Would you switch balc to prom cabin?

[Travelitis]

We have a balcony on the Mariner and were thinking of switching to a promenade to save $1,000 (total). Would you make the switch?

 

Here's the scenario:

 

On the one hand, this is our anniversary, we enjoy balconies, and dh insists we can afford it. On the other; we're remodeling (spending more than originally planned), it's right before son's 16th b-day and Christmas (3 kids), and I don't agree that we can afford it. I'm thinking of cutting an expensive shore excursion and pre-cruise hotel. I'm also trying to persuade him to forego Disney annual passes this year, the sure sign I'm

willing to sacrifice luxuries.;) I admit I want that balcony, but I'm having a hard time with the price dif.

[PSCruiser]

I know the Balcony lovers will disagree, but assuming this is a 7 day you are paying $143 per day for use of the balcony. We have had balconies in the past, but when I'm in the mood for a sea view- I actually prefer the sweeping view from the promenade deck. Yes, room service breakfast on the balcony is nice, but $143 nice? - not in my book.

[robtulipe]

I liked the deck six PR cabin we had last March on Adventure just as much if not more than the balcony cabins we've had previously and for $1000 less it would be a no brainer for me. We found that we did not use the balcony that much and really enjoyed viewing the Royal Promenade activities. Since the balcony cabins we had were just regular staterooms and not suites, the difference in room area was not that apparent. Also Voyager,Explorer and Adventure have larger PR cabins at 167sq.ft. than the other later Voyager class ships. Navigator's and Mainer 's PR cabins have 153 sq.ft.

[Krausssj]

We have a balcony on the Mariner and were thinking of switching to a promenade to save $1,000 (total). Would you make the switch? ... <snip>

 

For me it comes down to value. I like the balcony cabins so much more, but have taken a promenade cabin and have enjoyed the cruise just the same. I believe you can have just as good a time in the promenade cabin and have piece of mind that you are saving some money in the process.

[crusinmama06]

It depends on you and what you do on the ship. Do you tend to spend alot of time on your balcony when you have one? We do. But, if you don't, then why add in the expense?

 

If you are out and about on the ship, going to all of the shows/activities/etc...then no you don't need to spend the $1,000.

 

In our fam, we travel with young children. So when they go to bed at 10pm, I go out on the balcony. But if you don't have that, then spend the money elsewhere.

[Aubiecruiser]

For me, it would be balcony all the way, but then again I'm a smoker and really don't have much of a choice in the matter.

Aubie

[Apoggi]

I love balconies and usually get them if the price is not too much more than an inside or ocean view, but $1000 is a lot. I would go with the PR and have a new experience.

 

Ann

[bplazo]

I have to have a balcony!

[Happy ks]

I used to say balconies were not a big deal. But, we've gone back and forth and to be honest with you, I really do prefer having the balcony. We use it a lot, coffee in the morning, sit there and read in the afternoon, we spend time out there every night before going to bed.

 

Just the fact that we can open the door, hear the ocean and get fresh air is enough for us to spend the extra.

[pepsicruiser]

I'm sure the room is PR is fine. BUT the bright sunshine from the balcony door is worth everything to me. We probably go out on balcony less now than ever but with the door open for fresh air and sunshine is great. Granted the window is there to promenade but I would feel like I was in a goldfish bowl in one of those rooms if the curtains were open.

 

ALSO: the senario that it is $143 more a day....try figuring the OP seems to take ONE big vacation a year. Try dividing 365 by the $1000. I'm not even going to bother. For me go for the BALCONY and enjoy it. Everytime I've tried saving money on something that $$ never really went towards anything that I could say look at what I did with my savings.

[shipknotshore]

It's your anniversary....go for the balcony room. What's the excursion....one you've booked thru the ship??? If so, you might look into doing one that you've booked on your own....of course using cruise critic experts to help you :D, there's quite a savings doing excursions that way.

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

BALCONY! I wouldn't go on a FREE cruise if I didn't have a balcony. Especially in Alaska, where the scenery passing by your door is fabulous and the open balcony door makes it cool and crisp in your room. There's nothing like snuggling and watching the mountains slip by.

Cat

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

I, too, would pass on a free cruise if I didn't have a balcony.

 

However, the fact that you're asking the question suggests that your cruising style is different than mine. I like the $143 cost breakdown -- if you can be happy without a balcony, then that's a pretty substantial savings.

 

That being said, what if you cut out the shore excursion and pre-cruise hotel (it looks like you're close enough to drive to port, correct?) instead of switching to the PR cabin?

[mjbelen]

I am sailing on the Liberty in 3 days in a promenade room on deck 7. I also had one on the Explorer several years ago. You get an extra window seat in addition to the couch, where you can sit and people watch. We had no problem with noise or light on our prior cruise.

 

I have also sailed quite a few times in a balcony room. If you are going to Alaska or Europe, a balcony is a must. On a cruise to the caribbean, I would save the money and take the less expensive cabin. If it was only a few hundred dollars difference I would opt for a balcony, but $1000 is a substantial savings.

[abridalmaven]

I have been in both, and while on a longer cruise the balconey is worth it, on anything 7 days and under, I would rather save the $1000.

[firefly333]

I would not pass on the pre cruise hotel, its not worth it if you are staying say at the Radisson or the Country Inn to get the free parking, then the hotel winds up being almost free. If I booked in advance I could have gotten the Country Inn for $89 but its gone up, but I got a "hot deal" room instead of Radisson. You can save by doing it that way and get free cruise parking with the $99 Radisson and they will provide a shuttle to the cruise and back. (parking at the port would be $84), so a nice hote is almost free.

 

Im going to say its more important to have money in the bank than the balcony and spending a lot on the cruise, you will still be going. Later on when you have the money and your savings have grown you can do the balcony. I think having a savings cushion is important.

[Gonzo70]

I personally would do without the balcony if I was looking to save alittle money. I have had balconies on two of my cruises (one via the upgrade fairy) and inside cabins on the other two. Although I definitely enjoyed the balcony, when looking at the per day cost of the balcony I just personally don't feel as though the balcony is worth the cost. There are so many public places on the ship with a more panoramic view than the balcony. Also I often had to leave my balcony because people in nearby balconies would actually smoke cigarettes on their balcony and their smoke would drift over to mine. You can always take a gamble with a guaranteed inside cabin and pray the upgrade fairy blesses you with a balcony.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[PhoenixCruiser]

Travelitis, we also won't cruise without a balcony (I spend a lot of time in the cabin) as well as the pre-night hotel room!

 

###

[Travelitis]

try figuring the OP seems to take ONE big vacation a year. Try dividing 365 by the $1000.

 

We go to Disney World every month and have annual passes, so we get out more than once a year. :D We've booked a hotel and the Halloween party for the night we get off the cruise, and we have 4 nts. booked over Thanksgiving. We're planning to cut back some of the Disney trips this next year, too.

 

I've really been debating it, and I already knew that I'm not a balcony-or- nothing cruiser as much as I love them. It's just that I've been daydreaming a bit about that balcony and sea air. As much as we love that, we think for $1,000 savings, we'd better try a promenade view. I like trying new things, and I'm looking for the positive in this.

 

The excursion we booked, America's Cup, is available only through RCI. I've already emailed the tour operator and asked. I don't know if we'll cut this, though, because it is on our anniversary.

 

The pre-cruise hotel, the Radisson, is $150 ($165 after tax) including parking. That $99 rate doesn't include parking. Hotel and dinner add up to $100 more than just paying parking. We live a whole 3 hrs. from port, so it's worth considering. Again, I don't know if we're willing to give up this little luxury, but we have a child with severe arthritis, and I might have more peace of mind this time if I stay home that night. He's been in and out of the ER lately.

 

We're doing kitchen, master bath, and playroom remodels which have already gone much more than $1,000 over our original plan, so I'd say that savings is already spent, and I'll have something to show for it. :D I'm also trying to ease the pain by reminding myself that it will help us afford the cruise with the kids in Jan '09.

 

Really, I do want that balcony, but we could take a 3 nt. on the Sovereign with that price dif.:eek: It's so much easier to sacrifice it for that than it is to do it for another slab of granite.:cool:

[suziehmkr]

I think you are making the choice that sounds right for you. We would book a PR over a balcony if there was a $1000 difference. Heck, we just changed the week we sail by 2 weeks to save $1600. Although we love balconies, we wanted to try the PR on the Mariner - but they don't have triples.

 

Would some of you really pass up a free cruise if it wasn't a balcony? Honestly? Wow... We love balconies and they are always our first choice, but the only category I would hesitate to book is another inside. But with that said, I would still take an inside if it was free! :D Our free cruise was an oceanview in the bowels of the ship, but we still had a BLAST!

[Lisichka]

Promenades are AWESOME!!! I am sure you will love it.

[pepsicruiser]

Travelitis I said you take "ONE BIG"....I did not insinuate you do not travel anyother time. I took that from you list of cruises and since you included your trip to Disney I assumed that was the list of your vacations. The rest is JMO and if you have to cut back and take a PR go for it. Personally I would do a OV over a PR but again that's JMO.

[royalcruz]

I have cruised over a dozen times, and have splurged for a balcony a few times. Most of the balconies are small, and we didn't even utilize them. I can tell you that it never made any difference in how much we enjoyed the cruise. In fact, our last 3 bookings have been for inside cabins, as the great prices allow us to cruise even more often. It takes some getting used to waking up in the pitch black in the morning, so we sleep with the bathroom light on and the door slightly ajar. The largest balcony we ever had was huge, for an owner's suite on Enchantment. But I was so seasick that I was in bed half of the week!

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

I used to say balconies were not a big deal. But, we've gone back and forth and to be honest with you, I really do prefer having the balcony. We use it a lot, coffee in the morning, sit there and read in the afternoon, we spend time out there every night before going to bed.

 

Just the fact that we can open the door, hear the ocean and get fresh air is enough for us to spend the extra.

 

This is exactly my feeling. My first cruise, I paid for the balcony and didn't regret it. I didn't actually "use" the balcony all that much; however, I slept with the door open -- listening to the sounds of the ocean all night long. The experience was priceless and was THE reason why I paid for a balcony on next week's cruise.

 

The PR rooms sound cool, but I just "need" to have that sound at night. I do plan on engaging in other balcony activities like I did on the first cruise, but the major reason is for the sound experience and fresh air. Oh, I just can't wait to get back...

[BadBoysDriveAudi]

We go to Disney World every month and have annual passes, so we get out more than once a year. :D We've booked a hotel and the Halloween party for the night we get off the cruise, and we have 4 nts. booked over Thanksgiving. We're planning to cut back some of the Disney trips this next year, too.

 

I've really been debating it, and I already knew that I'm not a balcony-or- nothing cruiser as much as I love them. It's just that I've been daydreaming a bit about that balcony and sea air. As much as we love that, we think for $1,000 savings, we'd better try a promenade view. I like trying new things, and I'm looking for the positive in this.

 

The excursion we booked, America's Cup, is available only through RCI. I've already emailed the tour operator and asked. I don't know if we'll cut this, though, because it is on our anniversary.

 

The pre-cruise hotel, the Radisson, is $150 ($165 after tax) including parking. That $99 rate doesn't include parking. Hotel and dinner add up to $100 more than just paying parking. We live a whole 3 hrs. from port, so it's worth considering. Again, I don't know if we're willing to give up this little luxury, but we have a child with severe arthritis, and I might have more peace of mind this time if I stay home that night. He's been in and out of the ER lately.

 

We're doing kitchen, master bath, and playroom remodels which have already gone much more than $1,000 over our original plan, so I'd say that savings is already spent, and I'll have something to show for it. :D I'm also trying to ease the pain by reminding myself that it will help us afford the cruise with the kids in Jan '09.

 

Really, I do want that balcony, but we could take a 3 nt. on the Sovereign with that price dif.:eek: It's so much easier to sacrifice it for that than it is to do it for another slab of granite.:cool:

 

A lot of your post makes sense. Here's the biggest question -- how much will you actually "use" the balcony? Forget about the sounds of the ocean -- will you use that balcony for any other purpose? If the answer to that question is "not much", then it would be prudent to take the PR, get a new experience out of the deal, and pocket the $1000 difference.

 

You will be on the cruise for a week; you will live with your home remodel for much longer. The balcony will become a fleeting memory whereas the remodel will either add or sustain value to your home. Also, talk with your husband about cutting one more expense from all your planned trips. Memories are indeed valuable, but sometimes we tend to spend more money for the same "memory", because we think "if I don't spend such and such, I won't enjoy myself".

 

My prior post went on about how much I "needed" a balcony, but I'm not in the middle of a home remodel. If I were, or engaged in some other cost intensive activity, I would definitely opt for the PR room.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise, and take a late night stroll on deck as a substitute for the night sounds. You might create a little magic and wind up finding out that your room is only used for sleeping and .... well, you know. :p