Balcony Dwellers Question

[Anthomaniac]

We do ocean view. However, if we ever go to Alaska, we are absolutely Not going to get a balcony!

 

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[navybankerteacher]

I CAN'T find a bove 'a number of posters who said they can;t.' :D : I FOUND SOME Who essentially said they do not want to...........

 

Post #60 used the word "can't" -- which reminded me of a few almost consecutive early ones: #5,#7 and #8 - to name a few -- plus several who said "never" inside, or "only" balcony, or "need" outside or balcony -- I was not referring to the ones who reasonably PREFER outside or balcony - but to the "number of posters" who referred somewhat dramatically to an inability to deal with an inside.

[Anthomaniac]

We do ocean view. However, if we ever go to Alaska, we are absolutely Not going to get a balcony!

 

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Ugh, stupid autocarrot!

 

We WILL absolutely get a balcony for Alaska.

 

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[SantaFeFan]

Ugh, stupid autocarrot!

 

We WILL absolutely get a balcony for Alaska.

 

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That makes more sense. If there is any place that a balcony is almost required, it's Alaska with so much beautiful scenery that can be seen while underway. And, then there is the abundance of aquatic life visible from your balcony railing that also makes it even more worth while.

[island lady]

Of course a balcony is preferable, but I am amazed by the number of posters who claim they "CAN'T" sail in an inside. Really? Do they understand the meaning of "can't"? Reminiscant of my two-year olds talking about things which fell just short of their favorite.

 

Of course, there may be some with serious psychological concerns - but aside from that, I think most CAN - and just prefer not to - sail inside.

 

I am happy that you are so healthy! Good for you. Now, try walking around in someone's shoes that has serious

claustrophobia. And I am a bit older than your two year old.

 

Inside cabin, outside cabin, balcony, suite. It is all a matter of personal preference, and then....for some of us...

that choice of an inside cabin really is "CAN'T".

 

The reality of it all, is the choices are there for the choosing. Different strokes for different folks, isn't that what makes us unique??

[island lady]

For my husband and I, a stateroom is much more than just a place to sleep and shower. It is our getaway place when we want to be alone or enjoy quiet time. A balcony is a must as part of this getaway space. It gives us a semi private area to spend time outside, extending the confines of the room itself by opening it up to the world outside the four walls of our room. Even when the door is closed, by keeping the curtains open the size of the room seems much more expansive since we can see to the horizon, not just a few feet to a wall. To be able to wake in the morning, walk a few feet to open the door and smell the fresh sea air and see firsthand what the weather is like, is so worth it for us. When we return to the room during the day to change, shower, or relax, the view is always there for us to enjoy. At night, just before we turn in, we will spend some time outside with our customary nightcap, enjoying the sounds of the waves against the hull, the smell of the salt air, with the moon and stars above, all while comfortably dressed in our pajamas.

 

We agree with some of the other posters - we will wait until we can afford a balcony before we take another cruise. It is too important to make the most of our cruise to spend any of it in a closed in, windowless box, no matter how nice the furniture.

 

But I certainly can understand why some people say they don't spend much time in their inside cabins. Who in the world would want to spend more time than absolutely necessary in such a stuffy confined, windowless space? Without fresh air, it must feel like a fancy prison cell.

 

Very well put. Exactly my sentiments! I need natural light, and I was the one that posted that, "if I can't afford a

balcony, I will save up enough until I can".

 

I agree with all of your reasons for a balcony cabin, and will add that I never sit by the pool, so chair hogs have one more chair available to hog. ;)

 

The DH and I love our balcony as indeed our special and quiet relaxing getaway also. We enjoy a glass of wine out there, especially on sea days. Love watching the sea and always seem to see interesting wild life. We have seen whales, dolphin, flying fish, many birds, etc. It is special for us also. :hearteyes:

[island lady]

Ugh, stupid autocarrot!

 

We WILL absolutely get a balcony for Alaska.

 

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And my favorite is an aft cabin (aft wrap even better) which gives us the ability to see both sides of the inland

waterway at the same time. One of the most beautiful views is of the sail away from Skagway. Wow!! :D

[jocap]

Our first experience with an inside was for 18 nights, which I found too long to be without light, so we've only gone inside since for shorter cruises up to 9 nights. But we research our cabins, and next cruise we'll be inside for 28 nights, yet only a couple of metres from an open deck....

Try looking for an obstructed outside- we've sailed in the best and the worst of these, and been quite happy.

[NMLady]

. ... I love the view & the space a balcony offers but wonder if it would matter on a short 3 day weekend type cruise. What are your thoughts? Insides are so inexpensive on short cruises it makes them a little more attractive when looking at booking. Thank you for your opinions! Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

We've had a balcony twice and loved every minute of it.

We've had OV category cabins and enjoyed them.

But in order to be able to budget longer cruises we've had inside cabins on a 26 day cruise and on a 16 day transatlantic cruise and the smaller inside was no problem for us.

During the day we were rarely in the cabin. At night we had the tv on the bow channel for light and to know when it was daylight. We enjoyed those cruises as well.

 

So I'd say, especially on shorter cruise try the inside cabin.

[PoppyandNana]

We do ocean view. However, if we ever go to Alaska, we are absolutely Not going to get a balcony!

 

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Why would you not want a balcony in Alaska? I would. However, we are going to Alaska in July in an ocean view cabin? Why? The ocean view was $5000, the balcony was $8000. Also, on this particular HAL ship we are one deck above a wrap around promomade that we can go from side to side as the view dictates.

 

Europe? Caribbean? Never ever took anything less than a balcony.

[LuCruise]

Why would you not want a balcony in Alaska? I would. However, we are going to Alaska in July in an ocean view cabin? Why? The ocean view was $5000, the balcony was $8000. Also, on this particular HAL ship we are one deck above a wrap around promomade that we can go from side to side as the view dictates.

 

Europe? Caribbean? Never ever took anything less than a balcony.

 

But that's the thing. I was keeping track of prices on our past Allure - a 7 night Caribbean cruise for a family of 4. The difference between an interior and ocean view with balcony was between $1000 to $2000 depending on the week (i.e as prices fluctuated). Not everyone has, or wants to spend that much extra. That's a lot of cash for a regular family.

[SantaFeFan]

But that's the thing. I was keeping track of prices on our past Allure - a 7 night Caribbean cruise for a family of 4. The difference between an interior and ocean view with balcony was between $1000 to $2000 depending on the week (i.e as prices fluctuated). Not everyone has, or wants to spend that much extra. That's a lot of cash for a regular family.

 

It all depends on what you value in a cruise. Some are satisfied in a windowless box for 1/3 of the day so they can take more cruises. Some will hold off on cruising until they can afford to treat themselves to the cabins they like best. Neither is wrong, just different priorities. When we travel, we tend to stay in nice hotels, go to nice restaurants, and cruise in balcony staterooms. That works for us, even though we might not go an as many cruises as the people who are content with an inside. Where we may budget and do without is at home, where the daily routine is familiar and comfortable. But never on a vacation, where everything is new and exciting, and often, once in a lifetime. That is where we will splurge and treat ourselves.

 

For us, we value quality over quantity. But, that is us, and doesn't have to be everyone's value.

[OzKiwiJJ]

We've done both balconies and insides. I find I sleep better in an inside cabin. We don't spend a lot of time on the balcony when we do have one but it's nice to have the choice.

 

For us it depends on several factors:

- The cruise line - we're happy with inside cabins on Princess, even on long cruises, as we spend some of the savings on the Sanctuary. Of course, this only applies to warm weather cruises. But on Celebrity we book a balcony as we can choose the drinks package as a perk and that's not much more expensive than the cost of an inside cabin plus buying a drinks package.

- The itinerary - a balcony is nice on a port-intensive itinerary as it's much easier to just pop out on the balcony to see the views, especially arrivals and departures from ports.

- Are we celebrating a special occasion - a balcony is a must on Princess so we can have the Ultimate Balcony Dinner

- Price - some cruises are too expensive to book balconies so if we want to do that cruise then we book an inside cabin (and we'd probably book with Princess in that case).

[EBFURR]

It all depends on what you value in a cruise. Some are satisfied in a windowless box for 1/3 of the day so they can take more cruises. Some will hold off on cruising until they can afford to treat themselves to the cabins they like best. Neither is wrong, just different priorities. When we travel, we tend to stay in nice hotels, go to nice restaurants, and cruise in balcony staterooms. That works for us, even though we might not go an as many cruises as the people who are content with an inside. Where we may budget and do without is at home, where the daily routine is familiar and comfortable. But never on a vacation, where everything is new and exciting, and often, once in a lifetime. That is where we will splurge and treat ourselves.

 

For us, we value quality over quantity. But, that is us, and doesn't have to be everyone's value.

 

Understand that completely and agree that there is no right or wrong here. We are more or less the opposite. We prefer more vacations spread throughout the year, especially now that the kids are grown. A 4 day getaway cruise is a nice treat and we like to catch a bargain if we can. We usually take one "main" vacation each year in late August which coincides with our anniversary. Many times this is a 7 day cruise and we always get a balcony for that. On the shorter cruises a balcony can be twice as expensive as an inside so we can essentially go twice if we take an inside. We do prefer having a balcony for all the reasons mentioned, but we have never had a "bad" cruise in an inside cabin either. We enjoy the cruise experience and can make the best of it either way. We try to work with what our budget allows. If we had more budget we would all balcony, all the time :)

 

The cruise lines depend on having people like us with different needs and preferences to fill all the cabins.

vive la difference

[iancal]

Balcony. We typically book inside the final payment window and often the difference in price between a balcony and outside is small.

 

We have had a suite upgrade but would not buy one unless it was a very attractive offer. We don't need the real estate and we find that the suite amenities are really not a big deal.

[Blondilu]

Reminds me of my oldest sister. Her first cruise we got a balcony. I need light she said. I need to be able to see the outside she said. She was almost never out there, it was too cold and windy. And it was such a port intensive itinerary the balcony ended up being completely wasted. Well, she did open the curtains a lot.

 

Obviously more of a case of "want" than "need" because for our next cruise I told her we can go but we need to get an inside to save money. OK, she said, very enthusiastically, let's do it. Apparently she now would rather go than not go, and if an inside is what gets us there, then so be it.

 

An inside, as opposed to not going at all, are my sentiments exactly. Though a balcony would always be the first choice if money were no object. Usually it's not. I have recently discovered obstructed oceanviews. They have no view to speak of, unless you like to look at lifeboats. But there is plenty of light. And are usually only slightly more than an inside. They are also usually very conveniently located. Win/win. Until I win the lottery and can book any cabin I want.

[Aquahound]

For us, we value quality over quantity. But, that is us, and doesn't have to be everyone's value.

 

I agree. If I can't fit the bill for a balcony room, at minimum, a cruise isn't worth it to me.

[SantaFeFan]

I agree. If I can't fit the bill for a balcony room, at minimum, a cruise isn't worth it to me.

 

And apparently to the majority of people. Modern cruise ships have 70%+ balcony cabins, some even close to 90%. And these typically sell out before insides do. Fortunately, there are different types of cabins for different types of people, which is a good marketing move for the industry. Everybody can find their preferred type of room. But even if the cruise industry went 100% balcony, we wouldn't be impacted at all since a balcony is our minimum category we will ever consider.

[mek]

My next cruise is in a suite, but if I found the right deal on the right cruise in an inside room I would absolutely take it!! For me it depends on itinerary, price, and who I'm sailing with.

 

The one category I generally don't book is ocean view. If I'm not going to get a balcony, I see no point in paying extra for a little window so I just go with an inside.

 

Well, on most lines OV's are configured differently than insides and have a little more room. I like OV's on port intensive cruises.

 

We had a fantastic OV on our Serenade cruise to Norway last year - one of the cabins that was converted from dining room space. It had a huge round window and was great

[GUT2407]

You'd need to pay me to consider an inside.

 

Maybe one of those window suits where you get floor to ceiling windows.

 

No real attraction in a mini suite don't need the extra space.

 

So Balcony it is.