Getaway - How much is a balcony worth paying extra for ??

Hi

Going by prices on the Getaway June 27th :

window 589 GBP

balcony 729 GBP (Great British Pounds)

I would be trying to snag a balcony with an angle so might cost me 739 or 749 GBP

Converting into USD$ that is about an extra $465 in total for a balcony vs a window - is it worth the extra ?

Thanks

I have never sailed in anything other type of cabin besides having a balcony. There is just something so relaxing about being able to sit out there and just enjoy the views, whether it be just the sea or a port. I know some people will say you don't need it, you just sleep in there, we utilize as extra space for us :) And I do know price wise, its always more expensive. This is just something my family and I budget for when we cruise. :)

A balcony on a Caribbean cruise is a must, nothing greater than opening the balcony door in the morning, feeling a warm breeze, hearing the sounds in port. Breakfast on the balcony before you go exploring, etc etc.

For your sailing I get;

US TA: cat. BX $1,196.76 USD incl. tax/port pp. = 763.31 GBP

UK TA: cat. BX £692.41GBP incl tax/port pp. = 1 084,90 USD (also 200 USD OBC offer)

The Brits won this one. A few pounds more for higher categories, highest up is the Spa Balcony (B9) + £64.90 GBP pp. #14150 is angled and available, total £757.86GBP incl. tax/port pp. Excluding a £49 GBP booking fee to the TA for the viva voyage.

Can't help you any further, board rules, you should Google any questions you might have.

Me again. First, most of the the Getaway's balconies are pretty small. However, yes, I would get a balcony. The privacy of having your own spot to sit out or hang over the rail and watch the sea go by, to me, as they say, is priceless. Additionally, the access to the balcony from your room, even when closed, gives you total view out and light . We can't sail without a balcony. The exception would be a couple who intend to be out on the ship day and night using their room just for sleeping and changing. Just me, but yes to a balcony. Here's a link to way, way too many pics of the Getaway. I was too lazy to edit or remove similar pics.

http://s241.photobucket.com/user/roganderson60/media/Getaway1/DSCN5596_zps8f68ea0b.jpg.html?sort=2&o=0

So, to answer your question; Yes, the balcony is worth it on your sailing.

I will never go back to a non balcony room..

They really spoil you...

I am paying about $300 more for my Aft balcony compared to a inside cabin on my upcoming Epic cruise in March....To me its well worth it....

If money is not that tight then grab a balcony, you won't regret it...

We've sailed with and without balconies. The experience is definitely different. With a balcony, we definitely spent more time in your cabin than with an inside. The insides were great, though, because they kept us out and about and enjoying our vacation to the fullest.

There are pros and cons to each.

I will say this, though—on a "megaship" like the Getaway, there can be a lot of people onboard, and it can be hard to find chairs to sit down and relax and just look out at the water. Having your own, quiet, private space where you know that there's a space for you—it's invaluable on a bigger ship. I don't think it will make or break your vacation, but a balcony is definitely more useful on a big ship than a small one.

I would say that the price being asked for a balcony is a fair one. At that price, I would probably go with it.

balcony it is !

balcony it is !

Nice! Enjoy!

So, to answer your question; Yes, the balcony is worth it on your sailing.

Hi freeStyleNovice. Not sure on board rules but feel free to PM me or send me your email address to mine: robertadams12345@yahoo.co.uk

Look into the pricing for an aft balcony, large balcony, and mini suite with large balcony also. If its within your budget go for it, all I have to say is loungers on your balcony!

Hi

 

Going by prices on the Getaway June 27th :

 

window 589 GBP

balcony 729 GBP (Great British Pounds)

 

I would be trying to snag a balcony with an angle so might cost me 739 or 749 GBP

 

Converting into USD$ that is about an extra $465 in total for a balcony vs a window - is it worth the extra ?

 

Thanks

We are actually doing our first oceanview on the Spirit in May, because we are spending vacation money on multiple trips this year.

I will say that on the megaships there is so much to do and see that this ADD person did not stay in the room too long. I am also not one to lounge by the pool.

If you want to lounge on your balcony on Getaway you really need to go for an aft or one of the large balconies towards the front. The regular balconies are only big enough to sit 2 people very close--no lounging.

I do like to sleep with the door open to listen to the waves. On Getaway you can do this because the open door will turn off your AC.

Websites dont seem to show any AFT or Large balconies available . There was one available in the aft deck 11 a while ago but seems unavailable now

Just the angled ones which at least give you a bit bigger balcony

We really enjoy a balcony even though we don't spend a lot of time on it. I'm an early bird so I get up, make coffee, order room service or go to the buffet with my travel mug and get it, and sit outside while DH sleeps in. There's just something about relaxing on your balcony and if you're up early, watch the ship pulling into port. Enjoy it if you end up splurging! :D

I don't see any B1 / Aft balconies as being available on your sailing, but keep checking. Cancellations and changes do occur!

A balcony is mandatory for me to cruise. I couldn't stand not having a window and having a window that doesn't open would not be pleasant for me so we always booked verandahs.

Despite a great many cruises, I still really enjoy hanging at the railing watching us come into port and sail away in the afternoon. I like reading on our verandah and just relaxing.

Hi

 

Going by prices on the Getaway June 27th :

 

window 589 GBP

balcony 729 GBP (Great British Pounds)

 

I would be trying to snag a balcony with an angle so might cost me 739 or 749 GBP

 

Converting into USD$ that is about an extra $465 in total for a balcony vs a window - is it worth the extra ?

 

Thanks

It depends. Only you can answer that question. I usually purchase a balcony. But sometimes I want a particular balcony. In one case I am paying an extra $4,000 for the balcony I want. I also have booked an ocean view because I didn't think I would be using a balcony that much.

There are a lot of variables. Where are you cruising? How long is the cruise? Why do you want the balcony? Will you use it? How are your finances? How many people in the cabin? How big is the balcony? Where on the ship is the balcony? What are the other options or alternatives (for example, a cabin near an outside public area)?

So, is it worth $465 to you to have a balcony?

We just got back from cruise aboard Getaway...our impression was that our balcony was probably the smallest we've encountered so far, but still well worth the extra few dollars. Additional bonus was that we had an unobstructed, private view of the fireworks show - book a port side cabin if that's a must.

Balconies were a must back when I was a smoker (I guess that ended last fall on NCL from the comments I have read.) I have stayed in a suite, balcony and inside. Apart from the suite perks and roominess, now that I don't smoke, an inside would be just about as good as a balcony for me.

That said, I have never sailed NCL before and to get a feel for some of their cabins I booked a variety of balconies for my next three cruises. On the Getaway in a couple of weeks it is a large balcony (B6), on the Escape it will be a spa balcony and on the Spirit, a mid-ship balcony.

NCL appears to have smaller rooms on their ships than does Carnival and HAL so the extended space made sense for us.

Personal opinion, and you've already made up your mind, but I wanted to post this for others that might have the same question.

We did our first balcony (one of the large B6 forward categories) on the Getaway in Dec. 2014. We usually sail insides or oceanviews and spend the money saved on other things. An extra $400 is a fairly big deal to us.

We did a balcony because the price was right AND because we've been growing frustrated with the lack of quiet spaces to comfortably sit and read on NCL ships. However, the Getaway was a ship we didn't need the balcony, if that was the only real problem we were trying to solve. There were tons of comfortable, quiet spaces to sit, particularly outside. Sure, we enjoyed coffee every morning on the balcony, and a few light breakfasts there, as well as afternoon wine (we got the wine package) and evening fresh air before bed. But it wasn't make or break for me. DH enjoyed it more than I did. I'm moderately social, and I feel like the balcony made me more isolated from the fun of the ship during the day.

Seems like a lot of balcony lovers have posted here. Well, balconies are just fine, I like them as much as anyone, but, as you noticed, they come with a higher price. I usually check the price for a balcony and I in most cases I find it's way more, maybe double the price of an inside cabin. In most cases, I'd rather do 2 weeks in an inside than only one week in a balcony.

Some times the prices are not as far apart. On our Oasis cruise next February the difference between a PR (promenade view inside) and a BB (Boardwalk Balcony) was only about $20/pp/day more after our loyalty discount on balconies. We were still able to afford b2b weeks.

When we have had a balcony, I never feel like I'm getting my full value from it. Sure, it's nice to sit out there for awhile ocassionally, but many times it's too windy or too sunny or chilly or raining. And it's always too small. I had an aft, wrap-around corner balcony on the CCL Magic in March. It was large enough but it rained both sea days so the balcony got little use as it was uncovered and was always wet.

You have to try it a few times, at least. Some say, you can never go back to an inside after experiencing a balcony, but I'm still comfortable inside even after trying the Owner's Suite on the CCL Ecstasy.

I haven't sailed on Norwegian yet, but on DCL I've experienced verandah, porthole window and inside cabins. I prefer the porthole window cabins over verandah and inside. I have small kids that need to be constantly supervised on the balcony, so I'm just more comfortable with the oceanview window cabins (and the price is better!)

Hi

 

Going by prices on the Getaway June 27th :

 

window 589 GBP

balcony 729 GBP (Great British Pounds)

 

I would be trying to snag a balcony with an angle so might cost me 739 or 749 GBP

 

Converting into USD$ that is about an extra $465 in total for a balcony vs a window - is it worth the extra ?

 

Thanks

Not for me. While I did have a balcony on my last Getaway cruise, I got it for a steal. It was only $150 more than the OV I have booked, so $525? ish for a balcony per person. It was worth it for that but certainly not over $400 more. A balcony is nice but not $450 nice. But some find them to be worth it.

We booked a balcony guarantee for $799 pp and got the UBP when booking.

On our first cruise, many years ago, we were in an Oceanview and I thought it was spectacular. It was a last minute deal..maybe a week out...cheap cruise getaway for my DH and I while the kiddo was away. No balconies available but I didn't care...I was finally cruising! It was RCL Majesty? Majestic? That window and cruise was beautiful to me. Next cruise was Disney and we booked a balcony. There was no return option to a window after that! I fell in love! It's been balconies ever since.

We don't spend a great deal of time on it but love the time we do. My quiet time on the balcony reading a book at midnight with a glass of wine after everyone else goes to sleep is golden! Love watching as we pull into a port, taking a breather during the day, experiencing those rare but amazing moments when dolphin are swimming alongside of the ship....it's worth every penny to me..

There are times when we are booking, I see the price difference, get a wild hair for a milisecond and consider oceanview so that extra thousand could be better spent. But then I settle my feet in reality. Balconies are a part of what we love about cruising. For us, it's not an option but a necessity, at least for now. There may come a time when financially it isn't an option. If that time comes, I will still consider myself lucky for the adventure and grateful for the many cruises that I got to enjoy on my balcony. But for now, balcony every single time!

The only cruise we have planned right now is the Escape in March but just typing this makes me think I need to get planning for a summer getaway with the DH while my DS is away!