Balcony Time

[bumorgan]

On my last 2 cruises I had a balcony and only went out to have a smoke probably twice a day total of 15 minutes a day and realized I'm really not a balcony type. Most of my day is Lido or Casino for me. Sooo this trip is a 1A solo for me and spend the extra $700 saved in the casino:D

[A&Jfamily]

Its very rare we ever have people next to us besides going in and out of their cabin. So after 29 cruises with balconies most of the time we are out by ourselves for those 3 hrs.

 

Wow! Wish I was that lucky. I am a non-smoker and it seems like inevitably I end up next to the chain smoker who rises at 5 am to spend the entire day smoking on their balcony.

 

Depending on the day, I can spend tons of time on the balcony...sea days being a main time for the balcony as I am not much for the crowds on the Lido deck. On non sea days, at least an hour in the morning at sunrise, a hour in the afternoon after shore excursions, and an hour at night before bed. So like you, about 3 a day.:)

[frito58]

I agree with most 3 to 4 unless we have an aft then more like 5 to 6 .. If we have a side balcony we always seem to have these annoying people that are out there the same exact time ..... Oh wait thats my wifes cousin and Husband and we have side by side balconys with an open divider:p

[gpnfish]

Wow! Wish I was that lucky. I am a non-smoker and it seems like inevitably I end up next to the chain smoker who rises at 5 am to spend the entire day smoking on their balcony.

 

Depending on the day, I can spend tons of time on the balcony...sea days being a main time for the balcony as I am not much for the crowds on the Lido deck. On non sea days, at least an hour in the morning at sunrise, a hour in the afternoon after shore excursions, and an hour at night before bed. So like you, about 3 a day.:)

 

Like you, my time out on the balcony is very dependent on whether my neighbors use it as a smoking parlor (can't blame them too much - smoking areas are drying u on Cruise ships).

 

But we try and spend 4-5 hours on the balcony - early in the am with a continental room service breakfast, in the late afternoon for a couple hours before dinner, with a cocktail, and in the late evening before we trun in for the night. For me, I love it because it is (usually) a source of good, fresh air (that you can also let into your cabin) Inside rooms and even oceanviews bug me because I feel like I'm breathing re-cycled air all week!

[cowprintrabbit]

DH likes to go out first thing in the AM to watch the sun rise and take a picture for me - I am usually still unconscious! Then usually a little reading time for us both after breakfast on sea days; he goes out to read while I get ready for dinner and then I join him for a glass of wine before we head down to dining room.

 

If we're in port, it makes a perfect place to apply spray sunscreen so it has time to soak in before we disembark without getting the room all aerosol-y. And after sharing the oceanview cabin bathtub of our first cruise with our scuba gear all week long, I am really looking forward to rinsing it off and putting it outside to drip dry this go around! (Note to self - pack clothespins...)

[katiepe]

I too think it depends on your itinerary and how many sea days.

On our Panama Canal(Princess) we spent hours on our balcony. That being said we rarely saw others out on theirs. Couldnt quite figure why spend the money if you are not going to use it? And no it didnt have anything to do with smoking. I was watching;)

BTW the Miracle March 16 has a fabulous Panama Canal cruise with excellent balcony prices:)

[cowprintrabbit]

I too think it depends on your itinerary and how many sea days.

On our Panama Canal(Princess) we spent hours on our balcony. That being said we rarely saw others out on theirs. Couldnt quite figure why spend the money if you are not going to use it? And no it didnt have anything to do with smoking. I was watching;)

BTW the Miracle March 16 has a fabulous Panama Canal cruise with excellent balcony prices:)

 

I forgot about that! Instead of going to the viewing points around the ship on transit day, we hung out on balcony with a bucket of beer :)

[PittsburghGirlee]

I spend more time on the deck than inside the room.

I am a smoker. I never did smoke inside the room, so the only time I am NOT on the balcony is when I am sleeping, showering, at the casino, at dinner or off at port.

[cccer]

About 3-4 hours a day out on the balcony with the exception of at least one sea day when I get a bucket of beer, a nice cigar and good book to enjoy my morning. That day is a little bit longer on the balcony.

[katiepe]

I forgot about that! Instead of going to the viewing points around the ship on transit day, we hung out on balcony with a bucket of beer :)

Wasnt it awesome? I practised my "queen" wave as we sailed by all the local people on day trips..several buckets of beer;)

We did go to various points on the ship for viewing but kept going back to our balcony.

[Ehpride]

Maybe a couple of hours? I spend some time out there in the morning, some time as I get ready for dinner and before I go to bed. I don't spend a lot of time on the balcony because I like to be out and about on the ship, but I can't imagine not having it. It makes the time that I am in the cabin more enjoyable.

[balcony bound]

We spend a good 5 or more hours a day on our balcony on a port day, and about 5-8 hours on a sea day. It took me a while to think about it, and I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't actually more. Maybe I'll keep track next month:) We spend very little time on the lido deck, lots on our balcony. The rest of the time we are at a comedy show, or maybe the casino.

 

I love mornings and evenings out there - nothing like sunrise with my coffee on the balcony and in the evening I can't miss those sunsets!

[smjlt]

We are taking our very first cruise in August, booked a balcony room And Can't Wait!!! I am sure I will be out there as much as I can! I can only imagine how peaceful it will be! But, from the looks of a few of these posts, we better start praying for good, Non-smoking neighbors!!! :)

[Jimmy Geegitz]

We always cruise with a group of realtives and book balconies next to each other. Then we have the partitons opened and we have a huge party deck. We have breakfast out there usualy 3 or 4 days then every lateafternoon around 5 ish (we always do late dining) we have a margarita/martini/beer party on the partydeck for an hour or 2. Its a blast!

[tikimon]

We usually spend around 5 to 6 hrs a day on the balcony between mornings, entering and leaving ports, getting ready for dinner and late night time.

[mlrandpkm]

We've only been on one cruise before (2 years ago). We do travel quite a bit, but my DH and the kids had a VERY hard time convincing me to cruise. Something about being on a boat in very deep water (it only had to be 'over my head' to qualify for that), with no land to be seen, sailing along in shark infested waters...the thought made me shudder for years. I finally gave in and we sailed on the Liberty in 2010 and my DH and I were in a balcony room and the kids across the hall. So, we always had someone on the balcony. Except me. My fear couldn't bring me to go out. I would lean out, while holding the handle of the door. Then I wiggled my way out onto the chair, while still holding the door handle the whole time (not sure if I thought the balcony was going to "fall off" or not that holding the door handle would help me). :p ANYWAY, by the time our 7 day cruise was over, I had actually spent 2 nights outside, standing out and looking over the rail late at night, watching the white water of the ship's wake!!! :D Loved the cruise itself so much that we are going again next month...so I'll have a more accurate answer then as to how long we'll spend on our balcony!! ;)

[Martini Mom]

I don't think it's about the amount of time, but the quality of the time spent on your balcony. I can't remember how much time we spent out there, but I do remember some awesome moments on our balcony, like watching a storm in the distance and lightning hitting the ocean.

[Vanessa L]

About an hour each AM; during the course of the day (sea day) several hours reading and just enjoying the view; about 30-45 minutes before dinner and at least an hour before turning in each night. Port day, same except only about an hour during the day as we watched the ship sail.

[spleenstomper]

Oh, yeah... Love watching storms from the balcony!!

[yazeee1]

I'm not sure what the cumulative total of hours and minutes would be. Dh spends the most time on the balcony. Beer and books on the balcony is his favorite way to pass the time on the ship. I spend the most time out there in the morning before breakfast and in the evening before bed. I may not actually sit out there a lot but I absolutely love the big, expansive view and the abundance of natural light inside the room.

 

Ever since our first balcony room, having a balcony is a must for us when we cruise. For our first cruise, I booked oceanview rooms. Balcony rooms were too much money for our size family. As it happened, when we checked in at the port, we learned that we were upgraded to connecting balcony rooms. We were spoiled after that. At least, dh and I were. When we cruise with the kids, they get an inside room accross the hall from us.

 

Even though we have never since experienced porthole rooms, I don't think I would like it. One time, dh and I booked an inside room because we were on a strict budject and we also wanted to see if it really made a difference to us to not have the balcony, and we never want to do that again. I would rather cruise less often in order to afford a balcony room than cruise more often and stay in an inside room. Even if I don't go out there a lot, I still like having the fresh air and the sunlight and the sound of the waves right there whenever I am in my room.

[lrowe70]

We spent about 20 minutes over the course of our week long cruise.

Not only was it too cold, but the balcony was so small that it wasn't even comfortable.

Can't imagine we'll ever get one again.

[Sh1035]

My first couple of cruises I had an OV room and was running up to lido for air! Then fighting for a chair,etc. Then booked a balcony and never looked back.

 

If I am not in port,eating or the casino I am lounging on my balcony. my little private oasis on a big ship..

 

Honestly, the smokers don't bother me it's the parents who think its a playground for thier kids. So I get to hear the crying and fighting while mom and dad are inside....argh...

[19snapshot]

We have always booked ocean view. We will experience our first balcony in July. Will we love it so much we find all other types of cabins unacceptable? I kind of hope so!

[nessz79]

2-3 hours on a port day and 3-4 hours on a sea day.

 

We like to go out:

*in the morning for 30-60 minutes, especially if we're pulling into port

*in the afternoon when leaving port or on sea days, just to talk and relax (sea days might be 1-2 hours, port days 30-60 minutes)

*Before dinner, 30-60 minutes

*Before bed, 1 hour

[Butterbean1000]

It varies. Definitively in the morning and throughout the day and evening. Even if we only used it for the morning, it is well worth the extra $$. I know people say that you aren't in the room that much, but if you have balcony, you will use and thoroughly enjoy it.

 

Enjoy your cruise:cool: