Ahhh persuade me to do the balcony!

[MissLianne]

[SIZE=4]Thank You to everyone who took the time to post their thoughts and opinions![/SIZE]
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[SIZE=4][B]so we went for the balcony...[/B] and truly I could not be more excited! It's my fiance's first cruise and I really want him to have a wonderful experience! No doubt he will! The cruise is port intensive with 1 sea day and is a full 8 night cruise... we will be working very long hours up until our cruise (the nature of the industry we work is just busier during the winter months) so so splurging is much needed and deserved! I'm reallyyy looking forward to this! We're headed to Jamaica to a 5 star all inclusive this Thursday for a quickie 4 nt getaway (again we work in the same industry and this is our "busy" time and we cant get away for a week!) So by the time May rolls around we will need this break![/SIZE]
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[SIZE=4][B]For everyone who mentioned doing the inside cabin....[/B] Although I was a little nervous doing the inside cabin (at first) I was pretty open to the idea of trying something completely new. It seemed wonderful reading reviews how its great for sleeping (stressful job=lack of sleep=perfect for us) ...Im still open to doing an interior on a future cruise (and so if DF). Having paid for OCV in the past I believe going forward its going to be either Interiors or Balconies for us![/SIZE]

[jenna6164]

I'm with those who wait until they swing the extra money for the balcony before cruising. It means I cannot go as often as I'd like, but in my opinion, the balcony has too many advantages to pass up. In addition to those already mentioned, I love the warm fresh ocean air blowing into my room. I love hearing the water splashing below me at night when I'm lying in bed. The feeling of waking up and stepping out onto that balcony to greet the new day before even getting dressed is priceless to me. Even the sounds of the ocean add to the overall experience, as opposed to just being able to see it from your room. I couldn't imagine being on a cruise without all those things. It just wouldn't feel like a total cruise experience for me. Again, just my opinion!:D

[I'm on holiday]

[quote name='MissLianne']
[SIZE=4][B]so we went for the balcony...[/B] [/SIZE]
[/quote]

YAY, you won't regret your decision! Enjoy! :)

[goinmobile68]

One picture-how many words?

[MissLianne]

[quote name='goinmobile68']One picture-how many words?[/quote]

^^^^^^^^
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IM PICTURING...... with df beside me ofcourse!

[Evangaline]

[quote name='griffy116']We did a balcony cabin on a cruise in Hawaii with RCCL. The balcony was well worth the money. Some of us went on a whale watch and got incredible photos. We got back to the ship and my Dad had sat on the balcony and had practically the same photos...for free. The islands are all beautiful and I would ALWAYS book a balcony for Hawaii. We spent more time on the balcony than we thought we would. Every single island! We couldn't stop looking outside morning and night. We could have gone up on deck, but it just wouldn't have been the same. Enjoy:D[/quote]

Yeah!! Really happy to hear I did the right thing by booking the balcony. Whale watching from the balcony eh? --while the rest went through all the fuss of an excursion. Too funny.

[canucks4]

We've done over a dozen cruises, but we just returned from a 3-week land vacation in Hawaii, Maui to be specific.

It might be sacreligious to say, but don't cruise Hawaii - land vacation is a must. There is just so many things to see and do, a port here and there doesn't do it justice. What a lovely place.

But if you must - balcony.

[Pa Cruiser43]

For our first cruise, we decided to splurge on a balcony since we were celebrating an anniversary. Now we won't go unless we have that balcony. Morning coffee, a drink while relaxing before going to dinner, watching the ship pull into port, enjoying the sights when the ship leaves port with a glass of wine in hand, the ocean breezes morning, noon, and night, listening to the waves hitting the ship while lying in bed, and so much, much more. DH would go crazy without the outdoor space. Just reading all the replys brings it all back to me. Although we enjoy meeting and talking to new people, we enjoy spending time together - just the two of us. We have booked a balcony for our cruise next month and I can't wait! It will be our first cruise on RCL so I hope it doesn't disappoint us.

[Lifelong Sailor]

From the time verandahs became generally available we've done nothing else and never resented $1 of it. Would truly stay home, rather than be in a closed stateroom. Yes, for all the reasons above, plus, we generally crack the door at night to fall asleep to sea sounds....sometimes after having had our dinner delivered to eat on our verandah at sunset. Only exception might be for those who run from one shipboard activity to another, spending no real time in their room. Even those might find a lovely sanctuary of their own appealing for their minimal downtime...

[Bigtex1622]

Nothing like sitting on the balcony,
watching the fools run back to the ship.
Even more fun are the faces as they learn,
no, we will not back the boat up, just for you!!!



[CENTER]:rolleyes:[/CENTER]

[goinmobile68]

[quote name='MissLianne']^^^^^^^^
THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IM PICTURING...... with df beside me ofcourse![/quote]

Still in the dark about the "d.." abbreviations, but my husband was absent from the shot because he was behind the camera-my journal & I were on the balcony after my afternoon hot tub time & I didn't even know he'd taken it until I downloaded the photos! He really captured a moment-he's GOOD!

[stjohnbeachlover]

My husband, 20 year old daughter, and I will be cruising in May out of Venice. I booked a balcony (as a surprise). My daughter and husband think we are getting an inside. I hope I can keep quiet until May. I just figured this was our first time together in Europe and a balcony would give us a little bit more room. I think I paid about $100 more per night for the 3 of us to have a balcony over an inside cabin. I have cruised 8 other times and the most I've ever had was a small port hole, so I am really looking forward to the upgrade.

[ITCruiser1957]

I've cruised four times and had a balcony every time. I'd never do anything else! First, it's great to open the curtains and get floor-to-ceiling light coming in your cabin. Second, it expands the size of your cabin. It's great to be able to sit on the balcony and relax if the quarters are too close inside. Third, the view can't be beat! I remember two cruises ago sitting on my balcony until the early morning watching thunder storms over the eastern coast of Cuba. It was mesmerizing! I also spent a long, leisurely evening watching a flock of white birds that were flying along with the ship in the middle of the Caribbean. They'd fly past the ship, then land on the water. When the ship would pass them, they'd take flight again, then alight on the water until the ship passed. You can't really see stuff like that sitting on deck.

[ryansmom]

[quote name='goinmobile68']Still in the dark about the "d.." abbreviations, but my husband was absent from the shot because he was behind the camera-my journal & I were on the balcony after my afternoon hot tub time & I didn't even know he'd taken it until I downloaded the photos! He really captured a moment-he's GOOD![/QUOTE]

[SIZE="3"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]on another popular message board (regarding Disney), the 'd' stands for:

DH=Dear/Darling/Disney Husband
DW=Dear/Darling/Disney Wife
DD=daughter
DS=son
DF=friend or fiancee

...you get the idea. Some habits are hard to break ;)

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