Interior vs. balcony stateroom--opinions?

[captainron]

On a short cruise I would probably book whatever gets me onboard for the least amount of money...one longer cruises if money isn't an issue then go for a balcony they really are lovely to sit and watch the seas slip past...for a special occasion dinner on the balcony is really special.

 

Beware though if you start with a balcony it is really hard to give them up, very addictive.

 

I think DH is happy I have never tried a suite!

 

 

100% with you on that one. We did the Star from SYD/LAX last Oct/Nov and the trip via NZ, Fiji and Fr Polynesia in a mini was the best investment we ever did. Mind you that was 30 days across the Pacific.

 

We've booked a grand total of 7 days on the Diamond in Sep from Alaska down to Vancouver(whoopee) and you guessed it...the price was right so we booked an inside (Gty JJ even) and you betcha we told our TA that we'd take an upgrade if given.

 

Haven't done an inside since the EOS in 2002 so will be a big change having done OV, Balc and minisuite on previous three. Either way we're racking up those Captain Circle days at sea. Besides having lived on Vancouver Island for 6 years, we've seen bears, eagles, seals and orcas, so sitting on the balcony is no big deal. This trip is for destinations more than anything.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[JWJs]

Here's my take and experience regarding inside cabins.

 

The one time we did an inside cabin was on our 15 day Diamond Princess Hawaii cruise out of San Pedro, Calif. I studied the deck plans and booked a cabin in the aft section on the Aloha deck. That inside cabin (A729 or close to it) was only steps away from the aft door that led outside to the Terrace Pool. We saved something like four thousand dollars on that cruise taking the inside vrs our usual balcony cabin.

 

 

Below is a picture of the short hallway we had to walk to reach the doors that led outside to the Terrace Pool deck. The Horizon Court Buffet was straight up only one floor....so every morning we picked up our breakfast at the Horizon and walked it out to the Terrace Pool Deck and sat at the bar overlooking the Terrace Pool and the ship's lovely wake.

 

 

If I had interest in booking an inside cabin again....I would first check out the decks on that ship and hopefully find a cabin close to a door where within a few short steps we could be outside on a cool deck maybe close to being like the Terrace Pool.:)

[JWJs]

$1000 is a lot of money. I think I would rather spend it on excursions etc. than a balcony.

 

 

Hi Umbarger.:)

[dfields1814]

I could never have an interior cabin - it would drive me crazy. I would consider a non obstructed view cabin. But my wife wouldn't. She only will sail if she has a balcony .. so I really don't have much of a choice.....unless......no forget that ....bad idea.... But $4000 is a lot of money.

[Umbarger]

I could never have an interior cabin .

 

If it's between no cruise or an inside cabin......beleive me, you could do an inside.

[rugbypopsie]

I have done an obstructed ocean view a few times and they are good value particularly if you can get the ones between the tenders....but I agree the aft terrace pool is lovely and quiet, our favourite place on the Diamond.

 

However the 42 days Cherry Blossom on the seriously overcrowded Dawn Princess would have driven both DH and I crazy without a balcony..real shortage of quiet public space.

 

I wonder when we will get a cruise equivalent of "Seat Guru" it would be wonderful to have a run down on the pros and cons of individual cabins ship by ship. Come on you clever clogs out there get to it!

[goldensrule]

These replies are very helpful--thank you! Also, I thought of something else. How private are the balcony staterooms on Princess cruises?

 

Thanks again--Dave

 

the aft balconies are very private

[Chesie]

We have had oceanview, interior, balcony and our last 2 have been mini's. I have to say we will probably go with an obstructed view with our next one. The balcony was nice when we did the Panama Canal but the 2 mini's were space we didn't need. Only perk was the tub which gave us more room for showering. The only drawback for us on the interior was we didn't "see" what the weather was doing.

 

So, OV next cruise, save $$, can cruise more and get further for our Elite card!

[kuldalai]

Cost is an issue to all of us when cruising .

 

INSIDE CABINS - OK for cruises where you spend most days in ports and cruise overnights with minimal full days at sea . To be avoided where your cruise has a lot of "at sea days" in succession, unless you like doing solitary confinement.

 

OCEANVIEW - The best value here are the obstructed view cabins that come with a lifeboat or liferaft partially obstructing a full view, at lesser cost than normal full Oceanview cabins . A good choice for all types of cruises.

 

BALCONIES - Consider the weather when selecting a balcony cabin as the cost is much higher . E:G: New Zealand is very windy , and in Asia it is stifingly humid . Only select a balcony where the weather will be brilliant. Cruise lines love flogging balconies, but personally think they in reality are very small in size and much over rated .

 

So for the average cruiser OCEANVIEW cabin on a higher deck would be first choice, and then OCEANVIEW Obstructed if you want to save a few $ .

[Iamcruzin]

We have mostly sailed in obstructed ocean view cabins but have sailed in a balcony once and an interior once. I prefer the obstructed view because it allows natural light in the room in the morning, and I also receive an additional $25 per person on board credit because I book using the future cruise credits that I purchase on previous trips. The balcony was a nice treat but I found that we really didn’t use it much. We stayed in the balcony during sail away which was at 11:00pm. I missed sail away because I was so bored that I feel asleep. I may have considered it more if Princess served a hot breakfast in the room as opposed to continental. Last trip we booked an interior for the first time. It was less expensive to book 2 interior rooms than to have 4 of us (wife, 2 boys 14 and 17) stay in a balcony or mini suite. The only problem I had with the interior is I never knew if it was morning or night. The TV became my window. When we went to bed I would leave the TV tuned to the bridge cam channel so in the morning I would be looking out at the port via the TV.

 

 

Since this is your first cruise you probably won’t be able to sit still because there is so much to do and see. Even after sailing on the same ship 4 times I never have the urge to stay in my room for any length of time other than to sleep and shower. If you book an interior keep a watchful eye on the itinerary you booked. Sometimes the price will drop or Princess will offer a balcony upgrade sale. You can always change the booking and take advantage of the sale as long as it’s not past final payment or for new bookings only. This is how we were able to afford the balcony we had on one of our trips.

[pugsleycat]

My fiance and I prefer balcony cabins only because we like to sit outside in the morning after breakfast and have coffee, and lounge with a couple of cocktails late afternoon before dinner. We also sit out there after dinner / casino / theater, etc. so for us, a balcony is a huge part of the cruise experience. We like the feeling of being secluded in the middle of the ocean. This year, we are getting married on-board so we've booked a full suite. If it weren't for the occasion, we certainly would not spend that much money! I agree with the many other posters that it is preference... For us, we prefer the space and seclusion you can get on your own private balcony.

 

Hope you make the best decision for yourself and have a great cruise!

[Babs02]

We did interior cabin on Emerald, because it was a late booking and all that was left. I have to say never again.

 

I enjoy the freedom of being able to sit on the balcony, when its too busy on deck and you can't find a seat, or whilst dh is in shower and I'm waiting to get showered with wet bathing suit on. I have the freedom to have breakfast on my balcony or standing out there in my nightclothes to watch us dock early in port. I enjoy sitting on the balcony with a bottle of wine before going to dinner.

 

I can sleep with the doors open at night and of course you get daylight in your room.

 

Although an inside room is great if you don't spend much time in there I found it dark and needed lights on all the time and found it a little claustrophobic. The only thing to do if your waiting for someone else is to sit and watch tv, or just sit and wait. With a balcony you at least have something to watch even if its only the sea or a boat/ship in the distance.

 

Having said that have you looked at the cheaper range of balconies. If there are more than 2 of you going you could do what we do and put my dd's in the interior cabin, we have a balcony. They then use our balcony.

 

As previously stated it depends on how much privacy you require, if your happy to spend most of your days on deck, or if you would enjoy some quiet me time. Privacy is more available on the covered balconies than the open balconies. But we have never had any problem with privacy on the balconies we've had.

 

Babs

 

Crown Princess July 2007

Navigator of the Seas February 2008

Emerald Princess August 2008

Grand Princess May 2009

 

upcoming Pacific Princess July 2010

[dutchess43]

Our last inside was in 1997 & never again it was a 12 day. I am one that no balcony no cruise. I love the quietness, a good book & some wine to pass the time away it is so relaxing. It is also great if you are in an aft balcony where you do not get the wind & watching the wake there is nothing like it.

[dutchess43]

A huge part of the cruising experience is waking up and having breakfast on our balcony. We enjoy the quiet time, after the pool, etc. We wouldn't cruise without one. Our upcoming cruise will be in our first aft balcony C753. We also spend a great deal of time in the public areas, but love our balcony time.

 

Goldensrule we had had c753 on the Crown a 15 day & will have it again on the C/B in Aug great cabin.

[Dani24]

We've had a balcony twice. They're certainly nice, but we wouldn't consider them must-haves. For our money, we'd rather take more cruises but have an oceanview (we like a little natural light, so we're fine with an obstructed oceanview guarantee), than take fewer cruises but have a balcony each time. If the price difference between the balcony and the oceanview is small enough, we'll upgrade. One one of our cruises (for our honeymoon), we even got a free upgrade to a balcony. :)

 

Outside of price considerations, the other reason we don't consider a balcony a must is that it's really not all that private or quiet. It certainly can be. But you run a risk of being stuck near smokers (at one point, we had people on three different balconies right near us smoking, including one guy below us who was smoking a stinky cigar). DH and I don't smoke, and the second hand smoke really irritates our lungs and eyes, so it makes it highly uncomfortable for us (and you'd think with the ship moving it would blow away before it got to our balcony, but it didn't seem to help one bit).

 

Additionally, we've experienced some noise problems. On our last cruise, the two couples on either side of us were rather noisy. They'd come barging in and out of their balcony door, slamming it open and shut multiple times, moving stuff around, making a lot of noise, and talking loudly. We could hear it even if we were in our room with the balcony door shut. Then, later on in the cruise, we caught the people on either side of us actually leaning over the railings towards each other, so that they were kind of leaning into our balcony space, and talking at each other! I don't know if they knew each other or just decided to start chatting each other up with our balcony caught in the middle. But I found it really rude and obnoxious. I was glad we got that balcony from an upgrade, because with all the annoyances of our neighbors, I would have been really upset to have paid all that money and not have been able to fully enjoy the balcony.

 

Granted, not everybody has such experiences on every cruise. You may be just fine, with no smokers or noisy people nearby. But there is no guarantee and no way of knowing. There's nothing relaxing about spending an extra $1000+ on a balcony only to have to inhale cigarette smoke or listen to people being loud and obnoxious for days! I'd much rather use the savings I'd get with an oceanview to buy out a spot in the Sanctuary all week!

 

Besides, there is so much to do on these ships, and we've never had trouble finding a quite spot to relax on the ship (that isn't our room), that the balcony isn't really necessary. Even with the balcony, we don't spend very much time in our room.

[jagsfan]

Our first cruise was in inside with upper and lowers!!!Didn't know if we'd like it, and DH

didn't want to spend the money if we didn't. It was a 4 day in 1984, one of the first

sailings of a new cruiseline, but on an older refurbished ship. That cruise changed our

lives. We loved every minute of it, including the tiny cabin.

40 some odd cruises later, I prefer a balcony, DH is happy with oceanview, but if push

came to shove, we'd take an inside cabin over no cruise at all.

An inside cabin is like your own private cozy grotto. You can leave the light on in the

bathroom if you feel claustrophic. Maybe you'd want to ask for an oceanview guarantee.

You'd pay for the minimum category oceanview, and get your assignment close to

sailing date (or at check in). The chances are good of getting a good cabin, and you

wouldn't get worse than what you paid for. Ask your travel agent to help you decide.

[geoherb]

We prefer balcony cabins but don't always splurge for them. I just booked us an obstructed view cabin on the Sapphire Princess in August. A guarantee balcony cabin was $570 more per person. That's enough money to pay for our tips, wine, and excursions.

 

My general rule of thumb is $100 more per person per category. In other words, $100 more to move from an inside to an outside (even an obstructed view), then $100 more from an outside to a balcony, and finally $100 more to go with a mini suite.

 

As you can probably tell, we haven't had many balconies using those rules. But we've managed to have a great time on every cruise and have been able to go more often. I'd rather splurge on things such as excursions.

[chipmaster]

Here is a picture, what you planning on the balcony ;)

 

These replies are very helpful--thank you! Also, I thought of something else. How private are the balcony staterooms on Princess cruises?

 

Thanks again--Dave

[chipmaster]

Dave,

 

Its a matter of how one vacations, what one value for their $ and experience.

 

Things like food, tips, service, and treatment anywhere else on the ship it matters not whether you have the cheapest inside cabin or the most expensive luxury suite.

 

IMHO in the Caribean if spending this money takes away from quality shore excursion or something else, for the first cruise skip it. If you got money to burn and relaxing on your private balcony sipping a drink or whatever else is worth that money then spend it. I've done inside and it hasn't bothered me one bit that I could see the sun or outside, I just walked 2-5' to the nearest public deck. On other cruise I wanted the sun/view and paid. Often when I return I have to admit the balcony made little difference and it was the excursion and dinners and other things that mattered.

 

Enjoy your first cruise!

 

Hi--I know this is probably more a matter of personal preference, but I'm wondering if it's worth paying $1000 extra for a balcony stateroom. This is our first cruise--we'll be sailing on the Emerald Princess in August in the Caribbean.

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

[sabookkeeper]

Hi--I know this is probably more a matter of personal preference, but I'm wondering if it's worth paying $1000 extra for a balcony stateroom. This is our first cruise--we'll be sailing on the Emerald Princess in August in the Caribbean.

 

Thanks!

 

Dave

For our last 3 cruises we have booked an inside room. As we are only in our room to change or sleep, it didn't seem to be worth it to spend the extra on the balcony. If this is your first cruise you are going to want to do some shore excursions, so this will keep the cost down (at least it did for us). We do like to be able to sit and read in peace and quiet, so we book Sanctuary for the week. This is still cheaper than booking a balcony. For us, this scenario works great.

 

Darlene

[monakayk]

Have had 2 Insides, 2 Obstructive OV (one cabin we could see the ocean in-between the tenders-the other cabin was totally obstructed), 1 Balcony & 1 balcony coming up on the Emerald, and the 3rd Inside coming up on Carnival Splendor. I have also had a Porthole cabin (considered the same price as an Inside with Carnival).

 

As far as I am concern....I will do an Inside if I want that particular cruise itinerary and the cruise rates are soooooo much cheaper for the Inside. I prefer an Obstructive OV for the low price because I love the extra sq.footage you get compared to an Inside, but would not pay very much extra for it. And if I book an Obstructive OV ...I would choose the cabin and make sure that I could see the ocean from the window.

 

In fact...if you keep your eyes open at all times checking price drops....you can get OV for the same price as an Inside these days. Also...with the economy going downhill...you can even get Balconies for the price of an OV.

 

So with us...we will book whatever cabin that is the best deal for the itinerary that we want. So far we have been very please with all the cabin choices we have had. We don't spend that much time in our cabin because we love to do so much on the ship. However, last year with our balcony we made it a point to spend more time in our cabin to enjoy the balcony. This year for our upcoming Emerald cruise we will do the same since we will have a balcony.We got the balcony at the same price as an Inside with an online TA discount cruise company...for the 10 day cruise on the Emerald.

 

On the upcoming Carnival Splendor cruise...I will be cruising with my DD...so I got an inside for a fantastic LOW price ($339.00 per person) for a 7 day cruise.

 

You just have to decide what you want to spend the money on and what it is worth to you when you decide on what type of cabin you book.

[KroozeKid]

First 4 cruises have all been inside, 3 with using the upper berths for a total of 4 in the room. Believe it or not it was fine, and will have our first balcony this July on the Carribean Princess. Looking forward to it with just the 2 of us this trip. Either way, just get out there and enjoy it. There's more room on the ship than you can use.

[tartanexile81]

i could never, ever book an inside cabin and would rather not cruise that have one. When you wake up every morning at home, you might not have a balcony but you do have natural light flooding in. If you have an inside cabin, you have no light and I would feel far too claustrophobic.

 

We sometimes book an ocean view and sometimes a balcony. It depends on the itinerary but if it's going to be warm and there are really interesting things to see, it is lovely to relax on your balcony. It's a real haven of calm and gives you the chance to enjoy the actual port and surrounding area. We're like everybody else and enjoy people-watching but we also like being in our own cabin. But as you said, it's your choice! Me?? I can't wait to be sipping my glass of champagne on my balcony as we leave Venice on Ruby in July!!! :)

[PescadoAmarillo]

i could never, ever book an inside cabin and would rather not cruise that have one. When you wake up every morning at home, you might not have a balcony but you do have natural light flooding in. If you have an inside cabin, you have no light and I would feel far too claustrophobic.

Funny you put it that way. I'm quite claustrophic, but I love inside cabins. When I read your post, I realized we have totally light blocking Duettes on the MBR windows at home. I guess I like a dark, cool room to sleep in. And I feel far more claustrophic walking down the ship corridors where I don't see outside light (i.e. without a door at the end of the corridor), such as in JWJs's photo (below).

 

If I had interest in booking an inside cabin again....I would first check out the decks on that ship and hopefully find a cabin close to a door where within a few short steps we could be outside on a cool deck maybe close to being like the Terrace Pool.:)

That's our favorite location on the ship. On those rare cruises (typically Exotic cruises) where we get a balcony cabin, we get one right across the hallway and still spend most of our time on the Terrace Deck.

 

I also don't like to have to be concerned about potential smokers upwind. We are more likely to book balcony cabins on Celebrity than on Princess or RC for that reason.

[lizmit]

It really depends on how much time you think you'll spend in your room. My husband and I love balconies. We did an inside cabin once and found ourselves sleeping ALL THE TIME! It's pitch black once the lights are out.

If you can afford it, go for it --- if nothing else than for the view.

Happy sails!

~ Liz