will I really use a balcony in the Med?

[usavvy2]

I'm just wondering if we'd really use a balcony for a port-intensive sailing like the Med - or will I be just as content w/o it? PRos? Cons?

__ live it up - get a balcony; you'll get your money's worth out of it

__ same the dough and spend it on excursions and gifts!

[Bruin Steve]

We were on the 13 night Millennium itinerary last August...and decided NOT to go with a balcony...We had a balcony on the Mexican Riviera the cruise before that...and hardly used it...and that cruise had only 3 ports on a 7 night cruise! We were in a Sky Suite on our just completed Summit Alaska cruise and got little use out of the balcony again...

But, when we did the Millennium, we looked at the itinerary and figured no way we'd waste the money...We were in 10 ports in 13 nights...and virtually every port stop was a 7 am to at least 6 pm (a couple until midnight)...and being the ports they were, we wanted to maximize our time in port...we usually left the ship right after a quick breakfast and did not return until just before dinner (early) ...got dressed quickly and right to the dining room...Didn't return to the cabin until late at night...used it just to sleep...

On the 3 at-sea days, we were content to sleep late (needed the rest), then just get up and out and about around the ship...

With the money we saved, we were able to tack on 2 night stays pre- and post-cruise in Venice and Barcelona...plus a lot of other expenses...

In our up and down and up and down cabin choice history, we've decided to do the Constellation next July in an inside cabin...the Sky Suites this last time were nice, but we probably could have done better things with all that extra money!!!

[Cruise Junky]

Now, not to disagree with Bruin Steve, because there is no right or wrong answer to this, it's completely personal preference. We're balcony people, we have a deck at home that overlooks the water and we're out there all the time...I need the same on a ship :) We eat breakfast out there, we'll have cocktails out there and for me there's no better way to relax than on a lounger on my deck with no screaming kids, obnoxious adults, or people trying to sell drinks. My sea days are for relaxing with a good book in peace. Also, with such a port intensive trip as the med. I may even order room service and have my dinner out there if it's been a full day.

So the answer really depends on what you'll use it for.

[Dripps]

We had a balcony cabin for our Alaska cruise on the Radiance and felt happy to have the sliding door in the cabin/not only to have the view but also the more open feeling and access to what was happening out doors. We booked a balcony cabin on our Brilliance cruise in the Med and I'm certainly not sorry. Although we didn't eat dinner out there or even have coctails on the deck, I enjoyed going outside in the morning and looking around, enjoying the view. My kids were always in an inside cabin and this was a place I never wanted to spend any time. They would come to ours to meet -- seemed like same size but ours felt more comfortable. Nothing like waking up and seeing it's light outside, the sun is shining, let's get going!!!

[mek]

I'm so glad this question was asked because I just booked the Brilliance for next June, (currently an inside) and was considering an outside or perhaps a balcony. I'm just not sure if I really would use a balcony all that much since we will be out sightseeing all day. I've done the Med twice before with outsides, but no balcony. Our itinerary has 3 days at sea and a couple of mornings where we might have breakfast out on the balcony if we had one. I know some of the ports are in industrial areas, with not much to see, but I'm not sure about the Greek Isle part. I imagine it's pretty spectacular. We just got back from the Baltic last month and it was too cold and windy to spend any time out on deck, so I was really glad we didn't spend the extra money for that cruise.

[msmeltz]

I would never go for an inside cabin. Too dark and confining. I like to see what is doing outside. We just came back from a 12 day Med tour with a balcony. It was nice to be able to walk outside for a moment coming into a port or seeing where you are in the morning, but other that that we never used it. We never once sat outside. I think the balcony cabins were supposed to be bigger in size than the outside cabins with no balcony. In the outside rooms the bed is coming down vertically in front of the window, and in the balcony rooms it is horizontal across the room which makes it looks smaller.

[Aussie Gal]

We have a balcony for our cruise in the Med in October and even though it is quite port intensive I know we will use it and am looking forward to our time on it.

We had our first balcony on the Tahitian Princess in March and we couldn't have done without it. It was lovely to wake up each day, and go out and see what the day was like. On our only two sea days we spent time out there reading and of course having breakfast and late in the day, it was nice to share a drink there after we returned to the ship from our day on one of the islands.

The only time I would now not have a balcony will be next year, when we do a Transatlantic via Greenland and Iceland. I have been advised it would be a waste as the weather and wind are too cold.

Jennie

[AltaJoe]

When we do our next Med cruise I won't book anything but a balcony. But that's just me.

[ssatterly]

Get a Balcony it will be perfect to have wonderfull sunrise coffe on or a late night snak under the moonlight of a romantic dinner on. And if you are real adventrous you can have even more fun out there is well. If you get my drift......

[Makita]

Hello,
We've had both balconies and outside staterooms. While I've enjoyed the balcony, particularly in the caribbean, for port intensive trips, we only get the outside room.
-we spend very little time in our room
-the outside rooms are lower in the ship, less likely to incur motion sickness
-stairs count for exercise. We were on the Brilliance in June and I never took the elevators. Deck 3 to deck 12 several times a day helps prevent weight gain.
Enjoy your trip

[ClaudiaF]

To balcony or not to balcony.. not a question in my book.. always get the balcony
;-)

[encoresue2]

If you enjoy privacy and yet want to watch the sea (one of my favorite things)...you'll use it ALOT.

[BJS]

We have a balcony for our Med. b2b cruises in Sept. That is one thing I like about Princess is all the balconies at reasonable prices compared to other cruise lines. We would never go back to an outside unless faced with no other choice. Have never stayed in an inside, get clostrophobic, and never would even if the cruise was free.

We had an outside last year for the British Isles, Norweigen Fjords, and Iceland which was very, very port intensive with only 1 or 2 sea days out of 12. (It was on the Royal, old ship, and the balconies on that ship were just too much more because there are so few.) The temperatures were in the 50s and 60swith some rain so not "sit out" weather. We really missed having the balcony just to be able to go out and take pictures, see what the port looked like, and get a breath of fresh air. The sliding door makes the room feel so much less confining and gives so much better views even if only in the room a short time. Without a balcony we always feel like we "have to" get out of the room but with one we may be out just as much but don't have that feeling.

Think it is just what is the most important to you. We have had a huge suite, discounted over 80%, and yes it and all the perks were great but would we ever spend more than 20% for one - no. Others won't cruise without at least a mini-suite and have to have a bath tub which for us is doable but not what we prefer.

No matter what your choice is the cruise is going to be perfect!

[drjdm]

The question was will I use the balcony? Not is it worth it.

You will lots of opportunity to use the balcony. If its there you will use it.
The weather will allow you to use the balcony in port or at sea. We have been on 11 cruises and wont go unless we can have a balcony. I would perfer to have a better cruise experience than have an extra day on land.

Also balconies on princess are a relatively small price increase.

My vote is Balcony

[Tatka]

I think it depends on financial situation... If I could painlessly afford balcony and all my VERY costly tours ( they were way more expensive than cruise itself) I would go for it.

I would probably use them at night (also because we are both smokers and never smoke inside of our house on land).

But for me cruise in Med was very different than Caribbean..and all these trips I was able to afford because of cheaper accomodations were well worth it. ( It also let us spend a day/night more in Barcelona and day with another tour in London on our way back.

Plus most of the ports in Med aren't scenic, as they are cargo ports.

By the way my husband (who wasn't with me last year in Carribean) found that he liked our inside room very much as idarkness let us to sleep longer. I had some problems with my sleep before that cruise (I used to wake up very early at home, as soon as I so the light in the window.) Since then my sleeping time is much better. ;)

[wwinfl91]

We did our Med cruise last year with an outside cabin, no balcony, and didn't feel we missed anything. Because the cruises in the Med tend to be port intensive and by the time you get back to the ship, you will be tired and hot, I don't think sitting on a balcony will be as attractive as it might be on some other cruises. We have had balconies on some of our cruises including our most recent on the Maasdam from Ft Lauderdale to Montreal. We used a balcony a lot on that cruise but on other cruises we haven't used it as much as we thought we would.

Obviously if cost is no object get a balcony because you usually also get a liitle larger cabin. But if money is important and to most of us it is, I would suggest doing more or longer shore excursions rather than a balcony cabin.

Have a great next cruise whichever cabin you decide on.

[Andee]

A port intensive cruise seems like a perfect one for a balcony. On port days, we like to have breakfast delivered to our room. We eat it on the balcony, taking turns eating and washing up in the bathroom. It saves time over going to the dining room or even the buffet, and we aren't tripping over each other as we get ready. In the evening, we use the same routine as we get ready for dinner.

[divinc]

Just returned from Star Princess med cruise for 2nd time. 1st time outside, this time balcony. Used balcony maybe an hour the entire time. I like people and being on deck with others more than isolation on a private balcony. If money is an issue opt for an outside or inside even. It won't matter. Choose and expect to be satisfied and you will be.
Phil

[Judith02]

We cruise on Crystal (on the Symphony and Serenity) and decide on a balcony cruise by cruise -- the staterooms (not including the penthouses) are exactly the same size whether you have a balcony or do not have one. Of course, the staterooms with a balcony (categories A and B) do cost more than the staterooms (categories C, D, and E) without one. On our latest cruise to the North Cape and northern Norway, we did not book a balcony because we felt that we would not use it in the cooler weather. Last summer in the Mediterranean, we did have a balcony and used it daily. It was wonderful sailing in and out of ports and in the early evening and on sea days, just sitting and relaxing. For 2005, we have booked a balcony for our Black Sea cruise but not for our Trans Atlantic cruise (last year we did have a balcony for this cruise and after the third day the ocean was too rough and the air too cold to use it).

[Chick's pal]

We splurged on a balcony for our med cruise last year and were glad we spent the extra $$$. We have sailed in inside and outside cabins, but this was our first balcony.

We liked going out in the morning and seeing the port without having to get dressed and go up on deck. (Dubrovnik was the most dramatic.) We also made a tradition of being there when we left port, seeing the pilot get on and off his boat, watching the strange behavior of sea birds in relation to the ship.

We also used the balcony to dry our hand laundry. Brought a few clothespins and pinned socks and such to the chairs overnight, by morning they were fresh and dry. Obviously this is not the most financially appropriate reason for getting a verandah cabin, but just another reason to justify it, I suppose.

We would probably not spend the cash on a balcony for a carribbean cruise, but if we return to Europe, would do it again.

[mikemary945]

We just returned from Venice to Barcelona, and wouldn't do it without a balcony. This was our first balcony, and we enjoyed early mornings and late nights sitting on it.

[Artemis]

If you can afford a balcony *and* all of the shore excursions, pre- and post-cruise stays, etc. without overextending yourselves financially, then, of course, go for the balcony if you think you will use it enough to justify the increased price. Pricing varies from cruise to cruise, of course, but on our cruise, the price jump from inside to balcony was around $1200 per cabin during early booking and then held at around $1700 per cabin for the last 4 mos. before sailing. Whether you think that's a small or large increase, the fact is, $1200-1700 will buy a lot of fun on land to complement your cruise experience.

We are balcony people--10 cruises & never had an inside--but we couldn't justify paying $1200-1700 more for the balcony. We booked an inside and then caved in and paid a reasonable price to upgrade to an outside at the pier. It *was* nice having that window, but I know we would've been fine with the inside and that we would not have used a balcony enough to get *value* out of the higher cruise fare. Truly, getting a good night's sleep is the #1 function of your cabin on a port-intensive Med cruise.

Whatever you book, you'll enjoy your Med experience tremendously!

[mek]

Well, I just changed my inside to an outside, but passed on the balcony. It's not going to send me to the poor house if I went for the balcony, it's simply that I don't think I would use it enough to make up for the difference in price. I really would rather spend the money on sightseeing, but I decided that the window would be nice for 12 nights.

[LEtue]

When we did our 12 night cruise we sailed in an inside because I wanted to save the extra dollars to spend on other things. It was our first inside cabin and it was absolutely fine.

We're returning next year on a 7 night trip with only one sea day and we discussed whether or not to upgrade this time. Given that we are sailing in late October we decided it will be dark by the time we reboard every night at 7pm. Also, based on experience we know we will be exhausted so we're sticking with an inside. So itinerary, number of sea days, port times, and time of year that you are sailing may all impact your decision....

Have a great trip!

[usavvy2]

thanks for all of your insight. My logic for NOT getting a balcony mirrors some of yours - $$ could be spent on excursions or extra days pre or post cruise. Last year we sailed on the Royal Princess thru the Norwegian Fjords and did not miss a balcony b'c the ship's outside decks were just so accessible. Since we're looking at October 05 for the next trip, I'm leaning toward an outside but NOT a balcony!

keep those ideas coming. I haven't booked the cabin yet. (I think I'll wait until after we return from this year's med cruise as it'll give me more insight. Too bad it's on a different line or I could book onboard and get some shipboard credits and reduced deposit!)