What's Your Financial Breakpoint In a Balcony?

[complawyer]

graphic guy, imo. your  analysis is spot on. forget about chicago, try and price out a week at disney world.  my sister lives in orlando, and we've discussed this before. a week in the "value" category hotel, park tickets, food, beverages, etc can run over $7000 and i think that's a conservative estimate. i think a cruise in the long is a much better deal. as far as the balcony cabin, booking one for my wife and i is a no-brainer. nothing beats sitting out on the balcony with an ice cold heineken and my kindle, and yes, i go out whenever we have docked in a port to check out the view.

[9tee2Sea]

I will never do inside cabins again.  I will consider ocean view, with picture window.  But i really need a balcony.  I get up early, my partner sleeps later.  I need a place to sit and have my coffee, until he wakes up. Then we will head off to breakfast together.  Also, when he is getting ready, I have a place to sit and be out of the way.  My conundrum is if Haven is worth 3X the price of a balcony.  Only did Haven once, because I wasn't getting off the ship for 14 days.

[RocketMan275]

5 hours ago, Daruma said:

I'd like a balcony, can afford a balcony, but the logical part of my brain is saying, "Are ye DAFT man?" lol. 

 

So, just curious, at what daily price differential do you decide that the balcony isn't worth it? 

A wise man once said:  "Life is too short to drink cheap wine."

That said, because we drank a lot of cheap wine in our younger years, now we can book suites.

[lepidoptera]

For me I tend to book early. I keep track of prices and have several time been able to catch price drops and upgrade for $200-300. I also bid for balconies in the upgrade program-I haven’t done that for a few years though. I’ve also used credit card points to upgrade. Now that there

are solo balconies I will probably book those more often, the solo supplement was killer. 

Edited May 13 by lepidoptera

[Buford T Justiice]

$500 - I won't spend more than $500 to go from an ocean view room to a balcony room.

 

For our upcoming Bermuda cruise the difference was $2k.... we will be in an Ocean View room.

[schmoopie17]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

 

 I like Chicago.  Spend lots of long weekends there.

 

I'm just like you. Except, I hate Chicago, No wait, hate isn't a strong enough word. Let's try despise. There...much better.

 

In full disclosure, I grew up in Milwaukee (AKA Chicago's poor red-headed stepchild). I grew up learning to hate all things Chicago...the Cubs, the Bears, the toll roads, the never-ending road construction on I-94/294, etc.  I refer to the state as Ill-Annoy.

 

Unfortunately for me, I actually lived in a Chicago suburb for six years, due to work, many moons ago. We now live in a community just across from the Ill-Annoy border and probably half of our neighbors are Ill-Annoy transplants who came here to escape the crime, cost of living, taxes, etc.

 

Sorry for hijacking yet another thread,

Okay...off of soapbox (for now)...and you can resume your discussion of balconies.

 

Edited May 13 by schmoopie17

[graphicguy]

2 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

I'm just like you. Except, I hate Chicago, No wait, hate isn't a strong enough word. Let's try despise. There...much better.

 

In full disclosure, I grew up in Milwaukee (AKA Chicago's poor red-headed stepchild). I grew up learning to hate all things Chicago...the Cubs, the Bears, the toll roads, the never-ending road construction on I-94/294, etc.  I refer to the state as Ill-Annoy.

 

Unfortunately for me, I actually lived in a Chicago suburb for six years, due to work, many moons ago. We now live in a community just across from the Ill-Annoy border and probably half of our neighbors are Ill-Annoy transplants who came here to escape the crime, cost of living, taxes, etc.

 

Sorry for hijacking yet another thread,

Okay...off of soapbox (for now)...and you can resume your discussion of balconies.

 

No issue!  

 

One of my companies offices were

there.  I had couple of direct reports in that office.  So, I was there quite a bit.

 

That said m, I could leave.  I would even go to Wrigley when my Reds played there.  They always treated me well!

 

Loved going to Gibson’s for steak and to Rosebud for Italian!  Great museums!  Taste of Chicago was quite a party!!!!

 

I enjoyed it!

[BirdTravels]

7 hours ago, Daruma said:

Hello, folks. 

 

Me again. 

 

So, let me explain the topic and my question. 

 

At what daily price break down do you say, "NOPE!!" to a balcony? 

 

I'm currently booked in an interior room for my 7 day cruise, but since day 7 is disembark day, I only consider it to be 6 days of cabin use. 

 

To change to a balcony for those actual 6 days of cabin use is $660... so $110/day.

 

I'd like a balcony, can afford a balcony, but the logical part of my brain is saying, "Are ye DAFT man?" lol. 

 

So, just curious, at what daily price differential do you decide that the balcony isn't worth it? 

 

I know that I can "split the difference" and go with an Ocean View room, but that doesn't interest me in the slightest. 

It’s a combination of sunlight and the extra space on a balcony. 
 

Full disclosure, we even go further by paying for a club balcony for the bigger shower. 

[fredflint]

it is funny just before COVID we had booked a large inside cabin on a Princess cruise the cruise was cancelled due to COVID.  Now with all the different possible illnesses that can cause you to have to stay in your cabin we would not book anything but a balcony.  I don't look at the cost os anything but a balcony as the starting point.  The same way I would not book a Transatlantic with a balcony that did not face south.

My comfort is worth a certain amount and that is just my 2 cents.  Imagine if there was an issue with Norovirus and you had to stay in your cabin for 5 days, I could do a balcony but not an inside.

[ChiefMateJRK]

5 hours ago, Daruma said:

 

I've only scratched the surface in getting to know you a bit via this forum... but I must say... from what I've gathered from your posts... I'm surprised you'd go up to $25 😂🤣

Actually, it sounds like you know me pretty well. 🤣

 

To clarify, $25 is the point where I would NOT upgrade.😎  I did once upgrade from an inside to an OceanView for a buck fifty-eight.

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Actually, it sounds like you know me pretty well. 🤣

 

To clarify, $25 is the point where I would NOT upgrade.😎  I did once upgrade from an inside to an OceanView for a buck fifty-eight.

Wow...buck fifty-eight is awesome but I'm a high roller and went from an inside to a balcony for $7 on the Bliss, LOL.

[ChiefMateJRK]

13 minutes ago, debenson0723 said:

Wow...buck fifty-eight is awesome but I'm a high roller and went from an inside to a balcony for $7 on the Bliss, LOL.

Well, if you really want to spend over four times as much to upgrade to a balcony....🤣

 

You are now my hero.😎

 

Note to our fans:  this will NEVER happen if you don't start by booking an inside.

Edited May 14 by ChiefMateJRK

[roddy good boy]

8 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

I'm just like you. Except, I hate Chicago, No wait, hate isn't a strong enough word. Let's try despise. There...much better.

 

In full disclosure, I grew up in Milwaukee (AKA Chicago's poor red-headed stepchild). I grew up learning to hate all things Chicago...the Cubs, the Bears, the toll roads, the never-ending road construction on I-94/294, etc.  I refer to the state as Ill-Annoy.

 

Unfortunately for me, I actually lived in a Chicago suburb for six years, due to work, many moons ago. We now live in a community just across from the Ill-Annoy border and probably half of our neighbors are Ill-Annoy transplants who came here to escape the crime, cost of living, taxes, etc.

 

Sorry for hijacking yet another thread,

Okay...off of soapbox (for now)...and you can resume your discussion of balconies.

 

I guess I should weigh in and defend my City. I live in Chicago, right off Michigan Ave and just a short distance from the amazing museums previously mentioned. I’ve never been a victim of crime, never seen anyone attacked or murdered and am security conscious whatever Country/Town I’m in. 

I can understand how you would feel like the poor stepchild, however, having driven through Milwaukee! 😝

 

The point was well made by others, that a cruise is a pretty darn good value. Each person must decide what amenities they must have, or can live without. 

[jules181]

It's more a question of the itinerary than the cost. 

 

Weeklong, port heavy, Caribbean cruise, inside is fine. 

 

Two week translatalntic, balcony is required. 

 

Any intinary where there will be things to see, must have a balcony. 

 

If I can't afford the balcony on those cruises, I find a different itinerary.  I've snagged some amazing balcony deals over the years. 

[Sailing12Away]

You can't just look at the price to upgrade, you have to look at the total cost. If you booked the cruise at a very discounted rate, even paying 1K to upgrade may still be 'worth it' because the total value is still in the good price range. But if you overpaid originally, even upgrading for just $200 total may NOT be worth it because you're already way over priced for what you're getting. Unless I missed it you're only talking math about the additional charge, not what the new total price per day is vs will be.

 

My dear friend loves his inside cabins because of the value they offer in terms of pricing, but I'm pretty confident that if the prices were the same he would gladly move himself and travel companions into the balcony. For us - we can never consider an inside at all. Between claustrophobia, anxiety, vitamin D deficiency, lack of open air, and the mysterious great unknown we had with Covid where folks were locked in their cabins for multiple days where those in inside cabins didn't get any of that at all - nope, not for us, regardless of the price. 

 

Even if I only spend 5 mins during the morning and another 5 mins at night standing out there, I want a balcony. I want the option to just sit and veg and stare out at the sea without anyone near me. I want to stand there in my PJs without funny looks. Hubby wants to stand there topless without someone giggling at his doughboy belly. So for us the price is irrelevant.

Having said that, our normal prices we expect to pay/pp/day for a standard cruise (not on POA, not Alaska, not Panama Canal....) with the basic FAS package is as follows - this is based on what we've actually paid on some trips or what I've price checked countless times on my various spreadsheets, and the value we perceive the cabin/ship is "worth" having sailed it and seen first hand. Anything less than this we feel we got a good price, anything higher we would consider based on the itinerary and/or friends joining us.

 

• Haven cabin on a breakaway plus class ship (Encore, Bliss, Joy...) - $500 - 550
• Haven cabin on a jewel class ship (Gem, Jade, Pearl....) - $400 - 450
• Non-Haven suite - $350 - 400
• Club balcony - $250 - 300
• Balcony - $150 - 200

 

So if your balcony upgrade is costing you an extra $100/day, but you're only currently paying $100/day for your inside, then you're well within what I consider normal pricing for that balcony.

[vacation44]

25 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

 

Even if I only spend 5 mins during the morning and another 5 mins at night standing out there, I want a balcony. I want the option to just sit and veg and stare out at the sea without anyone near me. I want to stand there in my PJs without funny looks. Hubby wants to stand there topless without someone giggling at his doughboy belly. So for us the price is irrelevant.

 

Me too.

 

And I like having the couch in the room.  

[jrt.mom]

I've only been on three cruises and all of them have had balconies. The next one is a repositioning cruise and I'm going solo for the first time.  The single supplement was going to eat me alive for a balcony...but there was an incredible price on a solo cabin with a porthole. So I won't have fresh air, but I will have a view. And who knows, maybe I'll get an upgrade for $7.00!

[Capitan Obvious]

20 hours ago, Daruma said:

Hello, folks. 

 

Me again. 

 

So, let me explain the topic and my question. 

 

At what daily price break down do you say, "NOPE!!" to a balcony? 

 

I'm currently booked in an interior room for my 7 day cruise, but since day 7 is disembark day, I only consider it to be 6 days of cabin use. 

 

To change to a balcony for those actual 6 days of cabin use is $660... so $110/day.

 

I'd like a balcony, can afford a balcony, but the logical part of my brain is saying, "Are ye DAFT man?" lol. 

 

So, just curious, at what daily price differential do you decide that the balcony isn't worth it? 

 

I know that I can "split the difference" and go with an Ocean View room, but that doesn't interest me in the slightest. 

 

Given that it is highly unlikely that any two people here will have identical income, not to mention identical expenses, I don't see how we can answer "What's Your Financial Breakpoint In a Balcony?" type questions. Affordability and preferences are both unique and personal...person A's situation isn't the same as person B's.

 

I don't see how knowing MY personal yes/no financial tipping point on a balcony cabin is helpful to anyone other than myself. Likewise, since I know nothing about your income, your expenses, your debt, and/or your personal preferences for needs/wants, I don't see how I could offer any insight into your personal decision when it involves your finances.

[graphicguy]

16 hours ago, complawyer said:

graphic guy, imo. your  analysis is spot on. forget about chicago, try and price out a week at disney world.  my sister lives in orlando, and we've discussed this before. a week in the "value" category hotel, park tickets, food, beverages, etc can run over $7000 and i think that's a conservative estimate. i think a cruise in the long is a much better deal. as far as the balcony cabin, booking one for my wife and i is a no-brainer. nothing beats sitting out on the balcony with an ice cold heineken and my kindle, and yes, i go out whenever we have docked in a port to check out the view.

Yeah....Disney is a whole different animal, especially financially.  I still don't get their cruise fares, either.

 

I did a little financial comparison a long time ago when looking at cruises vs other types of vacations.  Cruises always came out on top, plus I was overlooking beautiful waters and visiting multiple exotic locales along the way.

 

Spent a month in Europe last year.  About 2 weeks of it was sailing around the Mediterranean.  I was in a 2BR Haven Suite on the Epic in Spain, France and Italy.  Spent another  weeks on land while in Italy visiting relatives.  My land based portion cost me 3X what the cruise cost.

 

Cruising is the better value.

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

You can't just look at the price to upgrade, you have to look at the total cost. If you booked the cruise at a very discounted rate, even paying 1K to upgrade may still be 'worth it' because the total value is still in the good price range. But if you overpaid originally, even upgrading for just $200 total may NOT be worth it because you're already way over priced for what you're getting. Unless I missed it you're only talking math about the additional charge, not what the new total price per day is vs will be.

 

My dear friend loves his inside cabins because of the value they offer in terms of pricing, but I'm pretty confident that if the prices were the same he would gladly move himself and travel companions into the balcony. For us - we can never consider an inside at all. Between claustrophobia, anxiety, vitamin D deficiency, lack of open air, and the mysterious great unknown we had with Covid where folks were locked in their cabins for multiple days where those in inside cabins didn't get any of that at all - nope, not for us, regardless of the price. 

 

Even if I only spend 5 mins during the morning and another 5 mins at night standing out there, I want a balcony. I want the option to just sit and veg and stare out at the sea without anyone near me. I want to stand there in my PJs without funny looks. Hubby wants to stand there topless without someone giggling at his doughboy belly. So for us the price is irrelevant.

Having said that, our normal prices we expect to pay/pp/day for a standard cruise (not on POA, not Alaska, not Panama Canal....) with the basic FAS package is as follows - this is based on what we've actually paid on some trips or what I've price checked countless times on my various spreadsheets, and the value we perceive the cabin/ship is "worth" having sailed it and seen first hand. Anything less than this we feel we got a good price, anything higher we would consider based on the itinerary and/or friends joining us.

 

• Haven cabin on a breakaway plus class ship (Encore, Bliss, Joy...) - $500 - 550
• Haven cabin on a jewel class ship (Gem, Jade, Pearl....) - $400 - 450
• Non-Haven suite - $350 - 400
• Club balcony - $250 - 300
• Balcony - $150 - 200

 

So if your balcony upgrade is costing you an extra $100/day, but you're only currently paying $100/day for your inside, then you're well within what I consider normal pricing for that balcony.

As everyone says, each individual's calculator is different.

 

I'm different than my good friend @ChiefMateJRK.  No wrong answers here.

 

Personally, I get claustrophobic (just ask the last Dr who ordered an MRI for me).  So, while I've had inside cabins (NCL's solo cabins), I didn't like it.  Not like being in a tube, but a little too confined for me.

 

Anyway, my cabin pricing begins with Ocean Views.  In general, the delta between an Ocean View and Balcony cabin is usually $200 or less....sometimes much less.

 

Club Balcony is the same as a Balcony cabin, just with a bigger bathroom, something I care little about.  So, unless it's an exceptional deal, I don't book Club Balconies.

 

On the Jewel Clas, the non-Haven suites are the best deals on the ships.  You get all the Haven amenities except for the teeny-tiny Haven pool area.  And, they are significantly less than the Haven.  Price threshold?  $500 over a Balcony.

 

Haven...I have a crazy set of rules for the Haven.  First, the Haven on Breakaway class and above (including Epic) are the only Havens I'll consider.  Spirit class has no Haven and Jewel Class I covered above...just too small.

 

Using arbitrary numbers (but numbers I've personally seen given I've sailed NCL quite a bit), if the Haven is any more than $1,500-$2,000 more than a Balcony, I'll punt.  But, if the Haven is less than $5K all in, I'll look at it.  If it's under $4,500 all in, I'm booking it.  Those fares are per cabin, not per person.

 

I figure Balconies will run anywhere between $2,500-$3,000 for 7 nites, depending on ship, dates and itinerary.

 

What is interesting are NCL's new solo Balcony Cabins.  Being a (sometimes) solo, those would interest me quite a bit.

Edited May 14 by graphicguy

[N-8]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

As everyone says, each individual's calculator is different.

 

I'm different than my good friend @ChiefMateJRK.  No wrong answers here.

 

Personally, I get claustrophobic (just ask the last Dr who ordered an MRI for me).  So, while I've had inside cabins (NCL's solo cabins), I didn't like it.  Not like being in a tube, but a little too confined for me.

 

Anyway, my cabin pricing begins with Ocean Views.  In general, the delta between an Ocean View and Balcony cabin is usually $200 or less....sometimes much less.

 

Club Balcony is the same as a Balcony cabin, just with a bigger bathroom, something I care little about.  So, unless it's an exceptional deal, I don't book Club Balconies.

 

On the Jewel Clas, the non-Haven suites are the best deals on the ships.  You get all the Haven amenities except for the teeny-tiny Haven pool area.  And, they are significantly less than the Haven.  Price threshold?  $500 over a Balcony.

 

Haven...I have a crazy set of rules for the Haven.  First, the Haven on Breakaway class and above (including Epic) are the only Havens I'll consider.  Spirit class has no Haven and Jewel Class I covered above...just too small.

 

Using arbitrary numbers (but numbers I've personally seen given I've sailed NCL quite a bit), if the Haven is any more than $1,500-$2,000 more than a Balcony, I'll punt.  But, if the Haven is less than $5K all in, I'll look at it.  If it's under $4,500 all in, I'm booking it.  Those fares are per cabin, not per person.

 

I figure Balconies will run anywhere between $2,500-$3,000 for 7 nites, depending on ship, dates and itinerary.

 

What is interesting are NCL's new solo Balcony Cabins.  Being a (sometimes) solo, those would interest me quite a bit.

I feel the same about Club Balconies. On our upcoming cruise, we can bid a minimum $125 pp to upgrade from Balcony to Club Balcony. Maybe it was a total of $50, I would do it but pretty sure others would grab it. Large bathroom isn't a selling point for me. However, balcony? Non-negotiable. All depends on what you value.  

[shoptom]

Maybe $50/day from an interior or half that if I already have a window.  Could be higher if I got the room for free or prefer a balcony for the itinerary.

[UKstages]

many people mischaracterize the club balcony cabins as being only about the larger bathroom. yes, the bathroom, and usually the shower, is larger. but the cabin itself is a bit larger, too. it has a much airier, roomier feel to it, even though it is only marginally larger than a regular balcony. the couch doesn't seem stuffed in there... there is breathing room.

 

walk along the hallway on most decks and see how a certain bank of rooms juts out from the rest, those, as you know, are the club balcony rooms and that extra space isn't all in the bathroom. i have been on B2Bs on which i moved from a balcony to a club balcony for the second leg and the difference is quite noticeable.

[chill6x6]

I generally only cruise twice a year. Usually 7-8 day cruise. I HAVE to have a balcony and usually a suite.  I'll hang tight until I save/conjure up enough to make it happen.  See...my balcony/cabin are the one space I have complete control of! No deck chair available? Go to your balcony. Folks getting on your nerves? Go to your balcony. DJ/band sux on deck? Go do your balcony.  Breakfast before your excursion? Room service on your balcony!  

 

I can't describe the peace and serenity of being on your balcony...ocean going by....occasional school of flying fish....watching a few masked/brown boobies soar by....now that's cruise!

[reeinaz]

I love this question and how I think about it is one of the reasons I majored in economics. Although a big part of me is extremely logical, going from $1600 to $2200 feels different than going from $2000 to $2600. And don't ask me which one feels better or worse 😂