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5 Reasons to book a balcony...


big al
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This is my first cruise and we went all out for the balcony!

Super excited and can't wait for breakfast on the balcony each morning, that was almost the selling feature for me and evening drinks!!

 

Don't know what ship you are on, BUT remember that room service breakfasts are fairly limited as far as choices go...you may do what we sometimes do- have a small breakfast ( like scrambled eggs are typical) and coffee/tea, then go to either the buffet OR the dining room ( dining room has a sit down breakfast with menus vs. buffet style) if you are still hungry....having a drink at sunset, or a night cap before bed is very cool...if the moon is out, you can see the moonlight shining on the waves- truly mesmorizing!!! Congrats on your first cruise!!!

 

Big Al

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My first experience in cruising began in 2010 aboard the Emerald Princess. Fortunately we picked a mini suite because we had our college age daughter with us.

 

Better luck than good as they say.

 

Now fast forward to today and you would think after many cruises, we would know better, my wife and I decided to pick an ocean view. Here at the last minute circumstances have arisen and we decided to take our same daughter with us only to find out our cabin cannot accommodate trips or quads.

 

Another vote for balconies on up; last minute changes are more easily accommodated.

 

We are now out of luck; The Ruby is completely booked and switching between Carnival Corp. sister companies is not allowed without all the last minute penalties. :(:(

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My first experience in cruising began in 2010 aboard the Emerald Princess. Fortunately we picked a mini suite because we had our college age daughter with us.

 

Better luck than good as they say.

 

Now fast forward to today and you would think after many cruises, we would know better, my wife and I decided to pick an ocean view. Here at the last minute circumstances have arisen and we decided to take our same daughter with us only to find out our cabin cannot accommodate trips or quads.

 

Another vote for balconies on up; last minute changes are more easily accommodated.

 

We are now out of luck; The Ruby is completely booked and switching between Carnival Corp. sister companies is not allowed without all the last minute penalties. :(:(

 

Sorry to hear about your situation...This is another reason to book a balcony..IF we can't afford a balcony, we either choose a different date, OR we don't cruise...we try & cruise during off seasons ( Jan, May, Sept-Nov)..fewer kids, lower $$..sign up with your favorite cruise lines for e-mails & specials...

 

Big Al

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We have sailed in 2011 on a Nile river cruise but our upcoming Hamburg cruise on the Cunard QE will be our first 'taster' of cruising to see if we like the open seas!!

 

Just as I only have swim up rooms in hotels (for the loungers mainly), so I would only book a balcony cabin on a cruise. This limits us in that the cost is a factor, but our reasons are that we like to get away to enjoy our own company, shame that the balcony wont have a lounger but we like to sit out, feel the breeze, read and relax. We don't want to sit around the bars but if we do, that's all good too, just we want to have our own personal space to have room service, enjoy the views and be ignorant lol.

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I am looking forward to my 1st cruise this coming October. After reading these post; I'm very happy we have a balcony. We will be on level 8. I'm excited to have found Cruise Critic. I have so many questions, and I do believe this site will answer most of them. Thanks

We will be on the Carnival Triumph Oct 5th, 2017.

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We have sailed in 2011 on a Nile river cruise but our upcoming Hamburg cruise on the Cunard QE will be our first 'taster' of cruising to see if we like the open seas!!

 

Just as I only have swim up rooms in hotels (for the loungers mainly), so I would only book a balcony cabin on a cruise. This limits us in that the cost is a factor, but our reasons are that we like to get away to enjoy our own company, shame that the balcony wont have a lounger but we like to sit out, feel the breeze, read and relax. We don't want to sit around the bars but if we do, that's all good too, just we want to have our own personal space to have room service, enjoy the views and be ignorant lol.

 

Sounds great!! A cruise can be relaxing, or educational, or cultural..in any case, a balcony is the way to go!!

 

Big Al

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I am looking forward to my 1st cruise this coming October. After reading these post; I'm very happy we have a balcony. We will be on level 8. I'm excited to have found Cruise Critic. I have so many questions' date=' and I do believe this site will answer most of them. Thanks

We will be on the Carnival Triumph Oct 5th, 2017.[/quote']

 

Site See'er- Thanks for the kind words... just got off our 35th cruise last Sunday on the Regal Princess...I was on the Triumph March 2004 with 3 teens for Spring Break ( all nieces & 1 nephew)..what a mess with those teens, lol...should have a great time...don't forget to order Room Service & have breakfast on the balcony on a SEA DAY ( not a day in port..)..BTW, it's free- just tip the waiter $3-4 CASH...any other questions about cruising, ask away..will be glad to help if you don't find here on CC...

 

Big Al

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Well Big Al...as you said...it's just your opinion. We've done every cabin category and love every one of them, however, MY OPINION that people can also bash is that your 5 reasons to have a balcony are very weak reasons. There are more reasons not to get a balcony that have validity versus weak reasons you mentioned that are more personal preferences.

 

 

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Give him a break. Big Al is just trying to drum up travel agent business.

 

 

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Yea must have a balcony, anything less you may as well stay in a caravan.

 

 

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Agreed 100%...I have done all 4 categories- inside, outside window, balcony & suites..suites are great if you can afford them, but balconies are now the industry standard, and most of the time they are affordable...

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Since the last time I posted in this tread, I have had the opportunity to stay in a non-balcony cabin (a porthole). I can now say that I don't feel like a balcony is necessary, unless maybe you have a lot of sea days. And even then, I could forgo it if it means cruising more.

 

Two of my three upcoming cruises are in non-balcony rooms: interior w/ French doors (between the lifeboats, so we'll have a view), and an interior w/ walkway view. Don't think I'm ready to bite the bullet and book a room with no view at all, but I'm sure I will someday when that "must do" itinerary comes out and I need to cut costs.

 

 

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Thanks Ladies! Wow, Noro, that must have been awful! Betty: I too, love sitting at night & hearing the waves, especially when the moon is full & you can see a bit more of the whitecaps!!

 

Big Al

 

I had not thought of being able to sit out on the balcony at night....now I am even more excited for my first cruise!

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Balcony would be my preference, but I'm still deciding if it is worth the $1000 ($500 per person) price difference for the sailing we want.

Western Med on the Epic in April. First time cruiser.

I'm watching for sales and specials, but I'm getting anxious to book it.

 

its worth it i went by myself on the Golden to NZ from Melbourne [ i paid the price you pay if 2 people are in the room] as much as it was $$$$ for me i enjoyed the space and there would be no way if i had someone with me that i would do an inside cabin and if i go again by myself and i will one day i will do a cabin again and pay the price and if i am on Golden i will pick same cabin if i can if not the one on the other side

 

oops my bad somehow i thought i was replying to new posts sorry, think i followed back a reply to a post and thats how i got an old post and replied to that sorry again

Edited by Hawka
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I had not thought of being able to sit out on the balcony at night....now I am even more excited for my first cruise!

 

Yes, sitting out ( especially on moon-lit nights) on your balcony are really magical & serene..it's so quiet out there...only the sound of the waves & wind..sometimes you can hear a band playing music on the pool deck, but hopefully not..don't forget to order room service for breakfast on a SEA day and enjoy the views!!

 

Big Al

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Some years ago we had an inside cabin and we took an afternoon nap. We woke up and the clock said 6:30 but we had no idea if it was a.m. or p.m. The cabin was pitch black and we were still sleepy. We didn't know whether to go for breakfast or dinner!:confused:

 

We have since booked balcony cabins and really do enjoy them. During the night if one of you can't sleep you can go out on the balcony and enjoy the fresh air. Also handy if you have washed some clothing and want it to dry outside on the chairs (we bring a few clothespins with us so our stuff doesn't blow away). We only do that at night when it won't be visible from land.

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Some years ago we had an inside cabin and we took an afternoon nap. We woke up and the clock said 6:30 but we had no idea if it was a.m. or p.m. The cabin was pitch black and we were still sleepy. We didn't know whether to go for breakfast or dinner!:confused:

 

We have since booked balcony cabins and really do enjoy them. During the night if one of you can't sleep you can go out on the balcony and enjoy the fresh air. Also handy if you have washed some clothing and want it to dry outside on the chairs (we bring a few clothespins with us so our stuff doesn't blow away). We only do that at night when it won't be visible from land.

 

We had a similar experience in our only inside cabin ( horrible) ..we never knew what time it was in the am because there is never any light, so when it was time to get up & go to breakfast, we thought it was still 3 am..missed breakfast several times!! Also once on a sea day, my wife & I got our bathing suits on to get some lounge chairs at the pool, and when we got up to the pool deck, it was POURING!! We were the only idiots going to the pool because due to not knowing what the weather was, we couldn't tell if it was sunny or rainy, lol..another nice advantage of balconies..BTW, we just got off the Regal Princess and several times during the cruise we saw AMAZING rainbows in the horizon..one was right next to the RCI Allure Of The Seas as she went out of PE harbor, and it was so beautiful to see..people in inside cabins will never see that unless they happen to time it PERFECT when they catch a rainbow..we took pictures and blew up one and everyone says, "wow, that is gorgeous!!"

So many advantages that are worthwhile- well worth the extra $$ IMO...

 

Big Al

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My first cruise was on the Crown Princess knew nothing about cruising so we got a guarantee balcony and haven't looked back, now 8 cruises under my belt we just booked the new Carnival Horizon and got a Havana Cabana cabin with patio it will be a change from having a balcony but can't wait to try it out. I only cruise when i can afford a balcony or better.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Thanks Big Al. I'm soooo excited for the hump cabin! The icing on the cake will be if I can talk our room attendant into getting us a lounge chair! LOL I know my chances are at best 50/50 but I'm going for it. Even if we don't snag the cherry on top so to speak I'm going to enjoy every single second I can of that fabulous balcony on Deck 7. I've already got my first breakfast on the balcony already planned thanks to you!:)

 

 

We get lounge chairs whenever we go Concierge. If we are not going Concierge, I always bring a few green papers with pictures of past American presidents. I give some to the room attendant and the lounges appear very quickly!! That is the way to talk to the room attendant.

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Give him a break. Big Al is just trying to drum up travel agent business.

 

 

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I agree with Big Al five reasons to book a balcony cabin, which by the way are not weak reasons. What I do not agree with are snarky comments like the one above, which have no place on CC boards.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Our first 3 or 4 cruises we had windows. The next cruise the upsell fairy called and we got into a balcony room. LOVED it. Had a balcony the next year too. Then we took a break from cruising for a couple of years. It seems that Carnival missed us and sent me a post card offering a free cabin on any cruise, as long as it was interior. So we took it and I know I could have upgraded, but figured we'd try the interior. It was on the Lido deck, which was very convenient. I really didn't mind it. At night I would turn the tv to the channel that showed the front of the boat... it gave us a bit of a night light and when the sun came up in the morning our room gradually brightened. And we could tell what the weather was like. We've been in interiors since then. We have a cruise in June and just for haha's I check cabin prices off and on and discovered a deal on a balcony room, so I upgraded. Actually went from an interior on the Riveria deck to a balcony on the Veranda deck for about $350. Now I'm very much looking forward to sitting on my balcony as we cruise along, especially since it's in June and it will be warmer than when we usually go (January). I agree with all the reasons to book a balcony, but I really don't mind the interior. A cruise is what you make of it. My husband tends to nap in the afternoon and this way I will be content to sit on the balcony and read my book. Happy sailing everyone.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would never cruise without a balcony. Part of the allure of it is the ship itself, and having private outdoor space makes it so much better. We were on a Panama Canal cruise once and had a couple at our table with an inside cabin. All the rest of us had balconies. Well, we hit some rough waters on the way back to Ft. Lauderdale, and they never left their cabin, they were so sick. The rest of us were better because of being able to see the horizon and get some fresh air.

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