20+ Cruises and Now My 1st Inside!

[teecee60]

[quote name='scanditaly'][B][I][COLOR="Black"]I have wanted to do this since we started cruising in 2005.[/COLOR][/I][/B]

for those of you who are in the traveling category that you have gained status and get priority; whether it be boarding, tendering, or whatever, this is also of interest to me. I have a hard time abiding long lines for anything, thus [B][I][COLOR="DarkOrange"]booking an inside cabin would not be the preferred room due to effect of being at the bottom of the barrel.[/COLOR][/I][/B]

Scanditaly.[/QUOTE]

DON'T DO IT!!! You will NEVER forgive yourself... being down at the bottom of the barrel amongst all of us COMMONERS?!? The HORROR! :eek:

Save yourself the degradation and humiliation of having to sleep and shower in ANY inferior cabin, and NEVER book anything LESS than a Royal Suite, but PREFERABLY a Penthouse Suite. :cool:

I very much appreciate, that it is you spending $200-$1000 per day on balconies and suites that allow me to cruise Celebrity for $50-$55 per day. :D :rolleyes:



[quote name='C Cruise Dude']You reasoned it out perfectly. I realized this after paying a great deal for ocean views. Now I cruise more often. I only sleep and shower there. [/QUOTE]

Would you *P*L*E*A*S*E* keep QUIET!!! If enough of these people figure out you get the same ship, the same ports, the same entertainment, the same food, the same drinks, the same gym for the price of an inside, the prices are going to skyrocket!

[davekathy]

[quote name='scanditaly']I have wanted to do this since we started cruising in 2005. I would really really like to hear back how this works for you.

for those of you who are in the traveling category that you have gained status and get priority; whether it be boarding, tendering, or whatever, this is also of interest to me. I have a hard time abiding long lines for anything, thus booking an inside cabin would not be the preferred room due to effect of being at the bottom of the barrel.

Thanks for posting, OP, this could turn out to be a lively discussion.

Scanditaly.[/QUOTE]

This is a funny post. No one would ever make a comment like this and expect to be taken seriously. I needed a good luagh.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

[quote name='teecee60']Would you *P*L*E*A*S*E* keep QUIET!!! If enough of these people figure out you get the same ship, the same ports, the same entertainment, the same food, the same drinks, the same gym for the price of an inside, the prices are going to skyrocket![/quote]

LOL, exactly! I view it like this, would I pay for that at a hotel? For a hotel on the ocean, would I pay an extra $200 for a week of ocean view? Maybe. One person might see the OV cabin as more valuable because it's a mobile view on the water, where another person might view the hotel upgrade more valuable because they would spend more time there.

Would I spend an extra 4K+ for a suite at a hotel for a week, even if it included a butler, champagne, and other perks? I personally wouldn't, and unlike a OV or Balcony where this upgrade may be better at sea, suite accommodations seems a bit more apples to apples.

[steveweese]

[quote name='Stateroom_Sailor']LOL, exactly! I view it like this, would I pay for that at a hotel? For a hotel on the ocean, would I pay an extra $200 for a week of ocean view? Maybe. One person might see the OV cabin as more valuable because it's a mobile view on the water, where another person might view the hotel upgrade more valuable because they would spend more time there.

Would I spend an extra 4K+ for a suite at a hotel for a week, even if it included a butler, champagne, and other perks? I personally wouldn't, and unlike a OV or Balcony where this upgrade may be better at sea, suite accommodations seems a bit more apples to apples.[/QUOTE]

We noticed the same things about not using our balcony. Have been booking insides or oceanview. somethings upgrading to a balcony when price drops. Spend our moneys for other things on the ship. Enjoy

[CathyCruises]

The problem with the hotel argument is that ALL hotel rooms have windows so you can differentiate night and day.

HOWEVER, how many people book a hotel room, then spend the entire day out socializing with strangers? Meet up with the same strangers every night for cocktails, then go in to dinner with another group of strangers?

That's the beauty of cruising. . .

[helen haywood]

There may be cruise lines that do tendering, boarding, etc. based on category of cabin booked....however, Celebrity is not one of them. It is true there are separate lines for check-in at embarkation for Elite, Suites, etc....but often the general lines are shorter. Once on board, Elite members have priority tender tickets, but I'll be an Elite in an inside cabin. I am referring to the poster who mentioned booking an inside cabin as being at the bottom of the barrel. There is no differentiation in boarding, etc, based on what category you are booked. You will not stand in longer lines if you book an inside.

Indeed, if you have an inside on Deck 3 you will likely be off the ship first!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

[quote name='CathyCruises']The problem with the hotel argument is that ALL hotel rooms have windows so you can differentiate night and day.

HOWEVER, how many people book a hotel room, then spend the entire day out socializing with strangers? Meet up with the same strangers every night for cocktails, then go in to dinner with another group of strangers?

That's the beauty of cruising. . .[/quote]

To the first part, that's a true point in making a OV cabin more valuable than facing the ocean at a hotel. I'm paying $10 pp for this at a hotel in Galveston next month, but $20 pp each day for an OV on Celebrity going to Alaska.

I met a pilot on my last cruise who was offered last minute CHEAP upgrades and he turned them down. He was so busy socializing, running around ports, and enjoying activities, that he only used his cabin for a 6 or 7 hour crash, take a shower, and back at it again. Because he was so active with strangers, he couldn't have cared less about upgrades.

[KBD1516]

DH says that when you stand at the railing, everybody has the same view. And nobody knows where your room is.

We have been on 30+ cruises and we book all kinds of rooms. I do pay attention to where that room is though...location, location, location. I don't want to be under or over anything loud at night or way forward. So sometimes the location of an inside suits us better, especially when we book late and there aren't so many choices.

[odysee]

For me as long as I can be cruising, any category is fine. However our first cruise years ago was in an inside. My husband unfortunately got very ill with pneumonia and was 4-5 days stuck in bed in the inside cabin. Since then he refuses to cruise in anything but a balcony cabin. So when we travel together we usually book Aqua (because of Blu). If I travel with someone else, I often book guarantee cabins.

[BosoxI]

The way I see it is if a $10 bottle of wine pleases you, count your blessings that you don't have to spend $50 for the same pleasure. Is a Chevy good enough for you? Great, You didn't have to buy a Cadillac. Same goes for cabins. Be happy you can go on the cheap and still have an enjoyable trip. I had an inside once, back in 1988 when I was single. Had a great trip. But now I can't cruise without a balcony. If the sun is on it I don't have to fight for a deck chair. At night in the dark I'll use my Kindle, fall asleep and drag myself to bed at 2AM. I don't have to dress to see the ocean or walk half a ship length to the Promenade. When the sea is rough, I can watch the waves break and the clouds come in, all from the comfort of my own balcony. Best of all, I can do this fully dressed, in my bathrobe, or in my underwear or less, I guess. But this is how I feel; others can be just as happy with an inside, saving a lot of money, too. So who cares? To each his own. Why is there so much discussion and argument on these boards over personal choice?

[helen haywood]

I guess I should have come back and reported that I won't be trying the experiment of an inside for the first time. I booked an inside GTY and in the three weeks before final payment saw three price drops, alerted my travel agent, and got the lower pricing. The day after final payment a balcony GTY appeared that was only a little bit more than my inside. When I started this thread there were no balcony GTYs; the cheapest balcony was over 1K more than my inside.

Keep in mind that Celebrity only allows you to upgrade after final payment if you are paying at least $1 more. Had I not followed the pricing on my inside GTY and negotiated the three price drops...I would not have been able to upgrade to the balcony GTY as my original inside GTY was MORE than the balcony GTY after final.

I was willing to pay the $100 to upgrade to a balcony. So, no experiment with the inside this time.

Another thing I realized while following this cruise's pricing, I had worried about booking a balcony GTY as I had previously done so and wound up under the buffet and the noise at 3 am kept me from sleeping. But those cruises were on Royal and Carnival. I realized Solstice class ships do not have any regular balconies under the buffet; only Aqua Class are under the buffet, so I had nothing to worry about booking the balcony GTY.

I did worry that I had gambled $100 on a balcony GTY and might end up with a 2D. But I lucked out and got a 1C which at the day I got my cabin assignment was selling for $1500 more than I paid. I have absolutely no idea how Celebrity handles the GTY assignments.

But the thing I learned from this is I will never book a trans-Atlantic cruise (our favorites) before final payment. I want to book next spring's TA and I'm going to wait until after final payment.

But I am going to try an inside on our 7 night Reflection cruise next January so I do appreciate all your help and suggestions!

[Ex-Airbalancer]

We book a GTY inside on a TA this April , as all the balconies were about $400 more pp
We did wait until the exciting deals to do it
We were lucky to get a oceanview cabin on the 8 deck at the bow so our experiment of an inside for a TA did not go well either :p
Not having a balcony just means we will have to be out and about all the time

[helen haywood]

By "Exciting Deals" do you mean the Tuesday sales after final payment?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

[quote name='helen haywood']By "Exciting Deals" do you mean the Tuesday sales after final payment?[/quote]

Yes, also there balconies never came close to the $100 pp to upgrade
Last year on SIL balconies were down to $699, this year I believe it was $950

[helen haywood]

Yes, we all got spoiled by last year's April Silhouette prices!!

[CathyCruises]

[quote name='helen haywood']Yes, we all got spoiled by last year's April Silhouette prices!![/QUOTE]

Well I am still in my inside on the Silhouette TA. Prices never did come down, should have booked the balcony at $899 but I was stupidly counting on what happened last year. I won't make that mistake again. Otoh I saved $600 which is not chump change.

My preferred itinerary was the Reflection but it was lots more than Silly, now there are lots of cheap cabins left. Really hard to understand how all those cabins went so quickly, 60 balcony cabins gone in 2-3 days, must have been a group that picked them up.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

[quote name='CathyCruises']My preferred itinerary was the Reflection but it was lots more than Silly, now there are lots of cheap cabins left. Really hard to understand how all those cabins went so quickly, 60 balcony cabins gone in 2-3 days, must have been a group that picked them up.[/QUOTE]


Reflection is still pricey , $1400 for a balcony
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[north29]

We have to agree, inside cabins are OK on some cruises, but overall, we prefer, a cabin with a window, not necessarily a balcony.
The Balcony cabins come with special cruises,(long) places unknown or un cruised, IF YOU CAN GET THE BALCONY on THE PREFERRED SIDE OF THE SHIP for that itinerary.

[SSFrance69]

We haven't sailed an inside cabin for quite some time now. The last 5 or 6 years have been ocean view or balcony. That being said, if the price were right for a last minute cruise, I would book an inside. I have never had a bad experience in an inside cabin. I just prefer to have natural light and be able to see where we are. I think it also depends on the length of the cruise. We are taking a two week cruise next year and decided to spend the extra $ on a verandah. I don't think I could spend two weeks in an inside cabin. Ocean view would be fine but since the weather will be warm and there are many ports, I think we'll enjoy the balcony quite a bit.

[BosoxI]

[quote name='helen haywood'].

But the thing I learned from this is I will never book a trans-Atlantic cruise (our favorites) before final payment. I want to book next spring's TA and I'm going to wait until after final payment.

![/quote]

I don't know about that be universally true, Helen. I tend to wait until final payment on most of our cruises, but I booked a TA for next month long before final payment and the price of our cabin is now up $969 p/p. Our price appears in no history of pricing that I can find. Pure luck, I know, but sometimes it pays to take the leap. Edited March 25, 2014 by BosoxI

[Cruise Junky]

Thus was a very interesting read. We're booked on Oceania in an inside next year because of a $2,000 PP price difference to a balcony. Great reading that they're fine. We haven't sailed in an inside since our first cruise


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[HokiePoq]

[quote name='wwcruisers']LOL -- I get claustrophobic just going into an inside cabin, when we do cabin-crawls! :eek: And, I know that it's all in my head -- I'd be fine in exactly the same size cabin with a port-hole. I just have to be able to see outside. ;)
I have heard people say that you sleep very soundly in an inside cabin, since there is no daylight to wake you up. :cool:[/quote]

I've found what you said about sleeping in an inside totally true. On our recent 28 days in an inside (without killing each other!), I slept better than ever before. Worst ever was on an Alaska cruise. DH insists on leaving drapes open and I'd wake up in the wee hours of the morning thinking it was time to get up. We would have liked a balcony for the Panama Canal but we got back to back cruises for less than what the balcony would have cost for one segment. I book the balcony if it is only a small amount more than the lower classes, but DH is a lot easier to talk into a booking with a rock bottom price. We do lots of activities and he never spends any time on the balcony anyway.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

[quote name='helen haywood']

Keep in mind that Celebrity only allows you to upgrade after final payment if you are paying at least $1 more. [/QUOTE]

[FONT="Verdana"][SIZE="3"]In my experience, this is not true. We upgraded from an ordinary balcony cabin to an AQ1 which was priced [B]LESS[/B] than we had paid for the ordinary balcony cabin.

I too have had the experience of looking at inside cabins on cabin crawls and thinking I couldn't do it. Decided to give it a try on a cruise I was doing solo. It was a B2B, with the first leg being 3 nights. Decided that was the perfect time to try it. I did not find it claustrophobic, but did not spend a lot of time in the cabin. Spent more time in my balcony cabin across the hall on the next leg. Just because I had a balcony. So, I prefer a balcony, but the inside was OK and I'd probably do it again. What I really loved was having the cabins to myself! Probably no going back from that luxury.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[teecee60]

[quote name='helen haywood']Yes, we all got spoiled by last year's April Silhouette prices!![/QUOTE]

Pricing for the Silhouette T/A this year is TRULY *OUTRAGEOUS*!!! :(

I had top pay $630pp instead of $599pp last year. :eek: :D :cool:

[Ex-Airbalancer]

[quote name='teecee60']Pricing for the Silhouette T/A this year is TRULY *OUTRAGEOUS*!!! :(

I had top pay $630pp instead of $599pp last year. :eek: :D :cool:[/QUOTE]

You got ripped off, I paid $568.16 USD :p