Balcony Cabin for Europe??

[mabell2]

I am planning a European cruise for 2015. We always book balcony cabins but I would love to book 12 days instead of 7 and the balcony is very expensive. We talked about booking an outside instead so we can do the longer cruise. I would like the opinion of experienced European cruisers as if we will be missing a lot buy not booking the balcony. Your help is appreciated!!:):):)

[hairymelon]

I think a balcony cabin is better IMO but to be honest if it is a choice between an oceanview or no cruise at all then book according to your budget. Whatever you do you will enjoy the cruise and get to see lots of things at each port :)

[Pete B]

Hi,

 

 

For the med cruises, it's nice to sit out on the balcony especially if it's a port intensive cruise and you are coming into new places each morning. It's also really nice to sit out in the evening with some wine.

If you go further north (Norway or the Baltic) then the scenery is so stunning I would rather go with a balcony. We sailed into Stockholm a couple of years ago and the scenery going past the balcony was amazing.

 

What itinerary are you planning on ?

 

PJ

[mabell2]

We are thinking of western med, including Italy and Greece. If I do the 7 day instead if 12 it does not include Greece I have no problem doing the balcony. It is worth it not to do Greece?

[pinkroses]

We did the Mediterranean 12 night on the serenade last summer. If I could go back, I would do Tuscany and Santorini Greece again. You must not miss the islands off the coast of Greece. Santorini is the place you see with all the white buildings with blue domes. Virtual rain has an excellent DIY of Santorini which we followed. Just look at the pictures. Also there is a great review by Middle Aged Drama queen of the whole cruise. You will also have the opportunity to visit the Parthenon which in itself is a wonder. In my opinion, do go to Greece. We had a balcony which was lovely but if you are on the Serenade the back of the Windjammer is open like a covered patio. We spent many afternoons sailing away with a snack and a beverage! You could also sit there any time of day! It was our favorite part of this ship!

[shipfriend_max]

Of course your cruise should include Greece! The world of islands is just lovely (especially Santorin), and Athens is also worth a visit!

The 12-night-cruise would be on Vision, I guess.

So IMHO if you want a balcony and you cannot afford it, but you could affort an oceanview, take the oceanview!

 

Cheaper options, where you maybe could affort a Balcony, would be the 9 night Greece and Turkey routes with Rhapsody!

[marci22]

I liked having the balcony, but I would book the itinerary I wanted in a cabin I could afford, then I would look for price drops on higher categories as you get closer to sailing. I always see cabins on the weekly sales flyer for the med cruises.

[PNW Traveler]

Consider booking the cruise based on the ports. Europe is about the destinations. Also, the smaller ships often visit interesting places and are able to navigate the waters into smaller city less touristy ports. If you cannot afford a balcony on your preferred itinerary consider a stateroom that will allow you easy access to an outside deck. A few years ago we booked an inside cabin on the Serenade choosing the cabin location based on how easy it was to get to the promenade deck. It worked great. The weather was lovely and we spent little time in our stateroom.

[trojan3000]

We always go for an inside stateroom on a Mediterranean cruise because most of the ports Rome Naples Barcelona Gibraltar Malaga are working ports. So you are amongst the containers ships tankers dock cranes. Book 12 days and sit on deck.

[summersigh]

Consider booking the cruise based on the ports. Europe is about the destinations. .

 

DH and I second that.

We always try to think about a trip in terms of "If we can't come back ... what do we NOT want to miss." and then plan accordingly.

 

I haven't read it yet but Rick Steves has done a book on Mediterranean cruise ports ... but .. folks who have read it say it's great. His regular "Europe Thru the Back Door" guide books are excellent. You may want to pick one up to get some down to earth ideas about things you don't want to miss.

His web site has great info as well :)

[maggieq]

We love a balcony but on our liberty cruise with 3 of us opted for a family ocean view. It let in enough light and was very spacious. 3 of us in a balcony would have been more costly and less room. I did miss a balcony but really we were hardly in our cabin.

Edited April 15, 2014 by maggieq

[pinkroses]

I read the parts of the Rick Steves book I needed. Helped a lot. Between CC and rick we were able to plot out our visit. The book is organized such that you can tear out the portion you need at the port you need and carry it with you.

Edited April 15, 2014 by pinkroses

[Kellie Poodle]

We cruise for ports. A Med cruise is all about the ports. We did the Western Med and the Eastern Med.

 

We had a balcony for the 7 day Western Med and never used it as we were in port almost every day.

 

We did an 11 day in the Eastern Med in an outside cabin and it was wonderful. We were so busy with ports that we were hardly in the cabin other than to sleep and change clothes.

 

When I do a cruise with lots of sea days, like a Transatlantic or Transpacific, I want a balcony, but when there are a lot of ports involved, save your money for the excursions.

 

I don't believe that every cruise requires a balcony. On most ships, the cabins are the same size with the same amenities. One has a window and one a glass door to the balcony. I have found the extra storage provided by the window sill to be wonderful.

[lv2bcruzin]

I am planning a European cruise for 2015. We always book balcony cabins but I would love to book 12 days instead of 7 and the balcony is very expensive. We talked about booking an outside instead so we can do the longer cruise. I would like the opinion of experienced European cruisers as if we will be missing a lot buy not booking the balcony. Your help is appreciated!!:):):)

You are in the exact same situation I was in when I went on a Med cruise in 2008. It was a 12 night cruise and I thought I absolutely had to have a balcony for Europe and for that length of time. Problem was that balcony cabins were double the cost. So, as much as I wanted the balcony I went with an inside stateroom.

 

About a month out from the cruise there was a huge price drop and a balcony ended up being cheaper than the inside. We got an upgrade and a refund (obviously before they changed their policy regarding refunds after final payment).

 

I will tell you this. Having a balcony on a European cruise is a must! I would've paid the higher price up front had I known the views we were going to have and how much it added to the cruise. I don't know where your ports are, but imagine entering the Grand Canal in Venice with a view from your balcony. Our cruise was overnight in Venice as well. The views from our balcony of Venice at night were amazing!

[mabell2]

Thanks to everyone for your help. That's why I love CC! :):):). To Pink Roses, I did look up Middle Age Drama Queen and lover her reviews. You also mentioned Virtual rain, but I'm not sure what that us. Thanks again!

[teacherkim]

We are going on our 3rd European cruise in June and we always get an oceanview. Totally worth it to get longer cruise, more itin., and more money for stuff. There are plenty of places on ship to watch coming into port and on Europe cruises you spend so much time off the ship that we don't miss the balcony.

[CCJack]

I love balconies, but I tend to vote for the 12 day outside cabin rather than the 7 day balcony. In Europe, you spend less time on the ship than you do in the Caribbean, and therefor less time on your balcony. Most ports are not that attractive, you will be looking at freight yards and shipping containers. Of course the European excursions are lovely, but just the ports may not be that attractive from the ship.

[EMED2010]

We did a 12 night Med end of October/beginning of November because I really wanted a balcony and it was cheaper at that time of year. I was so glad I did. Even though it was cool and also rainy on some of the days, I loved being out there early in the morning, so excited to see each port on my first rip to Europe. I'll never forget sail-away from Venice with my feet propped up watching the city go away or my first view of beautiful Dubrovnik while we had coffee.

[Hoopster95]

I am planning a European cruise for 2015. We always book balcony cabins but I would love to book 12 days instead of 7 and the balcony is very expensive. We talked about booking an outside instead so we can do the longer cruise. I would like the opinion of experienced European cruisers as if we will be missing a lot buy not booking the balcony. Your help is appreciated!!:):):)

 

It's interesting to see how people's views are regarding this... I've done two Med cruises and there is no way I personally would be stuck on a small square footage balcony with limited vision other than what's directly in front and slightly to the side of me compared to being up on top deck of any ship. The only balcony I have ever done sailway is my most recent Vision cruise with the massive wrap around aft-balcony which was an experience in itself!!! An aft is worth it, but that would be all imho.

 

Previous cruiser mentioned the Celebrity ships with the bar/café at the back of the ship... absolutely perfect... I did the Constellation to Turkey/Greece and was my very favorite place to be, especially leaving Santorini. Sailed Voyager out of Barcelona to Venice... Venice with my unbelievable view on the helipad sailing into Venice early morning. was unreal.

 

In my opinion being on a side balcony means you miss seeing everything 270 degrees around you. Top deck anywhere is the place to be. I sailed in interiors in the Med and I am 100% positive the 360 degree views from top deck on sailaway are better than any view from any balcony. :D ... just my personal opinion and preference :)

[londongal796]

We always go for an inside stateroom on a Mediterranean cruise because most of the ports Rome Naples Barcelona Gibraltar Malaga are working ports. So you are amongst the containers ships tankers dock cranes. Book 12 days and sit on deck.

 

Agreed -- almost all the ports I have been to (on 3 Med cruises so far) have been pretty ugly to look at from the ship itself. And depending on which side of the ship you are on, sometimes your view is really nothing special at all.

 

I liked having the balcony, but I would book the itinerary I wanted in a cabin I could afford, then I would look for price drops on higher categories as you get closer to sailing. I always see cabins on the weekly sales flyer for the med cruises.

 

I've been in an Inside, Oceanview, and Balcony for the three Med cruises I've been on so far. I have to admit, the Oceanview didn't really do anything for me at all. I think I'd go for an Inside and save even more than bother going for an Oceanview. Plus you don't get woken up by the sun so early.

 

We are doing our first 14night cruise on the Med and we are in an Inside cabin. I would consider upgrading if the prices drop on a Balcony of course but otherwise I'm not bothered. An inside and outside are about the same size and as most people say -- if all you do really is use it to sleep, bathe and dress, then it's not a big deal regarding square footage.

 

A balcony is a real luxury but not a necessity. There are so many places on board to stand on a balcony without having to pay extra for it that it's not a big deal unless you quite literally LIVE on your balcony :)

[onyx007]

In my opinion being on a side balcony means you miss seeing everything 270 degrees around you. Top deck anywhere is the place to be. I sailed in interiors in the Med and I am 100% positive the 360 degree views from top deck on sailaway are better than any view from any balcony. :D ... just my personal opinion and preference :)

 

Yeah, it's also my opinion now. You could even take an inside cabin and safe the money for excursions. It might be nice to have your own balcony to relax but I went to the caribbean in March and had an inside stateroom and had no problem with it. As it was a port intensive cruise I spent most of the time on land and there are always the top deck.

 

Especially if you're the first time on a cruise in Europe. My parents have cruised only in Europe and they know almost every port by heart by now and therefore sometimes they don't even leave the ship and then it's nice to have your own space (especially if you get an aft balcony). But if you experience every port for your first time you will not need your own balcony that much...

Edited April 16, 2014 by onyx007

[Newtoncruise]

Try and go for the balcony and the extra days.......it's worth saving extra for!

 

we love to sit out on the balcony in port and leaving port. The sights and sounds you get from being in the open air (and in privacy ) are well worth the extra. Approaching the bays of Monte Carlo, passing Gibraltar, and Italian coasts are much better from a balcony than from behind glass!

 

Hop you can do both!

[Kellie Poodle]

Try and go for the balcony and the extra days.......it's worth saving extra for!

 

we love to sit out on the balcony in port and leaving port. The sights and sounds you get from being in the open air (and in privacy ) are well worth the extra. Approaching the bays of Monte Carlo, passing Gibraltar, and Italian coasts are much better from a balcony than from behind glass!

 

Hop you can do both!

 

When one can stand on the deck to watch sail-away or coming into port, why should one pay all that much more money just for a few moments?

 

I had a sky suite on a Hawaiian cruise and we were sailing into Honolulu. I got a much, much better view from one of the top decks than from that huge balcony.

 

If there are budget limitations, choosing a balcony for the few moments of sail-away viewing will diminish the excursion budget. Is that worth it?

 

On one sailing around Cape Horn, we had better views of the glaciers and fjords than the people in the balcony cabins. We also did not freeze. I was one deck below the promenade and could go up there for extensive views on BOTH sides of the ship as well as forward and aft. Also, I could hear the naturalist on board through the PA system.

 

I have wonderful photos taken from the windows of outside cabins. I have wonderful photos taken from top decks on sail-aways, especially the Grand Canal in Venice.

 

I am not against balconies. My next two booked cruises are balcony cabins mainly because it's a back to back and I did not want to change cabins. I like a balcony for cruises with lots of sea days and cruise #2 is a TA. I just can't see spending the money for a balcony on a port intensive cruise. I have been on many, many cruises and believe me, one can thoroughly enjoy a cruise without a balcony.

[Ireallyneedavacation]

I am taking this same cruise next month. If your cruise is like ours, if you book the ocean view now, there is a great possibility that price drops will allow you to upgrade to a balcony later. Price drops started on our cruise last month. We booked an inside cabin originally and have upgraded to ocean view. I am hoping the balconies drop another $100 or so that we can upgrade again!!

[LEtue]

Yes, I always enjoy my balcony cabins - especially in the Caribbean and Alaska but....for the Med I would much rather take a longer cruise. The flights over and back are long and for the price difference you can pay for a pre-cruise stay.

 

I did a 12 Med cruise on the Splendour and am booked on a 9 night Serenade cruise this fall - in an inside cabin again. I will be up on deck when we arrive in ports but at the end of the day I won't miss the balcony at all.

 

Go for the longer cruise and enjoy the ports :D