Is a balcony really worth the extra $$?

[WEELYNCRUZER]

You should get a balcony if your a smoker just think how much you spend on butts. If your not a smoker you should consider the probability of having a balcony next to a smoker and will have to put up with the second hand smoke. YIKES:mad:

[debra816]

I have tried the inside room. Too small.

The oceanview room was a "guarantee" (costs less), room of which we were upgraded to a balcony room. Note: Unfortunately it's a gamble because it does not always turn out that way. I loved it and also it was just my husband & I. Very serene because we sailed the Mexican riviera. Beautiful blue waters and scenery. However, lots of times we travel with a group of 10 or more and I've realized that we are not in the room as much, so we just do the oceanview room (on Carnival, it is exactly the same size of the balcony room living space). Inside rooms with no window are considerably smaller, with chair instead of couch and small, small table.

[cweinzie]

I have tried and tried to understand why people think a balcony is so special. It just wasn't connecting with me. Just now I understand. We don't sit around. It's that simple.:) I'm not trying to be funny, or critical, or anything else. I'm just saying that's what the difference is. If we had a balcony, it would just be another door out of the cabin--and an expensive door at that. (I guess it would also be a wet one.:) ) I am retired and stay at home a lot, so people-watching is one of the best parts of my cruise. So many of you dear people have stressful family obligations and work obligations, and you need this kind of down time. I can see where a balcony would be a renewal experience.

 

Well, now that I have that figured out, I can let go of it.:D

 

Happy sails, everyone. Isn't cruising the best???

 

(And Merry Christmas, too.)

 

And thank you for helping us the see your side of it! But I sure do like my downtime in my own slice of private balcony...:p

[momofmeg]

Actually, that's an often repeated generalization on these boards, but it's not necessarily true. I think the amount of time spent in your room has more to do with personality.

 

 

I don't think so-at least not in every case. I used to say why book a balcony when you are never in the room except to sleep, dress, and bathe. This was true for me. But I spent tons of time in the lido restaurant sipping coffee sitting by a window watching the ocean. Now when I have a balcony room, I do that from my balcony.

 

As others have said, money is differant for all of us. Some of us are on tighter budgets. Some of us have other priorities, for example, the guy who said he would rather spend $950 on a plane ticket to Bangkok. Me? I have no desire to go to Bangkok. I also rarely drink alcohol and I do not gamble, so I can use the money others would use for that for booking a balcony.

 

Does this mean I would never book an inside or oceanview? No, if our budget was tight enough that we could only cruise if we booked those catagories, I would book one of them gladly. I would just spend more time up on the lido drinking coffee and looking out on the ocean.

[*Luv2Cruz*]

If the price is right get a balcony!;) You'll love it!:D

[islandgirlejfan]

We have had 2 inside cabins and 1 pretty large balcony and I wouldn't book anything but a balcony now after having it. My husband put it best...even with the possible guest that smokes, the privacy you get on the balcony is so worth the extra money. You don't have to enjoy it with a bunch of others if you don't want to. We enjoyed the room a lot more this time during our cruise, which made me feel a lot better about the expense! When we got back from our shore excursions or Great Stirrup Cay, we were able to clean up and have snacks on the balcony while enjoying the view. Also, being an earlier riser the my husband, it was very enjoyable to take my coffee outside and meditate in the peace of the morning.:)

[misty57]

We booked inside cabins for our first 3 cruises. It was fine. After a particularly difficult period in our lives, I booked a balcony cabin to celebrate my DH's birthday and our anniversary. We have booked only balcony cabins since then. I would book inside if I had to, but really enjoy the balcony. :)

[bala1130]

We just returned from our first cruise with a balcony. It was very nice with the exception of the people on the balcony next to use smoking. It was up wind from us and we could smell the smoke. This was on NCL. It is my understanding some cruise lines that do not allow guest to smoke on balconies. You may want to check with your cruise line before spending the extra $950.

[Dee777]

I am sure that inside cabins and OV cabins are absolutely fine. However, our very first cruise EVER was a mere 9 months ago, and we had a balcony on the Valor. It has spoiled us immensely! The first night, when we went to our room to go to bed, we ended up sitting out on the balcony, enjoying the warm breeze, and a glass of wine. Ahhh, what a lovely, romantic, relaxing time it was! That set the theme for the nights to come, and our next cruise, booked for March '09, a 14 day through the Panama Canal, has us in a balcony cabin on the Pride.

[mailbroad]

My husband and I have been in both balcony and inside cabins. We do not mine the inside to save some money. For three people, with a child that is older I would suggest to get the balcony. It will make the cabin feel bigger. I traveled with my parents a few years ago and the three of us had a balcony. An inside would not have been good... too cramped!

[momofmeg]

You definitely can hear the conversations and smell the smoke from nearby balconies. Also, the opening and closing of neighboring balcony doors can be noisey. I have found that many passengers use their balconies very little and for brief periods, ie., for morning coffee, a smoke, a quickie, at sailaway or before dinner. Most of the time, it is very quiet. If the sun shines directly onto the balcony, it gets mighty hot during the afternoon. I could sit and read for only about 10-15 minutes at a time during our Western Caribbean cruise two weeks ago. It was tolerable standing at the rail.

 

Joni

 

Joni, as far as opening and closing balcony doors being noisy-it depends on the line and the design of the door-the lines that have sliding doors noise is not a problem. One reason I have not been back on CCL is the slamming balcony doors. On HAL the doors also open and shut instead of sliding-but they were designed better. we did not hear our neighbors opening their balcony doors as we did on CCL.

[KULPN]

We have enjoyed our cruises when having an inside room or a balcony. The window, porthole thing doesn't do it for me---don't have enough room to get in front of the win dow & look out, plus you can only look straight ahead out of a window. So if I can afford a balcony & still have extra for fun, that is what I'll do. If the cruise is so pricey but I still want to go badly, inside wouldn't bother me.

If I had a 19 year old with me, I'd just want him/her to keep occupied & stay out of the room except for sleeping. Yes, I raised teens----don't mind that they are now in their thirties!

Also, think people get too worried about "status" & where their cabin is!

[cruis247g]

I think the fundamental question is "What do you like to do?" Does it sound better to be out on deck with other fun and interesting cruisers or would you prefer to spend a bit more time on your own?

 

I have friends, who are extremely social, who cruise often, and always book an interior cabin. They use their room for sleeping and showering. They read on deck. They have drinks on deck. ...you get the idea. They use the money they save on an interior cabin to cruise more often.

 

In contrast, we love having a balcony. Although, I love meeting and chatting with new people, we're a bit quieter on cruises and really enjoy sitting on the balcony - reading, watching the water, or simply listening to the waves. Regardless of the itinerary, we truly enjoy it.

 

It seems that most people who have a balcony spend a bit more time in their room. It probably isn't essential, but offers a slightly different cruise experience.

 

If it was a question of cruising or not cruising, even though I love having a balcony, I would definitely book an interior or ocean view.

[RMVET]

A lot depends on where you are traveling to and when. We have gone transatlantic in June twice, paying extra for a balcony, and the weather was so windy and wet both times that we never go to sit on it once. In fact, we couldn't even get the door open because of the wind. Paying the extra for the balcony was a big waste of money. When we go transatlantic again, we will opt for an oceanview. If we get an upgrade to a balcony, great, but we won't pay for the balcony again.

[Swtgypsy]

A lot depends on where you are traveling to and when. We have gone transatlantic in June twice, paying extra for a balcony, and the weather was so windy and wet both times that we never go to sit on it once. In fact, we couldn't even get the door open because of the wind. Paying the extra for the balcony was a big waste of money. When we go transatlantic again, we will opt for an oceanview. If we get an upgrade to a balcony, great, but we won't pay for the balcony again.

 

That is a good tip about transatlantic cruises...I love balconies and have my door open the whole time. I love waking up and feeling the cool air, hearing the waves...I can't wait for my next cruise! 63 more days!!:D

[momofmeg]

That is a good tip about transatlantic cruises...I love balconies and have my door open the whole time. I love waking up and feeling the cool air, hearing the waves...I can't wait for my next cruise! 63 more days!!:D

 

We used our balcony on our transatlantic every day and several tiems a day. I suppose it depends on the weather when you cross and that can never be predicted- our TA crossing was coolish but never super windy. We LOVED our balcony.

[meldam]

I wrestled with the same decision myself. However, it all depends what your intentions are for using the balcony and does that outweigh the cost of other things you would rather do.

 

This is my first cruise with my DH and I've read in many reviews of the crowdedness of the ship at breakfast, on the deck, etc. I opted for the balcony for these reasons:

 

-I need an exclusive place. A little part of the ship where my DH and myself are the only ones there. Where we can still enjoy the view, the weather, and the quietness without anyone's presence interfering.

 

-I've heard the breakfast buffets are horrendous, plus my DH is a late riser unless he's motivated to get up so I plan to order breakfast the night before so we can enjoy it on our balcony and watch the sunrise and the beautiful port we will be arriving at.

 

-I also heard sometimes you get in eachother's way while you are getting ready so, after I get ready I can relax on the balcony with a glass of wine while the DH is getting ready and we won't be crowding eachother.

 

These may happen according to plan or may not but, that's why I got a balcony. Whether I spend 5 minutes/day in my room or 5 hours I will be content to be in the moment and enjoy the ambiance of those times.

[IDKaren]

I wrestled with the same decision myself. However, it all depends what your intentions are for using the balcony and does that outweigh the cost of other things you would rather do.

 

This is my first cruise with my DH and I've read in many reviews of the crowdedness of the ship at breakfast, on the deck, etc. I opted for the balcony for these reasons:

 

-I need an exclusive place. A little part of the ship where my DH and myself are the only ones there. Where we can still enjoy the view, the weather, and the quietness without anyone's presence interfering.

 

-I've heard the breakfast buffets are horrendous, plus my DH is a late riser unless he's motivated to get up so I plan to order breakfast the night before so we can enjoy it on our balcony and watch the sunrise and the beautiful port we will be arriving at.

 

-I also heard sometimes you get in eachother's way while you are getting ready so, after I get ready I can relax on the balcony with a glass of wine while the DH is getting ready and we won't be crowding eachother.

 

These may happen according to plan or may not but, that's why I got a balcony. Whether I spend 5 minutes/day in my room or 5 hours I will be content to be in the moment and enjoy the ambiance of those times.

 

This is pretty much our feeling too! I am NOT a good morning person so being able to have my coffee, fruit, rolls etc while sitting out on the balcony and enjoying the ocean and view and not the crowds is great!

As another posted mentioned- depends on the type of 'mixers" you might be. We are not real "crowd" people so don't hang on the decks drinking, playing, etc etc. We enjoy each others company on the balcony-reading etc! Plus if it is nasty out we can sit on the couch and look out.

Have cruised inside-outside and balcony-if $ is not the object I will choose balcony as I have become spoiled!

Happy cruising everyone!:D

[mtnmusic]

This is our first cruise and there will be 3 of us in a room. Us plus our 19 year old son. It is $950.00 more for the balcony. Is this worth that much extra money? I have heard it is but want to be sure. What do you guys think?

 

Danielle

A lot of it depends on your destination. We made the Alaska cruise on HA Amsterdam the last of August and didn't get much use out of our balcony because of the weather. We bundled up when we were in Glacier Bay but

didn't otherwise use our balcony very much.

[Galveston Cruiser]

We have had a balcony on every sailing with the exception of the Med. cruise where we had an inside cabin over the promenade (great price).

The inside was okay, but never knew what the weather was like so sent DH to the deck to find out.

 

We have enjoyed our balcony on every trip including transatlantic, weather was great. Have a balcony for December crossing also. On one trip to Mexico, we watched a meteor shower for hours from the balcony.

We also enjoy the balcony when arriving and departing ports.

[ChristynBJ]

For me, it depends on the cruise. I've been in both. My husband and I always get a balcony, because we like to spend alone time (kids are booked in an inside cabin across the hall) on the balcony in the morning/evening. When I travel with "the girls" we get an inside cabin to save the $$ because we don't spend ANY time in our room.

To me, it doesn't even matter where we are going. I have 2 cruises coming up: Car. we have a balcony (per the scenrario above) but the second cruise is to Alaska with the girls, and we are inside. Yes, the scenery is beautifyul, but I'll find somewhere to watch it all.

[earthone]

First time dh and i cruised we had ov it was nice and reasonable, but then we had dd and tried the balcony and it was even better:D I say once you go on one you will return so at least try ov and then balcony.

[appgirl]

I don't know if anybody has mentioned this or not. But my DH is a smoker so a balcony is very nice for that. So we really try to get one when we can, however, if we are cruising on a smaler boat where the difference is rates is very high like $950, we probably would not pay that. Also, in the evening especially, we both like to sit and talk and watch the world go by. It is wonderful.