Oceanview vs. Balcony for a Transatlantic?? The price difference is (how can I put this?)...YIKES!!!

[schmoopie17]

First some background. Mrs. Schmoopie will normally only cruise with a balcony. Got it? But we're looking at a TA from New York for April, 2025 out of New York on the Pearl and the difference between an oceanview and a balcony is unbelievable. A middle of the road balcony is almost $2500 more than a middle of the road oceanview. Seriously.

 

Now, I should tell you on our last TA in November, 2022 we had a balcony and I would estimate that Mrs. Schmoopie actually stepped onto the balcony (maybe) twice in 16 days. But, again...she just HAS to have a balcony...even though it will probably be too cold to use it (again).

 

Don't tell her, but I'm thinking of booking an oceanview and then when we open the cabin door I can yell "SURPRISE!!". At which point, don't be surprised if you read of a man overboard on the Pearl in April, 2025. Although, she would have a hard time throwing me through the window...even if the cabin I'm looking at has a picture window.

 

So...is it worth $2500 to have a balcony that we will probably never use? I think you know my answer...

[Liljo22]

I don't think its worth that much of a difference.  Why don't you book the oceanview and if the price of the balcony becomes reasonable, you can call for the upgrade.  

[DCGuy64]

Mrs. Schmoopie should have a word or two with Mrs. DCGuy. My wife is frugal in the extreme. She would throw me overboard for wasting $2,500 on a mostly useless balcony. So my answer is: SAVE YOUR MONEY.

[laudergayle]

Another idea.  Do you have the NCL credit card yet?  If not, get the card ad 25000 bonus.  Book a OA csbin, pay for it with your card and get 3x points.  You will have enough points  (30,000) to upgrade to a BA balcony.

 

FWIW…I am claustrophobic, and while I don’t really use the balcony, I need to know I can open the door snd get fresh air when I need it.  

Edited September 26, 2023 by laudergayle

[IAcruising]

We got upgraded to a balcony on our very first cruise in the 90's. Booked an OV on our second. Never again since. Spend the money, you old miser.  😆

[herbanrenewal]

I'm a big fan of Transatlantic cruises. One thing I've noted is that filling the ship in the last few months drops prices., Look at the same voyage for this April for an idea of what the price may be this time next year. For example, similar cruise on Getaway in '24 the balcony is just $300 more than OV.

My cruise this November, my studio sold out early, then opportunities for upgrading - I now have a balcony for just $94 more than I originally paid for a solo studio. I book when i find a cruise I want,  then in the months approaching final payment I check every time there's a new promo. If price changes drastically you can get upgrade.

Edited September 26, 2023 by herbanrenewal

[CaptainBazz]

We always booked an OV...did a 19 night Australia / Indonesia in an OV room and never gave it a second thought...then started booking a Balcony on shorter cruises, so the next long cruise we did was a 16 night South Pacific cruise so we booked a Balcony at $4k more than an OV room...never sat out on the balcony once...total waste of money...we just booked a 24 night cruise in an OV...saved a ton. Not sure how much you will use a Balcony on a TA so go with the OV.

[Gen X Life]

31 minutes ago, CaptainBazz said:

We always booked an OV...did a 19 night Australia / Indonesia in an OV room and never gave it a second thought...then started booking a Balcony on shorter cruises, so the next long cruise we did was a 16 night South Pacific cruise so we booked a Balcony at $4k more than an OV room...never sat out on the balcony once...total waste of money...we just booked a 24 night cruise in an OV...saved a ton. Not sure how much you will use a Balcony on a TA so go with the OV.

Good Points. That is quite a bit of sight seeing/tours and casino fun for $4k she would be missing.. Spa Treatments?? Shopping in Ports? Shopping on the Ship? Sell it to her that way; maybe she will buy it?!

[complawyer]

read my lips.... BALCONY!!!!. if your wife needs the balcony, she'll be most unhappy with the ocean view, and then you'll have to live with it for the rest of the cruise (and maybe even for the rest of your life)

[ChiefMateJRK]

51 minutes ago, herbanrenewal said:

I book when i find a cruise I want,  then in the months approaching final payment I check every time there's a new promo. If price changes drastically you can get upgrade.

Most significant price drops have nothing to do with any promos.

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 minutes ago, complawyer said:

read my lips.... BALCONY!!!!. if your wife needs the balcony, she'll be most unhappy with the ocean view, and then you'll have to live with it for the rest of the cruise (and maybe even for the rest of your life)

Yeah, but he'll also get to live with an extra two and a half large walking around money for the rest of the cruise (maybe even for the rest of his life).  Who knows?  Drop it in the market the day after the cruise (or before) and see how it goes!

 

Well, the question Schmoopie has to ask the guy in the mirror is "do you feel lucky?"🤣

[herbanrenewal]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Most significant price drops have nothing to do with any promos.

Right, but the emails remind me to check again. In the last 2 years I've upgraded or gotten FCC on every trip I booked (6 last year, 7 this year)

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, herbanrenewal said:

Right, but the emails remind me to check again. In the last 2 years I've upgraded or gotten FCC on every trip I booked (6 last year, 7 this year)

A lot of us just load our itineraries into Cruise Plum and check for drops every week or two.  There's probably even a way to get auto-notified, but I haven't really looked into it.

[herbanrenewal]

51 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

A lot of us just load our itineraries into Cruise Plum and check for drops every week or two.  There's probably even a way to get auto-notified, but I haven't really looked into it.

of course the important thing is to realize that prices change with how well the cruise is selling, and any way you are reminded to recheck prices will get that upgrade or price reduction for you.

[UKstages]

for those folks who check regularly and do mock bookings… have you considered that the website and NCL data wizards consider that “interest” in the cruise and it actually increases the likelihood that the price will not go down quickly? after all, if there is such intense interest in that cruise, NCL will stand firm, knowing full well that people will book… because there is, apparently, quite a bit of interest… even though the interest is all from the same bunch of people repeatedly checking.

(this applies to data pulled from NCL and displayed elsewhere, too.)

[IAcruising]

34 minutes ago, UKstages said:

for those folks who check regularly and do mock bookings… have you considered that the website and NCL data wizards consider that “interest” in the cruise and it actually increases the likelihood that the price will not go down quickly?

 

 

That may be true, to an extent. But eventually the data wizards will have to take a back seat to the accountants screaming for actual bookings.

 

In any case, this is a good reason to use third-party sites to track pricing. I'm going to guess NCL's data wizards know who the tracking sites are.

 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by IAcruising

[wncretired]

Get.The.Balcony!! 
Life is too short to do otherwise! 😎

[hladygirl]

I hate ocean view cabins. They are always most horrible locations on the ship. I would rather have an interior than an ocean view any day. We have not used our balconies on most of our cruises either. Do love the mini suites for extra room but do not utilize the balcony.

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, IAcruising said:

 

That may be true, to an extent. But eventually the data wizards will have to take a back seat to the accountants screaming for actual bookings.

 

In any case, this is a good reason to use third-party sites to track pricing. I'm going to guess NCL's data wizards know who the tracking sites are.

 

 

I'm not so sure that using third parties will help in this scenario.

The third party must connect through to NCL to check the latest pricing an available cabins, so it could track the same interest.

[Catchum]

If your wife really wants a balcony then she will cough up the extra cash to have one.

[coin ops]

I highly recommend an aft balcony for a transatlantic.  There is very little wind and the balcony is very usable. 

[DCGuy64]

2 hours ago, coin ops said:

I highly recommend an aft balcony for a transatlantic.  There is very little wind and the balcony is very usable. 

Disagree (at least in theory), it depends on where/when you're going. Example: Last December we did a TA from Lisbon to New York. It was cold and windy a lot of the time, so a balcony was rather useless. We spent VERY little time out there. By contrast, if you were doing a TA at a different time of year (same itinerary), a balcony might be nice. Perhaps an AFT balcony would be different, ours was not.

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, Catchum said:

If your wife really wants a balcony then she will cough up the extra cash to have one.

Exactly. I always find that the degree to which a person wants something corresponds to the person's desire/ability to PAY for it. Any schmo (or Schmoopie, in this case) can say "oh, yes, I must have a balcony, provided someone ELSE pays for it." 🤣🤣

[Barb Nahoumi]

A balcony for an April TA might be chilly.  I'd be happy with an ocean view, and when I want to sit outside, I'll go to the pool deck, the Great Outdoors, or somewhere.  

[azappraiser]

18 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

First some background. Mrs. Schmoopie will normally only cruise with a balcony. Got it?

 

And since we sailed on the POA, Mrs azappraiser won't sail unless we have an Aft-Facing Balcony... consider yourself lucky.

 

BTW - I like the Aft-Facing balconies too...

Edited September 27, 2023 by azappraiser