aft balcony or spa on breakaway-help!!

[michshellmybell]

Hello everyone,

 

 

I have sailed with RC and Carnival and am very excited to finally cruise NCL!! I have a one nighter on the Gem next week and can't wait to get a taste of NCL- I will be sailing breakaway feb 2 and can not make a decision.

 

Right now I am in an Aft facing large balcony. The room is 157 sq ft and the balcony is huge at 175 sq ft!! I know that is a really great balcony size on breakaway. My boyfriend and I have never had a balcony room so I figured this would be the best choice! At the time, I was not as concerned about the spa because I figured I would just pay a little extra for it and it is only something we use sparingly and stupidly I did not look into it better.

 

Now, knowing I would have to pay an extra $400 (birthday present for boyfriend- its a surprise!) for us both to have the spa and the fact that I couldn't access it started to get to me. So I just called NCL and it would ONLY be an extra $100 to upgrade the room to a spa balcony and get the access for us both for the week.

 

Now my dilemma: If I chose the spa room the balcony is only 32 sq ft compared to 175!!!!!!!!!! but if I dont, I either pay basically $100 for us both for ONE port day or dont see the spa at all because I dont have an extra $400!

 

I am aware it is just a matter of choice and I ask for no negativity-these comments can get nasty! lol I am just looking for opinions that maybe will help me make the decision since I am unsure which Id rather have (bigger balcony or spa) These comments are just for my knowledge to help me. So if you are annoyed by my question KEEP CALM AND MOVE ON (outta here :D;)) and thank you for all who do respond!!!!!

[triptolemus]

Way I see it, you answered your own question.

 

it is only something we use sparingly

 

You gonna spend the whole cruise in the spa or are you gonna spend the cruise on that beautiful aft balcony?

 

The aft is absolutely fabulous. My wife and I enjoyed some spa activities (couples massage was very romantic and got the job done) but spent much of our time enjoying the aft balcony (aft PH Jewel suite).

[michshellmybell]

yes I did say that-however, the ships I have been on basically had gyms and steam rooms nothing like this. I would guess I would be using this way more if I got the room. Again, just not sure. Thank you for your opinion. Appreciate it!

[carol54]

Hello everyone,

 

 

I have sailed with RC and Carnival and am very excited to finally cruise NCL!! I have a one nighter on the Gem next week and can't wait to get a taste of NCL- I will be sailing breakaway feb 2 and can not make a decision.

 

Right now I am in an Aft facing large balcony. The room is 157 sq ft and the balcony is huge at 175 sq ft!! I know that is a really great balcony size on breakaway. My boyfriend and I have never had a balcony room so I figured this would be the best choice! At the time, I was not as concerned about the spa because I figured I would just pay a little extra for it and it is only something we use sparingly and stupidly I did not look into it better.

 

Now, knowing I would have to pay an extra $400 (birthday present for boyfriend- its a surprise!) for us both to have the spa and the fact that I couldn't access it started to get to me. So I just called NCL and it would ONLY be an extra $100 to upgrade the room to a spa balcony and get the access for us both for the week.

 

Now my dilemma: If I chose the spa room the balcony is only 32 sq ft compared to 175!!!!!!!!!! but if I dont, I either pay basically $100 for us both for ONE port day or dont see the spa at all because I dont have an extra $400!

 

I am aware it is just a matter of choice and I ask for no negativity-these comments can get nasty! lol I am just looking for opinions that maybe will help me make the decision since I am unsure which Id rather have (bigger balcony or spa) These comments are just for my knowledge to help me. So if you are annoyed by my question KEEP CALM AND MOVE ON (outta here :D;)) and thank you for all who do respond!!!!!

 

I LOVE the aft balcony...but given the time of year you are sailing, I would go with the spa balcony...you will be able to use the spa every day in February but you won't be able to use the aft balcony every day. Just my opinion.

[Godiva830]

Go with the spa balcony. I was on the Breakaway and was in a Haven Spa Suite. We went in the spa everyday.

[Travelgirl6]

My only concern would be the weather and how many days could you actually enjoy the large balcony. The spa to me just sounds more relaxing and pampering and you still have a balcony to enjoy just smaller. We are going on the Breakaway in December and I'm thinking the spa is more of a must versus a balcony. Although it all really comes down to personal preference and what you would enjoy most.

[michshellmybell]

thanks everyone I am leaning towards it for sure!

[hpecorari]

You do know that any spa 'services' you want you still have to pay for. Mani/Pedi, massages, etc., etc. etc. aren't free even with the spa balcony.

 

Harriet

[michshellmybell]

Yes, I am aware of that

[Medtech2]

Because it is February I would take the Spa Balcony....you will be toasty on the heated tile loungers or in the pool....

[bermuda8553]

I just got off the ship this past Sunday and was in the aft balcony room 12906. It was awesome. I also purchased the spa pass for my husband and myself for $ 400. Personally I felt the spa pass was not worth it, but keep in mind it was still pretty warm weather so we used our balcony a lot. The spa at times seemed to be very crowded, but the salt bath was great. I'm just don't feel it was worth the money. If I could only choose one I would definately go for the aft balcony. The view is amazing. That being said you do have to weight the fact you will be going in February, so I'm not sure how much you would use the balcony, so maybe the balcony would not be the most important factor in February. So again if you were going in warm weather hands down the aft balcony cold weather probably the spa room would be the better choice as you probably wouldn't get much use of the balcony. Wow I just confused myself. You'll have a great time either way.

[ibcnusoon]

We are in an aft facing cabin right now and I'm so glad I didn't upgrade to a spa cabin for the same price. I took a walk on the pool deck and the deck above and did not find ONE available lounge chair. I came back to my cabin to enjoy the two I had on my own deck.

 

If you want a guarantee lounge chair, take the aft and buy a spa pass!

[Nightengale212]

I had a spa minisuite which is very similar to a spa balcony for my June Breakaway cruise, and although the cabin was nice the balcony was tiny. I liked the spa but unfortunately it was very crowded on my sailing and to get a thermal lounger was very difficult so did not use the spa as much as I thought we would. I had the opportunity to get another CAS comped spa minisuite on my 2015 Breakaway sailing but opted for the aft balcony instead because we really use our balcony a good deal so this was a better option for us.

[BruinsFan08]

So, I sort of stayed in both cabins. We had a spa balcony, but due to some issues, we had to switch cabins and they offered us an aft balcony. I loved the aft balcony, but the spa is my favorite spot on the Breakaway.

 

The Spa was great. We would usually start our morning off with the gym, shower in the locker rooms and spend the rest of the morning in the spa until lunch. I liked the location in the front of the ship, especially when we were underway. Like with the Vibe, I thought that the hot tub was anything but hot. There were times when the therapy pool was actually warmer. I love the jets in the therapy pool. I have a huge nose that is always congested because I am allergic to everything. So, I loved the steam room. I could stay in there for hours. I had no idea what was going on with the salt room. We went in for 10 minutes once and I have nothing to say… nothing…. The saunas were good, but I’m a steam room kind of guy. There were plenty of loungers and we never saw it too crowded to find one. As with the Epic (I did miss the aft balcony loungers on the Epic), this was one of my favorite spots on the ship.

 

If I could swing both, I would, but if I had to choose then I would go with a spa balcony.

[BSR]

Just got off the Breakaway a week ago and had the large aft balcony. We loved the views and spent a lot of time out their. My favorite thing to do is have my morning cup of coffee and just relax and watch the wake. We met a lot of people and invited them back for drinks on the balcony. Can't go wrong with this cabin as their is plenty of space.