If you had an inside room...

We have cruised Alaska many times - on HAL, Disney, and Celebrity cruise lines. Cruises have been from Seattle, Vancouver, and Seward. Most of the time we experienced the scenery from the windows of the rear dining areas or the forward facing lounge. The shared experiences with other cruisers in these areas made many days very special; folks pointed out animals and sights of interest to all that we might otherwise not have seen.

Additionally, the weather often made the balcony almost unusable.

Go and visit the "Great Land"

We have cruised Alaska many times - on HAL, Disney, and Celebrity cruise lines. Cruises have been from Seattle, Vancouver, and Seward. Most of the time we experienced the scenery from the windows of the rear dining areas or the forward facing lounge. The shared experiences with other cruisers in these areas made many days very special; folks pointed out animals and sights of interest to all that we might otherwise not have seen.

Additionally, the weather often made the balcony almost unusable.

 

Go and visit the "Great Land"

bolding mine

Yes, thank you SO much for articulating something that is always a special memory of each cruise to Alaska, the camaraderie of the people. Whether it is the first, fifth or fiftieth trip, the way the group "gels" and becomes one another's cheering section :D Always a special memory and you have described it so well. Thank you!

If you're bringing kids, a balcony makes a lot more sense. Your baby/toddler/preschooler could nap while you enjoy the scenery on the balcony with a blanket and a hot chocolate. Even with older kids who don't nap, they usually have an earlier bedtime of 7 or 8, giving you plenty of time to soak up the views from the balcony.

We're planning on taking our first cruise in the next year or so. I was just looking at some different cruises on RCI and noticed a 7-day Alaskan cruise for $450 pp. We've always wanted to do an Alaskan cruise someday, but we thought we should wait until we could afford to do it "right" and have a balcony. At that price, though, it makes me wander if it would be worth it. Sure you don't have a balcony, but you're still in Alaska for a cost of cruise plus flight that is about what we would pay for a 7-day cruise out of Galveston (our closest port of embarkation though it is still several hours driving time). The price would give us more room to book whatever excursions we really wanted to do.

 

If you had an inside room, did you feel like you missed out on a lot of the Alaskan cruise experience? Where did you hang out so that you could view scenery, look for wild life, etc. while cruising? Any tips or tricks to make the best of an inside room?

It's simple really.

If you can afford the balcony and do the excursions you want, go for it. Don't sacrifice an excursion just for balcony though. You can always find a place on the ship to sit and enjoy the beauty of Alaska but how many times in your life will you get to enjoy a dog sled adventure, or a helicopter to a glacier, or a whale experience?

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It's simple really.

 

... how many times in your life will you get to enjoy a dog sled adventure, or a helicopter to a glacier, or a whale experience?

 

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...which in my experience, you can do all 3 (and more) for the price difference of an inside vs balcony...

If you have never booked an inside cabin before, just make sure you know for certain that you are not claustrophobic before you do it.

That is not a good way to find out if you are.