Is the Balcony worth the $$?

[killdare77]

This will be our first cruise. We just discovered that for $130 each on our 7-day western Caribbean trip we can upgrade to a guaranteed balcony (from a guaranteed ocean view). Since we’ve never cruised before, I’d like to hear your opinions on how much you really use the balcony and pros cons of the balcony room. :confused:

Thanks!

[FONSIDONZI03]

:cool: DO IT!

OCEAN VIEWS ARE A TEASE. YOU CAN'T OPEN THE WINDOW, YOU CAN'T ENJOY THE OCEAN BREEZE IN YOUR CABIN... IT IS A PRIVATE BALCONY! I USUALLY GO WITH A BALCONY OR AN INTERIOR. I FEEL OCEAN VIEW IS A WASTE OF MONEY... WELL, THAT IS JUST MY SUGGESTION.

[lizardhowson]

This will be our first cruise. We just discovered that for $130 each on our 7-day western Caribbean trip we can upgrade to a guaranteed balcony (from a guaranteed ocean view). Since we’ve never cruised before, I’d like to hear your opinions on how much you really use the balcony and pros cons of the balcony room. :confused:

Thanks!

 

I have cruised both ways.

 

It is nice to stand out on the balcony to get a much better view of ports and the ship. Also nice to sit outside in the morning/evening with coffee, snack, drink.

 

Balcony cabins have smaller inside areas, so if you don't use the balcony, you lose some room.

 

If you like fresh air, bring a bungee cord to hold the door open at night.

[lvtotrvl1]

Really depends on your budget, but I feel it is worth it. There is nothing like opening that door and sitting on your own patio with noone else!

[colombiangirl]

Just got back from the Eastern Caribean on the Victory. We were on Empress Deck with a balcony. It was great!

[Giorgi-one]

A lot of people will tell you that you don't spend enough time in your room to justify a balcony. This is a lot like the chicken/egg argument. Why would you spend time in your room if you don't have a balcony? Also, some people spend their whole day participating in various activities - eating, art auctions, bingo, eating, demonstrations, eating. And many people like to spend their day around the pool, fighting off the chair hogs and using ear plugs to drown out the noise of the 5000 watt speakers that the pool band uses. We usually spend afternoons at sea on our balcony. It's also a great place to have a cup of coffee in the morning, a glass of wine before dinner, or just sit out late at night. I would never cruise without a balcony, but that is not meant to be a criticism of anyone else who feels differently.

[MamaParrotHead]

Our last (and first) cruise we were in a 6B OV. LOVED it. Very spacious, definately more than we expected and probably more than we needed.:)

 

This time, we debated for a while on getting a balcony. Then I discovered the actual SIZE of the balcony (they vary, but unless you're getting an "aft wrap around", they're only like 5x7 or something) , PLUS the cabins themselves are 60 square feet smaller. We honestly didn't spend much time in our cabin, and when we wanted to be outside, we just hopped the elevator and went up on deck (we had our place staked out on Deck 10 aft, overlooking the aft pool. Never had to fight for a chair, not once). Especially if you're travelling with friends or meet new ones on the trip, it's hard to socialize when you're holed up in your cabin all day. :) Most of the time we were either sleeping or getting ready for dinner in our cabin, that's about it. Not worth the extra $$ to me. $130 pp x2 covers your tips, plus lots of foo-foo drinks and pictures!:)

[phinfan63]

YES - the balcony is definitely worth the extra money if you think that ya'll will use it. We had friends in the cabin beside us and had the divider opened so we had one large balcony - we spent a lot of time out there. Then again I was on a cruise in December with about 20 family members and would not have used the balcony in that case - I booked an inside for that one.

[bphman]

My wife and I will only travel with balconies after being spoiled a few years ago. My wife is a poor sleeper and spent hours on the balcony at night taking in the sea air. We love sea days and spend hours watching the water so for us it is well worth it. If you can swing it, spend the money. But, watch out. You may get hooked.

[Giorgi-one]

Our last (and first) cruise we were in a 6B OV. LOVED it. Very spacious, definately more than we expected and probably more than we needed.:)

 

This time, we debated for a while on getting a balcony. Then I discovered the actual SIZE of the balcony (they vary, but unless you're getting an "aft wrap around", they're only like 5x7 or something) , PLUS the cabins themselves are 60 square feet smaller. QUOTE]

 

Balcony cannot be 5 x 7 since they extend the full width of the cabin. Where did you get the info that cabins are 60 ft2 smaller? This may be unique to Carnival. On most cruise lines (HAL, X, RCL) the aft balconies are huge - some as much as 15' deep. We almost always book an aft balcony - larger and best view.

[Upandadam]

One more vote for the balconies. Given a choice of cruising without a balcony due to finances, or waiting until I could afford a balcony, I'd definitely wait and spring for the balcony. It's very quiet and relaxing at any time of day or night, allows you to enjoy the sea breeze and sounds while you drift off to sleep, have a cup of coffee in your underwear in the morning. Other than sleeping, I spend most of my time in the room out on the balcony.

[PJBUCHEIT]

I would say go for it. I booked our Spirit cruise in Feb at the time I booked a Inside Guarantee. I was really just being cheap and really wanted the balcony. I knew that in the long run we would not be happy if we did not have one. There a nice part of the trip. You can sit out there and listen the ocean. It is rather relaxing. So, with that said I went ahead and changed our booking to a balcony. I think we got spoiled on our first cruise, when we booked the balcony room. We were worned by our friends that have cruised many times that if we booked the balcony the first cruise we went on, we would never want anything else. I think that they may just be right this time.

[Chmie]

Wife & I are going on our first cruise next July.

Elation from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas for 4 nites.

Definitely needed to see the ocean so we initially booked a balcony suite.

A day later I easily convinced wifie to upgrade to a penthouse suite as we decided that, with this being our first cruise, we should go in style for an extra $200. Although our departure is well over a year away this is the most excited we've been since our first trip to Vegas. :)

[Darcy03231]

For that price I would definitely go with the balcony.

[MamaParrotHead]

Our last (and first) cruise we were in a 6B OV. LOVED it. Very spacious, definately more than we expected and probably more than we needed.:)

 

This time, we debated for a while on getting a balcony. Then I discovered the actual SIZE of the balcony (they vary, but unless you're getting an "aft wrap around", they're only like 5x7 or something) , PLUS the cabins themselves are 60 square feet smaller. QUOTE]

 

Balcony cannot be 5 x 7 since they extend the full width of the cabin. Where did you get the info that cabins are 60 ft2 smaller? This may be unique to Carnival. On most cruise lines (HAL, X, RCL) the aft balconies are huge - some as much as 15' deep. We almost always book an aft balcony - larger and best view.

 

There is a specific cruise website out there (can't name it because of CC TOS) but do a Google on it.

 

Triumph/Destiny/Victory ships- balcony rooms are the same size as insides (185 sq feet) and OV's are 220 sq feet. (OK, 40 square feet smaller)

 

Fantasy & Conquest class ships, OV and BL are the same.

 

Holiday/Celebration don't offer BL, only IS, OV and suites.

 

Spirit class ships ALL rooms (inside, OV, BL) are all the same (185 sq. feet)

[MJ25]

My wife and I had a balcony on our first cruise and have never gotten one since then. Yes it was nice and we had breakfst on it every morning, but, we are never in our room for anything except changing and sleeping. We only ate breakfast on the balcony because we felt as though we had paid for it and should be using it. As for the door being open, it made our room to hot and muggy.

That is just our opinion. I know some look at cabin style and location are some sort of status thing, but we do not play that game at home and are deffinately not going to play it while on vacation. We could cruise in a suite but choose not to. To us, the service and activities are the same for those with a balcony as they are for those with an inside cabin.

The choice is yours. You will get a hundred responses to this question and they will all be different.

Fins Up!

[happy cruzin]

I also vote FOR the balcony :) - if you can swing it. We decided to "try" a balcony a few years ago. Prior to that we had sailed inside and OV.

 

Now - balcony is all we will do! It is a great place to escape the crowds on sea days, have a drink before dinner, enjoy the sun and a good book in a quiet place and even a nap ;) . Actually my favorite "balcony time" is later in the evening - sitting out there, with a drink and relaxing is the BEST :D .

 

One word of caution....if you are like us....once you go with a balcony you will be hooked :eek:. I think - for us - it would be really hard to turn back now.....

[unicorn1075]

I have cruised with IS and OV and for our upcomming cruise we have a balcony. This will be an anniversary cruise for us and my dh has never cruised before. Since we have been planning this cruise for over a year we decided for the balcony. Right now I say it doesn't matter. The IS and OV were fine. We had 4 people in each and we didn't feel cramped. Now, perhaps in August I will feel differently? You will never know what you prefer until you try everything for yourself. Happy cruising!

[Sgrgirl20]

Definately worth it!!! I loved sitting on the balcony in the mornings and feel the breeze and read. It was also great to stand on the balcony and watch us go into and out of port.

[PA Dutchman]

Don't ever leave home without your "Balcony". Now its really is the choice and situation of each person, do you use it ? can you afford the difference in price?? Some people have them but never really use it. We use ours alot , every morn with coffee, comming and going from port unless it around dinner, sea days and each night. Each has to make their own decision as we are all in different situations and likes and dislikes.

[JAM810]

Once you've had a balcony room, you'll never go back to a window nor inside cabin again. My 1st cruise I had an inside cabin (due to cost), 2nd cruise a window (only rooms availabile pretty cool w/the window), last cruise a balcony and my up cruise will be a balcony. I just can't image me, my DH and 2 children in anything other than a balcony. My first 3 cruises my DH and I sailed "kid-less" so we figured we didn't need the extra space & we could use the extra money that we would have spent for the balncony on excursions, the bar, casino, etc. But now, even if it was just my DH and I, we'd go for the balcony. Best of luck on your trip. Let us know how it goes!!! :)

[Dremac373]

I can only speak for myself thast why we booked two cruises this year one inside on RCCL and one on the Empress Deck aft L shaped with baclony on the Victory just so we can decide for ourself....I dont know about the being hooked thing once you get a balcony cause like others sleeping changing and playing house...I MEAN taking advantage of being parents with NO KIDS;) are all that we'll be utilizig the cabins for....I day make the choice for yourself, try our method take two and decide for yourself try different ships....to my the whole idea of trying something new is the exprience itself, so we are well aware of the crowds, music etc etc etc..and if I did not want that I would stay home and not spend extra money then I dont need to spend but thats just me, good luck and I hope that you enjoy your cruise

[Tabsmom]

For the type of cruiser I am, I say NO for the balcony. We've sailed in an inside, ocean view and a balcony. The extra money spent was not worth it for us. If I want to smell the sea air or sit outside, I'd much rather be on the deck (away from the pool).

 

We really don't spend time in our room. I don't go on the cruise to hide away from everyone.

 

We pretty much only book an inside anymore. IF I can get a free upgrade to an OV great, but no biggie.

[astropilot]

In a word YES!!!! Once you have a balcony cabin you will never want to go back to any other kind of cabin. There's nothing like sitting on the balcony enjoying the sunrise and breakfast from room service. :)

[Scarlet-lips]

Yes go for the balcony. Our first cruise we had an OV which was nice but you had to lean on the windowsill. Our last cruise was with an extended balcony on the rear of ship which was really lovely. We are going for a balcony again this year again at the rear of the ship. If you just like looking out at the sea its great it saves all that time of walking the corridoors trying to find a way out and a vacant seat.