Cabin. Do you cruise inside, balcony, suite???

[geordiebing]

I often see posts where people say they will never cruise in a cabin below "balcony" class. Others say they will never cruise in less than a suite. Since all of the cabins usually sell out I have to wonder if CC people are all much more affluent than I or if the "inside people" just tend not to mention what type of cabin they book.

 

It's hard being "poor" but at least my wife and I do get to cruise. I had to put "poor" in quotes because anybody who can afford to cruise at all really doesn't qualify. I grew up poor and cruising was not something that would even have been on the radar. Heck, the radar wasn't even checking out the same galaxy let alone anything possible. I am pretty pleased that we can cruise at all. I loved our balcony doing SF/Hawaii and really loved C752 as an aft-facing balcony on our last cruise up to Vancouver but I won't restrict my cruising to only balcony or above. I'm booked in an obstructed OV for my next cruise and the one I have booked next year is 17 days in an inside. I'd rather cruise inside than not cruise at all! (Our first cruise was in an inside way forward and way high and we hit rough seas so the ship was rocking and rolling. No matter, that cruise hooked me!)

 

There are those who never book a balcony and think it's a waste but there's nothing quite like waking up in the night, going out on your aft-facing balcony, and sitting there looking at a full moon over the wake. WOW!!! I had no idea it would affect me the way it did... There are also those who "will never book anything blow a balcony" or will "never book anything but a suite" and, to those people, I say, "Congratulations!" but, although I don't begrudge those folks their suites, I simply don't have that kind of money. Heck, I'm a state employee! :rolleyes:

 

What type of cruiser are you? Are you a cruiser who must have a balcony or mni-suite or who must have a suite or are you content with an obstructed OV, an unobstructed OV or an inside?

 

I don't intend to judge folks on this I'm just curious. If you always book an inside or always book a suite it doesn't matter to me as far as who you are. I'm just a nosey old man and am curious as to the mix of people here. :D (I suspect there are a fair number of "inside only" cruisers here but most just don't say anything about it because it isn't important to them.)

 

 

 

 

We In England don't seem to get the offers that are available in America,our offers are with PO Cruises,the sister cruises line, and cruising with them it does matter on stateroom. A lot of their passengers are a bit snobbish and tent to look down their noses at you if you say your below balcony class.

For that reason although English we always cruise Princess and have been in Balcony, OV and Inside but are always treated the same by the much more friendly American

[deborahjo]

We have cruised inside cabins on Carnival. But we get 4 j cabins that have large picture windows. Love them.

 

Sailing on the Coral to Alaska in a balcony next September. We have had one before on Disney and we did not use it much. But I can see us using it a lot more on an Alaskan cruise.

 

 

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[Rosethorn40]

On our first cruise together I picked an inside, even though my then fiancé, now husband offered to pay for a balcony (I didn't want him to think I was only interested in his wallet). After that it was almost always insides; we once got an obstructed view for the same price as an inside, and for our 5th wedding anniversary we had a suite.

 

On a Carnival ship I was able to upgrade to a large picture widow for $24, which was very nice as the cabin was huge, and on our last cruise we got a balcony because of a promo being run (1st PAX full price, 2nd PAX 1/2 price) that made it affordable. However, while nice, I am a little sorry I paid the extra price. It was so warm and muggy-Caribbean in late August, that we didn't use it much.

 

We took a river cruise this past April and I am very happy that I booked us in a veranda cabin even though it was considerably more expensive, but on our European river cruise in December (To celebrate anniversary #10) I booked a lower category window. Who needs a balcony in December?

 

And finally on our Baltic's cruise coming up in June I am very happy I booked an inside after realizing that in June the sun doesn't set until late, and comes up very early in the morning in that part of the world.

 

Cabin type/location mean almost nothing to me. I am just happy to be going someplace.

[Pookie718]

I've been fortunate enough to have had them all. Just being able to afford to cruise is a blessing! I was fortunate to have been able to take my immediate family 2 years ago on a Carnival cruise, and we had everything from an inside to a balcony. No one minded what they received as they all had a blast!

 

I do love the balcony, but the price in my opinion must be justified. I have a Ruby Princess cruise coming up very soon in which I booked an obstructed OV guarantee, but ended up in a full oceanview. The price was phenomenal. I keep eyeing the balconies, but the prices are more than I am willing to spend. I'll keep the extra for onboard spending, etc.

 

I too think the itinerary greatly influences my decision as to what category I book. So far, I have had pretty good luck with guarantee cabins. Usually, the prices are a bit lower, and as long as I am cruising I am happy anywhere!

 

Penny

[Tophat4321]

We have only cruised in balcony,mini or suites. We love the sea air and the views.

[MrKenFL]

After our 1st 2 cruises, where we had an ocean view, and did not enjoy the spartan accomodations of the bathrooms we decided to try a mini-suite.

Just love the much nicer accomodations (room) in the bathroom, the sitting room and , of course, the balcony. Reminds me of my Navy days, sitting on the deck just watching the world go buy ! Love the ocean !

We have always booked the lowest category mini and, fortunately, have been upgraded to a better location category.

Fortunately we can afford a cruise a year in a mini !

[beckntom]

I guess we HAVE to do Obstructed View cabins only.:D

 

Theo

 

Sent from my GT-P7510

 

It definitely wouldn't be right otherwise!

[Cruise_Christy]

Personally I would always cruise in a balcony now. I will search around and find the right itinerary, ship and cabin that we can afford and if we have to wait a bit longer to afford a balcony then that's what we'll do.

 

We spend a lot of time sitting out on the balcony having a drink, having a coffee, reading books or sorting out photos on the laptop. We even get room service at least a couple of nights and depending on the cruise line will do balcony dining where available. We definitely get our moneys worth out of a balcony. I'm also an early riser and there's something special about waking up in the morning and just throwing open the doors and watching the world go by (whilst hubbie sleeps on, oblivious..)

 

My first balcony was on the Caribbean Princess on the Norwegian Fjords and North Cape trip and we used it so much, since then I haven't been able to imagine going back to not having one.

 

Now the actual size of the inside part of the cabin I couldn't care less about as long as it has a bed, a toilet and a shower, so a suite would not be good value for money for us as we don't need any extra space or cabin features.

[redtogo]

As long as I am on the ship, that's all that really matters. Once you leave your room, no one, except you, knows where your cabin is.

 

we have had a porthole cabin (I won the cruise), an inside cabin, many balconies, minisuites....next cruise we have a grand suite, through an upsell offer. Itinerary and price help dictate what we book. Alaska and Panama Canal ......... definitely a balcony.

 

Any room is fine as long as it is on a ship!!

Edited October 26, 2014 by redtogo

[Cobraman]

We spend alot of sea time and even some port calls on our balcony, so for that reason we always book aft suites. We prefer the extra room and the location.

[Dorset Cruiser]

We always like a balcony but have cruised in inside and outside. If it were not for 'chairhogs' on the sundecks and in the buffets, we would be quite happy with an outside cabin (could not sail inside now), but we very often find we have great difficulty finding a sunbed or a buffet seat and know that we can retreat to our balcony if needed.

 

 

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[hllwdcruiser]

We've been in all but a full suite. We use the balcony a lot so it would be hard to go back.

Living 5 mins from the port in the winter months means that we get to take advantage of great last minute deals. On a cruise last February we snagged a mini two weeks before sail date for far less than the original fares for the inside cabins.

However, we never use the couch or extra space in the minis except to store packages etc. On our last cruise, I "forced" myself to sit on the couch for half an hour to at least feel like it was worthwhile. We do like the tub and the extra space in the bathroom though and will miss it on our Alaska voyage.

Would love to be able to afford a full suite - but that is never going to happen unless we win the lottery!

[Cruisa Loosa]

Interesting to hear what people select. We had a mini suite on our first cruise on Princess as we booked late and that was all there was left. It was a real treat but don't think we would bother spending the money again.

Like others have said, it has a lot to do with the itinerary. We have had obstructed view for Caribbean and for a 28 day in South Pacific, mainly because we like to spend time out on the deck, in the pool or strolling the promenade.

Went to Alaska last summer and booked a balcony and it was well worth it as we were on it all the time enjoying the ever changing views. Too cool for pool sitting anyway.

We have a 22 day Mediterranean coming up next summer and have booked a balcony again so we can enjoy the scenery. It will be killer hot so expect to be at the pool a lot too, but there is nothing like relaxing on the balcony with a drink at sail away after a long day on an excursion. Love going out on the balcony when we are entering or leaving a port, or just to sit and enjoy a sunset or some quiet time.

But...all that being said, we are like others who would take any cabin we could afford if it meant going on a cruise. We are thoroughly hooked and fortunately retired so we can take advantage of last minute deals.

After a many years of stress working and raising a family, being able to cruise and see the world is a wonderful experience and we are very, very lucky to be able to do this a couple of times a year. As long as our health allows we will cruise as much as we can.

Happy cruising everyone!

[dorisis]

Haven't come across those yet, what boats are they on?

 

We have been in a window suite and were happy with it. They are on the Caribbean Princess and on the Golden and Grand.

 

We have cruised in every kind of cabin from inside with bunk beds to Owners suit. I would choose a large suite everytime if it were available and I felt it was a good value. Now we book accessible cabins becuse we need the room for the scooter my husband needs. Suites and accesible cabins usually have to be booked very early and sometimes we just take what we can get when we book last minute for a getaway cruise at a bargain price.

 

Cruises are like life and what you make of it.

[redtogo]

Think I might have managed to confuse Diamond and Golden Princesses! My apologies, thank goodness someone else is alert!

 

Crochetcruise :o

 

Someone correct me if I'm confused. Wasn't the Diamond supposed to be named the Golden, but something happened and it was named the Diamond when building it was completed?

 

So, CrochetCruise, maybe you have heard that, too.

[JimmyVWine]

My wife insists on natural light and a view of the horizon to keep her acclimated, if you will. And she greatly prefers a bathtub to a "shower only". Add to the equation that we travel as a family of three and need enough room for all of us and that all adds up to a Mini-Suite on Princess for us. Disney has nice cabins that fit the bill, but are pricey and we have outgrown the DCL at-mouse-phere. Surprisingly few cruise lines have spacious cabins like the Minis on Princess with sofas and bathtubs that are priced below the "suite" level. So Princess keeps winning us back. Once we are empty nesters (assuming college tuition does not drain our vacation allowance) I will re - evaluate the need for extra space and will see if my wife can re - evaluate her need for a tub. If so, I would be perfectly willing to move down to a standard balcony or an unobstructed OV. We'll see.

[redtogo]

maybe it was the Sapphire....

[HRPro]

We have sailed everything except a full suite and an inside. We prefer a mini-suite for the extra room and tub in the bathroom and really enjoy a balcony for sails a ways and coming into port. I'll be trying an inside on the Royal next summer for a British Isles cruise since it will be just be me and our granddaughter , and it's a very port intensive cruise. We'll see how we manage an inside, but I'm quite sure DH will always prefer the mini suite as we have gotten spoiled by the extra room.

[Wavey]

We always book an inside cabin and are quite happy just to be cruising. We have been on a number of 7 day cruises where we have paid anywhere from $350-500 per person while balcony cabins were going for $800-900 per person. For the difference we can go on an entire second cruise.

[PrincessMelody]

We always like to cruise in a mini suite. Our upcoming Regal cruises we are a trying out a balcony cabin for the first time. :)

[dfields1814]

We always sail with a balcony. My wife won't sail with anything else. She gets motion sickness and the fresh air is major help. We once had a mini suite. That was nice. But we can't afford that because we take longer cruises.

[Cruise Raider]

We cruise in anything from an inside to a mini-suite. All of our next 4 cruises we have booked are below a balcony (3 oceanview and 1 inside midship).

We have been in inside cabins several times and nothing special except for one on Celebrity, which was the best cabin on the ship IMHO. It was a large inside cabin, much larger as it was added late. It was right across from the elevator vestibule, which was on the hump with amazing floor to ceiling glass windows. At first I thought it was behind a divider wall and when I saw my door opened right up to this area, I thought I made a huge mistake. Not so at all. This elevator bank did not seem to get much use at all. We oftentimes used the little seating area off to the side of the elevators for reading, having our morning coffee, evening cocktails, meeting our cruise mates, etc. It ended up being dubbed 'the lounge'. One of the best room choices ever.

We've also sailed many times on the Emerald deck and not all obstructed ocean view rooms are created equal....some have a cable or two hanging down and the location is so desirable for us.

If not too much more, we book a balcony, but it all depends on pricing. If we want to splurge, we will get a mini ... those are the best if you are traveling with friends instead of your significant other.

The inside and ocean view allow us to travel more frequently so that is why we book them. Will probably never try a suite, as that would probably mean we couldn't do another one that entire year. :eek:

[smtcan]

We usually cruise in either inside or balcony cabins depending upon price and itinerary. Ocean view doesn't really appeal - if we can't have fresh air we might as well be inside. We will choose inside for very port intensive cruises, when we know we will be off the ship most days, and balconies if there are multiple sea days in a warm climate.

 

We had a surprise upgrade on Royal Princess in the Baltic, and while we enjoyed the balcony we didn't use it enough to justify it if there had been an extra cost. Our lines of choice are Celebrity and Princess and of the twenty plus cruises we have taken, roughly half have been balconies. I doubt if we will ever book a suite. We do not need the additional space and would rather have more cruises for the money.

[rogerdawhip]

I always cruise solo and prefer the obstructed view cabins...they have only a 60% single premium. I used to always get inside but like to be wakened by natural light from the window. On more than on occasion I've been upgraded to an unobstructed view or balcony. I would love to always cruise in a balcony cabin but the 100% premium prices me out.

Edited October 26, 2014 by rogerdawhip

[4cats4me]

I often see posts where people say they will never cruise in a cabin below "balcony" class. Others say they will never cruise in less than a suite. Since all of the cabins usually sell out I have to wonder if CC people are all much more affluent than I or if the "inside people" just tend not to mention what type of cabin they book.

 

It's hard being "poor" but at least my wife and I do get to cruise. I had to put "poor" in quotes because anybody who can afford to cruise at all really doesn't qualify. I grew up poor and cruising was not something that would even have been on the radar. Heck, the radar wasn't even checking out the same galaxy let alone anything possible. I am pretty pleased that we can cruise at all. I loved our balcony doing SF/Hawaii and really loved C752 as an aft-facing balcony on our last cruise up to Vancouver but I won't restrict my cruising to only balcony or above. I'm booked in an obstructed OV for my next cruise and the one I have booked next year is 17 days in an inside. I'd rather cruise inside than not cruise at all! (Our first cruise was in an inside way forward and way high and we hit rough seas so the ship was rocking and rolling. No matter, that cruise hooked me!)

 

There are those who never book a balcony and think it's a waste but there's nothing quite like waking up in the night, going out on your aft-facing balcony, and sitting there looking at a full moon over the wake. WOW!!! I had no idea it would affect me the way it did... There are also those who "will never book anything blow a balcony" or will "never book anything but a suite" and, to those people, I say, "Congratulations!" but, although I don't begrudge those folks their suites, I simply don't have that kind of money. Heck, I'm a state employee! :rolleyes:

 

What type of cruiser are you? Are you a cruiser who must have a balcony or mni-suite or who must have a suite or are you content with an obstructed OV, an unobstructed OV or an inside?

 

I don't intend to judge folks on this I'm just curious. If you always book an inside or always book a suite it doesn't matter to me as far as who you are. I'm just a nosey old man and am curious as to the mix of people here. :D (I suspect there are a fair number of "inside only" cruisers here but most just don't say anything about it because it isn't important to them.)

 

We book different categories depending on itinerary, needs, et cet. We last booked an inside for $499 pp for an Alaskan cruise. We never feel the need for a balcony on Alaskan itineraries since we'd rather be up on top deck enjoying nature ;). However, on Caribbean itineraries we enjoy a balcony since we will tend to use it much more often. We've also booked balconies when sailing with 3 other couples and feel it's a waste since we're out and about all day wth friends, mainly by the pool. So if it is just DH and myself, most likely the balcony or obstructed O/view. We also have booked mini suites and full suites too but feel fir us that the full suite was a waste of money.:eek: