Balconies

[Honolulu Blue]

I think I know what this survey is going to show, but go ahead and surprise me anyway. Thank you for your replies.

[cruiserking]

Once you have a balcony you never go back. I booked my first balcony cabin on the Queen Mary 2 in 2004 and have had one ever since.

 

There's nothing like the peace and quiet and the serene pleasure of going outside to your private sanctuary at any time of the day and looking out at that ever changing vista before you.

 

Jonathan

[cruisemom42]

Once you have a balcony you never go back. I booked my first balcony cabin on the Queen Mary 2 in 2004 and have had one ever since.

 

 

Jonathan

 

Not true for everyone. I've cruised in mini suites, balcony cabins, ocean views and insides and I would not hesitate to book an inside cabin on a ship and itinerary I like.

 

Balconies are somewhat wasted on me. I don't spend a lot of time in my cabin. I prefer to be on deck (where the view is more expansive) or in a public area. I never had a problem finding a quiet area to enjoy the sea. But then, I don't sail on huge ships either.

[LrgPizza]

We will sometimes book balcony cabins, and sometimes not. We aren't people to sit around in our cabin, and rarely sit out on our balcony. We certainly would never eat there, although I know some people do. We like having a balcony in order to walk out and look around when docked at port. Otherwise, we couldn't care less. So if it's only a few bucks more to pay for a balcony over an inside, then it's worth it. Otherwise, we just book whatever.

 

So those that say once you go balcony you won't go back? That's not us.

Edited August 7, 2015 by LrgPizza

[Mary Ellen]

So those that say once you go balcony you won't go back? That's not us.

 

Same here. We typically sail on HAL for the itineraries. However as nonsmokers we no longer book their cabins with balconies (regular or suite, we've had both) as we're not willing to pay for something we can't use.

 

On other cruise lines we run about 50-50 for booking balconies. It depends upon the itinerary. Having a balcony REALLY isn't important to us. Having a shower stall not a tub, now that is important.

[OCruisers]

While we seldom use our balcony, we like having one so we can walk directly outside from our cabin whenever we wish so that's what we book. Actually, we normally book mini-suites. :)

 

LuLu

[paul929207]

We always have a balcony. love to watch the sea go by

[weltek]

Like some others have said, it's not necessarily true that "once you have a balcony you never go back." We had a very nice balcony for the first time last year. Back to an oceanview this year. My husband found it more "necessary" than I did. I felt it held me back from enjoying other areas of the ship. He liked having a secluded place to read with a little shade whenever he wanted. I enjoyed it most on port mornings when we could have room service pastries and coffee on the patio while pulling in. A nice quiet way to start off what will be a busy day with lots of people. I agree with the person that said they like the view from other decks better than their balcony (more expansive view). I spend a lot of time watching the sea go by, but like doing it from an upper, quiet deck.

 

So, it's not a must for us. HOWEVER, some ships have lousy public space availability for reading and relaxing and the balcony is now much more desirable for me on those ships. And if it was a long cruise, a balcony would be a higher priority for me.

 

We don't have a lot of money for vacations, and choose to do more vacations with less splurging. So insides or oceanviews are usually fine with us for up to 10 days.

Edited August 7, 2015 by weltek

[BTromboneFrack]

After a long day filled with swimming, tours, great meals, and a Las Vegas type show, there is nothing better than stepping out on our balcony at night and having a drink before we turn in for the night. Off in the distance, ships pass, island lights wink at us, and the sea spray fills the air with an aroma that tells me we are miles from everything. A balcony is definitely a must.

[cbr663]

It's really great how a ship can meet so many people's needs. Some like a quiet space outdoors, others must have a promonade deck and still others simply must find space around the pool.

 

For me, the quintessential cruise experience is breakfast on the balcony. No cruise is the same without it. And for my DW, life doesn't get much better than reading a book and nibbling on a platter of some sort on the balcony.

[sloopsailor]

We cruise to be out on the sea. We always get a balcony because, well, the sea it right outside our room! We would never consider going on a cruise and minimizing the access to the ocean we are there to enjoy. Balconies and views of the ocean go together like cake and frosting!

[xxoocruiser]

Once you have a balcony you never go back.

 

Jonathan

 

Does not hold true for me. I prefer to book inside cabins so I can cruise more often. Besides I still eat the same food, experience the same entertainment as well as received the same service of those in a balcony. The whole ship is my balcony .

[cruzeluver]

We have had them and like them fine. But I certainly would not stop cruising nor would we not book a particular ship or itinerary just because we could not get a balcony. I also will not pay a premium for them (at the most, maybe $20.00 per day per person). We do not spend a lot of time on them. We tend to be out and about a lot.

Edited August 7, 2015 by cruzeluver
more info

[Krazy Kruizers]

A verandah is a must for us.

We like to be out there when the ship is arriving and leaving a port.

Love having a cocktail out there while we people watch or just watch the scenery go by.

[tetleytea]

I don't want to dogpile cruiserking, but literally speaking, I would go back to an inside, too, after cruising in a balcony cabin, if it were a holiday cruise during extremely high season.

 

Figuratively speaking, though, there is some truth to what cruiserking means to say. Balconies can be in a completely different league from an inside.

 

It's just sometimes, on a New Year's cruise, the difference in price for a balcony over an inside alone can be more than the entire price of a balcony on other dates.

[luvscruising2007]

We started out with outside, porthole cabins and they were fine. Then we booked balconies. Love them. Our last cruise was in a promenade and it was okay. But we missed morning coffee on the balcony and wine in the evening. Our next cruise has a balcony and can't wait.

[navybankerteacher]

Does not hold true for me. I prefer to book inside cabins so I can cruise more often. Besides I still eat the same food, experience the same entertainment as well as received the same service of those in a balcony. The whole ship is my balcony .

 

Nor does it hold for us. We prefer balconies - but not at the cost of reducing frequency of cruising or other travel. We have frequently found balconies for just a few extra dollars per day over an outside, so we have taken them. We have, for the right itinerary, booked an inside, but tend to go a little squirrelly if we spend any waking hours in it.

[PTMary]

Nor does it hold for us. We prefer balconies - but not at the cost of reducing frequency of cruising or other travel. We have frequently found balconies for just a few extra dollars per day over an outside, so we have taken them. We have, for the right itinerary, booked an inside, but tend to go a little squirrelly if we spend any waking hours in it.

 

I get a kick out of that argument "we don't spend extra time in our inside cabin". Of course you don't - it's a box offering little pleasure than a place to sleep and change in private. Who would want to spend any time in a box if they weren't forced to? At least with a balcony, it is a destination in and of itself, just like any other area of the ship. We would never choose a room that we couldn't wait to get away from!!!! :eek:

Edited August 7, 2015 by PTMary

[tetleytea]

After about 7 days of an inside, I start to feel a bit trapped on the ship. I'm not the sunbathing type. At sea days bad. Go up just one category, and it takes a lot longer than that to feel trapped. At sea days good.

Edited August 7, 2015 by tetleytea

[Aquahound]

I'll admit, I'm a balcony snob. I'll book a window under certain conditions, like on a very short cruise or on an older ship that doesn't have standard balconies...like the Majesty of the Seas. Otherwise, I will not cruise without a balcony, even if that means less cruises. For me, it would be too much to sacrifice.

[cruisemom42]

I get a kick out of that argument "we don't spend extra time in our inside cabin". Of course you don't - it's a box offering little pleasure than a place to sleep and change in private. Who would want to spend any time in a box if they weren't forced to? At least with a balcony, it is a destination in and of itself, just like any other area of the ship. We would never choose a room that we couldn't wait to get away from!!!! :eek:

 

For the record, I don't spend much time in my cabin when I have a balcony either.

 

We took a NYE cruise on Celebrity Silhouette a couple of years ago and had a nice balcony cabin. I maybe went out on the balcony three times (other than a quick looky to see what the weather was doing....)

[TMLAalum]

For me, I love a veranda, BUT will happily book an OV....

 

*when the price differential yields a savings of $500 or more

*if there aren't many sea days

*the cruise is to cold climes, e.g. Norway or British Isles

 

Insides are out of the question.

[jocap]

It's not often that we go on a cruise to the sun, so an outside cabin is what we aim for. We used to have balconies, but an exceedingly cold and windy Med cruise one Feb showed us what a waste it was. Plus, many of our cruises these days are last minute bargains, so we take whatever's offered.

[Warm Breezes]

For us it depends. If I it is just DH and myself I prefer a balcony. DH likes to crash in the room mid-afternoon and have it freezing. That is when it is nice for me to head out on the balcony and read my tablet...I should say fall asleep to the sound of the ocean as I don't find myself doing much reading. If we have the kids with us, it really doesn't matter. I would prefer a balcony if I found a great deal but if not I'm ok with it since I have DD with me who will go up on the Lido with me find a place in the warm sun while DH takes his afternoon crash.

[SadieN]

Don't need a balcony. We like to be off to the side watching the things on deck. We've had everything from a Neptune Suite on HAL to an IS on an old Carnival ship. Depends on ship, itin and price.