Thoughts on Ocean View Cabin Deck 2 Versus Balcony

[awhitleycrew]

Looking for your thoughts on a Deck 2 Ocean View cabin on the Liberty.........

We have only stayed in a balcony cabin on Deck 6-8 on the Vista, Valor and Dream, though our daughter and her friend stayed in an interior last summer and it was fine for them.

We are looking to book a 7 day cruise this summer and for various reasons I'm trying to save money where we can to help with everyone's bottom dollar and to save for excursions so I'm looking at getting an Ocean View cabin and an interior on Deck 2.  For those who have stayed in one at this level what are your thoughts?  Any advice is appreciated! Thanks 

[staceyglow]

We love ocean view cabins.  The actual cabin is more spacious than a balcony.

 

We have had balcony cabins before and found that we really don't spend as much time out there as we think we will.

[shipgeeks]

Personally, we would take an OV, on any deck, over a balcony any time.  I consider a balcony a type of obstructed view, with all that metal outside my window.  The only time we've booked them is when they were cheaper than OV....and we were not pleased.

[Jeafl]

We personally love ocean views.  We never spend as much time on the balcony as we think we will.

 

I don't know if the Liberty has the deluxe ocean view with 2 bathrooms, but if it does, snag it!  Those are our very favorite cabins.

[ultrafighter]

35 minutes ago, Jeafl said:

I don't know if the Liberty has the deluxe ocean view with 2 bathrooms, but if it does, snag it!  Those are our very favorite cabins.

Ours, too!

[havanadaydreaming]

i definitely prefer a balcony over an ocean view.  Nothing wrong with an OV...i think it would be muuuuuch closer contest if i could actually see clearly out the window that is covered with dried seaspray.  

 

obviously thats a pipe dream.  

 

our next cruise is an OV on deck 3.  that's the lowest we've ever been on a ship - got the deluxe double bathroom on Horizon.  we loved that one, i found it not necessary but i took one bathroom and my wife the other.   

 

good luck! 

[balcony bound]

We've had OV a few times, it was absolutely fine.  But I spend a ton of time on the balcony and it is always our preference.

[LHARTWICK]

As others have said, we don't spend as much time on our balcony as we think we will.  Pricing determines which cabin we book, which means most of the time we are in an inside cabin. As for the deck, lower decks are a huge bonus on port days.  When you return, an elevator isn't required to get to the lower decks if you can handle a flight or two of stairs.  We actually prefer the lower decks for this reason AND they tend to be quieter.

[carol louise]

I have not sailed in an ocean view on Liberty, but would suggest you choose carefully the specific deck 2 cabin, looking at deck plans to consider what is directly above you on deck 3. Best to avoid the section beneath the galley; people have reported that kind of location can be noisy, and at all hours. I think under one of the dining rooms would be quietest. 

[skrufy]

17 hours ago, staceyglow said:

We love ocean view cabins.  The actual cabin is more spacious than a balcony.

 

We have had balcony cabins before and found that we really don't spend as much time out there as we think we will.

We also love OVs over balcony’s for the same reason as stacyglow. Our preference is the Riviera deck. Deck two is the main deck that could generate noise

[awhitleycrew]

Thanks for all the info!  I could see the advantage on port days and even disembarkation day being on the lower decks.  We do like to be close to the Lido deck so we can take the stairs instead of fighting for elevators.  I love the balcony but really don't spend that much time out there time wise. I read online last night that some people really like interior on the Lido Deck but not sure I want to have a cabin for 7 days with no window at all (for me personally). 

I will try to make sure we aren't below a noisy area if possible.  Last summer we had an Aft Balcony on Valor which was so nice EXCEPT it was under the pool area which would be loud in the morning and late at night when chairs were being drug around. 

I think my main hesitation is that Deck 1 and 2 seems so low on the ship.  I do like walking the halls during my cruises to get exercise, see door decor and just generally see what the ships looks like on each deck so I know it's still nice on Deck 1 and 2.  

I will think on it a little longer and then work on booking something and will keep in mind it's a cruise, we will have fun regardless! haha

[highSeas22]

On 9/28/2023 at 6:52 PM, awhitleycrew said:

Looking for your thoughts on a Deck 2 Ocean View cabin on the Liberty.........

We have only stayed in a balcony cabin on Deck 6-8 on the Vista, Valor and Dream, though our daughter and her friend stayed in an interior last summer and it was fine for them.

We are looking to book a 7 day cruise this summer and for various reasons I'm trying to save money where we can to help with everyone's bottom dollar and to save for excursions so I'm looking at getting an Ocean View cabin and an interior on Deck 2.  For those who have stayed in one at this level what are your thoughts?  Any advice is appreciated! Thanks 

I did an ocean view in Alaska. It was fine.  Unless you spend all you spare time on the balcony, no need.  Bonus.  You don’t hear doors slamming during the day

[highSeas22]

On 9/28/2023 at 7:35 PM, staceyglow said:

We love ocean view cabins.  The actual cabin is more spacious than a balcony.

 

We have had balcony cabins before and found that we really don't spend as much time out there as we think we will.

I noticed that in my Alaska cruise. It appears that the balcony space is in the room

[jerseygirlinAZ]

40 minutes ago, highSeas22 said:

I did an ocean view in Alaska. It was fine.  Unless you spend all you spare time on the balcony, no need.  Bonus.  You don’t hear doors slamming during the day

 

We did an ocean view in Alaska in May/June.  It was just fine.  

 

Normally, I'd pick a balcony over OV, but I really love being on the water (which is weird because I get seasick, lol).  We've done OV rooms on low decks and have had no problems.  

[evandbob]

Solo, I've stayed in interior, OV and balcony cabins and they were all fine.

 

As a couple, we mainly look at mid ship, mid deck balconies, sometimes a suite, but never an OV or interior.  We'll spend plenty of time on the balcony since we don't do the main pools. As a break, one of us will stay on the balcony while the other snoozes inside.

 

There's only individual preferences, no right or wrong here.

[Drazil65]

Balcony or suite midship, deck 7 and above.  Also, we favor the newer ships (and bigger) in the last decade or so and are no longer as familiar with any of the cabins on older ships (except for Sunshine which is a more medium ship I guess as Charleston is close to home for us).  We do use our balcony (at least 2x a day) and enjoy our time out there.  Same on RCCL when we sail with them.  

Edited October 2, 2023 by Drazil65

[Amyracecar]

From my experience, even when I've had the worst grade of cabin on the ship, it hasn't impacted the cruise very much. There are itineraries where i'd prefer a balcony (Alaska, Norway, or anything with scenic cruising days) but on the whole I'm like a lot of people and don't use it THAT much. Yes I'd like one if possible, but i've never massively missed it when I don't. I'm about to set off on a cruise with an OV on the lowest deck of the Pride, and can't wait. I'm not going to spend the week waiting for a lift that always turns up full by the time it gets to my floor, hooray! 

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, Amyracecar said:

From my experience, even when I've had the worst grade of cabin on the ship, it hasn't impacted the cruise very much. There are itineraries where i'd prefer a balcony (Alaska, Norway, or anything with scenic cruising days) but on the whole I'm like a lot of people and don't use it THAT much. Yes I'd like one if possible, but i've never massively missed it when I don't. I'm about to set off on a cruise with an OV on the lowest deck of the Pride, and can't wait. I'm not going to spend the week waiting for a lift that always turns up full by the time it gets to my floor, hooray! 

We just did a 21-day B2B on Pride in Europe in a Deck 1 Ocean view, and we had a great time!

And if most people don't like Ocean Views, I am good with that.  It lessens the demand for them and lowers the price.

[LHARTWICK]

16 hours ago, highSeas22 said:

I did an ocean view in Alaska. It was fine.  Unless you spend all you spare time on the balcony, no need.  Bonus.  You don’t hear doors slamming during the day

Excellent point!!! Any time we've had a balcony, our neighbors have just let the balcony door slam, instead of attempting to close it quietly.  The whole cabin shakes! So annoying!!!  On the Dream a couple of weeks ago, we had an aft balcony, and our neighbor on one side let the door slam constantly.  So I started doing the same, hoping they would realize how loud it is.  Didn't work, but I felt better - LOL!  Even with a nice aft balcony, we rarely used it.  It was way too hot during the day, since it wasn't covered, and the chairs were sticky from the sea spray.  The soot from the funnel also tended to fall on it and turned the floor black and yucky.

[shipgeeks]

And if your neighbor leaves their balcony door open at all, it will shut off your AC when it shuts his off.

[Amyracecar]

On 10/2/2023 at 3:38 PM, staceyglow said:

We just did a 21-day B2B on Pride in Europe in a Deck 1 Ocean view, and we had a great time!

And if most people don't like Ocean Views, I am good with that.  It lessens the demand for them and lowers the price.

 

Oh, might have been the same room, haha. Glad to know you enjoyed it, we were debating between that and the old French Door interior rooms, but ended up opting for a better view out. Only a few days until we fly to Rome now, can't wait. The size of Carnival rooms on these classes of ships always seem quite generous in comparison to what we've had elsewhere (balcony or otherwise)