Is a balcony worth the extra money?

[CruiseGal97]

Thanks for all the replies still unsure just to let u know the price difference is between inside and balcony so we could go in between we do not smoke and the smell bothers me so if u can smell it on the balcony I probably would't go out there much.

Truthfully it didnt bother me at all! you will be fine:)

[MissDiva1]

Wow big price difference between inside and balcony. Honestly I have no idea how much insides are. No reason for me to check because we never would sail without a balcony anyway........

[dustyroad]

if you can afford it heck yes. but i get insides for the better price. the open decks on the ship are free and easy too use without the balcony.

[kew1031]

this fall. We did Riviera deck OV on the Ecstasy and then on the Triumph. They were both perfectly fine, although I did like the Triumph better (bigger ship, bigger room)

This year, we are flying to Florida(also a first) and sailing on the Freedom. We splurged a little because the price of the cruise was cheaper than Galveston sailings, and got our first balcony on the Empress deck. I am very much looking forward to it, just to occasionally get away from the noise. Plus, the man is a smoker:p. I hope our neighbors don't complain. If they do, he'll get sent to the Lido deck to smoke out there.

[Aelsantokie]

We feel the exact same way. We go one step further-we have to be on the Lido Deck. (Except for Spirit class, since there are no cabins on the Lido Deck.)

 

What could be better than sitting on the balcony first thing in the morning, when, "knock, knock": here comes our complimentary room service breakfast. We eat on the balcony watching the sea go by or watching the port come in.

 

I have read many different opinions. We use our balcony a lot, so it is worth it to us. We also enjoy our bright, sunny cabin. Others have written that they are hardly ever in their cabins, so an inside is good enough. I wonder if they had a balcony, would they spend more time in their cabins? Curious minds want to know.

 

 

Just an input from one cruiser here, I started off with oceanview for my

first cruise and did balcony and as we cruised more and more we did an interior and I have to say, I don't see the need for a balcony

 

I hardly spend any time out there, few minutes to watch the ship pull into ports and out. Few mins after dinner I will go out there to get some fresh air, but I've only done Caribbean cruising and its way too damp and muggy for me. And at night when the mugginess isn't an issue, its so dark I can't see anything and the dark ocean water frightens me a little bit. :o

 

Since I'm cruising with 5 kids, DH and I do spend considerable amount of time in our cabins so it's not like we are "only spend time in the cabin for shower and sleep" kind of people either.

[NJsharon]

Have done balconies & inside in the past & for $700 more, no, I would probably do the inside. As someone else said, if it was $250 or less I would maybe do it. But $700 is a big chunk of change that you can use for other things!

 

I do love balconies though, just wouldn't pay that much more for one.

[JP4GA]

DH and I spent so much time on our balcony. We love to sit and talk without the distraction of other people on the decks. I guess it depends on how much privacy you want on your trip. We spent almost all day at sea reading on our balcony. It was also great while in port.

[bethtex]

rather than a balcony, we used the $$ towards a separate room for the kids, a cabana at HMC, and a snorkel trip in Nassau. There is plenty of open space on the decks for me to enjoy the sea, and hopefully I can find some quiet areas if I want them. But we are pretty social and want to be part of all the activities, see the shows, join in the games, etc. So for us a balcony wouldn't be worth the extra money vs more activities.

But if you are more quiet/private type of people and have the money, maybe it would be worth it. But not for us.

[ShrajoGator]

The husband and I really love our balcony room. To us it is worth it because on days there are rough seas its nice to know that you can go out there for fresh air and still be very close to a bathroom if need be. Also, we love to people watch when we are in port. There are some pretty funny drunks trying to make it back to the ship in time!! Just sayin...:rolleyes:

[Blind Squirrel]

I would not pay $700 extra for a balcony. If you are paying that much you must not be flexible on your dates. When I am researching for a cruise l look for cruises that are around $700 each for a balcony ( 7 day ) cruise. Our first cruise we booked a gty balcony for $582 per person ( 7 day ). The next time we booked an inside room ( 4K with french doors ) for $479 per person. I really missed the balcony and will alway book a balcony in the future. However I am pretty flexible in my vacation time. I usually set my limit at $100 per person per day for a balcony. That is usually pretty easy to find.

[okwriter]

To me....YES! To you...???

 

Some say "no" because all they do in their cabin is sleep. If I didn't have a balcony, that's all I'd use my cabin for, too! :)

 

But I like ordering room service coffee and drinking it on the balcony at sunrise. I like watching the sun go down there, too. And during the day, it's a nice quiet place to chill out. Late at night, it's a great place to be!

 

I've been on 3 cruises so far and had a balcony every time!

 

EDITED TO ADD: I don't think I've ever paid THAT much for a balcony upgrade, though!

[stargate fan]

How could you eat on the balcony when you only have a tiny small and low table just to put few drinks on? Do they supply you with a snack table?

 

We put the food tray on the table and we hold our plates on our laps. Works perfectly.

[K&P Luv2Cruise]

We are thinking of cruising from Norfolk to the Bahamas on the Glory, never been on a cruise before is the balcony worth 700.00 more?

 

Thanks

 

Definiately not worth it for that amount. While we love our balconies on longer cruises, we have found that for shorter ones, by choosing an inside (usually higher up - love the lido deck), we can sail more often, or use the money on other things (excursions, purchases, etc).

 

By compromising, we have the best of both worlds ! :)

[Katiebug430]

Not for that much money more, no.

 

Our first cruise was to Canada and we (rightly) felt that a balcony would be a waste since it wouldn't be particularly warm, and we liked our ocean view. Our second cruise was Western Caribbean so we got a balcony, and we enjoyed it. We didn't spend as much time on the balcony as we had expected but I think part of that was because the weather was just wacky (cloudy and rainy most of the cruise).

 

This upcoming cruise we'll have our baby with us (so we're paying for a third person) and we're doing a Canadian itinerary again so we went with the ocean view. On our next cruise we will likely go for a balcony since our daughter will be older and it would be nice to get her down to bed and then relax on the balcony with a book and a drink - it will also be warm!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It depends on the cruise

[Handsome58]

Like a balcony it extends your room you can air out your cabin it makes and gives yoi a piece of the ship alone from the crowds while on vacation nothing like a breeze while on your balcony day or night then at night the sound of the ocean passing by all part of cruising to me

[HamburgAvonLady]

We cruise about every other year -- so if we can't afford a balcony -- we just don't go. Our last two cruises were the Panama Canal (full transit) and a 30-day from FLA to South America and Cape Horn. The views were fantastic --- and we like a little extra privacy especially in the mornings. Only you can decide how to spend your $$$ --- alot depends on the itinerary and number of sea days, IMO. I would never go lower than an oceanview -- I have seen inside cabins --- I need a window and some daylight. Hope you have a great time !

[acruisingcouple]

I love balcony cabins! Nothing like the relaxation of sitting on your balcony with a coffee as the ship is coming into port!

[vacruisin]

Just a suggestion: for first cruise, why not save the extra $700 and just go for an oceanview cabin to see if you like cruising. On your next one, go for the balcony depending upon how much usage you think you'll get out of it. We use our balcony a lot and always pay the extra, others feel it isn't worth the extra cost. Regardless, enjoy your cruise-know you will. :)

 

Great suggestion. That's exactly what we did. We got an OV on our first cruise and we've had a balcony every since. However, once you go balcony, you'll probably not want to go back! :D

[vacruisin]

We feel the exact same way. We go one step further-we have to be on the Lido Deck. (Except for Spirit class, since there are no cabins on the Lido Deck.)

 

What could be better than sitting on the balcony first thing in the morning, when, "knock, knock": here comes our complimentary room service breakfast. We eat on the balcony watching the sea go by or watching the port come in.

 

I have read many different opinions. We use our balcony a lot, so it is worth it to us. We also enjoy our bright, sunny cabin. Others have written that they are hardly ever in their cabins, so an inside is good enough. I wonder if they had a balcony, would they spend more time in their cabins? Curious minds want to know.

 

We are same. We have to have a balcony on the Lido (well, DW has to have the Lido so that means that WE have to have the Lido)! ;)

[Catrin]

We had a balcony our second cruise... and I would never thought I would go back....

 

BUT>>> a few years later, we booked Ocean View connecting rooms for 6 of us, and I was suprised how much I enjoyed the Ocean View room and really did not miss the balcony.

 

$700 is a lot of money between an Interior and a Balcony... but I would not discredit and Ocean View Cabin... that might just be the happy medium!

 

Catrin

[swscruiser]

For us never more than $300.

 

Keith

[scchasgal]

Great suggestion. That's exactly what we did. We got an OV on our first cruise and we've had a balcony every since. However, once you go balcony, you'll probably not want to go back! :D

 

Amen on that although our last cruise we didn't have much choice unless we wanted to pay crazy suite prices at Christmas.

[Sailor_Sally]

I like balcony's but for $700 I would go in an OV and spend the money elsewhere unless it was Alaska and then a balcony is a must .

[Christina M.]

To DH and I yes. We love to sit there and watch the ship come in or just to watch the ocean. We sit out there at night in our pj's before we go to bed at night. What a way to end the night.