How windy does it have to be to render a balcony useless?

[Hlitner]

34 minutes ago, K32682 said:

 

An extra $300 per day might not deter me. I've spent multiple times the cost of an economy flight to have a little extra leg room and a lie flat bed for a few hours. A cruise is a vacation and if spending more of my disposable income to truly enjoy it as opposed to the quite unappealing prospect of rubbing shoulders with the hordes any time I want fresh air or to watch the ocean then it's money well spent. 

LOL.  Some of us love "rubbing shoulders with the hordes" as we really enjoy the socialization (and friendships) that develop on cruises.  Funny thing is that when we could not really afford the extra cost of a balcony we usually booked a balcony.  Now that we can afford it, we are less inclined to pay hundreds of dollars a day for a tiny balcony.    

 

It is the same thing when it comes to suites.  On Princess, we always book a mini-suite because most of the regular balcony cabins do not even have two chairs!  But on some other lines, a suite holds little interest since it just gets us more unused space and nothing else.  On the other hand, with some lines, moving up to a suite might get one quite a few other perks such as a special lounge and a better dining room (i.e. the "Grill" suites on Cunard or the "Retreat" suites on Celebrity).  We simply look at the "value" of what we are getting for that extra cost and act accordingly.  

 

Probably the most interesting thing we find these days is that rather than booking a mass market monster ship and paying for all the extras (balcony, drink packages, tips, alternative dining up charges, shuttle buses in ports, etc) it is often less expensive (and a lot nicer) to book a small ship luxury line where everything is included.  We can spend weeks/months on these luxury line and not add a penny to our onboard account.  In fact, it can sometimes be difficult to simply use up our non-refundable OBC.

 

Hank

[K32682]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

LOL.  Some of us love "rubbing shoulders with the hordes" as we really enjoy the socialization (and friendships) that develop on cruises. 

 

Socialization does not mean spending time with people who fight over deck chairs, allow their children to run amok, turn into over-refreshed ignoramuses or engage in other bothersome behavior. It's always good to have the option of a quiet cocktail on one's balcony and watching the sea undisturbed. 

[whogo]

We have booked balcony cabins, enjoy the extra glass and being able to step outside, but we rarely sit out there. It is either too hot, too cold, too windy, too rainy, too misty or too close to loud talkers.

 

I have spent a lot of time on older ships' promenade decks. They are closer to the water, have a wider view and you can move to the shady side or less windy side.

[tw0sugar5]

On 9/14/2023 at 7:15 AM, whogo said:

I have spent a lot of time on older ships' promenade decks. They are closer to the water, have a wider view and you can move to the shady side or less windy side.

 

I love promenade decks as well.  Unfortunately the ship I was recently on has a “waterfront” on their promenade deck with outdoor dining as well as a cigar lounge.  They had another deck with the life boats but it didn’t go all the way around the ship either.  The “ waterfront” was often closed due to rough seas and/or wind.  Classic promenade decks have a wider walkway than The Waterfront.