Downgrading is my new philosophy

[Friend100]

I wont disagree that balcony is so much nicer. But after I have done Inside once and knew how I felt about it, I am more receptive to do Inside or OV again without much hesitation if the price difference of balcony isn't justifiable. For our next cruise, it is a port intensive itinerary and the price difference between inside and balcony is significant (~$170 per diem) .... more than enough to do another cruise + excursion. :)

[Tiggertastic]

My husband won't go to an inside I've done one and it was just fine but he loves the balcony and will sit there for hours on end in peace and quiet and if that what makes his cruise then we will still book the balcony

[misty57]

My husband won't go to an inside I've done one and it was just fine but he loves the balcony and will sit there for hours on end in peace and quiet and if that what makes his cruise then we will still book the balcony

 

I love a balcony, but also want to cruise after I retire:D so trying to do what we love and save when I can. DH doesn't stay out on the balcony like I do, and we tend to spend most of our at sea days in the solarium. We will see how this inside cabin is. The last one we had was on the Majesty and it was waay too small. I had a dream that I was stuck in a box LOL!

Now I have to decide if I want to "downsize" on the type of pre cruise hotel we book. February is a very costly time to stay in Florida, so nothing will be low priced ( at least where we would want to stay). I might try Priceline or Hotwire later, as we have had some good experience with that.

[trinaM]

At this point , I like insides because I can cruise more often that way. I have rarely been disappointed in the decision to economize.

[kalyn]

I have only stayed in balconies and mini suites, but we wouldn't cruise without the balcony. In fact it is so important that we prefer the balcony, on the Carib deck on Princess, over the larger mini suite rooms. The carib balconies are larger and are half covered and half in the Sun. We spend a lot of our time on the balcony. It was especially nice when cruising into Venice, the Norwegian fjords, and going through the Panama canal. We are looking forward to our balcony on our upcoming Alaska cruise.

 

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[A2Mich]

Have cruised in insides, oceanviews, balconies, promenade views. Not a fan of insides because it's disorienting, and the promenade views are bearable, but still sort of disorienting. Oceanviews are fine with us. A balcony is nice, but not a requirement. We don't spend a lot of time in our cabin so a balcony isn't really worth it to us, nor is a suite. I would gladly take a balcony as a free upgrade, but won't pay extra for one over the price of an oceanview cabin---would rather spend that $800 or more on other things.

[cruznjan]

My husband won't go to an inside I've done one and it was just fine but he loves the balcony and will sit there for hours on end in peace and quiet and if that what makes his cruise then we will still book the balcony

 

We had an inside cabin for our honeymoon cruise. Romantic - not! It was like being in a closet. We prefer balconies, but we'd take an ocean view if we had to.

[Slonik]

Would I take a balcony over an oceanview or an oceanview over an inside? Sure, why not?

 

Would I pay hundreds of dollars more per person for the upgrade? No. We usually don't spend much time in the room other than shower, sleep, and other activities in the bed. We love to enjoy the boat, the activities & entertainment, the pools, the people we meet, and the food! And that's on sea days. When in port, we are out early and back late.

 

I'm usually out of the cabin by 8am (gf sleeps in till 10ish) and then we are back only to shower and change for dinner and the show/party and then back after the night entertainment and party.

 

I use the extra money to add days before and after the cruise at destinations. I can afford the upgrades but don't see the value in it. I guess if you have a physiological problem that makes you paranoid or nutty in a closed space, then definitely get the window or balcony but other than that, why not just add extra vacations with that money?

 

 

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[diane.in.ny]

We are the type of people for whom our cabin is our home away from home and we book balcony cabins... to enjoy the fresh air, to listen to the sea, to watch the port activities.

 

I did a one week without DH and booked an inside to save money. It was small ..... fine with just me .... but I can't imagine trying to share it with someone LOL

[LuCruise]

Would I take a balcony over an oceanview or an oceanview over an inside? Sure, why not?

 

Would I pay hundreds of dollars more per person for the upgrade? No. We usually don't spend much time in the room other than shower, sleep, and other activities in the bed. We love to enjoy the boat, the activities & entertainment, the pools, the people we meet, and the food! And that's on sea days. When in port, we are out early and back late.

 

I'm usually out of the cabin by 8am (gf sleeps in till 10ish) and then we are back only to shower and change for dinner and the show/party and then back after the night entertainment and party.

 

I use the extra money to add days before and after the cruise at destinations. I can afford the upgrades but don't see the value in it. I guess if you have a physiological problem that makes you paranoid or nutty in a closed space, then definitely get the window or balcony but other than that, why not just add extra vacations with that money?

 

 

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Feel the exact same as you. We're not the type to spend time in the cabin...just mornings getting ready and before dinner and sleeping. So we'd rather save on stateroom and spend the money elsewhere.

 

I can see a balcony being useful for someone who is coming with kids who nap. In that case, the parent can sit and relax on the balcony while the child is napping.

Or worth it for those who prefer room service in the morning. But personally we prefer to eat breakfast out of our stateroom.

Edited May 1, 2015 by LuCruise

[diane.in.ny]

hubby is claustrophobic and has to be able to get outside QUICKLY if need be. I am not complaining, I truly enjoy the solitude and quiet of our own space. We've never had any bad experiences with others being loud/smoking etc. that affected our time on our private real estate for the week! That is one great thing about cruising, there is something for everyone!:)

 

And the same holds for us.

[misha227]

I like being able to go back to the room to escape from large crowds or when I'm feeling annoyed or just worn out. I don't want to sleep, but people are annoying me...I need to get away for a bit.

 

I couldn't relax in an inside cabin. I'm sure I could sleep just fine, but relax and recover from having too many people about, not so much. So I always get at least an ocean view.

 

I just can't stand the constant stimulation of all the people and activities etc. I need some time alone (with family) "away from the maddening crowd." The ocean view is essential to that and not having it would ruin my vacation.

[PamJack]

Our first cruise in 2014 on Celebrity Constellation, we had an ocean view room. I loved being able to look out the window day or night. I especially enjoyed it when we were in ports. It was cool to look out the window to see other ships, etc. Our second cruise was this year on the Carnival Valor. We decided to get an inside room to save money because we figured we wouldn't be in the room that much. However, this was an eight night cruise and by the second day we were wishing we had a window. We both like light! We tried to upgrade, but the ship was full. Our third cruise is next year on RCI Navigator. We have an ocean view this time. It's worth the extra money to us just to have some light. I would love to have a balcony, but I would rather cruise more often with an ocean view than less often with the balcony. By the way, I love reading all the posts and hearing everyone's opinion.

[sexylegend8]

So far we have done an oceanview cabin and will be doing a balcony this next time. Reason was - We are doing the NZ sounds and will see quite a bit of scenery. I loved the Oceanview and would be happy for that one in the future. Not sure if I could cope with an inside cabin, but maybe one day if we are short on funds we might just do that!

[Jane2357]

My first cruise was on a Carnival ship with my then 15 yr old daughter - we had an aft cabin with a big picture window. I didn't know any better and thought it was fine and loved being able to see outside. Next cruise was Celebrity with a balcony and I was an addict.

 

I've seen inside cabins on cabin crawls and from first sight I knew I couldn't do it. I would have a panic attack if I woke up and couldn't see if it were light or dark outside, I'd be worried there would be a fire and I couldn't get out.

 

Balconies are one of the biggest joys of cruising - I wake up early, have coffee delivered to the room (as my wakeup call) and sit on the balcony watching the sun rise, watching the port come into view, watching birds, fish jump. Daytime it is a place of peace and quiet from the masses, perfect for a nap or reading. Evenings are magic - a cocktail pre-dinner, watching the sun set, a romantic drink under the stars - all to yourself. Nope - I can not give up that little piece of paradise! :D

[bnorris10]

my first 2 cruises were balconies however the last cruise i went on was with a friend and i opted to do inside room to make it cheaper for her ... So I have to say I love the darkness of an inside room ... I booked me and hubby for same room in September and told him he had to give it a shot and since it was just for a few days then it won't be that big of a deal

[NewSalt]

Like Jane above, I love sitting on the balcony early in the morning, reading and sipping room service coffee. It's my favorite part of a cruise, but I also love sitting out at night, watching the stars and the lights of ships and islands going by, with a glass of wine.

 

I don't like gambling or bingo and never buy any of the ship's photos and don't spend a lot on the ship's excursions. But if I had to take an inside cabin, I wouldn't cruise.

[diane.in.ny]

we prefer the balcony, on the Carib deck on Princess, over the larger mini suite rooms. The carib balconies are larger and are half covered and half in the Sun. We spend a lot of our time on the balcony. It was especially nice when cruising into Venice, the Norwegian fjords, and going through the Panama canal. We are looking forward to our balcony on our upcoming Alaska cruise.

 

 

Ditto and we just returned from Alaska sailing in a Caribe balcony.

 

Wonderful!

[karen4191]

Balconies are great, but there are places where you can get sit and enjoy the view of the water if you get an inside cabin. Think about putting the extra into airfare and cruise around Australia or Europe instead. o

[dhill]

Started out with a balcony on my first cruise, and thought I couldn't live any other way. Then I discovered the fabulous real estate of aft balconies and thought I couldn't live any other way.

 

But I have turned to the other side. That is, the inside. I'm going on a ten-day Med cruise this fall for about $1400 per person, inside. Versus twice that much each for a balcony. I think we can use all the real estate of the ship pretty easily if we need to be outside and seeing things. Plus we have all the real estate on the ship at our disposal, not just the limited view from one balcony.

 

Just checked my Caribbean cruise prices. We booked $1900 pp for an aft balcony. We can cruise for under a thousand pp for a room with a view.

 

The food is the same for us in all the venues. The entertainment is the same. The amenities of the ship are the same.

 

I believe I have turned into a downgrader!

 

If I book a balcony I two Have all the real estate on the ship at my disposal I am not just confined to my balcony.Plus whan I wake I I can wonder out on to the balcony and have coffe and breakfast with out having to get ready to go out. But to each their own If you like sleeping in a dark closet go for it:)

[bnorris10]

. But to each their own If you like sleeping in a dark closet go for it:)

 

As a matter of fact that is the number one reason why I love the inside rooms because they are pitch black

[Slonik]

If I book a balcony I two Have all the real estate on the ship at my disposal I am not just confined to my balcony.Plus whan I wake I I can wonder out on to the balcony and have coffe and breakfast with out having to get ready to go out. But to each their own If you like sleeping in a dark closet go for it:)

 

 

But to each their own. If you like paying double the price for the same food, pool, activities, shows, and real estate of the ship, GO FOR IT :)

 

I personally prefer taking 2 cruises for the same price that you only get 1 cruise :)

[Nonio]

If I book a balcony I two Have all the real estate on the ship at my disposal I am not just confined to my balcony.Plus whan I wake I I can wonder out on to the balcony and have coffe and breakfast with out having to get ready to go out. But to each their own If you like sleeping in a dark closet go for it:)

 

I could not be happier for people to have a good time whether they are in an inside or other cabin. It is a question setting priorities and balancing resources against desire and this is personal to each of us. None of us are better or worse than another whether we choose inside or other grade.

 

What I really do not enjoy is when individuals make comments that, in effect, are intended to be, or appear to be 'put downs' towards individuals making a realistic choice for them (such as referring to a choice of an inside cabin as 'if you like sleeping in a dark closet'.). Someone else phoned me this morning and commented how jarring they found this comment. I looked up the trail and I agree. It turns what has been (generally) an interesting & thought provoking discussion into something diminishing.

[bnorris10]

I totally agree with you it was uncalled for

[Priya2]

Honestly the only two cruises I felt the balcony was wasted were Alaska and Canada/New England - too cold, damp and found better views behind glass elsewhere on the ship. But there's something for everyone and no single choice is the definitive choice.

I agree with this. We had a window cabin on our first cruise in Alaska because I couldn't bear the idea of of staying in a small windowless room (it makes me tense, just thinking about it). I wouldn't pay for a balcony if the weather was going to be cool or damp. However, when cruising somewhere warm, unless

I was picking-up a real bargain on a room with a window, I would want a balcony. My partner would agree, but he would probably 'go with the flow'. We didn't really sit out on it by day, but (just as with my garden at home), the first thing I do in the morning is to go out onto the balcony for fresh air, the view, the light and well, just the feel of it. Then, most nights, we will sit out for a while looking up at the stars before bed (can I get an Ahh?). In addition to all the 'slushy stuff', there was a low key virus going around the ship on our last cruise (cough, lethergy etc). The aircon made it feel much worse. Being able to open the balcony door and the cabin door for 15 minutes or so a couple of times a day, made a real difference. Many other cruisers said the same.