Argue /Correct me if I'm wrong ....

[AAAAmerican]

Dear griz400,

 

Your missing not much .. You are in the gain, again. People can spend what they want on anything. Not many save.

 

 

 

 

Cruising, love, life, and saving are what we make of it eh..:cool:

 

Luckily choices abound with our freedoms won. Freedom is never free.

 

 

Just wondering what we are missing out on when it comes to rooms ... I know we are rookies when it comes to cruising, but, we just book an inside room and seem to have a whole lotta fun ... We went over our first cruise and found we spent minimum amounts of time in our room .. like sail off day, just put up stuff, showered and slept later ... around midnight or so ..then 1st cruise day, woke at 6 am. quick shower, coffee on pool deck, breakfast at 8, then changed clothes, swimming and buffet lunch, room at 5 ish, showered, back out , casino, exploring, ate dinner at 8 ish, lounge, comedy club, etc, etc, then sleep around midnight or 1 am, then, in am, shower, breakfast, excursion, back on ship later, shower, dinner, relaxed on deck, comedy club, karaoke laughs, etc, sleep midnight or so...

Was day after day like that, maybe it's us, but we really didn't spend much time in room .. is it cause we are new at it ?? Wife said she would sooner have a watch or some jewelry instead .. lol

what are missing out on ?? :)

Edited September 17, 2014 by AAAAmerican
Freedoms

[poffles]

Balcony for me is those moments first thing in the morning stepping right out of bed to look outside. Having coffee delivered to the room and just staring out to sea or watching the ship dock at the port of the day. Especially enjoyable when one person in the cabin is showering getting ready first, the other(s) can be outside relaxing while they wait their turn. That all said, I've not sailed anywhere in weather that is colder, always sunny hot destinations so perhaps totally different if it was a different itinerary.

 

All that said, it really is a personal choice. Our first cruise we did inside and thought we were in heaven ... mistake was upgrading the next one and now I can't go back and struggle with the cost but it really does change the week for me and for use we can't go on several cruises a year (distance and cost) so we put the extra into it when we do get to go.

 

For you guys it sounds like you really enjoy your trips with the inside cabin so enjoy and save money doing it (or buy extra jewelry :D)

Edited September 17, 2014 by poffles

[latebloomer56]

Plenty of other people do the same as you. if you plan to be out and about except to sleep and shower, insides make perfect sense...and the money not spent on a higher end cabin can be applied toward fun stuff or practical stuff or another trip.

We like being able to step out onto the balcony, but on most cruises, personally we do not spend that all much time out there. So, we will pay a bit extra for a balcony, but it is not a "must have."Others really value their balconies and may spend many, many happy hours out there; some will not sail without a balcony. to each his own; enjoy your cruise your way.

 

So true it's your vacation do what you enjoy. You still get the same shows, food, etc. as a balcony so I don't think you are missing out on anything. We started out with an porthole cabin our first two trips but once we booked that first balcony that was it for us. But we are also those folks that enjoy sitting on our balcony (no chair hogs :)) or on the sofa reading and just being together.

[CruisingSwedes]

For me it depends on the cruise and the price difference.

 

I sound like you - running around from breakfast until dinner - so I am usually fine with an inside cabinet. But my husband is a hermit and practically lives in the cabin, and he loves it that way. He stays on the balcony relaxing and reading all day watching the waves, sometimes taking a break for a nap with the balcony door open and the ocean breeze coming in. So we almost always get a balcony. The thought of him reading in an inside cabin or napping all day in an inside cabin is just not the same experience. That would seem like "wasting time" to me.

 

I did a trans Atlantic with my daughter and we had an inside cabin. We were out of the cabin nearly all the time, but I do remember a few things that made me promise never to get an inside cabin again. The first is that we didn't have the fresh air in the room that we were used to. It kind of started to feel like airplane air. It was really noticeable when we'd pass the open doors of balcony cabins being cleaned and get the fresh air. The second is that if I woke up in the middle of the night (which I often do) I had no idea if it was 2AM or 10AM because there was no natural light. (I tried the suggestion of leaving TV with the ship's webcam on but I just got the glow of the TV and not a pitch dark room like at night.)

 

But never say never because we did do a Bermuda cruise where we had an inside cabin - the price was just too unbeatable to pass up and it's actually a cruise that we probably wouldn't have taken if it weren't so cheap. Also it was late October from New York so not so warm for a few of the days. We were out of the cabin 90% of the time during the day, and my husband just spent his lazy days in the quiet area of the sauna spa. He would have preferred a balcony because he's practically allergic to people, but he survived. :p

 

Happy cruising whatever you choose!

[Theresa522]

You're missing out on an amazing experience sitting in your lounge chair, having a cup of coffee every morning or a glass of wine at night and just staring off at the beautiful ocean. No other way to cruise for us - we would never cruise in a room without a balcony even comped or at any price. That's just us - others may be fine in an inside but its part of what we enjoy most about cruising.

 

Totally agree. We prefer an aft balcony cabin or better. Although we don't spend a ton of time in our cabin we do spend enough time in it. We had a casino offer from Carnival for a free inside cabin but spent the extra $850 and got a suite instead. Well worth the money for the extra space and HUGE balcony. IMPO there is nothing better but to each there own!! :D

Edited September 17, 2014 by Theresa522

[cruisecritiquer]

Hi OP,

 

If it's the expense and you are happy with inside but would like to try balcony on occasion, I suggest that you continue to book the balcony and then upgrade closer to sailing (if possible). A lot of times the balcony prices come down and you can upgrade for a small amount. We usually book a mini for us (last year we did the Haven) and an inside for the kiddos. I've been able to upgrade them from an inside to a mini for $100+ (can't remember exact number right now) just to give them a bit more space. That may not ALWAYS work because sometimes prices actually go up but if you are already happy with an inside, it may be worth the game to you to just wait and see what becomes available.

Edited September 17, 2014 by cruisecritiquer

[cperk97]

Everyone before me is correct. There really is no right or wrong. On our first cruise we had a port hole. We wouldn't do that again. (Do they even have port hole rooms anymore?) Next two cruises we had inside cabins. We were very happy with them. No kids and we were not there that much. The last cruise we got a balcony and sailing with kids. That little bit of "extra" room helps so much when everyone is trying to get ready to get to breakfast, dinner, show etc. Because we have kids and they go to bed a bit early we loved being able to sit on the balcony at night. But if we were to ever sail without the kids again I could go back to an inside cabin. But with some patience and research you can get a balcony for not much more than an inside. In the end it's all up to you and what makes you happy. Heck, your on a cruise, it's all good.

[Demonyte]

One thing I'd like to point out: for example AAAAAAAAAAmerican only talked about gain as in saving money but for many the terms "gain" and "value" can mean also other things besides money.

 

Just because somebody chooses to spend more money for their experience doesn't mean that they gain any less compared to the ones that choose to spend as little as possible on the cruise and buy shiny things with the rest.

 

For example lately I've started to focus on investing in experiences instead of objects that just fill up the apartment and are rarely used -- and I'm definitely not alone with this in my age group. As Bob Dylan sang: For the times they are a-changin'. ;)

Edited September 17, 2014 by Demonyte

[silvercrikhix]

No correcting or argument here either!

So glad you and and yours are happy with an inside cabin.

For us, that would never be okay, though.

While we enjoy other people & the social aspect available on cruises, we get plenty of that on land.

 

We enjoy the time together in our cabin and relaxing on the balcony.

We just had our 1st balcony room, after the 1st four cruises in suites and found that a regular balcony will be just fine in the future sometimes for us.

Although, we enjoy the extra space and perks of the suite life :)

 

Others may prefer to go go go like you, while we are not much into the pool games, shows, shopping etc....

We pretty much just eat, visit the casino, maybe the spa, maybe a trivia or bingo game, have a few drinks at a bar and that's it.

We cruise for our time together, either alone or with family/friends, and the port times.

 

It's just great that everyone can find the cabin that suits them best! :D

[callmehalia]

We enjoy a balcony for all the reasons already given. Plus I figure if one/both of us are really unlucky and get noro or a stomach bug, or even just a cold or twist an ankle or something, the access to some fresh air without leaving the cabin is a real plus.

[silvercrikhix]

One thing I'd like to point out: for example AAAAAAAAAAmerican only talked about gain as in saving money but for many the terms "gain" and "value" can mean also other things besides money.

 

Just because somebody chooses to spend more money for their experience doesn't mean that they gain any less compared to the ones that choose to spend as little as possible on the cruise and buy shiny things with the rest.

 

For example lately I've started to focus on investing in experiences instead of objects that just fill up the apartment and are rarely used -- and I'm definitely not alone with this in my age group. As Bob Dylan sang: For the times they are a-changin'. ;)

 

Very true!

No pictures or ship stuff after the first two cruises, for us.

I am about to start getting rid of much of our household "goods".

It's time to simplify everything in our life!

 

In the past few years we have begun to travel a lot, via both land & sea.

DH is about 3 years from retiring, so we have the extra money to do it, thankfully, and we figure that life can be gone just like that and if you want to do things and can do them now you should!

It's a big world out there and we want to see some of it, but we also value our comfort & privacy, and will pay more to ensure we have it!

[gra2172]

Just wondering what we are missing out on when it comes to rooms ... I know we are rookies when it comes to cruising, but, we just book an inside room and seem to have a whole lotta fun ... We went over our first cruise and found we spent minimum amounts of time in our room .. like sail off day, just put up stuff, showered and slept later ... around midnight or so ..then 1st cruise day, woke at 6 am. quick shower, coffee on pool deck, breakfast at 8, then changed clothes, swimming and buffet lunch, room at 5 ish, showered, back out , casino, exploring, ate dinner at 8 ish, lounge, comedy club, etc, etc, then sleep around midnight or 1 am, then, in am, shower, breakfast, excursion, back on ship later, shower, dinner, relaxed on deck, comedy club, karaoke laughs, etc, sleep midnight or so...

Was day after day like that, maybe it's us, but we really didn't spend much time in room .. is it cause we are new at it ?? Wife said she would sooner have a watch or some jewelry instead .. lol

what are missing out on ?? :)

 

Im with you. We got a balcony once as an upgrade and it was nice, but we found we have no need for it since we only sleep there. We just get an inside and save the money for a great excursion. :)

[rhelms]

I'm with you. Love a bargain, and the biggest bargain in the whole vacation world is an inside cabin on a cruise ship. Just wish my DW agreed! And for some inexplicable reason she gets more votes than me.

[mugtech]

And of course the balconies just became even more valuable to non-smokers with the new smoking rules in effect.

[swedish weave]

I'm with you. Love a bargain, and the biggest bargain in the whole vacation world is an inside cabin on a cruise ship. Just wish my DW agreed! And for some inexplicable reason she gets more votes than me.

 

If you ever find the reason for your loss of voting power, please post it for the benefit of the rest of us who are facing this dilemma !!!!

[arjay9]

Everyone cruises with different ideas of what type of vacation they are looking for. This is partly why I love cruising so much! In some ways you really get to choose your own adventure.

 

I mostly travel alone, and have chosen different cabin styles depending on what type of vacation I'm planning. For example last year I spent a month backpacking around Europe and then took the Epic TA home from Rome. I was able to book the cruise in two different sections. For the Rome -> Barcelona leg (4 days) I booked into a Studio. 100 sqft is small, but for the port intensive part of the cruise it was great. I really only slept and showered in the room & spent the days exploring the Med ports.

 

I then switched rooms for the official TA starting in Barcelona and was in a Balcony room for two weeks until we arrived in Miami. This part of my trip was much more laid back and I spent a large portion of my time sleeping & reading on my balcony and watching the Ocean. Both sections of my cruise were perfect & exactly what I wanted :)

 

Make your vacation what ever you want :) Enjoy! :)

[xenagurl]

Cruise how you like!!!

 

I enjoy the space of balconies and mini-suites but I like the quiet and dark that you can only get in an inside. I detest having to hear other people's voices when I'm on my balcony, and have light streaming in from their balconies at night, but it comes with the territory when I have one.

 

I've been on many cruises and as long as I'm enjoying myself that's the main thing. I will not pay for a suite on a main stream cruise line, I'd rather spend that money on renting a trawler with just me and my honey or traveling on a luxury line.

 

There are so many different room styles for varying personalities, whatever room you chose just make sure you love it for your needs.

 

As long as you're happy while cruising that's what counts. :)

[spidybabe]

We have sailed in aft balcony cabins, balconies, oceanview and inside cabins. Of course the better cabins are better, but we do not care as long as the ship doesn't sail without us. Insides are fine, any cabin is fine. We all get the same shows, food and entertainment, and we would rather spend the money elsewhere on the ship....or towards another cruise.

Safe sailing

[SissasMomE]

People who have crappy rooms tend to not spend much time in them. People who have nice rooms, think suites, spend much more time in the room.

 

I disagree with that. We have a 3 bedroom / 3 bathroom suite booked for our upcoming vacation in a resort. We do not plan to spend time indoors, but rather at the beach, pools, etc. I just can't fathom staying "inside" no matter how nice the suite is.

[swedish weave]

People who have crappy rooms tend to not spend much time in them. People who have nice rooms, think suites, spend much more time in the room.

 

I have made many cruises in inside cabins, but have never had a "crappy" one. If it ever happens, I will ask the steward to sanitize it or move me to another inside cabin.

 

How did you handle your problem with a "crappy" cabin ??????

[adivineeternity]

I'll be boarding my first cruise on Sunday and have a balcony thanks to the insistence of my boyfriend. He decided the extra cost of the balcony was worth it for both of us, giving me little say (I would have been fine with an OV). He is also far more likely to spend a bit of time each sea day on said balcony with a book because he prefers his own company to anybody else's, except for me. I love to read and I love to have my me-time, but I can go out and socialize far more readily than he can. I'm far more likely to meet people and set up social type things while he just sits in the background and gives me the "yes dear" smile and nod before turning back to his book.

Edited September 17, 2014 by adivineeternity

[scm200]

I have made many cruises in inside cabins, but have never had a "crappy" one. If it ever happens, I will ask the steward to sanitize it or move me to another inside cabin.

 

How did you handle your problem with a "crappy" cabin ??????

 

 

we have stayed in both inside and balcony cabins, never had a CRAPPY inside cabin - small yes, crappy no...

[tarps14]

If you ever find the reason for your loss of voting power, please post it for the benefit of the rest of us who are facing this dilemma !!!!

 

Happy wife, happy life.

[ClarkBHM]

On our first cruise, my wife and I shared a tiny cabin with a porthole on one of old Windjammer ships, the Yankee Clipper. We felt uber cramped, but then again, those cabins weren't designed for much more than sleeping anyway. So, for our second cruise, on the Adventure of the Seas, we opted for a balcony cabin where we spent a great deal of time on the balcony, enjoying the views and the fresh air in out own little private world. We ate breakfast on our balcony almost every day and we had a great time.

 

Fast forward a bit and for our third cruise on the Gem, we had two kids with us, and were able to upgrade from a mini-suite to a 2-BR family suite. Great cabin and we loved every minute of it. The space was amazing and we spent a decent amount of time in there, especially because the kids were going to bed somewhat early (by 9) or taking afternoon naps. The extra space allowed us to stay up and watch movies, read, etc., without bothering the kids. Their cabin was the equivalent of an "inside" and was pitch black in the evening, meaning that they actually slept in every morning (a rarity). Oddly though, we hardly ever used the balcony on the suite. I think that all of the extra space inside the suite negated the need to spend a lot of time on the balcony.

 

For our upcoming cruise on the Dawn, we went ahead and got the 2-BR family suite again because it was just that amazing. But if I was travelling without the kids, I'd probably go back to a balcony room.

 

So, I think a lot depends on you, your situation, your financial resources, your personal needs, and who you are travelling with. Experiment around, see what you like. Maybe it's more worthwhile to you to take more cruises in a cheaper category room. That's great! Maybe you want the added benefits that a balcony or suite bring. That's fine too. The nice thing about most ships is that they have a category to suit every need.

[bangzoom6877]

DH and I always asked our TA for the lowest priced cabin mid-ship for the two of us, before we had kids. That was usually an inside cabin, but one time an oceanview. With our kids now, we always ask for the lowest priced adjoining cabins, mid-ship. One time that was adjoining ocean view cabins on the lowest deck. Last year it was two insides a few decks up. Next year on the Breakaway it will be 2 insides on deck 12. We don't care, just want to be on the ship. It also suits us financially because we like to indulge in other things on our vacation like the spa pass for both of us, some of the extra camp events that the kids like to attend that cost money, exploring the ports we go to, and of course having some wonderful drinks and going to a specialty restaurant or two.

 

Everyone is different and that's why cruises are so great since there's so much variety!