Need help deciding between Interior or Balcony on a Baltic Cruise

[JGnTX]

We're planning our 40th anniversary cruise for next August and we're looking at a 9day on the Getaway with these ports of call:

Copenhagen,Denmark
Berlin (Warnemünde),Germany
Tallinn,Estonia
St. Petersburg,Russia
Helsinki,Finland
Stockholm,Sweden
Copenhagen,Denmark

 

The downside of being married to an accountant is that she's always interested in controlling the $s - keeping them as low as possible so of course she leans to an interior room. I'm the more adventurous and will always want a balcony but we know there are some cruises that don't really merit the balcony. For example if we're cruising to Cancun and Progresso there's really not a lot to sit on the balcony and see. Alaska on the other hand there's almost always something to see from the balcony. 

 

Since we've never been to these ports we're asking those who have been there to help us decide: Interior or Balcony?

The fate of our cabin is in your hands knowing the wisdom here is invaluable.

Thanks,

John & Joann

[roger001]

A balcony absolutely, especially considering it is an anniversary cruise.  An interior to me is only for someone who intends to constantly be out all day and night on the ship somewhere an the cabin  is just to shower, change, and later sleep.  A balcony lets you wake up to the morning, enjoy your coffee out there, have a drink on the balcony in the evening, see the world go sailing past.  Even sea days looking at the ocean is nice. Pulling into ports, you can sit or stand out and see so much.   A balcony is a must for us.  It is an escape and outdoor privacy from the rest of the ship.  It is a personal place to enjoy each other.   I hate to use this term, but "at your age" and this being a celebration, you need a balcony.   It will triple your enjoyment of the cruise.  Now, after I said all of that, the Getaway cabins do  have fairly small balconies, but they are worth having!  An interior.  If you drink all night and want to sleep all day, the absence of any night or day does make for dark sleeping.   Get a balcony!    And enjoy your anniversary.  

[KAYKAY121]

I hope to never stay in an interior room again. I just want an Aft Balcony but I haven't pulled the trigger for the price of that. You can get a club suite for not much more than a balcony. We booked a club suite this time due to the upgrade charge only being $75pp more than the balcony. Book whatever you are comfortable with and watch the prices. You could do a window to compromise the $$ but all I want to do when I look out the window is go outside. 🙂

[Rick&Jeannie]

@JGnTX Ditto what @roger001 said!

[MeHeartCruising]

This is an itinerary that I think warrants a balcony.  Being able to be on your balcony as you approach and depart these ports is a great experience.  The sail in to Stockholm thru the archipelago takes several hours and is something you don’t want to miss.  I would urge you to get up before dawn and enjoy it from your balcony.   Same for sail out.  If your ship is actually docking in the More distant port of Nynashamn, and calling that “Stockholm”, then this last bit of info doesn’t apply. 
 

European cruises (Baltic or Mediterranean) should be done right.  If you can swing it, get the balcony. 

[Yinster]

If only to see the beautiful sunsets every night.

 

A wee selections from our Baltic cruise in 2017

[JGnTX]

@roger001 I agree completely with your line of thinking and that's always where I start (Balcony) but then sometimes get beat down to the interior.

@KAYKAY121 - We did an Aft Balcony on our 1st Transatlantic and it was amazing. I agree on if I can see outside I want to BE outside!

@Rick&Jeannie - thanks for the upvote!

@MeHeartCruising - this is exactly the info I need to convince the accountant side of the equation. Some ports aren't really that scenic and knowing these are is really helpful.

@Yinster - The pictures always speak loudly don't they? Thanks for sharing them!

[jingle5616]

If the budget is limited, this is a cruise to spend on excursions and not a balcony.  It is port pack itinerary with many great sights to see.  None of them are particularly cheap.  St Petersburg alone will cost you a few hundred apiece.  Don’t skimp on the palaces and historic sights to see.   Whatever you choose, enjoy!

[nferr]

Sure, I like having a balcony but to act like you can't see everything mentioned here from up on deck is silly. You get the same sights and you can easily see both sides. Up to the individual if it's worth the extra cost IMO.

[PhillyTravelBug]

You could always book the interior and then do the bidding for a balcony when offered. Thats what I did for our 2019 Alaska cruise. The final cost was a little cheaper than booking the balcony price.

[KeithJenner]

12 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

This is an itinerary that I think warrants a balcony.  Being able to be on your balcony as you approach and depart these ports is a great experience.  The sail in to Stockholm thru the archipelago takes several hours and is something you don’t want to miss.  I would urge you to get up before dawn and enjoy it from your balcony.   Same for sail out.  If your ship is actually docking in the More distant port of Nynashamn, and calling that “Stockholm”, then this last bit of info doesn’t apply. 
 

European cruises (Baltic or Mediterranean) should be done right.  If you can swing it, get the balcony. 

I believe that the Getaway usually (if not always) docks at Nynashamn.

[cricket200]

Agree with @KeithJenner the Getaway docked at Nynashamn when we did this cruise in 2019.

 

While I would always book a balcony this was such a port intensive cruise that we didn't spend much time on our balcony though the bartenders at Syd Normans knew us by name 😄

 

That said I did enjoy my early mornings on my balcony and the cruise into St. Petersburg is really nice and worth the early morning rise!  Most of the piers that you dock at are in commercial ports so not the prettiest but interesting.

 

If money was a concern I would go for an interior and spend the cash you saved on a private tour of St. Petersburg - it was definitely worth the money!

 

[tallnthensome]

What is the price difference ? 

[JGnTX]

All great thoughts, that’s why we’re having such a dilemma. The price difference is about $2000 so that would help out on excursions. 

[phillygwm]

4 hours ago, JGnTX said:

All great thoughts, that’s why we’re having such a dilemma. The price difference is about $2000 so that would help out on excursions. 

I'm a banker and look at things the same way as your wife.  Personally, I always sail in a balcony or club suite and I especially would if it were a "landmark" trip like a big anniversary etc.  Find other things to save money on. 

 

I'm not saying $2K isn't a fair piece of change.  Obviously, if someone wasn't financially stable/reasonably secure, they shouldn't be eating cat food later because they splurged on a cruise.  But, to me, this sounds like one of those memories that will last a lifetime.  As long as it wouldn't cause a major hardship, don't cheat yourself.

 

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by phillygwm

[sandygarrison]

We have interior and outside with window across the hall.  There are only two sea days on this 9 day cruise and we will be off the ship every minute allowed. 

[complawyer]

no contest, balcony all the way.. i love to sit on my balcony, and photograph the sunsets. also, i usually book the port side, and have gotten some great pictures with a telephoto lens. while some people just enjoy cruising for its own sake, and insist they dont spend enough time in there cabin so an inside is sufficient, personally, i would go crazy in an inside cabin

[How much longer?]

This is a special trip for your anniversary.  I am assuming you can afford it since you are considering it, so go for it!  You won't regret it.   Go back to an inside (if you can 🙂 ) for other non celebration cruises.  We booked a balcony and were upgraded to an aft mini suite when we did our Baltic cruise, and it was wonderful.  Especially sailing into and out of each port and through the archipelago in Sweden in the early morning.  

[tinkr2]

No way would I have an inside on an anniversary cruise with that itinerary. Pulling in and out of the ports is so interesting.  I just did a 5 day in an inside on Carnival to Bahamas, which Ive been to 100 times. It was still hard. Get a balcony and enjoy some mornings.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 hours ago, How much longer? said:

This is a special trip for your anniversary.  I am assuming you can afford it since you are considering it, so go for it! 

I have an upcoming anniversary cruise (#40) and it will be special regardless of whether I'm in the Haven or steerage.    It's about a) the anniversary and b) being on a cruise ship.  Why make it any more complicated than that?  Are you suggesting that an anniversary isn't special unless you spend twice as much for a window and a couple square feet of cramped balcony?

[hernando52]

We did this cruise on the Getaway a few years ago and it was very memorable.  It was windy heading to Warnemunde so we circled in the Baltic for enough hours that we only had a quick stop at the German port to pick up passengers..  I am glad that we had a balcony on this extra sea day!  I was also very happy to have a balcony to enjoy watching the maneuvering necessary to get the Getaway out of the port....the ship seemed way too big to be stopping here!  We had to skip Tallinn as a stop, but the rest of the cruise went smoothly. St. Petersburg was a great stop, and as it was previously mentioned, make sure you take in at least one of the palaces.  Leaving St. Petersburg, we were delayed as Mr. Putin was at a nearby soccer game and our ship had to remain in port.  We sat out on our starboard balcony as it was getting a little dark (11PM) and watched an eerie sight of an abandoned military looking establishment.....we took lots of pictures and later learned that this was the birthplace of the Russian Revolution (interesting if you are a history buff).  No Swedish archipelago for us, but the stop at the Vasa museum was exceptional

 

40th Anniversary....BIG milestone so make the most of it.    Congratulations! 

[phillygwm]

10 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I have an upcoming anniversary cruise (#40) and it will be special regardless of whether I'm in the Haven or steerage.    It's about a) the anniversary and b) being on a cruise ship.  Why make it any more complicated than that?  Are you suggesting that an anniversary isn't special unless you spend twice as much for a window and a couple square feet of cramped balcony?

For a special occasion, I'd spend what I could comfortably afford.  Obviously, everyone's answer to that will be different.  Just saying if you're in a position to splurge once in a while, a milestone birthday/anniversary might be the appropriate time.  

[jkrislc]

I love balconies and they were a must when my son was younger and we spent more time in the cabin while he napped. Now, we'll do a balcony if it's $200-300 more (total); otherwise, we use the money saved for excursions and other trip expenses which can be high on this itinerary if you plan on going into Berlin and/or doing a tour in St. Petersburg.

 

We did a similar itinerary to this several years ago and I would say the most scenic sailing is in and out of Sweden. That said, you'll always get better views up on deck than from your balcony. And with a port intensive itinerary and long days in ports, how often will you be able to use the balcony?

 

Like food and tipping, this is one of those issues that you'll find strong opinions either way and ultimately comes down to what you determine is worth it to you.

[Oceansaway17]

On 10/28/2021 at 12:25 AM, JGnTX said:

All great thoughts, that’s why we’re having such a dilemma. The price difference is about $2000 so that would help out on excursions. 

 

yes do the interior as shore excursions can be expensive and the Baltic too.  You can also sleep better if travelling during the time of the year where it is light out until midnight.

And having a balcony is fine unless all the scenery is on the other side of the ship.

Save the money, and do the interior.   You will be able to getup, and walk around the ship and get exercise and smile at the $2k you saved.

[JGnTX]

Thanks so much for the wealth of information, we've sifted through all the information above and here's where we've landed:

• Interior cabin (Booked!)
• Try the upgrade path for a balcony later
• Use the extra $ for more excursions (And to upgrade our Formula 1 race tickets next year! It was a bargaining tool on my part to get out of sitting on the ground in general admission and move to a seat in a Grandstand! - everything is on the table when fighting for a balcony!)

Thanks again for sharing your wisdom,

John & Joann