Balcony or not for Alaska

[jonbgd]

[bajathree]

Balcony or no balcony in Alaska....interesting question....I can tell you the times I looked outside while I was on Radiance in June this year was almost always sitting on the bed looking out....my DD and I spent all of maybe 15 minutes total out on the balcony in a week......way to cold to hang on the balcony.

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

Last year I sailed on the Amsterdam to Alaska I had a inside cabin. I was a solo. my cabin was huge. I had no complaints.
This year I was upgraded to promanade deck outside. the cabin was a lot smaller than the inside. I had a large window and a TUB. The tub was wonderful after walking all day and luging heavy camera equipment I wanted to soak. I was also solo and I loved being able just to look out the window and see what weather was like most days I looked out it was coudy and raining so I just went back to sleep.All I had to do is walk down the hallway and out on deck. We had COLD weather and rain. (June29-July13) it never got above low 50's until we got to a hot Victoria. ( I am from Massachusetts and I wwas glad I hat my winter jacket. The day before we got to Victoria we saw the sun and blue skys. Which was the first time we saw blue sky. I walked the deck many times as they were people looking for wildlife. sometimes one side of ship had a few whales and other side there was something yo see. In Tracy Arm and Hubbard Glacier I spent my time out on bow. At night I spent my time up in crows nest with my new found friends. I don't want to go to my cabin early when I can be up on deck talking about what we did and what cruises we have been on.

[spencersmama]

We did an Alaskan cruise 3 years ago in an inside cabin, mostly because the cost of the entire cruise for my family of 4 was less than just one person in a balcony cabin. There are great deals to be had for inside cabins. I was very surprised that the decks on the HAL ship was not very crowded at all! Perhaps it is because most of the passengers were on their own balconies. I was also surprised that the people on board were very conscientious about allowing others to see the views. I liked sitting on the padded lounge chairs as apposed to the small chairs on a balcony. It was much more comfortable for extended viewing. As stated above, I really appreciated the dark inside cabin for sleeping.

Before that cruise, we did a week on land. Before we boarded, we did a small wildlife and glacier boat tour. For viewing the glaciers, I preferred the small boat. The captain turned off the engine of the boat so the only sound I heard was the creaking and groaning of the calving of the glaciers. I noticed a big difference on the large cruise ship. I would take an inside cabin with leftover $ to spend on shore activities. That said, I am planning a different cruise to Alaska next year and decided to splurge on a balcony cabin this time. This trip is to celebrate our 20th anniversary and I plan on spending much more time enjoying breakfast and lunch on the balcony alone with my husband. (No kids in the room on this trip. )

[HUBison2008]

I think you should look at the cost of the potential excursions you're looking for and price them with your balcony to see if it's worth it. I just looked at one of our must have excursions and I started looking at inside cabins almost IMMEDIATELY. Saved $1500 by looking at insides and one of our excursions would be $1000 for the two of us.

So as everyone has said, if you can afford it, do it, if not, inside away :-)

[dustyroad]

i havnt read through all the replies but something else too consider is which side of the ship is best for the balcony too get the most use out of it. if you are doing the inside passage route either side will give you great views. if a northbound trip i would choose the starboard side. and the port side for the southbound route. when you get into the glaciers or fjord it wont matter which side you are on too see everything since the ship does a complete turnaround. i have had both balcony and inside cabins. i certainly enjoyed the balcony but a inside was wonderful also. i have never had a problem finding a great place on any deck too see everything. i guess for me it comes down too how much money i can spend on other things with the money saved getting a inside. and it will be chilly out there especially in the mornings. have a wonderful time in alaska

[b7440]

Each person will have a different answer for this question, we were on the Peral last week. Yes it rained every day while in Alaska. But we used the balcony every day, while we were in Glacier Bay we spent a lot of time on the balcony. My answer is yes get the balcony, it is well worth it. Just dress warm!!

[geoherb]

We were upgraded to a "deluxe oceanview" cabin on the Sapphire Princess last week. It has a balcony without furniture. We loved having the balcony when we were at the glaciers. But I don't think it's worth paying a ton extra for. Save your money for excursions.

[gymjudge55]

Just came off the Millennium and had a balcony that we rarely used. We wanted to be on deck for the glacier and inside passage viewing. The only reason I would ever book a balcony again would be for Aqua Class as I loved eating in Blu. Otherwise I would choose an oceanview.

[Northshorecruisers]

We sailed July 28-Aug 4 and used our balcony daily. Some days/evenings we needed to put on a sweatshirt but the view was worth it. And I agree that it can cut down on wind.

Reviews from people who sailed 2 weeks later than we did said they hardly used their balcony.

[Schlepporello]

The only cruise I've been on where I hardly used my balcony was on my western caribbean cruise. There just wasn't that much to see while at sea. Yet even then, it was nice to step outside when I wanted to. The thing to remember is this, balconies are kind of like the old VW bug. You either love them or hate them. It's all based on the individual taste. As for me, I've been bitten by the balcony bug. And while I won't use it enough to justify the added cost, I'll get one anyway.