Balcony on Princess or Inside on Oceania for the same cost

[burm]

...snow is entirely unacceptable unless located on a mountaintop;

 

In my opinion snow is only acceptable when located on Christmas card photos. I already have my snow tires on. :(

[magicnelly]

Oceania has the best beds, hands down. We would pick it for that....the beds on Princess leave a lot to be desired.

[meow!]

Obviously there's no wrong answer to your question as you are simply soliciting individual opinions so here's mine:

Very detailed and rational. Our desired weather is 70*F, overcast, with a very mild breeze!

[happy cruzer]

Obviously there's no wrong answer to your question as you are simply soliciting individual opinions so here's mine:

 

- I would never consider an inside cabin no matter what cruise line

- I would be hesitant to cruise on a large ship because I'm personally not that comfortable with large crowds but there are ways to dealing with that issue. Whereas I would submit that there is no way to deal with the confines of an inside cabin and no, I don't consider the fact that I'm only sleeping there sufficient.

 

So, if the only choices are the two provided I'd opt for the balcony.

 

If I'm allowed to interject my own ideas into the mix subject to a budgetary restriction then I'd be looking for ways to get the most value out of a vacation. Personally, I'd forgo a cruise entirely because I know that I can take a very nice land based vacation that would more than met my needs.

 

My approach to vacation has the following rules:

 

A) Vacation time has a per day value of not less than 3x that of a work day and therefore each vacation day is allocated no less than 3x the budget of that of a work day :cool:;

 

B) I must maximize the value of each vacation day without compromising Rule A;

 

C) I must select the best accommodation/resort/ship subject to rule A and in consideration of the following elements:

 

1. Warmth and sun, snow is entirely unacceptable unless located on a mountaintop;
   
2. Oceanfront/lakefront or something else that's on water in some fashion;
   
3. Garden view, parking lot view or no view are not acceptable for more than one night if item 2 isn't available. In the event the location being visited is not coastal or on a lake it is acceptable to substitute views of mountains or other natural "wonders". Should said location be within a city with none of the above, then view is still important however proximity to primary sites of interest may be allowed to trump view in limited circumstances ie. Rome, Athens and similar however said accommodations should not be less than 4* (that's why we collect Starwood points ;));
   
4. Regardless of the preceding items any accommodation that smells (smoke, food, nasty shower odors, etc) is to be immediately vacated allowing for retroactive escalation related to Rule A with no upper limit;
   

D) Food and drink are something to be enjoyed, any accommodation that also has within the grounds or immediately adjacent thereto an Applebys, McDonalds, Wendy's or similar establishment is immediately downgraded by no less than 1 * requiring a reassessment under Rule C sub-paragraph 3. It is accepted that when visiting Las Vegas the immediately preceding rule necessarily has to be violated in which case said Rules will default to a negative selection process wherein locations, other than Ballys, the Flamingo, Imperial Palace, Harrahs, or any hotel with the words "Saloon", "Bar" or "Grill" in the name, are eligible for consideration.

 

So you see, I couldn't go with the inside cabin or I'd be in violation of the Rules ;) Cheers!

 

Beware, I was you once. The times can and do change. Be prepared.

[greatexpectations]

Given that you asked us to vote, not so much to advise you, we would choose a balcony on the Princess over an inside on Oceania (I know that is blasphemy on the Oceania board). We have sailed inside once (Sapphire Princess -- huge) and ocean-view (window, no balcony) once (HAL Maasdam -- small). Having done that it has been a balcony hands-down ever-since and forever more.

 

I thought you ('Burm') said it best in your post of Nov 11:"I love to step onto the balcony in the middle of the night and feel that the ocean belongs to me. I love stepping out in the morning in my nightgown to watch the sunrise, then going back to bed. I love turning off the ac and sleeping with the door open. I love sipping a glass of wine (one that I carried on board) and watching the land disappear from sight. I love being able to enjoy sitting out while I wait for DH to get out of the shower!"

[caribbeansun]

I'm sorry but I don't understand your point. Are you referring to budget?

 

Beware, I was you once. The times can and do change. Be prepared.

[happy cruzer]

Budget partly. But life in general can throw you so many curves that all your priorities can change. Your choice of absolutes in your wording just hit me, when one must have something a particular way, it just rings a warning bell in my head. Best wishes always.

[caribbeansun]

Ahh, I see.

 

A good portion of that post was in jest although I do believe that we all should value our vacation time far more than the rest of the year and budget accordingly - again, IMO only and YMMV.

 

Personally, I look at cruising a bit differently than many that post here I suspect - neither the room or the restaurants are as nice as what I normally enjoy on a non-cruise holiday and it's not necessarily budget driven because in my experience you can find great places to stay and/or eat without blowing the budget if you're open to alternatives.

 

I've had more than my share of curves over the past 3 years and you're right it's changed my focus entirely. I strive to make the most of the my time here, spend as much time with family and friends as possible and do so in a manner that is as nice as possible without going over the top. Hence - balcony for me or likely I wouldn't be on a cruise, preferring instead to have a on land vacation.

 

Cheers!

 

 

Budget partly. But life in general can throw you so many curves that all your priorities can change. Your choice of absolutes in your wording just hit me, when one must have something a particular way, it just rings a warning bell in my head. Best wishes always.