Worth upgrading from inside room to balcony??

[cmlmich]

Hi,

 

First time user on the forum and I will be cruising for our first time. We are planning on booking the Victory cruise for Jan. 31. Would it be worth the extra $$ to upgrade to a balcony room instead of a standard inside room?

 

Thanks for any opinions.

 

Curt

[GottaLuvCruising]

It depends on your preferences and how much it is worth to you. Personally, I love a balcony, the bigger, the better. And I'm willing to pay for it. For our week in Alaska, we paid $1,000 extra to have a balcony, over the inside fare. I probably wouldn't do that again, but for us, it was worth it for that destination.

 

Some folks really like an inside. They tend to be out and about most of the time and don't relax on the balcony enough to make it worthwhile.

 

What kind of fare difference are you looking at? How many days will you have at sea?

[cccer]

First cruise inner, 2nd cruise ocean view, 3rd cruise balcony... next 4 cruises all balconies and i will not go back, but that is my preference. You need to think about what you plan to do on your cruise. I like spending time on the balcony in the morning and before dinner and late at night.

[blingbling]

I agree with other posters...what kind of traveller are you? I want the place I stay to be as nice or nicer than my home. Some of my friends only look as lodging as a place to plop.

 

So, if you enjoy some solitude, just steps from your private bath, and your tv with the day's events, then go for the balcony. If you like breakfast in your room (remember, a service for only the tip) get a balcony. If the weather will be gentle, get a balcony.

 

That being said, I am a bargain shopper, so do look for free or low cost upgrades to get the best value. Good luck, and happy sailing.

[redskin80]

FOr us 1st Cruise just a little portal window. 2,3-4 all balconies, 5 SUITE.

 

Definitely for us it is worth it. I enjoy being able to sit on my balcony and watch us come in and out of ports. Really enjoy when PORT side watching people coming back to the ship, this can be very interesting. I have some of my best pitcures from my balcony.

[quickrate]

A balcony is very important to us. We have our coffee there in the morning and there is nothing like watching a sunset from your balcony.

[poobears]

Depending on the price difference, I would probably go with a OV, unless a balcony wasn't much more. I can't cruise with an inside, my room is a big part of my vacation so that little closet looking room with no windows would not work for me. Others love them.

 

While I'd love a balcony, OV works for us and it's the right price.

[Shipshape7]

Excellent advice from both posters. Very much depends on the itinerary. I would not cruise Alaska, for example, without a balcony. It also depends on the price spread. On some ships its nearly double the price for a balcony but on others its not nearly so much more. Beyond that, you have to take into consideration your personal habits to determine how much it is worth to you. With an inside you have to go with the attitude that the rest of the ship is your "living room". If you can do that without being bothered then fine. If you really need your own space then the balcony becomes more worth it.

[singbluesilver1]

it just depends on how much time you expect to spend in your room....

 

a balcony is also pretty romantic if youre into that kinda thing...

[crookedhalo]

In six cruises, I've had 3 insides, 2 OV's and 1 Balcony. The balcony was cruise #2 and the only reason we got it was we had to add our kids @ the last minute and it was the only type of cabin that would accomodate 4 at that late date:) Honestly, we spend most of our time on deck, in the public spaces or in port and really only use the cabin to shower, sleep and change clothing:D BUT it's your trip and only you know how you like to travel. Maybe try a happy medium in an OV to start?;)

[gazingm42]

With #10 and #11 cruise booked we have only had a balcony 2 times. Both

times were in Alaska!

 

I personally would not pay the $ for the Balcony in the Caribbean or Mexico

ports. We spend most our time on deck or public areas. We take the $$

we spend to do some great excursions. But every traveler is different.

[ADL3]

If you have any fear at all of confined spaces, I would at least get an ocean view. Before I saw an inside room, I might have considered one, but once I got a peek in one across the hall from us, I realized that I probably would have had to get off the ship as soon as I realized that was my room. It was so tiny and dark and I have issues with feeling trapped so it would not have worked for me. For people who like dark spaces for sleeping, it's perfect.

[ameliabedilia]

I will have to get back to you- we have our first balcony next week :D

 

We have had had ocean view and I found myself sittin by the window ALOT! I originally booked inside for this upcoming cruise. We did do lido deck so we could get fresh air easily. However, we got a free upgrade so we now have balcony. I really can't justify the price if it's significantly more than the ov or inside, but I am cheap and if you can afford it- go for it!!!

 

I do keep hearing that once you get a balcony you never go back, so I'm kind of nervous!

[cmlmich]

Thanks everyone for the responses. To answer some of the questions, it is a seven day southern caribbean and the cost difference from inside with no window to balcony would be $580 total, which covers both of our tickets. Having our morning coffee and watching sunsets from our own deck does sound pretty nice. All of your responses does help out alot.

 

Also, blingbling mentioned looking for free or low cost upgrades, how do I do that??

[singbluesilver1]

you will have fun no matter what you decide!

[RVman]

I’ll usually do a mixture. Sometimes I’ll go balcony, others OV and like our next cruise is an inside. We usually go up to eat in the mornings and they have outside seating or inside window seating if you prefer.

 

We decided on another cruise this year so we went with an inside room. Usually if I cruise once I’ll go with a balcony but if we do two we will do an OV and an inside.

 

Either way you’ll have a great time

[sunshine 229]

I'm sure you can have a lovely cruise in either an inside or a balcony. We have had both and find that we just cruise differently depending on which we have. Balconies for me make for more relaxing cruises, coffe on the balcony in the morning means a later more relaxed start to the day, when we have an inside we are more likely to get up and head right away to do a couple of turns around the deck before hitting the buffet or restaurant for breakfast.

 

If we want to do a few excursions we will book a cheaper inside to have more money for the excursions and also since the more time we plan to spend in port or doing ship board activities the less time we will be spending on our balcony anyway.

 

You didn't mention an OV as an option you were considering but since some others mentioned OV's I'll just add that since we don't suffer from claustophobia I've never seen the need to pay extra for an OV. If we don't have a balcony I'm not going to be spending that much time in the cabin anyway so an inside is good enough and an OV on a promenade deck, where people might be walking by your window seems to me like a very bad choice.

[T. Advisor King]

Here's the excerpt from my Conquest (Western Caribbean) review from March. Obviously, the portion relating to having two rooms connected by the balcony doesn't apply to you, but I left it in for completeness.

 

Balcony, window or inside cabin - Of course this is largely a question of affordability. However, in terms of value for money, here are my thoughts. In planning our trip, we had considered everything from inside cabins to balcony staterooms. We had a family of four and ended up with adjacent balcony rooms. For us, part of the decision was cost. Because we were travelling a long distance (airfare, transfers, two nights of hotel accommodation), the difference in total cost between balcony and inside cabins was still a small portion of the overall trip cost. The cost of the cruise alone (including the standard gratuity, excluding on-board purchases and excursions) was $4,055. The cost of the entire trip (including transportation to Houston, two hotel nights, meals and other activities) was about $7,400. I've read reviews from travellers who report that they spend very little time inside the cabin and for them, a window or balcony is an unnecessary expense. I'm sure that's true for them. But I found there was enough time that we were in our rooms at the beginning of the day, end of the day, or just unwinding before dinner that the window (at a minimum) was invaluable. I don't think I would book an inside cabin, or even a cabin with a small porthole. It was a nice part of the trip to be able to see where you were going, not to mention being reminded what direction the ship was moving (to know how to get to the front or back of the ship), what the weather was, whether the sun was still up, etc. We spent some time sitting on the balcony almost every day, but if we'd been on a colder climate trip, I think the balcony would probably be a waste of money. It was also very convenient for us to go back and forth between cabins via the adjoining balconies, rather than having to go through the corridor and worry about taking card-keys or leaving the doors open (or ajar).

Balcony - We really enjoyed our cabin's balcony (on the 8th deck) for the late-afternoon sun. However, for much of the ship, the 9th floor deck actually overhangs the 8th deck, which means that the sun has to be quite low before it actually hits our balcony. Because of the angle, the impact of this overhang is less on the 7th deck, so if you have a balcony on a lower floor, you are less likely to have the sun blocked by the 9th deck overhang. Of course, the whole point is moot depending on the position of the sun, which depends on the direction of travel and the exact time of the season (i.e., during our cruise, in early spring, the sun was still slightly south and therefore exposed to the starboard side of the ship on the way out and the port side (our side) on the way back. That said, the cruise route takes the ship below the Tropic of Cancer, so there will be some cruise weeks when the north side of the ship gets more sun than the south side (i.e., the opposite of what is always the case in North America). If you like to enjoy your balcony in the sun, consider the season and the direction of travel when booking your cabin. A Carnival booking agent can help sort this out for you.

 

.

[Dawnie]

One of the times my husband loves our balcony the most is during the early evening while we are getting ready for dinner. When we come back after a day of touring, he takes a quick shower and then while I freshen up (which can take a while if we have been snorkeling or something!) he grabs a drink and sits out on the balcony and relaxes. That way he is not sitting a bed watching and waiting for me to get ready...Which makes a much more relaxing time for me too! ;)

[spd3zoom]

I have been on three cruises, same ship, same itinerary, always a balcony! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!:D

[cruzn buckeye]

Thanks everyone for the responses. To answer some of the questions, it is a seven day southern caribbean and the cost difference from inside with no window to balcony would be $580 total, which covers both of our tickets. Having our morning coffee and watching sunsets from our own deck does sound pretty nice. All of your responses does help out alot.

 

Also, blingbling mentioned looking for free or low cost upgrades, how do I do that??

 

I would definetly take the balcony on a Southern Carribean cruise! I love that morning coffee on the balcony, enjoying the fresh ocean air in my robe, and sometimes having a glass of wine in the morning as well as in the evening on my balcony.

[Beerman]

Balcony for all of the reasons above. Watching sunset, coming into ports, watching people STUMBLE back to ship, coffee in the morning, drinks b/4 dinner, SERENITY or it all.

[JAMB]

Thanks everyone for the responses. To answer some of the questions, it is a seven day southern caribbean and the cost difference from inside with no window to balcony would be $580 total, which covers both of our tickets. Having our morning coffee and watching sunsets from our own deck does sound pretty nice. All of your responses does help out alot.

 

Also, blingbling mentioned looking for free or low cost upgrades, how do I do that??

 

My wife and I thought about this same thing on our first cruise. We quickly opted to not take an inside because of her fear of becoming sea sick and not being able to see the outside. We were totally prepared to book a OV when we arrived at our TA's office. After discussing the difference between and OV and Balcony we opted for the balcony (which was later upgraded to a Suite and spoiled us for life, but thats another story). About two days later my wife had buyers remorse that we had spent too much money for our cabin but we kept the cabin class and, Suite or not, we were very glad we had our balcony.

 

On our second cruise, which was a family cruise my parents wanted to pay for, we all booked balconies. This was the first Balcony for my parents and their biggest regret was that they didn't book a Balcony when they did their Alaska cruise.

 

What we like the most:

 

1. When you reach that point in the cruise where you need that quite time, recharge time or what ever you want to call it you can go onto your balcony and enjoy the fresh air and listen to the waves crashing as the ship glides effortlessly through the water.

 

2. Enjoying the fresh sea air and the waves crashing as the ship glides effortlessly through the water while you are sleeping.

 

3. That early morning coffee on the Balcony before the rest of the ship wakes up enjoying the fresh sea air, a beautiful sunrise and the waves crashing as the ship glides effortlessly through the water while you wipe the sleep from your eyes. (I'm beginning to see a common theme here :))

 

4. On our first cruise we did the topside when entering and leaving port but it is nice to be able to sit on your Balcony without having to deal with the crowds to get a good view as you pull into port, and yes the air and wave things also. We still will do sail away topside, it's too much fun waving at all of the people who aren't on the cruise with you. :D

 

5. As someone else mentioned, when the rest of your party is getting ready for dinner it is a great place to relax instead of having to sit on the bed waiting for them.

 

As others have stated you really need to figure out how you want to travel and how much time you intend to spend in your cabin. If you do stay in a balcony you will probably find yourself spending more time in you cabin than you would if you stayed in your inside. Neither my wife or I are big crowd people and we have found that a balcony fits OUR needs on a cruise when we just want to get away from the groups and just relax.

 

What ever you decide I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise. There are so many things to do and by going with the flow and making the most of every moment on the ship will determine how great your cruise can be and it is not the type of cabin you are staying in.

 

The choice is yours but I hope this helps one way or another and I hope you have a great cruise, I wish we were sailing with you because thinking back about our past two cruise I really want to be on a ship again.

 

PS: Beware, if you do change to a Balcony I give you an 80% chance you will be hooked and it will be the only cabin choice you will want to sail in the future.

[Texarribean Chick]

Yay on all of the reasons mentioned and you still have the opportunity to join the "Balcony Club" Yew hew! Chick.

[cruiserbryce]

we have only booked a balcony a couple times...the extra cost hasnt always been worth it, but if you can get a good rate then it may be something to consider