Balcony or not?

[pyrotaz]

My wife and I are looking into Cruising to Bermuda in Oct 2016 out of Boston. We are wondering if it is worth it to purchase a Balcony room or just book a window room and using the extra to purchase the UCB package. There are several factors I see to book the window room.

 

1. the weather in Boston in Oct is unpredictable and headed to Bermuda I would expect it to be a little cold to really enjoy the Balcony.

 

2. When I port we are the ones that will be off the ship mostly and not use the balcony much.

 

3. We are not ones to really stay in are rooms, Socialites!!!:)

 

4. The cost

 

 

What are your experiences if you have cruised to Bermuda in Oct? What room do you recommend? I don't want to miss out if you think the Balcony is better.

[gcdogwalker]

The balcony is by far better. But to save a little money, and if you've never had a balcony before, you would probably be good with the room with the window. The problem with balcony's is that once you've had one you won't settle for anything else. They are so great!

[kollegekreed]

If you're going to spend most of your time outside of your room, I don't think its worth the cost. Bermuda sailings are generally more expensive as it is. I was just on a Caribbean cruise with a balcony and used it for maybe 20 minutes total over 7 days. I just wasn't in the room at all.

[ncklhaus]

I have to book a balcony, even if there is no way I would be able to really use it. We were on a 2 night CTN in February 2013. It was VERY cold, but I just need to be able to open a window for fresh air. I'm not claustrophobic but its just what I need. On our upcoming 7 night Breakaway cruise, the price difference was only $46 per person more for a balcony vs. an ocean view. I'd take the balcony!

[nets33]

DH and I sailed an inside to Bermuda. IMO a window room would be fine. Unless we're sailing a longer cruise we prefer to save money from booking an inside to use on other activities.

[4774Papa]

My wife and I are looking into Cruising to Bermuda in Oct 2016 out of Boston. We are wondering if it is worth it to purchase a Balcony room or just book a window room and using the extra to purchase the UCB package. There are several factors I see to book the window room.

 

1. the weather in Boston in Oct is unpredictable and headed to Bermuda I would expect it to be a little cold to really enjoy the Balcony.

 

2. When I port we are the ones that will be off the ship mostly and not use the balcony much.

 

3. We are not ones to really stay in are rooms, Socialites!!!:)

 

4. The cost

 

 

What are your experiences if you have cruised to Bermuda in Oct? What room do you recommend? I don't want to miss out if you think the Balcony is better.

Our first cruise was in an ocean view and it seemed just fine, but next one we did a balcony, since the price wasn't much higher.

Now DW will only go with a balcony.

We did a cruise from Copenhagen in the North Sea and North Atlantic and could have had an OV since it was too cold and stormy outside. We never used the balcony.

[wilmingtech]

My wife and I are looking into Cruising to Bermuda in Oct 2016 out of Boston. We are wondering if it is worth it to purchase a Balcony room or just book a window room and using the extra to purchase the UCB package. There are several factors I see to book the window room.

 

1. the weather in Boston in Oct is unpredictable and headed to Bermuda I would expect it to be a little cold to really enjoy the Balcony.

 

2. When I port we are the ones that will be off the ship mostly and not use the balcony much.

 

3. We are not ones to really stay in are rooms, Socialites!!!:)

 

4. The cost

 

 

What are your experiences if you have cruised to Bermuda in Oct? What room do you recommend? I don't want to miss out if you think the Balcony is better.

 

My wife and I just went through this discussion before we booked our cruise to the Fjords of Norway. We ended up with an Oceanview. Here is how we got there -

 

1. Weather - With a good chance of rain and cooler overnights we decided it would be a shame to pay the extra and not use it.

 

2. We will never be in the room unless we are sleeping and will probably be some of the first ones off the ship in port.

 

3. I found that on the ship we will be cruising (NCL Star) that the unobstructed oceanview rooms (Deck 8) have more space in them then the hull balcony rooms. This is because the space that would be a balcony is now part of the room. Obstructed Oceanview view rooms do not have this extra space.

 

4. The cost of a low end "hull balcony" wasn't worth it to us (600$ more) and it was outside our budget to go much higher than that.

 

Its probably a bit different on each ship and of course the time of year, price and ports you are going to be visiting will all be factors.

 

-Sean

[ColinIllinois]

My wife and I are looking into Cruising to Bermuda in Oct 2016 out of Boston. We are wondering if it is worth it to purchase a Balcony room or just book a window room and using the extra to purchase the UCB package. There are several factors I see to book the window room.

 

1. the weather in Boston in Oct is unpredictable and headed to Bermuda I would expect it to be a little cold to really enjoy the Balcony.

 

2. When I port we are the ones that will be off the ship mostly and not use the balcony much.

 

3. We are not ones to really stay in are rooms, Socialites!!!:)

 

4. The cost

 

 

What are your experiences if you have cruised to Bermuda in Oct? What room do you recommend? I don't want to miss out if you think the Balcony is better.

 

 

Sounds like you already have listed the reason why a balcony isn't necessary for YOU. Enjoy your cruise.

[roger001]

We won't cruise without a balcony. However, if you are going to do without one, that cruise is probably the most logical.

[buddyjo143]

OK, you are from Maine so I know how hardy you are:p. My DH and I grew up in Mass. and cruised to Bermuda twice. Granted both times were in spring/summer but our sister in law sails in October.

 

You know you can handle the weather. Even if you will be out of the room during the day, nights on the balcony in port are so nice. Only you, however, can decide what is a better value for your money.

[caribsun]

October weather is a issue, save the $$ and go with a ocean view.

[trish1c]

Pyrotaz

 

We sail from NYC a lot. I will never get another balcony on that route. The sliding glass doors don't seal perfectly & the doors whistle at the high sailing speeds. I imagine it would be the same from Boston. I got no sleep. Drove me crazy. Since the windows don't open, they are sealed & there's no whistling. :D

 

We are sailing from Florida this time so we will have a balcony because it is nice to sit outside. At the slower Caribbean speeds, even at night between ports, no whistling.

[American Bear]

The balcony is by far better. But to save a little money, and if you've never had a balcony before, you would probably be good with the room with the window. The problem with balcony's is that once you've had one you won't settle for anything else. They are so great!

 

Totally agree, 'once you've gone balcony, you never go back'!:D

But we'd add one comment to the OP, fly to Florida, Miami-Ft.Lauderdale-Tampa, and enjoy much better weather,,,,,usually!:D

[garycarla]

There is no single RIGHT answer.

 

Many, many people book insides, cruise and after cruise. It works for them.

 

Some are happy with just an oceanview.

 

Personally, our basic room is a balcony, and we go up from there.

[johnsak123]

I love a balcony

Its just a nice option to have to enjoy the sights and sounds of the ocean

[Barb Nahoumi]

Some say that once you've tried a balcony, you never go back to an oceanview. Not always so. We have had balconies, oceanviews and suites, depending on destination, time of year, and budget.

 

Our preferences are balconies, but If we were sailing in October, we might choose the ocean view because of the iffy weather.

[Ask4Jay]

Balcony or not?

We approach our cruises as follows:

Itinerary / length of cruise / price for an aft balcony cabin.

Itin: T/A preferred, from any US port to any EU port, E/B or W/B. T/A repo cruises by default are about 2 weeks in length and operate in spring and fall.

Next: Price for a B1 AFT balcony.

Will not consider anything more or less expensive. Can't get an aft cabin? There is no Plan B. We'll look for another ship or itinerary with a B1 Aft balcony.

On an aft balcony we do not have to put up with the constant wind while underway. Did a T/A From Dover to NYC via Iceland and even got a little bit of color just snoozing on our balcony in Oct/Nov. All we would need is a regular hoodie for the draft. Didn't have one, so we wrapped a beach towel around out necks.

 

 

 

via iPod touch and Tapatalk.

[myra711]

Pyrotaz

 

We sail from NYC a lot. I will never get another balcony on that route. The sliding glass doors don't seal perfectly & the doors whistle at the high sailing speeds. I imagine it would be the same from Boston. I got no sleep. Drove me crazy. Since the windows don't open, they are sealed & there's no whistling. :D

 

We are sailing from Florida this time so we will have a balcony because it is nice to sit outside. At the slower Caribbean speeds, even at night between ports, no whistling.

 

Hi Trish. I just got off the BA sailing out of NYC. Just asking: did you close and LOCK the balcony door? When the door is closed but unlocked, there was noise (sound of the ocean) but when the door was locked there was no noise at all.

[rockdoctor]

After a dozen or so cruises with a balcony, we decided to try a ocean view on a short cruise. It was a mistake. We are like you and don't spend much time in the cabin, but we still missed the balcony.

[Turtles06]

OP: I don't know how anyone else can answer this question for you. Only you know your finances and what things are worth to you.

 

Speaking only for myself, a balcony is very important. I love cruising because I want to see the water. Even when it's cold outside, I want to step out in the morning and I want to stand out there at night and look at the sea and stars (if the sky is clear :) ).

 

We took a Bermuda cruise in October out of NY and had a balcony. Were we off the ship a lot when we were in port? Of course. Did we still love our balcony? We surely did. And when we sailed back into a nor'easter the night before arriving in NY and the balcony door would not stay locked because the ship was pitching so much, and the banging door kept us awake, I got out some duct tape and took care of the problem. The wind was so strong that spray was coming up over our balcony railing on Deck 10, and we still loved our balcony.

 

If I'm going to be on a ship, I want it to be easy to be close to the water. But that's me.

 

Whatever you decide, have a great cruise!

[Trevor Fountain]

You won't miss what you've never had. There was a time, not so long ago, when there were no balconies on Cruise Ships. People still had fantastic holidays.

I would say if cost is an issue, don't go for a balcony. It is true to say that for most people, once you've had a balcony, there's no going back.

Personally the weather isn't much of an issue. Even on cooler days/nights I still love sitting on a balcony, if that means being wrapped in blankets, so be it.

[newmexicoNita]

My wife and I are looking into Cruising to Bermuda in Oct 2016 out of Boston. We are wondering if it is worth it to purchase a Balcony room or just book a window room and using the extra to purchase the UCB package. There are several factors I see to book the window room.

 

1. the weather in Boston in Oct is unpredictable and headed to Bermuda I would expect it to be a little cold to really enjoy the Balcony.

 

2. When I port we are the ones that will be off the ship mostly and not use the balcony much.

 

3. We are not ones to really stay in are rooms, Socialites!!!:)

 

4. The cost

 

 

What are your experiences if you have cruised to Bermuda in Oct? What room do you recommend? I don't want to miss out if you think the Balcony is better.

 

Many people would not think of cruising without a balcony. We love them, but when the price is a couple hundred more per person we are happy with our window cabin. We can do a couple tours, eat in specialty restrooms, spend money in the gift shop or do a lot of other things with that money.

[wilmingtech]

We can do a couple tours, eat in specialty RESTROOMS,

 

Now that's funny. Maybe the cruiselines will pick up on that and offer yet another thing that you can pay a little more for ;)