Opinion On Stateroom?

[reneeshane]

What does everyone prefer for a stateroom? Interior, oceanview, or balcony? We booked an interior room but are having seconds thoughts and are considering upgrading to a balcony.

[Dr_DNA]

We had an oceanview on our last cruise and decided to get a balcony on our next. I think that we will really enjoy sitting on it and enjoying nice, quiet evenings together. However, they do seem awfully expensive in comparison to the insides. If we weren't sailing with a 4 year old who goes to bed at 8:00, we probably wouldn't spend the extra. However, having a balcony will allow us to put him to bed and still spend a little time together before we retire. The OV really was just a tease because you could look out, see what was going on, but then you wanted to be out there. I certainly don't think that the OV is worth it. The choice for us is either inside or balcony. I think that the best value on a ship are the Promenade insides. They are typically priced roughly the same as the other insides but you do at least have a window to look at something. But that is just me. Everyone has different opinions and they range the gamot. Some would only sail in the lowest priced insides while others insist on the highest suites.

[cb at sea]

JS--most like a decent hotel room--tub and big closet! It's the only way to cruise!

[Sky616]

What does everyone prefer for a stateroom? Interior, oceanview, or balcony? We booked an interior room but are having seconds thoughts and are considering upgrading to a balcony.

On our 1st and 2nd cruise we did the interior room to save a little money. We have done the balcony on our last 2 cruises and even though the interior was fine we will stay w/ the balcony on future cruises. Its really neat to go out whenever you want especially in port to see the scenery and the tenders going back and forth in tender ports. It's also neat to hear the waves while going to sleep. A little more money but well worth it.

[Nano]

We have sailed once in a Promenade cabin and 4 times in a balcony cabin. While I enjoyed the Promenade, my husband really wanted to be able to see outside, so we upgraded to a balcony and never looked back.

 

We are now considering an OV for our next cruise because we had the unfortunate luck to be housed between two cabins full of smokers on our last cruise. Everytime we tried to go outside to enjoy some time on our balcony, someone from one of our neighboring cabins came outside to smoke. My husband's allergies are triggered by cigarette smoke, so we didn't have a choice but to go back inside and close the door. Needless to say, it was maddening to us to be paying all that money for a balcony and not be able to enjoy it. I guess that's the chance you take...

 

I was hoping the OV would be a good compromise, but it sounds like that has it's downside as well?

[Robb]

I say book whatever your pocketbook can handle. :) Of course, one you have splurged and booked something really nice it is so hard to downgrade on the next cruise. I am so spoiled now, I WANT a grand suite for every cruise. We have had an owner's suite twice but I think I can suffer thru with only a grand.;) :D

[Pootle]

What does everyone prefer for a stateroom? Interior, oceanview, or balcony? We booked an interior room but are having seconds thoughts and are considering upgrading to a balcony.

 

We had an interior fopr our last back to back and it was fine. To be honest we spent so little time in your room if didn'#t make a difference to us, and it was nice that it was soooo dark at night time.

 

However, this year I've have splurged because it's the DH's 30th so we are staying in a junior suite on the hump. I;ve heard once you have a balcony room you never want to go back...

[cheaptravel]

I agree on going with what your finances allow.

We are doing our 3rd inside stateroom this year. We have absolutely no problem with it. If we want to sit outside for a while, we go out on one of the decks, but to be honest, I can't take the wind for too long. We would rather spend the extra $$ on drinks, souveniers, fun at the ports than on a cabin we'll basically only sleep and shower in. I will try a balcony some time when we have more money to burn, but again, with me having little tolerance for the winds/breezes, I don't think I'd be on it much. At port, I'm not in the boat.

[Lwilliams]

What does everyone prefer for a stateroom? Interior, oceanview, or balcony? We booked an interior room but are having seconds thoughts and are considering upgrading to a balcony.

 

Whichever is the cheapest!

[Lwilliams]

I agree on going with what your finances allow.

We are doing our 3rd inside stateroom this year. We have absolutely no problem with it. If we want to sit outside for a while, we go out on one of the decks, but to be honest, I can't take the wind for too long. We would rather spend the extra $$ on drinks, souveniers, fun at the ports than on a cabin we'll basically only sleep and shower in. I will try a balcony some time when we have more money to burn, but again, with me having little tolerance for the winds/breezes, I don't think I'd be on it much. At port, I'm not in the boat.

 

We had a balcony stateroom on the Navigator and I envisioned myself sitting out there in the morning enjoying a cup of coffee, etc. and it never happened. We rarely used it. And it was freaky being out there at night when everything was soooo dark and all the saw was the water rushing by.

[firefly333]

We had a balcony stateroom on the Navigator and I envisioned myself sitting out there in the morning enjoying a cup of coffee, etc. and it never happened. We rarely used it. And it was freaky being out there at night when everything was soooo dark and all the saw was the water rushing by.

 

I think we would be like that, not really use a balcony just to sit out on by ourselves. We enjoy seeing people. I really really want a PR cabin to people watch, but cant get away just now. I also like to see out. I have enough points on my RCL VISA card to upgrade from a inside to an outside. Anything but a plain inside cabin, I want to see something.

[vickiw0318]

For me, it is a balcony - aft if at all possible. However one of my good friends strongly prefers an inside room because it is so dark at night. My partying days are over, so I really use the balcony. I also like sunning in private because my now older body is somewhat less than perfect. :) I love being out there at night looking at the stars. If the OP is the type of cruiser who is on the go all the time, I would keep the inside. If the OP chills like I do, then I'd go for the balcony.

[xpcdoojk]

I think it depends on what you want and can afford. In my opinion what cabin you are in is far less important than you are taking a vacation that you will enjoy. We have done insides and balcony cabins. I am all about value, and most of the time the money saved on an inside cabin is enough to convince me that it is the best way to travel. You will sleep the best in an inside cabin. It is gloriously dark. A balcony is great for spending semi private time on the ship. So, if you have an itinerary that has lots of time at sea a balcony is great. If you are on a very port intensive sailing, then book an inside. Europe and the Med in particular are so very port intensive that most people don't spend significant time on the balcony. It is still nice, but it is an expensive luxury. We got hooked on cruising, while sailing in inside cabins. So, in my opinion it all gets back to what you want to spend money on.

 

jc

[CharmedOne]

We did an inside our first cruise - it was fine as we didn't spend much time in there and didn't have much $$$ then. Our second cruise we did a balcony and will not look back. We loved it so much - having breakfast on it in the am - having a relaxing drink outside at night while listening to the waves as the ship heads to the next port - you just can't beat it IMO.

 

We will likely try a suite the next time around - though I'm scared to death it will be like the balcony...we won't look back! LOL

[jules815]

If you can do the balcony, I say go for it! We had a balcony on our very first cruise and loved it. Last year, I originally booked 2 interiors side by side; my husband and I in one, and our teen daughters next door. (At booking time it was MUCH cheaper for 2 interiors, and we really wanted that extra bathroom!) As it got closer to our sail date, we ended up getting a very nice price drop, and I used it to upgrade my husband and I to a balcony, and then our girls were a little bit down the hall from us, but not far at all.

 

We both love having a balcony and spend a lot of time out there. It's fun to wake up in the morning, take that first peek outside and see a beautiful port. And I absolutely LOVE standing out there at night and watching the water.

[jules815]

 

We will likely try a suite the next time around - though I'm scared to death it will be like the balcony...we won't look back! LOL

 

That's exactly what I'm afraid of!! Actually, with one starting college in the fall, and youngest just getting braces 2 weeks ago (6k can you believe that?! :eek:) this may be our last balcony for a while.

[jules815]

We're going to be in our first "hump" balcony in June -- can't wait for that! :D

[danajjj]

We like balconies, particularly the afts. We really like to just relax on a cruise, so we use our balcony a lot. On short, weekend cruises we have booked insides since the ships (Sovereign and Majesty) only have balconies in the suites. Personally, I don't think the OV's are worth it. We have done that once and wouldn't again unless it was the same as an inside. We couldn't really see anything out of the window, so we really thought it was a waste of money.

[piercetc4]

so far we have had balcony's and a couple of j.s.'s on some smaller ships- i would choose balcony if its affordable- we spend time out there on and off all day and at night seeing the ocean, enjoying the peacefulness, and thanking the man upstairs we are able to be there......

no matter what, you will be on a ship at sea- any cabin is better than no cabin :p

[HorrorFan]

On our previous cruses we were in inside cabins with two adults, two kids. No problem. We never spent any time in the room anyway.

We booked a 10 day Panama for next year and got a balcony this time for three reasons.

1) Cruise prices have dropped (high Canadian $ helps I think) so we are not really paying more for this one than either of our previous cruises.

2) The kids are getting bigger so we thought the extra space of the balcony would be nice.

3) Since its a 10 day cruise we will likely have more opportunuity to actually use the balcony.

I wouldn't hesistate to book another inside though, it was never a problem for us. They really are a great deal, especially for two people, but even 3 or 4 isn't unworkable.

[Rala]

I prefer a huge suite, but I am happy with a mid-ship balcony of some sort!!!

[sea-cruise]

We've had many different catagories of cabins, and we've enjoyed every single cruise, no matter where we slept.

We've only been booking balconies because of the discounts we've been getting.

I agree with most of the other CC members here who advise you to book whatever catagory fits your budget. Happy cruising!! :D

[HuskieRed]

It's a balcony for us. Once our little one (5) goes to bed my wife and I sit outside and drink wine and watch the ocean go by. For out older two (18) we get them and inside because they are up most of the night.

[MellowMel]

Our first cruise we had an ocean view. It was nice to know what the weather was like when you first woke up. On all our other cruises we have had the inside stateroom. We love this because we like to take a late afternoon nap and napping in a dark, cold cave is wonderful for us! We have our first balcony for Alaska because, we we were told you have to have a balcony for Alaska. But we are going back to insides after that.

 

I'd rather cruise more often cheaper. We aren't in our room that much and when I want some outdoor time, I don't mind the public places.

[Gixer]

We loved our Balcony room, and we did use it and awful lot, it was a great place to escape the crowds and noise, so relaxing and chilled out, we would sit out there for hours at night listening to the sea, chatting over a glass of wine, and I really enjoyed spending time out there on port days when it was time to sail away. I dont think we would cruise again if we couldnt have a balcony!