Bet on a cancellation?

my wife and I are trying to book the Royal Caribbean vision of the seas out of Los Angeles 11/29/18. We have cruised 4 times previously all with a balcony. This cruise is sold out of suites and balconies. They say if we book an ocean View if there is a cancellation we can get upgraded.

What are the odds of that happening? 16 days is a long time....

How bad is an ocean view room?

Would you risk it?

Well, there's a window, so you can see if it's day or night, but it's certainly not like a balcony view! We've done it...but won't do it again.

The odds of being "upgraded" are slim. They don't automatically do it, either...you would have to keep checking and checking to see if something comes available.

my wife and I are trying to book the Royal Caribbean vision of the seas out of Los Angeles 11/29/18. We have cruised 4 times previously all with a balcony. This cruise is sold out of suites and balconies. They say if we book an ocean View if there is a cancellation we can get upgraded.

What are the odds of that happening? 16 days is a long time....

How bad is an ocean view room?

Would you risk it?

Sure a balcony is great, and an OV is a downgrade, but only you can decide whether it is worth it. Is the itinerary port heavy? Will you spend a lot of time in port? Will the difference in cost between OV and Balcony allow you to buy other stuff - better excursions, weekly spa passes where you can have the view from a thermal chair - or whatever Vof the Seas offers for 'elite' lounging areas? Expand your vision of how you can 'rescue' the OV trip if a balcony doesn't become available. If you can't come up with alternative benefits, then it might not be worth the risk....or wait to book at the last minute (whatever RCI states that to be).

If this is a cruise you absolutely must be on, book the OV. But don't bet that they will be waiting for someone to cancel, and upgrade you. there is probably a waitlist for those cabins, and even then, if one opens up THOSE people will be waiting with fingers on the keyboard to grab that cabin. EM

You are two months out from this sailing. You are past final payment date. If the cruise is so popular that all balconies and suites are sold out you should not count on a cancellation. If you want to go on this particular ship and itinerary then consider booking the ocean view. We have had the experience of doing a 16 day transatlantic in an inside cabin. We not only survived, but enjoyed ourselves.

You are two months out from this sailing. You are past final payment date. If the cruise is so popular that all balconies and suites are sold out you should not count on a cancellation. If you want to go on this particular ship and itinerary then consider booking the ocean view. We have had the experience of doing a 16 day transatlantic in an inside cabin. We not only survived, but enjoyed ourselves.

Sure, it is still possible to enjoy yourselves. But it's not the same.

A few years ago we had a lawn party planned for a special event. About 60 people were invited, with catered food and outdoor furniture and decorations by a party planning company, and a bounce house and party games for the kids. Unfortunately, there were torrential rains and strong winds that day. We moved everything inside, and the party went on.

Yes, we still had fun, but it was in no way as much fun as it would have been outside like we planned. If we had known the weather would have bee so bad that day, we would have postponed the party until a better day.

Sometimes it is worth while to wait until you can have exactly what you want instead of putting up with a lesser experience. Only you can decide what is worth while or not.

We did a Back 2 back on Legend of the seas back in 2015. First leg was 11nts in an inside and second leg was 10nts in an oceanview. If I had done the same cruise today, I would have stayed in the inside cabin the whole cruise. Sure it's nice with a window, but the location of the ocean view cabins on the Vision-class is on the lower decks. We payed about the same for the B2B that the first leg would have cost in an balcony cabin. Vision-class is an older ship design with fewer balcony cabins then newer ships = they sell out fast.

I love oceanview cabins, and the only times I upgrade to a balcony or a suite is if the cost difference is not significant. In all fairness I don’t spend enough time out in the balcony to justify paying a premium (literally, I’ll stand out there for 5-10 minutes and go back inside). But I can see how it may be more of a deal breaker to someone who uses the balcony more frequently.

If this were a cruise that I really want to take, the lack of balconies would not be a reason for me not to go.

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Have never sailed without a balcony. I would pass and try another cruise line or book for next year.

I have sailed in inside, ocean view, balcony and even 1 suite. For me, it is more about the cruise than just the cabin. If the only room available was an inside and I wanted that cruise, I would gladly take it. But you know what you want, and if it is a deal breaker for you, then don't do it. Even 2 days is too long to spend in a room you don't like.

It is doubtful that someone will cancel and you will be upgraded to a balcony cabin. There probably is already a waiting list for others to be upgraded.

We would book a different cruise just so that we can have our balcony.

Thank you all for your insight. We are looking to book another cruise. My biggest problem is that I don’t like to book a year in advance,(did that once and the waiting killed me).

We have been on 4 cruises, the experiences have been from omg to bleh, our priorities are the accommodations, and the food. I am open to suggestions. The more I read the more confused I get.

Thanks for your help.

For us having a balcony is a must have or we will book a different cruise. Everyone is different.

Just once try booking as soon as the cruise is released. You may not nail the #1 most popular locations, but you will have a good choice. We have bookings in 2020.

I love having cruises booked in advance so I can look forward to them. :D

Have never sailed without a balcony. I would pass and try another cruise line or book for next year.

Hi

There you go! If you don't want to go, then don't. :)

You say "Would you risk it?", I have to ask "risk what?".

There would be at least a couple of thousand people on that ship that don't have balconies, and I guess they survive each week, and have for years. Are you claustrophobic?

There are decks available to everyone, with lounge chairs and bar service. Your cabin will be the same size as you are used to, it's just that if you want to step outside, you will have to leave your cabin.

Think back to your past cruises...how many hours did you sit on your balcony? If you can't imagine going on a cruise and not being able to do that, then you shouldn't. A lot of people prefer not having a balcony, and guess what they are actually cheaper. Not bad, getting what you want and paying less :).

It really is up to you. It's not as risky as you make it sound, but I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction. It's one of those things, that you wont know if you like it till you try it.

good luck

have a great cruise

How bad is an ocean view room?

Would you risk it?

We’ve sailed in both balcony and ocean view cabins. How bad is an ocean view? Not bad at all. We recently did a 14 night Panama Canal cruise in an ocean view and enjoyed it very much. And we have ocean view booked for two upcoming cruises. We don’t spend enough time in the room to need a balcony.

Hi

 

There you go! If you don't want to go, then don't. :)

 

You say "Would you risk it?", I have to ask "risk what?".

 

There would be at least a couple of thousand people on that ship that don't have balconies, and I guess they survive each week, and have for years. Are you claustrophobic?

 

There are decks available to everyone, with lounge chairs and bar service. Your cabin will be the same size as you are used to, it's just that if you want to step outside, you will have to leave your cabin.

 

Think back to your past cruises...how many hours did you sit on your balcony? If you can't imagine going on a cruise and not being able to do that, then you shouldn't. A lot of people prefer not having a balcony, and guess what they are actually cheaper. Not bad, getting what you want and paying less :).

 

It really is up to you. It's not as risky as you make it sound, but I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction. It's one of those things, that you wont know if you like it till you try it.

 

good luck

have a great cruise

"Would you risk it?" The poster you are replying to never said that. :confused:

No one claims it would be "risky". Those of us who only sail in balcony cabins do it because it is what we prefer. Risk has nothing to do with it. We just don't want to spend time in a windowless box, or with only a window. Nothing controversial about that at all. It is strictly preferences.

As far as "you wont know if you like it till you try it", I can say for myself that the odds are very high that I won't. I don't need to try it to know I won't like it. Just like I don't need to try hitting myself over the head with a hammer to know I won't like it. Or to try eating raw meat. Or to try drinking out of the toilet.

As for the "at least a couple of thousand people on that ship that don't have balconies", I assume you mean the staff since you said they have been doing so "for years". (There are only 765 crew members, actually). It's pretty simple, actually. They are working, earning a living. They aren't on vacation, a vacation they are paying at lot of money for, so using them to support your argument is pretty weak.

If you meant the passengers in inside and ocean view cabins, there are only 779 cabins without balconies. Not quite the "at least a couple of thousand".

Besides, I prefer not to experiment with my hard earned money. Why spend all that money on something I might not like? Gambling like that is a pretty dumb thing to do.

And, spare me the lecture of how I might like it. You don't know me, you have no idea what I like in life, and you have no right to presume things what I do or don't like, or can or cannot put up with. In other words, mind you own business.

And one more thing - Vision of the seas is over 20 years old. It was built when balcony cabins were not in demand and were very expensive. It has 405 interior cabins, 374 ocean view, and 225 with balconies, including suites. The newer ships have a very high percentage of balcony cabins, dozens of times more than window and inside cabins combined. The balcony cabins on these newer ships are the first to sell out, leaving many of the less desirable cabins - window and inside - available until the last minute.

Looks like there are a heck of a lot more people who prefer balcony cabins these days. Otherwise, the new ships wouldn't have such a high ratio of them.

You ALWAYS BOOK THE MINIMUM CABIN YOUR WILLING TO CRUISE WITH. People cruise with this strategy all the time, it's called a guarantee. Say you book the highest grade ocean view guarantee. A week or two prior to the cruise any held cabins are returned to the cruise line and they may try a flash sale. they then try to shift paxs around to to have solid blocks of occupied cabins, To do this they can try the laborious task of calling each pax in turn asking if they want upgrade OR start moving all the possible pax who booked guaranteed and be done within 30 minutes. There is nothing written in stone, but you should get upgraded if anything is available. We have booked this way about five times in the past and have gotten some type of upgrade all but one time. But since we booked lowest acceptable category we didn't mind, You must understand an upgrade could be moving one cabin toward midships or a deck higher.

my wife and I are trying to book the Royal Caribbean vision of the seas out of Los Angeles 11/29/18. We have cruised 4 times previously all with a balcony. This cruise is sold out of suites and balconies. They say if we book an ocean View if there is a cancellation we can get upgraded.

 

What are the odds of that happening? 16 days is a long time....

 

How bad is an ocean view room?

 

Would you risk it?

An oceanview on Deck 4 isn’t bad at all. We had 4060 and it was fine. It was about 10 doors away from the Centrum, far enough not to hear the R Bar nor activities in the Centrum. It was a great floor to be on.

"Would you risk it?" The poster you are replying to never said that. :confused:

 

No one claims it would be "risky". Those of us who only sail in balcony cabins do it because it is what we prefer. Risk has nothing to do with it. We just don't want to spend time in a windowless box, or with only a window. Nothing controversial about that at all. It is strictly preferences.

 

As far as "you wont know if you like it till you try it", I can say for myself that the odds are very high that I won't. I don't need to try it to know I won't like it. Just like I don't need to try hitting myself over the head with a hammer to know I won't like it. Or to try eating raw meat. Or to try drinking out of the toilet.

 

As for the "at least a couple of thousand people on that ship that don't have balconies", I assume you mean the staff since you said they have been doing so "for years". (There are only 765 crew members, actually). It's pretty simple, actually. They are working, earning a living. They aren't on vacation, a vacation they are paying at lot of money for, so using them to support your argument is pretty weak.

 

If you meant the passengers in inside and ocean view cabins, there are only 779 cabins without balconies. Not quite the "at least a couple of thousand".

Besides, I prefer not to experiment with my hard earned money. Why spend all that money on something I might not like? Gambling like that is a pretty dumb thing to do.

 

And, spare me the lecture of how I might like it. You don't know me, you have no idea what I like in life, and you have no right to presume things what I do or don't like, or can or cannot put up with. In other words, mind you own business.

 

And one more thing - Vision of the seas is over 20 years old. It was built when balcony cabins were not in demand and were very expensive. It has 405 interior cabins, 374 ocean view, and 225 with balconies, including suites. The newer ships have a very high percentage of balcony cabins, dozens of times more than window and inside cabins combined. The balcony cabins on these newer ships are the first to sell out, leaving many of the less desirable cabins - window and inside - available until the last minute.

 

Looks like there are a heck of a lot more people who prefer balcony cabins these days. Otherwise, the new ships wouldn't have such a high ratio of them.

Hi

So exactly what are you trying to say?

That quote "Have never sailed without a balcony. I would pass and try another cruise line or book for next year." Yes, the quote was made by another contributor. What did I say to the OP: "There you go! If you don't want to go then don't. :)" Sounds to me like I was agreeing with the person who made the statement and saying so.

The rest of my comments are for the OP to consider, he asked the question. The fact is that many people don't choose balcony cabins and it wont in itself ruin a cruise. The fact that you are so certain that you wont like something that you have never tried before, is true for you. Good for you. Some people might be open to the suggestion, that trying something before making a determination about it, is not unreasonable.

hope this helps

my wife and I are trying to book the Royal Caribbean vision of the seas out of Los Angeles 11/29/18. We have cruised 4 times previously all with a balcony. This cruise is sold out of suites and balconies. They say if we book an ocean View if there is a cancellation we can get upgraded.

What are the odds of that happening? 16 days is a long time....

How bad is an ocean view room?

Would you risk it?

We have only stayed in balconies too and love them - when we get to use them. Our last cruise we probably used the balcony more than most and enjoyed it, but also spent quite a bit of time on the outer decks. For our next cruise we decided to try an ocean view and see how we like it.

I agree that 16 days is a long time, but consider how often you won't be able to use the balcony. We've had cruises where winds prohibited use, sometimes when the sun was too bright (we like shade), and a few times when neighbors were being discourteous (very loud music) or breaking rules (smoking - all forms).

I don't regret any of our balconies, but do think it is worth exploring an ocean view or possibly even a port hole. Interiors would probably only be an option (for me) if someone else was paying the bill or we were traveling with a large group and not spending time in the cabin.

Best wishes with your decision.

Thank you all for your insight. We are looking to book another cruise. My biggest problem is that I don’t like to book a year in advance,(did that once and the waiting killed me).

We have been on 4 cruises, the experiences have been from omg to bleh, our priorities are the accommodations, and the food. I am open to suggestions. The more I read the more confused I get.

 

Thanks for your help.

Then, don’t count on booking a balcony on a Panamá Canal Cruise. Today it’s 63 days until this cruise, and at this point, a balcony might come open but the cost would be prohibitive.

You just generally cannot book a balcony on a very desirable cruise 63 days before sailing.

I don’t like booking a cruise way out either, but if a balcony is a must then it’s necessary. I’m on the Nov 13 PC sailing from Florida. I got up at 6 am the first morning bookings were open, and a nice balcony at the best price they ever were was my reward.

Many times you simply cannot wait to book if you want a specific cabin type. Yes, this is a 16 night cruise with 1/2 of the days being port days. It’s not 16 days in your cabin. We have a balcony on most every cruise. We opted not to on our Vision med cruise because it was so port intensive. Our large oceanview on Deck 4 worked great for us.

You state accommodations and food are your most important factors. If that’s the case, lines like RC and Celebrity probably aren’t for you. Look for a smaller boutique line ship like Crystal or Regent Seven Seas. Most people choose a Panamá Canal Cruise for the canal transit and the ports—or I know we did.

Anyway, happy sailing but for specialty location cruises like this, I’d work hard on getting past the “I can’t wait a year” mindset. The solution: have other cruises before the one that’s far away. Concentrate on them until your chosen cruise happens. We have waited for 3 years for RC to offer this. The first day it was open to book, it was.

*****************

To those reading, read above. Their mind is made up. Not going on this one.

Thank you all for your help! There have been some good ideas and a lot of wisdom offered. We will use it as we plan future cruises.

For now, we booked the 7 day cruise on the Celebrity Edge departing December 9, 2018. We booked a sunset veranda guaranteed. Probably will be upgraded, but We would be happy either way.