Alaska Cruise - Balcony or Ocean View??

[nini]

1 hour ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

We did a cruise in Alaska 4 years ago and hardly used the balcony. When there were things to see, we wanted to be on the upper decks with the ability to move from side to side. Your balcony only allows you to see one side. You will miss so much by just sitting on your balcony the whole time. For instance, if your balcony is on the port side and there is a pod of whales on the starboard side, you'll never know it. If you're hanging out on the upper decks, you'll know where the sights are being seen. I don't think we spent any time on our balcony when the ship was moving. I spent the most time out there when we were in port so I could watch what was going on on shore. My suggestion is to take the money from not being in a balcony and put it toward a special excursion on shore.

My main comment above was referring to "down time" on the balcony such as

upon rising in the morning... changing for dinner...before bedtime...

And, our usual aft balcony gives us not a 360 view but at least a 280... we are not

on port or starboard.

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, nini said:

My main comment above was referring to "down time" on the balcony such as

upon rising in the morning... changing for dinner...before bedtime...

And, our usual aft balcony gives us not a 360 view but at least a 280... we are not

on port or starboard.

 

As a photographer, competing with crowds at the ships railings is not my favorite thing in Alaska.  I will always book an aft balcony in Alaska where I can spend my non-excursion time close to my minibar, my own bathroom, a phone to Room Service, no wind while the ship is moving, and no other passengers blocking my photo opportunities.  Having Room Service breakfast on my balcony and taking photos as the ship sails into each morning port is my daily Alaska routine. 

 

If you are not as committed to photography as I am, any stateroom category will work for Alaska.

[cruiseguy1016]

3 hours ago, nini said:

My main comment above was referring to "down time" on the balcony such as

upon rising in the morning... changing for dinner...before bedtime...

And, our usual aft balcony gives us not a 360 view but at least a 280... we are not

on port or starboard.

 

My comment was not aimed at you, it was for the OP to give them my opinion on whether they should get a balcony cabin for an Alaska cruise. As for the corner aft, yes, we love them too and book them whenever we have a chance for our Caribbean cruises. I would not book one for Alaska for the reasons I mentioned in my original post. If something is happening off the bow of the ship, you won't see it from an aft balcony.

[mlmalone3]

We enjoy our balcony on a 7 day cruise, but in 2019 went on HAL 14 day ....we could have 14 days in an ocean view for same cost of 7 days  with a balcony.  We loved our 14 day adventure.  The only time we were in our room was to sleep.  The ocean view allowed us to see outside in the morning and evening...so we knew which way the ship was moving..lol!  We spent days on deck or inside near a window, if we were at sea.

I say get the most for your money!  You are going to enjoy Alaska wherever you are looking from.

[Dollshoe]

On 1/12/2021 at 5:04 PM, HenanSan said:

We are planning on taking a b2b cruise to Alaska in June of 2022.  Would there be an issue with an ocean view cabin vs a balcony?  We usually do balcony but with our plan to do a b2b on the Alaska cruise and there is over a $2,000 dollar difference in cabin selection.  I can put that towards another cruise.  BUT, if OV is terrible, I may just bite the bullet.  I know on the Miracle you can be on Lido since its closed but what are your Thoughts on cabin choices for an Alaskan cruise???

Balcony!

[nini]

On 2/11/2021 at 2:58 PM, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

My comment was not aimed at you, it was for the OP to give them my opinion on whether they should get a balcony cabin for an Alaska cruise. As for the corner aft, yes, we love them too and book them whenever we have a chance for our Caribbean cruises. I would not book one for Alaska for the reasons I mentioned in my original post. If something is happening off the bow of the ship, you won't see it from an aft balcony.

Funny, one afternoon before dinner, our group of 6 Sat on our corner aft balcony enjoying the whales for a couple of hours. you can not be everywhere at once.

[thesmiths]

Just booked for May 2023.

Aft Wrap!

 

 

 

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, thesmiths said:

Just booked for May 2023.

Aft Wrap!

 

Great choice!!

[don't-use-real-name]

Reconsider or take into consideration about the merits of that Ocean View cabin.

 

You would be on a lower deck near the water line -

To get to a prime deck for viewing necessary to (timely) ascend several decks  -

The Ocean View window may not be crystal clear - salty crusted film on the glass -

An Obstructed View Ocean View goes without any further obstructed comment -

While in some ports and transiting a canal you may have a view of the dock or a wall -

Apt to be under a deck with high foot traffic and/or noise -

The OV deck location maybe near the egress to the Tender Boats - lots of foot traffic -

 

+Positive+ points

Medium expensive cabin between an Inside cabin and a Balcony -

Not too much difference in interior space features floorplan -

For muster drills and theatre entertainment not a lot of decks and stairways to deal with -

Main Dining rooms are usually one deck up  -

Lower center of gravity - smoother less bumpy ride - less opportunity for mal de mer -

 

For the Alaska cruises - a less expensive cabin but be prepared to leave the comfort of

the cabin for those outstanding photo op views from your one sided (port/starboard) 

limited view point ! The Captain doesn't do a 360 degree turn everywhere there is a whale

iceberg or distant mountain to photo.