OV v Balcony

[Froggy1369]

So after much debate, switching dates, cruise lines, etc. We have finally come to a consensus Jan 26, 2109 8 night to the Bahamas on the Anthem out of Jersey. Now the question is which room. We are cruise virgins and are cruising with my 9 year old. I am looking at an oceanview for 1600 or an obstructed balcony (saw pictures it isn't really obstructed) for 1883. Is the balcony worth the extra 233? Since most everything I am reading says RCI doesn't really do upgrades. Keeping in mind we still need to pay for drink packages, it works out to just about the same as the 7 night on NCL we were looking at. 

 

So what would you do?

[Froggy1369]

Or do I take a 13th deck balcony for an extra 49 bucks?

[GUT2407]

No question for us, Balcony wins hands down.

[EeyoreRN]

I have sailed in both ocean view And balcony and far prefer the balcony.  For my family, the difference in cost is worth it.  Now, sailing out of NJ in January you are unlikely to sit out on the balcony for at least half the cruise, but you should be able to enjoy the extra space some time, and there is a huge difference in the amount of light and perception of space whether you spend time out there or not.

[neverbeenhere]

$ 233 for eight nights- pay the difference 

[neverbeenhere]

The value of a balcony is ** Dollars per night. 

[Froggy1369]

1 minute ago, EeyoreRN said:

I have sailed in both ocean view And balcony and far prefer the balcony.  For my family, the difference in cost is worth it.  Now, sailing out of NJ in January you are unlikely to sit out on the balcony for at least half the cruise, but you should be able to enjoy the extra space some time, and there is a huge difference in the amount of light and perception of space whether you spend time out there or not.

 

yeah the sailing out of NJ is part of what got me thinking. If the storm we got here in Northeast PA last week was any indicator of winter, I think it will be freezing!!!! But I am hoping once we hit the waters around GA and Florida we should be good. 

[Froggy1369]

Okay I think we are going balcony. Looks like the only non-connected rooms available are on Deck 9 and Deck 13 FWD. All are closer to the front of the ship ahead of the elevators.

 

[shipgeeks]

OV!  We like the extra daylight, and weather-wise, you probably won't use a balcony for several days of the cruise.

If any of you might be prone to seasickness, being lower on the ship, in an OV, you will feel less motion.

[cruiseguy1016]

I am usually one of the people that do not push people toward getting a balcony. We usually book an OV so we have some natural light. We have had a balcony cabin a few times and find we just don't use the balcony very much. We like to be on the decks where the action is. You most likely won't use the balcony on your first two or last two days because of the weather. You didn't say what your entire itinerary is but I'm guessing you'll be in port a couple of days so you may not use it much on those days either because you'll most likely be off the ship. The big advantage to this balcony is the cost. $233 for 8 nights is a very good value even though you probably won't use it for half the cruise. If money is tight, I would go for the OV and use the savings on shore excursions. If the money isn't a big deal, get the balcony and then judge for yourself whether you feel you need one in the future.