Anyone gone from Balcony to Inside room?

[s&f4travel]

We have always booked balcony cabins and are now thinking about trying an inside cabin to save the $$. I'd like to hear comments from anyone who has done the same.

[Essiesmom]

I have cruised 30 times and have a balcony five of those cruises. On two of those, I got real bargains. Carnival Dream the cove balcony was cheaper than inside (spa cabin only ones left). On Summit, prices fell so I upgraded to a balcony from an inside for peanuts. I have a balcony booked on Celebrity Solstice because it was a fabulous military rate. Six times I have had OV cabins. EM

[MSMcDuffy]

I don't have a lot of cruises under my belt but I've had cabins in the following order: inside / balcony / oceanview / balcony

 

I must admit it would be hard to go back to an inside but I would do it if the price was significantly less AND if the sailing itinerary was not very scenic. So for Alaska I'd always want at least an oceanview. I would do another Mediterranean with an inside if it was the only way I was able to afford it.

[metairiegal]

For our upcoming Thanksgiving Oasis cruise, we switched from an Ocean View (not a balcony) to an inside cabin. We saved $560.00. That is a lot of money - to spend on other cruise activities! :)

[summersfunnc]

I have only once stayed in an inside cabin and that was directly after a balcony cruise. Being as my DH and I are usually only in our cabin for sleeping and changing the inside worked very well except for never having a clue what time it was. I would highly recommend that you take a ***** lighted***** battery operated clock so when you awake in the night you will have a clue as to what time it is. I personally would take two of them, one for the main area and one for the bathroom. A couple times we came home from shore excusions and took a nap only to wake very disoriented without a bit of natural light.

[Bowie MeMe]

Many times we have gone balcony, inside, oceanview, never a suite (yet). Each trip we decide what is important in a room and what is the cost difference. We then make a decision. Once decision is made don't worry about it -- if you think you will be happy on the cruise, you have a much better chance of having that be true. On the other hand if you constantly are saying I miss the balcony, this is not as good, others have much better cabins etc. then you will be miserable. By sort of formally choosing each trip what cabin we want and having reasons; then we tend to think of it as a choice not a budget have to that makes us unhappy. It is truly mind over matter: if you don't mind (or the money saved adds enough happiness to counter) then it doesn't matter. :D

[Teeara]

I will NEVER do another inside as long as I live. I don't care if I'm saving a few hundred bucks. I REALLY missed that balcony on our last cruise (to Alaska) and even though it was freezing outside I wish I had spent the extra money for it. Hated not being able to go outside to check on the weather. Hated not having the view. It felt small and claustrophobic. Nope, never again will I do an inside cabin. Balcony is worth every single penny in my book.

[minep]

I think it depends on the cruise itinerary and what you're looking for in a room (like Bowie MeMe said).

 

I've been on 3 cruises before - I had an inside stateroom on my first and last cruise and a balcony on my 2nd cruise, which was to Alaska.

 

A buddy of mine told me I should splurge on the Alaska cruise because there's so much to see while the ship is cruising. The vacation cost a fortune for the 2 of us ($1500 pp), but it was well worth it. If I ever go back to Alaska, I would definitely book a balcony stateroom again.

 

For my other cruises, I didn't feel there was much to see so I was ok with an inside room. If you want to see the landscape while the ship is on motion, you can always go the upper decks.

 

If you're not claustrophobic and you don't feel the need to be able to step out in the fresh air in your pj's, you'll be fine with an inside stateroom.

[KirkNC]

We did it years ago. It allows us to take more cruises and we found we really did not get our monies worth. We are making an exception on out TA next spring as there are so many sea days. On many itineraries you are in ports most days so not much time for the balcony.

 

Kirk

[figuremom]

I usually choose inside cabins. I find if you are a very active person, like me, a balcony can get boring. I am the type of person who can only sit and lay out for so long before needing to do something else. The one time I booked a balcony cabin, I found myself forcing myself to go out and use it once in awhile to feel like I was getting what I paid for. This was a southern caribbean cruise, which to me a balcony is a waste, as you are in port and the sun every day. A cruise for me is about the experience of being at the pool deck, not confined to your cabin. I enjoy the poolside music, activities, bar attendants getting drinks, it continues the feel of a caribbean vacation, while the balcony doesn't feel as tropical to me. I prefer having the full panoramic views of the open decks anyway. Happy booking.

[Trainer]

I generally choose a balcony although I've done OV also. One reason no one seems to mention in choosing a balcony is the "extra" space. Having the balcony makes it seem like a second room. If one of us is napping or doing personal stuff, like dressing, the other one can be on the balcony reading, having a drink or just ocean or port gazing. I've had one suite where we used the big balcony a lot! I sometimes think people who say they choose inside because they "never use the room except to sleep' would use the room more if it were not inside.

[sukismum]

Went inside last November on Adventure of the Seas, only for 5 nights in the Med, very good value trip but would not have an inside cabin again. We had no idea of the time and really missed the daylight in the morning. We felt as if we were in a tomb.

 

Next trip Brilliance in May, balcony, plenty of light and fresh air.

[aztrvlr]

We've cruised the last two summers with two eighteen yr olds each time. Knowing they wouldn't spend much time in the room, we took adjoining inside rooms overlooking the Promenade. We were able to use our bay window to enjoy the parades, entertainment, etc down the Promenade without fighting the crowd below. Didn't feel claustrophobic at all and any noise was minimal. Would do it again if the situation warrants. Don't get me wrong, we're big fans of the balconies, but sometimes the change will

work just as well. Besides...when you're cruising it's always good.

[98Charlie]

In 30+ cruises we've only booked balcony cabins a handful of times and that was totally due to the itinerary. Booked balconies on our two Alaskan cruises and on about 3 Carnival since those 3 cruises had 4 sea days.

 

On most itineraries we are not in our cabin that much and don't see the need to have a balcony or even an OV. We've been bumped up to an OV 2x but never paid extra for the OV.

 

On most cruises where there are only 2 or 3 sea days we know we aren't going to get enough balcony time to warrant the extra expense.

 

Dianne

[dimeboxdtm]

We have always booked balcony cabins and are now thinking about trying an inside cabin to save the $$. I'd like to hear comments from anyone who has done the same.

 

We have done both many times and like them both. If we are on a cruise to places we have been before and it is relatively short, 7 days or so, we book an inside cabin. It is a bit smaller but not all that much. If you have the cabin steward separate the beds the room is much more workable for getting in and out of bed and storing luggage under. We tend to sleep better in inside cabins since they are so much darker and quieter than a balcony. We have saved a lot of money by finding deals on inside cabins and will continue to book both.

 

On longer cruises of 2 weeks or more we prefer the balcony because we can air out the room occasionally.

[spunkie4]

29 cruises. Had an inside room after having balcony. Very unhappy. Both of us had a very bad time with allergies.

 

We enjoy breakfast on the balcony, reading, naps, and the fresh air. So, we cruise a little less that we would with an inside, but the enjoyment of the balcony makes it worth the cost and wait.

[Cruise Raider]

We have always booked balcony cabins and are now thinking about trying an inside cabin to save the $$. I'd like to hear comments from anyone who has done the same.

 

We always sailed in inside cabins before 9/11 when they offered us a free upgrade to a balcony if we were willing to keep our sailing. Well, thought we could never go back to the cave again. ha!

However, sometimes a balcony is just so much more and we have sailed on an inside and oceanview since then, also in a suite since then and our next sailing (after our splurge on the suite) is in an inside cabin. Doesn't bother me one little bit....my husband, yes definitely prefers the balcony.

I actually find an inside a little easier to handle than an oceanview. I keep wanting to open the window.

But, I would rather have an inside than a balcony with a bad location on a ship any day. Bad location, you ask?? Right under the pool deck towards the front of the ship in choppy waters....noisy and extremely rocky....

yes, give me a good inside cabin midship, sandwiched between other cabins any day. Heck, I am on a cruise...I can hit the stairs and be outside in a flash.

[leecim]

We have done about 20 cruises mostly in the Caribbean. Our policy is Caribbean inside unless the others are the same price or only slightly more. The more exotic cruises such as the Med or Far East balcony only because who knows when we'll go there again. Enjoy your cruise.

[kikismom88]

We've done both inside and balcony, didn't spend enough time on the balcony for the price difference. It was nice to have in Alaska though. But the greatest room we ever had was on our cruise to the Carribean, on the Liberty, we were in a room that the whole wall was window.

[Bluewake]

Been on 10 cruises and have had a balcony cabin 4 times. Also have had oceanview and interior cabins multiple times. I agree that paying a lot extra for a balcony isn't worth it, at least for us. If I can get one for only $200-300 more than an interior, then sure. Otherwise, we just don't use the balcony enough to justify the cost and would rather use the money for excursions or specialty restaurants. Also depends on the time of year and itinerary. We sailed out of NYC this past January and didn't even consider a balcony...simply not worth it given that it wouldn't have been useable the first and last couple of days. Our inside cabin was perfectly fine. But, I do have to say that we once had an inside cabin on NCL with our teenage son and it did get kind of crowded. Might not do that again...those NCL interiors seemed kind of small. Don't know if they are any smaller than the other lines or not.

[BillNY]

We have switched from balcony to inside for shorter (1-5 day) trips. I don't mind them, but my wife really dislikes not having natural light in the room. For our next trip, we have booked an oceanview because the difference in cost between that and a balcony was significant. We return to a balcony for our trip following that.

I have to admit...nothing beats being able to sit on your balcony and relax with some room service coffee in the morning. Well, except maybe saving hundreds of dollars in cabin costs :).

[monicajay]

We have gone from outside to inside, to 2 balconies and back to inside. I love the balcony but I find a actually sleep better with the complete darkness of an inside. I will still look at balconies but it will always be a question of how much extra. More than $500 total makes it just too much in my head.

 

What I have done since switching back to inside is make sure I choose a location where it is very easy and quick to get outside. On our last cruise, MSC Poesia we had an inside at the aft of deck 12. Not 10 inches from our cabin door was a door that led out to an aft common balcony that had lounge chairs on it, there were stairs that led to tables and chairs aft on 13 which was part of the Buffet. It was $650 (total for 2) less than the cheapest balcony. I never felt confined and we found it a super handy location.

 

Not sure I could go back to an inside in the belly of the ship.