First Time Balcony Advice

I have only one wish that would make balcony rooms perfect. And that would be an automatic timer that turns out the balcony lights every night at 9 pm and has it so that the lights cannot be turned on. In fact do away with the light on the balcony all together.

 

On my last cruise my neighbors had theirs on for most of the night. It kinda ruined sitting and watching the stars. Also the light shown in through the cracks in the curtain. I like the darkness at night to see the stars etc. I don't mind someone having it on if they want to read or something but keeping it on all nite is rude Imo.

 

 

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most people do not realize they left their light on. Politely know on their door and remind them to turn off their balcony light. Our neighbors said sure, no problem, they were totally unaware

Be careful what you wear on your balcony while in port, people are watching:o.....with binoculars:o:o....LoL.

And you might have pulled up next to another ship. We went to St Thomas on a RCI cruise and had a corner aft balcony. There was a Princess ship pulled bow forward into the pier and we backed in right behind it. I was sitting on the balcony reading as we were docking and was looking at the Princess ship. A guy very sleepily came out onto his balcony looking down, wearing just his underwear. You should have seen his face when he looked up and saw the aft end of Freedom of the Seas just 50 ft or so in front of him. He very quickly went back inside. :loudcry: :loudcry:

There are also cameras on the outside of the ships and some of them may be able to see your balcony.

I just love, love, love being out on the balcony. I spend hours out there, with a drink, listening to my music ( earbuds), reading and just watching the ocean. I take full advantage and realize how fortunate I am to be on a cruise.

I'll often bring back snacks (cheese, meats, fruit, etc) from the lido deck to enjoy with my drink.

If it's really warm, I put on my swimsuit and go duck into the shower ( like its a pool) and run back out there.

When we are doing the Alaska itinerary, I sit out there all bundled up just looking at the scenery, which is breathtaking.

Make sure to take binoculars wherever you go.

As others have said, please be mindful of the balcony door, just hold it until all the way closed and it won't slam. Also, the light, it's really bright. I always make sure it's off, even when I'm out there at night, I want to see the stars which are unbelievable. If you're lucky enough to see lightning, well that is just awesome too, nothing like it.

Enjoy your balcony. :)

i just love being on my balcony we order OJ from room service and sit out every morning drinking mimosas watching the sunrise as we pull into port, but on my next cruise i will be in one of the new Havana Cabanas on the Horizon i may have to rethink a balcony after this.

Hello all, we have cruised several times, but this will be our first time with a balcony. It's just the hubby and I...any advice for optimization that we may not think of?

Hope you have good neighbors because we have given up balconies because of inconsiderate neighbors.

We pack a tray. As my husband gets up earlier than I do he eats on Lido and then brings my breakfast back on the tray.

We accidentally got a balcony on our first Disney Cruise. Our friends told us where they were rooming and we got a room next to theirs, but when we got on the ship, we found out they were in a completely different place on our deck. So, we found out what a balcony was like and will (almost) never go back. We say "almost" because we got a real good deal on the Paradise this summer and balconies are almost non-existant, so we'll deal with it and just find a place on the upper deck like we used to do when we were young.

You'll love the balcony. You may never want anything else after. There is nothing like walking out on your balcony on the first day, or waking up in the middle of the night and listening to the hissing ocean. Enjoy.

We pack a tray. As my husband gets up earlier than I do he eats on Lido and then brings my breakfast back on the tray.

What a great idea. It's going in my suitcase

Hubs and I spend a LOT of time on our balcony -- enjoying coffee or wine, listening to music and talk talk talking. If I know our balcony won't have loungers and just chairs I always pack 2 inflatable beach balls from the Dollar Store. When you inflate a beach ball almost, but not completely they make the BEST foot rests to put up your feet and relax! :cool: We also bring our tiny blue tooth speaker to enjoy nice music out there (no worries, not too loud :* ) I love Spotify and when you have a paid account you can save all your music to your phone and you don't need wifi to access it all.

1) Be sure not to open your cabin door when the balcony door is already open. It creates one heckuva breeze in the cabin.

2) You may find un-neighborly neighbors. People will smoke, play loud music, talk too loud, and act out in other ways. Most of the time it's unintentional, but it can still throw a damper on your enjoyment.

3) I still look forward to having a balcony light that works one day. A lot of folks complain about balcony lights, but I can never get one that works!

4) Don't expect a dance floor! Most balconies are not very roomy, especially on the Fantasy class ships. We find that we are usually jockeying around for the 3 of us to get situated on the balcony. Most of the time, it's only one or two of us out there, so that's not too bad.

5) Not that you'll do it, but just as a FYI, don't leave clothing, towels, etc. out on the balcony. The wind likes to relocate them (and they are also considered to be a fire hazard).

You will love it and will never return, we started with a balcony and have gotten one every cruise since. My kids had an inside cabin which were fine (we weren't paying the extra to get them a balcony )

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We had a balcony cabin on Freedom last year, and although we enjoyed it immensely each morning and night, we decided to go without a balcony for our February 2018 sailing. It's not that we didn't like it. It's just that we weren't in our cabin enough to really invest in one again. We had so much fun meeting new people and people watching.

After a pretty short discussion, we booked an interior cabin this time....and we're both okay with it.

My first cruise (15 of them ago) was on Glory and we got a balcony. Everyone is correct, you won't want to go back. But have also sailed on smaller ships with just 3 or 4 days (Port Canaveral is only 8 miles from home), so I found a cruise with a balcony is the tops, but any cruise time is still fun.

Like others have said, room service (anytime) for breakfast, lunch, or an evening snack is wonderful. Can get a pot of coffee (decaf available) or bring back drinks.

I love the sound of the ocean waves as the ship cuts through them. So peaceful. I did have to try opening the balcony and cabin doors at the same time. Ha ha, not so peaceful.

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We pack a tray. As my husband gets up earlier than I do he eats on Lido and then brings my breakfast back on the tray.

What a great idea. It's going in my suitcase

No need to pack a tray. When you order something from room service, it's brought to you on a tray. When you're finished, keep the tray in your cabin and drop off your dishes on an empty table on the Lido deck. ;)

What a great idea. It's going in my suitcase

We just order room service and hang on to the tray. :)

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