Cheap, cheap or

[the_dylaness]

Some folks spend nearly all of their waking hours on the ship, in port, doing things. If this is the case, maybe an inside so you can spend more money on shore excursions makes good sense.

 

I have sailed in pretty much every category of stateroom except for the very large suites (inside, outside, balcony, mini suites, and Celebrity sky suite.) Most often I choose a balcony room, as I really enjoy "quiet time" on the cruise and so sipping coffee on the balcony first thing in the morning is one of my favorite moments. I want to be in my PJs with my hair messed up- getting up and getting dressed to get coffee and be presentable, plus sitting inside the restaurant or buffet, is just not pleasurable to me. So I get a lot of mileage out of the balcony. But if you are very social and love going out for breakfast, then the money would be wasteful.

[Ellusionz]

Check the price of the OV obstructed compared to the Inside. If the free at sea deals are still the same, you'll get 2 things instead of just one. And a lot of times the room isn't much more :)

[acruisingcouple]

Some folks spend nearly all of their waking hours on the ship, in port, doing things. If this is the case, maybe an inside so you can spend more money on shore excursions makes good sense.

 

 

 

I have sailed in pretty much every category of stateroom except for the very large suites (inside, outside, balcony, mini suites, and Celebrity sky suite.) Most often I choose a balcony room, as I really enjoy "quiet time" on the cruise and so sipping coffee on the balcony first thing in the morning is one of my favorite moments. I want to be in my PJs with my hair messed up- getting up and getting dressed to get coffee and be presentable, plus sitting inside the restaurant or buffet, is just not pleasurable to me. So I get a lot of mileage out of the balcony. But if you are very social and love going out for breakfast, then the money would be wasteful.

 

 

Agreed. For those who like to be out of their cabins for the majority of the time, a balcony may not be worth the cost.

 

I also agree that morning coffee on the balcony is a wonderful experience. One of my favourite memories was seeing the Statue of Liberty from my balcony the morning we sailed back into New York.

 

 

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[drvalo]

Only the OP can truly know if it is worth it. Would it be worth it to me, absolutely not.

 

I have cruised in a inside, OV, and balcony. Rarely used the balcony for a variety of reasons, (too hot or raining in the Caribbean; too cold in Alaska, but did love looking out early in the morning). Some are much too small to do much of anything on them and there is little privacy. Most annoying is when the cabin next to you leaves the light on all night. The extra space was nice, but we have certainly had enough space in an inside.

 

OP is correct that $700 could go a long way towards excursions and if it is new itinerary, that would be more important. It depends on the budget. We have booked insides or OV and upgraded after final payment for a little bit more, then it was worth it, but if that had not happened, we would have been fine in the inside. For our next cruise we downgraded from an OV to an inside because the cost savings (My Del Rio protest to spend as little money as possible and still enjoy my vacation) were just too great and now we have a nice sideways inside on deck 9.

 

And you can't beat the good sleep!

Edited December 19, 2016 by drvalo

[ShipsAhoy508]

My last cruise was on Escape and I had a balcony. I went out on it every day but only for ten minutes or so. But the daylight coming in when the curtains are pull back was great.

[oteixeira]

Count me on the balcony crew. I agree with so many here. You may not think you would spend time on it, but once you have it, the views are amazing, the ocean is always showing you something new, and you have to fight no one to be at the rail.

 

Also, I am one of the coffee on the balcony people, but I take it even further, as I order (gasp) room service every day. I think the meal on my own private balcony is well worth the ~8 dollars a day for the two of us (my wife and I). Some of my best cruise memories are from spending time on the balcony with her.

[tgirl25]

I do like Windows to be able to see out, know when it is light and dark and also for another vertical area to store things in the window sill. However I have had a balcony a couple times and while I do think it is a must for Alaska, otherwise I really don't like it out there(everything is always salty and sticky). Also the briney smell of the sea can be a bit much if you don't enjoy that scent. For me a balcony is a big no but inside or outside's are great. I do like bigger space though to spread out but am looking forward to checking out the studio on my closely approaching solo cruise...

[Rhea98]

We just came off Dawn (first time) on Friday. We chose inside (10015) both to experience her inside cabins and the ship. The room was adequate (and cheap), and I would recommend having the beds split as someone suggested if that would work for you. For 5 days, we didn't bother. The Dawn (we're usually spa mini on Epic) was a lovely ship with so much usable outdoor space. However, and FWIW, the room was one of the few places I could avoid the very loud music (of course, it's a Caribbean cruise and party time). For even half the savings, we would not hesitate to book an inside on Dawn again.

 

Tapatalk on Nexus 9

[FredZiffle]

 

Twice in an interior and I think for us I would stay home rather than cruise in one again. Just to claustrophobic for the wife and too dark for me! Plus one years ago (20+ years ago) you had to remove the toilet paper to shower as the the entire bathroom was the shower!

 

lol. We had a similar experience back then on what I recall was only our 2nd cruise. I was afraid that the shower/toilet combo was the norm rather than the exception on cruise ships. I'm thankful we never encountered that again. Ranks right up there with the see-through bathrooms on the Epic.

[PSUfan1313]

Here's my take. I've done both.

 

When cruising was new to us, we always had a balcony. My DW almost never utilized the balcony and I used it everyday to have a few cocktails and relax while DW showered or napped in the afternoon. Plenty of room with the added outside space, and it was nice at port to see the action from your own room. Other than that it was $500 - $1000 we could have used for excursions, specialty restaurants, gambling or additional cruising.

 

Then we tried an interior to save some money. A bit smaller, but frankly, we spent little time in the room other than sleeping and getting ready to go out. I wondered the decks if DW needed some rest and I felt like staying up. Met some great folks while doing this and had some company while drinking my adult beverages in the afternoon. Saved big $$$ and realized we could go on two cruises a year rather than one if we stayed inside.

 

For the past several years we have taken the insides, and have at times been upgraded to a window room.

 

We've even split our beds apart to add some additional space in the room if needed. We leave the TV on with no volume with the ships exterior camera if we feel a bit claustrophobic.

 

Your call, but we love the extra sea time and the extra cash... :)

[ray98]

If budget is remotely a factor I always choose the lowest cost cabin. We have sailed in OV's and balconies a number of times but the funds were there so nothing else was impacted or limited.

 

So...if the $700 could be used elsewhere to make it more enjoyable then go with the inside.

[dublell]

I think we can agree that everyone has different priorities. I suppose that's why they offer so much variety in cabins. I've sailed in everything from inside/studio to mini suite. I've enjoyed them all but I'm one of those who doesn't spend a lot of time on the balcony. Too many things to do and see on the ship. Now, my priority is to cruise whenever I can, so I almost always take the cheaper room and spend the savings on my next cruise. If I can take two or three a year, that's my ideal.

[Driberif1]

NCL-dawn,I figure about the only time we will be in our cabin is to sleep and shower. So I am divided to just go with the cheapest rooms available or possible a cabin with a balcony? It's about a $700 difference which would go a long way on shore excusions....... thoughts?

 

Personally I will never do another cruise without a balcony. We do not spend a bunch of time in the room and normally chasing the parties but we still find a lot of use for it. When the boat is first setting sail it is a great time to hang out on the balcony and pop a bottle of champagne and enjoy it. While whoever else is getting ready it is nice to sit on the balcony and listen to the waives crash and have a drink. Each time you pull in to a port or exit a port it is nice to sit on your balcony and admire the other ships across from you. It is also a nice unwind each night to relax and have your last drink before going to bed.

[RaiderDuck]

Something else to keep in mind, which may or may not bother you: a lot of smokers smoke whilst on their balconies, which of course are next to yours. If cigarette smoke really bothers you, you may not want to be out there with the smoke wafting by, which would make the balcony a big waste of $$$.

Edited December 19, 2016 by RaiderDuck

[nissach]

I do love balconies but usually opt for a cheaper OV or inside room. We also have to add in the costs of flights to get to any port, so I am always conscious of what the overall price of the vacation will be.

I have to say that when we have had a balcony we rarely used it, or at least not enough to justify the cost for us. We like be out and about on the ship instead.

I would personally save the $700.00 for something else.

[nissach]

I think we can agree that everyone has different priorities. I suppose that's why they offer so much variety in cabins. I've sailed in everything from inside/studio to mini suite. I've enjoyed them all but I'm one of those who doesn't spend a lot of time on the balcony. Too many things to do and see on the ship. Now, my priority is to cruise whenever I can, so I almost always take the cheaper room and spend the savings on my next cruise. If I can take two or three a year, that's my ideal.

 

Agreed!!

[ShipsAhoy508]

Something else to keep in mind, which may or may not bother you: a lot of smokers smoke whilst on their balconies, which of course are next to yours. If cigarette smoke really bothers you, you may not want to be out there with the smoke wafting by, which would make the balcony a big waste of $$$.

 

Is smoking allowed on balconies??

[Turtles06]

Something else to keep in mind, which may or may not bother you: a lot of smokers smoke whilst on their balconies, which of course are next to yours. If cigarette smoke really bothers you, you may not want to be out there with the smoke wafting by, which would make the balcony a big waste of $$$.

 

Is smoking allowed on balconies??

 

NCL prohibits smoking on balconies. If someone around you is violating that rule, pick up the phone and call Guest Services. (Depending on your comfort level, a polite word of your own to your offending neighbor to start with may be all that's necessary.)

 

I would agree with Raider Duck as to a cruise line that DOES allow smoking on balconies, which does NOT include NCL but which, until next month, does include HAL, which is why we've never considered HAL. But starting in January 2017, HAL like all other major cruise lines will ban smoking on balconies. Yay for that, now we can add HAL to our mix of cruise lines!

[Lionkingrichard]

Never would have got this shot from open deck as it was to crowded! Same with Alaska!

[bobsfamily]

lol. We had a similar experience back then on what I recall was only our 2nd cruise. I was afraid that the shower/toilet combo was the norm rather than the exception on cruise ships. I'm thankful we never encountered that again. Ranks right up there with the see-through bathrooms on the Epic.

Ours was a last minute 3 day trip on the Carnival Mardi Gras - inside AND the single beds were bolted to the wall! I know, I came in one night late and tried to move it over to be with the wife... fell asleep to my wife laughing her head off....

 

That cruise on the face of it was our worst cruise ever, but heck we talk about it almost every time we cruise and bring up all the "awful" things that happened on it. Now they are funny as heck, then it was "why did we do that"? If I remember it was less than $200 for the cruise for both of us...

 

It does play a factor in our decision to not get an interior for sure!

Edited December 19, 2016 by bobsfamily

[cml4958]

Something else to keep in mind, which may or may not bother you: a lot of smokers smoke whilst on their balconies, which of course are next to yours. If cigarette smoke really bothers you, you may not want to be out there with the smoke wafting by, which would make the balcony a big waste of $$$.

 

Smoking is not allowed on any balcony. If you encounter someone smoking on the balcony, I would call guest services and report and I am a smoker. I happen to respect the rules and wouldn't want to inconvenience others who are trying to enjoy their balcony.

Edited December 20, 2016 by cml4958

[mugtech]

For us it comes down to do we want to take two cruises in an inside or one cruise in a balcony. Easy choice.

[Cro_and_Swan]

Now they are funny as heck, then it was "why did we do that"? If I remember it was less than $200 for the cruise for both of us...

 

Bobsfamily - Loved your whole post ... I'm very much a 'go with the flow ... don't sweat the small stuff' type ... so your post made me smile! Can you point me in the right direction for finding the SUPER incredibly good deals on cruises? even last minute is fine ... my friend lives in Tampa and access to the port is simple and planning last minute trips is easy for us ... but we are both new to cruising. I know I can do google searches ... but a nudge in the right direction would be much appreciated.

 

And FWIW, on the topic of the balcony ... we LOVED having ours, but I don't think it would be worth $700 to me ... I think it was less than a $200 upgrade on our 5 night RC cruise. Not sure where the cut off would be for me as far as the extra cost goes ... but he paid it, so yay-balcony! LOL

Edited December 20, 2016 by Cro_and_Swan

[bobsfamily]

Bobsfamily - Loved your whole post ... I'm very much a 'go with the flow ... don't sweat the small stuff' type ... so your post made me smile! Can you point me in the right direction for finding the SUPER incredibly good deals on cruises? even last minute is fine ... my friend lives in Tampa and access to the port is simple and planning last minute trips is easy for us ... but we are both new to cruising. I know I can do google searches ... but a nudge in the right direction would be much appreciated.

 

And FWIW, on the topic of the balcony ... we LOVED having ours, but I don't think it would be worth $700 to me ... I think it was less than a $200 upgrade on our 5 night RC cruise. Not sure where the cut off would be for me as far as the extra cost goes ... but he paid it, so yay-balcony! LOL

Thanks, we do "go with the flow" as well... that was many years ago but the best bet is to be flexible on dates. Tampa has several lines cruising out of the port, I would call each a couple of days prior to sail dates (which are available online) and see what is available.

 

Many people do not use travel agents but if you contact one locally, tell them a price limit and that you are flexible it can sometimes produce what you cannot find. Hope this helps!

[Barb Nahoumi]

I could not do an inside cabin, because I need to see outside. Port hole cabins are the lowest priced cabins which I would choose.