Always A Balcony.. Never An Interior. Until Now?

[surfjock27]

We cruise on the Sunshine in November. It will be our THIRD cruise.

The first cruise was the Dream and we had a Spa Balcony on the Spa Deck.

Second cruise we had a balcony on the Lido deck.

 

We noticed on these two cruises that we never really utilized the balconies other than when leaving Ports.. or looking out in the morning to see what beautiful island we were on.

Never did we eat breakfast or lunch out there.. or just sit in the sun.

 

Fast forward to this upcoming cruise..

I booked an interior, mid ship on the Lido Deck.

We like mid ship and the Lido is close to everything.

The spot is exactly what we want.

 

The problem now is my partner is concerned it will feel too confined/claustrophobic.

I explained that the cabins are practically the same size (right?), and the only exception is no window/door.

He feels the no window, no door will make it feel tight in there.

 

I cannot see myself paying another $600 just to have a window/door/balcony when we are never in the cabin anyways.

We literally wander out at 8am, come back at 5pm to change for dinner, and back at 2am to go to sleep.

 

Has anyone had experiences only using balconies and then switching to interiors?

Do people prefer interiors over balconies?

Should I upgrade to a balcony?

 

Also, my best friend and her partner will be cruising with us. It is their first cruise.

They initially wanted a balcony (for experience) but when I told them the difference in price and how rarely we used it, they settled for an interior.

I remember on my first cruise I had to have a balcony or I wasn't going..

Is a balcony cabin a MUST for a first time cruiser?

Should they upgrade?

 

Thanks in advance! :)

[mondello]

I think you made the right choice. Why pay for a balcony and use it so little?

 

We always book interiors for the lower price and use the savings to enjoy other aspects of our cruises.

 

I booked a Lido interior but relinquished it for a price drop but really wish I'd of kept it.

[SkyMaster]

I agree as well. We too, have been upgraded to balcony (I always book inside ) and find that we almost NEVER go out there. Also, I enjoy an afternoon nap when cruising (on sea days) and the darkness of the inside cabin makes that afternoon nap so delightful. (Then you can boogie all night long!) :cool: Bottom line, you can do a lot with that $600, and you'll never miss that balcony. Welcome aboard!

 

"SKY"

[surfjock27]

I think you made the right choice. Why pay for a balcony and use it so little?

 

We always book interiors for the lower price and use the savings to enjoy other aspects of our cruises.

 

I booked a Lido interior but relinquished it for a price drop but really wish I'd of kept it.

 

Thanks for the quick response.

 

Am I correct in telling my partner the interiors are the same size cabin as the balconies?

Did you ever feel cramped or "kept in"?

[kkdleon]

We have stayed in each cabin type except a suite. We normally book interiors because you can't beat the savings. When we had a balcony, we found ourselves visiting it infrequently. It's great in theory, but we spend only enough time in our cabin to sleep and change clothes. For us, the balcony is for people who want to get away from everybody, to spend time alone or with a significant other. We like to be out and about, and when we're sleeping, we appreciate the pitch black darkness. The balcony cabins may be a smidge bigger, but not enough to really matter. I feel like there's not a huge size change until you get into the suites.

 

Tell your partner to try the interior once since you spend so little time on the balcony. They might enjoy the things we love about it, and it will free up some extra $ for fun.

 

Btw, we loved our interior on the lido deck- soooo close to everything and a nice way to see the stars on deck before you call it a night. We always ended up on the wrong stairs and a walk was required through the pool area.

[kkdleon]

We do not feel cramped in interiors

[LindaJSteele]

I am not a fan of inside cabins, so at night we put on the forward view camera on the tv with the sound off. That way it feels like I have a window:-)

 

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[elliair]

We cruise on the Sunshine in November. It will be our THIRD cruise.

The first cruise was the Dream and we had a Spa Balcony on the Spa Deck.

Second cruise we had a balcony on the Lido deck.

 

We noticed on these two cruises that we never really utilized the balconies other than when leaving Ports.. or looking out in the morning to see what beautiful island we were on.

Never did we eat breakfast or lunch out there.. or just sit in the sun.

 

Fast forward to this upcoming cruise..

I booked an interior, mid ship on the Lido Deck.

We like mid ship and the Lido is close to everything.

The spot is exactly what we want.

 

The problem now is my partner is concerned it will feel too confined/claustrophobic.

I explained that the cabins are practically the same size (right?), and the only exception is no window/door.

He feels the no window, no door will make it feel tight in there.

 

I cannot see myself paying another $600 just to have a window/door/balcony when we are never in the cabin anyways.

We literally wander out at 8am, come back at 5pm to change for dinner, and back at 2am to go to sleep.

 

Has anyone had experiences only using balconies and then switching to interiors?

Do people prefer interiors over balconies?

Should I upgrade to a balcony?

 

Also, my best friend and her partner will be cruising with us. It is their first cruise.

They initially wanted a balcony (for experience) but when I told them the difference in price and how rarely we used it, they settled for an interior.

I remember on my first cruise I had to have a balcony or I wasn't going..

Is a balcony cabin a MUST for a first time cruiser?

Should they upgrade?

 

Thanks in advance! :)

 

When we first started cruising we always got an ocean view cabin. Then we booked a balcony and we would never go back to anything but a balcony. We have coffee in the morning out there and we have wine in the evening on the balcony. We did get an ocean view on the Inspiration and hated it. They have no balconies available on the Inspiration - only suites. Hated the ship - never again. I peeked in on an inside cabin and became immediately claustrophobic - so no way - not even for free!

[cruizinisthebest]

The interiors are the same size. And I think you made a wise choice. I wish I had booked connecting insides on the Lido for my family. Now they are all sold out. You're just a few paces away from the deck. I think it's a perfect area of the ship to pick an inside and save money. Enjoy your trip!

 

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[mondello]

We've done 7 cruises and 4 were with our now 5 year old son. Once we had a trundle and others the drop-down bed.

 

I guess other cabins are at least a little bigger as we've never had a couch. As stated before we make do for what little time we actually spend in there.

 

One cabin I really wish to try is a Lido Scenic OV on the Conquest class ships that have them at the front of the ship with the floor to ceiling windows.

[BeagleOne]

I've had interiors and balconies. I prefer the interiors and not just for the price. I never used the balconies, I'm hardly ever in my cabin, and many of the balconies are so cramped there's hardly any room out there. If there is room, depending on which way the ship is sailing and where the sun is, it can get really hot out there and the barriers between the balconies can block a lot of the breeze.

 

The interior cabins are the same size as many of the balcony cabins, and the ones I had had curtains on the wall opposite the door, with a soft light behind them, to create the illusion of a window/porthole. They're nice and dark at night, but enough light comes under the door so you can navigate your way to the bathroom without turning on a light. Even with three people in an interior, it didn't feel cramped.

 

Now if the cruiser likes to have morning coffee or pre-dinner drinks on the balcony, or is travelling with a napping child and wants a place to go where they're not sitting inside but can still monitor the child, that's a different story. But that's not I, and I'd prefer to have the extra $$$.

[kkdleon]

The interiors are the same size.

 

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Cruizin- you are right. The balcony and the interior on the Sunshine are exactly the same square footage. What I found interesting when I looked this up is that the Oceanview is actually larger than both the basic balcony and the interior. It's only when you add the square footage of the balcony to the room size that it matches the Oceanview size. So it's really a perception issue for those people who feel claustrophobic in interior cabins.

 

Fascinating!

[Hoosiermama]

I would do fine in an interior, unless there was a power failure:eek:, but my DH would not be able to handle it. He would be claustrophobic.

 

My brother-in-law has the same problem. He won a cruise and was put in an interior room and he ended up sleeping out on deck every night. He couldn't handle it. Later he cruised with balconies and had a great time.

 

Have a good cruise, whatever you decide!

[martinchem]

If we were smokers we would probably get more balconies, but the smell and the slamming of the balcony doors are sometimes brutal.

[surfjock27]

We do not feel cramped in interiors

Thank you!

 

I am not a fan of inside cabins, so at night we put on the forward view camera on the tv with the sound off. That way it feels like I have a window:-)

 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

That is a great idea! We do appreciate the pitch darkness when trying to sleep.. but this might help ease some of his concerns.

Thanks!

[bender031177]

On the Conquest and Dream class ships the interior rooms are smaller than OV or balcony rooms. Where the OV and balcony rooms have a sofa the interior rooms have a desk chair.

 

I had an OV on my first cruise then a balcony on every one sense, including the Sunshine next week. I had friends with interior rooms on every cruise too and they have always been the same basic layout.

 

If you want to save $ without sacrificing size you will need an OV but then you can't be on the Lido deck.

 

We don't only use our balcony to relax on but we dry swim suits out here and its the best place for sale away.

[surfjock27]

We have stayed in each cabin type except a suite. We normally book interiors because you can't beat the savings. When we had a balcony, we found ourselves visiting it infrequently. It's great in theory, but we spend only enough time in our cabin to sleep and change clothes. For us, the balcony is for people who want to get away from everybody, to spend time alone or with a significant other. We like to be out and about, and when we're sleeping, we appreciate the pitch black darkness. The balcony cabins may be a smidge bigger, but not enough to really matter. I feel like there's not a huge size change until you get into the suites.

 

Tell your partner to try the interior once since you spend so little time on the balcony. They might enjoy the things we love about it, and it will free up some extra $ for fun.

 

Btw, we loved our interior on the lido deck- soooo close to everything and a nice way to see the stars on deck before you call it a night. We always ended up on the wrong stairs and a walk was required through the pool area.

Thanks! It is insane how much more the balcony cabins are. $600 for 2 people, to me, is insane.

We had a Lido balcony on the Breeze and LOVED the position.

At first we were a little apprehensive that deck would be busy and loud.. but it was the quiet and close to everything.

 

The interiors are the same size. And I think you made a wise choice. I wish I had booked connecting insides on the Lido for my family. Now they are all sold out. You're just a few paces away from the deck. I think it's a perfect area of the ship to pick an inside and save money. Enjoy your trip!

 

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Thank you! I'm glad they are the same size, that will help ease a little of his concern.

We did get to book connecting insides on this one, with our best friends in the other room.

I'd hate to lose that!

[surfjock27]

I've had interiors and balconies. I prefer the interiors and not just for the price. I never used the balconies, I'm hardly ever in my cabin, and many of the balconies are so cramped there's hardly any room out there. If there is room, depending on which way the ship is sailing and where the sun is, it can get really hot out there and the barriers between the balconies can block a lot of the breeze.

 

The interior cabins are the same size as many of the balcony cabins, and the ones I had had curtains on the wall opposite the door, with a soft light behind them, to create the illusion of a window/porthole. They're nice and dark at night, but enough light comes under the door so you can navigate your way to the bathroom without turning on a light. Even with three people in an interior, it didn't feel cramped.

 

Now if the cruiser likes to have morning coffee or pre-dinner drinks on the balcony, or is travelling with a napping child and wants a place to go where they're not sitting inside but can still monitor the child, that's a different story. But that's not I, and I'd prefer to have the extra $$$.

I agree! We never used the balcony on the other cruises, which was my reasoning for the interior this time.

I'm relieved to know that it wasn't cramped with three people, as there will only be two in our cabin.

 

Adorable dog, btw!

 

I would do fine in an interior, unless there was a power failure:eek:, but my DH would not be able to handle it. He would be claustrophobic.

 

My brother-in-law has the same problem. He won a cruise and was put in an interior room and he ended up sleeping out on deck every night. He couldn't handle it. Later he cruised with balconies and had a great time.

 

Have a good cruise, whatever you decide!

 

We met quite a few people on our last cruise who slept out on the decks, for whatever reasons. I couldn't do it! I like it dark and quiet.

 

And I will NOT be mentioning the possibility of power failures. :-P

[surfjock27]

If we were smokers we would probably get more balconies, but the smell and the slamming of the balcony doors are sometimes brutal.

 

We noticed this as well, which was factored into my decision to book an interior.

The smell sometimes was gagging and the talking on the balconies at night could sometimes be heard in our cabin.

 

The one thing I did like was the quaint sound of the ocean at night while trying to sleep.

[surfjock27]

On the Conquest and Dream class ships the interior rooms are smaller than OV or balcony rooms. Where the OV and balcony rooms have a sofa the interior rooms have a desk chair.

 

I had an OV on my first cruise then a balcony on every one sense, including the Sunshine next week. I had friends with interior rooms on every cruise too and they have always been the same basic layout.

 

If you want to save $ without sacrificing size you will need an OV but then you can't be on the Lido deck.

 

We don't only use our balcony to relax on but we dry swim suits out here and its the best place for sale away.

 

We did look into OV cabins but I am weird about being that far down.

[serenityandkatie]

My wife and I struggled with a similar decision this year...we've always had a balcony room however didn't think that the extra $$ for a balcony was warranted. We are on the Sunshine in April in an interior on the Empress Deck, thanks for bringing up this point and thanks to all for the tips!!

 

 

Serenity

[Hoosiermama]

I guess the whole thing is to know just how claustrophopic your partner really is.

 

My DH has problems with elevators, back seat of cars, window seats on a plane, and so many situations. He has no issues with heights (my phobia), but he has to see an easy escape, or he loses it.

 

I guess we all have something!;)

[sandij]

We did interior rooms when we first started cruising many years ago, I don't remember them. We went up to balcony after a few cruises and have never gone back, unless it's only a two day cruise. Now we're getting ready to retire and I think we'll be back to the interiors just to save money. The cruise is what is important, there are many places on the ship to go other than the cabin. Even with the balcony I always enjoy reading on the promanade deck.

[carsaw]

We did at least 6 balcony rooms before we decided to try an inside for the price difference. I was very worried it would be too small and we would hate it. It did not bother us at all since we are in the room very little anyway. Very dark to take a snooze in the afternoon to get ready for the evening. Since then we book interiors and balconies depending on price/itinerary. I have the same problem with oceanview rooms on Carnival, don't want to be that low on the ship.

[chief joe]

We started with inside worked up to Suites, not going back.

 

Sent by magical fairy dust.