Is balcony stateroom worth it??

[oldmom]

We almost always get a balcony- It was almost a necessity when our son was young and cruised with us-we would sit out on the balcony in the early morning and talk and relax while he could get some much needed extra sleep for the busy day-made for a much happier rested child! So it was worth it and it made the usable cabin space seem much larger-one of us could rest outside while the other got dressed and ready for dinner. But now that it is just the 2 of us-it is not so important. If it is in the spring or summer with lots of daylight- we usually do a balcony. We are doing a cruise in December this year-the sunsets at 530pm-600pm. We have 3 port days-2 full sea days-so we would have limited time to sit outside for the view- for $500 more - at least-it is not worth it to us this time. And it can be hard to relax on your balcony if you have loud neighbors outside at the same time-you can see each other and hear each other-so it is not really a totally private balcony-depends on your neighbors- on each side-above you and below you.

[Aquahound]

TOTALLY worth it. :)

[JimAOk1945]

We're looking at a Panama Canal for next year. We always, always get a balcony except in this case. Balcony: $12,000. Ocean view: $5,100. You do the math.

 

We did a partial Panama Canal transit with a balcony, and we used the balcony a lot, every day. We will do a full transit in the near future, and will have a balcony again.

 

If I have to do the math for any given cruise, then I know I can't afford it.

 

A balcony is an option, not a necessity.

[SeagoingMom]

I think the value of a balcony may be correlated to whether you tend to be an introvert or an extrovert while cruising. For example, my husband and I cruise to "get away from it all," and like to keep to ourselves, relax and focus on each other; we are not the sorts who love to be in the center of the action on a cruise ship. We always book a balcony so we have a private place to be outside and to enjoy the sea, the weather, peace and quiet, and each other. I have read many posts by cruisers who book inside cabins because "all they use the cabin for is to sleep." We are not those people!

 

If you are the sort of person who wants to always be "where the action is" onboard, I would recommend an inside (or window) cabin, because they are less expensive, allowing you to cruise more often than those of us who will not cruise without a balcony. I recommend that if you have already cruised in inside or oceanview cabins and are happy with those accommodations, DON'T try a balcony cabin -- why "fix" something that ain't broke? Save your money!!

 

I personally would not book a cabin without a balcony. I must have access to the sea. This is why I cruise -- for the sea. (I don't cruise for the lido pool, the climbing wall, the trivia contests, or the outdoor theater.) I prefer to have my sea access private, and therefore, I book balcony cabins only. Yes, we make use of outside public decks -- we prefer ships which have wraparound outside promenade decks --but we still must have our balcony.

 

I just think you know if you must have it. If you are questioning it, you probably don't need it! JMO.

 

(And just so other posters don't feel it necessary to comment on the fact that cruise ship balconies are never truly "private:" security cameras run along the outside of the ship, and often, neighboring balconies or public decks overlook cabin balconies. Yes, I know that. But our balcony is "private" in the sense that no one else sets foot on it unless we invite them.)

[notentirelynormal]

I think the value of a balcony may be correlated to whether you tend to be an introvert or an extrovert while cruising. For example, my husband and I cruise to "get away from it all," and like to keep to ourselves, relax and focus on each other; we are not the sorts who love to be in the center of the action on a cruise ship. We always book a balcony so we have a private place to be outside and to enjoy the sea, the weather, peace and quiet, and each other. I have read many posts by cruisers who book inside cabins because "all they use the cabin for is to sleep." We are not those people!

 

If you are the sort of person who wants to always be "where the action is" onboard, I would recommend an inside (or window) cabin, because they are less expensive, allowing you to cruise more often than those of us who will not cruise without a balcony. I recommend that if you have already cruised in inside or oceanview cabins and are happy with those accommodations, DON'T try a balcony cabin -- why "fix" something that ain't broke? Save your money!!

 

I personally would not book a cabin without a balcony. I must have access to the sea. This is why I cruise -- for the sea. (I don't cruise for the lido pool, the climbing wall, the trivia contests, or the outdoor theater.) I prefer to have my sea access private, and therefore, I book balcony cabins only. Yes, we make use of outside public decks -- we prefer ships which have wraparound outside promenade decks --but we still must have our balcony.

 

I just think you know if you must have it. If you are questioning it, you probably don't need it! JMO.

 

(And just so other posters don't feel it necessary to comment on the fact that cruise ship balconies are never truly "private:" security cameras run along the outside of the ship, and often, neighboring balconies or public decks overlook cabin balconies. Yes, I know that. But our balcony is "private" in the sense that no one else sets foot on it unless we invite them.)

 

You make a good addition to how I feel. You explained perfectly why I think so many of us want those balconies. We've been married over 40 years and I still want that quiet time with DH and he is happy wherever I am. Having the ocean in the background makes it perfect.

[squick64]

I've been on 3 cruises (with a 4th booked for next year). I've had 2 inside cabins and 1 balcony. The insides were booked for me by my parents, who had balconies across the hall that I could visit.

 

The balcony I booked for myself, traveling alone, despite the expense, because it was Alaska. It was nice to have, but I honestly don't spend that much time in my room. I did sit out there and have room service breakfast (I ordered way too much, LOL), but it was a bit cool out, and I didn't see much. I also saw ports and sunsets and things from it, but it didn't entirely "make" the cruise. In the end, I'm mostly by the pool or drinking or whatever--even with Alaska, we were on the upper decks rather than on our balconies when it came time to watch the glaciers calving and stuff. As I said, it really depends on how much time you spend in the room. My parents are dedicated balcony users because they do spend time in the room, reading or on a laptop or something.

 

On the other hand, from the perspective of a 2-time inside cabin tenant, it sucks to not be able to see the sun when you wake up. You wake up in an entirely dark room and look at your phone to see that it's 7 or 8 or whatever, but you can't see that, and that kind of sucks. Even just having a window might be nice.

[Warm Breezes]

To us, yes. Plus we've seen dolphins on each balcony we've had, so DW won't let me book anything else:o. Personally we like them closer to the water. I agree with leaveitallbehind, book one and see if you like it. If you don't think it's worth it then next time you can book an inside or ocean view.

 

How have you been so lucky as to see dolphins on all your balcony's?? The only thing I have seen from mine so far are millions of jellyfish in the Gulf and a stingray and turtle when we were in port in Cozumel. I'm hoping to see some whales on our trip to Canada next month....but I'm not holding my breath. I wish I had your luck with the animals.

[sparks1093]

How have you been so lucky as to see dolphins on all your balcony's?? The only thing I have seen from mine so far are millions of jellyfish in the Gulf and a stingray and turtle when we were in port in Cozumel. I'm hoping to see some whales on our trip to Canada next month....but I'm not holding my breath. I wish I had your luck with the animals.

 

I really don't know, but we've only had balconies twice so we aren't talking a large number of opportunities. In all my years in the Navy I only saw dolphins from my ship once- when we were pulling out of Norfolk on my last ship we had a small pod at the bow leading us out to sea. Of course I never spent too much time topside when we were underway which limited opportunities to view anything.

[Jackytar]

As others have said, in the end it comes down to your budget and what else you want to spend money on as well.

 

For me, the balcony on the QM2 from New York to Southampton was absolutely worth it. I've been in the Navy 20+ years, and there aren't any windows or balconies for us, so when I'm a passenger on one of those floating palaces, absolutely I want a balcony. Having breakfast on it... having lunch, spending a lazy afternoon reading... having a late evening snack on it... Definitely worth it to me.

[cruznjan]

Morning coffee on your balcony, with the sunrise or watching the sunset, it doesn't get much better than that in my opinion. Plus the fresh air.

 

Amen!

[SeagoingMom]

As others have said, in the end it comes down to your budget and what else you want to spend money on as well.

 

For me, the balcony on the QM2 from New York to Southampton was absolutely worth it. I've been in the Navy 20+ years, and there aren't any windows or balconies for us, so when I'm a passenger on one of those floating palaces, absolutely I want a balcony. Having breakfast on it... having lunch, spending a lazy afternoon reading... having a late evening snack on it... Definitely worth it to me.

You have answered a question I have had regarding booking a balcony for a transatlantic. I have always assumed I would do it, though I have read about folks who said it was too windy (and often too cold) to use one's balcony on a transatlantic. May I ask in what month you traveled? And did you find the balcony quite windy, or too cold, ever?

[tamalero]

Imho, it depends on where you going and what kind of person you are.

 

There are some persons who get dizzy by watching the sea. So they select internal cabins or internal balcony (oasis of the seas).

Others get bored if there are too many sea days with nothing much to see.

 

For me, the Balcony was a must for Alaska (Disney Wonder). Theres gorgeous views from every angle (also gives you privacy to see things such as the glaciers, as the top parts of the ship get full to the seams)

[GUT2407]

To me worth it every time.

[koss78b2]

yes I cruise as a solo and always done a balcony, nice way to get away from the main stream of people,e get some views in private. love it

[Jackytar]

You have answered a question I have had regarding booking a balcony for a transatlantic. I have always assumed I would do it, though I have read about folks who said it was too windy (and often too cold) to use one's balcony on a transatlantic. May I ask in what month you traveled? And did you find the balcony quite windy, or too cold, ever?

 

Herself and I did the crossing in June 2014. It wasn't too windy for me, though she wanted a light windbreaker a couple of days. That said, I should clarify that we had one of the sheltered balconies; those are basically enclosed with a large opening (from railing height to deckhead, and nearly the full width of the cabin, but covered above and partitions each end of the balcony; see pic linked, below). I would imagine that the open balconies, with the glass front and so on, with no overhead cover, would be windier. Part of the reason we went with the sheltered balcony was because Herself is not good with heights and she wanted the visual security of steel bulkheads. Now that she's done the crossing, though, she feels next time an open-air balcony would work just fine for her.

 

Daily air temp on our crossing was between 18 and 22 C from about 0700 to 2000-ish each day. A couple of afternoons were quite warm - as in, lounging in t-shirt and swim trunks warm (about 25 C, for me). And there was one day which was grey and overcast and drizzly, and I just had my morning coffee then ducked back inside.

 

Pic of a sheltered balcony on the QM2:

Edited September 22, 2016 by Jackytar

[mommom201120142016]

I have a room overlooking central park on a up coming cruise now worried I should have stuck with ocean view balcony. Opinions welcomed !

[Aquahound]

I have a room overlooking central park on a up coming cruise now worried I should have stuck with ocean view balcony. Opinions welcomed !

 

I would have certainly kept that ocean view balcony. Central Park isn't bad...it's a peaceful, serene area at night, but the downside is another balcony across the park starring right back at you. You need to keep your curtains closed for privacy. I recommend switching back to an ocean view.

[attilamom1217]

It depends on your preferences. We always book a balcony. DH likes to sit on the balcony at night and listen to the water. I enjoy sitting on the balcony and reading.

 

For us, it is quiet and gives us a place to go when the other one is napping or showering (or gets up early). We do like to have coffee on the balcony as well.

 

However, for a short (less than a week), I might consider an oceanview for the 'cheap' getaway.

[Warm Breezes]

I have a room overlooking central park on a up coming cruise now worried I should have stuck with ocean view balcony. Opinions welcomed !

 

Personally I would not get a balcony on a ship unless I had an ocean view....the whole purpose of my balcony on a ship.

[WupperAV]

Nope, not for you. You can turn on the hir dryer and the TV and watch the ships track and blow air through your hair. Have a "Blast"!

[leen50]

We have done interior, walkway view, ocean view, french door & balcony. I love to sleep in total darkness so interior is my favorite. If we do a balcony it's only on ships with sliding doors to it. Carnival always slam shut & they reverberate all over. Liked the Royal, Navigator superior balcony. Had it on a Nov. TA from Barcelona to Galveston. Believe it or not, most days too hot & sunny to sit out.