princess caribbean - balcony or inside cabin

[formula14]

Hi,

 

We booked our cruise this summer on the princess caribbean. It is our first cruise. We already booked an inside cabin (mid ship). We are wondering if we should go for an upgrade (Balcony). It would cost us $1,000 more. Don't know if it is worth it. What do you think?

 

We would appreciate an honest opinion.

 

Thank You

:)

[Nancyquilts]

I think you'll find most of us prefer balconies. I do, yet I'll take an inside if that means being able to take the cruise. Sometimes balconies are way too expensive. If you are taking a 7 day cruise, that would be $70 more per day each. If it's worth it, book the balcony. Otherwise, you'll probably enjoy the trip anyway. Nancy

[vmom]

Its a matter of preference. I prefer to save the money if its that much and go on a second cruise. $1000 will almost buy you another 7 day cruise off season in an inside. It will also buy alot of shore excursions.

 

Some will only cruise in a balcony and would definately say the extra money is well worth it, so it really is a matter of preference.

[Toto2Kansas]

Also it depends on if you are in any way claustrophobic. On my first cruise, I didn't think I was. I found out quickly that an inside stateroom for me was impossible. The decision is totally up to you.

[ellenstarr]

My hubby gets claustrophobic too so we never considered an inside and the balcony room was not much more than an ocean view on our first cruise. We loved the room and are booked in another balcony room for our next cruise. We only get enough time off work for one vacation a year, so we go all out.

[royalcruz]

I agree with the thought that $1000 is enough to pay for another vacation. For a 4-5 day cruise, we are happy with an inside, but will book an outside if it is no more than about $50 more pp. For a 7 night, we book an outside, but will upgrade to a balcony if it is no more than around $100 more pp.

[Whimsy]

Be careful, once you book a balcony you won't want to cruise with out one. You might want to save that $1000 to put to the next cruise you will want to do with a balcony!

 

I would think having an inside room would get you out of the the room more and around the ship, seeing more and participating more. My DH thinks vines grab his ankles when we go to the room and he can't leave. Maybe I should get us an inside room and see if I can get him out of there faster.

[TwinCruiserMom]

I vote for the inside! No way would I pay $1000 more for a balcony. Our family of 5 had two insides last summer and we loved them. They are very quiet and dark for sleeping. We all slept like babies!

 

On our December cruise, DH and I had a balcony and the teens had an inside. We liked the balcony, but it only cost a small amount more than what we paid for the inside and we were able to get Caribe deck - they are huge balconies.

 

Our next two cruises are both with inside cabins and they will be wonderful. The closet/bathroom area is exactly the same on a balcony and an inside. The inside cabins have a huge mirror over the bed which makes the room look bigger, too.

 

Since this is your first cruise, you will not want to spend your time in the cabin. You will want to be out there exploring, and learning about the ship. There are all kinds of places on the Caribbean Princess to find quiet and fewer passengers - especially Skywalkers during the day which has lovely views and is almost always deserted.

 

Summer cruises are always more expensive and it would be a good time to do the inside cabin. If you decide to cruise again, look during the off season and you may find a deal for a balcony. Our balcony in December cost less than our inside in July!

 

Have a wonderful cruise on that beautiful ship :)

[bubbadog]

yes you should always book a balcony, to me it is a big difference,and a must have,you will be thankful later;)

[-Lew-]

Since this is your first cruise, I would recommend booking a balcony cabin if your budget can stand it. Give yourself a chance to really fall in love with cruising.

 

On our first few cruises we booked balcony cabins on Disney Cruise Lines. While on those cruises we had an opportunity to check out some interior cabins and thought we should at least give it a try. We did cruise in an interior cabin, had a good time, but really missed watching the world go by from our balcony.

 

Yes, you can spend as much time as possible on deck, but it's just not the same. Give an interior cabin a try on your second cruise.

 

Either way, enjoy your cruise...

 

Lew

[blindrid]

Hi,

 

We booked our cruise this summer on the princess caribbean. It is our first cruise. We already booked an inside cabin (mid ship). We are wondering if we should go for an upgrade (Balcony). It would cost us $1,000 more. Don't know if it is worth it. What do you think?

 

We would appreciate an honest opinion.

 

Thank You

:)

 

We've done all of the above and inside was fine. On my last cruise, the wind was enough that didn't allow us to enjoy the balcony anyway. I always look at prices and let that dictate our cabin selection. For a $1,000, I'd probably stay inside. Your call.

[travelling heavy]

Ohh a balcony every time.

Nothing beats the magic of pulling back the drapes in the morning and appreciating the view, be it sea or port.

And being able to just stand on your balcony at night before you turn in and just look at the stars or catch a glimpse of the lights of another ship in the distance.

Or simply practical. If I wake up before the DW I can sit outside and read and know that I’m not disturbing her.

For me there’s no question about it. It makes the cruising experience worth every penny spent on it.

[cruzmaven]

When going on a vacation I would suggest you get the nicest cabin you can afford. If you can afford the balcony, by all means go for it. I've done both and I would only book an inisde cabin if that was all I could afford and I was despirate to go on that particular cruise. I cannot guarantee you a great cruise with a balcony cabin or a bad cruise with an inside cabin. All things being equal, I much prefer the balcony.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I would definitely pass on the balcony. Get an inside cabin on Riviera Deck toward the very back of the ship. You'll save a lot of money, and actually have the entire back of the ship as your balcony, as there are doors and steps from the back of each side of the Riviera Deck corridor to the outside. Perfect location for the buffet, the Terrace Pool and the aft hot tubs.

[Treven]

Personally I certainly don't think the added expense of a balcony cabin worth it. I spend most of my time on deck or on excursions. I'd rather use the extra $ on excursions and other things.

 

My time in my cabin is simply to shower, change clothes, and sleep. I see no reason to spring for the higher cost balcony cabin simply to sit there and watch the waves go by; you can do that on deck.

 

I really like the inside cabin for sleep; it's nice & dark in there, & sometimes there won't even be a crack between the door and the floor to let any light in at all. While I am claustraphobic, I don't have any problem with an interior cabin at all.

[chrysalis]

For us, it depends on the intinerary. For a Caribbean cruise, we do back-to-back 10 day cruises in an inside cabin (20 days total) for the same price as a single 10 day cruise with a balcony.

 

Twenty days beats ten days anytime, particulary when we would spend so little time in our cabin when doing a Caribbean intinerary.

 

Alaska or elsewhere is a different matter.

[ISABELLA]

After cruising 36 times in just about every room category, I always say to the first time cruiser - book the best room you can afford. And you will enjoy your cruise.

[formula14]

Thanks for all the advice. I think we will stick to the inside cabin and spend our money on excursions and drinks.

 

Thanks for all you help.

 

We really appreciate it.:)

[Rob & Beckys mom]

We always book a mini suite for the extra room in the cabin & the bathroom, but when we take the adult kids, they are just happy to be on the ship:) and inside cabins are all they ever get. So, I guess it depends, but $1000 is a lot of money IMO:rolleyes:

 

Jan

[DeRon]

I would definitely pass on the balcony. Get an inside cabin on Riviera Deck toward the very back of the ship. You'll save a lot of money, and actually have the entire back of the ship as your balcony, as there are doors and steps from the back of each side of the Riviera Deck corridor to the outside. Perfect location for the buffet, the Terrace Pool and the aft hot tubs.

This is actually a great idea! When you are close to walking outside, and especially the beautiful aft pool area, this would work great. Best of both worlds!

[CaliforniaAC]

Balcony.

 

We went on the cheap on our last trip. It was a last minute cruise, and we couldn't pass up the inside fare. I don't know if it's the same on the Grand Class ships, but we had to step over the bed to get in the bed. The bottom corner literally touched the side of the dresser on my side, and the closet on DH's. We are of average height and weight, and if a closet door was open, we had to walk sideways to get past each other.

 

There was no place to store the luggage either. It did not fit under the bed, so we wound up having to lift the matresses to slide it under. Then the bed was tipped a little, because the bed was sitting on our luggage, not the bedframe (it sounds funny to me now, but it wasn't then).

 

It was also confusing to not be able to know if it was daylight or dark. Kind of like being in a Las Vegas Casino.

 

Shop the Balcony price if you have time. $500.00 more per person? You may be able to get a better deal elsewhere.

[fun and breezes 2]

It appears there are many different opinions, and all are right. The choice comes down to what you like doing while on the cruise. Since you've never cruised, decide what it is you think you are wanting. If you like being busy and will spend most of your time outside of your room it makes more sense to save the $1000 because you will have all the same entertainment, food, ports, etc whether you choose inside or balcony. If you are already planning to spend the day touring the ports, and checking out what there is to do on the ship, you will probably have plenty to keep you busy.

If you want to slow down and and relax, a balcony may be worth the money. I find it hypnotic to sit on the balcony watching the waves, and feeling the breezes. My DH wakes much earlier than I do so he takes a book and some coffee out on the balcony so not to disturb me in the morning. We always have a breakfast on our balcony when I wake up. I prefer to relax on the balcony at night more than going to the shows on the ship. I feel the balcony helps me to have the vacation I want and to really relax. I think of the balcony as worth the price because we use it. We always book it.

I'd say book inside, and really explore all the ship has going on. For your first cruise I would go as inexpensibly as possible and find out what I want before spending the $1000. But if you know you are wanting solitude, and relaxation from your vacation, I'd spend the extra $$.

[Stevesan]

Thanks for all the advice. I think we will stick to the inside cabin and spend our money on excursions and drinks.

 

Thanks for all you help.

 

We really appreciate it.:)

 

A wise decision. The only cruise I found the balcony worth the money was in Alaska. Addmittedly, it is convenient in the Craibbean for drying out snorkel gear. :rolleyes:

 

Most folks spend very little time in the cabin, be it balcony or inside.

 

A tip for inside cabins: They are dark. That's great for sleeping, but hazardous in the middle of the night on a pee break.

Bring along a battery powered night light and put it in the bathroom.

I picked up a three pack of "StickNClicks" at Bed Bath for about ten bucks.

I place one on the bathroom's top shelf - voila no stubbed toes! :)

[stoneharborlady]

Our first cruise, we booked a minisuite. Big waste of money for us, we were only in it to dress and sleep, though having the tub versus the shower was nice. We rarely used the balcony, as we were not in our cabin enough.

 

Second cruise, we booked an outside ocean view (porthole). It was fine, no problem with it at all.

 

This time around we try an inside. We spend little time in our cabin, so I have a feeling it will be fine, but I did like peeking out the window in the morning when I woke. We will see, the money saved from taking an inside to what you spend with a balcony is alot. We just didnt find it worth it to us. We like being out and about on the ship.

 

Karen

[ISABELLA]

Keep in mind that on Princess ships lots of balcony rooms are the same size as inside. Just added balcony. There are some categories with larger SF per room. Read the room description before you pay extra $1000.00 for a just to have a balcony. Not all balcony rooms are the same. And you could end up a balcony without an overhanging - so you will have sun all day long.....