Is the balcony worth the extra $$?

We are going to be booking a cruise TONIGHT on the Glory for the 8 October cruise visiting the Western Carribean...I am so excited - but the decision on what cabin to book is overwhelming. Is the balcony worth the extra money? We are a family of three (a 11 -year-old daughter). I would like some advice on what cabin would be the best for enjoyment and value. I've read the aft cabins are best for motion sickness but higher or lower? I was looking at some cabins on the Spa deck, which are ocean view - they seem nice....can anyone please give me some adivce!?

Oceanview cabins on the spa deck have florr to ceiling windows. SOmetimes these cabins cost more then a balcony cabin.

First time cruisers dont have nothing to compare to so any cabin for you will be great.

If you think you will plan to spend a great deal of time in your cabin or on your balcony--maybe coffee in the morning. then its worth it. For us-- the only time I use the balcony is when the SO Is watching tv late at night.

For me, personally- I like to get the most value for my money. I go for a bigger balcony for the same amount of money and take an aft balcony. It overlooks the area where I jsut been. Nothing beats watching watching life pass slowly away.

Thank you for our input! I appreciate your advice!

Your view from an aft balcony

http://community.webshots.com/photo/231082601/283585957lnziFZ

any ideas on what ship you are leaning towards?

Indubitably

It really depends on you and what you expect to be doing and where. Personally, we always ask for a "minimum guarantee", friends we travel with however, always want an outside cabin. Last year, this got a balcony, for our upcoming cruise, they have said they would MUCH prefer and outside/no blacony than a balcony cabin. Depends what ship/line you are on, but the one we were on, the cabin with balcony was the same sq feet as an outside with no balcony. They would prefer a larger cabin, with a view than a smaller cabin with a balcony.

We cruised for the first time in October on the Miracle and would not cruise without a balcony. ;)

I have done an inside cabin and an ocean view cabin, and now am booked on a balcony one. I would only do a balcony one if it isn't a lot more money. Ocean view is wonderful, we loved every minute of that one. We could hear the soft sound of the waves hitting the ship, watch the ocean, but saved a significant amount of money by not taking a balcony. On our next cruise the price difference was only about $100, so we chose the balcony.It is all good though. You don't spend that much time in your cabin, and for a first cruise start simple, and then move up on your next cruise. That way it can only get better and better. :)

and had an aft cabin. It was 8461. My mom was in 2388, an outside, and hers was larger, with a pull out sofa. My cabin was fine for just me but there was no a third person would fit in there!

As much as I love a balcony, if it were my decision to make, I would opt for the extra room.

We've done all three...inside, outside and balcony. We wouldn't ever go back to anything but a balcony..hands down!

You can sit and have breakfast.....love watching us pull into port....sit out there in the evenings.

Once you have a balcony, only you can decide whether it's worth it to YOU. What would make one happy, another may not be happy with at all.

Enjoy!!!:D

I don't care how tiny the room - my balcony is where I spend my time. DH likes the TV inside and I love my book, my drink, etc. on the balcony. I'm spoiled, I know!

YES exactly,, my SO's parents sail the other line (princess) all the time and say why did you book a suite you will never be there.. THEY do not know what we WANT to do ... and are they paying for it???? NOOOOOO.. So past cruisers can say as they wish it is up to yourself to make the decision... (BTW the SO's parents sail twice a year).. anyways it is a personal CHOICE enjoy your VACATION!!! :)

I say YES, YES and another YES!!! We've done 2 insides and a balcony (mini-suite on the Norway). And, we have vowed not to do anything but a balcony again. When we first started cruising, we figured "well, what do we want the room for anyway? We'll sleep and we'll shower....that's it!" On the contrary. We found that we spent a lot more time in our balcony cabin than we did the other times we cruised. It was so nice to sit there in the evening with a drink and just talk and gaze at the surf and sky. We really relaxed A LOT more on our balcony cruise than the other two. We're doing the same thing again in 9 days. But, this time we're bringing the kids. So, we really HAD to get a suite for this one. Just so we'd have the room. We saved up for 3 years for this. And, by golly, we're going to enjoy it :D

IMHO, if you have a balcony and, better yet, a cabin that you love, you absolutely will spend more time there. Unless you like to be "on" 24/7, your cabin and balcony will provide the solitude you won't find anywhere else on the ship (except maybe the spa). ;)

You don't spend that much time in your cabin, and for a first cruise start simple, and then move up on your next cruise. That way it can only get better and better. :)

Yes, definitely, for all of the above reasons. It's nice to walk into a room that you are not in a hurry to leave. A much more relaxing vacation. Try it once to decide for yourself but be prepared to never go back. Happy cruising!!

We have only done a balacony on our two cruises so I don't have much to compare. We have a balcony booked on the Serenade for 06. I LOVE the balcony - it is having your own secluded little world. It is a quiet place to sit and enjoy the sea, a great place to enjoy a drink, and a quiet place to read. Although it is fun to enjoy all the ship's activities, sometimes vacation is about solitude and the balcony gives it to you. My husband says he won't have anything else, so I guess we will still be booking balconies on future cruises.

On another note- I have always tried to book the middle of the ship- someone told that was better for motion. Anyone out there- is this correct??? I know we had TERRIBLE motion on the Miracle last year when we hit the Atlantic to and from Jacksonville. The dining room was at the back of the ship and it was the worst there.....:eek:

I have to decide soon. I booked 2 inside cabins for our upcoming cruise this August. I'm really fine with the children in an inside cabin (would feel more secure) but I can get a balcony cabin for $540 more. Is that amount worth a balcony cabin? Thanks for the imput.

We were on Glory in April. The OV rooms are 220 sq. ft. So are the balconies but you must count the footage of the balcony. So in the final analysis, OV's are bigger.

We just booked a cruise for March 2006. One criterion I used was to look up what time the ship arrived in the ports. If it is early (7AM) one is probably not going to be up in time to appreciate coming into the port. If you arrive later in the morning, I have found it is nice to sit in comfort, sipping some tea and view the port.

We had a balcony suite on our Alaska cruise (Princess). It was great because if we were in the room and there was wildlife or something outside we could just run out there with our cameras and binoculars. Also the wind was a little cold by the glaciers but the balcony was protected, so we could be outside longer. We used it a lot.

We also had a balcony on our Baltic trip (Princess again), which was kind of wasted because of the rough seas and the cold. We hardly used it at all. We went up on deck to watch the sailing into port to get a better view.

On our trip to Tahiti aboard the Paul Gauguin we used our balcony constantly. We had breakfast on it every morning. We sat out a lot because we got to enjoy the view without baking in the sun. After a morning of snorkelling we would sit out and have cold drinks. It was amazing.

So, my advice about balconies is that it really depends on your itinerary, and how much time you spend in your room. Obviously on a cold weather trip you won't use it so much. On a beach trip you'll be spending a lot of time outdoors anyways, and if you're active you won't be in the room so much.

Margaret

As to motion sickness, the "middle of the middle" is best. That means a room in the center on a middle deck (not high up). We sailed the Hanseatic to Antarctica in a center room by the boutique and were some of the few who weren't regularly tossed out of bed crossing the Drake Passage.

Margaret

I loved our balcony on our first cruise and would not cruise without one again. The views are spectacular and I say go for it if you can as it will give you and your daughter memories to last a life time. Pizza on the blacony, coffee & fruit in the morning...every morning. Views of the ports...etc etc.

We plan to spend more time on our next balcony which will be a corner wrap on the Triumph (7425)...I cannot wait to lounge in the sun in private.......

One more thing to consider that I did not see mentioned was how port intensive the cruise itinerary is. If you have a lot of sea days, I would go for the balcony. If you only have one or two sea days, go for something less expensive. You will in port enjoying the sights more than sitting on the balcony.

I think the cabin choice is a personal decision, but my own opinion is to have a balcony. Our first cruise was an inside room and although we had a great time on the cruise it was a really small room and I felt like I 'had' to be out of the room all the time. With the balcony you can relax some on your cruise. We had coffee every morning on the balcony and I enjoyed it very much. More so than I thought I would both early morning and in the evening.

We have done inside, outside with a window, and balcony. I will never cruise without a balcony. My dh and I use the balcony so much that it is definitely worth the extra money. We have breakfast there in the morning and drinks there before dinner. I am a really really early riser and I love sitting out on the balcony with a book and a cup of coffee. The solitude is just what I need to relax and recharge. This past February we cruised on the Star Princess and I woke up early as the ship was cruising towards Tortola. The view as the fog lifted around the tiny British Virgin Islands was certainly one of the most serene and beautiful views I have ever experienced. Now I am looking forward to our balcony on the Coral in Alaska this July.

Timing can be everything. Sometimes that balcony does not cost much more than an ocean view.

I happen to believe it adds a HUGE amount of value to the cruise itself.

We won't cruise without one, just as many others have said, we use it all the time and really enjoy it.