Which Cabin And Price Point Gives You The Most Value?

[SNJCruisers]

You have a choice of either an inside cabin @ 1,400.00, a balcony cabin side view @ 2,000.00 or a balcony cabin aft view @ 2225.00?  This would all be for a 7 night cruise on the Mardi Gras.  Which of the 3 would you choose, and why?

[Essiesmom]

Is that per person, or total for the cabin.  Before covid, I would have gone for the inside.  We would have to wait and see what cruising is like when it starts again before spending for the balcony.  EM

[Saint Greg]

Inside for me. Especially on Mardi Gras. I didn’t book that ship to sit in the room all day. 

[joeyancho]

Whatever you can afford.  

[Saint Greg]

6 minutes ago, joeyancho said:

Whatever you can afford.  

That’s not what the question was. Which provides the most value? Just because I’m not buying the $2200 room doesn’t mean I can’t afford it. It means it’s not worth an extra $115 per day for a balcony I’m not going to use.

[Tapi]

For me, inside cabins are eliminated no matter how cheap they are (I don’t go on vacation to sleep in a windowless broom closet). I’d probably settle for the $2,000 side view balcony (and midship), unless the aft balcony is substantially larger (on some ships and cruise lines, aft balconies can provide considerable extra space for either the same price or a modest price increase). 

I’ve done aft cabins before and I’ve enjoyed them, but I wouldn’t pay extra just to watch the wake of the ship unless I’m on a particular itinerary where I want to be able to see left and right. One thing that I’ve encountered (which may or may not be an issue on Mardi Gras) is that sometimes aft staterooms are prone to vibration and soot. We won’t know if this will be an issue until Mardi Gras actually sails, but keep that in mind, 

[SNJCruisers]

55 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Is that per person, or total for the cabin.  

Total for 2 people

[scpirate]

Inside for us.its just a base camp to keep your stuff and shower and sleep.we spend the extra money in port.

[RWolver672]

For us, it would be the balcony cabin side view for two reasons. 1.   Wouldn't want an inside cabin.  We love sitting out on the balcony.  2.  As far as the aft balcony, we want to see where we're going, not where we'be been.  🤣

Edited March 7, 2021 by RWolver672

[Bostwick girl]

Balcony for us! Love to sit and watch the ocean go by, enjoy the sounds, never know what you will see. Now that we’re older, the bar scene and nightlife aren’t all that important. We’ve seen all the shows Carnival has in the last couple of years so that stuff isn’t important to us. Love sitting on the balcony in port, watching people come and go off and on the ship. I’ve never had an inside room, just don’t think I would like it at all. 
 

[trvlgirlmq]

Balcony only. Cost doesn’t matter.

[ledges1]

I would take the inside room. I had a balcony out of San Juan thinking I would use it a lot. Surprisingly, I did not.

[dbrucern]

Depends on where we are going.  We always booked a balcony usually the corner aft with the huge wrap around balcony but then we realized we were not in the room except to sleep and shower so we tried our first inside room and had no problem.  The truth is we will often take the room that is offered to us through a casino offer but sometimes upgrade depending on where we are going example Alaska probably the first time in a long time that we actually sat on our balcony to enjoy the scenery 

[Hotdog 52]

Why leave out OceanView.  Thats the best value.,

[Moviela]

11 hours ago, Tapi said:

One thing that I’ve encountered (which may or may not be an issue on Mardi Gras) is that sometimes aft staterooms are prone to vibration and soot. We won’t know if this will be an issue until Mardi Gras actually sails, but keep that in mind, 

 

Mardi Gras is a much larger ship, and the increased precision with which the props and motor shafts are balanced should combine to reduce vibration to a less than perceptible level. The ship burns (mostly) natural gas which has little soot to be seen. 

 

I would take one of the midship balcony's that is larger than most because of the bulge in the design.

[firefly333]

Unless it's a group cruise I wouldnt pay 1400 for a inside so none of these would be a good enough value for me to touch them with a ten ft pole. Sorry.

 

Surely better prices out of Galveston? I dont care about the ship, though magic was my favorite so far. I go for the food and ocean which all ships provide.

 

I am booking for $2200 for a group spring cruise I guess and hoping prices drop. Ouch. I think that's too high for spring break but want the group. I didnt pick the date. And will fly and hotel in miami. But it's not my normal. 

 

I got a boardwalk end of the floor balcony on allure, under $1300 out of Galveston. I've been waiting for Allure OTS and think that's a awesome price. Less than your inside on mardi gras. Sorry allure wins for balcony choice and less than your inside. I just wouldnt pay that much for mardi gras. Once the $600 for being cancelled is gone, I'm hoping carnival prices come back down to ground. I think the $600 obc is artificially upping prices here. 

[lilchuckie]

I’d do inside or deluxe balcony at those prices. My ex wife used to get casino offers every 2-3 months and we always had one of the “worst” rooms on the ship by price. But those rooms are usually pretty dang quiet and offer excellent ability to sleep and recharge if you are mobile enough that extra steps won’t bother you. The lower tier balconies are cool but the upper tier ones are really, really cool. For my money if i’m going to splurge an extra 600, may as well do the extra 825 for the deluxe experience and maybe cut back a bit on excursions or something. 
 

For all of her faults, my ex wife was really financially savvy and the value queen when it came to cruises. I’ll never travel as well again unless I find a rich lady!!

[zdcatc12]

5 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

 2.  As far as the aft balcony, we want to see where we're going, not where we've been.  🤣

Yeah, but you only see one side of where you're going!!!

[AHS123]

1 hour ago, ledges1 said:

I would take the inside room. I had a balcony out of San Juan thinking I would use it a lot. Surprisingly, I did not.

Same. I'm so short the moment I sit down out there all I can see is the handrail 🙂 

[gtalum]

Always a balcony.  On the side, we don't find the aft views worth the price of the upgrade.

 

Generally I book the second highest deck forward.  That way there are cabins above and below, but there's still a great sweeping view.

[skrufy]

1 hour ago, Hotdog 52 said:

Why leave out OceanView.  Thats the best value.,

Agree, Even though we spend little time in the cabin, we do OVs on our cruises. Enjoy the morning sunlight in the OV. Insides are out, feel to confined with no sunlight coming in. Balcony’s are also out, don’t spend enough time on it for it to be worth it. One exception , I will do a balcony on an Alaska cruise. Last Alaska cruise we drank champagne and ate cheese enjoying the beautiful sights. If you don’t go with a balcony think about the OV.

[pjhootch]

I would find the most value in a balcony- although the 2K price tag is not my idea of a good value on any other ship.  Mardi Gras comes at a premium these days, I suppose.  I would avoid inside cabins at this point just in case there is a quarantine while on the ship.   Normally, if it is a route or a ship I was familiar with I might take an inside cabin for the savings.  I personally would not find value in an aft balcony for a couple of reasons.  It can be difficult to have enough shade on the aft balconies, depending on your route and destinations.  I avoid looking at the wake because it gives me motion sickness almost immediately- at the same time it is mesmerizing.  LOL.  Like others, I would do an aft balcony for an Alaska trip or someplace where there were constant scenic views.  For looking out at the ocean or privacy- a standard side balcony is just fine.

 

[simplelife]

13 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

That’s not what the question was. Which provides the most value? Just because I’m not buying the $2200 room doesn’t mean I can’t afford it. It means it’s not worth an extra $115 per day for a balcony I’m not going to use.

If you can stand an inside (or even like the total darkness) , that's definitely the best value. But many of us have to have fresh air or at least natural light,  so I would go for the cheaper balcony and put the difference towards the drinks package, We're not in the room enough for the aft balcony to make a difference (Is Mardi Gras designed without OV cabins?) 

 

 

[sanmarcosman]

16 minutes ago, simplelife said:

 (Is Mardi Gras designed without OV cabins?) 

No, there are 175 OV category cabins.

[SNJCruisers]

2 hours ago, Hotdog 52 said:

Why leave out OceanView.  Thats the best value.,

Far from it in my opinion.  On the Mardi Gras the OV cabins are on the bottom 2 decks of cabins, four and five.  Since we need a HC cabin, that leaves our choices to either four cabins in the Family Harbor area, or two others adjacent to that area, all located in deck four.  Being on the bottom deck, combined with being on a floor with more children is not conducive to a good cruise for us.  Besides the price point is about 1750, or 350 more than a deck 10 inside or 250 less than a deck 10 balcony.