Is balcony worth it?

[escapeready]

We have an inside cabin for Carribean in October. Just got the opportunity for a balcony, all the way forward, Baja deck. We've never had a balcony before. Any comments about whether it's worth the extra expense would be appreciated. Is it big enough to enjoy? Can you fit a lounge chair? etc.

[BalconyBumz]

Yes, it's worth it.

[Elizabeth K.]

If it isn't going to hurt your budget too much, go for it. IMO its worth it to be out every morning as the ship is coming into port (I'm generally not an early riser but for some reason on a cruise I'm always up at sunrise:confused: ) and to extend the size of the room a bit. It adds to the experience in a lots of ways. On a std balcony you will have 2 chairs--not loungers--and a small table. Balconies on Caribe are bigger and can fit 2 loungers I believe.

[rocmoss]

Yes, it is worth it. The only problem is once you upgrade it is hard to go back.

[LENORA516]

Yes, it is worth it. The only problem is once you upgrade it is hard to go back.

 

 

I second that !! (my next cruise I booked a minisuite I hope I don't get hooked on those ):D

[billfish]

If it meant the difference between going on a cruise or staying home noway . Im my case its the only way to. Early mornings and late nite on the Balcony can't be beat There is also something nice about a nice glass of wine watching the sun go down. Like my signature picture

[ManhattanCruiser]

If it meant the difference between going on a cruise or staying home noway . Im my case its the only way to. Early mornings and late nite on the Balcony can't be beat There is also something nice about a nice glass of wine watching the sun go down. Like my signature picture

 

I've stayed in insides, balconies and moini-suites. Guess which one I prefer! :) Of course a balcony or mini-suite is preferable.

 

But I'll also say that this year, since money happens to be tight, I'm cruising on the Golden next month in an inside cabin. A balcony would have cost me double...literally DOUBLE... so I found a well-placed inside.

 

If I could have gotten a balcony for a few hundred dollars more per person I would have booked it.

 

So...if it's within your budget... yes, it's worth it.

 

But this is one frequent mini-suite traveler who's been able to "go back" after having been "spoiled".

 

Jut decide which you'll love more: (A) The Balcony, or (B) The Savings.

 

:)

[jhannah]

For us it is definitely worth it. Being able to step out and have your own place to sit and read or watch the sea go by is a significant part of our cruise enjoyment.

[fathercop]

YES! YES! YES! So much can be said about having one: Balcony dinner, sunbathing, pre-dinner cocktails, scenery in ports/or sailing the inside passage, evening and late night breezes, brighter rooms, etc. Well worth it in my opinion.

 

Good luck to you and enjoy your cruise.

[Spikesgirl]

I second that !! (my next cruise I booked a minisuite I hope I don't get hooked on those ):D

 

SUCKER!!! :D You'll never go back - that's what happened to my poor husband when, as a surprise, he booked a suite for us...heh, heh, heh. Seriously, you are going to fall in love all over again!

 

To the OP - we've always enjoyed our balcony, but I would be a little concerned about moving all the way forward. I'm prone to seasickness and there is a little more movement up there than my stomach can, well, stomach. However, I would take along extra meds, if applicable and have a great cruise enjoying the scenery and not fighting with the chair hogs.

[DANofNORTH]

Usually, on Princess, the balcony doesn't cost a whole lot more.

 

It's nice to have breakfast out there as you cruise into port or just watch the world float by.

 

We enjoy the balcony a great deal & do not cruise without one.

[drakes2]

We're on a B2B next January and have a BA midship balcony on the Caribe deck and have requested "No Upgrades" even though we could have been upgraded to a mini. We thought about it and decided it wasn't worth it for us as we have the larger balcony on the Caribe deck which is half covered/half exposed and are in the same cabin for both legs of the cruise. We don't watch much TV and having the bathtub which the mini's provide was not woth moving from our location. If you can afford the additional cost which is minimal on this cruise, go for the balcony, you won't be disappointed.

Usually, on Princess, the balcony doesn't cost a whole lot more.

 

It's nice to have breakfast out there as you cruise into port or just watch the world float by.

 

We enjoy the balcony a great deal & do not cruise without one.

[bwjm]

Can I toss in a question? Not trying to highjack thread or anything, but....

First time cruiser here, probably last, too much of a country/mountain girl here, but want to do something I've never done before. Currently we are booked in mini on dolphin with inside across hall (DD teenagers:rolleyes:). Are traveling with a group of 30+ family members, which is why cruise became an option for this vacation.

I've been reading these threads faithfully, almost daily, since I've joined CC, and have gotten lots of great advice. I am, however, starting to second guess my choice of cabin.

There are BB aft rooms availble, too, on my cruise. I guess my question is would you keep the mini (yes, we expect company and lots of visits from the teen girls;) ), or would you do the BB aft balcony? Or, there are even BB rooms available on the Caribe deck, which have the largest balconies. So I was curious as to which balcony, exactly, after you made the decision to do a balcony cabin?

I realize there is difference between AC and BB that I'm asking about as for room size, but asking more for balcony size/choice, which one would you choose. We're outdoor people, so if we aren't at the pool, odds are you'll find us on the balcony, don't know we'll use the room much.

[cruisealot54]

I agree, with the previous posts. When we booked out first few cruises we thought it was silly to pay extra for a balcony, after all we had a window. Then it happened; on our 30th wedding anniversary we booked a balcony for a Tahiti cruise. BIG MISTAKE. We have been unable to have anything BUT a balcony ever since. We love waking up in the morning and stepping out on the the balcony to greet the day. Our favorite cabins are on the Caribe Deck with the larger balconies. With the half covered half opened you get the best of both worlds.

[Stevesan]

We have an inside cabin for Carribean in October. Just got the opportunity for a balcony, all the way forward, Baja deck. We've never had a balcony before. Any comments about whether it's worth the extra expense would be appreciated. Is it big enough to enjoy? Can you fit a lounge chair? etc.

 

It's great for drying scuba/snorkel gear. :p

 

Balconies are such a personal decision.

The only time we ever spent any time there was during our Alaska cruise.

There was so much to see, the balcony was definitely worthwhile.

The other times it was a waste of $.

Your mileage may vary. ;)

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes it is worth it!! :D ;) :)

[cathi]

Like everyone else- YES! YES! YES! We are heading out on our 20th cruise and the first ones were always oceanview. THEN hubby decided to try a balcony for a trip through the Panama. That was it!! Now he won't sail except in a balcony. LOVE everything about it - how it extends even a small cabin, fresh air whenever we want, having breakfast as you cruise into a new port, having a drink as we sail away, having a guaranteed chair on deck, quiet time alone!, and on and on!!

Do it! Enjoy it! but be prepared you will probably always go back to a balcony!!

[Woobstr112G]

Oh yeah...............................

 

Bob

 

Future: Diamond Princess Aus/Nz 01/09

Future: Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Constellation Europe 07/06

Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Summit Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Spledour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Holiday Western Carribean 07/93

[choochella]

In my opinion, we don't spend much time in our room to accommodate the extra $$ spent on a balcony. I'd rather spend this extra $$ on other things. We normally always have our inside cabin on the same deck as the pool. So, in most cases, we are close to the pool, grill and buffet. I guess it's everyone's opinion. But for us, not worth the added expense. In the morning, we are close enough to the top decks, that we just go up there with our coffee or tea and watch the sun rise. In the evening before we retire, we always go out to the promenade deck and watch the stars and moon as we are sailing on by. Same idea, but less $$$.

 

We had the luxury of being upgraded on our Costa cruise to a balcony. Never paid for one. So much for not wanting to go back. Actually, we didn't use the balcony much anyway. Too much salt spray and the chairs were covered with salt. I made the mistake of putting my wet sneakers on the balcony to dry, and the next morning, they were salty inside. I guess the location of the balcony could negate this happening. Our location always had sea spray.

 

So, to each his own.

[catmand]

Guess we're just a little different. We can take it or leave it, unless (like another poster mentioned, it's Alaska)......I can do an inside cabin, my wife likes at least an oceanview (window). We have had several balcony cabins and we just don't spend that much time out there.

This future cruise for us has an 800 dollar increase for a balcony, that's a lot of dough.

Chuck

[pokey's mom]

SUCKER!!! :D You'll never go back - that's what happened to my poor husband when, as a surprise, he booked a suite for us...heh, heh, heh. Seriously, you are going to fall in love all over again!

 

To the OP - we've always enjoyed our balcony, but I would be a little concerned about moving all the way forward. I'm prone to seasickness and there is a little more movement up there than my stomach can, well, stomach. However, I would take along extra meds, if applicable and have a great cruise enjoying the scenery and not fighting with the chair hogs.

 

Being up front has nothing to do with being seasick , the whole ship goes through a wave not just the front. Go for the balcony you will love it. I've been up front and it is just fine.:D

[lizaj1]

Being up all the way forward and all the way aft can have an affect on you if you are prone to seasickness. The ship pitches on the extreme ends and is more stable midships. Also, the higher your deck the more the pitch and roll. My experience has been that on these mega ships pitch and roll is negligible unless you are in 20' seas. I get sick while deep sea fishing without meds and I have never been seasick on any of my cruises even in 20' seas!

[Colo Cruiser]

Being up front has nothing to do with being seasick ' date=' the whole ship goes through a wave not just the front. Go for the balcony you will love it. I've been up front and it is just fine.:D[/quote']

 

 

 

It sure does not help in rough seas. :eek:

[NeurosurgeryNP]

It is nice to have, but we have had both a mini with a balcony and barely spent any time there, and an inside, and barely spent any time there either. We are a couple who loves to participate in the cruise staff's activities and therefore, love spending our time on the open deck during sea days. We did go out on the balcony several times dring our January cruise, but in no way spent lots of time out there. It was nice for sunsets and sunrises, as well as cool pictures while in port. If it meant going on a cruise or staying home because it was going to break the bank, then by all means we would definitely do an inside, knowing we don't spend a lot of time in our cabin at all. With that said, on our next cruise, we do have a balcony, because at this time, we could spare the extra expense.

[CQG67]

We have an inside cabin for Carribean in October. Just got the opportunity for a balcony, all the way forward, Baja deck. We've never had a balcony before. Any comments about whether it's worth the extra expense would be appreciated. Is it big enough to enjoy? Can you fit a lounge chair? etc.

 

 

Over the years we have become spoiled and won't book anything but a balcony - BUT - there are some cruises that lend themselves to a balcony more so than others. And a lot of it has to do with getting a good deal - usually early booking - on the balcony. If it is hundreds and hundres more - than I say no - but usually it isn't and it's nice to have your coffee out there in the morning and an after dinner drink at night. I have had a balcony in the Caribbean and I have had an outside room - I didn't find that we used the balcony all that much and there wasn't a whole lot to see except the sea. In Alaska - Yes to a balcony - in New England - again yes as well as the Baltic and the Mediterranean. The most important thing, I believe, is where you are located on the ship. The best spot to be is midship - less noise and less movement. The other important thing depends on your itinerary - if, for example, you are doing a southbound Alaskan cruise - then you would want to be on the port side - north bound you would want the starboard side. You want to be on the side where you are going to get the best views of any land you will be cruising by. Caribe deck has the best verandas as they are larger and partially covered. Baja is open and can be seen from up top the ship.