Should I upgrade to balcony

[We-R-Off]

We have OV room deck 5 portside on the Celebrity Century, should we upgrade? We are first time cruisers.

[cb at sea]

If you want to, and can afford it!

[firefly333]

How much is it to upgrade??? I look for bargains, so price would determine my answer.

[Ashland]

Once you look out that window..might be sorry you didn't..once you walk out on that balcony..you will be darn glad you did..!!!!

[ROCruiser]

Depending on where and when you are cruising. Like if you are cruising Alaska in April or September you may not use your balcony that much. We are usually fine with OV, but for Panama Canal a balcony would be nice.

[CPPADILLA]

YES! Go for it, you'll be glad you did.:D

[hmp2z]

If you're cruising where the weather is nice, go for it! Our happiest times on our August cruise were spent out on our balcony, just reading & relaxing & watching the ocean go by. Celebrity is a great line to get a balcony room on, since they don't allow smoking on balconies. No second-hand smoke to interrupt your relaxation time :)

Cheers!

Heather

[LouisV]

There nothing like ordering room service and enjoying that morning cup of coffee on your balcony!! Do it and you'll never go back to anything else.

[Saraj]

I really enjoy the balcony---just sitting and looking, listening to the ocean or reading a book. My DH seldom sits out there---prefers air-conditioned room to being outside.

If it is cool outside I just wrap up in a blanket. I could go back to OV cabin but as long as we can afford the balcony that is what I want.

[snowshh]

When we first cruised we did an inside room as everyone says you don't spend that much time in your room anyway. TRUST ME, once you have a balcony you WILL spend more time in your room. We are planning our 15th cruise and will never go back to inside or OV. unless we absolute cannot afford anything else. Keep watching prices. We once upgraded for an additional $60.00 per stateroom! Last cruise (May, 2010) I kept watching the prices and upgraded from a balcony to a jr. suite (for NO additional $) PLUS an on-board credit of $300.00 with RCI!!!

[Gramagee]

Only cruised a couple of times but always booked a balcony,relaxation at its finest.

[hgmizzou]

When we first cruised we did an inside room as everyone says you don't spend that much time in your room anyway. TRUST ME, once you have a balcony you WILL spend more time in your room. We are planning our 15th cruise and will never go back to inside or OV. unless we absolute cannot afford anything else. Keep watching prices. We once upgraded for an additional $60.00 per stateroom! Last cruise (May, 2010) I kept watching the prices and upgraded from a balcony to a jr. suite (for NO additional $) PLUS an on-board credit of $300.00 with RCI!!!

 

I absolutely agree!!! We had an inside cabin on our first cruise and found things to do to stay away. On our Disney Cruise we had a balcony and LOVED IT!!! There is nothing more relaxing that sitting on your private balcony and enjoying the view!! Go for it!!! :):)

[lovetovaca]

We have OV room deck 5 portside on the Celebrity Century, should we upgrade? We are first time cruisers.

 

We've been on four cruises and had a balcony for the last one and won't go back! Having a balcony is almost like having another small room. It lets in lots of light and is perfect for just relaxing.

[suezyq50]

I would say compare prices. But also consider, do you get up early and like coffee before breakfast? Do you stay up late? I am not sold on a balcony. DH loves it. Having coffee on the balcony is fine. Breakfast, not so much. One small table, juggling a coffee cup, plate of eggs, fruit, danish,etc., is not fun to me. In the evening, we do go out and sit for a few minutes before we crash. Just my thoughts.

[We-R-Off]

After reading the replies and as this is only a 5 day cruise we decided to go for it. However, not sure if we should have stuck out a little longer to upgrade and got a better deal. It has cost us an extra $240 for the upgrade to deck 8 midship portside. We live overseas but have booked thru AA and not sure if we got the best deal.

[aohkay]

After reading the replies and as this is only a 5 day cruise we decided to go for it. However, not sure if we should have stuck out a little longer to upgrade and got a better deal. It has cost us an extra $240 for the upgrade to deck 8 midship portside. We live overseas but have booked thru AA and not sure if we got the best deal.

 

Don't sweat it, enjoy it! The $240 works out to be $48 over 5 nights. In my opinion, waiting and fretting to see if you would get a better deal than $48 for a balcony (especially midship) is not worth the agony.

 

By simply sitting back and waiting for the best deals, you could land up missing out completely.

 

Enjoy the balcony, it will be wonderful!

[We-R-Off]

Thanks for that moral booster - that was my theory.... you only live once.

[RubyPfree2be]

We have OV room deck 5 portside on the Celebrity Century, should we upgrade? We are first time cruisers.

 

 

Definitely. You won't want to be without it ever again. And it's WORTH it.

[MargoK]

As cruisers that require accessible cabins, we have the choice of 1 Inside, 7 Oceanview or 2 Sky Suites!

 

There is a huge difference in price from Oceanview to the Suites, becomes a bit prohibitive.

 

When we were on the Diamond Princess we splashed out on a Caribe Balcony and it was fantastic - like most say, once you have had a balcony you won't go backward!

 

Be great if we had the choice:(

 

But thats life - might just have to become chummy with some Balcony CCers!:cool:

[Kiera99]

I booked a balcony for our Alaska cruise and I was up on deck more than on the balcony. I think they are over rated. Use the saved money for an excursion.

[sachmo9085]

"We have OV room deck 5 portside on the Celebrity Century, should we upgrade? We are first time cruisers."

 

Yes, you definitely should. I believe you should either go cheap and get an interior room and save money, or go for it and get a balcony. My husband and I prefer the balcony for the peace and quiet that it affords instead of being on deck with everyone else all the time.

[deladypilot]

When choosing a room, think about your style of vacationing. Do you like to party til all hours of the night? Do you like to go go go all the time? Do you like a little peace and quiet and time alone? Does anyone need extra room or space?

 

I do this with all of our vacations. Where are we going and what is our objective on that vacation.

 

If we are going to be away from our room all the time, I choose a cheaper place to stay and spend my money elsewhere. However, when I know we are going somewhere peaceful and quiet, then I want some outdoor living space to enjoy.

 

When we went on our Hawaiian cruise, we had a standard balcony. We spent a hour or so each morning sipping coffee and listening to the sounds of the water and birds. On our cruise to Alaska coming up, we knew Dear hubby needed more space as he has some medical issues, so we booked a mini suite with balcony. Its a little bigger than a standard balcony. We plan to spend each morning doing our usual coffee sipping and watching the sites. We are not party people, so wont be in the clubs at night. This is where we want to spend our time. So think about what you want out of the trip and what you will be doing. If you are never going to be in your room, then its money wasted.

 

Best of luck

[sailingnut]

I have taken mini-suite, balcony and oceanview, all are fine with me. I do not spend time in my cabin, so the big picture window is fine. I would never do a inside cabin~~too dark, I need the light!:o

[Kiera99]

When choosing a room, think about your style of vacationing. Do you like to party til all hours of the night? Do you like to go go go all the time? Do you like a little peace and quiet and time alone? Does anyone need extra room or space?

 

I do this with all of our vacations. Where are we going and what is our objective on that vacation.

 

If we are going to be away from our room all the time, I choose a cheaper place to stay and spend my money elsewhere. However, when I know we are going somewhere peaceful and quiet, then I want some outdoor living space to enjoy.

 

When we went on our Hawaiian cruise, we had a standard balcony. We spent a hour or so each morning sipping coffee and listening to the sounds of the water and birds. On our cruise to Alaska coming up, we knew Dear hubby needed more space as he has some medical issues, so we booked a mini suite with balcony. Its a little bigger than a standard balcony. We plan to spend each morning doing our usual coffee sipping and watching the sites. We are not party people, so wont be in the clubs at night. This is where we want to spend our time. So think about what you want out of the trip and what you will be doing. If you are never going to be in your room, then its money wasted.

 

Best of luck

 

I agree with the above poster. We cruised to Alaska and thought we would be out on the balcony, however, we preferred to be up on deck to see the sights.

I just came back from a cruise, with an extended balcony and I really believe the extra money should be spent on a nice excursion, rather than a balcony room. This is just my humble opinion.

[Essiesmom]

I think it depends on what you expect from your 'ocean view.' On many ships, the beds in OV cabins are under the window, so you can't sit and look out - without crawling up onto the bed. I had this situation on Oosterdam, and even with the beds separated, the night stand between was deep enough that I still couldn't get to the window to see out. So, unless you require natural light, the window is a waste.

On Celebrity, if your cabin is a quad, the beds will be under the window. but if a triple with sleeper sofa, the beds will be against the side walls and the couch by the sindow, so you do get some use of it, some view.

So for me, it would depend on how the ship configures the cabins. EM