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Alaska cruise


golfer1903
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Have you ever been on an Alaska  cruise?  Usually have a balcony room but was thinking about saving some and since excursions s are way more then a beach vacation.  And was thinking interior room.  But was jot sure jow it was when you go thru the passageway viewing from a deck vs your room.  Is it very crowded on the decks where u cant see very well?  Any I do on these would be great.

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36 minutes ago, golfer1903 said:

Have you ever been on an Alaska  cruise?  Usually have a balcony room but was thinking about saving some and since excursions s are way more then a beach vacation.  And was thinking interior room.  But was jot sure jow it was when you go thru the passageway viewing from a deck vs your room.  Is it very crowded on the decks where u cant see very well?  Any I do on these would be great.

It will be crowded on deck.

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We got a complimentary upgrade to a balcony from an oceanview in Alaska. While it was nice to have a balcony to watch the ever changing scenery, we always found ourselves out on deck for the “heavy duty” watching, like on Glacier Bay where you want to be able to have a wider angle than what your balcony can afford. 

 

Unlike in Caribbean sailings where being at sea means that you mostly see ocean, in Alaska, there’s always something to see as the ship sails from one port to another, whether it’s the rugged coastline or wildlife, like whales. Also, there are more hours of sunlight ( from like 4am to 11pm) which means more hours to enjoy the views. It’s literally nonstop. 

 

Overall, we were very grateful about having a balcony because it gave us a chance to miss less of what we’d cruise to Alaska for  (the amazingly beautiful scenery), but I still think we would’ve been happy with an oceanview stateroom. But I would never do Alaska in an inside cabin. We would’ve missed way too much. 

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6 hours ago, fyree39 said:

IMO, Alaska is when you want a balcony.  All public real estate with a view becomes priceless on Alaskan cruises.  Having your own balcony will make a world of difference.

 

Exactly how we're thinking. We just booked our first Alaskan cruise on Legend 7/23/19.  While we've had balconies, we normally book inside because we're always out on deck. But, that's in the Caribbean. We both HATE the cold, so popping in + out of the balcony sounds like a much better idea than standing out in the cold  with the masses. Be very careful booking a balcony on the Spirit class ships, many have obstructed views as you can see from this deck plan. We're in 6283 but the cabins in front of us are set back + when you look down you have lifeboats

6283.png

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Hi

 

I would agree that having an OV or balcony cabin is nice, but I would say that you are only going to get to see a small portion of what is out there from your cabin. If you are not mobile, or otherwise ill, it may be your only option. If you are content with seeing only part of what is out there, then you could get a blanket and huddle up on your balcony. 

 

If you can't see what's on the other side if the ship, or what is happening in front of the ship, you will be missing a lot. There are many of people on deck as mentioned, because that is where you have the best view. If you have done this cruise many times, then maybe it's not so important, but if this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, confining yourself to your cabin to look out, you would be doing yourself a disservice. 

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

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11 hours ago, golfer1903 said:

Have you ever been on an Alaska  cruise?  Usually have a balcony room but was thinking about saving some and since excursions s are way more then a beach vacation.  And was thinking interior room.  But was jot sure jow it was when you go thru the passageway viewing from a deck vs your room.  Is it very crowded on the decks where u cant see very well?  Any I do on these would be great.

Yes, we did the 8/21/18 Legend to Alaska.   We had a premium balcony and LOVED it.   While we did go on deck a lot, I enjoy just sitting quietly on my own balcony enjoying a drink or snack for awhile also.   Its a very big part of my cruises.

 

So its really up to you.   The decks were not too crowded--some watched from the buffet windows, some from the covered pool area and those brave souls that wanted to brave the full weather (it was cold and rainy a few days) were up on the top deck.  No real crowding anywhere though that I noticed.

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I did Alaska with an inside cabin.  I'm more of a panoramic-up-front person,  I want the WHOLE view heading right into it. Didn't miss a balcony one bit.  And those Alaska excursion can be pricy.  Best use of my $$$  was not a balcony.

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Have done Alaska twice.  Once on an aft-wrap when the weather was OK and made the price worth it.  Last time on a regular balcony the weather was not good and we really did not use the overpriced balcony.  In my opinion a balcony is worth the gamble.  If the weather is good, it will be great.  Otherwise, you will sit and look at a $1,000 balcony not in use.  I could not do an interior.  Oceanview, at least, in Alaska would be mandatory, since it never seems to get dark there.   Nice to get up in the middle of the night and see incredible scenery.  Not to mention the rest of the day.

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We always get a balcony cabin, so we did so for our Alaska cruise.  It was the only cruise where I thought it was a waste of money. It was too cold to sit outside on the balcony and on the day we cruised Glacier Bay, we got seats on deck which were better than our balcony.  

 

I recommend you skip the balcony and use the savings on excursions. 

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