Upgrade to Balcony on a 5-day?

[sailawaybellaluna]

Hi guys,

I'm torn about whether or not to upgrade to a balcony cabin on our upcoming 5-night cruise onboard the Carnival Triumph.

A couple of things which is persuading me at the moment:

*we have a 3-year old that still naps, so it'd be nice to sit outside with a book while he sleeps in the cabin
*we have two sea days, and during our two port days, back onboard time is 3pm and 4pm respectively, leaving enough time to enjoy the cabin/balcony

I'm not sure it's completely worth it though because:

*it's only a 5-day itinerary
*the cost of the upgrade is 23% more than our category 6a oceanview cabin would be, bringing the total cost for the 3 of us (including all taxes and port charges) to $1,250.00. I haven't seen it this cheap for our specific sailing since I booked last May...(and I've had alerts set up on that fish website)...
*not sure about the Triumph? How are balconies aboard that ship?

It'd be a splurge for us, since we've only ever had a balcony cabin once on our previous cruises - and loved it!

Please help me decide! I want to make a decision quickly before the pricing goes up again!

Thanks!

[The_ZOO]

I personally feel that you cant go wrong with a balcony. It is great for sail away from the ports early morning coffee, sitting outside at night ect.

[vacationmom0103]

Take the balcony! Do you really want to be stuck inside just looking at the water without hearing it and feeling the warmth of the sun while the little one naps? Life is short...live it up!

[buddylover]

My vote is a resounding "YES".....there's nothing like a balcony....worth every penny to us.

[sailawaybellaluna]

Ok, you're convincing me!

I know they say it's different for each itinerary, but any idea if port or starboard side would be best for the balcony cabin? We leave Galveston and head to Progreso and Cozumel before returning back to Galveston...

[prophet0621]

My girlfriend and I can't imagine not having a balcony, we had one for our first cruise last year and won't cruise without one now. It just suits us well, we love sitting out on the balcony and drinking the awful room service coffee and just watching the water go by and no land for miles while we wake up. I'll never forget waking up and stepping out onto the balcony and seeing Grand Turk the first time and same with the following two ports. That quiet place to get away in the middle of the day and not be trapped in a room.

For some people a balcony isn't for them, they like to wake up and head for breakfast or wherever there are crowds, that's not for us, I need time in the morning to prepare myself for dealing with the crowds. I have read some say they don't see the point when you have so many other places to sit on the ship and watch the water, while true, none of them are nearly as relaxing and peaceful.

It all depends on you and what you like

[sailawaybellaluna]

My girlfriend and I can't imagine not having a balcony, we had one for our first cruise last year and won't cruise without one now. It just suits us well, we love sitting out on the balcony and drinking the awful room service coffee and just watching the water go by and no land for miles while we wake up. I'll never forget waking up and stepping out onto the balcony and seeing Grand Turk the first time and same with the following two ports. That quiet place to get away in the middle of the day and not be trapped in a room.

For some people a balcony isn't for them, they like to wake up and head for breakfast or wherever there are crowds, that's not for us, I need time in the morning to prepare myself for dealing with the crowds. I have read some say they don't see the point when you have so many other places to sit on the ship and watch the water, while true, none of them are nearly as relaxing and peaceful.

It all depends on you and what you like

Agree! We love getting room service breakfast and coffee and relax in our cabin in the mornings! I get those little mini hazelnut or almond joy creamers that don't require refrigeration and take a box with us to help the taste of the room service coffee!

[Burrinda]

Hi. We are just off the Triumph Saturday with the same itinerary. We had a balcony on deck 6 port side. 6238. It was perfect! We were able to see the sunrise both mornings we got up early for port days, progreso and Cozumel. We ordered room service and enjoyed coffee before docking. While docked at Cozumel the view was spectacular! It was our first cruise and I couldn't imagine a better room!

[sailawaybellaluna]

Hi. We are just off the Triumph Saturday with the same itinerary. We had a balcony on deck 6 port side. 6238. It was perfect! We were able to see the sunrise both mornings we got up early for port days, progreso and Cozumel. We ordered room service and enjoyed coffee before docking. While docked at Cozumel the view was spectacular! It was our first cruise and I couldn't imagine a better room!

Oh, thank you so much for letting me know! I JUST hung up with Carnival, paying to upgrade us to #6254, Port side as well! Just a few cabins down from where you were! I chose that one because it seemed as far back as I could get from the stage of the theater on deck 5. Was noise from that theater a problem for you guys at all?

I'd love to see any pics you have! We are very excited!

BTW, did you get any sun in the afternoons? Was the weather so warm in the afternoon (in Progreso and Cozumel) that you preferred shade?

Thank you!

[Burrinda]

Originally Posted by sailawaybellaluna

Oh, thank you so much for letting me know! I JUST hung up with Carnival, paying to upgrade us to #6254, Port side as well! Just a few cabins down from where you were! I chose that one because it seemed as far back as I could get from the stage of the theater on deck 5. Was noise from that theater a problem for you guys at all?

I'd love to see any pics you have! We are very excited!

BTW, did you get any sun in the afternoons? Was the weather so warm in the afternoon (in Progreso and Cozumel) that you preferred shade?

Thank you!

Honestly, I would give you some pictures, but I don't know how to post pictures on here. LOL

The only time we heard noises from the theater were during big performances. Either laughter or applause, not much else. And it wasn't bad, but you could hear it. We would just laugh.

In Progreso we basically did the double decker bus and shopping. We stopped at a couple of places for a drink and nachos. At Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach and first stayed on the beach and then moved to the pool and hung out in the water or lawn chairs. Neither one was too hot. I preferred the sun in Coz and did get a little red, but never really felt hot.

Whenever I get caught up on work stuff I will do a review. This was my first cruise, but ask me anything else you would like.