Balcony worth the extra $ on an Alaska cruise?

[jenrn13]

Is it worth $200 extra for a balcony room on an Alaska cruise, or is it even too cold to open the doors?

We are trying to decide whether to just get an Oceanview room or a Balcony room our cruise in July 2020.

[Essiesmom]

There are many, many people who claim they simply won't sail without a balcony.  And they will come here and tell you that they don't care if they have to bundle up to sit out on it.  But the truth is that the view is all around you, you simply can't see all of it from your balcony.  You need to move around the ship.  Would I like a balcony?  No, because I have found that when we have a balcony, we are not using it enough to justify the cost.  I have done Alaska twice in inside cabins, 14 days each time.  I don't feel like I missed a thing.  EM

[prodoc]

My personal opinion is a balcony is worth it on the Alaska cruise if you can get the aft facing ones.  We had great views from the back of the ship and I would do it again.  The first time we cruised Alaska we did an inside cabin and that was fine too, just spent more time out in the areas where I could see the scenery better.  There were many sights we would have missed if we hadn't had the balcony in the early mornings and throughout the day whenever we went to our room for a moment.  

[Tourist1292]

If it is for SE Alaska through the inside passage in July, a balcony should be good idea as the view would be spectacular and it should not be too cold. It is hard to say if it worth $200.

[jenrn13]

It will be an inside passage cruise.  What is SE?

 

I don't think we will spend much time IN the room, but thought it would be nice to be able to lookout.  We have done inside cabins and one with a window (no view really) and if that was the choice I would save the money and do inside cabin.  Just thought I would see what kind of view there really is with an Oceanview or if a balcony was really that much better.  25 year anniversary...so thought I would splurge a little.

[Tourist1292]

Congrats for your 25th anniversary next year. We are doing the Alaska cruise this year for the same reason. Since you are still more than a year away, you can wait for a good deal and then upgrade. You may end up in a room with balcony without much additional cost. We did upgraded our room around 2 months before the cruise and earn additional perks. July in SE Alaska can get pretty warm. We are going in May and we insist getting a stateroom with a huge balcony.

[Essiesmom]

SE= southeast Alaska

[MadamG2U]

I think it is worth it.  When we went one person in the group ended up not feeling well.  But a blanket and her balcony and some hot chocolate made it worth it all.

 

MadamG2U

[cb at sea]

It's nice to be able to access the outdoors without having to dress, get "made-up", hair fixed, etc....we won't sail in anything less than a balcony, having tried it without one.

[desiree741]

We splurged on our Alaskan cruise for a balcony and loved every second of it. I am very ok with staying out of all the activities and relaxing on my balcony with a daiquiri watching the scenery. The only problem with doing that is now I don’t want to go back to an interior lol. But like I said my enjoyment from cruises is relaxing and unwinding, solitude is my friend. Lol 

[Voelfgar]

For an Alaskan cruise, most definitely. It ensures you have a view as you travel through the inside passage. areas open to all passengers that one can view are limited.

[teach/2/cruise]

I say yes, yes, yes to the balcony.  We sailed to Alaska in September and were on our balcony every day.  We saw so much more than other passengers we spoke with.  The views are amazing and more than 3/4 of our pictures were taken from our balcony.  If you can do it, I would get a balcony for this cruise.

Hope this helps!

[TwinMamainMN]

In a word: YES! I think it's absolutely worth it. Especially if the price difference is only $200. We love watching the ship sail in and out of port, and if you are lucky enough to wake up early the long days in the summer mean you get some amazing "sleepy town" views and photos in the morning. We loved the fresh air and watching the world go by. We even ate breakfast on the balcony the second morning (sailing north from Vancouver).

[RocCruisers]

I sometimes have a problem sleeping with too much light, so an inside in Alaska was the way to go.  Also, get one on the higher decks (no 2 or 3), so you can easily walk up or down to catch a view instead of relying on the elevators.  The money saved on the cabin can then be spent on other excursions.  A plane ride in Juneau  was $$$, but the memories were priceless. 

[Ashland]

On 4/6/2019 at 7:54 AM, RocCruisers said:

I sometimes have a problem sleeping with too much light, so an inside in Alaska was the way to go.  Also, get one on the higher decks (no 2 or 3), so you can easily walk up or down to catch a view instead of relying on the elevators.  The money saved on the cabin can then be spent on other excursions.  A plane ride in Juneau  was $$$, but the memories were priceless. 

"Too much light"..... Close the blackout curtains 

[CoW mAn]

I saw Ocean View - All of the views, none of the cold. This some of what I saw from my Ocean View Alaska cruise...

 

 

[angie7911922]

It truly depends on what type of cruiser you are. To us, no - but we are only in our room if we are sleeping. If you spend time in your cabin just relaxing, then yes, it probably is worth it!

[sailorfool57]

I did the Inside Passage in May of 2012 and it was certainly worth it for that cruise.  There were several of us and we all had balcony cabins lined up on the side and visited much of the time. I would leave my door slightly open and let the cool air in while I was warm and toasty in my bed.   If you are going to be on one of the Princess ships, there was a back deck where we spent some time, too.  Go up to the pool area and grab a blanket to bring down and relax in the chairs on the back.  I saw some amazing sights from my room balcony and that back balcony.  On other cruises, I don't pay the price. I was lucky enough to get an OV room on HA right beside an exit hallway, and I could be out on deck in 2 seconds, with a chair right under my window.  I got almost the same perks as the people who paid for the Verandah rooms, but for much less.

[jmm1052]

On 3/20/2019 at 11:30 AM, jenrn13 said:

It will be an inside passage cruise.  What is SE?

 

I don't think we will spend much time IN the room, but thought it would be nice to be able to lookout.  We have done inside cabins and one with a window (no view really) and if that was the choice I would save the money and do inside cabin.  Just thought I would see what kind of view there really is with an Oceanview or if a balcony was really that much better.  25 year anniversary...so thought I would splurge a little.

Southeast is SE