Balcony Vs No Balcony

If I had to choose between OV or not cruising, I would choose OV everytime. That being said, if I have an OV room, I still pray for the upgrade fairy to visit. :)

But no balcony vs not cruising? I will give up the balcony!

YMMV. ;)

I am going to give my experience/opinion just cause I can. We recently did an Alaska cruise with a balcony and the one time I was happy to have it was our time at the Hubbard Glacier. As we were approaching I initially went up on deck to get a view and try to take some pictures. Everything forward was already 4-5 people deep with elbowing in full force. I found it amusing they were all crammed in the front of the ship as we approach and I wondered if they migrated to the sides of the ship as it turn. :p

I beat a retreat to our balcony where my wife and I enjoyed the close up views. So for this occasion a balcony came in handy.

The other side of the coin we did a Panama Canal cruise from an inside cabin so all my viewing was from on deck. Yes it was crowded at times too, but since I did not have the luxury of a balcony for that cruise I made due and had a really great time.

So I guess what I am saying is if you can afford the balcony go for it but if it means you can't go, take whatever you can afford. Either way you will have an amazing time. :D

I don't ever feel like I need a balcony. We've had balconies, but not often. I want to be outside - especially for an Alaska cruise where I can move around and get the most seeing done.

Balcony or no balcony. It's a preference and a choice. Either way, you are on a cruise. Relax and enjoy yourself. :)

I cruised in August to Alaska and I vote definitely do the balcony. Before this cruise I was on the not balcony side. I really didn't want to pay the added cost for the balcony, but I was outvoted by the other members in my room. And I am so glad I was! I don't really do mornings but the sunrises at 4 am were spectacular close to Ketchikan and Juneau, the best I shave ever seen. I would not be likely to get up and make myself presentable and go to an upper deck to have seen them. It was relaxing just sitting there gazing at that beauty! It was nice to sit out there and just watch things go by whenever I needed down time. Beautiful. Go for it! And Carnival will be just fine, in Alaska it's about what's around you.

we did an Alaskan in 2013 for our 30th anniversary, and we booked a suite, so a balcony type cabin. That was our splurge for our anniversary. On the day we cruised tracy Arm Fjord, we sat on the balcony, had room service and just enjoyed the scenery. We figured what we missed on the other side on the way up, we'd get on the way back. But we did go on top also and that was grand, to have a 360 degree view.

Our first cruise was in an ocenaview, and we had a Promenade room once on a RC cruise, otherwise it's been balconies.

We are already planning on going back in 2018, for you guessed it, our 35th anniversary. But we also want to do a cruisetour. And I just don't see, outside of winning the lottery, how I'd be able to afford a balcony this time. The couple of grand we'll save with an oceanview will allow us to do some more excursions, or more costly excursions. DW would love to go to the sled dogs, and I'd like to either try a helicopter ride or float plane ride.

You'll definitely spend a lot of time outside your room, I hope (I know I do). The balcony was great, but I'm already looking forward to spending my saved money on other things.

I'm having the opposite problem. We've booked an oceanview for May 2017, and I keep wondering if I should upgrade to balcony. But when I weigh the pros and cons and realize that booking a balcony probably means having debt after the trip and an oceanview doesn't, then I am happy with my choice. Let's face it, wouldn't we all book a suite if we could? :D

Thank you sooo much for your comments! We, too, are booked for May 2017, oceanview. We had a balcony on two previous cruises but have since retired, hence the oceanview room. I was thinking about biting the bullet and upgrading but you have really brought me to my senses, taken a load off my shoulders, and now will count the days until May with no regrets. As someone else said, better to be cruising than not!

Our first cruise was to Alaska and we were lucky enough to have a balcony. We use the balcony all the time, morning coffee, break to just relax, glass of wine before going to dinner, after dinner and before bed time relaxing. We just add layers if its chilly out. This next trip we had started booking an OV but then found a deal on a balcony that was cheaper so opted for the balcony again. On that first cruise, we were with family and had 5 cabins total, 3 were balconies, 1 OV and 1 inside. 1 of the balcony cabins never used their balcony the other two did. It just depends on you. Many use their cabins only to sleep, shower and change clothes, they would never benefit from a balcony. I agree with looking at maybe one balcony for your group or just plan on deck time when on the ship.

I realize that a typical Alaska cruise is probably only about 7 days, but for longer voyages one might spend a lot more time in the cabin than initially believed. So a quality cabin is worth considering.

The merits of an inside cabin are often discussed. We usually book the longer cruises so 4 weeks at sea is common. When I look into some of these inside units, I get claustrophobic chills. More importantly, say you get a bug on the ship, then you are going to be quarantined to your cabin, they will take care of you and feed you there. If they catch you leaving the cabin, you get put off at the next port. So, just imagine being stuck inside one of these small cabins without a window or balcony for days on end. Hey, if I got quarantined to my balcony cabin, that wouldn’t be all that unpleasant.

When I look into some of these inside units, I get claustrophobic chills. More importantly, say you get a bug on the ship, then you are going to be quarantined to your cabin, they will take care of you and feed you there. If they catch you leaving the cabin, you get put off at the next port. So, just imagine being stuck inside one of these small cabins without a window or balcony for days on end. Hey, if I got quarantined to my balcony cabin, that wouldn’t be all that unpleasant.

I had to laugh when I saw this because it actually happened to us. Some years ago when we sailed Tahitian Princess in the South Pacific, my SO got a norovirus and was quarantined to the cabin. Strangely enough, they didn't quarantine me, but I chose to stay in to be on the safe side. All of our food came from room service from a very limited menu. Fortunately, we had a spacious mini-suite with a great balcony, and I spent most of my time out there reading and enjoying the ocean and scenery when we stopped at a port.

As I mentioned previously, our September Alaska cruise on Coral Princess was in an obstructed view cabin. It was 160 sq.ft., one of the smallest cabins we have ever had, and was certainly adequate for a one week cruise, but when we walked in and looked around, both of us commented that we would hate to be quarantined in that cabin! Fortunately, that didn't happen, but I get what you mean.

Our family is planning to on an Alaska cruise Summer 2017. We will most likely need to go in the mid June-mid August time frame because one of our family members is a teacher. I have heard that Princess is the best line for travel to Alaska but I have also heard that a balcony room is a must. Looking at the currently posted prices, the only cruise line we could possibly stretch our budget to afford a balcony would be Carnival. Should we go with Carnival just to get the balcony or base the decision on other factors and settle for an inside if another line better meets our wishes otherwise? Will we be able to see the glaciers from the decks if we do not have a private balcony?

 

Also, if the teacher decides she is not able to come I have noticed prices in May or early June are much more affordable. Would it be worth going earlier in the season to be able to afford the balcony?

I have asked myself this question over and over. I went ahead and booked the Balcony on Deck 9/Explorer OTS for my August cruise. My friend has an interior. I'll repost here afterward and tell ya what I think. (I know, you'll have already cruised, but others might benefit, right? What did you decide?

We weren't able to go to Alaska this year but are still planning for the future. I would still be interested to hear about your balcony on Explorer of the Seas. Have a great trip!

So I address this issue in detail and how I came to our choice for our cruise last July to Alaska... remember we all have different goals for our vacations and different things on different cruises are important.

Here is a link to my trip report... enjoy

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2383752

One option is to book what you can afford and watch for price drops as the cruise date gets closer. I upgraded from an Inside to an OV at 90 days out for less than $ 150 for 2. I just upgraded again last week to a Balcony for $ 68 more for both of us when I saw a price drop. The Balcony prices dropped almost $ 900 pp from when I originally booked. This may not be typical, but you may get lucky also.

Our first Alaska cruise was given to us (me and my sister) as a gift. We could have upgraded to a balcony but not knowing any better we just kept the Oceanview cabin. It was fine but any time we wanted to really see something (especially when we were cruising the glaciers) we had to go to an open deck. It was July but rainy and windy.

I just booked our next Alaska cruise (August on the Millennium from Vancouver to Seward) and I booked a Balcony. I wouldn't have it any other way. I want to have the option of staying in the cabin while having the ability to see the sights.

Hi guys, this May on the Radiance Ots, will be having a balcony cabin for the first time, its on the port side, mid ship. Was wonderin when the ship is docked in the ports are you or can you watch all the goings on,:rolleyes: on the dock, from your balcony? Inquiring minds would like to know!!

Virginia