Is a balcony really worth the extra $$?

[DBXX]

Yes it is 3 adults, my son will be 19 so yea 3 adults, lol... And my Dh is already complaining about the space in the regular rooms so to me I think no hearing him complain the whole trip about how small his room is that right there might be worth the extra money :rolleyes: lol... B/c I am thinking he will make sure to bitch about it that way next time he will get what he wants, lol... I just really wanted you guys opinion since you have been in one and I havent. I would hate to get there and be dissapointed and not think it was worth the extra $$ then I would be upset the whole trip, b/c yes I am cheap, lol.. I guess I will never know if it is worth it to ME unless I try it. So I guess we will try it and go from there. Hey is the Balcony suites close to the action? The way it looks is that everything is UP on top the boat all the action and that is where the suites are, is that correct? So I wont have as far to go to get to the action, I will already be there? I guess the rest of my group will have to come up to us anyways right? I also didnt like not being right by everyone else but I certainly cant expect EVERYONE to get a suite they will NEVER go for that one :eek:

 

Thanks,

 

Danielle

[jpg1747]

I've nevered considered getting a balcony. I'm happy with my OV. I don't plan to spend any time in my cabin; I never get room service. I want to be out and about the entire time. I'd rather be on deck or in a lounge, etc. If I really want alone time, I can always find a secluded place on the ship. I have no problem ignoring people.

 

When I bought my condo I picked a unit that had the balcony enclosed so I could have an additional room. When I had a balcony I never spent any time on it. I don't miss it, but the cats sure do.

[jacksan1]

Danielle, I am not familiar with the Fantasy. However, you may want to check out her deck plans here:

 

http://www.carnival.com/Ship_Detail.aspx?shipCode=FA

[qorc]

agree. your question should be whether a SUITE is worth it. Totally different question. Suites are more expensive because they tend to be on the larger side. You can get lots of balcony rooms on many ships that are NOT suites.

 

Is a suite worth it? Hard to say. How many people in your room?? We've booked suites before and it's nice to not be on top of each other.

 

but I'll never book a room without a balcony again. Never. I like them too much.

[Thamsey]

I have done most of the cats... so here goes. Went with a friend to a Alaska had a suite(Princess), she thought it was small. Went with a friend on Princess an OV she will only do a next cruise with a balcony.(I was fine. she is a smoker and I did not allow her to smoke in the room) Next cruise with daughter in a 9A cat with Carnival, balcony not used alot not worth the extra bucks. Great cabin though. Next... solo an inside aft high floor (loved it..had my moments though)

Also travelled many years ago on the RCC and back then it was the bowels of the boat. First cruise and loved it too.

So, yes I have my favs, but each occassion is different and there are some ships I prefer but all in all I am an easy going laid back crazy gal who will always adapt. MY big pet peeve people who thing they should pay next to nothing treat staff like s.... t and be treated like royality themselves

[Whimsy]

I sailed on the Carnival Fantasy in a catagory 12 suite. There was DH, myself, DD and her friend. DH and I thought the suite was too small for the 4 of us but it would of been fine for the 3 of us. The sofa was used for one of the young ladies and they rolled a cot in for the other young lady. There is no way I would sail in an inside room with 3, too small for my liking. If your DH is like me, hates having everyone on top of him, spend the extra money and get the space. My DH would relax on the balcony while we ladies got ready. We had a walk in closet with a door so there was privacy for changing in there too. The bathroom was larger, had a tub, which was a big help.

 

I don't know if you are looking at a catagory 11 or 12, there is a difference I am told. Be careful with some of the 11's, they have obstructed views. I thought there was something about there being a walk way or something in front of them too. I'm not sure, I'm sure you can find out.

 

$900 is a lot of money but it may be worth the peace. Only you know your comfort level on how much you can spend.

[hockeymom97]

I agree with the other posters who stated that a difference of $950 is rare. For our upcoming cruise this fall on the Victory, we were originally going to book an OV but just out of curiousity, we decided to check pricing on a balcony. The difference was ONLY $122!! Not PP but per cabin. How could we turn that down?!? :D :eek: Although I don't think the difference is typically that close - I think we just got lucky on that one.

 

But I have a feeling that once we have a balcony, we will turn into balcony snobs and will never want to go back to OV or inside again lol.

[WeLoveAlaska]

Like just about everyone else on here, I agree that it's a matter of preference. However, I think it also depends on the destination. For example, I can't even imagine going to Alaska and not getting a balcony. I simply don't see the point of going there and not having an amazing view. On the other hand, when we're in the Caribbean, I don't mind not having one.

[zeitgeist]

My answer is a clear "yes".

 

Since we had our first balcony cabin, we are spoilt forever.

 

We also had very large suites and still book standard-sized cabins (so save money), but each time we happily book a cabin with balcony.

 

Why?

 

- Turn off A/C and sleep with open doors, enjoy the mild sea-breaze and the sound of waves and wake...

 

- In the morning, step out onto the balcony in your bathrobe and enjoy the fresh air!

 

- In the afternoon, watch the horizon while enjoying a cocktail. Enjoy the magical hour of sunset.

 

- When there is something special to look at - dolphins frolicking around the ship, the coastline - enjoy the privilege to view from your balcony.

 

Okay, you can have some of this on the promenade. But on modern ships, the promenades are small, and you have the lifeboats hanging over your head. Nothing beats a balcony.

[qorc]

+1 with the above

 

No one that's never cruised with a balcony can REALLY judge it. You have to have done it both ways to compare.

 

Once we had a balcony (and a suite), it really did change the way we cruised and used the ship. I was happy to occasionally have the solitude of a balcony, and yeah, the breeze in through the room at night, and to not have to spend 16 hours a day on the public decks.

[alcheme]

- Turn off A/C and sleep with open doors, enjoy the mild sea-breaze and the sound of waves and wake...

 

:eek: I'd be careful to check the weather/wave forecast before going to sleep with my balcony doors open. (I've been through some rough seas overnight that left even the upper decks coated w/ salt from all the seawater.)

[pianoplayerla]

Without a doubt! Go for it!!

[letsgoplaces]

Well something else to consider when deciding whether to have a balcony or not is what ship you'll be sailing. We were on the Sun Princess ( loved it) last December and we had an inside room. We paid 599.00 pp Baja deck for a 10 day cruise. A bargain. However our friends had a balcony( not a suite) on the Aloha deck and paid 1520.00 PER person!! yes you read that right. A difference of 921.00 PER PERSON. I think that's nuts. I've sailed with all types of rooms and the balcony on the Sun Princess was extremely tiny. While it may be wonderful to have despite it's size and may be worth a few dollars more, 921.00 pp is enormous. Even though it was a 10 day cruise it was port intensive and I'm so happy I didn't spend all that extra money for a tiny balcony. It was the great advice from CC members that helped me make that wise decision. My friends who did spend the extra dollars regretted it. So I think the ship you're thinking of going on needs to be considered as some balconies may not be worth the extra dollars spent. In your case though, 950.00 total is not bad considering you are talking about a suite.

[DBXX]

Well I have decided (with your help of course here) that we are booking the suite. I figure it is worth a shot and I would hate to go and wish the whole time I would have gotten one, or worse here hubby complain the whole time about not having one :eek: So I am taking a shot and I guess after this I will know if it is worth it to us, if we never do it we will never know so we did it. I booked the Balcony Suite!! So that is done and if anything hope it will be a nice treat for ourselves while on vacation, after all this is our first REAL vacation and we have been married for 14 years now. So I think we deserve it ;)

 

Thanks guyz.

 

Danielle

[letsgoplaces]

What a great anniversary gift to yourselves. Have a wonderful time and I can't imagine how in the world you wouldn't enjoy a suite!!!! Wow good for you.

[jtcoolk]

Personally, I think the Balcony is totally worth it! If you travel on a Princess Ship - most of the Caribe decks have a double sized balcony for the same price as any other balcony on other decks. For us it was like having another room. You can lay out in a chaise lounge, have breakfast, leave door open at night and hear the waves. I don't think I could be in a lesser room. Definately worth it.

[pajammies]

I love the balcony! My husband and I agree on this for many reasons. We don't really mingle with other people on cruises much, I guess we just like to be alone alot. So the balcony is great for that. We also have cruised with another couple so that gives you a little more room for everyone being in one room. You are cruising with alot of other people so they won't all fit but if you want to get together with a few of them you can do that in your suite. I just love the sound of the ocean at night. Oh goodness, I really want to go on a cruise now. One other thing- I have a couple of times felt kind of icky (I don't generally get sea sick, but if the ship is really rocking) and going out on your balcony IMO gets you that breath of fresh you really need right then.:D If you think you can swing it $$ wise go for it, otherwise wait til next time when maybe it's just you and your spouse and it will be a little cheaper.

[swimmongotta]

I have only cruised once, and have booked a second. We have had a balcony and it was so nice. One of the best parts we found was that it has a full lenght window, not just a port hole which allowed a lot of light in.

 

We used the balcondy a fair amount, but also joined in a lot of the organised activities as well and never regretted it. It was great to have breakfast out there, or read a book, or just sit and watch the ocean go by.

 

We have booked a balcony cabin on our next cruise and really can't see when we wouldn't go for one. For us it is totally worth it.

[dakwriter]

My DH and I are newbies to cruising but after having read numerous posts on the subject of balconies we suspect that once we try one there will be no going back for us. We are the type of people who relish our privacy and would love always having a place on the ship to relax without any hassles, interruptions or crowds. Thus when we went to book our first cruise for this fall we discussed the topic in depth and decided that for the price difference for our particular cruise we could take two inside cabin cruises for less than the price of one balcony cruise. And that's exactly what we're doing -- cruising to the western Caribbean in September and the eastern Caribbean in November, giving us double the happy planning and eventual pleasure. :):) We will enjoy the same food, ports of call, service, shore excursions, shopping opportunities and scenery as any other passenger.

 

Perhaps after our initial cruises we will feel differently, but since we've been wanting for years to go on a cruise, this is the best way for us to start. Eventually we know we will book a balcony, but we're in no rush to pay the premium for one.

[JJHNLC]

Yes, a balcony is worth every extra penny!!!!! We have our coffee out on the balcony early in the morning and its absolutly wonderful to get the fresh morning air and in the afternoon to sit out there for alittle while to relax. :D

[freedom#1]

YES....worth every penny!!!:) :) :o

[Grannycb]

My thoughts are different from most here. We've had a balcony but found it frustrating. Every time we saw something of interest from our balcony, we wanted to be on deck to check out the whole view. I thought having a balcony sailing into Venice would be wonderful. We found we missed a lot of the experience of being with other people. We spent our time on deck and away from that expensive balcony. Did we use the balcony at all? Yes, I stepped out to check the weather early in the morning and again before going to bed.

 

In our case, we love being steps away from the main lobby. There is usually something interesting going on there. It’s like having a living room down the hall. We are very close to the promenade and the wonderful outdoors. For us, a cabin with any type of window in a good central location not only saves us money but is what makes us happy. Everyone has personal preferences. Wherever your room is, have a great cruise!

[alcheme]

Balconies are NOT "worth every penny" to everyone. It depends so much on personalities. I like having a balcony, but the extra I'd be willing to pay for it is much less than the $950 the OP mentioned. I like to relax on the balcony every once in a while, but that's not my idea of cruising. I like getting out and seeing the ship and mingling with other passengers. You have to be really into that coffee (or cocktail or whatever) on the balcony for it to be worth an extra $200/day! (I believe the OP was looking at a 5-day trip.)

 

I'm booked in a balcony cabin on the Voyager for Feb, and it was $140 total extra for the week, compared to a regular ocean view cabin. That's $20/day extra to have a balcony. At that price difference, I would agree with "worth every penny." :D

[princess_cruz]

i loved having a balcony on my last cruise. one particularly special fabulous moment for me was sitting outside, eating as much room service food as possible (dont judge me- it was yum!), whilst we sailed out of venice. it was a brilliant sunset on a brilliant view eating brilliant food with brilliant company.

 

i am wondering how i'm going to manage without one for my next cruises. they are a wonderful addition, you just have to make the most of them. if you prefer to be about with the crowd more often than not, you probably shouldnt get one. but they are just magical for those moments. they can be especially romantic.

*note- most balconies are overlooked by the balconies above, as most ships have cascading decks, so whilst you can see onto the balconies below, the balconies above can look down on you! be careful! haha. try not to indulge in any rqacy moments whilt out there- someone could be watching!!! lol.

[alcheme]

I'm booked in a balcony cabin on the Voyager for Feb, and it was $140 total extra for the week, compared to a regular ocean view cabin. That's $20/day extra to have a balcony. At that price difference, I would agree with "worth every penny." :D

 

Just realized I made a mistake here. The base fare was $70pp more for the balcony vs. OV, but we're first-time Platinum C&A members on this cruise, so with the $100 balcony discount, it was only $40 more for the balcony. :D How could I say no to that??