Charlie'sPet Posted July 5 #1 Share Posted July 5 Hello, I'm planning on taking a year off in 2026 to do some traveling. I'm looking into doing a 12 Day British Isles on the Majestic. Because I'm trying to keep costs down, I'm conflicted about doing an inside or balcony. In the past I've done an inside to Alaska and regretted not getting a balcony since there was beautiful scenery outside nearly all the time. I also did a balcony on a Norwegian cruise and loved it because it was so nice with the views from my cabin. However, is a balcony imperative for a BI cruise like it would be for Alaska and Norway? Just to note, I'll be a solo traveler so the fare is nearly twice as much. Thank you for any advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skynight Posted July 5 #2 Share Posted July 5 obstructed view balcony cabin on deck 8 is an option to research. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wishing on a star Posted July 5 #3 Share Posted July 5 From your comments, you have enjoyed your balcony, or wished you had one. Fresh air and space and sunshine (when there is sun) are priceless! Go for a balcony... One of those mentioned above. They are only called 'obstructed' because of the extended deck area below them on the bump-out. Majestic has all enclosed/inside areas on those upper forward decks. Not open like other ships. The other outside deck-space, therefore, is limited. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare karatemom2 Posted July 5 #4 Share Posted July 5 I'm saying this as someone who loves a balcony, and we did have one on our British Isles cruise. But, and this is a major but, if I was trying to conserve funds, the one cruise I feel like I could totally do without a balcony is a British Isles cruise. We did see some nice landscapes arriving and leaving port, and got a distant view of the White Cliffs of Dover as we passed on our way from Edinburgh to Le Havre. But that was about the extent of scenic viewing. You can still go out on deck to get fresh air, and will be out all day on your long port stopes. A British Isles cruise is so incredibly port intensive, the weather can be changeable which can make a balcony less usable, and honestly after these really long and often physically demanding port days, often I just looked forward to a cozy room for a great night's sleep. My advice would be to see if you can book one of the insides on the Lido Deck where you are very close to the outside area and can quickly be in a space where you can enjoy views when there is something worth seeing, or just to get some fresh air, and save the money for your other traveling priorities. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare KKB Posted July 6 #5 Share Posted July 6 18 hours ago, Charlie'sPet said: Hello, I'm planning on taking a year off in 2026 to do some traveling. I'm looking into doing a 12 Day British Isles on the Majestic. Because I'm trying to keep costs down, I'm conflicted about doing an inside or balcony. In the past I've done an inside to Alaska and regretted not getting a balcony since there was beautiful scenery outside nearly all the time. I also did a balcony on a Norwegian cruise and loved it because it was so nice with the views from my cabin. However, is a balcony imperative for a BI cruise like it would be for Alaska and Norway? Just to note, I'll be a solo traveler so the fare is nearly twice as much. Thank you for any advice! Just did 12 day UK cruise in April. A balcony is always nice but I would say a balcony for AK is more important than UK. The scenery is nice but not the long cruising scenery like in AK. I had interior for UK & Norway last May & it was fine. I just get myself ready then find myself a seat out on deck if there is scenery I want to see. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sox Fan Cruiser Posted July 6 #6 Share Posted July 6 Scenery is not the only reason for a balcony. I would NEVER even think about an inside cabin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phabric Posted July 6 #7 Share Posted July 6 (edited) I have taken the 12 day and 8 day BI, both in August. On the 12 day, I took an Oceanview cabin. The 8 day, I booked an Oceanview and a week before was offered for $$$ got a balcony. The balcony was nice, to see what the weather was like but a little cold to sit out even when docked. On a sea day, we tried to sit out to watch the outdoor movie, after a 1/2 hour we left as we found it too cold to sit out. You only have 2 sea days. I would go with an Oceanview cabin. Edited July 6 by phabric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akaCruiser Posted July 6 #8 Share Posted July 6 My understanding is that for the BI cruise most of the ports are not that nice to view and being so port intensive you wouldn't miss the view, so I would prioritize the savings of having an interior cabin with the Princess Plus package instead. There is enough places around the ship that you can view the outside to compensate the lack of a balcony. I have taken many cruises in an interior cabin, and only upgraded to a balcony for specific cruises, such as Alaska (which is a must do) or the difference is only a couple of hundred dollars. If do you insist on having a view, an alternative is getting an oceanview or partially obstructed balcony. Given you are doing a solo sailing, I would stick with an interior and use the savings to do some excursions, as there will be a lot places to see during the 12 days cruising around the BI. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanutter Posted July 6 #9 Share Posted July 6 19 hours ago, skynight said: obstructed view balcony cabin on deck 8 is an option to research. Agree with this. We are booked on the Regal BI cruise for next July and chose an Emerald deck OB cabin. I understand the balcony will not be as "usable" as one might be in warmer or more scenic places, but I like being able to see and feel what it's like outside without leaving the cabin. One of the reasons I like these cabins in particular is because they actually have somewhere to sit besides the bed or the desk chair. This may not matter to you (and may not be the case on the Majestic), but we like to veg in the cabin sometimes and these cabins have a sofa. As a side note and if you do look to the Emerald deck 8, please choose cabin location carefully. Some of them are over areas of deck 7 that may be quite noisy at times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie'sPet Posted July 6 Author #10 Share Posted July 6 2 hours ago, phabric said: I have taken the 12 day and 8 day BI, both in August. On the 12 day, I took an Oceanview cabin. The 8 day, I booked an Oceanview and a week before was offered for $$$ got a balcony. The balcony was nice, to see what the weather was like but a little cold to sit out even when docked. On a sea day, we tried to sit out to watch the outdoor movie, after a 1/2 hour we left as we found it too cold to sit out. You only have 2 sea days. I would go with an Oceanview cabin. Unfortunately, the Majestic doesn't offer Oceanview cabins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie'sPet Posted July 6 Author #11 Share Posted July 6 21 hours ago, karatemom2 said: I'm saying this as someone who loves a balcony, and we did have one on our British Isles cruise. But, and this is a major but, if I was trying to conserve funds, the one cruise I feel like I could totally do without a balcony is a British Isles cruise. We did see some nice landscapes arriving and leaving port, and got a distant view of the White Cliffs of Dover as we passed on our way from Edinburgh to Le Havre. But that was about the extent of scenic viewing. You can still go out on deck to get fresh air, and will be out all day on your long port stopes. A British Isles cruise is so incredibly port intensive, the weather can be changeable which can make a balcony less usable, and honestly after these really long and often physically demanding port days, often I just looked forward to a cozy room for a great night's sleep. My advice would be to see if you can book one of the insides on the Lido Deck where you are very close to the outside area and can quickly be in a space where you can enjoy views when there is something worth seeing, or just to get some fresh air, and save the money for your other traveling priorities. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie'sPet Posted July 6 Author #12 Share Posted July 6 Thank you everyone for your input! I do like the idea of being able to see the weather before stepping out of the cabin and that extra natural light is always nice. But interior may be the way to go especially if I'm going to be doing a lot of excursions. I'm definitely going to keep my eye on those OB cabins though. 🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare JordanF Posted July 8 #13 Share Posted July 8 Yep--I would take the inside and put the money towards excursions. However, I might be tempted to bid on a balcony upgrade if the price was right... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treasure Hunter Posted July 8 #14 Share Posted July 8 The best excursion we did on that cruise was the Military Tattoo ( it is offered for Edinburg and sometimes from Glasgow ( a manageable bus ride). Absolutely spectacular and memorable. Look for dates 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pink845 Posted July 9 #15 Share Posted July 9 Charlie's Pet, we did British Isles on Regal last summer. For us there is nothing better than starting one's day or ending a long day out with sitting on our balcony. No matter the weather. I would stay away from insides at all cost. No air circulation. We got Covid in June while sailing in an inside cabin. Never again. It was an Iceland and Norway cruise. Thought I would not make use of a balcony and we were in our very first oceanview which on Caribbean Princess was basically an inside with a large window. My opinion a balcony lets you clean out the air that circulates in your cabin. Also we limited the cabin steward from entering our cabin because all they do is bring germs into ones cabin from the other cabins and if we had had a balcony for air circulation I am sure we would have fared better. My vote remains no matter the itinerary no matter the price it continues to be balcony all the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samkitty1 Posted July 9 #16 Share Posted July 9 I have done the British Isles cruise twice, both times with a balcony...the views while sailing were very nice and some of the ports were beautiful...(Cobh) It was nice to be able to air out the cabin on nicer days, and to watch the sunrise or sunset across the water.... Even though the cruise is port intensive, most days you will be back on board by 5:50 PM with several hours of daylight left in the day.....The other condsideration for me is that the newer "Royal Class" ships don't have very many places to sit and hang out other than the Piazza or the long coridor on deck 7 near take 5. I enjoyed having my light filled cabin to return to if the piazza got too loud for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teechur Posted July 9 #17 Share Posted July 9 I've never tried an inside but if I was cruising as a single, I would give it some thought. I agree that being on the Lido deck with the outdoor space nearby would be a plus. Twice we've cruised in an ocean view cabin while on older ships where only suites had balconies. Otherwise, we always get a balcony or a mini suite, and thoroughly enjoy the fresh air no matter where we are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito1 Posted July 9 #18 Share Posted July 9 What's the price difference? If it's significant, you could probably do another cruise with what you save. Inside is not that bad if you bring a USB fan and some white noise. With so many port days and traveling alone, you likely won't be in the cabin much at all anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treasure Hunter Posted July 9 #19 Share Posted July 9 I spend a lot of time on my balcony reading and glancing at the water and sky. Even if you are wrapped up in a blanket you feel like you are cruising not trapped in a closet. I’d rather go less frequently or do less expensive excursions than give up my porch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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