Balcony necessary?

[Dukegirl5577]

My parents are planning a South American round-the-Horn cruise for December on the NCL Sun.

 

Is a balcony necessary or will there be plenty of places on deck to do glacier and nature viewing? How will the weather be in December -- warm enough to sit on deck or will they need a balcony (so they can pop into their room to warm up)?

 

They're trying to decide between an outside cabin or a balcony, and obviously the outside cabin is much less.

[DonfromNC]

There is plenty of opportunity to see the scenery from the decks or indoors from the Observation Lounge. However, for people who hate cold weather (as my DW) the balcony enables you to sit on the couch or lie in your bed and view the scenery through the large "patio door". When you see something particularly intriguing you just pop out for a better view or a photo and then back indoors. With "Outside" cabins you might have to stand by the window to see out. The weather can be quite cool and windy that far south.

 

For the best view on this cruise choose a starboard (right side) cabin if you're going from B.A to Valparaiso, a port (left) for Valparaiso to B.A.

 

Don

[Dukegirl5577]

Thanks! Good to know!

[cruiserus]

I loved having a balcony when we went around the horn. As others said, you can easily view things from inside and then go out for something very special, or go outside on the balcony to do your viewing, then pop back inside and warm up. On our cruise, which also went to Antarctica, sometimes good viewing spots by the rails outside on the open public decks were hard to come by. People were sometimes 2-3 deep. Inside spots for viewing frequently have their view blocked by all the people out on the deck. I guess I am biased, but I would never sail without a balcony. I gives us a quiet place to enjoy passing scenery, where you can always find an empty chair, and you can step outside anytime you want.

[barante]

Do whatever you can afford. You'll enjoy the voyage.

[Bassethound]

When we went the other direction (north Atlantic for a transAtlantic) we had a balcony even though it snowed for about 3 days straight north of Iceland and crossing to Greenland. We still enjoyed having the balcony, since we could go outside and be somewhat sheltered from the wind, snow, etc while still enjoying both the scenery and the occassional whales, etc that we passed. We found going on the deck much colder than on our balcony, and I could keep an eye out for whales and just go out when they were there.

[Hamburg Avon Lady]

:) We have always booked balcony cabins - sometimes it just not convenient to be up on deck with other passengers trying to see the sights. Also, there is something so special about viewing the sunrise, sunsets and the awesome stars from your own "little space". My DH really

enjoys sitting out there especially when we are coming into port and leaving. We just

returned from Around the Horn this last January on the Mariner of the Seas and the weather was

awesome - very, very calm seas and fantastic scenery. Dress for

cooler weather (silk/thermal underwear, hoodies, warm pants, gloves,

and hats) are a must. You can always take layers off rather than wish

you had not forgotten these items. Of course, the day we spent in Ushuia was

incredibly warm and pleasant (pure luck !!). Depending on the route you

take - you will want a starboard balcony cabin if sailing from Rio down to

Buenos Aires around the Horn up to Valpariso. This will allow you to see

the coastline (this depends on how far out the ship sails). If your cruise

starts in Valpariso gOing to BA and Rio - then you will want a portside cabin

either with a balcony or at least a very large window.

 

There is a great thread on the RCCL boards entitled "Hornblowers - Around the Horn for 46 days" which will give you tons of information. ;)

 

If you are stopping in Rio - you MUST have a visa - or you may be denied boarding your cruise. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT !

 

Hope you have a great time - this was a great journey !! :cool:

[carlmm]

I do not know the particular ship your parents want to sail with but on my recent South America cruise a balcony cabin, even an outside cabin would not have been necessary.

 

During scenic cruising the places to be were all the outside decks. Wind and weather are an essential part of really experiencing the nature around the Cape.

Especially spectacular were the views from the bow of the ship. Just imagine standing there, the wind blowing, the ship creeping through a field of ice.

It gets to cold there? Take a seat on promenade deck.

Or enjoy the panoromic view from the forward observation lounge if your age or health prevents you from being outside.

Another great place: high up on the top decks, maybe when in the Chileanean fjords more North and thus more warm, sitting by the pool and the lush green hills passing by.

 

Remind your parents to be prepared for all kinds of temperatures and weather conditions - hot in the North and fairly cold, windy and potentially rainy in the South.

[Rosie C]

I personally would say go for a balcony. It does depends how much you enjoy being around alot of people. There are alot of places both inside the ship and outside the ship to enjoy the scenery and from the balcony you only see one side but it can be busy especially inside. the problem is once you have had a balcony it is difficult to go back to an outside window. As well as seeing the scenery from the privacy of your balcony or room you can enjoy a drink, room service reading a book all in your own space. So it does depend how sociable they want to be really