Balcony dude going Inside cabin 1st time

[ober134]

3 minutes ago, Ilikecruises76 said:

Considering you name, I find that you might be able to shed some light on a question I have. I've booked my first balcony room ever and it's on the Freedom. By chance would you know if it's possible to hang a hammock on one of her balconies down the side of the ship?

I  believe hammocks are prohibited

[Ilikecruises76]

5 minutes ago, ober134 said:

I  believe hammocks are prohibited

Thanks, ive heard some cruise lines allow it and some don't, beings that I've never booked a balcony room I have no knowledge where Carnival stood on the subject. Either way is fine with me

[ledges1]

I leave the light on in the bathroom and leave the door cracked. The ship does not cause it to swing open during the night. The candles are a great suggestion. I may try that the next trip. Also, we spend very little time in the room other than sleeping. I need to be out on deck looking for good material to share on this site.

[jerseygirlinAZ]

I'd recommend not going to the casino after lunch, indulging in those free drinks, and then going to your cabin and taking a "nap" around 4 p.m. You could wake up a few hours later and have absolutely no idea what time it is.

 

Or so I'm told. 🙂

[kona_wahine]

I have a travel alarm clock (battery)that I ALWAYS take on cruises, as I hate waking up not knowing what time it is. It has a back light so gives off enough light so it’s not pitch dark. 

[DrSea]

I agree with a port hole room. If you crave sunlight, then an inside isn't going to be a good fit for you. I don't think a TV with the channel to the front of the ship will help. The port hole is a good compromise. Consider getting an OV and just paying the difference if it is possible. 

 

I am the exact opposite. I wake up at 4 or 5 am bc of the light leaking in from any window or balcony door. Then, taking a nap during the day is harder bc there is even more light. It becomes a vicious cycle and I become so sleep deprived and am really miserable. It is even worst if you cruise in HI or AK where the sun doesn't set until 9 pm or 12 am respectively. Even worst, the sun still comes up at 4 - 5 am. Before, I could try to eat pizza at 4 am and sometimes I can fall sleep from a food coma. But now that option is no longer available due to cutbacks! I literally cannot sail on a room higher than an inside on CCL. First world problems, but I don't like paying for a vacation that leaves me more sleep deprived and exhausted then when I started.

[havanadaydreaming]

wife loooooves to sleep in (must be dark and silent), after sunrise i usually have wifi headphones on listening to downloaded podcasts or music in the dark room.  after a while i usually head to the balcony or the coffeeshop.  

 

this trip i might have to find a quiet nook not on the beaten path to hole up until midmorning.   tough life, eh?  ha! 

[csm5986142]

Although I'd never turn down a balcony room, I almost prefer an inside during hurricane season.  Last week on Panorama, with weather from Hurricane Kay, we heard complaints that during the rough seas/wind/rain, people in balcony rooms couldn't sleep due to their balcony doors rattling with the wind gusts.  We slept right through it in our quiet dark inside cabin. 

But in general we are only in our cabin to sleep, so we don't care all that much about the room. 

Getting a bargain is a lot more important to me. 😄

[mkcurran]

On 9/12/2022 at 5:17 AM, Schoifmom said:

The best tip?  Go to Dollar Tree (or similar) and purchase the cheap battery operated candles.  They throw off a very soft light, which is just enough to keep you from bumping a toe or a knee in the middle of the night if you need to go to the bathroom.

We use glow sticks. 

18 hours ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

I'd recommend not going to the casino after lunch, indulging in those free drinks, and then going to your cabin and taking a "nap" around 4 p.m. You could wake up a few hours later and have absolutely no idea what time it is.

 

Or so I'm told. 🙂

Free drinks in the casino? Like Vegas? or did you qualify for DOU?

[Top_of_the_Cube]

When we book inside cabins, we find that we spend less time in the room and more time out and about enjoying the ship.  We LOVE inside cabins.

 

When we book balcony cabins, we find that we spend more time in the room enjoying the ocean.  We LOVE balcony cabins.

 

When we book an Ocean View cabin, well, you can probably guess that we LOVE OV cabins.

 

In truth, I lean more towards balcony, and my wife towards inside.  But, totally understand those who have a strong preference one way or the other.  For a while, my wife could not sleep with ANY light.  Even with an inside stateroom, I had to stuff a rolled up towel under the cabin door at nights.

 

One suggestion that we use in any cabin, but is especially useful on inside rooms:  We set up an electronic tablet with the screen propped up on the worksurface facing the bed, and a few downloaded apps - a low-light screensaver that has a large display of the time, a variety of white noise audio files, and a sunrise simulator "alarm".

 

Ah, let the good times roll!

[jerseygirlinAZ]

On 9/13/2022 at 1:51 PM, mkcurran said:

We use glow sticks. 

Free drinks in the casino? Like Vegas? or did you qualify for DOU?

 

DOU in the casino.

[seaman11]

On 9/12/2022 at 3:28 PM, ober134 said:

I  believe hammocks are prohibited

I personally prefer inside, quieter. No big families around me , and total darkness at night.  Only down side is i have an issue some front desk staff will look down at you as if you cant offered the extra $30 for an oceanview. Lol 

[ButterflyGirly]

On 9/10/2022 at 5:45 PM, farjar said:

We nearly always book inside cabins for all the reasons you mentioned except we recently accepted an upgrade offer to an extended balcony for a price we couldn't refuse.  Because it is a 16 day cruise from Seattle to Miami we chose a cabin with cabins above and below on the starboard side so we will have afternoon sun nearly the entire voyage. It should be dark in the morning and cooler most of the day and we will be able enjoy the sunsets from our balcony.  We have always preferred taking the price difference between an inside cabin and other choices and going on shore excursions instead.  Considering the length of the upcoming cruise, the price and 10 sea days we went for it.

I think you pulled the trigger on the balcony at the right time...10 days at sea.

[sid_9169]

I've switched to inside and solo cabins almost exclusively for the past few years, and I'm fine with it... It's nice to have a balcony, but there's plenty of outdoor space on other parts of the ship to enjoy.

[pacruise804]

On 9/13/2022 at 4:54 PM, Top_of_the_Cube said:

When we book inside cabins, we find that we spend less time in the room and more time out and about enjoying the ship.  We LOVE inside cabins.

 

When we book balcony cabins, we find that we spend more time in the room enjoying the ocean.  We LOVE balcony cabins.

 

When we book an Ocean View cabin, well, you can probably guess that we LOVE OV cabins.

 

In truth, I lean more towards balcony, and my wife towards inside.  But, totally understand those who have a strong preference one way or the other.  For a while, my wife could not sleep with ANY light.  Even with an inside stateroom, I had to stuff a rolled up towel under the cabin door at nights.

 

One suggestion that we use in any cabin, but is especially useful on inside rooms:  We set up an electronic tablet with the screen propped up on the worksurface facing the bed, and a few downloaded apps - a low-light screensaver that has a large display of the time, a variety of white noise audio files, and a sunrise simulator "alarm".

 

Ah, let the good times roll!

 

Thanks for this suggestion!  We had our first interior last month and like you love all the types of cabins we have had.  We took our sunrise alarm clock, but were thinking about buying a different one for cruises since ours doesn't pack compactly.  I didn't realize there are apps - and we have an ipad that isn't used for much and would work well for this.

[havanadaydreaming]

Quick recap:  i survived the Inside experience.  

 

All in all not much difference than oceanview cabin. Room felt a bit smaller and i missed sunlight...but it was perfectly serviceable.  

 

I slept in longer due to not setting alarm and sleeping in near total darkness.  

 

I REALLY missed a balcony and fresh air in the morning but c'est la vie.  

[Andi Land]

2 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

Quick recap:  i survived the Inside experience.  

 

All in all not much difference than oceanview cabin. Room felt a bit smaller and i missed sunlight...but it was perfectly serviceable.  

 

I slept in longer due to not setting alarm and sleeping in near total darkness.  

 

I REALLY missed a balcony and fresh air in the morning but c'est la vie.  

Thanks for the recap. We are doing our first inside cabin in May. This gives me hope it’ll all be okay. 

[Pyxie]

I've cruised in every category from inside to balcony and never had a bad cabin. The only time I'd say to definitely get a balcony is for Alaska. Otherwise, it doesn't matter all that much especially with a deal like that.

[MsTabbyKats]

2 hours ago, Pyxie said:

I've cruised in every category from inside to balcony and never had a bad cabin. The only time I'd say to definitely get a balcony is for Alaska. Otherwise, it doesn't matter all that much especially with a deal like that.

I've done all the types too.......

For Canada, we did a Deluxe OV on the Magic.  The room was huge and it's too chilly to sit outside anyway.

The only time I prefer a balcony is if the majority of the cruise will be in warm weather.

I do like lots of interior room....so the insides don't work well for me.

[EngIceDave]

I have only done a balcony and can't imagine anything else. I admit to being a bit of a loner/antisocial. I live in Florida, so out of habit I seek shade and avoid the sun. I own a pool that I never swim in. 

 

I enjoy taking my morning coffee or beverage back to my cabin, maybe even a snack, and chill looking at the ocean, alone....MY OCEAN...just me and the horizon. I put the TV on to listen to and read stuff on my computer (same as your reading a book). 

As a Florida native, my vacation isn't drinking, sunning or swimming, it's chilling my way.

One of my other favorite things is when entering and leaving port is pier runners. I love watching and yelling for the pier runners to go and watching the crew get underway. I'm a curious (some say "nosey"...LOL) type.

[gkbiiii]

I would book an ocean view rather than inside.  It is much better and may prove a cost effective alternative, you can live with.

[LHARTWICK]

On 10/31/2022 at 2:22 PM, MsTabbyKats said:

I've done all the types too.......

For Canada, we did a Deluxe OV on the Magic.  The room was huge and it's too chilly to sit outside anyway.

The only time I prefer a balcony is if the majority of the cruise will be in warm weather.

I do like lots of interior room....so the insides don't work well for me.

Deluxe OV is probably our favorite cabin since the extra 1/2 bath makes the cabin that much larger.  And the extra bath makes getting ready so much easier for two people (or more) in the cabin.  Sad that CCL will no longer put these on their ships.  In AK we always get an inside cabin and just go up on deck for the views.  We've talked to other cruisers on AK cruises who have balcony cabins, but they didn't use them - they were up on deck with us!  LOL!  Bottom line - get the cabin you want at the price point you want.  Only YOU can make the best decision for your cruise.  People are always asking me which cabin is best, and that's my answer. 

[BoozinCroozin]

Loved watching Jai Alai in 80s and 90s. We too are going Interior for the first time. Not too worried about it.

[pacruise804]

On 10/31/2022 at 3:22 PM, MsTabbyKats said:

I've done all the types too.......

For Canada, we did a Deluxe OV on the Magic.  The room was huge and it's too chilly to sit outside anyway.

The only time I prefer a balcony is if the majority of the cruise will be in warm weather.

I do like lots of interior room....so the insides don't work well for me.

If you sail Spirit Class (Pride, Legend, etc) you might want to try a 4K "interior."  We just got back from the Legend cabin 4112 and it was the same foot print as a balcony, but had floor to ceiling windows with a view of the life boat (and a little ocean) instead of an actual balcony.  No fresh air, but lots of room at a better than balcony price.

[MsTabbyKats]

1 hour ago, pacruise804 said:

If you sail Spirit Class (Pride, Legend, etc) you might want to try a 4K "interior."  We just got back from the Legend cabin 4112 and it was the same foot print as a balcony, but had floor to ceiling windows with a view of the life boat (and a little ocean) instead of an actual balcony.  No fresh air, but lots of room at a better than balcony price.

Been there....done that....and I agree!