Is it woth booking a balcony......

[bjbear]

We never cruise without a balcony. Some people will say they don't because they are never in their room. I wonder where they get ready for bed at night or ready for a day's adventure - in the spa facilities? :D

 

My wife and I spend at least two hours per day in our room, most of it getting ready or changing clothes for various activities. That's two hours of looking at four walls if we had an inside room. Ugh! Instead, as we get prepared we have the beautiful vista outside our window to look at, the fresh air from the outside to breath, and the ability to go out on our balcony anytime we want to see what the day looks like before we decide what to wear.

 

To us a big part of being on a cruise is being near the ocean. We do everything we can to enjoy that aspect, including always having a balcony. If all we wanted was transportation to another port, we'd do a land tour by bus instead, where we could spend more time at the destinations.

 

I couldn't agree more, the whole point of a cruise for me is being able to be as close to the ocean as possible. I am on my balcony in rain, wind, etc., in between ports. :) I know that's not the case for many and it really is a matter of personal choice. Do whatever works for you, that's all that matters .:)

 

Sue

[OCruisers]

A Mini-Suite comes with a balcony and we want the extra interior space it provides.

Still, would want a balcony anyway.

There is no right or wrong ... whatever works for YOU! :)

LuLu

[wassup4565]

Nope, no balcony for me on my second Med cruise. I paid for it on the last one, and hardly spent any time there. As an earlier poster said, the ports take a lot of energy - they are all interesting and whether you have an excursion or DIY, you will be worn out at the end of the day.

 

And on a Med cruise, each day brings another port. Up early, get going, and get back several hours later, tired, hot and hungry. No time for sipping coffee and browsing the fruit and pastry plates in the morning. No energy for drinkies and flameless candles in the evening. Unless you plan to skip the ports?

 

As well, contrary to what someone else said, you are always near some other landform in the Med, and it's not always on the side your balcony is. You're gonna have to go somewhere else on the ship to have a good look.

 

I'm off to the Med again this October. No balcony. Complete waste of money last time.

[swedish weave]

I can do a lot of things with the hundred bucks per day I save by booking an inside instead of a balcony.

[sparks1093]

We are looking at booking Venice-Rome on Celebrity Constellation (Aug 2015). Wondering if it's worth booking a balcony......are you close enough to shore to see anything while sailing? We usually book inside cabins as we don't spend much time in them.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

It is nice to have a quiet place all of your own to sit and have a drink or to enjoy early morning room service etc. We've seen dolphins from our balcony each time that we've had a balcony so I'm afraid DW will not allow me to book anything less.

[artypharty]

We were arriving in port late, mid morning. I was sitting at the dressing table, getting ready, looked up in the mirror and saw the rock of Gibraltar reflected. Can't do that in an inside cabin. That cruise was just an OV, which I can live with, but must have a window on the world! JS's are my favorite for European cruises.

[whogo]

We don't like the balcony for the balcony (we rarely sit out there) We like the balcony cabins because of the "wall of window". A balcony cabin is only "worth it" if it's worth it TO YOU.

Similar experience here. I enjoyed the balcony mostly for the natural light into the cabin. I was driven off the balcony by rain, wind, heat, sun and cold. With a balcony half the view is on the other side of the ship. I won't turn down a balcony, might take one again at the right price, but I do not need one.

[obnurse]

I always laugh a little to myself when I hear people say they don't spend much time in their cabin so they don't bother with a balcony. If I had an inside cabin I wouldn't spend any time in there, either. But, having a balcony we enjoy the natural light, the view of the ocean and quiet time out on the balcony. We wouldn't sail without a balcony, no matter where we were sailing to.

[trev71]

I would get a balcony :)

[thehappycruiserchick]

Balcony all the way. Even if you don't spend a lot of time in your cabin there are still those moments that can't be beat. I can wake up to beautiful scenery every morning without going up on deck. Mind you, I love the 360 view on deck but there is nothing like your own private deck where people wouldn't obstruct your view or make a lot of noise. It's also great going out just before you get ready for dinner especially if it's moonlight out. And I can do all of this from the privacy of my own balcony.

[EGG]

From what I can see this is an 11 day cruise with 8 ports. The difference in price between a balcony and an inside is $1,100 per person.

 

You have asked if a balcony is worth it which of course only you can decide, but usually if you ask this is a significant amount of money to you.

 

As others have said it is a port intensive cruise. On port days you will be up early to have breakfast before a long day in port. After 25 cruise we know that we are usually having breakfast as the ship pulls into port. We like to choose the side of the ship where we eat a significant breakfast and in no way would we want to eat in our cabin since we may be skipping lunch. We are usually back early enough to enjoy sailaway from an outside deck where you get the best views, but many times sailaway is during dinner so we would miss it whether we were on a balcony or on outside deck.

 

As someone else said, on sea days you rarely view land.

 

We have had balconies and OVs but we usually get an inside because of price. The times we had balconies we just did not use them. Once it was too hot and humid and once it was too foggy or windy. Both times we had only regular chairs. When we go outside we like to stretch out on a lounge chair for hours, often in the solarium. That is just us. Please do not flame me, I am not saying the view from a balcony is not great, or that it is nice to go out in the morning to see the weather rather than checking on the tv. I just rarely think it is worth the difference in price.

 

We have been to Europe on cruises 5 times. I would guess that at least 3, possibly 4 of our fares were paid for by money we saved by taking an inside cabin rather than a balcony cabin. I understand that you often get an unexpected and/or wonderful view from the balcony but we were just as likely to get that view up on deck with more eyes pointing it out to us. I would have missed every whale I ever saw on our 2 cruises to Hawaii and 3 cruises to Alaska if I had to find them myself. And yes I have seen flying fish many times from public decks on our 3 NE/Canada cruises.

 

Just a suggestion, if this is the cruise you want, why don't you book the inside cabin and see if the price comes down later. Maybe you can upgrade then if it is not one of those new bookings only specials. By booking early you will also have a better selection of cabin near the venue/elevator/promenade that you prefer. Think of all the wonderful excursions or shared private tours you can take and all you can see with the $2,200. But do not book an inside cabin if you will not be happy in it.

 

And to all you balcony lovers, please do not respond to this, it is my opinion.

[boogs]

And to all you balcony lovers, please do not respond to this, it is my opinion.

 

Why? Aren't our opinions just as valid as yours?

 

As someone else said, on sea days you rarely view land.

 

It's much more then just seeing land from our balconies. For some of us, it's the serenity of the uninterrupted expanse of open seas that is appealing. To sit there with a glass of wine, seemingly alone on the planet, watching the continually changing shapes of the waves along with the relaxing sounds of waves crashing against the hull, or seeing another ship passing by in the distance, is pretty nice as well! I would much rather spend time on my private balcony than sit among a noisy crowd of people jostling for the closest spot by the pool.

 

But do not book an inside cabin if you will not be happy in it.

 

Words to the wise. There is a very good reason why the balcony cabins sell out much sooner than inside cabins, even though there are many times more balcony cabins than insides available on modern cruise ships. The few inside cabins always seem to be the last cabins to sell out.

Edited August 14, 2014 by boogs

[runner15km]

What ships offer quiet time on Balcony's that you are talking about.:confused: I have only had a few balconies and I don't care to hear all about your problems, marriage, kids and financial issues. :eek: Its unbelievable how loud people talk on their balcony's.

We mainly book ocean views. :)

[swedish weave]

This whole thing comes down to the question ---- How do you choose to allocate your resources.

 

To me --- I don't see paying from $100 to $200 per day for the personal pleasure of having a balcony.

[dancinman66]

To me it depends on the itinerary to if worth it as sitting in the cabin as you enter and leave ports is great

Also good for drying clothes you hand wash

 

Really depends on the cost difference and how much you think the balcony is worth

 

 

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[travel_nuts]

We always book a stateroom with a balcony. It is the largest on the ship. It includes all of the upper decks. Sure, we have to share it with other people, but that's part of the fun of cruising. We love watching the ocean and we can see most of it from the top of the ship, not just one direction. We do, however, change clothes and sleep in a less expensive cabin.

 

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[dsrdsrdsr]

I would look at it this way. From what I can gather, the balcony will cost $2,200 for 11 days - that's $200 per day. On 8 of those days, you'll be on shore most of the day - so let's say you spend 2 hours a day out there (which assumes the weather's good and the ship is facing the right way). The question is, are those 2 hours worth $100 per hour? For me, definitely no. For many people, in fact the majority on this thread at least, yes.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I would look at it this way. From what I can gather, the balcony will cost $2,200 for 11 days - that's $200 per day. On 8 of those days, you'll be on shore most of the day - so let's say you spend 2 hours a day out there (which assumes the weather's good and the ship is facing the right way). The question is, are those 2 hours worth $100 per hour? For me, definitely no. For many people, in fact the majority on this thread at least, yes.

 

The time I had a balcony, it was only £50 a head extra (in December in the Med). We would think twice about paying it again. The inside cabins have more space, partly because some of them are bigger (cabin square footages are unreliable because the balcony space is included) and mostly because they can shove one of the beds against the wall which (in a balcony cabin) is reserved for the door.

[boogs]

What ships offer quiet time on Balcony's that you are talking about.:confused: I have only had a few balconies and I don't care to hear all about your problems, marriage, kids and financial issues. :eek: Its unbelievable how loud people talk on their balcony's.

We mainly book ocean views. :)

 

There have been many times when I heard no one for hours while out on my balcony relaxing. I find it difficult to accept someone's exaggerated description of how bad a balcony is like when they readily admit they "mainly book ocean views". :rolleyes:

[Blondebomb]

Actually, never have had an inside cabin, only ocean views. Then we did a 10 day cruise and since it was for our 25th wedding anniversary booked a balcony. I got sick and was quarantined to my room for 2 days. It ended up being a stress bug. Princess cruise line was wonderful. I could order anything I wanted, didn't have to be on the menu either. If I hadn't been able to see out for two days let me tell you, I probably would have killed someone!! Ever since then, it is a balcony for us. We love it and use it.

[whogo]

Words to the wise. There is a very good reason why the balcony cabins sell out much sooner than inside cabins, even though there are many times more balcony cabins than insides available on modern cruise ships. The few inside cabins always seem to be the last cabins to sell out.

This is the first time that I have heard that balcony cabins sell out first. I heard it was the cheap cabins that go first.

[navybankerteacher]

This whole thing comes down to the question ---- How do you choose to allocate your resources.

 

To me --- I don't see paying from $100 to $200 per day for the personal pleasure of having a balcony.

 

Of course it depends on the ship and itinerary - we have a 16 day T/A coming up with a balcony at just over $100 per day per. The insides would have to be free and ocean view less than $25 per person/day to be even considered.

 

A markup of $100 per person per day for a balcony does not seem too likely - unless the base inside fares were much more than that to start from.

[CraftyScribbles]

This is the first time that I have heard that balcony cabins sell out first. I heard it was the cheap cabins that go first.

 

Yeah, I'd imagined the balconies would take more time to sell.

[wassup4565]

Let's remember OP is going on a Mediterranean cruise, and asked specifically whether a balcony was worth the price difference for that type of cruise. I stand by what I said - for a Med cruise, not worth it - as some others have agreed.

 

For other cruises I would consider a balcony. Caribbean cruises with some sea days, yes, worth considering. TA, yes likely worth considering. Etc....

 

But for a Med cruise (which you presumably take in order to get off each day and explore the ports) not worth it to me. I'll report back in late Oct if this thread is still alive. I'm going inside in the Med this time. Paid for and didn't use a balcony last time. I'll have empirical evidence after this next cruise.

Edited August 15, 2014 by wassup4565

[swedish weave]

Of course it depends on the ship and itinerary - we have a 16 day T/A coming up with a balcony at just over $100 per day per. The insides would have to be free and ocean view less than $25 per person/day to be even considered.

 

A markup of $100 per person per day for a balcony does not seem too likely - unless the base inside fares were much more than that to start from.

 

You can find exceptions to anything, but I have been cruising and checking rates for over 30 years and I stand by my figures for the majority of the cruise prices offered.

 

I don't choose to argue over this.