Huge price difference between inside/outside??

[bazzaw]

We have probabaly done most of our cruising in an inside cabin - although we have had our share of restricted outsides, outsides and even one balcony!! :)

 

There is no doubt about it - we DO LIKE a window in our cabin. A Balcony?? -- MEH!! Certainly not worth the extra to us.

 

BUT, I have just received an email re some Princess cruises - the difference in cost between an inside and an outside times 2x for 2 people) is WAAAY beyond what I would be prepared to pay. I would much prefer to use that money for shore tours - or eating lollipops onboard!! :)

 

These windows cost several thousands of dollars !!! for a few weeks???

 

I guess you can't take it with you - but the cost of these windows (one - singular per cabin !) could take wife and I for (another) 2 week cruise to the islands or NZ!! :)

 

Barry

[OzKiwiJJ]

Book an IA guarantee on Princess and pray that the upgrade fairy pays you a visit? :D

Edited July 10, 2015 by OzKiwiJJ

[jayne62]

I agree Barry, we only go back to our cabin to sleep so inside cabins mean we can cruise for longer and spend the money we save on shore excursions.

[OzKiwiJJ]

So far I've tried a balcony and an inside cabin.

 

I loved the balcony as it gave me somewhere to sit if I woke up early, so I wouldn't disturb DH.

 

The inside cabin was so beautifully dark I didn't wake up early. ;)

 

I'm a bit ambivalent about an oceanview cabin. The view would be nice but I might wake up early, with the daylight seeping around the curtains, and not have a balcony to sit out on.

 

And, yes, I do use a sleep mask but if too much light seeps in it still wakes me.

[tomatosauce]

This is the advantage of the Voyager class of ships, they have the promenade rooms with the bay windows looking out on to the central promenade. They are much better than a standard room with a window.

[GUT2407]

I agree Barry, we only go back to our cabin to sleep so inside cabins mean we can cruise for longer and spend the money we save on shore excursions.

 

 

Now others spend a lot of time in their cabin or on their balcony and it is money well spent.

[GUT2407]

I would settle for a large window that opens, want to see hear and smell the sea, but as I said I spend a lot of time in my cabin.

[Aussieflyer]

We've only had one inside and for us it was way to claustrophobic and dark. We like to sit out on a balcony and just watch the sea go by. I know there are other places around the ship for this but sometimes the privacy is what we want. Also we like to step out coming into or leaving ports (not big on the 'sail away party' idea).

 

Each to their own but we would rather cruise less often in a balcony/suite. Never had an outside and probably wouldn't book one unless there was a super super special and it was me only (DH would not go). I did book inside guarantee on QM2 but again that was me only and as it was I got an upgrade to a sheltered balcony.

[The_Big_M]

It's good to have a choice.

[Adidas4fun]

Have mostly had suites, never an inside and will never do an inside. Oh and I havent skimped on the exursions either.

[MMDown Under]

I have noticed that window cabins are often expensive, because the ship doesn't have many window cabins, with most outside cabins being balcony.

 

I agree a window cabin isn't worth twice the cost of an inside cabin.

 

For me, the location of the inside cabin is important. I want easy access to an outside deck, on both sides of the ship, where I can spend a lot of my time watching activity on either side of the ship.

 

I question whether normal balcony cabins are really private, as they seem so small and close to their neighbours, as well as sometimes being overlooked from above.

 

However, we once were spoilt with a huge balcony, with a suite (which we got for the same price as an inside by booking late).

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Its all swings and roundabouts.....When bookings open for a cruise the cheapest and the dearest cabins are usually the first to sell out...

Why , because there are not as many of them. The newer builds have all gone for balcony cabins...initially because they could charge more for them, but nowadays they have become the norm.

I have seen , and many will recall , the close to sailing discounted prices on the Diamond Princess Au/NZ cruises.

One year they were offering balcony cabins cheaper than insides.

 

 

 

[Opua Kiwi]

BUT, I have just received an email re some Princess cruises - the difference in cost between an inside and an outside times 2x for 2 people) is WAAAY beyond what I would be prepared to pay.

 

These windows cost several thousands of dollars !!! for a few weeks???

While it may not be the case in your example; certainly with the current promotion many cruises have balconies the SAME price as an oceanview.

 

In those cases the extra money is actually for a balcony as it generally wouldn't make sense to book an O/V.

[RosieCanberra]

Retired friends of mine always cruise inside. They get three cruises in an inside, as opposed to one in a balcony cabin.

 

They would rather be cruising!

 

Cheers

Rosie

[cruisine21]

I question whether normal balcony cabins are really private, as they seem so small and close to their neighbours, as well as sometimes being overlooked from above.

 

 

Our balcony cabin on the Voyager was very private. We rarely saw our neighbours and there were no cabins above us.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

We have always had Balconies or an Ocean View. The great thing about a balcony is that it gives you a floor to ceiling view of the sea. In reality you can only use the balcony when in port or for sail aways as they are usually windswept.

You go to the pool area to sunbathe or the upper decks for 360 views when scenic cruising.:)

 

 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Sometimes it makes financial sense to book a balcony as some of the deals, like included drinks packages, are usually only available on oceanview cabins or better.

 

We've booked an Auckland to Sydney cruise over Christmas. It was cheaper to book a balcony where we could choose to have the drinks packages included, than it was to book an interior cabin and pay separately for the drinks packages.

[GUT2407]

Sometimes it makes financial sense to book a balcony as some of the deals, like included drinks packages, are usually only available on oceanview cabins or better.

 

We've booked an Auckland to Sydney cruise over Christmas. It was cheaper to book a balcony where we could choose to have the drinks packages included, than it was to book an interior cabin and pay separately for the drinks packages.

 

 

Yep always do the sums.

 

Last cruise it was less to get a concierge cabin than a balcony.

[GUT2407]

We have always had Balconies or an Ocean View. The great thing about a balcony is that it gives you a floor to ceiling view of the sea. In reality you can only use the balcony when in port or for sail aways as they are usually windswept.

You go to the pool area to sunbathe or the upper decks for 360 views when scenic cruising.:)

 

 

 

 

I don't understand why they don't have more cabins with floor to ceiling windows

[bubbles2014]

retired friends of mine always cruise inside. They get three cruises in an inside, as opposed to one in a balcony cabin.

 

They would rather be cruising!

 

Cheers

rosie

 

 

agree! Agree! Agree!

Edited July 11, 2015 by bubbles2014

[woodyren]

As others have stated it's all about preference finances and time availability.

 

As such the decision varies for all because those factors vary for all.

 

We have time availability when ever we want but this is limited somewhat by finances. I work part time and while the work is available whenever I want I also need time off to cruise so the less we spend the less I need to work and the more we can cruise.

 

We also prefer a balcony for many of the reasons previously stated but have cruise inside and still had a great time. So I factor in about 20% above what I can get an inside for as our balcony V inside price.

 

Then we factor in the drinks package etc. We limit our on board spend to less than $100. We enjoy a drink but can live with only a few here and there so we can again cruise more BUT as we are now diamond/elite we get comp drinks in the happy hours. Drinks all day with more choice (cocktails, specialty coffees etc) is great but not a must so I value that at say $20 per day pp.

 

These are not hard figures as we have even booked a JS twice. One was just over $120 per day and the other about $180 per day. The decision was made because the total cruise days were 28 from both and the double points got us to diamond maybe 3 cruises earlier. (say 30 days of 3 or 4 drinks each a day plus 2 free days of internet plus other discounts/perks).

Edited July 11, 2015 by woodyren

[gaechann]

Hi all

Well we can't seem to limit ourselves to just 1 cruise per year so our next cruise - the 3-night sampler on Explorer in November - we have booked an inside - high deck close to lifts - to see how we manage.

We usually book OV cabins as we like to see the ocean as soon as we awake just to remind us that we are indeed on a ship!

We've twice booked a balcony when the prices were reasonable but can live without it!

Gae

[Aussieflyer]

People have made really good points about the cost of OV compared with inside (and also balcony). I never really thought about the number of them on a ship but with the move to more and more balconies, there will be only a few OVs. If the cost for an OV is about twice that of inside, that's a big premium IMO. Often balconies can be picked up a little more or even the same as an OV, which makes the OV even less attractive price-wise.

[NSWP]

Go for the partially obstructed view cabins, only a very small mark up from insides on most cruise lines. With Princess we almost always go for that category on Deck 8.

[GUT2407]

Go for the partially obstructed view cabins, only a very small mark up from insides on most cruise lines. With Princess we almost always go for that category on Deck 8.

Obstructed views are great value as a general rule.