Norway with an inside cabin?

[SeaWatch]

The price is SIGNIFICANTLY less for a 7 day cruise in the Koningsdam to Norway. Is this one of the 'must have' balcony cruises?

[InTheWASide]

The price is SIGNIFICANTLY less for a 7 day cruise in the Koningsdam to Norway. Is this one of the 'must have' balcony cruises?

 

If you want a private dedicated spot of your own against the railings, probably a good idea. If you don't mind socializing with others during the experience put the money toward something else on the trip and enjoy the great stateroom price :)

[catl331]

IMHO no cruise is a 'must have balcony'. You just have to be willing to get out of your cabin a lot. In fact, when cruising fjords etc you might miss the best of the scenery if you have a balcony cabin on the wrong side. :)

[Ichiban Nekko]

We like inside cabins because there is total darkness for sleeping. Some people have trouble sleeping when daylight hours are extended during the summer in Alaska/Norway/other Northern destinations.

[jvalentine]

We've never been, but are about to go in June! I'd heard that the Norwegian Fjords are a lot like Alaska in terms of being scenic so we did want a room with a balcony for this one.

[mek]

We're going in two week and on the same ship we just sailed on last month in the Caribbean - not HAL, but we although we had a balcony in the Caribbean, we decided to go with an OV for Norway. I think this will be a lot like Alaska and I personally don't enjoy sitting on a balcony in the cold - I would much rather be up and about in order to see all views. I wouldn't hesitate booking an inside if the savings was significant - I'd rather spend the money on shore excursions and in the ports.

[RMLincoln]

Just keep your TV on the bow cam channel so you know when to go out and have a look. There's a lot of time not in the fiords too. Maybe consider a room that is close to outside access. m--

[JJPacer]

We're doing a 14 day Norway cruise in July. We have an inside cabin. We plan to be outside as needed to see the Fjords. Our decision to get an inside is based more on HAL allowing smoking on their balconies, than anything else. We just don't want to pay for a balcony and be unable to use it, if our neighbors are smoking. When we cruise other cruise lines, we get a balcony. Personal preference.

[IsanTom]

An inside cabin will keep you more active because you'll spend less time in your room.

Save the money and enjoy the views from the upper decks.

[wen_c82]

Hi

 

We will be on Konningsdam to Norway next week! originally booked ov as I understood that to enjoy the view you really need to be out on the open deck. However, as price kept on falling we 'upgraded' ourselves first to OV then to a VH with $100 pp more. Book inside if it fits your budget then monitor the price.

[SeaWatch]

Good thoughts all - especially the cold and smoking points

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Ine]

You can do with an inside cabin. Weatherwise you never know if it will be nice enough to sit outside. During the day the ship is docked (apart from 2 seadays.) so you will be outside anyway.

Also even in a balcony cabin you will only see one side of the fjord. The best view anyway is either on the bow (sometimes open during sailout) or one of the topdecks to have a good view of both sides.

[mek]

Well, the other thing is I think HAL, unlike some lines, has very nice inside cabins.

[Loreto]

I agree with all the posters! We were on the Rotterdam/Norway May 7-14. we had a veranda because this was the last part of a longer cruise, and the verandah makes the room seem larger.

 

It was too chilly to use the verandah in Norway on this cruise, and there was a smoker next door. Our room did not have black out drapes, and there is a lot of daylight time in Norway. There were many places on the Rotterdam to view the amazing scenery, and we preferred to go to the top deck to take it all in!

 

When we cruise Alaska we always book an obstructed room and enjoy the scenery from outside decks. You will have a wonderful time!

Karen

[RuthC]

I've cruised up and down the coast of Norway more times than I can count---probably 10-12 times. All but one of those times was in an inside cabin, the other time I was upgraded to a balcony cabin.

 

I will have to say that I spent at least some of every single day on that balcony, except embarkation day in Amsterdam, when it was cold and pouring rain. I loved it out there, although that was one cruise where I never socialized much. The balcony was too tempting.

I kept the draperies open at night, so when I rolled over and roused a bit, it was gorgeous looking out at the scenery. In the bright sunshine. :D That cruise went to North Cape, over the top to Murmansk, then back. We had about 5 consecutive days without any sunset at all.

 

But most of the HAL ships have adequate outdoor, sheltered (Alaska isn't the only place with liquid sunshine), deck space with expansive views. That's a plus up here. Not only is your balcony limited to one side of the ship (could be the cold side when the wind is bitter), but the vastness is just not there. The view is limited compared to outside decks.

 

If you can afford a balcony, and want to spend the money, you are always free to go out to a public deck. But if the budget is limited, you can still have a marvelous time with an inside or outside cabin, so long as there is adequate sheltered deck space.