Balcony vs Inside Room?

[Cuizer2]

You're not likely to get a sunRISE photo if you're facing WEST!:p

You take a sunset photo and then turn it around. Nobody will know the difference. :D

[WhiskeyNoIce]

We cruised Concierge class with a balcony. It was awesome. But, it was our first cruise and we didn’t have any comparison. We spent very little time in our room. Rarely used the balcony except to stand out there periodically or drink that first cup of coffee. My husband likes to eat at a table, so we ate I out on the deck of the dining room. I love to sit up on the solstice deck and drink coffee/champagne and get a LARGE picture of the area. I found the balcony view was limited. Beautiful, but limited depending on the location of land. We have already booked our next cruise and selected an inside room because we are saving a substantial amount of money that I prefer to spend on excursions. I may be back later and say “never an inside room again!” But we wanted to try it to see which we preferred. Our next cruise has 2 sea days and 9 port days. Our expectation is to be up and out early on every port day. I expect to sleep in on sea days and spend the rest of the day in some nook somewhere reading, napping, drinking and staring out into the sea.

I agree with other posters. You won’t know what you prefer until you experience it. I wasn’t even sure we’d like cruising! We are looking forward to our next adventure.

[sloopsailor]

You won’t know what you prefer until you experience it.

 

We only book balcony cabins. We don't need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on an inside cabin to know we wouldn't like being cooped up in a windowless box for 1/3rd of every day. We like light, air, and the sounds of the waves. For us, trying an inside would be like being punished. :eek:

 

Just like I know I don't need to try living in a cave to know I wouldn't like it. Just like I know without trying it that I wouldn't like living under the flight path of a busy airport. Just like I know without trying it that I wouldn't like living next to a busy railroad line. Just like I know without trying it that I wouldn't like living at the bottom of a potential land slide area. Just like I know without trying it that I wouldn't like living in my car instead of my comfortable house. ;p:D

 

And, yes, I know this is an 8 year old thread. That doesn't change my preference. ;)

Edited February 18, 2018 by sloopsailor

[WhiskeyNoIce]

:cool:(y)

[Bizmark'sMom]

My idea of bliss is sitting quietly enjoying the ocean. There's no chance I would take an inside cabin.

[Nic6318]

Hi

 

8 y.o. thread, but the answer is still the same. Get a balcony if you think you might use it. Of course if money is no object, just get the best available. We all know that a balcony costs more than an interior, if all you want is to be able to see outside when you wake up, you can consider an OV. You can still save money and you get a little more inside space.

[pseudoware]

We stayed inside once. I don't see ourselves doing it again.

 

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[miss prairie girl]

We stayed inside once. I don't see ourselves doing it again.

 

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Interesting thread here.

 

Things we do on our balcony:

 

- morning coffee

- read

- sit and visit with each other (we don't see each other that much)

- have a glass of wine together

- sometimes DH likes an afternoon nap - I read on the balcony

- when I dress, he likes to sit on balcony

- evening tea

 

We are from the prairies and that horizon line is very important to us. We like being able to "see" the horizon. It is who we are. If we were urban people, this might not matter. Sometimes, it is the aesthetics of the trip that make you happy.

[Velvetwater]

I am a bargain girlie so I get where your hubby is coming from. Balconies are just too much to be worth it for us....esp when we book longer voyages.

 

At the same time insides said me round the bend as I love natural light.

 

I would say book an OV but I believe the newer big Princess ships don't have that option.

[GUT2407]

My husband is pretty tight with a dollar and,when you're talking about a Mainer, that is really tight. He doesn't think that a balcony is worth the extra money. I'm looking for opinions about balconies. His argument is that we spend very little time in the room, the balconies are small and have uncomfortable furniture, and the ship is sourrounded by the same view of the ocean up on deck. On our upcoming cruise it would run us an extra $450 for a balcony of a 10-day cruise with Princess. Is it worth it?

 

 

I can’t imagine sailing in an inside.

 

I use my cabin a lot.

 

First waiting for Mrs Gut to be ready.

Then for a nap during the day.

 

Next just because I need some quiet time.

 

Then getting ready for dinner.

 

Then after diner before bed

 

I’d guess around 6 hours a day other than sleeping.

 

And while doing so I want to see, hear and even smell the ocean, after all why cruise otherwise.

 

But hey we are all different.

[cruisemom42]

I take port intensive cruises, mainly in Europe. I also travel solo, which makes cruising nearly twice as much for me, per diem, as for those sharing a cabin.

 

I am fortunate in that I really don't care if I have a balcony or not. The ships I sail on have plenty of comfortable seating indoors and out where I can relax and watch the ocean or read when we are at sea. On port days I'm usually off the ship for the maximum possible time.

 

Also, as someone else posted upthread, I'd rather take three cruises in an inside than two in a balcony. :cool:

[ronandannette]

My husband is pretty tight with a dollar and,when you're talking about a Mainer, that is really tight. He doesn't think that a balcony is worth the extra money. I'm looking for opinions about balconies. His argument is that we spend very little time in the room, the balconies are small and have uncomfortable furniture, and the ship is sourrounded by the same view of the ocean up on deck. On our upcoming cruise it would run us an extra $450 for a balcony of a 10-day cruise with Princess. Is it worth it?

I've sailed in a variety of cabin types and price is a very important consideration to me. DH loves a balcony and for $450 over an inside on a 10-day cruise I'd definitely book the balcony. But often on the less-expensive itineraries I'm looking at a balcony can be more than double the price of an inside and it's not worth it at that point.

[baldilocks]

Royal now have inside cabins with a virtual 'window' via a camera located near the bridge. You get a nice sea view, but no sound.

 

One interesting thing happened when one of our fellow cruisers asked the room steward how you turn it off. The steward replied, 'You don't'. The cruiser asked, 'Well how do I go to sleep with it on?' The steward replied, 'It gets dark outside and so will the virtual window'.

[sloopsailor]

Royal now have inside cabins with a virtual 'window' via a camera located near the bridge. You get a nice sea view, but no sound.

 

One interesting thing happened when one of our fellow cruisers asked the room steward how you turn it off. The steward replied, 'You don't'. The cruiser asked, 'Well how do I go to sleep with it on?' The steward replied, 'It gets dark outside and so will the virtual window'.

 

Or, he could have simply closed the curtains, just like in a normal balcony cabin! :D

 

[SPacificbound]

It would certainly be "worth it" for me.

 

What do you want? :)

[nealstuber]

My husband is pretty tight with a dollar and,when you're talking about a Mainer, that is really tight. He doesn't think that a balcony is worth the extra money. I'm looking for opinions about balconies. His argument is that we spend very little time in the room, the balconies are small and have uncomfortable furniture, and the ship is sourrounded by the same view of the ocean up on deck. On our upcoming cruise it would run us an extra $450 for a balcony of a 10-day cruise with Princess. Is it worth it?

 

 

 

The argument that “you spend very little time in the room” is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you’re surrounded by 4 walls, darkness and no sea breeze - OF COURSE YOU DON’T SPEND A LOT IF TIME IN THE ROOM.

 

Even with an inside cabin, you’re making a significant investment: your port charges, tips and expenses getting to and from the ship are the same regardless of cabin category. Why spend all that money to get to a cabin you don’t want to be in when you can spend a small percentage more to get a cabin you will enjoy?

 

The furniture on the decks - same as your balcony. While the pool decks on Princess are somewhat more open than other mainstream lines; all of the lines are building the ships with more decks, but there can only be one deck at the top - so pool decks are newer ships are always more crowded.

 

 

 

 

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[cruisemom42]

The argument that “you spend very little time in the room” is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you’re surrounded by 4 walls, darkness and no sea breeze - OF COURSE YOU DON’T SPEND A LOT IF TIME IN THE ROOM.

 

 

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I disagree.

 

I've been in balcony cabins and mini-suites. Even an aft balcony (which, by the way, was my least favorite). I never spend more than a few minutes on the balcony. On one cruise, I remember noting that I only stepped onto the balcony twice: once when we got to the room, to check it out, and once when we were approaching a specific port where I wanted to gauge how far away we still were.

 

I don't eat in the cabin. I don't watch TV on cruises. If I'm going to sit outside and read, I prefer to be somewhere where there is more to watch than just the ocean going by, pretty as that is.

[navybankerteacher]

I disagree.

 

I've been in balcony cabins and mini-suites. Even an aft balcony (which, by the way, was my least favorite). I never spend more than a few minutes on the balcony. On one cruise, I remember noting that I only stepped onto the balcony twice: once when we got to the room, to check it out, and once when we were approaching a specific port where I wanted to gauge how far away we still were.

 

I don't eat in the cabin. I don't watch TV on cruises. If I'm going to sit outside and read, I prefer to be somewhere where there is more to watch than just the ocean going by, pretty as that is.

 

I agree - if applied to difference between outside and balcony. But I do find an inside, with no natural light, to be uncomfortable.

[Nic6318]

Hi

 

I find it interesting that this thread started in 2009 and for the OP the difference between an inside and a balcony was about $450. For the most part, it is still the same. :)

 

Personally, I typically won't choose a balcony as a preference because I am not one to sit on a balcony and linger. What I will choose often is an OV, for the light (although not important to me) but also for generally more space. For those that want to save some money, this is a good alternative.

[K32682]

I won't cruise without a balcony. It is a private refuge of quiet solitude in an otherwise often hectic environment. I can drink, read, nap and watch the sea for hours with no one else potentially disturbing me other than my wife.

[shipgeeks]

Our favorite type of cabin is Oceanview. We've had a balcony but hardly ever used it.

A variation of the virtual window, in an inside cabin, is the bowcam channel on cabin tv. It's a window substitute.

[baldilocks]

I think this whole things boils down to 'What do you prefer?'. One thing that does influence our choice would be the weather at the destinations we visit. We are going on the RCI 'snowbird' cruise this October for Canada and New England. If you look at the temperatures for the ports at this time of year, it is a bit cold for us to be on a balcony. An inside cabin overlooking the Royal Promenade was our choice. :D

[Unibok]

I would suggest a compromise- he wants an inside cabin- you would like a balcony- get an ocean view- at least you will know what the weather is and see the views. rlb

 

This is a possibility I was going to suggest as well: there is a good option between Inside and Balcony.

 

That said, I'll always go for a balcony whenever possible. It's not always possible, though ... especially for us frugal New Englanders!

[Trust me, I]

hoping to get my husband on his first "Cruise" soon. How large are the windows in cabins without balconies? I can't do an inside room; my husband spent 21 years in the Coast Guard, getting him on a ship will be hard enough with out a room that is closed in. I have only been on a small boat off the San. Fran. coast whale watching and got sea sick; where should I book a cabin and are there cabins in that area with just windows?

[sloopsailor]

hoping to get my husband on his first "Cruise" soon. How large are the windows in cabins without balconies? I can't do an inside room; my husband spent 21 years in the Coast Guard, getting him on a ship will be hard enough with out a room that is closed in. I have only been on a small boat off the San. Fran. coast whale watching and got sea sick; where should I book a cabin and are there cabins in that area with just windows?

 

The size of the window varies by ship and location. They can be as small as dinner plate on lower levels of older ships, to similar to an average bedroom window in a home on newer ships. Few can be opened. They will not be as large as a balcony, which typically has floor to ceiling window/door arrangement which are almost the entire width of the room.

 

Some cruise lines have "virtual" portholes or windows on some or all of their inside staterooms. Disney has a porthole sized view made possible by a TV screen placed behind the port hole. An outside camera's view will be displayed on the screen. Royal Caribbean has a full sized virtual window that looks like a balcony window, also done with TV screens and exterior camera views.

 

The best way to determine the size of the window is to go to the cruise line's website and look at the images of their cabins. They almost always show the window size in these images.