Two cruises in an inside cabin...or one cruise with a balcony???

[Lois R]

And that is exactly how it feels. Did it once and would never do it again. We found the rooms to be dingy with a strong, strong odor of cigarettes and basic stale air composed of body odor, cheap perfume and other nasty bathroom smells. The carpet was mildewed and everthing felt a little musty. There is something to be said for airing out cabins with fresh air etc.

 

For us we would rather take one cruise a year in a nice room with a balcony than be subjected to an inside room without fresh air and light. I guess its like saying you could do four land vacations a year and stay at a Motel 6 along the highway or do only one and stay at a beachfront resort. Since it is a vacation we would rather spend a little bit more and obtain more comfort.

 

To each their own but I sure would like to know what those people do from 7:30 AM to 11:00 PM when they say the only time they are in their rooms is to change, wash and sleep.

 

 

what do we do?:) I sleep till about 8:00.-8:30..get up, take a shower

and either go to breakfast in the dining room, aqua spa (if on

M class) or up on the lido......

Usually I have a paperback with me....after breakfast, depending

on sea/port day....walking around the ship, possibly reading my book,

or attending an activity....sometimes trivia.

If I need to go back to the cabin for anything, it would be minimal.

By the time I turn around (even if I have just lazed) it seems to

be lunchtime......

then again I might be on an excursion.

If on the ship......I will decide what I feel like eating for lunch...

if it is nice outside, I will find a seat at the pool bar......

read, chat, drink.......

I have probably only been to the cabin once...if that much.

And I have been having wonderful time all day:D

Might stop by Cova to say hello to bartenders, maybe have

a drink.....who knows?

Probably about 6:45pm I will go back to the cabin, shower

and change..then off to the Martini for pre-dinner drinks!

Dinner......and whatever I decide to do for the evening.

So I really am not in my cabin much at all.

 

 

And if I am on an excursion I am not in the cabin anyway;)

That was supposed to be funny...LOL

 

Dale, sorry your inside cabin was bad. Maybe I have just been

lucky...cannot recall any mildewy odors..in the cabin or

bath.

And you are correct, we all have different likes and dislikes.

 

That is why it is good they offer insides, windows, and balconies:D

[Bruton Branch]

In response do what YOU want to do, but two cruises instead of just one would be our choice even if it is inside. Like BDuck of Oregon stated a cruise is a cruise. Enjoy

 

Bruton Branch:)

[bobbyleduck]

And my husband wonders why I have to pack so much stuff?? Did you notice all the clothes changes mentioned? Not to mention matching jewlery and shoes. Honestly I think I need a balcony this time just for the extra storage room:D

 

Dear Butterfly:

 

First clothes of the day are shorts and shirt.

Next, change into swimwear.

Next, back to shorts and shirt.

Finally, evening clothes dictated by casual, informal or formal.

Not so many clothes, and I don't wear jewelry. No watch, and I've never owned a wedding ring.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[Ask4Jay]

As we get older (70s) we like to have our own private outdoor space without piped-in music or hairy chest contests. We’d rather cruise only once a year with a balcony than twice a year in an inside cabin. We are not claustrophobic, but we cruise to be at sea. For us the ‘boring’ trans-Atlantic crossings are heavenly, as seen from our aft balcony. During our previous cruises we have been to a production show once, it’s just not our thing. We don’t care for shore excursions any more. Did a lot of traveling in my years in the airline business.

Our day starts with 1 hour, 15 mins walking round the track, so we can eat without too much guilt. Then (after shower) we commute between the buffet, top deck, promenade deck, cabin, library and balcony to veg out etc.

[richsea]

Wow, what interesting responses! I think that it depends upon one's vacation budget.

 

I guess that if an inside is half the cost of that of an outside/balcony, it would be a no-brainer, two is better than one! But you know, I find that I never even look at the inside prices, so I don't even know if they're half the cost. We try to cruise twicw per year & when my DW retires, we might try three if the price is right!

 

Our first cruise was on Meridian in an inside, bottom of the ship 140 sq. ft cabin & we loved it; it got us hooked on cruising. Our next cruise was in an outside & we said we'd never go back to inside. Then we booked a balcony & decided that was what we preferred. We've been doing balconies ever since if they are available.

Having said that, we've just booked a Med cruise on Galaxy next Sept. in an oceanview, with the thought that this will be a port intensive cruise & the balcony would be kind of a waste.

 

So I guess that our preference would be a balcony, but if it were an itinerery that really appealed to us we would go for an outside, but I doubt an inside. I guess we're spoiled!

[Roxanna]

I have a claustrophobic nature but never had this problem in an inside cabin' date=' there are enough large mirrors to avoid that. [/quote']

 

 

 

Hey, I am so glad I read that post! Our last cruise was a balcony on an Alaska cruise. I loved it, however we rarely, if ever, used it. This Sept. we're going to Hawaii and have booked an inside with plans to upgrade later.....and now after seeing how much we'll be spending on excursions, have decided to stay inside. The claustrophobia part has worried me so this from you is very helpful. And I might say....I'm jealous of your cruisin' history! We're looking at a Med. cruise in 18 months!

 

 

[twocc's]

Two cruises rather than one would what we would prefer. We have done five cruises this year so far, and four more booked before the end of the year, nine in all. We do insides mostly but if an oceanview comes along and there is not much difference in price we take an oceanview.:)

[Cote d'or]

And I might say....I'm jealous of your cruisin' history!

 

That's because we book inside cabins ! :D:p

 

Happy cruising !

[keela1eva2]

Amen to that!

 

Sue

[Richard Stein]

I am 65 and retiring in 5 months. Inside for 2 weeks, but in checking prices I find that an outside guarantee is only slightly more. I can give up the balcony but need a window and will pay the couple hundred more.

[C 2 C]

And that is exactly how it feels. Did it once and would never do it again. We found the rooms to be dingy with a strong, strong odor of cigarettes and basic stale air composed of body odor, cheap perfume and other nasty bathroom smells. The carpet was mildewed and everthing felt a little musty. There is something to be said for airing out cabins with fresh air etc.

 

We've done it over 75 times and have had cigarette smell only twice, both times in an OV ...but of course the window didn't open. We've spent over 700 days at sea, baked on a balcony twice, loved the balcony a couple of other times but overall, booking insides got us to over 700 days at sea... rather than 300.... and all that dancing and trivia and wonderful service, sitting on outer decks with the masses, relaxing at sea while the people back home shivered and suffered from "cabin fever"...:D..

Now if I had the money rather than depending on my pension... I'd go as often on a balcony... or suite, or penthouse, or if I'd married smarter...

[Sky Sweet]

While I answered cruise once a year with a balcony, I would have probably felt very differently thirty years ago.

 

However, my husband and I are currently at a stage of life where we have put our children through college, paid for their weddings, own our home without a mortgage, and have sufficient income producing assets to support us in our old age.

 

Since we no longer have to be concerned with the major expenses of supporting a family, I am willing to pay extra to maximize our enjoyment of a cruise, as well as other recreational activities.

[Drew B]

Wow, what interesting responses! I think that it depends upon one's vacation budget.

 

 

Actually, the whole point of this hypothetical is that it DOESN'T depend on one's vacation budget. We are talking about the same amount of money spent on two options: either one cruise with a balcony or two cruises in an inside. Either way is [hypothetically] the same money. It would come down to one's budget if we were comparing ONE cruise in an inside to one cruise in a balcony...

 

 

To answer for myself, the determining factor for me is time off work. It is hard for me to take the time to do two cruises, so since my time is so limited and valuable, I'd want to make the most of it and get the balcony. If I had unlimited freedom and could travel whenever I liked, I would DEFINITELY take the two inside cruises instead...

[auntdot]

I have to go with the inside cabin, and there's no need to limit it to one cruise or two. In some cases it may be three, or better yet--a B2B for less than the price of one cruise. There are so many reasons to choose an inside cabin, and many of the people have already listed a number of them.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

 

Wow! What am I missing? a B2B for LESS than the price of one cruise? We are new to this, and have booked balconies because of motion problems for me and my husband can't rush in the AM -so we order room service to eat on the balcony. BUT...maybe I should re-think this!!

 

I would definitely prefer to take 2 cruises instead of 1!!! Where do I sign up for your deal!?! :)

[Cathy Maneri]

I've been in an inside, oceanview, balcony (CC) and a Celebrity suite.

 

I started cruising and only booked inside cabins. Then I was in a bad inside cabin on the Infinity on a 14-night cruise and they gave us a window cabin on deck three and it was great. I can't say I wouldn't choose an inside again, but I would rather have an oceanview (window).

 

I would consider doing two cruises in an oceanview though. Check the prices. I was booked in an oceanview on deck three for a 14-night Hawaii then a Concierge Club balcony was cheaper so I changed cabins immediately.

 

Depending on the itinerary this is what I would choose:

 

Inside - If you are never in your cabin.

 

Oceanview - A port intensive cruise.

 

Balcony - Caribbean or warm climate. A balcony is nice to enjoy the sea and warm air.

 

Concierge Cabin - Only if cheaper than an oceanview or regular balcony. Otherwise I don't think it's worth the extra money.

 

Celebrity Suite - Alaska or any cold-weather itinerary. Personally I would take this cabin on any cruise to anywhere. It's a wonderful cabin.

 

I have a travel budget so I know how to stretch my vacation dollars. If I want to do excursions, then I book a cheaper cabin.

 

I also book my cruise pretty far in advance to get the best price.

 

Happy cruising!

[bobbyleduck]

Wow! What am I missing? a B2B for LESS than the price of one cruise? We are new to this, and have booked balconies because of motion problems for me and my husband can't rush in the AM -so we order room service to eat on the balcony. BUT...maybe I should re-think this!!

 

I would definitely prefer to take 2 cruises instead of 1!!! Where do I sign up for your deal!?! :)

 

Dear Auntdot:

 

Here you go. We sailed on Infinity through the Panama Canal in March. My Mom took nine of us on the cruise and everyone else wanted verandahs. It cost more than $3,400 per person, just for the cruise.

 

My wife and I are sailing aboard Millenium in December and our cost is less than $2,865 for two, including round trip airfare from Portland, OR to Fort Lauderdale and one-way airfare from Miami to Barcelona.

 

Both cruises are 14 days.

 

My wife can take two additional weeks off work, without pay if needed (it isn't), and we still come out ahead. More time off and more time cruising. Nothing better!

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[geoherb]

When we had our first balcony cabin, my DH said he could never take a cruise without a balcony. So I booked us an inside cabin for our next cruise. We still had a great time. Since then, we've had obstructed views, insides, balconies, and outside cabins. All our cruises have been great. And the cabin doesn't make a whole lot of difference.

 

If we go again this Christmas, I'll look at the price difference between an inside and an outside and a balcony. If it's reasonable, we'll take a balcony. But sometimes the difference is just too much for me.

[fti]

I guess its like saying you could do four land vacations a year and stay at a Motel 6 along the highway or do only one and stay at a beachfront resort. Since it is a vacation we would rather spend a little bit more and obtain more comfort.

 

Not a good comparison.

 

Better comparison is a beachfront resort with a room with a balcony overlooking the beach, or the same resort with a room overlooking the parking lot. In this comparison, your room is different but you still have access to all the same amenities that the person paying twice as much for the beachfront room with balcony does. Staying in the inside cabin, I have access to the same public areas that you do on the same ship, same meals, same entertainment, etc, etc. For me, I would prefer to stay inside and cruise more often.

[Richard Stein]

If you monitor the happy hour sales on Tuesday like I do you will not they have cheap prices on inside and outside cabins. This is how I will go in my retirement. Cheap and often.

[SharkieRools]

Go for 2 with the inside cabin. You can live without the balcony - it's nice to have but if you need to be outside there is plenty of outdoor areas on the ship you can go to.

 

In fact, this is what we are doing on the 2 cruises listed in my signature. We've ben cruising in balcony cabins for the past several years but decided to save some money and perhaps cruise a bit more often by going with insides for now. At first I thought it would be hard, but then I remembered how my first couple of cruises were in inside cabins and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

 

I'm sure we'll be getting balconies again in the future sometime, but we're going inside for now! :D

[fti]

If you monitor the happy hour sales on Tuesday like I do you will not they have cheap prices on inside and outside cabins. This is how I will go in my retirement. Cheap and often.

 

Am I missing something here?

[Sky Sweet]

The differences in cost for the month of a cruise is usually more significant than inside cabin vs balcony. For example, we are taking a Mediterranean Cruise next June and don't have the option of taking it during the fall because of my husband's work schedule. However, if we took this exact same cruise in the fall instead of June, our cabin would be significantly less expensive, and so would our airfare, as well as our pre cruise and post cruise hotel costs.

 

With that said, if we had total flexibility as to when we could travel and were deciding between one expensive cruise a year vs two cheaper ones for a similar price, I would compromise on time of year instead of cabin.

[Apoggi]

I would most definately go with two cruises inside than one cruise with a balcony. I like balconies but hey, it's a no brainer two is better than one.

 

 

Ann

[sasset]

Would you get one dinner at an upscale restaurant when you can get two dinners at Applebee's for less?

 

Even though all of the other ship's ammenities are the same, a balcony cabin vs. an inside is a different product and a different cruise experience.

 

Regards

[fti]

Would you get one dinner at an upscale restaurant when you can get two dinners at Applebee's for less?

 

That is partly my point - whether you get an inside or a balcony, you both eat at the SAME restaurant :-)

 

Even though all of the other ship's ammenities are the same, a balcony cabin vs. an inside is a different product and a different cruise experience.

 

Regards

 

...for you.