Inside or Balcony for Canada/New England

[cruisegirl25]

We are scheduled for a balcony cabin on the Star Princess in October for Canada/New England. The problem is that we just went on the Sapphire Repo up to Canada and it was cold (I know, who would have thought). What cabin do most people prefer for this trip? If we went in an inside cabin we could save $1000-$1300. We have always been in a balcony cabin and I do not want to make the wrong decision. There will be me, my hubby, and our seven year old daughter. I tried to do a search on the different port of calls and can not find any good suggestions. I have be always able to count on my fellow Princess cruises for advice. Thanks in advance for any information.

[Host Caroline]

We are scheduled for a balcony cabin on the Star Princess in October for Canada/New England. The problem is that we just went on the Sapphire Repo up to Canada and it was cold (I know, who would have thought). What cabin do most people prefer for this trip? If we went in an inside cabin we could save $1000-$1300..... There will be me, my hubby, and our seven year old daughter. I tried to do a search on the different port of calls and can not find any good suggestions. I have be always able to count on my fellow Princess cruises for advice. Thanks in advance for any information.

 

IMHO go for the inside.. we fluctuate between balconies and insides.. I won't pay the difference most of the time since we like to cruise 2-3 times a year. The ports are great... so head over to the Canada and New England ports of call boards. I did this itinerary in '03 and loved it.. The DUCKS tour (offered Boston and Halifax) is great for kids and if you like lobster "anything" this is the itin for you. Feel free to email me or post any questions.

[WCAB]

Hi,

 

We are also scheduled for this trip in October and have reserved a balcony but I had not thought that it might be so cold, we might not be able to enjoy the balcony. Maybe an outside cabin with just a window would be as enjoyable and no doubt cheaper.

 

Carol

[Coral]

Hey CruiseGirl!

 

I did this same cruise last year and we had a minisuite. The temps were about the same (maybe 10 degrees cooler) as they were on the Sapphire cruise (we went October 15th).

 

For the most part, we did not use the balconies because the sailing was so port intensive (like the Sapphire). We had just one sea day so we didn't use the balcony all that much.

 

What we did enjoy about the balcony was coming into ports and leaving the ports. In two of the ports (I believe it was Saint John and Halifax), they had bands and bag pipe people playing when we arrived and then the sole bag pipe person playing when we left. For that, it made the balcony worth it. The Canadian ports really courted the ships and went out of their way to welcome the ships. In Saint John - they gave every female a rose when they disembarked the ship and in both Saint John and Halifax, they had 20 plus people from their community welcoming our ships and were able to provide local information (recommendations, directions) to anyone who asked.

 

While I did enjoy the balcony for watching us come and leave the ports - on this itinerary, a balcony is definitely not a necessity.

 

This was a really good cruise and I am considering it again this fall. If you have any specific questions - email me directly.

 

Theresa

[whale-watcher]

We have done this route in September, and used our balcony quite a bit...but then again we are from MN. Many nice photo ops coming in and out of ports, and even some whales to see. We also sat on our (aft) balcony to read and nap on our sea days.

On the other hand,the extra money you spend on the balcony would pay for some fine Maine lobster dinners on shore.

Overall, I don't feel a balcony is as important for this route as it is in the Caribbean or Alaska, but it is still enjoyable.

 

By the way...a great excursion for young kids in Bar Harbor is the Diver Ed "dive-in" theater (a boat trip where a diver goes underwater with a camera and films sea creatures, and then brings some critters on board for close-up viewing)...it was the highlight of the cruise for my then 6yo son! (http://www.divered.com)

[ssbeagle]

We are doing this cruise in October and have a balcony cabin because DH likes them. If you want to save money I would go to an outside cabin with a nice picture window. This way if you see anything interesting happening on shore, you can run up to one of the open decks and see what it is. I was always disappearing on my husband when I wanted to see something outside when we did the outside cabins on the Royal Princess and other ships. One time he thought I jumped ship because I spent a lot of time out on deck.

[makeup face]

Hi Coral!!

 

I was on the same New England cruise as Coral. I used my balcony everday. I enjoyed sailing from the port plus I loved the fresh air. I'd just put my coat on and go outside. I loved to sit out there and read and have a cocktail;)

[cruisegirl25]

So far, I guess it is a go to keep the balcony. It is not about the money to go to an inside. I do not mind spending the moenyas long as I am going to use the balcony. I would just hate to spend the extra money and have it sit there. I like the open feel a balcony gives a room. I guess I will just force my self to use it so I get my moneys worth. I have some time to think about it. Thanks for everyones input. I will take everyones comments into consideration. Thanks again.

[madelinerose]

Try for an aft balcony, that's what we did. The wind will be minimized on the aft.

 

So what if you have to wear a jacket? Hey, as crazy as the weather's been on the east coast, it may even be warm. ;)

 

So far, I guess it is a go to keep the balcony. It is not about the money to go to an inside. I do not mind spending the moenyas long as I am going to use the balcony. I would just hate to spend the extra money and have it sit there. I like the open feel a balcony gives a room. I guess I will just force my self to use it so I get my moneys worth. I have some time to think about it. Thanks for everyones input. I will take everyones comments into consideration. Thanks again.

[Blackrobe]

The posts have been excellent in discussing the balcony issue. However, one point not mentioned is the likelihood of rain in October. We had plenty of rain during our cruise last October. From what we were told the chance of rain is in the neighborhood of 50/50 in October. This may play a factor in whether you want to pay for a balcony. By the way, the rain did not spoil our cruise we just worked around it.

[sammiedawg]

Balconies enlarge the cabin size and we generally book them but for New England Canada we took an inside and didnt regret it for a minute. it was October, chilly and windy esp at night and we had one Noreaster storm that was pretty exciting. We were in ports most days and the weather during the day was decent. Save the $, youi'll enjoy the cruise ports

[makeup face]

The posts have been excellent in discussing the balcony issue. However, one point not mentioned is the likelihood of rain in October. We had plenty of rain during our cruise last October. From what we were told the chance of rain is in the neighborhood of 50/50 in October. This may play a factor in whether you want to pay for a balcony. By the way, the rain did not spoil our cruise we just worked around it.

 

I cruised October 15 thur 22......not a drop of rain. I spent three day before the cruise in New York...rained every day. The weather for the cruise was very sunny and crisp:)