Help! Ocean View or Balcony?

[Chrisclaire]

Help!

We are looking at "The Best of Italy" on the Constellation for October 2020.

Problem is, the balcony price at the moment is very expensive compared to the OV.

I can't do front of ship as I am concerned about sea sick, but have never been in OV and never as low as deck 3.

We have been on deck 6 and above & have done CC & AC.

Any advice/help/opinions would be gratefully received!

I also read that if we book now and there is a price drop before we pay in full, we can request the difference?

Is this correct?

Thanks in advance. 

 

[Cruise a holic]

5 minutes ago, Chrisclaire said:

Help!

We are looking at "The Best of Italy" on the Constellation for October 2020.

Problem is, the balcony price at the moment is very expensive compared to the OV.

I can't do front of ship as I am concerned about sea sick, but have never been in OV and never as low as deck 3.

We have been on deck 6 and above & have done CC & AC.

Any advice/help/opinions would be gratefully received!

I also read that if we book now and there is a price drop before we pay in full, we can request the difference?

Is this correct?

Thanks in advance. 

 

The Oceanview cabins are 175 square feet- the balcony 195  I would book the balcony.  However, if you can handle a smaller cabin, and wait until close to the cruise to move up to a balcony do it.  Do what you can afford.  IMO best if cabins above and below- 

[fragilek]

you cannot move up if booked in the UK.  If you plan to do this you will need to book through a US travel agent

[CruiseCrew123]

You can now do move up bids if you are in the UK . What you can’t do get a price drop if the price changes 😞

[gold1953]

39 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

The Oceanview cabins are 175 square feet- the balcony 195  I would book the balcony.  However, if you can handle a smaller cabin, and wait until close to the cruise to move up to a balcony do it.  Do what you can afford.  IMO best if cabins above and below- 

The balcony and OV are both 170 sq ft . The balcony has extra room due to the veranda space

[fragilek]

I thought the poster meant the price drop scenario.  From my tracking the up -biding comes in higher than the costs when I bought the cruises (I write the prices of the classes above down to track).

[Tatka]

For me it depends on how active is my itinerary. In Med it is VERY active so much of my day is outside of the ship.

I can book balcony for Caribbean cruise with many sea days, but in Med it can be even inside.

[Chrisclaire]

4 minutes ago, fragilek said:

I thought the poster meant the price drop scenario.  From my tracking the up -biding comes in higher than the costs when I bought the cruises (I write the prices of the classes above down to track).

Thanks fragilek.

The agent from celebrity did mention about biding, but I had never heard of it and it sounded complicated. 

However, if it is higher than the original cost, that's a non starter! 

Cheers for that.

[fragilek]

1 minute ago, Chrisclaire said:

Thanks fragilek.

The agent from celebrity did mention about biding, but I had never heard of it and it sounded complicated. 

However, if it is higher than the original cost, that's a non starter! 

Cheers for that.

If you book through the US TA then if the price drops then you can get difference back as OBC or upgrade if balcony come down for free (or smaller difference), if before final payment.  I was even able to get an upgrade after final payment just by asking if there  was anything they could do to off set the price drop.

[Chrisclaire]

17 minutes ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

You can now do move up bids if you are in the UK . What you can’t do get a price drop if the price changes 😞

Thanks for that. So unfair, you would think the policy would be the same across the board 🙄

[Denny01]

It’s tough to recommend someone pay more when they have said it’s an issue, but Veranda’s are so nice especially if you are going to have a number of at sea days. But with port-intensive cruises, you’ll just need to spend more time out on the deck if you go with a OV, which are nice SRs and a good large window. Going on Deck 3 with an OV should be just fine. May not be an issue on your cruise since it has 2 at sea days and the rest in port. 

 

By the way, the OV is 170sqft as is the standard Veranda SRs. The Concierge and Aqua Veranda SRs are 190sqft, so the OV is the same size as the standard Veranda SRs. 

 

I love being able to step out on the balcony and relax and have breakfast also! But your call. OV’s are very nice. 

 

Den

[Chrisclaire]

11 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

It’s tough to recommend someone pay more when they have said it’s an issue, but Veranda’s are so nice especially if you are going to have a number of at sea days. But with port-intensive cruises, you’ll just need to spend more time out on the deck if you go with a OV, which are nice SRs and a good large window. Going on Deck 3 with an OV should be just fine. May not be an issue on your cruise since it has 2 at sea days and the rest in port. 

 

By the way, the OV is 170sqft as is the standard Veranda SRs. The Concierge and Aqua Veranda SRs are 190sqft, so the OV is the same size as the standard Veranda SRs. 

 

I love being able to step out on the balcony and relax and have breakfast also! But your call. OV’s are very nice. 

 

Den

Great advice Den, thank you!

I do like to have breakfast on the balcony and I do like the fresh air!

Those are the 2 things I am most concerned about missing.

Guess I've answered my own question, with a little help from my cc friends 🙂

Thanks everyone!

Think I will monitor the price for now.

[Denny01]

5 minutes ago, Chrisclaire said:

Great advice Den, thank you!

I do like to have breakfast on the balcony and I do like the fresh air!

Those are the 2 things I am most concerned about missing.

Guess I've answered my own question, with a little help from my cc friends 🙂

Thanks everyone!

Think I will monitor the price for now.

Thank you for coming back and letting us know. ALways nice that OP’s do that when others have spent time providing input, whether good or useless! Nice.

 

Den

[Chrisclaire]

7 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Thank you for coming back and letting us know. ALways nice that OP’s do that when others have spent time providing input, whether good or useless! Nice.

 

Den

I am fairly new to this and think I have just about mastered how to post.

It is going to be invaluable for future cruises, the help and advice is great as I like to research all I can. So many experts out there!

Thanks 😁

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We booked an ocean view on our upcoming cruise because at the time there was a huge price difference. We put in MoveUp bids for 3 levels and our Concierge Class bid was accepted. We ended up getting it for less than and Veranda would have been when we booked. I call that a win! 

[Redtravel]

 

About 5 years ago, I saw a great deal on an Panama Canal cruise, 15 nights for less than $1000pp with perks. It was in an ocean view. No verandas were available. I was somewhat hesitant, but went.  Took that cruise and really didn’t miss the veranda. Having done that, we next took a cruise on Windsurf. Windsurf has no verandas. It was the best cruise ever. 

Last week, we took a cruise in a 175 sq. Ft. Cabin on Azamara. Small, but more than adequate.  We had a great time.  We just booked a similar cabin on Oceania.

verandas are overrated.

[shipgeeks]

If you have any concerns about possible seasickness, then an OV, since it is on a lower level, is preferable to a balcony, on a higher deck.

 

[SbbquilterUT]

Look carefully at the times in port for your cruise - in the Med often off very early which may preclude a leisurely breakfast on the veranda.  We were off the ship so much of the day and ready to retire early so the lack of a veranda was not noticed.

[Cruise a holic]

10 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We booked an ocean view on our upcoming cruise because at the time there was a huge price difference. We put in MoveUp bids for 3 levels and our Concierge Class bid was accepted. We ended up getting it for less than and Veranda would have been when we booked. I call that a win! 

The move up program is great for many.  A win win- The cruise line fills empty rooms and gets additional revenue and the customer gets an opportunity to get a higher category of room for a wholesale price!  Only downside is if you do not like the location of the cabin/suite- you are locked in.

[vickykay]

Also doing similar itinerary in Sept and have booked an OV for this cruise.  The price difference for a balcony was quite significant and we would rather use the money to spend a few days following the cruise in Venice and Rome.   As stated the itinerary is quite intensive.  Will possibly upgrade closer to sail date if prices drop.  Enjoy.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

The move up program is great for many.  A win win- The cruise line fills empty rooms and gets additional revenue and the customer gets an opportunity to get a higher category of room for a wholesale price!  Only downside is if you do not like the location of the cabin/suite- you are locked in.

 

We lucked out with location too. Our OV was under a public bathroom, our CC is midship and under cabins. 

[dabear]

If the cruise could be in warmer weather, a balcony is wonderful. You can dine, have drinks, sun yourselves or merely pass the day while watching the sea . Very relaxing.

[Turtles06]

18 hours ago, Denny01 said:

Thank you for coming back and letting us know. ALways nice that OP’s do that when others have spent time providing input, whether good or useless! Nice.

 

Den

 

Totally agree, and too many OPs don't even have the courtesy to post a simple thank you for great information that they have received.  The CC Guidelines actually address this:

 

"One other other item that adds to the enjoyment of this community -- if you ask a question, when reading the answers acknowledge that members have taken the time to reply to you. It is a breach of "netiquette" to start a topic or question in which you presumably have an interest, then ignore the subsequent discussion."

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/guidelines/

 

[Denny01]

ChrisClare - take a look at a thread that was just updated: “Back from Millennium TP -“ It has photos of the OV SR and window. On a similar M-Class ship and is the same as what you’ll get with your OV:

 

Den

 

[ak1004]

I would do the OV or even an inside and hope for an upgrade or move-up offer. It will always be cheaper than booking a veranda.