Balcony Question

[sparkyele]

Hello All,

 

I have a question in regards to a balcony versus interior room. My friend and I are booked on the Oasis for October 27th in a superior ocean view room. The price for an interior room with residency rate is over 400 dollars cheaper. My question is for those who have had a balcony how much do you use the balcony? Is it worth the price difference? Any thoughts are appreciated!!

[Langley Cruisers]

Welcome. You will get a hundred differing opinions on this as everyone has one. Some will say you are never in your room long enough so save the money and go for an interior. Some will say a balcony is always better so go for it. Some will say what about an interior balcony such as Central Park or Boardwalk - these are balcony cabins but they look inward into the ship instead of out to sea. I mean, personally, I will never sail in an inside again as I get claustrophobic. Some people LOVE insides. *shrug* See what I mean?

 

The choice is yours. Is the $400 worth it to you?

[sparkyele]

Thank you for your reply. I have been asking myself all of those questions and keep wavering back and forth:o Having never had a balcony I can't compare the two with my own personal experience.

[Mapleleafforever]

We did an inside once and never ever again. Having said that everyone is different and you need to try it yourself to decide. For us though there is no amount of savings that will make it worth doing it again. You really never get a sense of what time it is in an inside room. To me there's nothing like waking up early in the morning and having a coffee on your balcony and listening to the peace of the ocean.

[krazy4kruisin]

I have done both. On our last cruise on Carnival it was a waste as we never used it. We we're always on deck.I wish that I would have saved the money. Last summer we did an interior and saved a lot of money allowing us to spend it on excursions. In May we are in a balcony because we got a fabulous deal on it. We do always choose the cabin on the deck the we prefer. We like to be 2 decks down fro the lido. That is our main requirement. I say cruise cheap so you can do excursions or shopping….

[At Sea 4Ever]

Hello All,

 

I have a question in regards to a balcony versus interior room. My friend and I are booked on the Oasis for October 27th in a superior ocean view room. The price for an interior room with residency rate is over 400 dollars cheaper. My question is for those who have had a balcony how much do you use the balcony? Is it worth the price difference? Any thoughts are appreciated!!

 

 

Something more special about the balconies on oasis class ships compared to other ships. Can't explain it just is. 400 is a lot though! I would make a list of pros and cons. A point to consider... Everyone says how they love to get up early and have coffee on their balcony, but realistically will you? Early excursions, morning gym classes, and wanting the best seat by the pool are all things that make you run out of your cabin in the morning not hang back with coffee.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[tserface]

I agree that there are lots of answers to this one, but we tend to use our balcony. We like to sit out there and read and it's nice to go out at night. We don't spend a ton of time on the balcony, but we also find that having the sliding door makes the room seem larger as well. Some are opposed to the idea, but we also tend to leave our door open at times so we can hear the ocean and get fresh air into our room. It is more expensive though so it's really tough to say whether it would have the same worth to everyone.

 

I don't want to turn this into another smoking thread, Heaven forbid, but I do want to mention that now that they have the new rules we are even more likely to get a balcony because there is more chance we'll be able to use it even more than we have in the past. It was hard to sit out there sometimes when a neighbor or two were smoking nearby. I only mention this because I think the price is even more justified now.

 

For us, it's a nice calm place to hang out. Also fun when coming and going from ports.

 

Tom

 

Hello All,

 

I have a question in regards to a balcony versus interior room. My friend and I are booked on the Oasis for October 27th in a superior ocean view room. The price for an interior room with residency rate is over 400 dollars cheaper. My question is for those who have had a balcony how much do you use the balcony? Is it worth the price difference? Any thoughts are appreciated!!

[Ashland]

Hello All,

 

I have a question in regards to a balcony versus interior room. My friend and I are booked on the Oasis for October 27th in a superior ocean view room. The price for an interior room with residency rate is over 400 dollars cheaper. My question is for those who have had a balcony how much do you use the balcony? Is it worth the price difference? Any thoughts are appreciated!!

As I understand your choice is between an "oceanview vs interior"..basically a cabin with a view of the ocean or a walkin closet..not a balcony..Only you can decide which would give you more comfort during your 7 night cruise..If you have either one of these at home (walkin closet or windowless bathroom) go in shut the door and hopefully it will make your decision easier.;)

[Chuggiebug]

The savings are big. For us, we love the balcony, especially on the Allure boardwalk. If the price difference means we have take the lower price one or not cruise, we will take the inside. Until then we will take the balcony

Edited February 6, 2014 by Chuggiebug

[sparkyele]

Sorry I forgot to add the with balcony on my original post:) I appreciate everyone's thoughts and input on this subject. I think we are going to keep the balcony room. We already planned on the price of the balcony room, and see more pros then cons! Again, Thank You to everyone for the replies!

[Ashland]

Sorry I forgot to add the with balcony on my original post:) I appreciate everyone's thoughts and input on this subject. I think we are going to keep the balcony room. We already planned on the price of the balcony room, and see more pros then cons! Again, Thank You to everyone for the replies!

Yes..the difference between an "oceanview" and an "oceanview with balcony" is not a minor detail and really makes a difference when comparing catagories...$400...You have made the right choice...Enjoy :D

[Dave4120]

Hello All...Well, I do not want to confuse anyone, however, we are stuck right in the middle of enjoying both balcony cabins, and, inside cabins, if, you can believe that.

 

We will be going on a back 2 back cruise in March, and this will be our 24th cruise. Once we've completed the 24th cruise, we will have been in a balcony cabin 13 times, and, an inside cabin 11 times.

 

What do we prefer better? I don't have a very good answer. We started out doing balcony cabins, and we said we would never, ever, do an inside cabin. We were like many of you...had morning coffee on the balcony, on a sea day, sat on the balcony and read or I listened to my I-Tunes music, and, at night, we would sit outside for awhile before bed and listened to the ocean. Paradise to say the least.

 

Then, several of our friends teased us on how they went on two cruises a year in an inside cabin, to the one cruise a year we did on the balcony cabin for about the same price. So, we decided to try an inside cabin, and, a promenade inside cabin. I guess I'm Dracula...I must say that I sleep better since the room is total darkness, and, it just felt very private for us. Even though we save money when we choose an inside cabin, that hasn't been the reason why we have chosen it from time to time.

 

As everyone has said...each person is different, and, it's just a personal choice, even though I must say going forward, we will be going back to a balcony cabin more often, especially, if the cruise is sea days intense.

 

I'm of the opinion that if the ship is docked for a few days such as it is on the Bermuda cruise, then, it might not be worth paying more for a balcony. Just my thought.

 

Dave

[dacsmom]

I have done both, I do like the balcony because I have my coffee delivered at 6 am and spend some relaxing time on the balcony. It is also a great place to dry your bathing suit. I do like the interiors too. It all depends on the price difference. Since you already planned on a the price of a balcony, I say keep it.

[DrD]

A lot.

 

Yes.

 

Even when not on balcony, it's nice to have an entire wall of your cabin as one big window rather than just a porthole.

 

It's also really nice to step out quickly to see what the weather's like etc.

 

My opinion is in for a penny in for a pound.

[karena1]

We did inside cabins when we first started cruising b/c that was what we could afford. Now, we never do anything but a balcony for a 7 nighter. We will do an OV for a 3/4 night cruise, but if the price is not significant on a 4 nighter we opt for a balcony also. We did an Promenade on Liberty one year for a 4 night cruise and hubby did not even like that as he could not look out the window and see the water/weather in the morning. So no more promenades either. Will either be balconies or at the very least an ocean view.

[m4yb]

We have done both. Because of price we did a 3 day cruise with an inside, and were so glad it was only 3 days.

Many people say that they are in their cabing so little, an inside is OK. Well, we like to get away from people and have "time out" or nana/poppa naps and to us an inside is just too claustrophobic.

I also get a bit seasick and prefer to be in the privacy of our cabin then, and with fresh air get over seasickness quickly .

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I think $400 is worth it on a less active line than RCL, where you are spending more time in your cabin, or in Alaska with the scenic view. I would go for an inside balcony or window, where there is activity even at night!

[lhz3456]

When my husband and I went on our first cruise, we got a great deal on a balcony and we haven't booked another type of cabin since. I had cruised before several times and had been in both inside rooms and outside view rooms with no balcony so I didn't realize how wonderful a balcony was. It is a great place to relax and feel like you have a little private part of the ship and ocean all to yourself. We love having our breakfast out there and watching as we come into or leave a port. It also makes the cabin feel much bigger!

[SPacificbound]

To me it is worth it but that really doesn't mean anything in relation to you. :)

[dplusd]

We tend to shy away from crowds and enjoy some quiet time in our room. So for us, a balcony cabin is a must. One of my favorite times on a cruise is watching the sunrise and sunset from the comfort and privacy of our balcony. The sounds of the sea and breeze from the moving ship is special, important to us. We spend several hours a day relaxing on the balcony.

 

But, everyone enjoys spending their time differently. If you think you would enjoy spending most of your time in the public spaces, then an inside room will serve it's purpose as a clean space to sleep and clean up. It is certainly cheaper!

[JamesEM]

DW and I now book balconies cabins because the glass wall makes the room look larger, we like to have lunch there, and on port days we like to watch the world go by.

[mdcorny]

We love balconies. Our morning coffee is usually spent on the balcony. I read there during the day and we end up there before dinner talking about the day and planning the evening. That being said, we don't do a lot of activities on-board. When the sun isn't on the balcony we will frequent the deck areas and we do the evening theater productions. We cruise to mellow and watch the world turn without us being busy. So us, we have had several inside rooms and outside view rooms, but we are balcony people with our favorites on the stern.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[trev71]

My first two cruises on the Liberty we had a Porthole window, then my thrid cruise on the Oasis, we got a balconey and loved it. Then our 4th on the Allure we though we are never in the room and cheaped out and got an interior it was HORRIBLE.. Never again.. My next cruise we got Balconey again i rather cut back on a few random things like photos and stay at a cheaper cruise port hotel and spend the extra on a room with a balconey

[sparkyele]

We have definitely decided to keep the balcony:) This is the first trip my best friend and I have taken alone (no husbands or kids) in over 25 years of friendship. Also, after doing more research I found out that most of the time the Oasis ports starboard side facing the land. We have a balcony on deck 8 starboard side, so I think this is a great location. I really enjoy reading everyone's take on having a balcony versus an interior room. The points that some of you pointed out, such as the room will feel larger and we will be able to tell the time of the day better were also big pros!

[Cigar King]

Here's my take...I'm on vacation. I want the vacation to include various things. One of them is the balcony. It doesn't matter to me how much the price drops, if it doesn't include the balcony, it does not meet the requirements for my vacation.