More cruises or nicer cabins?

[Cigar King]

3 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

Inside bathroom is identical to a balcony bathroom

Didn't mean to imply a balcony bathroom and an inside bathroom were different.  

[Missusdubbya]

20 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I have a doozy for ya.😉😁

Timing of that one is not right for me - I agree length and itinerary is excellent 😁

[Tree_skier]

50 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

FWIW, on some itineraries the balcony is close to the inside price with C&A discount

Do you mean specifically for the single I want to book this fall or just in general.

[mac66]

More cruises is my vote. We've done insides, ocean views, balconies and suites.  We mostly do insides now. And we don't gamble, do drink packages anymore or do the Wifi or specialty dining either.  The money saved can be applied to excursions or other expenses. Just cutting out that stuff pays for another cruise.

 

Having said that we just booked an ocean view because it was only $5 more than an inside so we're always looking for the best value. Sometimes the perks (additional/refundable onboard credit,  a free specialty dining, free pre paid gratuities and or Wifi, etc through our travel agent) of booking a balcony puts it close to an inside or OV. We've done very well doing that.

 

What's nice is when you book an inside and they move you to a balcony which they did on our last cruise. They shut deck 3 down completely and moved every one up.

 

 

Edited July 9, 2022 by mac66

[John&LaLa]

16 minutes ago, Missusdubbya said:

Timing of that one is not right for me - I agree length and itinerary is excellent 😁

 

I'll be at your place to do laundry on March 11, 2024😇

[John&LaLa]

17 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Do you mean specifically for the single I want to book this fall or just in general.

 

In general

 

Are you at 340 pts yet?

 

I think the balcony discount decreases with 150% solo price

 

[firefly333]

34 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

Do you mean specifically for the single I want to book this fall or just in general.

He says inside city park balcony can be cheaper than inside which to me means oasis class probably. And asks about if you hit 340 pts, as he says balcony discount can decrease. I dont have any experience yet with 340 pts.

 

Harmony nov 27 2023 approx inside quoted to me around $1149 and ctrl park $1181. .. not exact just from memory. I havent been quoted less than inside but within $50 more. Or 1169 vs 1199. Dec 4th. The next date. Just from memory but those 2 dates were within $50 more. 

 

Older ships with fewer balconys imo the balconys cost a lot more difference. Check oasis class. I know who would know lol. 

[Tree_skier]

30 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

In general

 

Are you at 340 pts yet?

 

I think the balcony discount decreases with 150% solo price

 

 

No, not even close.

 

I found a Navigator one that's cheap and I'd like.  I just have to convince DW to let me go alone 🙂

Edited July 9, 2022 by Tree_skier

[John&LaLa]

11 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

He says inside city park balcony can be cheaper than inside which to me means oasis class probably. And asks about if you hit 340 pts, as he says balcony discount can decrease. I dont have any experience yet with 340 pts.

 

Harmony nov 27 2023 approx inside quoted to me around $1149 and ctrl park $1181. .. not exact just from memory. I havent been quoted less than inside but within $50 more. Or 1169 vs 1199. Dec 4th. The next date. Just from memory but those 2 dates were within $50 more. 

 

Older ships with fewer balconys imo the balconys cost a lot more difference. Check oasis class. I know who would know lol. 

 

Once you hit Voyager class, the percent of balconies skyrockets. But yes, it's definitely the way to go on Oasis shios

[cruiselvr04]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

FWIW, on some itineraries the balcony is close to the inside price with C&A discount

i was just going to say that.  Sometimes there is very little difference between the cost of a balcony and an OV after the discount.  We just look at the numbers and do what makes sense.  The price now for an inside on our upcoming December cruise is the same price we paid for a Jr suite.  That doesn’t happen often but in this case it paid to book early.  
 

Bottom line is we’d rather travel often and farther then in “luxury”.  Many people think going on any cruise is a luxury.  By the way we did 2 weeks on a river cruise in a aquarium room and had one of the best trips ever.  It’s the places you go and people you meet, not the place you lay you sleep and shower.  
 

 

[Missusdubbya]

2 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I'll be at your place to do laundry on March 11, 2024😇

Sure thing, I can give you a Brisbane tour too 😁

[John&LaLa]

1 minute ago, Missusdubbya said:

Sure thing, I can give you a Brisbane tour too 😁

 

That truly would be memorable. We'll chat when we get closer

[loman]

8 hours ago, George C said:

We prefer going first class , book nothing but suites.

Go big , or go home ... i like that 🙂

[sellwingri]

Our first cruise was in an inside.  We booked a balcony on the second and never went back.  We got hooked on GS a few years ago but after about 8 of them, we went back to a balcony or a JS, depending on the price.  Since they started Royal Up, my bids to a JS or GS have been accepted all but once.  We’ll just continue to book a balcony and bid on an upgrade.

[poocher]

Made the mistake of booking a GS on our return to cruising after 16+ years.  Now I can’t go back.  We tried a spacious balcony cabin & I was claustrophobic in it.  Then we got a sweet L&S price on an OS on Harmony.  I’m really stuck now!!  Hubby & I are doing an 8 day in a JS to get us to Diamond in October.  Hope it’s big enough!  I need a real bathroom without the space capsule shower, a comfortable sitting area and a decent balcony for early morning coffee.  If we can’t get that, we don’t go.

[greatestvalue]

10 hours ago, cruisin from florida said:

More cruise nights or nicer cabins?

We feel balcony is middle of the road and thats where we usually go.  However, if its port intensive we do an ocean view because we will not be able to enjoy our slow pace of get up, order room service, have coffee hang out on the balcony. 

 

So for us its not nicer room or more cruises, its room type based on how much time we will have on the ship. 

[bonsai3s]

When we were younger, we didn't have much money and only cruised once a year...we booked only inside cabins.

 

Many years ago, we sailed on the Vision of the Seas (out of Venice, Italy) and had this brilliant (sarcastic) idea.

 

We wanted to compare each cabin and booked a JS (2 weeks), a balcony, an OV, and an inside...all consecutive (b5b). Yes, it was crazy...but we learned a lot.

 

Bottom line: We haven't booked an inside cabin ever since. Two reasons, 1. Our bed (inside cabin) only had one small space on one side and against the wall on the other side. I would literally roll over and hit the wall . It wasn't funny after a few days.

2. With a nice C&A balcony discount, our first choice is now always a balcony....or higher.

[mac_tlc]

5 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Mariner here now. We have a 4/5 b2b in one

Not a fan of the shorter cruises. Some of the 8 day Voyager cruise in early 2024 have the VP’s still available. 
 

mac_tlc

[Mum2Mercury]

11 hours ago, cruisin from florida said:

After years of balconies with occasional JSs, we're now retired and have a lot more time to cruise. 

I'm thinking about switching to inside cabins going forward. Pros: save $$$, cruise more, sleep and nap well in nice dark cabin. Schooner Bar becomes our living room.

Cons: obviously, no balcony, no sea view, smaller cabins (so less pleasant to just hang out there).

 

What's your arithmetic? More cruise nights or nicer cabins?

 

(Obviously this is going to be based on personal preference, so there's no right or wrong answers... Or need for feuds 😁)

Did I write this?  I could've.  We're just about to cruise in our first inside, and we've agreed to evaluate our feelings afterward.  My inclination is to say "more cruises" ... but I can't absolutely answer just now.

[sushitex]

11 hours ago, cruisin from florida said:

After years of balconies with occasional JSs, we're now retired and have a lot more time to cruise. 

I'm thinking about switching to inside cabins going forward. Pros: save $$$, cruise more, sleep and nap well in nice dark cabin. Schooner Bar becomes our living room.

Cons: obviously, no balcony, no sea view, smaller cabins (so less pleasant to just hang out there).

 

What's your arithmetic? More cruise nights or nicer cabins?

 

(Obviously this is going to be based on personal preference, so there's no right or wrong answers... Or need for feuds 😁)

 

 Hubby and I have been retired since 2018 and 2017, respectively. We sailed with Royal Caribbean for the first time just over 3 years ago, and discovered after that first cruise that the casino offers comped and discounted cruises to its Prime members. Hubby and I have made good use of those casino offers and most of the time, we stay with the interior cabins. It is absolutely true for us that, most of the time,  we hang out in the Schooner Bar or wherever trivia and other games are offered, or go see shows, or stroll around on the decks doing our morning walks or just use our binoculars for "ship spotting." Oh, and "donate" to the casino, of course.  In other words, whether we  have an inside or balcony cabin, or junior suite, we still are "out and about" far more than we are inside the cabin. 

 

Because of the casino cruise offers,  and the fact that many of those cruises earned us double points, we were able to cruise quite often since last September, and in the late winter,  we reached Diamond+ C&A level. 

 

So, we vote "more cruises, interior cabins" because this is what we have been doing since the cruise restart. 

 

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by sushitex

[Another_Critic]

An alternative to JS is solo in two connecting balcony cabins.  The two cabins are often less than one JS.  Two beds, two baths, two TVs, two [smaller] balconies, etc.

[OCSC Mike]

51 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We're just about to cruise in our first inside, and we've agreed to evaluate our feelings afterward.  My inclination is to say "more cruises" ... but I can't absolutely answer just now.

We did this experiment but not exactly on purpose. My wife cruised as a kid, my 1st  cruise ever was our honeymoon. Her parents always had a balcony or better so she had in her mind that she needed a balcony b/c it was all she knew so that’s what we got of course.

 

When we got to 76 points, I suggested getting the cheapest 4-night fare we could find to get to Diamond before going on our next 7-night balcony & she agreed to just get an interior.

 

I hit the jackpot b/c that one short cruise made her realize she didn’t actually need a balcony, she just thought she did, and we’ve been sailing mostly interiors ever since.

[lazydayz]

The only way I will do an interior is if that is the only cabin left on a cruise I really want to go on.  Hubby is fine with an interior but I find it uninviting.  When I walk in, I want to be excited to spend a week there.  With the interior I dreaded going back to the cabin.  So I would cruise less often to have a cabin I like, which needs to at least include a balcony. 

[rudeney]

For us, it's nicer cabins.  We both still work, so our schedules are not totally flexible.  I think if we lived closer to a port, we'd cruise more.  The shortest drive would be 9 hours to PC, so we pretty much have to fly.  With crappy connections in and out of B'ham, it takes all day to get anywhere. 

 

So we end up cruising about once every 2 years in a suite.  My wife won't go any other way.  We do have other options for vacationing (a condo in Destin and the occasional trip to other cities) so we're not really depriving ourselves, but we really REALLY enjoy cruises.  And we enjoy going in style.

[grandgeezer]

We don’t have to make the choice, we can afford to choose any cabin category and go as often as we want. The problem we have is it has to be at a price that gives us value for our money. Before the pandemic we had cut our cruising back 80% because we couldn’t find much that met that requirement. Since the start up, we can’t find any cruises, on any lines that will get us on the sea again. At first we missed going but now, every day that goes by makes it that much easier to stay home.