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1st ever cruise, upgrade to a balcony????

Snail999

By Snail999,
in First Time Cruisers

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Snail999

Snail999

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We have just booked our first ever cruise after going to Florida for the past 7 years. We sail out in September to the Canaries for 14 nights and have booked an Ocean View Cabin. Is it worth the extra £901 they are asking to upgrade to a balcony? We are divided on what to do. My wife wants to upgrade but I would rather spend the money on excursions or on the ship.

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Eleteace

Eleteace

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£901 sounds like an awful lot of money to me!! What ship are you going on? I'm normally in the inside cabin to save £££, I'd prefer to put it towards my next cruise. Many ships like the Norwegian getaway have really lovely promonade deck where you can sit out, it isn't quite as good as a balcony but it isn't £901 worse!! In my opinion :)

 

 

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cb at sea

cb at sea

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What kind of cabin you purchase really depends on your pocketbook....and what's important to you! An OV cabin gives you natural light, and a view....

 

There are so many public areas on a ship to sunbathe or sit and admire the view, that a balcony isn't always a "must'.

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Snail999

Snail999

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We have just booked our first ever cruise after going to Florida for the past 7 years. We sail out in September to the Canaries for 14 nights and have booked an Ocean View Cabin. Is it worth the extra £901 they are asking to upgrade to a balcony? We are divided on what to do. My wife wants to upgrade but I would rather spend the money on excursions or on the ship.

 

We are on the Independence of the Seas.

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MOcruiserman

MOcruiserman

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We always book inside cabins because we like sleeping in a very dark room and neither of us have feelings of claustrophobia when we can't see outside (or go outdoors on a balcony).

 

But if we had claustrophobic feelings we would definitely pay the extra money, no matter how much. A cruise ought to be fun and relaxing - not an occasion for great stress.

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raven82

raven82

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Once you Cruise with a Balcony you probably will always go with a Balcony. That Sea Air alone is worth it. They are great for listening to local Radio Stations drinking coffee/Tea at sunrise or exercising.

 

 

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kerryincork

kerryincork

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Just remember you are only paying for real-estate, there is no difference to what you actually get. Have you looked at the area difference between cabins? Just be aware that balcony space is often included in room area. I've been in OV whose actual room area is larger than the balcony.

I would prefer to keep the £900 for spending money. You can have a lot of fun with that money.

 

If you are on a land holiday how much time do you spend on the balcony?

 

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jocap

jocap

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No, it wouldn't be worth that money for us, and we go in all types of cabins according to what's on offer. We did find an inside on Indy was a bit snug, but it was a late buy, so the larger insides would have been taken. Have a look at the deck plans, and see where the larger ones are. There was still room for a settee and tea making equipment, just not much room by the bed side.

Which ever you decide on, check what's above and below you- you don't want a cabin under a bar or entertainment venue. Near the lifts is good, too.

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Aquahound

Aquahound

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We have just booked our first ever cruise after going to Florida for the past 7 years. We sail out in September to the Canaries for 14 nights and have booked an Ocean View Cabin. Is it worth the extra £901 they are asking to upgrade to a balcony? We are divided on what to do. My wife wants to upgrade but I would rather spend the money on excursions or on the ship.

 

In my opinion, if a balcony is even being considered, especially on a 14 night cruise, then it absolutely is worth it. Go for it. You won't regret it once on board. :)

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Captain Canuck

Captain Canuck

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just checked your itinerary...looks like you spend a lot of days in port. this is time you will not be using your balcony. I would stick with the outside cabin. you can always go on an upper deck to enjoy outside.

 

when we started cruising we always booked inside guarantee. pay for ijnside cabin but get moved up when that level of cabin sells out. being in western Canada our airfare normally costs the same or more than the cruise. we got upgraded to at least an outside cabin and often a balcony doing this most of the time. we only stayed in an inside cabin once. we saved a lot of money. then got used to having a balcony so mostly do that now.

 

you can also save a ton of $ by booking your own excursions and not taking the ships offerings. they mostly use the local tour operators and tack on their cut. we use the ship tours in places like the Amalfi coast where you can expect to be late getting back to the ship. they wait for their tours but not independents. one of the best features of cruise critic is getting together with other passengers to share excursions. find your roll call and see what is being organized.

 

have fun

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raven82

raven82

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Our first 2 Cruises we had an Inside Cabin and we were happy with it. Our recent Cruise in Asia (RCL Ovations of The Seas) out of Tianjin China we had a Balcony and one early morning at Sunrise while cruising into Busan, I was doing my Yoga on the Balcony and we passed a Korean Fishing boat and the old guy (like me) on that boat was also exercising we both waved and laughed. One of those great Cruise Memories on a Balcony. Priceless

 

 

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leaveitallbehind

leaveitallbehind

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Just remember you are only paying for real-estate, there is no difference to what you actually get. Have you looked at the area difference between cabins? Just be aware that balcony space is often included in room area. I've been in OV whose actual room area is larger than the balcony.

 

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RCI (as do many cruise lines) list the stateroom space and the balcony space separately. On Independence a large ocean view stateroom is 175 sq. ft., while a superior balcony stateroom is 199 sq. ft. with a 65 sq. ft. balcony, and their smaller balcony stateroom is 184 sq. ft.with a similar balcony. So both are larger and while the up charge is high, it is also providing a larger stateroom along with the balcony.

Edited by leaveitallbehind
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JimAOk1945

JimAOk1945

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Our first 2 Cruises we had an Inside Cabin and we were happy with it. Our recent Cruise in Asia (RCL Ovations of The Seas) out of Tianjin China we had a Balcony and one early morning at Sunrise while cruising into Busan, I was doing my Yoga on the Balcony and we passed a Korean Fishing boat and the old guy (like me) on that boat was also exercising we both waved and laughed. One of those great Cruise Memories on a Balcony. Priceless

 

 

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What a wonderful story! Thanks for sharing!

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JimAOk1945

JimAOk1945

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We always book a balcony and use it a lot every day on every cruise.

 

In the end, the decision is up to you and your wife. If you think it is too much too pay, and you would rather use the money for something else, then don't upgrade. If you can afford it, then go for it and get an upgrade. You will be pleasantly surprised by how enjoyable it is to have a balcony.

 

Happy cruising!

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grapau27

grapau27

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We once got a good deal on a inside cabin but regretted it when we were on board. Once you have a balcony you will never want any other type of cabin.It pays to check the numerous cruise deals because sometimes you can get a free drinks package with a higher grade cabin or onboard credit so the price difference is minimal.

 

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donaldsc

donaldsc

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Once you Cruise with a Balcony you probably will always go with a Balcony. That Sea Air alone is worth it. They are great for listening to local Radio Stations drinking coffee/Tea at sunrise or exercising.

 

 

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Two things -

 

First of all, the "once you do balcony you will always do balcony" attitude is not the attitude of many of us on CC. Balconies are OK only if they are free or nearly free. Otherwise I consider them a waste of money. As long as I have outside light, I am satisfied.

 

Second of all, you also have to consider how having a balcony impacts the room and placement of furniture inside of the cabin. If you do not have a balcony, they have the bed against the window. This gives you more space inside of the cabin than if they have to move the bed to provide access to the balcony. Also, no balcony means that you effectively have a storage shelf at the window. I use this space to put the stuff that I may want quick access to such as all my optical or electronic equipment. If you have a balcony, have to put that stuff somewhere else.

 

Bottom line is that only the OP can decide if a balcony is important to them. At the price they are quoting, it would definitely not be worth it to me.

 

DON

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