Alaska: Interior Room or Oceanview

[bobcatcruiser1331]

Hi,

We are planning on booking the Radiance southbound itinerary to Alaska for next summer. In searching for a room, there are a few things that I'd like some insight on.

First, because it is the southbound route, it seems that you'd get better views on the port side. Is this the case or does it even matter?

Second, if we are unable to get an ocean view room on that side of the ship (it looks like most of them are gone already) we will have to book an interior. Do you really miss a lot of the Alaskan cruising experience having an interior room? I've been on several cruises before and usually seek out interior rooms because of the price but thought that it may be better to have some kind of view to the outside in Alaska (and being a teacher, I can't justify dropping a months paycheck to have a balcony or higher).

Thanks for any tips.

[reallyitsmema]

There are multiple schools of thought as far as cabins for Alaska. Some say, for a southbound trip you have to have a port side balcony. Others say, a balcony is a waste of money because you spend all your time on the upper decks, so it doesn't matter.

 

We are doing Alaska on Radiance southbound next May and have an aft facing balcony, so we didn't follow either of those schools of thought.:D

 

I would just price the cabins and go with what suits your budget. Even if you do get an oceanview cabin, you are most likely going to be up on the upper decks anyway.

[cruiseguy1016]

We were on Radiance last month. We booked a balcony cabin on the port side. In hindsight the location did not matter. When there was scenery to see, we were on one of the upper decks so we could move from side to side. I would book an oceanview as opposed to an interior just so you knew when there were things to look at outside. As for viewing, the best side to be on is the outside.

[138east]

I spent 16 days in May-June in an inside cabin on Radiance - 9 days on deck 2 and 7 days on deck 4. I spent a lot of time on deck 13 both inside and outside. If I had had a balcony and stayed in my cabin, I would have missed a lot. You need a lot of patience in Alaska to wait for something to happen and to be in the right spot to see it. I did a lot of reading while waiting.

[Tee & Chilli]

I had an inside cabin and saved money for excursions. Radiance and lots of views/glass. After each day in port I was so tired I went to bed after dinner. If I had a balcony I would not have used it. Everyone at my dinner table with the exception of me had a balcony and it was too cold and/or windy for them to use it.

[Dejagirl]

Hi! We had a forward window, thinking that would be best ... we were barely in our room when there were sights to see. Personally I would say save the money for excursions - one you really want to do, but wouldn't normally spend that much for (like a float plane, helicopter glacier landing or the White Pass Train). We were on HAL Neiuw Amsterdam and spent most of our time in the crows nest (inside with large picture windows, up high in the front of the ship & there was a bar there 🙂) or up on an upper outside deck. You will have a fabulous time no matter what room you choose!

[KuffMUp]

Everyone (before CC) said get a balcony room for Alaska. We did. It was our first RCCL cruise. We discovered the Viking Crown Lounge. It was a quiet place to read, warm, and when someone saw something everyone was notified. We could see both sides of the ship. We just booked another Alaska cruise and booked an inside with virtual balcony. That way we can see the time of day but still utilize other venues to watch the beautiful views.

[MrYellowDuck]

We've done an inside and a mini-suite a few years ago on Princess. If you have a window it makes little difference what side you are on since you can see land on both sides as you go through the inside passage. Alaska is not a warm place and so if you were out on a balcony you'd be dressed as if you planned to sit in a freezer too. A choice between an outside or inside room is thus reasonable.

 

If you can tolerate an inside room (in that there's no natural light) and as you say cost matters then I'd be inclined to take the inside. There are plenty of places that you can go to sit or stand and watch the majesty of Alaska as you sail past.

[Jencook323]

We did the explorer of the seas, Alaska

Last summer. We had a window/outside cabin. To be honest, it was so cold I'm glad we didn't invest the money on a balcony. It was my favorite cruise so far though. Also, waters were choppy! I usually don't get sea sick, but felt a bit Nauseous on several days. Bring your own sea bands just in case.

[bobcatcruiser1331]

Thanks for all the info everyone, very good feedback.

[impatientlywaiting]

Thanks for all the info everyone, very good feedback.

 

My opinion is opposite of everybody's. We had a port side balcony. The outside decks were so crowded when we were at the glacier we would not have had a good view/seat. Yes, it was chilly but we knew it would be cold at 5:00 in the morning so we took warm clothes. Plus we had room service deliver breakfast and we were able to come in and out of our cabin and not worry about getting a god view. Plus, when we were coming into ports, we were always out on our balcony.

[Sobro]

I'm with Anita. I used my balcony a lot. HAL even provided wool lap blankets and binoculars with each balcony cabin. If you are cold intolerant, price intolerant, or bright light intolerant an inside cabin is fine.

[BecciBoo]

I would say a couple things about location. We've done 2 in an aft cabin. First Radiance and then Solstice. And I can say without doubt, that is the best location. Why? We know it is best because our cruise mates were on the starboard side. We chose the round trip itins that originated and ended in Vancouver/Seattle. We would bounce around from their cabin to ours and always ended up at ours. You see so much that the rest of the ship misses without the 180* view we had. In fact on the last one, we booked adjoining Concierge Class afts on Solstice.

 

You miss so much if you're not on the right side of the ship, but in the rear, you see it all. Having said that, those cabins are probably gone by now for your cruise. I booked ours at Midnight on the opening day of itinerary announcement in both cases. I can also say, that the best glacier for viewing IMHO is Hubbard. It is so much larger and grander, even though the Fjords are lovely, I would've switched my Sawyer day for the Hubbard day without hesitation.

 

So for now, an interior is probably OK and would certainly save money. Spend your time on deck or in the Viking Crown, etc. for viewing. But next time, and there will be one, I guarantee it...Alaska by far has been our favorite cruise...plan way ahead and get that aft cabin.....you'll be glad you did. I won't repeat my photos again as I have posted them numerous times, but you can look them up. We saw a whale breaching that only aft cabins were privy to. A perfect Rainbow over the wake....etc. etc.:hearteyes:

[Beachammo]

I would say a couple things about location. We've done 2 in an aft cabin. First Radiance and then Solstice. And I can say without doubt, that is the best location. Why? We know it is best because our cruise mates were on the starboard side. We chose the round trip itins that originated and ended in Vancouver/Seattle. We would bounce around from their cabin to ours and always ended up at ours. You see so much that the rest of the ship misses without the 180* view we had. In fact on the last one, we booked adjoining Concierge Class afts on Solstice.

 

You miss so much if you're not on the right side of the ship, but in the rear, you see it all. Having said that, those cabins are probably gone by now for your cruise. I booked ours at Midnight on the opening day of itinerary announcement in both cases. I can also say, that the best glacier for viewing IMHO is Hubbard. It is so much larger and grander, even though the Fjords are lovely, I would've switched my Sawyer day for the Hubbard day without hesitation.

 

So for now, an interior is probably OK and would certainly save money. Spend your time on deck or in the Viking Crown, etc. for viewing. But next time, and there will be one, I guarantee it...Alaska by far has been our favorite cruise...plan way ahead and get that aft cabin.....you'll be glad you did. I won't repeat my photos again as I have posted them numerous times, but you can look them up. We saw a whale breaching that only aft cabins were privy to. A perfect Rainbow over the wake....etc. etc.[emoji813]eyes:

Another plus for the aft cabins is lack of wind. We have aft cabin 9256 on Radiance in July 2018 and hope to use it a lot.

 

Really don't want to deal with the crowds in the VCL or the outdoor decks.

 

I see much room service in our future

 

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[BecciBoo]

Yes M'am that was our exact cabin on Radiance....LOVED IT!

 

At Hubbard, most cabins got a few minutes of viewing on the sides of the ship, whilst we had at least 45 minutes as we left it...it was great and we got some of our best calving photos during that time...later in the day as it warmed up.

 

 

Couldn't resist.............

Edited July 8, 2017 by BecciBoo

[niugrads]

We just returned from southbound Radiance and had a port side balcony. We like the privacy of a balcony. We used the balcony daily to read the cruise compass, relax with a drink, and when we were getting ready for the day or night. Starting in Seward, during the solstice, we had many hours of daylight. It's nice to be able to check out the weather so you know how many layers you may need. We saw a couple of orcas from our balcony too. As far as being too cold, you'd be wearing layers if you were on upper decks too. My husband and I wore layers on our balcony and then when we were nearing Vancouver we were in short sleeves.

[Freehike]

If you have the disposable income, get a balcony.

 

Otherwise, get inside and spend that extra money on a great excursion or two.

 

Like others are saying, the best views are from on deck anyway, not a balcony. My wife enjoys a balcony but even she agrees that it's not that important on the AK cruises we have done.

 

 

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[alfaeric]

The question is if you want to share the views with other people or not.

 

If yes, then the inside cabin where you go up to the upper decks or VCL is pretty awesome.

 

If no, then a balcony is the way to go. Like others, we had an aft balcony, but on the rhapsody a few years ago. Best deck ever. We had one of the corner JS that was massive, so that we could see things from many angles.

 

But the core question remains, do you want to be on your own or share the view. There is no right answer to that, just yours. Which, of course, is the most important.

 

 

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[KuffMUp]

Another plus for the aft cabins is lack of wind. We have aft cabin 9256 on Radiance in July 2018 and hope to use it a lot.

 

Really don't want to deal with the crowds in the VCL or the outdoor decks.

 

I see much room service in our future

 

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

 

There really weren't crowds in the VCL. Everyone up there pretty much fit along the windows. It was quiet and peaceful. However, I never thought of an aft balcony. That I would probably do although in my case they are long gone.