Balcony ver. Window

[smilin jack]

On the small ships is their a big difference between a room with a balcony and one with a window? It looks like maybe you could just open the door and that would be it. Does the window open in the window room? I am trying to justify the room with the so called balcony.

thanks

[Keith1010]

All of this comes down to how much you want to spend and how much and how important this is to you. The biggest benefit is being able to get fresh air into your room. We did not opt for this and didn't feel like we missed out on anything. In a matter of a minute we could be outside on the open deck.

 

Again, if having fresh air is important to you this is something to consider. Otherwise, in my opinion it's not necessary.

 

Keith

[OrpingtonT]

On the small ships is their a big difference between a room with a balcony and one with a window? It looks like maybe you could just open the door and that would be it. Does the window open in the window room? I am trying to justify the room with the so called balcony.

thanks

 

As I think you've spotted, it isn't really a balcony but an opening french window.

[marchanxiety]

It's not important at all as long as everything is working. On our last two Pride cruises we had one power failure (repaired in a few hours, thank goodness) and a day without air conditioning while a new part was installed. Our cabin was fine because we could keep the "balcony" door open. Can't say the same about the rest of the ship!

[alexandra cruiser]

NEED a regular balcony,,and willing to pay for it,,,that was why I never sailed with SeaDream again,,only windows,,not even french balcony.

As said above,,,its a necessity for some...me inc.;)

[Pop-I]

if you can swing the extra $$, do it.

[lincslady]

You cannot open the window in a window suite. The 'Balcony' is just large enough to stand out on, i.e. about as wide as a person with fairly large feet could stand on. It is very nice to open it to hear the sound of the sea, and to lean out and see where you are going . To me, only worth it if it is likely to be good weather, and if it does not cost much more. And though you probably should not (air con) you can leave it open on the small ships, more of a problem on the large ships with the proper veranda.

[MARIANH]

You cannot open the window in a window suite. The 'Balcony' is just large enough to stand out on, i.e. about as wide as a person with fairly large feet could stand on. It is very nice to open it to hear the sound of the sea, and to lean out and see where you are going . To me, only worth it if it is likely to be good weather, and if it does not cost much more. And though you probably should not (air con) you can leave it open on the small ships, more of a problem on the large ships with the proper veranda.

 

Often the price differential mitigates against the choice of a Juliet balcony. At least for some impecunious Brits. Especially non romantic former denizens of Yorkshire.

[white oak]

It looks like your sailing on the Odyssey in Dec and January so she is one of three newer, larger ships in the Seabourn fleet. I've only sailed once on Seabourn and it was on the Odyssey. A beautiful ship and well designed. Lots of places on the deck to lay out and relax, especially loved the sun deck on 11. When we do Transatlantics I usually try to get a window cabin in the center of the ship because its lower and there is less movement in the event of rough seas. Also, the itinerary is usually not port intensive so I don't care if I have a balcony or not. As others have said the advantage is the fresh air coming into the cabin. Instead of the additional cost for a balcony I'd rather use the money for pre or post cruise touring or other costs on the ship.

[EmsMom]

We were on the Pride last March from Bangkok to Hong Kong. We had a window only and our friends had a balcony which cost them about $2400 extra ($1200 per person). Seabourn called us before we sailed and offered us an upgrade to a balcony for $600 per person which we declined. Personally, it wouldn't have been worth the extra money as you cannot sit on these balconies and if we wanted fresh air, we could easily go out on deck. The suites were identical other than the windows. If you absolutely have to have fresh air, then perhaps it would be worth it but other than that I wouldn't be able to justify the exra cost. We are sailing on Oceania Marina next June and will be booking an A3 with a balcony but these balconies accomodate chairs which is worth extra money for us.

[wripro]

I agree that, for the most part, it is not worth the extra money for a balcony on the triplets. But I would sail on them in a heartbeat even without a balcony because they are what Seabourn is really about.

[katiestan1]

I would say that I prefer balconies, BUT last year we sailed on the Legend on Deck 4 without a balcony and to my surprise, I did not miss it at all. Not a bit!!

[charlottegirl]

Our trip on the Spirit in the Caribbean was the first cruise I have ever been on without a balcony as I always felt I needed a place to escape crowds. A balcony that I couldn't sit on held no appeal to me so we passed on it. The ship was so small that we found that we did not need a private balcony to enjoy a sunset, drinks or a place to read as there are so many options on the boat without the crowds that are on larger boats. The window is quite large so it adds to the feeling of spaciousness in the room which sometimes a balcony can provide.

 

We sailed the Odyssey last year and did get a balcony as I was worried on a higher density boat that privacy in the public areas would be in short supply. That was certainly not the case--we hardly used the balcony and should we sail one of Seabourns larger boats again, I will opt out.

 

Unless the price differential is insignificant to you, I would seriously consider opting out.

[writer100]

Often the price differential mitigates against the choice of a Juliet balcony. At least for some impecunious Brits. Especially non romantic former denizens of Yorkshire.

Unless, of course, you are Romeo of Yorkshire.

[MARIANH]

Unless, of course, you are Romeo of Yorkshire.

 

" What's in a name? That which we call a ( white) rose by any name should smell so sweet" R&J 2.2

 

And just a small point about the small balconies on the little sisters - I recall that one is encouraged not to leave the doors open. It affects the air conditioning.

[smilin jack]

Thank You for all your reply's. I switched bookings to the Spirit leaving FLL on Dec 9 doing a BTB returning to FLL on the 5th of Jan.

And yes, I booked the window. Again, thank you.

[JaneBP]

>"I switched bookings to the Spirit leaving FLL on Dec 9"

 

FINALLY! Have had an empty roll call. I am only going halfway, but a B2B sounds good to me.

[smilin jack]

Jane, we did it just for you...:)

[JaneBP]

Thanks! And the bridge you want me to buy is where?

Is this your first Seabourn experience?

[smilin jack]

Go to our roll call thread and check out my pictures from last years Christmas cruise on the Sojourn.

jack

[JaneBP]

Failed to notice the last entry in your list. I think you will really enjoy the little sister. I think it's much more intimate. (The fact that I spent most of my 27 days on the Sojourn in my suite not withstanding.) I have found the first 2-3 weeks in December are not as popular since many are busy preparing for the holidays.