Balconies

[Scrapnana]

Being a solo cruiser, balconies are often more money than I want to spend. If I can get one under 200% then I do but if I can't, I make do with an ocean view cabin.

 

I especially like a balcony at night. Unless weather conditions are too bad, I will spend at least a few minutes on the balcony before bed every evening.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Unfortunately, the poll is flawed in that pricing isn't mentioned. I'm the same with a balcony as I am with the Royal Suite. Given the choice between a balcony cabin and an inside, I don't pick the inside. Given a choice between the best suite on the ship and an inside, I don't pick the inside. But when I realise that the price isn't the same for both, then I do pick the inside - not because a balcony and/or a royal suite isn't worth having, but because it isn't worth (to me) what other people are willing to pay and what the cruise line therefore charges.

[OCruisers]

We had a situation on a HAL cruise that makes us be sure to always have a balcony cabin.

DH had Noro on a HAL ship. I didn't but was with him in the cabin for three days.

If I had not had the balcony/verandah, I would have had BIG time cabin fever. :eek:

 

LuLu

[wampuscat7]

I would sleep in the janitor's closet if it got me on the ship, but my husband refuses to cruise without a balcony. It is our favorite place on the ship to be, though. I particularly enjoy watching the ship come in and out of port on the balcony.

[biker@sea]

Unfortunately, the poll is flawed in that pricing isn't mentioned. I'm the same with a balcony as I am with the Royal Suite. Given the choice between a balcony cabin and an inside, I don't pick the inside. Given a choice between the best suite on the ship and an inside, I don't pick the inside. But when I realise that the price isn't the same for both, then I do pick the inside - not because a balcony and/or a royal suite isn't worth having, but because it isn't worth (to me) what other people are willing to pay and what the cruise line therefore charges.

 

I too would say this poll is Flawed just by the title.

 

Why would folks that do insides only Even look at a balcony thread?

 

I would think a person would have to have some kind of interest in Balconies to open this thread.

 

.

.

Edited August 8, 2015 by biker@sea

[calliopecruiser]

It depends on what line/ship I'm on.......I have always insisted on a balcony on mass market lines and loved the private outdoor space, but on Crystal I found it was an unnecessary expense and I didn't use it. So, balcony cabin on a mass-market line, window cabin on Crystal (probably the only luxury line I will sail, as a solo traveler).....That will hold regardless of itinerary or cost.

[Skywench]

I wouldn't even consider not having a balcony. In fact, I only book certain balconies - either an aft facing or aft wraparound. If I can't have either of those, I'll keep looking for a cruise where one is available. I love sitting on my balcony when arriving and leaving port and also for just having a peaceful relaxing place of my own to go to.

[bakersdozen12]

I have never cruised before, but for my two upcoming cruises, I choose balconies mainly because my husband and I do not drink and are therefore not "partiers." I am predicting that we will appreciate a quiet, private place to retreat to each day. Besides, I figure the money we are saving by not purchasing alcohol pretty much covers the difference in cost between a balcony and an inside or oceanview. [emoji4]

 

With that being said, when my husband and I take a Med cruise for my husband's 50th birthday in 2018, we will most likely have to settle for an inside in order to offset the cost of our flights to Europe.

Edited August 8, 2015 by bakersdozen12

[bakersdozen12]

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:

 

 

Very good point.

[sfaaa]

Something nice to have but not a necessity unless it is at a right price.

[Proudmom1120]

I was in suites, outside and inside rooms. I tend not to use balconies when I have them. However, I like where they are located and I enjoy a larger room.

[dlg64]

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!

 

Its always going to be a good debate... but I have to say that out of all the comments this one really nails it for me..... I agree and I love some solitude and I have not even cruised yet !! 30 days and counting now.....

(and no it is not just because I LOVE the frosting on a cake!!):):D

[Jane2357]

No balcony = no cruise for me. The balcony is what the cruise is all about aside from the ports. Sorry but regardless of port intensive the cruise is - the ship IS part of the experience. An inside cabin is like sleeping in a walk in closet. It also totally freaks me out thinking that I have only one means of escape and no access to fresh air. Remember back when the Carnival ship - the poop cruise :eek: - had trouble - people with balconies on higher decks were in the best shape.

[sparky-elpaso]

We've had insides, windows, and 1 balcony and were fine with all. We chose a balcony for our upcoming 24 day b2b cruise because we will have 7 sea days on the TA coming back from Europe. This will probably be our last long cruise and I thought we would splurge a bit.

 

I was just looking at the cabin descriptions for the Equinox and the square footage for an inside and ocean view is 175 ft - a balcony is 194 sq. ft. 20 sq. ft. is about 2 x 10 ft - not really a huge area. So the size of the actual cabin isn't a lot different. The balcony is 54 sq. ft. - so I'm guessing it's about 9 x 6 or so. But I can see us ordering coffee and pastries from room service and sitting out on the balcony in the morning as we come into port. :)

[Nic6318]

Its always going to be a good debate... but I have to say that out of all the comments this one really nails it for me..... I agree and I love some solitude and I have not even cruised yet !! 30 days and counting now.....

(and no it is not just because I LOVE the frosting on a cake!!):):D

 

 

 

Hi

 

A balcony for us is a waste of money. When we have booked a balcony cabin, we found that we spent maybe 20 min. on it, for the whole trip. There was no way we were just going to sit there.

 

We will book an OV.

 

If we book an inside cabin I try to get one on the Lido deck. We are just steps away from a really big balcony. If you want a little corner all to yourself there are so many places that are very quiet.

 

It's like everything else if you enjoy it and it fits your budget, so much the better. Since I think that they charge more for a balcony than I believe it warrants, it would suggest that those customers are somewhat subsidizing everyone else. Just like anyone else that spends a lot on the ship. It works out well that we all have different tastes and needs.

 

So whatever you choose

Happy Cruising

[PTMary]

Hi

 

A balcony for us is a waste of money.

 

To keep things in perspective, many people think that cruising itself is a waste of money. :)

 

When my husband and I take vacations we do everything we can to maximize the experience, not minimize it. That is why we will always book a balcony - or a rent a mid-range car instead of an less expensive econo-box, or dine at a nice restaurant instead of at a cheap fast food place, or hire a guide or book an excursion instead of saving money by fumbling along on our own.

 

To us, vacations are not the times to scrimp and save money. We can do that at home much more easily, and with less being missed out on. Vacations are our time to treat ourselves, to splurge, to do something nicer than we would normally do at home.

Edited August 9, 2015 by PTMary

[cruisemom42]

To keep things in perspective, many people think that cruising itself is a waste of money. :)

 

When my husband and I take vacations we do everything we can to maximize the experience, not minimize it. That is why we will always book a balcony - or a rent a mid-range car instead of an less expensive econo-box, or dine at a nice restaurant instead of at a cheap fast food place, or hire a guide or book an excursion instead of saving money by fumbling along on our own.

 

To us, vacations are not the times to scrimp and save money. We can do that at home much more easily, and with less being missed out on. Vacations are our time to treat ourselves, to splurge, to do something nicer than we would normally do at home.

 

It's not about scrimping and saving money necessarily. At least not for me. It's about not paying for something you don't want or need. For example, if I don't really enjoy swimming much, why would I buy a house with a pool? (Probably a bad example as I understand pools don't generally add much value, but best I could come up with....)

 

I know some people find it hard to understand, but having a balcony really doesn't ADD anything to my enjoyment of my vacation. And not having one doesn't subtract one iota from my enjoyment of my trip.

[Mary Ellen]

It's not about scrimping and saving money necessarily. At least not for me. It's about not paying for something you don't want or need. For example, if I don't really enjoy swimming much, why would I buy a house with a pool? (Probably a bad example as I understand pools don't generally add much value, but best I could come up with....)

 

I know some people find it hard to understand, but having a balcony really doesn't ADD anything to my enjoyment of my vacation. And not having one doesn't subtract one iota from my enjoyment of my trip.

 

Exactly. I get the impression that 'some' here think that anyone who doesn't have a balcony is counting pennies.

 

We've done a number of cruises involving trans-Pacific flights. We've paid more for our first or business seats on the plane than we paid for our inside cabin. For us, the extra room on the plane was important. Just as important to us as having a shower stall in our inside cabin (outsides and up had bathtubs on those ships). For others having a suite, for less than we paid for our air, would have been more important to them. We don't "settle" for an inside cabin. That cabin fits our needs. Our vacation. Our money. Our call. It really makes NO difference that some put down inside cabins as "sleeping in a closet". :rolleyes:

[calliopecruiser]

I know some people find it hard to understand, but having a balcony really doesn't ADD anything to my enjoyment of my vacation. And not having one doesn't subtract one iota from my enjoyment of my trip.

 

I totally get it, and I agree. I am happy to spend on things I enjoy, but if it doesn't get me anything I want, I'd rather save the money to spend on something else. If the balcony cabins were larger, that alone might be enough to get me to book one, but that's not always the case.

[Aquahound]

If the balcony cabins were larger, that alone might be enough to get me to book one, but that's not always the case.

 

I guess it's how you look at it. I consider balcony rooms to be larger because of the balcony. It's a separate, outdoor seating area that doesn't exist in non-balcony rooms. JMO.

[sloopsailor]

I guess it's how you look at it. I consider balcony rooms to be larger because of the balcony. It's a separate, outdoor seating area that doesn't exist in non-balcony rooms. JMO.

 

Plus, that wall to wall window/door makes it look so much bigger even without going out on the balcony. Plus there is the added benefit of real natural light, instead of artificial light like in a bomb shelter. :D

[euroclydon]

we always get a balcony it fits our desires we usually only cruise once a year and its about the ports of call we sit out on the balcony every night sipping on coffee or tea and in the mornings entering the port always satisfied only one disappointment last year splurged to a royal suite even though the balcony was 275 sq it was in the very back looking at nothing but where we have been .so its all about the experience on each cruise what is your cup of tea and what is most important thing for you .

[sfaaa]

To some, balcony cabin is a feel good bragging right. Kind of like driving a Mercedes vs Chevrolet. Both will get you where you want to go but the Benz users would not have it any other way.

[tbmrt]

We usually book balconies for:

 

-Quiet breakfast while watching the sea

-Relaxing with snacks/drinks after our excursions

-Sitting out watching the night sky

-Having a place for me to hang out and read while DH is napping

-Watching ship pull into port from our balcony

 

We tried an OCV, but felt like we were missing something. Felt compelled to be "out" all the time.

 

I think balconies may be a waste for people who want to be on the go most of the time during their cruise....Nothing wrong with that!

 

To us, relaxing on the balcony inbetween excursions, shows, dinner, martini bar, etc. is an integral part of our cruise.

 

I'll never forget opening our curtain and stepping out on the balcony to see ships in the Panama Canal area...Amazing!

[Canuker]

1. Marketing.

I tend to agree with Sfaaa, 2 posts ago.

Vanity and lack of self-esteem are the cornerstones of consumer marketing.

 

2. Usage.

Next time you're aboard ship on a high open deck, on a fine 'outdoorsy' day, look out over the rail, down on the balconies below. I've never noticed anything approaching 10% of the balconies being used. And now that smoking on balconies is increasingly not allowed, I'll suggest that the percentage is dropping even further.

 

3. Natural light.

It is lovely to wake up in the morning (or make love), to the sound of the surf splashing by, if you're on a low deck. The new morning light peeping through the drapes, along with the fresh air, if you left the french windows ajar, is a wonderful start to the day. And perhaps a peaceful glass of Merlot on the balcony in the early evening.

But is that worth the best part of a thousand dollars (roughly the price of a balcony minus the price of an inside, times two people)?

 

Only you can decide that.

And based on their pricing, the cruise lines know what the decisions will be.

 

4. Perks. There are a number of inducements these days, like higher OBCs, drinks packages etc. for some balcony categories. Sometimes these seem like genuine value-added, others they seem merely to be seducing the customer with his own money.

 

Our next cruise is on QM2 in a few days time. We are in an inside on deck 12, just a few steps from the open sundeck, pool & bar. That will be our (huge!) balcony. We've decided not to accept an 'upgrade' to a balcony cabin on a lower deck.

 

That's not to say we've never used a balcony cabin. When Princess offered us an upgrade to a rear-facing balcony on a voyage to Iceland & Greenland, no prizes for correctly guessing our answer! The fjords were unimaginably spectacular.

But we'd paid for an inside.

 

Each to their own.

Edited August 10, 2015 by Canuker