So afraid I'm going to miss the balcony!

[4merlurker]

Booked an OV guarantee for a great price. It's after final payment, the prices have gone up and now I'm dreading not having a balcony and being able to step outside whenever I want. Plus, with the guarantee I have no idea where we are going to end up on the ship. I know I should have taken this all into consideration BEFORE, but this trip was an impulse buy LOL. The price was just too good to pass up!!!

Does anyone think the prices could come down again? If so, I'd be willing to pay the difference to upgrade to the balcony - I just cant justify it with the price as it is now, even though I've paid more than double that per person in the past. :rolleyes:

[kcwingwalker]

Booked an OV guarantee for a great price. It's after final payment, the prices have gone up and now I'm dreading not having a balcony and being able to step outside whenever I want. Plus, with the guarantee I have no idea where we are going to end up on the ship. I know I should have taken this all into consideration BEFORE, but this trip was an impulse buy LOL. The price was just too good to pass up!!!

Does anyone think the prices could come down again? If so, I'd be willing to pay the difference to upgrade to the balcony - I just cant justify it with the price as it is now, even though I've paid more than double that per person in the past. :rolleyes:

 

You'll need a crystal ball for the pricing.

 

Hope you get lucky and can upgrade:)

[jamona2311]

Yay know, we had an aft balcony our first cruise and then an inside on the second. We lived on that balcony n I feel like I missed a lot of fun that the shop had to offer. Having an inside I did sooooo much more and loved that part of it. So in the end it wasn't so bad. I'd love to do a balcony again but I know I'm good either way :D

[Crusin Karen]

Keep checking. You never know about those fares. I see from your signature you are sailing the Splendor in January. Just to let you know: we have sailed twice out of Manhattan in the winter and you are going to have the lst day and a half and the last day and a half AT LEAST that you probably won't be using your balcony. We cruised the Miracle last February and did not sit out there ONCE! :eek: I would be perfectly satisfied with an OV for these winter sailings (and yes, they are a BARGAIN! ;)) but DH insists on a balcony. GOOD LUCK and just try to focus on the cruise! Splendor is a great ship!

[wmowan8485]

Keep checking. You never know about those fares. I see from your signature you are sailing the Splendor in January. Just to let you know: we have sailed twice out of Manhattan in the winter and you are going to have the lst day and a half and the last day and a half AT LEAST that you probably won't be using your balcony. We cruised the Miracle last February and did not sit out there ONCE! :eek: I would be perfectly satisfied with an OV for these winter sailings (and yes, they are a BARGAIN! ;)) but DH insists on a balcony. GOOD LUCK and just try to focus on the cruise! Splendor is a great ship!

 

What she said! You won't be able to use the balcony for 3 out of 8 days of sailing. I too found myself participating more in the ship's activities when i've been in an oceanview.:)

[pamrose228]

Booked an OV guarantee for a great price. It's after final payment, the prices have gone up and now I'm dreading not having a balcony and being able to step outside whenever I want. Plus, with the guarantee I have no idea where we are going to end up on the ship. I know I should have taken this all into consideration BEFORE, but this trip was an impulse buy LOL. The price was just too good to pass up!!!

Does anyone think the prices could come down again? If so, I'd be willing to pay the difference to upgrade to the balcony - I just cant justify it with the price as it is now, even though I've paid more than double that per person in the past. :rolleyes:

 

 

I am booked on the Splendor the week after you. I also got that great rate (seriously it actually costs more to stay home) for the OV guarantee. I have been checking availability on the ship and since we are three there is limited availability for a triple or quad cabin. There are only two decks with OV views, so unless there is an upgrade (which is very possible) I am sure your room will be fine.

 

As someone else said, winter sailings from NYC, first two days and last two days way to cold to sit on th balcony.

[Tapi]

I'm dreading not having a balcony and being able to step outside whenever I want.

 

You can still step outside whenever you want. You just need to put some clothes on and walk a little farther. :D

[4merlurker]

You can still step outside whenever you want. You just need to put some clothes on and walk a little farther

 

That's what I'm worried about Tapi - we are going to end up on deck 1 or 2....way down below...Seems like it'll take forever to get anywhere. The other ships we've been on had OV's on higher decks...I should have looked at the deck plans before booking.

 

As someone else said, winter sailings from NYC, first two days and last two days way to cold to sit on th balcony.

 

We've sailed out of NJ,NY & MD so I know about those cooler days. I just love pulling into the ports in the morning while hanging on the balcony. :o

[pamrose228]

I see from your sig you have sailed in the fall and early spring not in the dead of winter, January...it can be frigid......very different than cooler weather. As a matter of fact there is a real possibility in January there can be mounds of snow on the balconies.....January is brutal.

[misguidedangel]

I need a balcony. After 14 cruises I really don't do many of the onboard activities. I found I spent a fair chunk of time in the cabin on the balcony on my last cruise. I'd go down to Lido to get a drink and come back up to my balcony. I could hear what was going on Lido deck, so didn't have to be there......

 

If I was really strapped for cash and couldn't get a Deck 6 and up balcony, I'd get a cove balcony........

[vwrestler171]

I had my first non-balcony cruise recently and it was ok, but I plan to return to the balcony on my next cruise. Nothing like sitting on the balcony having a drink while watching the wake of the ship from my 8N

[dixieva]

I know I would miss my balcony if I ever sailed in any other room. Don't care how cold it is or hot it is, just to be able to open the door and step out to look around is really nice. (without getting dressed and doing hair and makeup!)

 

Hopefully you will be ok. I just know I would not be ok without my balcony. I just get the cheapest one I can find.

[allison0523]

We, too, have always sailed in a balcony. But we booked and OV and inside for next month on the Paradise. We have 2 20 year old children going with us on their first cruise, which is why we have 2 cabins. On the Paradise, there aren't really that many balconies and they were sold out when we booked. But we got an excellent price on the OV and inside. I think the inside will be nice for sleeping since our other son and I are both sleepers that wake up with the sun. And even if you draw the curtains, the light still comes in. I think the bottom line is to go in with a positive attitude and you will be fine. Check the prices to see if you can upgrade for a good price. But if not, you can spend the money you saved elsewhere. And as others said, you will just have to walk a bit to get outside. :) Have a great trip!

[Tapi]

That's what I'm worried about Tapi - we are going to end up on deck 1 or 2....way down below...:o

 

 

Don't worry too much. I don't think I would've picked a balcony for your sailing.

 

We bounce back and forth between oceanviews and balconies, and IMHO, while balconies do enhance the cruise experience, not having one hasn't really affected the experience to the point of making the cruise unenjoyable.

 

We had our first balcony in cold weather this summer (in Alaska) and I can tell you that, if it hadn't been for the breathtaking views right outside, we probably would've never set foot out there. We were FREEZING, even though the weather wasn't too cold (50's during the day, 30's at night).

 

I can only imagine sailing out of New York in January with sub-zero temperatures. Most likely, I wouldn't step out on the balcony until the ship is abeam central Florida! (We sailed from Jacksonville during the winter once and even THAT was too cold. Jacksonville was in the 30's and Nassau was in the 50's! :eek:)

Edited November 3, 2013 by Tapi

[OCruisers]

Try not to worry about it. It's not like you can never cruise again and have a balcony. ;)

You had a good reason for booking what you did when you did it so don't "second guess" yourself and enjoy the cruise. :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[greyx4]

We've had aft balcony, regular balcony, porthole, and inside. And we just booked our next 2 cruises with 4J (inside) walkaway views. We never slept better than when we were in an inside cabin. And I just can't take the smoke from all the balcony's, so never again. Enjoy the cruise along with the rest of the ship! :D

[SkyMaster]

The lovely Mrs. Jones and I can take the balcony, or not. More often than not, we sail in an inside, and really enjoy the dark afternoon naps, so we can spend the evenings enjoying all the entertainment, and activities aboard the ship. If I get a balcony as an upgrade, or really inexpensively, O.K., but if not,,,,I'll take the extra cash and put it toward another fantastic cruise. :cool:

 

"SKY"

[Allie-Oops]

Our last cruise was in an ocean view room and I was worried that we would miss the balcony but we didn't. I think its a very individual thing though. We don't use our balcony that much when we have one but my mom is the total opposite. All she wants to do is sit on her balcony and read her book and order room service!

[djcass4199]

We had our first balcony on our Freedom Halloween cruise this past week. It was nice having it, but I didn't use it nearly as much as I thought. I spent more time lounging on Promenade or in the main atrium listening to music or lazing in a lounger on Lido than I did on the balcony.

 

Usually we sail in OV or porthole cabins. Next cruise we will probably just get the OV and save a few hundred bucks.

 

But I can now atleast say I've sailed in a balcony cabin.

[KruuzinAgain]

Booked an OV guarantee for a great price. It's after final payment, the prices have gone up and now I'm dreading not having a balcony and being able to step outside whenever I want. Plus, with the guarantee I have no idea where we are going to end up on the ship. I know I should have taken this all into consideration BEFORE, but this trip was an impulse buy LOL. The price was just too good to pass up!!!

Does anyone think the prices could come down again? If so, I'd be willing to pay the difference to upgrade to the balcony - I just cant justify it with the price as it is now, even though I've paid more than double that per person in the past. :rolleyes:

 

Hey 4merlurker....We are in the same boat as you, literally. Before our last cruise on the Pride, our previous 3 cruises were in grand suites (called penthouse suites back then) and I said I'd never cruise in any other cabin. On the Pride, we ended up booking a regular balcony cabin, and I was so worried that I'd miss having a suite, but we ended up being totally happy with it. Now, we are booked in an OV on the Splendor, and I keep wondering if we made a mistake not getting a balcony, but like others have said, leaving NYC in winter means 2 or 3 days where it will be too cold for the balcony. I'm sure we will end up having a wonderful time, even without the balcony, and the money we save can buy us a bunch of adult beverages!!:D

[jandjtexas]

I've only been on 4 cruises, first 3 were balcony cabins and the one I just returned from was OV. You will miss the balcony, can't change that, but the OV I was in was larger than any of the cabins I've been in with a balcony. I'm not sure if it is the same on all ships, but on the Triumph it was larger. I was on deck 2 and loved it, wished I had chosen deck 1. Being that much closer to the water was great. Never took very long for an elevator to come either. Have fun!

[WMQueenie]

Our first oceanview was on Splendor the first week of October - we loved it.. Of course we had cabin 2470 which was HUGE! 2 windows...loved loved loved it. Didn't mind being on deck 2 aft at all...straight ride up the elevator to the Lido deck. I would do oceanview in a heartbeat, especially during the winter months out of NYC!

[gh1088]

We booked a last minute Mediterranean cruise on Sunshine...there were no balconies available. I thought I would really miss it. We got an OV for almost half the price and absolutely loved it!

 

By the way, it was on the 2nd floor...it was great to look out and see the water so close. And it was below the lobby, so I didn't feel like we were far from the action.

 

I would do an OV again in a heartbeat.

[Mandy923]

We've sailed inside (just once!) and went straight for the Balconies every time after that. Until one day- I decided to book an OV for a CTN to "try it out" and you know what- I PREFER the OV!

 

I book OV now, all the time. We are really "get into the action" kind of people, and honestly- sitting out on the balcony was kind of lonely :)

 

We also travel with our 3 kids, 2 of whom are small children (8 and 4). We enjoy looking out the big window, and when we want some fresh air- we head to a public deck. I prefer to sit out on Lido at night, that my own private balacony. YMMV!