To have a balcony or not to have a balcony, that is the ?

[brideoct12]

We are taking our 3rd cruise in Oct and we have never had a balcony. We always have a nice room(deck 8 promenade) but the upcoming cruise is 10 days and I was thinking it would be nice to have a balcony. Are there any cons to having a balcony besides the price being a little higher? What part of the ship is best for a balcony room? By the way we will be on Voyager if the Seas and right now we ave a deck 8 promanade booked.

[Chucksta63]

Are there any cons to having a balcony besides the price being a little higher?

Addiction!!!!!!!:eek: I can't do with out one!!!:D

[brideoct12]

Best part of the ship? Anything to stay away from?

[Sunrunner3]

Just returned from the Valor this past week and had my first balcony....I won't cruise without one again!!!!!!!

 

Just make sure bars or the disco are not under or over you!!!!! The disco was right under our cabin and you could here the thump of the music till you fell asleep!!!!

[brideoct12]

Good point, thanks!

[kdickers]

I really messed up :rolleyes: on my first cruise and had a balcony . . . now I can't IMAGINE cruising without one . . . it was WONDERFUL walking/sitting out there in the morning/evening (well H--L . . . ANYTIME) and just relaxing and watching to ocean and the rest of the world go by!!! I just really don't know that I could bring myself to sail without one!! Ofcourse . . . I'm not a big partier (I didn't participate in much of the nightlife on board) or anything so . . . my reason for cruising is more the restful time, someone cooking for me and cleaning up after me . . . the food . . . the ports . . . and EVERYTHING!!!

 

Oh yeah . . . what was the question . . . Oh yeah . . . BALCONY . . . GET ONE . . . you'll LOVE IT!!!!

[PAHORNER]

A balcony truely makes the entire cruise. There is nothing like a sun rise on the balcony in your pj's,with DH and a cup of coffee. It cost a little more but I'm sure your worth it. You will never go without one again. Have a great trip.

Patty

[Cruisin'Kim]

My DH & I did the same thing - had a balcony on our 1st cruise, now can't do without one! It's great to sit out in your own little spot and watch the ocean go by - and when coming into port first thing in the morning - we would just jump out of bed and watch the land coming closer, didn't have to get ready for the day 1st.

 

It's a little more expensive, but I think it's worth it - be warned though - you will probably always need a balcony from now on!

 

Kim.

[Tony O]

A balcony truely makes the entire cruise. There is nothing like a sun rise on the balcony in your pj's,with DH and a cup of coffee. It cost a little more but I'm sure your worth it. You will never go without one again. Have a great trip.

Patty

 

I agree totally. Also great place to unwind at night also. We were on Voyager this past July and had aft balcony cabin on deck 10. Yes we were below the Island cafe but heard no noise at all. We loved aft balcony so much we booked our next cruise with aft balcony again.

[SANDY BEACH]

Yes, yes and yes!!!!!!!

[Tomcruiser48]

We have done 18 cruises w/o a balcony, very happy with any room.

 

UNTILL last cruise, Had a balcony liked it so much iwe booked a cruise same cabin for the following year.

Afraid the cost of our yearly cruise has gone up.

[Barkingowl]

Our first cruise was with an oceanview cabin & we loved it. Our next will be with a balcony. Keep those stories coming.

[canuckof5]

Our first Crusie we had an ocean view..I have to see out...I got a great deal for an aft. balcony, and from what I heard I'll always want a balcony from now on..lol..

I can hardly wait

;)

[Barkingowl]

Is there a preference regarding the location of the balcony?

[canuckof5]

Is there a preference regarding the location of the balcony?

 

All depends on where you like to be....Aft ones goes fast..so I was surprised to get one..must of been a cancelation...as the balcony area is larger.. no matter what cabin you get always check to see whats above you and below..

 

and how near you are to elevators and stairs..we were near the elevators and stairs last time and found it quite noisy...

 

Our last Cabin we just cancelled was above the promenade..which would be ok..but we noticed they were above the bars.. and told by other Cruisers can be noisy ..I have a few friends who Cruise and don't care where they have a cabin as long as they are cruising..lol...

 

I'm a light sleeper so I research cabins like crazy...

 

Have to do your homework.....:)

[funinthsun]

I've had inside, oceanview on many cruises, and then 'tried" a balcony. Now, I wouldn't think of going without one. !!!!!Worth every penny.

[kaytez]

Been on 4 cruises with a balcony every time. I think I would prefer a balcony; but if it was the difference in sailing or not, I'll take an inside.;) ;) :)

[gammasip]

I am spoiled. I NEED a balcony. :rolleyes:

[sandbag7]

I've had inside cabins, cabins with port holes, cabins with obstructed views, cabins with windows and cabins with balconies. If your cruise is one where you stop at a different port every day, you will spend little time in your cabin and the balcony is an expensive commodity. It is great however, in Alaska, or the cruise between Turkey and Greece (where you cruise close to the shore and see wonderful sights). We also enjoyed a balcony in the Caribbean. I prefer to save my money for more vacations unless I can utilize the balcony significantly.

Another point; on some cruise lines people with balconies are allowed to smoke, and in that case you can get cigarette or even Cigar smoke wafting into your "private" balcony. To me that's a nauseating proposition.

[socialworker]

Balconies are great and one does get very spoiled having one, but sometimes the cost is prohibitive - like on my upcoming Panama Canal Cruise. I'd really like to have a balcony for that cruise, but an additional $500 p.p is beyond my budget. If any T/A's are monitoring this board and can offer me a cheaper balcony on the Galaxy for 12/29 please respond accordingly.

 

Judy

[madelinerose]

DH and I are the opposite of many posters...if we couldn't find a cabin with a balcony, we wouldn't cruise. ;)

[thunderbird1]

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I am a balcony-aholic.

 

Actually, I'm glad to see there are so many of us. Most people seem to prefer to save the $$$ and just book an inside cabin. While I can definitely see the appeal of 2 or 3 cruises a year, well, I still prefer my balcony.:rolleyes:

 

And my dh is even worse than I am. He simply won't cruise again without one. According to him, nothing spells relaxation like falling asleep on your balcony in the middle of the afternoon with an empty pina colada glass in your hand.

 

And while I was worried about having one with a little kid, it actually ended up being more important to have it because of her. The railing was high enough that there were never any safety issues, and we still got to sit back and enjoy the water, air and scenery while she entertained herself either on the balcony with us or in the cabin. We never would have been able to relax like that up on the deck.

[SantaAna,CA]

I traveled on the Amsterdam to Alaska early in August...splurged and got a deluxe verandah suite. The balcony was HUGE, and I loved it. Fantastic weather the entire cruise, and I was on the balcony often. I don't know how I'd ever be able to cruise without one. I'm someone, though, who loves to spend time in their cabin, so that's a consideration for me!

 

That being said, it cost an arm and a leg. I'm sailing on the Seabourn Legend in April to the Caribbean, they have ITSY balconies, but I'm still getting one....I don't think I would be happy without one. Again...much more expensive than a cabin w/o a balcony. I think it's a very personal decision, one to think carefully about, given the cost!

 

Jane :)

[Jimbo]

We are taking our 3rd cruise in Oct and we have never had a balcony. We always have a nice room(deck 8 promenade) but the upcoming cruise is 10 days and I was thinking it would be nice to have a balcony. Are there any cons to having a balcony besides the price being a little higher? What part of the ship is best for a balcony room? By the way we will be on Voyager if the Seas and right now we ave a deck 8 promanade booked.

 

First off I believe your cruise is a 9 day cruise.....Just wondered have you or your travel agent checked prices yet. Right now the Promenade Cabins for your sailing is $999.00 per person. Not sure what you paid but right now you could upgrade to a Category E2 Balcony Guarantee for $1049 per person.

My guess is the cruise isn't selling that well and they are trying to fill up the ship by offering the lower price for the Balcony Cabins.

 

I would jump all over that offer, To upgrade from a Promenade to a Balcony is a steal for $50.00 per person no matter where the cabin/balcony is located. Make sure you put in your booking that it is your Anniversary, you might even get a nice free upgrade to a suite.

 

Good Luck and Enjoy your 1st Balcony !

 

Jimbo:)

[Two@Sea]

We made the mistake of getting a balcony on our first cruise. Couldn't sail without one after that. Eventually, we ended up with an aft balcony cabin, and now we can't imagine sailing without being able to watch that mesmerizing wake...