Are you an innie or an outie?

[sexyaznboy]

I'm sure this has been debated over and over again on the boards. This will be my third cruise, and I booked a balcony, which for the two of us was 1200 more (so 4500 vs 3300). My first cruise I was insanely lucky to go from inside to balcony which was awesome, the second one we booked inside but did not get upgraded. I only booked balcony this time because this is my first time to Hawaii and really wanted to see the islands from my room. I was pleased with the balcony the first time! The inside the second time was fine, I spent more time outside and I didn't miss it. I debate back and forth whether the price of the balcony is worth 33% more on the price of my cruise. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I like the idea of putting that 1200 dollars towards my next cruise and cruise more often. In an ideal world I'd have won the lottery and go for the Royal Suites! But given I'm not yet retired and independently wealthy :cool: I think next time (which I plan for Europe) I will go inside.

 

I bet most on the boards are outies, right? :D

[craigh]

I'm sure this has been debated over and over again on the boards. This will be my third cruise, and I booked a balcony, which for the two of us was 1200 more (so 4500 vs 3300). My first cruise I was insanely lucky to go from inside to balcony which was awesome, the second one we booked inside but did not get upgraded. I only booked balcony this time because this is my first time to Hawaii and really wanted to see the islands from my room. I was pleased with the balcony the first time! The inside the second time was fine, I spent more time outside and I didn't miss it. I debate back and forth whether the price of the balcony is worth 33% more on the price of my cruise. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I like the idea of putting that 1200 dollars towards my next cruise and cruise more often. In an ideal world I'd have won the lottery and go for the Royal Suites! But given I'm not yet retired and independently wealthy :cool: I think next time (which I plan for Europe) I will go inside.

 

I bet most on the boards are outies, right? :D

 

I am definately an outie with balcony. Due to my work, it is not possible to cruise more than once a year (okay, except 2008 ;) ), so I can save money for a balcony. Besides, I am always sleeping with an open window, and that is difficult to realise in an inside cabin.

Kevin

[cruising to paradise]

We are outies.I dont think I could do an inside. I'm not even sure I could do just a window.I just need to be able to go outside. It would be hard for me to live somewhere where you can't just go outside in a moment. If I lived in an apartment I would have to have a balcony.

[98Charlie]

For us it depends on all of the factors of the cruise.

• Ship - Some that we have sailed on have few balconies and they are the more expensive suites
  
• Itinerary - Port intensive cruises mean we will spend less time on the ship. Insides are, for us, more attractive. Last cruise had 4 sea days...Balcony time:p
  
• Cost differential - Even if we would normally look at an inside, we have had times when the balcony is so close to an inside that we will spend the extra.
  
• Discounts available - Kind of goes with the cost differential. There are times when a discount on a balcony is available (you have to ask) and the price is close to an inside. Our September cruise this year had a mini-suite that was on sale for less than an oceanview:D
  
• Our Budget. - Cruising is our hobby. Just like those who golf, collect cars, etc. we budget for our hobby. Some years are better than others:rolleyes:
  

 

Charlie

[ehfl]

I like inside...save the money for more cruising, and also gets me out and about on ship. There are plenty of nice places on board to watch the islands.

[EGG]

We are innies, and we are very content traveling this way. We do pay a little extra to get an inside cabin on an upper deck, so we can easily walk up to the pool deck.

 

We also do not consider outside cabins because we like the upper decks, and on the upper decks you only get a choice of balcony or inside.

 

The one time we had a balcony, we felt it was a waste of money. I actually envied the people accross the hall who had a similar but inside cabin and had paid so much less. That cruise through the Panama Canal cost us more than the European cruises we've taken. We did not stay in the cabin for even one minute during the canal transit.

 

Consider carefully your personal eating habits, early or late seating, whether you will even be on the ship in ports, and whether you really want to miss the fun of being on deck when the ship comes into, and sails out of port. On deck, you can go from one side of the ship to the other.

 

We don't agonize over this any more. We're innies and we're proud of it.

[cruise kitty]

I think if I was not claustrophobic I'd go for an inside, I've seen them they are just as nice as a balcony cabin ( except for the light, air, and way to escape from being trapped for eternity in a metal coffin...) ok, so I am a little paranoid, but if you're not, then you can cruise more often and afford longer itineraries than I can.

[RoofingPrincess]

Well, so far it's been 4 insides and 1 oceanview. The oceanview was only $100pp more for a 9-night, I was cruising with my choral group, and didn't have a roommate yet, so I figured the extra square footage for "personal space" was worth the $$$.

Although, after that, when I signed up to cruise with a CC friend I hadn't yet met face to face, we opted to downgrade from the balc she had booked to an inside to save money.

HOWEVER - that same wonderful young woman & I will be cruising again with a group of CC friends in 2009, but this one's Alaska, so I've told her that she can get whatever balc she'd like (and she says she has a dynamite TA) and I will gladly pay my half without question. On a trip like that, I want to have the view!

[GeckoGirl]

So far we have only done inside rooms and our upcoming cruise is also an inside but a Promanade room so we will actually have a window to see the shopping area. I mainly choose the insides because they are alot cheaper which saves me more money for excursions and shopping. Also they are dark and I like it dark when I sleep. We are hardly ever in our cabin so I just can't justify spending so much more for a balacony that I probably wouldn't spend much time on. I may try an oceanview next just to see what it's like but only if the price is right.

 

I just discovered that I love to cruise and by booking inside rooms and saving money I can do it more often.

[cb at sea]

Outie--all the way! The room is important to me, and an inside just won't do! I don't spend a ton of time in the cabin, but damn it, when I AM there, I want comfort and space! And a balcony is such a nice addition to that small room!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We always book verandah suites -- love them.

[sexyaznboy]

Thanks for everyone's responses, I am pleasantly surprised by the number of innies! I've just discovered cruising, this will only be my third. For me, a lot depends on the price of the balcony vs inside. If it is an extra 500 to 600 dollars per person, that is a lot of money to me. It may be worth it to many, and many who have the money to spend, then I say go for it!!! I like to be outside most of the time, mind you, there is nothing like looking out over the balcony and seeing the ocean's waves and the sun rise and set. I do have a colleague at work, when I tell her that I'm going for an inside cabin, she looks at me like I'm mad, and how could I possibly do that and she would NEVER be able to do it. I'm a bit surprised, it is kind of like being an "outie snob"!:rolleyes:

 

Well I am here to say that I'm an innie and I'm proud of it! (although I can be swayed to the "dark side" if the price is right! :D

[charlene2021]

Innie, although I sure do want a balcony for Alaska.

[Grayce]

Would it be bad to say I go both ways;)

 

I have done inside and outside:D It really depends on the cruise and who's going. When the kids were younger we sprung for a wrap-around aft balcony because it gave us lots of extra room. Now the kids are older and can be in their own room we get 2 cheaper rooms. My DH and I are doing a romantic cruise by ourselves and we got a balcony so we could have some private outdoor space.

[cruzin w chris]

we have done all 3 ( oceanview, balcony and inside ) and to be honest with you i have no problem whatsoever with an inside cabin. we spend very little time in there anyway ( just like vegas ) that it just doesnt matter. our balcony we had on the triumph was ok but we found we just didnt use it very much. i would most definetly book another inside.

[Wormy53]

Nothing less than balcony. I have never understood the "we don't spend any time in there anyway" mindset. You have to sleep, get dressed, need a break from people, & spend time with DH. Why not do it while looking at the ocean?!!:D

[Grandpaul]

I had an innie once and we had to get upgraded two days into the cruise. Problem was there was an airconditoning unit below our room. Not fun. Being that you are going to Hawaii I would definitely go for the outie for the views. Many advantages to an outie. Not much comes close to sunrises and sunsets while on the ocean. I wake up to sunrises and get ready for dinner to sunsets. Sitting on the balcony reading is another favorite time for me. Listening to the sound of the water at night puts me to sleep. No more innies.

[Debbers]

I have tried to imagine life in an oceanview, let alone an inside, and just can't do it. Claustrophobic to the core--I have a hard time even looking at a picture of a cabin! Having that large view makes all the difference, especially as we can walk outside any time. We also enjoy having a larger, attractive cabin to enjoy while we decompress a bit and get away from the crowds.

[Essiesmom]

I have done all three, but we didn't spend much time on the balcony trans-Pacific, nor in northern Europe. But I travel solo more often than not, any my money goes a LOT further as an innie. EM

[Richard's Mom]

INNIe - for us.... we love the inside rooms. WE sleep so good on our vacation. Sleep is one thing on my list of things to do when I vacation. When we want to go outside, we head up to the decks.

[Trekker954]

I've been in them all and we love innies.

[cutrat]

We had our first interior room the week before last and probly won't do it agian. We ended up sleeping till noon on the first day because we didn't even know what time of day it was, and whenever we went back to the cabin for something or for a short break i'd get all tired thinking it was night since the cabin didn't have any natural light. I'll pass on the inside cabins and stick with being a balcony snob or window snob:D .

[CC Help Michell]

We had our first interior room the week before last and probly won't do it agian. We ended up sleeping till noon on the first day because we didn't even know what time of day it was, and whenever we went back to the cabin for something or for a short break i'd get all tired thinking it was night since the cabin didn't have any natural light. I'll pass on the inside cabins and stick with being a balcony snob or window snob:D .

 

I was just about to post then saw this, so decided to piggy-back on it.

 

I WISH an inside cabin worked for us. They are so much cheaper, we could sail more often, save money for excursions and specialty restaurants, etc. But we've done them, and that one cruise showed me I couldn't do one again. It wasn't a claustrophobia reaction -- it was that apparently I have a previously unknown "need" for natural light. We had the tv tuned to the bridge cam -- but that wasn't enough. I got progressively snarkier, sleeping more and more poorly, during the cruise, until by the end all I wanted to do was get OFF the ship (which I'd never felt before, and haven't since). All I really remember about that cruise (thankfully only a 3 night one) is "do not EVER go inside again!"

 

You might be totally different, and it's definitely worth it (financially) to find out. I wouldn't experiment with this on a pricy, once in a lifetime type itinerary, but maybe a quick 3-4 nighter?

 

In any event, we're OV minimum people, and a balcony anytime we can afford it... but I really do wish we could work with insides sometimes!

[chasetf]

For us it depends on all of the factors of the cruise.

• Ship - Some that we have sailed on have few balconies and they are the more expensive suites
  
• Itinerary - Port intensive cruises mean we will spend less time on the ship. Insides are, for us, more attractive. Last cruise had 4 sea days...Balcony time:p
  
• Cost differential - Even if we would normally look at an inside, we have had times when the balcony is so close to an inside that we will spend the extra.
  
• Discounts available - Kind of goes with the cost differential. There are times when a discount on a balcony is available (you have to ask) and the price is close to an inside. Our September cruise this year had a mini-suite that was on sale for less than an oceanview:D
  
• Our Budget. - Cruising is our hobby. Just like those who golf, collect cars, etc. we budget for our hobby. Some years are better than others:rolleyes: Charlie

We go by basically the same criteria. Another factor we apply is if doing an area of the world we want to do pre or post cruise stays, then I would rather apply the expense of the balcony of staying longer in London, or Scotland, or New Zealand, or Australia, or Venice, or ....................

 

If I need to go outside.... it's a short walk from an inside cabin.... plus I'll get some exercise.

[sexyaznboy]

I was just about to post then saw this, so decided to piggy-back on it.

 

I WISH an inside cabin worked for us. They are so much cheaper, we could sail more often, save money for excursions and specialty restaurants, etc. But we've done them, and that one cruise showed me I couldn't do one again. It wasn't a claustrophobia reaction -- it was that apparently I have a previously unknown "need" for natural light. We had the tv tuned to the bridge cam -- but that wasn't enough. I got progressively snarkier, sleeping more and more poorly, during the cruise, until by the end all I wanted to do was get OFF the ship (which I'd never felt before, and haven't since). All I really remember about that cruise (thankfully only a 3 night one) is "do not EVER go inside again!"

 

You might be totally different, and it's definitely worth it (financially) to find out. I wouldn't experiment with this on a pricy, once in a lifetime type itinerary, but maybe a quick 3-4 nighter?

 

In any event, we're OV minimum people, and a balcony anytime we can afford it... but I really do wish we could work with insides sometimes!

 

Probably one of the most candid answers, thanks! Yes, I think that some people just cannot tolerate the inside cabins for whatever reason, claustrophobia, they don't like being in the dark, etc. I personally don't mind insides, it wouldn't "ruin" my trip, as I'm the type of person that likes to wake up at 6 and go to the gym, have breakfast, walk around the decks and possibly take a nap in the afternoon (the dark helps!). I have heard some cruisers take the attitude that somehow innies are beneath them in terms of importance and that is kind of a pet peeve of mine. It is all about personal preference, balconies enhance my experience, but if I don't have it I still have a good time (and my wallet has just as good of a time! :D )