Does Anyone Enjoy Booking Ocean-View Cabins Over Balconies ?

[weezandleah]

I had a balcony everytime until my last cruise when we got an oceanview. Apparently, other passengers leaving their balcony door open to hear the ocean causes the air-conditioning not to work as well in the adjoining rooms. I stay hot! So we tried an Oceanview and it was much better. I didn't miss the balcony like I thought I would. I will probably stick to Oceanview from now on.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Forums mobile app

[garmar73]

Only booked an Ocean View cabin once. The remainder have been one Balcony and the remainder Suites. The Ocean View which we booked was a Grand Scenic Ocean View on the Carnival Valor. To bad that CCL does not have more of this type of cabin on other ships. Great Cabin!!!!

[SadieN]

Door slammers are the worst!!! :mad: We booked an aft wrap for our up coming cruise (first time!) so I'm hoping maybe it won't be quite as loud since the neighbouring doors won't be quite so close.

 

I have yet to book a room that isn't a balcony, but if it meant not being able to afford it, I would definitely book a window or an inside. I would miss the balcony though, for sure.

 

 

Remember people aren't slamming the doors. The doors are engineered that way.

[Rosefloater]

We love the Splendor OV's. They are 220 sq. ft. They are the same size as the regular balcony cabins (185 sq.ft.+35 sq.ft). It's nice to have the extra cabin space.

[momof4girls]

I love balconies but I usually book OV because it forces me put of my cabin to be with people and do things. With a balcony, I sit out there all day and night and read. Lol

 

Sent from my SM-G925V using Forums mobile app

 

I noticed this same thing! My first two cruises were in an OV. I was only in the room to get ready and sleep. Last two cruises were in a balcony room, and I was in the room wayyyy more than before. It makes it too easy for me to become antisocial. :rolleyes:

[renza]

Even though we are not in our cabin much I love the balcony. Nothing like watching us pull into port and watch the passengers running back at the end. I love going out in my PJs and watching it all. Must have

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Jamericannn]

Enjoy? I don't know if I would say I enjoy but I would say prefer. I prefer to book Ocenviews over balconies because of:

 

1. Size .. Oceanviews are generally larger

2. Time spent on balconies... I don't go on vacation to sit on balcony looking at water. I go to have fun.

3. Cost... I have to factor in the extra for balcony. That money can be used to get a few drinks. I have to fly to ports so any saving is good.

[firemanbobswife]

Remember people aren't slamming the doors. The doors are engineered that way.

 

 

Nonsense. There's a difference between it closing firmly and someone opening it and letting go totally so that it slams shut and rattles the wall. Just like the cabin door or a hotel. You can take a few seconds and hold onto the handle to insure it closes completely and with as little noise as possible. Sadly, many people don't just like the cabin doors. They go in or out and let them slam shut. It really is inconsiderate.

[ragin_cajuns]

I have only cruised once and we are going again in Nov. First cruise was on the Triumph and we had a regular balcony room, in Nov we have a suite. I personally wouldn't go on a cruise without a balcony room. I like being on it at night or in the morning. The kids like standing out there with binoculars and looking at passing ships. Its relaxing. Its worth the extra money in my opinion.

[renza]

To me if I don't have a balcony why go on a cruise. I go on a cruise to enjoy the ocean and look at it. If I can't see the water I should just go to the mall for a week. Being caged in with no beauty. We have gone on oasis and allure and in June harmony. Same thing I would never go unless I have a ocean view balcony. Not a balcony looking inside like an apartment building. Must have. No other way

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[GeorgiaMomof4]

We are OV cruisers. 10 of our 11 cruises have been in an OV. Tried a balcony once and we both looked at each other and said, we are in the cabin so little, its not worth it. Three weeks ago we tried a Scenic OV for the first time and loved it.

 

 

 

 

OK - so what is a scenic OV? Never heard of that one!

[Yvonne]

If we are on a short 3-4 night cruise we generally don't feel the need for a balcony stateroom for such a short cruise, but I do enjoy booking an ocean view over the inside room so we can at least have some natural light in the room and see the ocean.

 

But we mostly go on 7-8 night cruises and always book a balcony room for those. We had an aft balcony once and our next cruise we will have one again, I don't care how far out I have to book it to get one! LOVED the aft balcony. Much quieter than side balconies, and being able to see from side-to-side was wonderful, especially coming into and leaving ports.

 

But all the others for longer cruises have been side balconies, and for me it's a must. One of my favorite things to do on a cruise is order room service breakfast and have it on the balcony. I have it delivered fairly early, by 7:00, so it's usually pretty quiet on the balcony so it's very enjoyable. I also like to get away from the crowds for an hour or two every afternoon and go back to our room and read on the balcony. And I love just gazing at the ocean too, and hearing the ocean sound. We like sitting on the balcony for a bit before going to bed at night too, gazing at the stars, and hearing the ocean. So peaceful.

 

This last cruise, on the Dream in January, I did hear a LOT of balcony door slamming and that got a bit irritating. I closed my door quietly, with barely a clicking-sound, so I know it's possible to NOT slam it. Most people just don't even think about it and let the door slam behind them. And I did hear a few loud talkers, which can also be irritating if you're trying to enjoy the peacefulness of the balcony and/or be reading a book. We talk on our balcony too, but in a quiet "inside voice" and some prefer to use their "outdoor voice" when talking on their balcony. :( But still, the pros for having a balcony outweigh the cons for me, so I much prefer a balcony room over an inside room or oceanview.

[beachbumfl]

OK - so what is a scenic OV? Never heard of that one!

 

scenic OV are typically at the very front of the ship on the Conquest class ships. Category 6J

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/carnival-conquest-deck-plans/dp/scenic-ocean-view-6j/cc/

 

We are booked one for upcoming Conquest Cruise. Its on Deck 9 just above the Bridge.

[auscgguysgirl]

Nonsense. There's a difference between it closing firmly and someone opening it and letting go totally so that it slams shut and rattles the wall. Just like the cabin door or a hotel. You can take a few seconds and hold onto the handle to insure it closes completely and with as little noise as possible. Sadly, many people don't just like the cabin doors. They go in or out and let them slam shut. It really is inconsiderate.

 

We had 1 balcony door that was hard to open and for whatever reason seemed very heavy. I have noticed though that it seems sometimes door slam shut b/c people have their balcony doors open and try to open/shut their cabin doors, which can create quite the suction and slam. We learned that the hard way on our 1st cruise.

As far as inconsiderate, that seems to follow a lot of people these days. I notice there are people that leave the balcony lights on all hours of the night ... TV's blaring loudly in the wee hours ... letting their kids run/yell up & down the hallways (one reason why I like spa suites, much quieter) ... we even had some woman singing choir hymns on the balcony every morning at 7:00 AM on our last cruise. The singing wouldn't have been that bad, if she could sing - but the thought that your neighbors are on vacation and probably don't want to hear that (or anything else) @ 7:00 AM - is just downright TACKY.

Sorry ... rant over. Annoying people suck. ;p

[Geebee8]

My first cruise was OV and have had balcony rooms ever since. Hubby is a VERY early riser (gets up around 4AM so he loves that he can go to the balcony and read a book (the light doesn't bother me at all with the curtains pulled) and I am a night owl (typically go to bed around midnight or later) so I do the opposite as he falls asleep much earlier than I do. While we could go out to the open decks, it is nice to go out in our pajamas than to get dressed to the decks. Also, we live in Ohio and don't get to the ocean other than on cruises so we love to just sit and listen to the waves.

[SadieN]

Nonsense. There's a difference between it closing firmly and someone opening it and letting go totally so that it slams shut and rattles the wall. Just like the cabin door or a hotel. You can take a few seconds and hold onto the handle to insure it closes completely and with as little noise as possible. Sadly, many people don't just like the cabin doors. They go in or out and let them slam shut. It really is inconsiderate.

 

 

Our first Alaskan cruise, we had an OV directly under the door to the Promenade on the HAL Volendam. Heard the door constantly. Bothered us until we figured out where the noise was coming from. After that, never heard it.

 

I can't hold the door for a long time from the outside, neither can Mom. The spring is too strong for us. Blame whomever designed the door. We're blessed with limited hand strength. Could never do the monkey bars, rings or chin ups for the same reason. Opening a jar is always a fun experience.

 

DD's Roman apt door was noisy. The door was extremely heavy, but well balanced so it could be slowly closed. Still made noise. Heard everyone's door close, combination of block building, lots of marble/tile and a locking mechanism that put the high security vaults of Gringotts to shame. (Two bolts up, two bolts down, three into the side.) won't talk about the two spaniels that lived upstairs, or the table that was dragged every dinner time.

 

Largest problem, IMHO, is single family homes. People are not used to having neighbors they can hear.

[MissKIA]

Remember people aren't slamming the doors. The doors are engineered that way.

 

I can manage to close the door without slamming it... easily. I simply don't fling the door open and walk away letting it slam shut. I hold it while it closes and then give it a firm tug once it's closed to make sure it's closed properly. It makes almost no noise and it's very simple. (and doesn't irritate anyone!)

[camijo]

We prefer OV because we like to be in the middle of the crowd. Balcony is just a bit too lonely.

 

 

I like to be around the crowd but my husband is opposite. I've never stayed in a balcony but our upcoming cruise is an aft balcony, so I'm glad to hear (for his sake) that it's a bit lonely. LOL! :)

[IntrepidFromDC]

Largest problem, IMHO, is single family homes. People are not used to having neighbors they can hear.

 

LOL, I always think of my SFH as the solution, not the problem.

[jsglow]

We like balcony cabins more, but not that much more so it all depends on the price. We've recently found that we really don't mind Deck 1 at all and will be sailing on it again in about a month.

[Jamericannn]

i go on a cruise to enjoy everything about it, and that means spending little time in my room.. therefore i guess i can only feel caged in, if i spend time in the room. Never caged in, but out and about and everywhere, including the various decks where you can see water all around you.

 

 

^This

[shipgeeks]

We much prefer OV. We do spend leisure time in our cabin, and enjoy just sitting by the window, feeling close to the sea. We even had a cabin once with a deep windowsill, where I sat for many hours.

We were upgraded to a balcony on an Alaska cruise, and ended up only using it for a hour or two during the entire 10 days. The views from the upper decks were so enjoyable that the balcony felt very limited. And the four "walls" of the balcony made our cabin feel dark all the time.

We've passed up balcony cabins even when they were significantly cheaper than OV.

[citcatt1]

We would always book balconies at one time. Now i never consider a balcony, love the OV. Nothing to do with the $. I love the space of the OV as, the balcony cut into the interior space of the room.

 

I also love being close to the water... looking straight out and seeing the waves, rather than leaning over to see and / or up so high

 

the only time i would consider a balcony now, would be the Cove Balcony, again so close to the water.

 

we also find, we never use the balcony much. Sure its great to have your coffee in the morning or wine in the evening but, over 7 mornings and 7 evenings, total of 10 Hours whole cruise? Max? just not used even when we have one.

I have to disagree, I use my balcony as a second room because I wake up really early so I sit out there until my family wakes up :)

[N2Mischief]

We had 1 balcony door that was hard to open and for whatever reason seemed very heavy. I have noticed though that it seems sometimes door slam shut b/c people have their balcony doors open and try to open/shut their cabin doors, which can create quite the suction and slam. We learned that the hard way on our 1st cruise.

As far as inconsiderate, that seems to follow a lot of people these days. I notice there are people that leave the balcony lights on all hours of the night ... TV's blaring loudly in the wee hours ... letting their kids run/yell up & down the hallways (one reason why I like spa suites, much quieter) ... we even had some woman singing choir hymns on the balcony every morning at 7:00 AM on our last cruise. The singing wouldn't have been that bad, if she could sing - but the thought that your neighbors are on vacation and probably don't want to hear that (or anything else) @ 7:00 AM - is just downright TACKY.

Sorry ... rant over. Annoying people suck. ;p

 

This made me laugh, I know it wasn't funny at the time! We had a family that had staterooms on either side of us. Junior (49 year old male) on one side, and "Ma and Pa" on the other. They would stand out on their balconies and lean out and shout past our balcony to each other. LONG conversations. Junior would go out their and yell, "Ma....Ma.....Maaa.....MAAAAAAA!!!! Then she would finally come out and yell obscenities at him. So obnoxious!!!

[sjn911]

I think it all really depends on how bad you need a vacation, your pocketbook of course and priorities, and how balanced your mood and perspective are..mixed with your fatigue and what you need for each vacation...I have had insides that seemed like hell and heaven. Same for outsides,.My one time mini-suite with friend on a new Grand-Class Princess ship....that or better could never be wrong..lol.

 

 

Go with what you can afford and think positive and all is usually at least 85 to 15 in favor of good percentage.. On Carnival after the Fantasy Class....most regular ov's are much larger because the size of the balcony is also part of the room. I always will want to at least see the outside..but if I need to I have learned the coziness of an inside and need to sleep are quite a lovely combo as are included room service coffee and cream and a sandwich or roll for B-fast or lunch..before exploring whatever. I do love to stare at the water and really look forward to a balcony by myself sometime...I think on a high activity and entertainment and multiple restaurant ship like the new big NCL ones, as a solo, I may even be able to handle the tiny cabins for one with the lounge and all the places to go...When money is no object God willing, as a solo or with someone..a balcony is a preference I will take..options for privacy and the sea...I go for the sea...

Edited March 4, 2017 by sjn911