will I really use a balcony in the Med?

[Jules1]

We crusied the Med, had a balcony, and loved it! It's the only way to go. The early morning coffee on the balcony, then there's the glass of wine and plate of cheese before dinner on balcony. The scenery in the Med is beautiful - I think it's well worth it. But, we're balcony people and get good use out of them. We spend private time out on the balcony rather than on the public decks amidst the other people. Good luck with your decision!

[ClaudiaF]

Give me air beautiful sea air..
;-)

Wouldn't go if had to go in an inside room and not know if it was night or day ( but of course you asked)..there is nothing as wonderful as the door open at night, the sound of the waves , the smell of the salt air.. sitting on your balcony having coffee in the am, cocktails in the pm.. lounging in the afternoon reading a good or bad book ;-)
To balcony or not to balcony that is the "q" and YES would be my answer... have fun!

[leighuf]

I'd always recommend an oceanview or better. My husband and I splurged and got a Junior Suite on our last cruise (RCCL S. Caribbean cruise). We LOVED IT! Every time we left port, we'd be out on the balcony. We had breakfast out there and before dinner drinks, too. On our sea day, I enjoyed the lounge chair and a good book.

I'm booked in a inside cabin for my next cruise (to the Med). This cruise is a budget cruise, if you will. I'm going with a friend and we plan on doing LOTS of sightseeing. I'm probably hate the cave, but I'd MUCH rather do France & Italy than not do them at all!! My husband and I also have a 5 day cruise booked for Thanksgiving 2005. Yes, we have another JS booked. We're addicted!

In addition, I'm planning on booking a European May 2006 cruise. Maybe back to the Med. but on Celebrity. Those aft cabins that have the balconies that are the size of the cabin . . . here we come!! The view of the Greek Isles . . . Venice . . Villefranche. Priceless!

[winewanderer]

MY husband and I booked our first balcony for Europe next October. We have cruised about 40 times between us and generally always go for an inside cabin, just can't justify the extra cost of a balcony. Not that we can't afford it, just doesn't seem worth it to us.

Europe, however, we decided we needed to splurge, that and we had a rather nice discount to use with the cruiseline.

After reading what everyone has to say about balconies I am even more excited. I think it'll be great.

[kdowneymd]

we sailed the brilliance med cruise june of 2003. we had one balcony room and an inside (there were six of us). Having the balcony was a wonderful part of the cruise. Being able to sit and watch the sun set over the mediterranean leaving Naples was magnificent. Sailing into Dubrovnik in the morning also magnificent. The best was viewing the volcano Stromboli from the balcony. It was worth every penny.

[lucyjohnz]

We're doing a 7-day Med. cruise on RCI's Splendour - we've got an outside for the 2 of us and an inside for our 20 and 18-year-old daughters. We've actually had a Cat. C mini-suite on the RCI Rhapsody (same type of ship as the Splendour) and while we loved it, the price difference between the Cat. D cabin (balcony, no suite) and our Cat. H Ouside was about $900/cabin. My daughters have had inside cabins on most of our 8 cruises and said they're fine with an inside cabin. We've only done outsides with the 2 balconies on the Rhapsody and Carnival Victory. We just cruised on Celebrity Mercury to Alaska this past summer and decided to upgrade to an outside cabin from an inside for a cost difference of $400/cabin. That was totally worth it - we really enjoyed the window. However, upgrading to a Balcony on that ship would have cost probably over $1000/cabin. I would have REALLY liked a balcony on an Alaskan cruise, but it just wasn't worth it. And, there were nice aft public balconies on that ship on decks 8 and 9 that we used a lot.

So, we like balconies but cost-wise, have not wanted to spend the extra money for them. And, we figured, like everyone else, that on a port-intensive Med cruise, we didn't need one. By the way, our May 28th cruise has been totally sold out for months now. We booked it in August, 2004 and paid $700/pp and $900/pp for our inside and outside cabins. Needless to say, those prices sky-rocketed starting about October.

[CASkippr]

Our first cruise to the Med is scheduled for this summer. We've got a balcony mainly because we are just balcony people! :)

[dbh62ark]

We're going for it, and it's $1,200 extra ($600 each), so I hope I don't live to regret that. I would be very sure in the Med, but the weather is cooler in the Baltics. If you used your balcony a lot in the Baltics (we didn't have one last time we were in that area), I would appreciate some reassurance. Opposite opinions are valued too because there's always next time, and it may be valuable to someone else. :)

Donna

[John&Betty]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]If you are on the Millennium from [/font][font=Times New Roman]Barcelona[/font][font=Times New Roman] to [/font][font=Times New Roman]Venice[/font][font=Times New Roman] get a balcony on the starboard side. You will transverse the whole length of the [/font][font=Times New Roman]Grand Canal[/font][font=Times New Roman] mid day and all of [/font][font=Times New Roman]Venice[/font][font=Times New Roman] will pass by your balcony. The upper decks are so crowded its hard to get a place to stand at the rail. Besides, The Millennium has several decks that are all balconies so they are not that much more expensive.[/font][/size]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]We were there in early May and the weather was perfect. We used our balcony a lot.[/size][/font]

[llhlam]

Yes, we had the aft corner FV cabin last year on Millie :D , we spent all our time there :eek: .

[Jeepsterchick]

We are cruising 12 days starting Oct. 17th. Its $700 more to do a balcony (above an already expensive trip) I'm thinking late October might be kind of chilly? Or even DARK when we may make use of the balcony. Does anyone have any thoughts???
Thank you!!!

[Travelbug 2]

We are reletivly new to cruising (love it) and on a Med' cruise last Oct' we had a large outside cabin. Most of the sailing was done at night, when we woke up we were in port and getting ready to leave the ship for the day. I feel a balcany would have been a waste of money on that occasion. We are looking at a Baltic cruise for next year and we may consider a balcany, any advise from seasoned travellers on that? European cruises are expensive especially the prices ashore (compared to north American prices) so this makes a desision to spend extra on a balcany cabin even harder to justify.
What to do??------Don't know!!

Happy cruising.

[Alan2504]

[quote name='John&Betty'][size=3][font=Times New Roman]If you are on the Millennium from [/font][font=Times New Roman]Barcelona[/font][font=Times New Roman] to [/font][font=Times New Roman]Venice[/font][font=Times New Roman] get a balcony on the starboard side. You will transverse the whole length of the [/font][font=Times New Roman]Grand Canal[/font][font=Times New Roman] mid day and all of [/font][font=Times New Roman]Venice[/font][font=Times New Roman] will pass by your balcony. The upper decks are so crowded its hard to get a place to stand at the rail. Besides, The Millennium has several decks that are all balconies so they are not that much more expensive.[/font][/size]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]We were there in early May and the weather was perfect. We used our balcony a lot.[/size][/font][/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info John & Betty!

We are doing the Barcelona to Venice on July 2 this summer and have booked a starboard CC balcony...your description has just confirmed what good idea it was after all!! :D

Alan

[CatLuvsH2O]

I have had balconies, windows, and inside and I believe it boils down to several things. First, for me its the weather. We had a balcony in Alaska and it was cold! We didn't use it very much. That is why the second time we were upgraded to a balcony - in the Southern Caribbean. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, better than sail a ways on your own balcony. My husband loves to read on sea days on the balcony and I love to have it open during the night. The second thing I look at is the cost differential between balcony vs window vs inside. The cruise we have coming up - to the Med - it was only a couple hundred $ between them all. We are going with the balcony and boy am I excited! I am already icing down my lemon cello! lol

Good luck-

Cat

[Sunnystone]

This is true for us....at least it saves us from killing one another :) We have found that when getting ready for dinner,especially formal nights, one of us has the cabin area and bathroom while the other has cocktails on the balcony. That way we do not fall over each other and can do a bit of a "before and after" show for each other. I usually go first and my husband is relaxed and happy after some liquid refreshments and fresh air! I then "chill" while he gets ready.
We also love getting up in the morning and stepping out into the fresh air. Coffee in our robes while sitting outside is also a treat. Last year we booked an "ocean view" cabin to do a TA in the NorthAtlantic, theorizing it would be too chilly for much outside time. We decided to upgrade at the pier and were really pleased as we were forced to change routes due to weather and our sea days were in the 70-80 range with lots of sun!
We vote balcony!

[Queenk2]

We have had balconies in the Caribbean,however when we do the Med., I am rarely on the ship and when I am, I am sleeping or eating. It is very exhausting and very time consuming to tour so I would never usr the balcony. I do love to shop, so I would rather spend that way! Either way, if you are going you just cannot lose!

[usavvy2]

I started this thread some time ago and here's my personal experience

balcony required - Panama Canal transit (can't get near the rails starting about 5am the day of transit & if you're 5'3" it's hopeless to see from the top decks!

balcony wonderful - around the Horn - Buenos Aires to Santiago it was wonderful as the tours we took were not so extensive - we were able to have cocktails b4 dinner each evening on our balcony and there were a few sea days that made it even more pleasurable to have a balcony

Baltic Capitals (Aug.) - we had an inside and that was acceptable; the day we came into Stockholm we got up extra early to be on deck for the sail in b'c we heard it was spectacular. Our trip was port intensive so we had little time to rest on a balcony during the day and after dinner we were exhausted and needed to recharge for the next day's excursions!

Norway fjords (July) - we were on a small ship (Royal Princess 1200 pax) on the promenade deck; we were able to pop outside in a moment's notice to see a whale sighting and watch the scenery go by. A balcony would've been nice but I don't think they had them on this ship! Outside was sufficient for us.

Med Explorer (London/Rome) (Sept) - this trip was so port intensive that we didn't have time to even think about a balcony (we had an outside). temps were warm (70s/80s) so a balcony would've been nice but we didn't have time to miss one. Outside was sufficient to see what the weather was like each day and see if we were in port or not.

Greek Isles (June) - we've got an outside booked; balconies were about $1K/cabin more and we'd rather spend that money on more expensive excursions than a cabin when we'd be off the ship 8-10 hours/day and only have 1 sea day to get our money's worth. I would've liked a balcony for the sail in to Venice but our cruise ORIGINATES in Venice so we won't get that perspective anyway! (Besides, our TA is going and she has a balcony so maybe we'll get invited to her balcony for the sail out!)

[Kathy555]

I will never again cruise without a balcony (as long as I have the funds). On our first cruise we had one and enjoyed room service for breakfast every morning on it. Next we did the Souther C on RC - loved the ship but hated the room. We had an ocean view, not a blacony - room was too small. Thought our daughter and son would divorce each other I was going to divorce all three and my husband and I were on edge. The ship was beautiful and they at least had a room curtain for some privacy when changing or resting. My daughter sat in the window and actually fell asleep in port with excursions passing by the window. It was funny, but that was the only funny thing. On our next cruise we booked Carnival and had an extended balcony. Tipped the our steward and he did give us a lounge chair. Each day one of us, excet the 15 year old, napped at some time on that lounge. Sipped wine, watched the sunset - can't wait to go again 12/25/05

[jckvpa0]

[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]

I'm with you!!!

[Mparis184]

I agree with Brun Steve. When we began cruising we booked outside/balcony cabins. However, regardless of the cruise, I hardly used it. I have my cruise routine and like to do different things on the ship at different times of the day. This never includes sitting on my balcony. I am NEVER in the cabin except to change and sleep. So, I have started to book inside cabins and have found that I can save a lot of $$ and enjoy the cruise just the same.

My personal opinion. However, if the rate is good, I will book the balcony cabin. My husband is the only one who uses the balcony and he doesn't really care if we book an inside, outside or balcony cabin. I know a lot of cruisers who won't book anything but a suite............this is what makes the world go round!

[Queenk2]

[quote name='Mparis184']I agree with Brun Steve. When we began cruising we booked outside/balcony cabins. However, regardless of the cruise, I hardly used it. I have my cruise routine and like to do different things on the ship at different times of the day. This never includes sitting on my balcony. I am NEVER in the cabin except to change and sleep. So, I have started to book inside cabins and have found that I can save a lot of $$ and enjoy the cruise just the same.

My personal opinion. However, if the rate is good, I will book the balcony cabin. My husband is the only one who uses the balcony and he doesn't really care if we book an inside, outside or balcony cabin. I know a lot of cruisers who won't book anything but a suite............this is what makes the world go round![/QUOTE]
Marion. Hi I agree with you. I would rather spend money off the ship...especially in the Med. I am rarely in my room. I aam too busy in port, in gym or EATING! LOL! I also love to shop so I need the extra cash!

[Ready4cruz'n]

We had a balcony (small) on our Galaxy Mediterranean cruise last year. It was terrific and I'm glad we booked it. But when I did the math and realized that it cost us about $200 for every hour we actually used the balcony ($1200 extra/ ~6 hours of use), I had sticker shock!

[trubey]

Having had an Outside, in the Med, and spending those sail-away hours on the Lido and upper decks, I can't imagine ever wanting a balcony—You'd only get half of the view.

susan.

[ehogan]

We have always taken an inside cabin in order to save money to apply to shore excursions. Recently we were upgraded on an Alaska trip from an inside to a balcony and while it was nice, I did not feel that we used it enough to justify it if we would have paid that extra amount ourselves.

The other thing you shoud consider is your sleeping habits. Normally I am a very early riser (5:30 - I blame having babies, even though the babies are now in their twenties) and the only time I have been able to sleep in until 8 or 9 is on a cruise, in a dark inside cabin - so now I can party until midnight, knowing I can sleep till 8! Party on!

[cechase]

It seems to me that it is a personal preference, and for many it has considerable to do with your own personal finances and how much you wish to spend for your cabin.

On our first Celebrity cruise last March [2004] on Mercury, I booked a Royal Suite with a very large veranda. Unfortunately, my dear Nedra had a fever and was not feeling well for the entire cruise down the coast from San Francisco to Matzalan. Was the veranda a plus? You bet, we were able to sit out there and sip our drinks, and she was able to see everything that was going on particularly entering ports and docking. Our favorite time was at night, siting on the veranda, having drinks, and seeing ships off in the distance or airplanes, and hearing the sounds of the sea as the ship plowed through the waves - a very very calming time - and loving time. Another plus, was leaving the sliding door open and going to sleep to the sound of the sea. Another plus was that our bed was situated for and aft, so that the gental rolling of the ship sort of rocked you to sleep.

After that cruise, she decided that we should only book Royal Suites on C class vessels - and that we have done. Oh, and there are some wonderful things to see from the veranda - In February when we were departing from Fort Lauderdale, we were at the railing, and were watching a school of dolphins which were swimming right along with Century - what a neat sight, and even some of them came fully out of the water. That was worth the expense of the entire trip.