Balcony in general? Worth it?

[Wennfred]

I've never had a balcony before. What is it like? Is it worth the money? Is it what it's said to be? Fill me in

 

I'm probabaly the exception to the rule here, as long as there is a nice bed, I dont care where we sleep. I always book the 1a or 4a inside guarantee to get the upgrades so that I can cruise twice a year. I find that the 8a balconies are pretty pricey. The last time we got upgraded to a 9a suite, we spent a total of maybe 10 minutes out there. Yes its nice to have a balcony but I prefer to save the extra money for other things like for excursions, drinks, photo ops and probably the Internet. etc.

 

Fred

[NiniB]

I have also always heard that once you have a balcony you will never go back. While it is nice to have I certainly do not consider it a necessity to have. We have booked two insides since having our first balcony. Our next cruise we are back to having a balcony. For us it all depends on how the rates are for the particular sailing we are looking at.

 

LOVE the Doggie pic........ :)

[madelinerose]

And why would ever go back? ;)

 

Second cruise is in September and we wouldn't cruise without a balcony.

 

Once you have a balcony cabin... I'ts hard to go back!!!

[Caribbean Dad1]

I'm probabaly the exception to the rule here...

 

Just the different strokes thang Fred. ;)

 

C-Mom and I have gotten to the point that we basically insist on having a balcony. I fear that when we go back to Celebration and cruise without one, that we may end up going through some kind of withdrawal or something. :eek: :D

[partman57]

I had a talk with our daughter about an up coming cruise and told her that our three families did not need to have balconies. They are watching the pennies. We had an Aft on Legend going to Bermuda. My wife said point blank. Yes we will. She is hooked.

[finoky]

LOVE the Doggie pic........ :)

 

Thanks! That's my bud Paco and he's three years old.

[Fun~N~Sun]

We will be going on our first cruise in 38 days and we will be in a Cat 12 with a balcony. While I agree the Cat 12 is very expensive....it is a one time thing for us; I can't imagine ever being on a cruise without the luxury of at least a balcony cabin. If I didn't have a balcony I would rather not cruise and just go to a nice beach somewhere. Just my opinion but that is what you were looking for....others opinions right?

[caraz]

If you are a smoker and do not enjoy stinking up the cabin a balcony is a must (I always use an ashtray and never flick them over the side). So I would never imagine sailing without a balcony.

 

-Brian

[gmc1]

We had a balcony on an Alaskan cruise and it was 55-75 degrees everyday. The scenery is not to be missed in Alaska, so a balcony is a must for me.

[kevfla]

My wife and I had a balcony on our honeymoon cruise two years ago. It was nice but we hardly used it. I used it more than the wife did. It's nice to go in the evening and sneak a nap before hitting the casinos (very relaxing). But the cost to me just isn't worth it. We didn't have an extended balcony (whatever that is) so there were only two chairs and a tiny table so meals would be next to impossible.

If you have a balcony the one thing we were happy we brought was a bungee cord to hold the door open while we were sleeping.

As long as I can see the ocean I'm happy so, to each his/her own.

[cruisermpaul]

IMO there's no decision - balcony all the way, every time.

Balcony advantages (as others have pointed out):

- Coffee (or even breakfast) on balcony, messy hair, etc. is heavenly!

- Sleeping with the balcony door open is wonderful. Easy, deep sleep with sound of water. No more bloody noses in AM from dry ship air.

- Instant/accurate weather report.

- Private sunning.

- I've seen dolphins, flying fish and even a shark from my balcony.

- Relaxing and reading the Capers at night with a drink on the balcony.

 

Disadvantages:

You're usually higher up and experience more ship movement.

[wannacruisemore]

All I can say is YES. We have only been on 3 cruise (so far) but have had a suite each time. Gotta have a balcony!:)

[gypsyrose]

I'll have to let you know May 6th. This will be our 2nd cruise and 1st balcony. I plan on ordering coffee every morn to drink on the balcony. But kind of worried about leaving the door open at nite, read a post about Spiderman coming onto your balcony. :eek:

[mnsawyer]

In my opinion, the balcony is the only way to go. I'll just share my experience. We sailed the Triumph in 2003 and got an upgrade to a cat 11 suite with a balcony. The room was fine but I would never pay for a suite since I didn't feel it was worth the extra and most are a lot more $$. Of course, we didn't pay extra but just my thoughts. We sailed the Glory in a cat 8A cabin on upper deck. We loved the room better than our cat 11 on the Triumph!! My husband would never sail without a balcony either! We loved having our coffee delivered via room service and relaxing on our balcony as the sun came up. Also, great in the evening too plus we left our door open each night. To me, if you are the least bit clastrophobic, the balcony is the only way to go. We had an inside cabin once on RCCL and really disliked it...absolutely no sense of time of day!

[halos]

I am an EXTREMELY practical woman but once I had a balcony, that was the end of all practicality...I sent it flying off the balcony. ;)

For my upcoming cruise I scored an AFT :D

 

I'm doomed