Is a balcony worth an extra $1000?

[debrycruise]

BF and I are going from Baltimore to Bermuda at the end of June and have a large oceanview on deck 3 booked now. I keep hoping the price of a balcony will drop but no such luck and it looks like only one D2 is left and only a handful of D1s, so if we want to switch we need to do so soon. The problem is a balcony is essentially $500 more pp than our outside room.

 

This is BF and my first cruise as adults so we don't know what to expect really, but we tend to keep mostly to ourselves and so I could see us really enjoying having the outdoor space to ourselves. $1000 is A LOT of money though that we could use as we'll be planning an engagement and wedding shortly but I'm still tempted.

 

What are people's thoughts?

[blueblock]

I like balconies, but I agree that $1000 is a lot of money. I would probably keep the money and not upgrade to the balcony. The cruise will be fun in any kind of cabin.

[teajak]

BF and I are going from Baltimore to Bermuda at the end of June and have a large oceanview on deck 3 booked now. I keep hoping the price of a balcony will drop but no such luck and it looks like only one D2 is left and only a handful of D1s, so if we want to switch we need to do so soon. The problem is a balcony is essentially $500 more pp than our outside room.

 

This is BF and my first cruise as adults so we don't know what to expect really, but we tend to keep mostly to ourselves and so I could see us really enjoying having the outdoor space to ourselves. $1000 is A LOT of money though that we could use as we'll be planning an engagement and wedding shortly but I'm still tempted.

 

What are people's thoughts?

That's a big difference, are you sure about the price? As much as I love a balcony that would stop me.Do they have a balcony guarantee? Did you check on the RCI web site? Just trying to help.:eek:

[erries]

I also say no, save your money for your wedding (and honeymoon!). That's a huge amount of money to spend on a small square of floor with a couple chairs. There's so much else to do on a cruise, you'll probably spend way less time in your room than you think anyway.

[RnBluvher]

My first cruise was with a balcony and 2 cruises later I will only book a balcony cabin. Having said that $1000 is a lot of money, however, if you stay in the cabin you have, you will have something to look forward to on your next cruise. If you do decide to switch to a balcony, you wont want it any other way going forward. Until you get ready for suites that is. :D

[caribsun]

One grand is to much IMHO.

[Host Faith]

That's a little too steep of a price difference IMO. Especially if you're planning a wedding.

 

In general I'm okay with booking a balcony as long as the difference between that and an outside is around $400 total for a 7-night cruise. Then again we've been lucky to find prices like that. DH and I are happy with at least a window. I would hold off on the balcony and use the money elsewhere. Like RnBluvher said, you'll have something to look forward to on your next cruise. :)

[efields2]

IMO, I think it's all too much to upgrade!

 

If I were you, I'd keep an eye on the prices and if the balconies do drop in price, you might be able to upgrade from your ocean view, as long as it's not for new bookings only.

 

Save the $$ now and put it towards a balcony for your honeymoon (if you take a cruise anyway!).

[teajak]

I just checked all of the Bermuda cruises for June and some balcony and ocean view are the same price,one sailing the oceanview is more than the balcony. Did you check on the RCI site on line?

[George C]

We almost always get a balcony , but thousand dollars is a lot of money. Most cruises balcony is a extra 100 or 200.

[family cruisers]

I would keep an eye on the prices daily. If sailing is not sold out, cruise lines usually drop prices close to the sailing date. If prices drop, some may upgrade to suite categories leaving a nice priced balcony cabin in your hands :) If it's meant to be ......

Last year on NCL we started with an inside and worked up to a junior suite balcony cabin on the NCL's Gem to Bermuda for $699.00 per person!BTW... Bermuda is GORGEOUS ! If you don't get the balcony , you can use that money you would have spent for your shopping !!

Either way I wish you a wonderful cruise . You're in for a real treat with Bermuda .

BF and I are going from Baltimore to Bermuda at the end of June and have a large oceanview on deck 3 booked now. I keep hoping the price of a balcony will drop but no such luck and it looks like only one D2 is left and only a handful of D1s, so if we want to switch we need to do so soon. The problem is a balcony is essentially $500 more pp than our outside room.

 

This is BF and my first cruise as adults so we don't know what to expect really, but we tend to keep mostly to ourselves and so I could see us really enjoying having the outdoor space to ourselves. $1000 is A LOT of money though that we could use as we'll be planning an engagement and wedding shortly but I'm still tempted.

 

What are people's thoughts?

[Sky616]

There are so many things you can use that $1000 for in the future. I would stick with the ocean view this time and get the balcony next cruise. We had interiors our first two cruises but now will never go back.

[LBumb]

keep your room and take the grand and use as deposit on a future cruise while onboard.

[Artemis]

We are balcony fans, but I sure wouldn't pay a premium for a balcony on a Bermuda trip. While in Bermuda, the ship will be docked, and you'll likely spend most of your time off the ship sightseeing and playing. The rest of the time, you will be at sea while traveling to/from; while conditions could be excellent, summer in the Atlantic is unpredictable and often cool, windy and even rainy. Even in the best of conditions, I might read a couple of hours on the balcony or enjoy coffee or a cocktail out there on occasion, but I'd probably be on the pool deck or somewhere more social the majority of the time. What do you see yourself doing those sea days?

 

Have a great trip! Bermuda is a gorgeous island with lovely locals.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[denamo]

With other expenses looming, I'm in agreement with others. Keep your current cabin unless the price drops significantly for a balcony. We have done many cruises in an inside cabin and have loved them all the same. Many ships have a camera positioned from the bow of the ship that broadcasts through the television allowing you to see what it is like outside. We've often turned that channel on first thing of a morning to see what it's like outside. I've heard others leave it on all night, and it's their window when they awake!

[PRH]

We found out that the Enchantment to Bermuda 5/11 is completely full. Not a single cabin left! Upgraded to a balcony at the last minute (last one available and with only 10 cabins left total at the time!) for a premium but I simply cannot imagine how crowded everything is going to be. I was afraid to ask how many kids--don't want to know at this point! I am not a crowd lover and Enchantment is already challenged in the MDR and WJ because of the additional rooms added. A balcony then became very worth it to me as a place of respite.

 

If I had gone ahead and booked the balcony when I wanted to at Christmas (New Years Day Sale), it would have been $600 cheaper and included OBC. But my husband insisted that prices would come down if we waited. They didn't (lesson learned the hard way--at least for ships out of Baltimore!). They continued to climb instead as the ship got fuller.

[Friend100]

I have another booking with another cruiseline that the price difference between OV and balcony for 4 people, 7 days is less than $200 total. A no-brainer to me in that case to take the balcony. But in your case, $1k difference is quite a lot. I will keep the OV for now, but just keep checking for price change.

[dfgf]

Agree with the above poster who said to keep checking. I'd recommend checking once or twice a day. Make sure that you're including your home state when you're doing your search. A lot of times there's a 1- or 2-day discount for residents of certain states. They come and go without any announcement. I was able to upgrade from an inside cabin to a D1 balcony recently for my next cruise, without paying any additional money.

 

I've had one balcony in all of my cruising. While it was nice, it wasn't $1,000-worth nice. That $1,000 would pay for a lot of meals in Chops, a wine package, a bunch of casino gambling, all of your excursions and a huge bar tab.

 

Good luck to you regardless of what you decide!

[sept10dsm]

I think $1000 is the price of another cruise! We always wait and find cruises mostly with ovoutside for 499 for 7 night cruises! That being said I did just book our first balcony on EOS to Bermuda in Sept for 789 pp! Plus a $125 RCCL savings cert making it less. I think that $100 could be saved for the wedding or put toward another cruise. Just think being inpOrt longer will lessen ship time most likely plus sea days can be spent on deck! $1000 is a lot and way too much for a balcony

[sredish]

If it were me, I'd book an ocean view room and then watch the balcony prices online every single day. Chances are it will start to fall (I've never seen a balcony be that much higher than a ocean view...ouch!!). Then when it falls to a reasonable price, you can always upgrade at that time and pay the difference. Even after final payment you can upgrade and pay more. We had an ocean view on our last cruise and the balcony was too high when we booked, but eventually fell to only $100 difference about a month prior to the sailing.

 

Of course your cruise COULD sell out and the prices COULD go up, so don't EXPECT to be able to do this. There are lots of areas around the ship to sit outside and feel somewhat "alone". That's one of the things I love about cruising...you're with 3000 of your closest friends, when you want to be!

[terpfan101]

Hey there. It sounds like you're about my age (I'm 26)...I went on Enchantment to Bermuda from Bmore last year with my girlfriend in just an interior and we had a great time. We were hardly in the cabin anyway. There's also plenty of spots on the ship to get a good sea view. Save the money for your wedding or anything else! I'm an accountant (so tend to be pretty good about money) and for my upcoming cruise can't even see the point of spending $200 more pp on a balcony with so much else to do on the ship. Enjoy Bermuda, it's gorgeous!

[sept10dsm]

Just wondering does RC do price adj after final pmt? The person booking my Sept cruise the other day told me they would only adjust before final pmt. Just wondering!

[marci22]

Just wondering does RC do price adj after final pmt? The person booking my Sept cruise the other day told me they would only adjust before final pmt. Just wondering!

 

They will not adjust price after final, but you may be able to upgrade to a better category if the price is less than what you paid.

[COMBOY]

I've had balcony, outside, inside cabins and for me I don't spend a whole lot of time in my cabin so for me paying an extra $1K would not be worth it. For your first cruise I wouldn't spend the extra $$. Go on this cruise and see how much time you spend in your cabin and then on your next cruise if you find a good price for a balcony then go for it. You can do a lot with that extra $1K. A balcony is a nice luxury, but not necessary. You can go up on deck and watch the same ocean as you could from your cabin balcony.

[sept10dsm]

They will not adjust price after final, but you may be able to upgrade to a better category if the price is less than what you paid.

 

Thanks!! Glad they do that!