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Balcony or Inside - Med. cruise?


ycasey66

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We are planning a late October cruise to the Mediterranean, is a Balcony really worth the extra $1,000. -1,400. more?

 

My cruisemate makes a smaller salary and would prefer an inside cabin.

 

I make a slightly larger salary, but would like to splurge this one time on a balcony.

 

What are the pros and cons? Will it be too cold in late October for a balcony?

 

Thanks for all your replies.:)

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We went in late october of last year, and the weather was warm and beautiful! I went with two lady friends, and due to finances we didn't have a balcony. I really missed not having it, as i love having coffee on the balcony to start my morning, and then again at night, love to watch the sunset! It's a beautiful cruise that's quite port intensive, but was a joy every minute! Enjoy!!

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We are scheduled for the Med next October and have opted for an inside. We personally have found we sleep very well in an inside and use our cabin for the basics of sleeping, showering, etc., so it suits us very well. The itinerary we have chosen is quite port intensive, so we don't anticipate hanging out on board that much. And we are always able to find excursions or other diversions (e.g., bingo) to apply those cost savings to. LOL.;)

 

We have had balconies on other cruises and they are wonderful. But our personal choice for this cruise, and others, is the inside.

 

We can't speak about the October climate with any authority, but we are crossing all that is crossable in hopes of good weather.:cool:

 

We look forward to reading what your final choice is. In any event, have a wonderful cruise!

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For certain cruises I would say balconies aren't all that big a deal. Itineraries like crossings or if the weather is going to be cold, then I'd say go for the less expensive cabin, but for the Med, I'd say a balcony is perfect.

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We did a crossing from Dover to NYC via Iceland in September 05, had strong winds (a gale that grew into a storm) and pretty good seas, and it was cool. But what a glorious spot that balcony was! Sitting there in the lee of the ship, wrapped in a blanket and, yes, working on a tan. It seems we watched those waves behind the ship for hours on end – awesome. Don’t forget that glass of Sherry, either. We’d rather cruise less often, but with an aft balcony.

ycasey66 - my advice: SPLURGE, if you can.

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our next cruise is buenos aires to santiago,and we have to have a balcony going round the horn.but our next years cruise will be in the med.and it is so port intensive that it would be a waste to pay for a balcony,so an outside view will be adequate.

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We cruised the Med late last October, and our weather was fantastic- 70-80 degrees every day and no rain. Our balcony and Concierge class cabin made our honeymoon even better. It is wonderful to wake up every day and step out on the balcony to see the new country you have arrived at for the day! Go for it! I will stick with insides for the Caribbean, but for the Med (and recently, Alaska) a balcony was the way to go!

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Our first med cruise was in an inside cabin because we booked so late that was all that was left. We had met a couple that had a balcony so we hung out there as much as possible. We missed quite a lot. That was in 1997 & that was our last inside cabin. The med is one of the most beautiful areas in the world my recommedation would be to go for the balcony cabin if at all possible.

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No brainer. If you have to ask, go for the inside.

 

We went on a Med cruise in late October thru Nov 2 a few years ago. The weather was beautiful, but there were a few ports that were chilly, especially in the morning. Interestingly, one of them was Athens where we expected it to be the warmest.

 

This is a very port intensive cruise and you should be eating breakfast early to get out in time for your tours. The windows in the buffet area are huge, and whether we found a table at the window or were second table in, we were able to enjoy the view as we ate breakfast. We enjoyed the view as we walked on the upper deck to the buffet and chose the side we wanted to eat at. My husband likes to get up and eat. He would never try to predict what time he wants food delivered in the morning. If it was late he would not be too happy. In fact we have a balcony for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise and when I told him a lot of people order breakfast for the first set of locks and eat on the balcony, he looked at me as if I was crazy.

 

The end of Oct. has short days in the Med, and if memory serves me correct there was a time change like we have in the U.S. so it gets darker earlier. I remember it getting dark about 6-7 p.m. So there will be little sitting on the balcony in the evening.

 

Another thing we like to do is to find comfortable chairs near a window on a lower deck. On sea days, you are so much closer to the water and the waves. On our New England cruise there were dolphins(?) jumping out of the water. You could barely see the waves and the fish from the upper decks, but it was phenomenal from the lower decks.

 

So here is my advice - get an inside cabin near a stairway/elevator. Then you can easily walk or ride the elevator up to see the new country. Grab a table and enjoy your cup of coffee and breakfast in the buffet or dining room. If it is warm enough to eat on your balcony, the buffet usually has an outside sitting area in the back of the ship.

 

Save the $1,000 for your next cruise.

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Save the $1,000 for your next cruise or perhaps some shore excursions. In a perfect world we'd all have balcony cabins but there are times it just isn't a priority. I cruised the Med a few years back and had an inside cabin, I was usually so zonked from all the shore excursions that all I wanted at night was a place to lay my head. On those sea days the upper deck and solarium worked fine.

 

If you (or your friend) have the cash to blow, go for it, otherwise, save the $ and enjoy your cruise.

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If you can do it, I would recommend a balcony. We did a balcony on our Med. cruise last September. I really enjoyed the mornings sitting on the balcony as we came into port (sunrise over Mt. Vesuvius coming into Naples was beautiful). Same thing in the evenings getting ready for dinner as the ship was leaving port.

 

It is a very port intensive cruise, but the balcony cabin made it that much more enjoyable.

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We had a balcony for our Med cruise in Oct. 2005. Because of the early private tours and getting back to the ship late, we didn't use the balcony very often. It's such a port intensive cruise, that you are so tired to fully enjoy the balcony.

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I think you have to respect your friend and her economic situation.

 

There will always be a next time for you. Even if you offered to pay the difference, that might cause hard feelings (might, maybe not). But don't expect your friend to overextend her budget.

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We had a balcony for our Med cruise in Oct. 2005. Because of the early private tours and getting back to the ship late, we didn't use the balcony very often. It's such a port intensive cruise, that you are so tired to fully enjoy the balcony.

 

Yeah, but you used mine :) How are you??? Miss talking to you!!

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I really like having a balcony in the Med, but I am happy to cruise inside if that's what I need to do for my budget (have cruised in inside, outside, and balcony cabins). In the Med, the ports are the focus, and everyone goes to the same place at basically the same time (with a little preferential treatment in some ports for priority tender tickets for those in CC cabins and above). I cruise in a cabin with my husband but wouldn't feel comfortable asking a friend to overextend themselves to pay for a cabin that they can't afford. It's just a fact of life that we all have friends who have different income levels. We use our balcony a lot even though we are out in ports every day because we have the doors open morning and evening to get fresh air. I even went to sleep out there one night looking at the moon's path across the water because it was so beautiful, and I wanted to enjoy every second. But you can do that from the upper decks too. :)

 

Donna

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The med is so port intensive, I don't think a balcony is necessary. I had one when we went spring '06 and didn't use it that much, but I loved having it. I always do. I also did the med with an ov, and it was fine. I agree with the poster who said --you will be up early, eating breakfast and out. Why not split the difference and get an OV? Personally, I could not stay in an inside because I have to have the light in the morning -- I have to be able to see out. I think I would be too clausterphobic, otherwise. But many people are quite comfortable in an inside.

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Just returned from the Mediteranian. This is a must cruise. I can not believe everything we saw in 12 days. This is a very port intensive cruise. We were in our cabin so little the balcony would have been a waste. We have had a Balcony for Alaska & it was worth it then, but I'm glad we saved the mony and got an outside cabin for this cruise. Just My $.02

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As stated, this trip is exhausting and not a cruise to lounge on your balcony. We had a fantastic room on our Baltic cruise with balcony and rarely used it. Med, we had a window and guess what? Next cruise will be inside because we prefer the quiet darkness for a great sleep after such a tiring day!

 

I would put the extra money on private shore excursions.

 

CS

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I cruised the Med last summer on Millie and did not have a balcony - didn't miss it at all. The cruise has so many days in port that we spent very little time hanging out in our room anyway. Also, for most of the time at sea, land is not in sight. I say save your money and book the inside cabin. Have a great trip!

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