Tips for a balcony room

[Stacie.]

7 hours ago, Hooked2 said:

Hi everyone! So this is my 14th Cruise, and my first time for a balcony!! I know..I know..what have I been doing all my cruising life?! LOL!!

Does anyone have any tips for a balcony room or should I bring anything extra that will make the balcony better? TIA!!

I also just got upgraded to PLATINUM!!! I am thrilled!

Getting back on topic here...

 

I love to order room service coffee and a croissant and enjoy a peaceful early morning out on the balcony with a book while the rest of my family is still sleeping. Sometimes I’ll get an OJ instead and make a mimosa with some of my white wine. I will use about a half a cup of the OJ and put the rest in the fridge so I can make another one later on and bring to the dining room for breakfast or for a mimosa the next morning. 
 

It can sometimes be chilly in the early morning or at night when I sit out there so I do request a robe from the steward. 
 

My family can’t all fit in one room so I book balcony rooms next to each other. I have to put DH and I in separate rooms because they won’t let the kids have their own balcony room for the booking but then we just get an extra key made and he and I share a room and the four kids share a room. We have the balcony divider removed/unlocked so the kids have access to our room and vise versa. 

[SDPadreFan]

Nothing better than coffee or a light breakfast on your balcony in the morning.

[TerReuv]

23 minutes ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

While your balcony is not "public space" it is clearly not IN your stateroom. It is exterior to your stateroom and you alone have access to it. However what happens on your private balcony has different rules than inside your stateroom. Just like at home. your back porch is your private porch but if neighbors can hear or see "offending" things then there can be rules against it that would not pertain to what happens inside your house. Even what happens inside your stateroom falls under a code of contact.

 

Again, please show me where Carnival has a rule that I cannot use my BT on my balcony.  Otherwise, all these opinions are just that.

[AtSeaWithChris]

Just now, TerReuv said:

 

Again, please show me where Carnival has a rule that I cannot use my BT on my balcony.  Otherwise, all these opinions are just that.

[TerReuv]

Just now, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

 

Dear Lord, unless it says balcony, please quit posting the same stupid thing.  Broken record and one that has no answer to my request for a rule that states BALCONY!  Your opinion and interpretation of that rule is not relevant at all unless you are a Carnival employee.  Otherwise, again, just your opinion.  You can have yours and I can have mine, and until Carnival states it I'll go with mine.  If I get reported or someone complains, then it will be my problem and not yours.

[AtSeaWithChris]

1 minute ago, TerReuv said:

 

Dear Lord, unless it says balcony, please quit posting the same stupid thing.  Broken record and one that has no answer to my request for a rule that states BALCONY!  Your opinion and interpretation of that rule is not relevant at all unless you are a Carnival employee.  Otherwise, again, just your opinion.  You can have yours and I can have mine, and until Carnival states it I'll go with mine.  If I get reported or someone complains, then it will be my problem and not yours.

Do you have trouble understanding the words within your stateroom? Do you know why some airports have signs like "No chainsaws permitted in the cabin"? Because someone at some time tried to bring one.

[mcgore83]

I am in hopes that we can return to the topic of this post.  I am sure the OP is excited about having a balcony cabin and is looking for suggestions to maximize the experience.  Let help with suggestions, not arguments.  If someone wants to play music on their balcony, fine, as long as it doesn't bother others.  If it bothers you, just politely ask them to turn it down.  I guess my whole point is, enjoy your life.  You are blessed to be able to cruise or vacation in any form.  Consider the alternative.  

[TerReuv]

15 minutes ago, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

Do you have trouble understanding the words within your stateroom? Do you know why some airports have signs like "No chainsaws permitted in the cabin"? Because someone at some time tried to bring one.

 

Nope, but I also don't see balcony.  Get over it and stop trying to put your will onto me.  Since you clearly have no answer than to post the same thing, I will just no longer engage with you.  Bye and enjoy your cruise.

Edited February 4, 2020 by TerReuv

[ray98]

The 'rules' also don't specify that you can't stand outside in the nude although you are certainly free to do within your stateroom.  The reason is your balcony, while it has no public access, is very much a public space as you have no expectation of privacy.

[dmdiver]

Lol, the nude on your balcony part reminds me of the first time we were in Grand Turk.  MSC was across the dock from us & just before leaving (when everyone is out on their balconies for sail away), a woman & her significant other came out on their MSC balcony where she proceeded to take off her robe & entertain all of us Carnival cruisers.  He offered no entertainment at all, so while my hubby enjoyed the show, I felt gypped.

[SDPadreFan]

8 minutes ago, dmdiver said:

Lol, the nude on your balcony part reminds me of the first time we were in Grand Turk.  MSC was across the dock from us & just before leaving (when everyone is out on their balconies for sail away), a woman & her significant other came out on their MSC balcony where she proceeded to take off her robe & entertain all of us Carnival cruisers.  He offered no entertainment at all, so while my hubby enjoyed the show, I felt gypped.

 

That's why you never want to travel without binoculars. You know - to look at fish, whales, etc.

Edited February 5, 2020 by SDPadreFan

[Rainbowfalls]

 

 

I love the idea of drying towels and swimsuits. Trying to do so in the bathroom they never get dry lol.

 

Not really a tips persay.. But somethings we enjoyed. :

 

Get icecream and sit on the balcony and just enjoy life

 

Perfect lighting for pictures/selfies with a beautiful background-teen approved

 

Sit outside at night and star gaze or just listen to the waves which helped us wind down after a busy day.

 

We used it last time to see when the tender seemed to be less busy.

 

For me it helped with panic attacks. Just being able to not feel crowded in the cabin or near too many people. So tip for those with panic/anxiety i guess lol.

 

 

Leaving the curtains open during the night was nice to look at stars from the bed and then wake up naturally to the sun. Was able to wake up a bit before the alarm.

Plus the room being bright in the morning helped our teen wake up without having to argue more then normal [emoji23]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[TerReuv]

35 minutes ago, Rainbowfalls said:

 

Leaving the curtains open during the night was nice to look at stars from the bed and then wake up naturally to the sun. Was able to wake up a bit before the alarm.

Plus the room being bright in the morning helped our teen wake up without having to argue more then normal

 

Totally agree about leaving the curtains open.  We are good waking early and sometimes I beat the sun.  LOL  But, we love waking to the sun coming up and usually have some juice or coffee from RS and sit outside before we go to breakfast.  

 

 

 

 

 

[Rainbowfalls]

 

I always forget to request for coffee in the am. It would be nice to enjoy on tbe balcony in the morning.

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[Hooked2]

On 2/4/2020 at 4:42 PM, mcgore83 said:

I am in hopes that we can return to the topic of this post.  I am sure the OP is excited about having a balcony cabin and is looking for suggestions to maximize the experience.  Let help with suggestions, not arguments.  If someone wants to play music on their balcony, fine, as long as it doesn't bother others.  If it bothers you, just politely ask them to turn it down.  I guess my whole point is, enjoy your life.  You are blessed to be able to cruise or vacation in any form.  Consider the alternative.  

Thanks for trying to get back to the Topic! 

[Hooked2]

22 hours ago, Rainbowfalls said:

 

 

I love the idea of drying towels and swimsuits. Trying to do so in the bathroom they never get dry lol.

 

Not really a tips persay.. But somethings we enjoyed. :

 

Get icecream and sit on the balcony and just enjoy life

 

Perfect lighting for pictures/selfies with a beautiful background-teen approved

 

Sit outside at night and star gaze or just listen to the waves which helped us wind down after a busy day.

 

We used it last time to see when the tender seemed to be less busy.

 

For me it helped with panic attacks. Just being able to not feel crowded in the cabin or near too many people. So tip for those with panic/anxiety i guess lol.

 

 

Leaving the curtains open during the night was nice to look at stars from the bed and then wake up naturally to the sun. Was able to wake up a bit before the alarm.

Plus the room being bright in the morning helped our teen wake up without having to argue more then normal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my LG-Q710AL using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

Yes, these are great tips!! I am just a little nervous..I think! LOL! I don't want to be without something that will enhance our balcony experience, so thank-you for your input!

[Bahbert]

Here are a couple more tips:

 

• If you have trouble sleeping when light comes through the window, consider bringing a few cheap clothespins to pin the two halves of the drapes together. They're useful for hanging clothes up to dry, too. 😋
• If you like taking photos, then a balcony's a great place for it. You never know what you're going to see out there. If you have a sports camera (like a GoPro) or one with a time-lapse feature, consider getting some kind of mount that you can use to hold the camera to the railing and get some great time-lapse shots of the water and clouds.
• As others have said, nothing beats the first cup of coffee on the balcony! I like to sit and read out there as well.

 

[mom says]

On 2/5/2020 at 10:51 AM, Rainbowfalls said:

Leaving the curtains open during the night was nice to look at stars from the bed and then wake up naturally to the sun. Was able to wake up a bit before the alarm

Although, if you sleep naked, and you are due to dock early in the morning, this may not be a good idea. Unless there are sheers that you can leave closed.

[Rainbowfalls]

Although, if you sleep naked, and you are due to dock early in the morning, this may not be a good idea. Unless there are sheers that you can leave closed.

[emoji23] very true

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[KnowTheScore]

Balconies

 

No1 - once you try a balcony you will find it very hard to go back to insides.  Be prepared for the future expenditure this will cause you

 

No2 - Always close curtains before going to bed otherwise you wake up in port next to another berthed ship with lots of people looking into your cabin with smiles on their faces.

 

No3 - Bring a window wiper like window cleaners use to clean the glass panel of your balcony which will inevitably be filthy and covered in sea salt slime.  If you don't do this then your lovely view whilst sat in the sun chair will be obscured.

 

No 4 - as per poster Lizzanna, don't leave your balcony light on at  night, it interferes with your neighbors being able to star gaze.

 

No5 - When the skies are perfectly clear, at the end of the evening go and get a proper hot chocolate from the Costa coffee bar and go and sit out on the balcony with all lights off and marvel and gaze at the incredible panoply of stars.   Within no time you will see satellites passing over and very frequently shooting stars.   A good time and place to contemplate.

 

No6 - Bring on board or buy in port "balcony munchies" which for me include olives, deli meats like salamis, mortadella and parma ham, plus manchego cheese and cheese crackers/biscuits.   These are great nibbles whilst sitting out on the balcony during the day.

 

No7 - Depending where you are cruising to it can be a lovely thing to invite friends you meet on board to your balcony cabin.  We do this either for pre-dinner drinks or if sailing to into Venice we invite friends to share the magical sail-in on our balcony and order breakfast items in-cabin for everyone.   You will typically have 2 chairs outside plus the chair by the vanity desk inside and you can use the small drinks table outside with a cushion on it for a 4th seat.   We have had numerous great sail-ins and sail-aways and pre-dinner drinks with super friends in this way.

 

No8 - Supplementing No7 above.   If you invite friends for drinks then it's nice to have some nibbles or canapés to go with them.

If you are feeling lavish then you can order proper canapés at reception for a given time/date provided you give them at least 24hrs notice.   There will be a choice of canapés to pick from and you will be charged for this service.

Alternatively if you look through the Room Service Menu (if you can find one!) then you will see that you can order early on some items from there that will allow YOU to make some great canapés.   If you feel like doing this, and we often do, then bring on-board with you a pack of small round rye biscuits or oat cakes or similar thing.   Then before your guest are due to arrive, order from Room Service a portion of Smoked Salmon (a starter that has loads on it) and a portion of pate.

Then just put small pieces of salmon rolled up on the rye breads and some pate on others.  Delicious nibbles that will impress your guests and go well with drinks.

 

No9 - Personal preference, for me, avoid a balcony that is overlooked.  There is no privacy at all and you feel that people are constantly looking down on you from above (which they are).   Also there is the fear that someone will accidentally drop something and it will land on your head.   This is relevant to Ventura and Azura which have varying degrees of overlooked balconies.  Some fully overlooked with zero privacy, some 1/2 overlooked.

 

No10 - If you have them and can afford the packing space throw in waffle style bath robes.   They are great for sitting out in the morning having breakfast on the balcony or at night star gazing.   Deluxe balconies used to come with thick bath robes as standard but this seems to have disappeared now, another Carnival cut.   I was able to coerce my cabin steward to procure us a couple for the use of the cruise only. 

 

Enjoy.  You will never look back imo

Edited February 6, 2020 by KnowTheScore

[pacruise804]

I don't remember if it was mentioned or not, but I like binoculars when staying in a balcony.

Large pool towels are good to lay on the chair if you are concerned about salt/dew transfer onto your clothes.

Wipe the railing with a towel before leaning against and getting your arms wet.

 

 

 

[EatonDoolittle]

Lots of posts about personal music on the balcony (DON'T), but remember all sound carries, and yes, you are often not much more 12 inches away from your neighbor.  

 

So...keep private conversations to a minimum, or at least to a very low sound level. Nobody wants to hear your commentary on the port arrival or the state of your marriage. 

It shouldn't need to be said, but it has happened to me several times: Don't go out on your balcony with your phone, call home and then scream "Guess where I am!!  Yeah!!!  Mexico !!!!"  and then go on and on. Again, nobody wants to hear that. 

 

And this - from my recently completed trip. Keep the coughing, hacking, spitting and (yes) farting inside the cabin. My balcony was unusable for much of my trip because the woman in the next cabin had a serious sounding Upper Respiratory illness and attempted to cough up her entire lungs on the balcony for 11 days straight.  Then about day 6, she gave it to her husband. No fun to be sick on a cruise, but really no fun for those around you who have paid for a nice, quiet, relaxing balcony experience. 

[shipgeeks]

On 2/4/2020 at 12:26 PM, MamallamaAndDaddy said:

This is not true. While it may shut off your AC in your cabin it does not affect cabins around you. That is a wild internet rumor. 

This is not true.

[shipgeeks]

Oops, I clicked on the wrong reply.

Obviously, it has been established that AC is affected.

What I meant to disagree with is "once you have a balcony you can never go back".  We've been upgraded to a balcony twice in 44 cruises; both times we said "what's the attraction?"

We love oceanview, however.  Binoculars are good.  Less chance of rude neighbors affecting our cruise.

[Huskydo]

Well there’s 20 minutes of my life I won’t get back. 🥺