect sense. On the other hand, balcony cruisers are likely in their rooms much more.

 

For me personally, I need to be able to step outside and breathe the air, regardless of the temperature even if it's just for a few seconds. I'm a restless sleeper and , weather permitting, I'll often sit out on the balcony in the wee hours and that will help me go back to sleep.

 

I especially enjoyed it when I was in the Caribbean last Dec. I had a bit of a wonky tummy (too much rich food at dinner), so I called room service and asked for some tea and cheese and crackers.

I sat out on the balcony enjoying my middle of the night snack. It was wonderfully peaceful.

 

I also want to add that with all the cruising I've done, I've never had a problem with 2nd hand smoke on a balcony. That's not to say the issue isn't there for some people, but I've never experienced it.

[ATLP&J]

 

Sorry about the pic I don’t have them on a photo sharing site but if you click on it this family actually has a hot tub on their deck, along with a dinner table and a bar. I was impressed (ship was Oasis of the Seas). I have only cruised 2 times and the first time we had a porthole room. This last time (2 weeks ago on the Dream) we had a balcony and I will always have a balcony for now on. It was great to leave the curtains open and get the natural light in or wake up to the sun coming up in the room. And we sat out there a good bit just watching the waves, listening to our music and enjoying a drink and it's fun to sit there as you leave ports or holler at other ships in port or wave to the ships following you out of port (or watching the pier runners :)). We also enjoyed just hanging out on the balcony in the middle of the evening and just listening to the ocean. I mean how many times will you ever be in the middle of an ocean? With nothing around but water? Take advantage of the time and enjoy the serenity and view. Just my opinion.

[maxxedout2]

Our first cruise we went with an inside cabin and glad we did, we were never in the room. It was just way too many things to do and see being our first. When we got back from cruising we felt we needed another vacation just to unwind from all the activities.

 

On our second we booked a balcony as we already knew what to expect.

 

Either way you can't go wrong!!!! You will be on a cruise!!!:)

 

 

Makes sense..DW and I had a mini suite first cruise...windy several nights, rain showers on another...got back and felt we didn't need a balcony because we didn't use it much.

 

Since then we get covered balconies and we do use them now.

 

Solo, I prefer inside cabins.

 

I have an '08 BKing also!

:cool:

[JWGrayson]

I just can't go back to inside again! I have to have at least a porthole so I can tell what time of day it is!

 

 

We learned a little trick at a Future Cruise Seminar that we just put to use on the Sensation. We were in an inside cabin where we turned the TV to the forward facing camera and muted the sound. At night the screen was black with just a blue glow from the power light. Any time we awoke we could tell if it was still dark, or if the sun was up. This solved the problem my wife had with inside cabins. We have had suites, balconies, and ocean views, but the money we save in an inside cabin allows us to cruise more.

[LynnTTT]

If it was a warm Caribbean cruise, with lots of time in port. But on a cooler cruise, such as Mediterranean or TransAtlantic where you are at sea alot. most people find the balconies pretty windy. You cant usually see the water when you are sitting down anyway.