Alaska 2012 - NCL Pearl question

[peach 79]

The Alaska cruise - July 29th 2012 sailing from Seattle...

 

I don't know what cabin to choose! The balcony is quite pricey but I don't know if it would be worth the price for photo opportunities. Also, since it will be fairly cold, I don't know if we will use it much either. :confused:

 

What cabin would you recommend - the balcony or the ocean view?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Sauer-kraut]

It probably won't be that cold in July and if the sun is shining on the balcony you might downright toasty.

[d4nigirl]

My parents were on the Pearl in August and had a balcony. They said the balcony gave you some extra room and privacy. The balcony was the best bet for them. They say that the weather was perfect except for the occasional strong wind. My father says he won't cruise on anything less now! My parents got some killer photos and videos from their balcony.

 

I cruised a week later than them to Alaska and had a window (large) only. I tossed around the idea of upgrading but happy I didn't. We weren't really in our room all that much, but when we were we still had great views. It rained our whole trip so the balcony would've been a waste in some aspects. We were able to view glaciers from our window and keep warm.

 

Don't forget ponchos and a wool cap!

[auntierobin]

Balcony, no doubt about it! To be able to walk out on the balcony in the morning to feel the crisp morning air and breath in the wonderful fresh air of Alaska, and enjoy the pure peace and quiet while rest of the world is just stirring. To see the sunrise over the mountaintops and watch it sparkle on the water (also the sunset with wine), sitting there with a hot cup of coffee or tea. To see eagles flying overhead or dolphins or whales playing in the water, none of which you would see in an inside or oceanview, unless you spend all of your time up on decks waiting.

To be able to see your port appearing in the distance and watch as it gets closer building your anticipation for the the day. To be able to sit on your balcony and people watch at the end of the day before you leave port.

 

When we pulled into Ketchikan we never would have seen the gazillion floatplanes lined up getting ready for the cruise ships a mile from the port or a boat taking a whole train across the passage to the tracks on the other side.

 

So if you have a chance for a balcony - go for it, especially in Alaska!

[auntierobin]

Oh, and for photo ops it can't be beat, and I have the 5000 pictures from 2 Alaska cruises to prove it.

[fshagan]

The Alaska cruise - July 29th 2012 sailing from Seattle...

 

I don't know what cabin to choose! The balcony is quite pricey but I don't know if it would be worth the price for photo opportunities. Also, since it will be fairly cold, I don't know if we will use it much either. :confused:

 

What cabin would you recommend - the balcony or the ocean view?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Alaska is the one itinerary where I would encourage everyone to get a balcony, especially a covered balcony (some of the Princess ships have uncovered balconies, which defeats the purpose!)

 

Alaska weather can be cold, wet and rainy at any time. We went on the first sailing one year, and it was fine, while friends went in the middle of July, and had rain in several ports. They got great pictures of Alaska in mist and rain from their covered balcony.

 

The scenery is spectacular. Cruising the inside passage is wonderful; you are never more than a few miles from land, and often much, much closer. Looking from your balcony, you can see whales, otters, killer whales, sea birds, etc. Bring binoculars for viewing sea lions, etc. on the shores. Seeing glaciers up close is awe inspiring.

 

The balcony allows you to retreat to the warmth of your cabin by taking three steps. And quickly back out again. Its the one itinerary where I can say we met our neighbors hanging over the balcony rails. If you have to go up to the deck for your views, you tend to stay out in the cold longer, because getting to a warm place is a bit harder, and people are camped out in front of the windows. And the windows often steam up more than a car on prom night.

 

A window stateroom is better than an inside, but often the weather means that the window is heavily water spotted and dirty. You can certainly see out of them, but you won't be able to take pictures very well.

 

If at all possible, get a balcony!

[terracool]

Balcony. Without a doubt. Alaska cruises are shoreline huggers - you go for the scenery. And the scenery is much better appreciated when one whole wall of your cabin is a window and you can walk right outside too. I will not forget waking up and seeing mountains as the very first thing when I opened my eyes.

 

Also, sailing Glacier Bay or one of the other glacier areas is a big part of an Alaskan cruise. People get to the top decks somewhat early to get a good spot on the rail - sort of like a parade. We sat on our balcony with the cabin door a foot away, restroom right at hand, nice cocktails on a sunny chilly day and watched the glaciers in Glacier Bay. It was magical. We didn't have to stand or worry about our spot on the rail.

 

I can't imagine that standing and looking out a window would be the same experience as just sitting on your balcony now and then watching whatever scenery happens to be going by - and there's always something. If you are debating between ocean view and balcony based on the opportunity to see sights and take pictures, then the balcony would be much better. If you just want a little more light in the room and to not be closed in, it may not be as importance a difference. But for scenery, I think that if you got a balcony you would spend more time in your room - because of the balcony!

 

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[peach 79]

Wow this is very helpful! Thanks everyone for your help!!!! :)

[tyescruiser]

We did Alaska in an ocean view cabin. We spent much of our time up on the jogging track or in the Viking Crown Lounge so that we had a 360 degree view. We would have missed a lot if we were only viewing from our balcony. The best example is when the whales were visible, they were on the port side and our cabin was on the starboard. We would have missed them if we had been on a balcony on the wrong side of the ship.

[deb63]

We were on the Pearl this past summer - 7/31st. Our stateroom was an aft facing one. We found the location of our balcony to be perfect. We didn't have much of a breeze, since we were facing the back of the ship. We were able to see the views on both sides of the ship. We were even able to watch a pod of whales go by from back there.

 

We are going to Alaska again in 2012 - we booked the Jewel in order to have different port times, however we booked our stateroom in the exact same location.

 

A previous poster mentioned Glacier Bay. You can pre order adult coffees to be delivered to your stateroom on this day. We did that. And we had incredible views from our balcony, while sipping our coffee. No crowds, was wonderful.

 

If it is not being too forward, I'm attaching a few pics to share what our aft view was like. . .

 

 

 

 

[wibeachbum]

We also had an aft facing balcony for Alaska. We were very protected from the wind and it was actually hot back there at times. You cant beat the views. If cost is a real issue though, there are plenty of places on deck to watch the scenery, including the Great Outdoors Cafe where you also get the aft view.

[peach 79]

We were on the Pearl this past summer - 7/31st. Our stateroom was an aft facing one. We found the location of our balcony to be perfect. We didn't have much of a breeze, since we were facing the back of the ship. We were able to see the views on both sides of the ship. We were even able to watch a pod of whales go by from back there.

 

We are going to Alaska again in 2012 - we booked the Jewel in order to have different port times, however we booked our stateroom in the exact same location.

 

A previous poster mentioned Glacier Bay. You can pre order adult coffees to be delivered to your stateroom on this day. We did that. And we had incredible views from our balcony, while sipping our coffee. No crowds, was wonderful.

 

If it is not being too forward, I'm attaching a few pics to share what our aft view was like. . .

 

 

 

 

 

Wow - these pictures are amazing! The views from the back of the ship are just breathtaking! Something to consider although the only options available are the aft-facing mini-suites! Quite pricey for my pocket - lol! \Thanks for sharing!

[peach 79]

We did Alaska in an ocean view cabin. We spent much of our time up on the jogging track or in the Viking Crown Lounge so that we had a 360 degree view. We would have missed a lot if we were only viewing from our balcony. The best example is when the whales were visible, they were on the port side and our cabin was on the starboard. We would have missed them if we had been on a balcony on the wrong side of the ship.

 

This is good to know...Thanks tyescruiser! Is the jogging deck less crowded then the top deck?

[ute_fan]

We've done Alaska twice. The first time was on the Sun in a balcony cabin, and the 2nd was on the Pearl in an inside cabin. Notice anything strange about that sequence :D?

 

We lucked into a balcony cabin the first time around for about the same price as an inside, but after realizing how little time we spent on it, I wasn't willing to pay $500 more for a balcony the second time around. I found that we spent more time on the outside decks on the Sun than we did on our balcony, which had a fairly limited view, and for some reason, a TON of noise from the wind. Any of the videos that we took from our balcony are almost unwatchable due to the noise.

 

If price isn't a huge issue, the balcony is nice -- but I'd rather be in an inside cabin on a cruise to Alaska than stay home because I can't afford the additional money. On the Pearl, I loved spending time on the promenade deck. It was only one deck down from our cabin, so it was convenient. They have big heaters to take the chill off the air, and at least on our cruise, had blankets available for the loungers so that you could wrap yourself up and enjoy great views of the scenery as you sailed by. You had a much more panoramic view from the Promenade deck than we had done from our Sun balcony, and I really didn't feel like we were missing much by forgoing a balcony.

[peach 79]

We've done Alaska twice. The first time was on the Sun in a balcony cabin, and the 2nd was on the Pearl in an inside cabin. Notice anything strange about that sequence :D?

 

We lucked into a balcony cabin the first time around for about the same price as an inside, but after realizing how little time we spent on it, I wasn't willing to pay $500 more for a balcony the second time around. I found that we spent more time on the outside decks on the Sun than we did on our balcony, which had a fairly limited view, and for some reason, a TON of noise from the wind. Any of the videos that we took from our balcony are almost unwatchable due to the noise.

 

If price isn't a huge issue, the balcony is nice -- but I'd rather be in an inside cabin on a cruise to Alaska than stay home because I can't afford the additional money. On the Pearl, I loved spending time on the promenade deck. It was only one deck down from our cabin, so it was convenient. They have big heaters to take the chill off the air, and at least on our cruise, had blankets available for the loungers so that you could wrap yourself up and enjoy great views of the scenery as you sailed by. You had a much more panoramic view from the Promenade deck than we had done from our Sun balcony, and I really didn't feel like we were missing much by forgoing a balcony.

 

Ute fan, this is very helpful. I think the price is so high at the moment for a balcony!

 

I am starting to gather that the promenade deck is the place to be rather than the top deck for viewing the sites.

 

Thanks so much - this is making my decision a lot easier. :)

[ute_fan]

Glad to be of help! I know a lot of people who would never even consider Alaska without a balcony, which I think contributes to their high cost in Alaska.

 

On that first trip, on the Sun, we were traveling with our 18 & 20 year-old kids. I'd booked one of their larger inside cabins (about 190 sq. ft.) as I was most concerned with space, and 3 weeks before we sailed, the price of the balcony dropped to the same price. Our TA was able to switch rooms for a really small upgrade fee, so we jumped. I was glad we had our balcony -- but would have been really upset at myself if I'd paid full price for it.

 

The next time we went back it was just my hubby and I. I was trying to use up a credit we'd been given by NCL, without spending a lot of extra money as we had just cruised 6 months before and another cruise wasn't in the budget. We loved the Pearl and weren't bothered at all by being in the inside cabin.

 

My dream is to do Alaska once in my lifetime in an aft balcony room, but unless I hit the jackpot, that's not likely to happen.

[peach 79]

Ohhhh I see - I was wondering why the price for a balcony was so high!!! :confused:

 

Sooo... does the top deck get more crowded than the promenade deck during the national glacier park passage? Seems like an insider's tip ;)

 

It makes me more excited that we decided to pick this cruise as it seems that everyone on this thread has gone more than once! :)

[ute_fan]

We found the promenade deck a little more crowded on the day we were at Glacier Bay -- but there was still plenty of room available. We moved from side to side, cutting through the ship, to see the different glaciers.

 

If it was me, I'd use the extra money that the balcony would cost and book some nice shore excursions. I highly recommend whale watching in Juneau. We went with Harv & Marv's and had a wonderful time, but there are lots of other recommendations on the Alaska boards.

 

 

I don't think you'll regret your choice at all! Here's a shot as we were sailing into Glacier Bay, taken from the promenade deck. If you're interested in more, follow my webshots link and look at the Pearl, 2007 album.

 

[bonvoyagie]

Alaska is expensive no matter what so I say go big or go home. We have always had a balcony room - the first was an aft suite upsell that spoiled us rotten, and the second cruise we took the kids in a combo of one inside and one balcony. Now we $$ to get another suite and will be once again on the aft of the ship - this time with my MIL in tow. I guess I just like to be able to step out to my own private balcony and watch the world go by without having to worry about anybody else. BTW when we split the cost of the suite three ways it is only $200.00 or so more than the balcony and a single inside.

[Megalodon]

I always cruise with a balcony because the one time I didn't (window stateroom) i felt claustraphobic. I apparently need fresh air whenever I want it.

 

Anyway, on Pearl I'm not sure i'd really care - i spent all my time at the thassolotherapy spa (and I was on her in the Caribbean)! I am actually thinking of booking her to Alaska next summer, in a cheap room, just for an excuse to spend a week in that amazing place. (I live in Seattle)

 

$99 per person for the week gets you pool-sized hot tubs, heated lounge chairs... and more... and best of all - the best view on the ship. The Thassolotherapy spa is located all the way forward and has giant windows with panoramic views.

 

I had a balcony on Pearl and literally spent 99% of my time (including some naps) in that spa. So don't worry about the room, book whatever you can easily afford. But make sure to make a beeline to the spa to book your space for the week when you first get on board. :D

[Pokeraddict]

They say there are two cruises that you want to have a balcony and they are Alaska and Hawaii and I totally agree.

 

Our first balcony was Alaska and the last cruise of the season so mid September, it was the best weather sunny and warm as you get the sun reflection from the water.