Just booked my very first Balcony cabin.... what is your favorite thing?

[arlee]

Last March we were on our first cruise on the Dawn. Like everyone else, I think a balcony cabin is great - for breakfast, for "ocean" watching (so glad I brought my binoculars) and for quiet time. The one thing I loved was watching all the ships go back to Miami our last night. They were all lit up and it was beautiful.

[silkhair1]

I love getting up early and sitting quietly by myself watching the water go by.

[cherylroslyn]

Your daughter is only 13 and she probably hasn't hit the difficult years yet....or maybe never will..... But as a mom of a now 20 year old daughter the balcony was a great place to go when I no longer wanted to be told how little I know..... or to have someone rolling their eyes at me:):) Sometimes you need a place to go to decompress......:o Although we always had fantastic times on all our cruises...the teen years were a little rough....and thankfully no one got thrown off the balcony. One year she told me she was never going on another cruise with me again.....as if I had brought her to some labor camp for a vacation.......now that she is grown and in the Airforce she appreciates how good she really has it.........

[slotaddict]

Morning coffee is my very favorite thing....

[downsized]

Coffee, first thing in the morning while enjoying the quiet, peaceful, and private view.

A cold beer with complete quiet and privacy in the afternoon.

One last coffee late at night when all you can see is the bright moon, the stars, and the moonlight dancing off the waves below.

 

Oh....and the wonderful smell of the ocean....

 

You'll be spoiled.

 

Jammies? Who wears jammies on their balcony?

[DMAB]

Your daughter is only 13 and she probably hasn't hit the difficult years yet....or maybe never will..... But as a mom of a now 20 year old daughter the balcony was a great place to go when I no longer wanted to be told how little I know..... or to have someone rolling their eyes at me:):) Sometimes you need a place to go to decompress......:o Although we always had fantastic times on all our cruises...the teen years were a little rough....and thankfully no one got thrown off the balcony. One year she told me she was never going on another cruise with me again.....as if I had brought her to some labor camp for a vacation.......now that she is grown and in the Airforce she appreciates how good she really has it.........

 

Adolescence is natures way of making it easier for parents to let go.:)

[SuzanneH]

I am so loving all of the great responses!! I have learned so many new ideas- books on CD, the palm tree idea, remembering to bring binoculars, etc and it has just really made my day!! I am going to keep it a secret until she walks through the cabin door. As for being a teen- yes, she has her days but not too bad- YET! LOL! I am afraid I will be creating a monster- okay, a couple of them- by doing this. I know it will be so hard to go back to an inside or OV-- so maybe I won't. Guess it depends on what kind of deal I can get next time, or how long the cruise is. One of my favorite things to do is sit on the sun deck and just watch out over the water so now I get to do it in the privacy of my own balcony. Woooo hoooo!! I am so excited and you all have just made it so very much better- THANKS just doesn't seem like enough! I love this board and truly appreciate all of you!! -Suzanne

[RotaryMike]

I booked my first ever Balcony cabin on the Star- I am so darned excited!! :p Am cruising with my DD who is 13 and did it as a surprise for her. This will be my fifth cruise (her second) but have always had an OV or inside and figured it was about time. So, to all those balcony cabin aficionados, what is your favorite part of balcony cruising? Thanks in advance for all of the amazing, awesome, wonderful responses I know will come from those in the know :D.

 

whenever we leave a port, we have a "sailaway" on our balcony with friends - go to a buffet before we leave - and bring back snacks & drinks.

 

if you have room in your bag, bring binoculars - day & night you can see all sorts of boats . enjoy !

[AMommyof2]

My favorite part of having a balcony is getting up before my family and slipping out onto the balcony with a cup of hot tea. I love watching the sunrise and taking pics of the ports as they come into view. Our first NCL cruise will be in March 2011. We have booked connecting balcony staterooms...one for the kids...so we will have a HUGE balcony. We're soooo excited.

[Hockey19]

We usually watch the world go by from our balcony in shorts, t-shirts or early morning robes. But the view of Alaska for hours from our balcony was a special treat.

[retired rascal]

.....on embarkation day, after lunch, sitting and watching the port activity....if you're on that side of the ship. ....watching the port disappear.... being on the balcony before sunrise and watching the stars and the moon and then the sunrise and then pulling into the next port.....ditto sunset. sitting on the balcony in the morning in my robe drinking coffee we had room service deliver.....

[KevNSunBuns]

Thanks for all the info.. We are leaving in April for our first cruise and I keep toying with upgrading our cabin to a balcony.. I think you all have me convinced.

 

Hey Ute_Fan... West Jordan here :)

[formerjar]

Best part of the balcony for me? No tan lines!!:D

[tjaker11]

Love to have my morning coffee on balcony. Also, Pam I like to open cabin door and balcony to let air circulate but hold on to that door LOL

Have fun

[McDebbie]

Hint - do not leave balcony sliding door open when you open door to hallway.

:D Oh, been there! The whirling papers that I had so carefully saved were a sight to see.

 

We spend most of our time on the balcony but we are a couple. Its a time for us to talk and sit and not have phones or computers or TV in our lives. DH gets drawn into watching the wake and will sit there for hours. (spa time for me! :))

 

Not sure how much your daughter will like it but while she is off at the zone or whatever they call it, you will be having a great time on the balcony.

[Blackwolf.]

Coffee, first thing in the morning while enjoying the quiet, peaceful, and private view.

A cold beer with complete quiet and privacy in the afternoon.

One last coffee late at night when all you can see is the bright moon, the stars, and the moonlight dancing off the waves below.

 

Oh....and the wonderful smell of the ocean....

 

You'll be spoiled.

 

Jammies? Who wears jammies on their balcony?

 

I wish the women in the cabin adjacent to ours last May in the Bahamas would have! :eek:

 

There I was minding my own business and enjoying the sunrise with coffee on our balcony. I was leaning on the rail looking fore and aft along the side of the ship when I noticed our neighbor was out on her balcony also. She too was leaning up against the rail but she was out there au naturel. Trust me, some things were never meant to be seen. I really wish I could unsee it...... but I can't. :(

 

Yuuuck!!

[rusticfurnituremaker]

I love the rhythmic "whoosh-whoosh-whoosh" of the waves as you cruise along. It you aren't relaxed after listening to it for a few minutes, something is wrong. The best thing is seeing everything, sailaways, arrivals, sunrise and sunset, sealife, etc. without having to go up on deck. It is your own private heaven for the time you are onboard. Once you have a balcony, it really is impossible to cruise without one.