Interior or Balcony cabin for Med cruise

[steelhead1]

We are looking for input from seasoned med cruisers as to whether to go with a balcony or inside cabin. We will be on the Island Princess 12 day on Oct 13TH with 3 sea days and an overnite in Venice. Currently a balcony is about a $1000.00 more, money that could be spent elsewhere. We always book balcony cabins, but with a port intensive cruise like this is it worth it?

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I did an oceanview on our 12 night with only 2 sea days, we were barely in the cabin except to sleep, spend the $$$ on excursions instead ;)

[paul929207]

We like to sit on the balcony late afternoon and early evening. We enjoy the sailaway.

[trabeler]

We had a balcony on our last Med cruise and didn't use it enough to justify the extra cost. It was nice for the Venice sail in and sail out, however I ended up on deck anyways for most of it so I could get a wider view and move around.

[Hawaiidan]

your going to be off shore and see zip. Being a port intensive you will be off the ship 8-9 hours a day and asleep 8 hours ,and eating drinking for 3 hours That's 19 out of 24...... so you have maybe 4- 5 hours tops to enjoy paying 30 to 40% more... ...To me its throwing away money with no real return

 

Save money for shore ex and splurges out side the cabin..... Heck spend the money on a business class air...and arrive totally relaxed flying in a lie flat bed.

That will have more of a benefit than a bed and shower on the ship

[BroncoLvrs]

The Island has great views in the far aft. Not sure if Caribe and Dolphin will still have the aft area after the refurb but it looks like Emerald has room. We've spent many hours watching the sea go by from the aft area. Spend the money on excursions!

[2pbears]

You will get responses from both ends of the pole on this. There are a lot of people who feel that a balcony is a waste of money as they spend very little time in their room other than to sleep. That is a valid response. There are also people like us who have always booked a balcony cabin and would probably be unhappy without our balcony---also a valid argument.

 

A Med cruise is very port intensive and you will be going in October so the weather may be cool-ish. There are lots of expensive shore excursions in the Med that can require a lot more cash than many other cruises. If I were you I would weigh just how attached you are to a balcony cabin against the questions of how much time you will spend on the balcony given the time constraints and the weather. Then make your decision.

 

Personally we went for the balcony in the Med and enjoyed every minute of it ;) Enjoy your cruise.

[Coveguy4]

I've done the Med itinerary twice in a balcony. The next time will most likely be in an OV. Loved the balcony and used it every day but I think if I wanted to trim down the cost I would give up the balcony, and keep business class air and enjoy the excursions which are offered.

[icat2000]

Well it comes down to do you really want to spend the extra $$$$ on a balcony cabin. As another poster said if your going in October and the weather is coolish how much use would you get out of the balcony cabin.

[Colo Cruiser]

The Island has great views in the far aft. Not sure if Caribe and Dolphin will still have the aft area after the refurb but it looks like Emerald has room. We've spent many hours watching the sea go by from the aft area. Spend the money on excursions!

 

 

That aft view will be going away after the extensive drydock in May. :(

Check out the new deck plans. No more wrap around Promenade and aft viewing areas to name a few negatives.

[mek]

I've cruised Europe many times and most have been in inside cabins. A couple of OV's, but never a balcony, ( and I do like and book balconies - just not with port intensive itineraries.) Many ports in the Med are just industrial, with not much to look at. After a full day of sightseeing, getting ready for dinner and a show, we go to bed early and don't stay up late like we do in the Caribbean where we do spend a lot of time on our balcony. Even if you are going into a spectacular port like Venice, the view is so much better up on deck. Book the inside and save the money for excursions.

[Barbie075]

As most people have stated, even with three sea days, you have a very part intensive cruise. We had a balcony and hardly ever used it. The money would have been better spent on our shore excursions. If I did a similar cruise again, I would get and OV room.

 

It would be the first OV room for us as we have either had mini-suites or balcony rooms. But I would not think twice about it. Just too busy to really spend any time on the balcony. When at sea we just found places on deck to relax and enjoy the day.

 

Whatever, choice you make, I am sure you will just love the cruise -- it was one of our favorites. In the Italian ports we used Rome in Limo for our tours. One company to work with and they have very knowledgeable tour guides and drivers. We had six of us and the cost per person was significantly less than the Princess tours and we saw a lot more as we did not have a large group to wait on at every stop.

[sunsetbeachgal]

You will spend a lot on a Med. Cruise on excursions, pre/post hotels, food on shore, souvenirs, etc., so that money will go a long way...also air to Europe is quite expensive.

 

But, a balcony is really nice in the Med., especially to sit and relax with a glass of wine after a long day of touring. Some of the views are wonderful and memorable! These are some of our best memories!

 

Good luck and enjoy, whatever you decide on.

Edited December 7, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[BJS]

Yes, a balcony is worth it!!!

 

We tried an inside for a week long cruise, glad it wasn't longer, to see if we could cut down costs and possibly take more cruises and it was the worst cruise ever. We learned fast that we didn't even want to enter the room to sleep because the walls closed in on us without a window. Putting on the TV to the bridge cam didn't work at all for us.:(

 

Some people chose only an inside no matter what the cruise itinerary but we have decided if we can't afford to cruise in something other than an inside we'd rather stay at home.

 

If we were going to the Med again it would be a balcony or mini-suite just to be able to relax with that port intensive itinerary.

 

Having said that my advice would be to try it and see how you feel about it but 12 days is a long time if you reach the same conclusion that we did and it might bring back negative rather than positive memories of the cruise. You might want to try a very short cruise prior to that one to see how you feel about an inside stateroom.

Edited December 7, 2014 by BJS

[Essiesmom]

Last year, I had an inside booked (Celebrity). A few days later, they had a special, balcony gty same price as inside. I jumped on it. The year before, we did 24 days on HAL in an inside. Both cruses sailed from Venice. We were on deck forsailaway, not on balcony. EM

[Shogun]

Hi

 

Done both would not pay extra for a balcony only ever used it for a few hours we sailed late in year so early dark, and a few days just to windy or rain,

 

Yours Shogun

 

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[rdsqrl]

It's not an either-or choice; you've constructed a false dichotomy. Why not book an obstructed oceanview? There are many that aren't completely obstructed and they're generally not that much more than an inside. A totally-unobstructed oceanview is pricier, of course -- although still not up near a balcony price.

 

Sure, the ports may not be scenic but there's no way I can survive not being able to see outside, even at night. I need light. Even if I'm just looking at an industrial port. They have their own charms, too.

[Proud Grandparents]

We are looking for input from seasoned med cruisers as to whether to go with a balcony or inside cabin. We will be on the Island Princess 12 day on Oct 13TH with 3 sea days and an overnite in Venice. Currently a balcony is about a $1000.00 more, money that could be spent elsewhere. We always book balcony cabins, but with a port intensive cruise like this is it worth it?

 

We have done this cruise and booked an obstructed view and were very happy. The money saved we used on the excursions (which are not cheap). I would suggest being on the deck when you enter Venice as it will be memorable. You will spend very little time in your cabin other than to sleep.

[mek]

It's not an either-or choice; you've constructed a false dichotomy. Why not book an obstructed oceanview? There are many that aren't completely obstructed and they're generally not that much more than an inside. A totally-unobstructed oceanview is pricier, of course -- although still not up near a balcony price.

 

Sure, the ports may not be scenic but there's no way I can survive not being able to see outside, even at night. I need light. Even if I'm just looking at an industrial port. They have their own charms, too.

 

We frequently book obstructed view cabins on Princess, but you do have to study deck plans and look at exterior photos carefully if you don't want to be stuck behind a lifeboat or a big white box.

[eandj]

Because you are asking about the cost value, I think you would be just fine going with an ocean view, not balcony. That's a big difference in rates. 99% of the time, we choose a balcony because we actually spend a lot of time out there. But, we chose oceanview for the Fjords and it was just fine. Rarely in the room due to long days at port. I couldn't choose an inside. My body needs a natural light clock.

Altho the day temps could be beautiful at that time, the late afternoons get cool and actually cold if the ship is moving.

Best views are always up on a deck.

Excursions (I hope you choose private for the better value) can really add up. That's where I'd use that extrra money saved on that particular itinerary.

Edited December 8, 2014 by eandj

[Hawaiidan]

Because you are asking about the cost value, I think you would be just fine going with an ocean view, not balcony. That's a big difference in rates. 99% of the time, we choose a balcony because we actually spend a lot of time out there. But, we chose oceanview for the Fjords and it was just fine. Rarely in the room due to long days at port. I couldn't choose an inside. My body needs a natural light clock.

Altho the day temps could be beautiful at that time, the late afternoons get cool and actually cold if the ship is moving.

Best views are always up on a deck.

Excursions (I hope you choose private for the better value) can really add up. That's where I'd use that extrra money saved on that particular itinerary.

 

Its not the carribe or mexico.... Rome can easily ofr a private tour cost $600 for 2, Turkey...$250, Venice $300. Florence $400. for 2

[cruisequeen4ever]

We booked an Inside for last summer's Med cruise to save money. With it being a port intensive cruise, we thought it prudent to put our money more toward shore excursions. As the cruise approached, I did feel kind of sad that we wouldn't have a balcony, but then guess what happened?? We got an upsell offer!! We accepted it and SO treasured the glorious views. True, we did not spend as much time on the balcony as on a regular cruise, BUT waking up to Stromboli, Vesuvius, and sailing by Capri at sunset were memories of a lifetime! If I were you, I would book an Inside or Obstructed Oceanview to save money and then hope for an upsell or upgrade.

* Disclaimer- Obviously there's no guarantee of getting an upsell or upgrade; be content with what you book.

 

Happy sailing! Europe was amazing!!

[Mommypig]

Port intensive cruises we like interior. We aren't in the stateroom much, and when we are we are pooped. Cruises with lots of sea days are nice for balcony staterooms because of the long lazy days.

 

 

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[Grammyluvs]

We booked a Caribe balcony portside on our cruise of the Med on the Ruby. Cannot say enough how much we enjoyed it. We had coffee every morning on the balcony, watched sail-a-ways from the balcony, had happy hour on the balcony and loved looking at the stars on the balcony. The cruise is very port intensive but the balcony was the first thing we went to upon awakening and coming back from port excursions. We loved it. The views arriving in Istanbul alone were worth it. We also went to Monte Carlo and I will never forget pulling the curtain back that morning and seeing all the yachts, etc. It was breathtaking. If you can afford it without skimping on your excursions, I say go for it.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Grammyluvs

[eandj]

Its not the carribe or mexico.... Rome can easily ofr a private tour cost $600 for 2, Turkey...$250, Venice $300. Florence $400. for 2

 

Your point? :confused:

 

The private company tours in Europe are a much better experience and value than any ship coach bus tours. Use the roll call board, build your own group of 8, and get to twice as much than a ship sponsored tour of 65 cruisers.:) Those big buses can't get near the narrow streets in Italy or Spain especially.