Is it worth it to get a balcony?

[YorkieMommyKandis]

For those of you who have chosen to have a balcony room, was it worth it? My DH and I are planning our second cruise and I would love to have a balcony, but the website shows it will be $600 extra for a 7 day cruise. I love sitting and watching the ocean and the night sky, but my DH is completely bored with that, so the balcony would be great for me (since I am leery about going off on the ship without him). I'm just thinking that this is $600 that we could spend elsewhere and that we probably wouldn't get enough use out of it to justify spending the extra money (we already have a tight budget). Then again, I think on a 7 day cruise it might keep us from getting cabin fever (no pun intended).

 

So, what is everyone's opinion on balconies??

[Steamboatin]

We personally love the balcony and enjoy using it. We just yesterday got off a 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise and enjoyed the balcony on our port and sea days.

 

At night you cannot see the sky as the light from the ship blocks out seeing the stars.

 

On port arrivals, port departures and on sea days you will get the most use out of enjoying your balcony.

 

If you like solitude and just listening to the waves and watching them go by than you will enjoy a balcony on a sea day. Otherwise you will be bored to death.

 

If you are an individual that wants to talk with the other passengers, does not like solutide, or is one who wants to be involved in the planned on board activities than a balcon just may not be for you all at this time.

[camperhawk]

Hi, we always have a balcony because I am an ocean kind of woman, love looking at it, gives me peace and relaxation. Love having my room service breakfast out there, before going on excursions or planning on how to spend the sea days. Can't beat it in my opinion! Always a private spot when you need it!

[DanJ]

We've had them 2 cruises in a row now. Having one definitely won't be a deal breaker for us in the future. It's a nice thing to have if it won't cost a lot more, but not something we can't cruise without.

[Willbcruisin]

I won't cruise without one! Love to sit at night and look at the sea and the stars! Yes I have seen many stars! Have seen and heard dolphins!! Love to have breakfast out on the balcony! I could spend the rest of my life sitting on the balcony! It's beautiful and peaceful! I feel it's worth every cent!

[serene56]

For us-- it would depend on ports/how many days at sea etc.

If I was sailing on a port intensive cruise with 0-1 sea day then I would not be booking a balcony.

If I have 3-4 sea days then yes i would spend time on the balcony.

[serene56]

PS- with as much that is going on around the ship-- especially on port days I cant imagine anyone getting "cabin fever"

[alphakitty]

I've cruise with and without a balcony, but much prefer to have one. The fresh air in the cabin alone makes it worth it to me. :) I so enjoy having my first cup of coffee in the morning out on the balcony and watching the sea go by. It's also nice to sit out there at night in my pj's and watch the stars.

[cb at sea]

As small as most cabins are, the balcony gives you that much more space! If there were none available on a sailing I wanted, I wouldn't go. That simple! Did it one time--NEVER AGAIN!

[neverthought]

I've cruise with and without a balcony, but much prefer to have one. The fresh air in the cabin alone makes it worth it to me. :) I so enjoy having my first cup of coffee in the morning out on the balcony and watching the sea go by. It's also nice to sit out there at night in my pj's and watch the stars.

Ditto...we always get a balcony! We leave the door open a bit when sleeping to hear the ocean, very very relaxing. We also enjoy our morning tea/coffee, evening cocktail out there, there is nothing better IMO!!:)

Neverthought

[jaybird from SC]

For those of you who have chosen to have a balcony room, was it worth it? My DH and I are planning our second cruise and I would love to have a balcony, but the website shows it will be $600 extra for a 7 day cruise. I love sitting and watching the ocean and the night sky, but my DH is completely bored with that, so the balcony would be great for me (since I am leery about going off on the ship without him). I'm just thinking that this is $600 that we could spend elsewhere and that we probably wouldn't get enough use out of it to justify spending the extra money (we already have a tight budget). Then again, I think on a 7 day cruise it might keep us from getting cabin fever (no pun intended).

 

So, what is everyone's opinion on balconies??

Once you've had a balcony cabin you seem to catch "balcony fever". Just having the extra space and being able to have the fresh air in your cabin is often worth the price for us but then again it depends on how expensive they are. It has to be a good deal or we're back to the oceanview.

[CcCcCcCindy]

I usually get a balcony. I enjoy reading books and drinking coffee while the rest of my family sleeps in the morning. My criteria is the weather. I am on a TA in April where I expect things to be too chilly to enjoy it most of the cruise, so I opted for just an oceanview to save money.

[DonLou]

On the whole, all I need is a view of the ocean.

 

On our last cruise we had a balcony near the aft. We were downwind of cabins that had smokers and one that had a cigar smoker. I swear, everytime I went out on the balcony, I was assaulted by some sort of smoking smell. So no more balconies for me. Just looking at the sea and breathing in the wonderful air conditioned air in our cabin is good enough.

 

P.S. I HATE smoking but I have to admit, as I found out on the cruise, smokers are the friendliest people I've met. They're just not friendly enough for me to put up with the smoking for a great length of time.

[lady_cruiser]

My sister and I would not think of cruising without a balcony. In fact my sister can not swim and is actually afraid of water that is higher than your ankes but she spends more time on our balcony than I do.

 

I do enjoy at least one breakfast on our balcony. I like the idea that if the pool is loud and crowded I can retreat with a good book and still get some rays on the balcony. After a spending a day at one of the ports its a nice place to unwind before we have to get ready to go down to the dining room. If I can't sleep and I don't want to disturb my sister, by coming and going, I can retreat to the balcony and look at the stars and reflect on the things we did and saw that day. And visa-versa - she can do the same. Leaving the curtains open, but sheers closed, is an awesome way of waking up in the mornings. The sunrises are beautiful over the water. Having a drink on your balcony, before going to a show or hooking up with friends in the promenade, is one of the most relaxing things to do. Even if all you are having is a cup of coffee served with a plate of fresh pastries.

 

If you want a balcony and think you can't afford it there are ways you can find the money. I stopped going to eat lunch with my co-workers everyday. I know brown bag it. I stopped drinking specialty coffees and starting making regualr coffee in my office. Its good on my pocket book and does wonders for my waistline. This past year my sister and I decided not to exchange Christmas gifts. The money we saved went towards bringing supplies to an orphanage but you and you husband can put that same idea towards upgrading to a balcony. The higher you go the more your balcony will cost. Try and find a cabin, on a lower level that has a balcony that you can afford. I think once your husbands tries it, he might surprise you and decides he too can enjoy a balcony.

[NCTribeFan]

Had my first balcony in December and loved it.

 

That being said, I decided that I could take TWO cruises this year if I don't sail from southern Florida and stay in inside cabins. And I like inside cabins!

 

I much prefer the idea of two cruises, thanks.

 

If I were only doing one cruise and there were 3 or more sea days, I'd book a balcony.

 

But I'm more about the ports than I am the cabin.

 

I can have 12 days of cruisings (even though I have to drive to the ports) that costs the same as flying to FLL and having a balcony for a 7 day cruise.

[melika091900]

honestly.. we have had 3 balconies on 5 cruises. and i can say that insides are just as good.

well they are the same sq feet usually,

and the only reason WE needed the balcony was to smoke,

but since we dont smoke much anymore, it wasnt worth it for us.

 

if money isnt an issue go for it ,

it just makes me cringe thinking of paying 600$ more for a balcony in a room you are rarely going to be in, just to sleep.. you know what I mean

 

just my opinion..

 

we were in an inside for a 14 day cruise, people told me i was nuts, but ill tell you , it didnt feel any different ( and it was 2000 more for a balcony!) , we just kept the tv on the channel that showed the front of the ship,, hee heee so when we woke up we knew what time it was...

[wegoswimcoach]

I've had the benefit of mooching off my parents for their balcony on the past two cruises. I'm in my early twenties and cannot afford a balcony room on my school teacher budget! My parents (and several aunts and uncles) booked a row of balcony rooms and my sister and I had the interior room directly across the hall (as did my cousins). It was a great idea as we could knock on mom and dad's room when we knew there was going to be a great view (i.e. sunrise, sunset, entering or leaving port).

 

We're doing this again next trip. I'm an outdoors person and end up spending most of my week poolside when I'm on the ship.

[Skywench]

I've had a balcony on evey cruise I've done. Don't think I'd want to go if I couldn't have a balcony. I just love sitting out there. It's so relaxing to me, so yes, I think it's well worth it. On my next cruise, I've got an aft balcony.

[jimswims]

We have cruised in insides, oceanviews and the last 2 were suites with balconies.

 

We used the balcony much more than we thought we would and really loved the fresh air, sun, chairs, views, sounds of the sea against the ship.

[Cap 1]

We wouldn't cruise without a balcony. It is so peaceful at nite to sit out & watch the stars. One time we got to see a meteor shower, you can't believe how awesome that was! On port days, you can step out & check the weather or get your first glimpse of the port. Our last balcony wrapped around the corner and was large enough for 2 lounge chairs, in addition to 4 chairs & a small table, it was perfect to lay out & read and not have to listen to the kids running by on the Lido deck! You can't beat having breakfast in your jammies on your private balcony. You can almost imagine the whole ship is yours! Go for the balcony, you won't regret it!

[Go-Bucks!]

On my first 3 cruises I had an inside, porthole, and window. Had a fabulous time on each one. Didn't really mind the inside room, but it was just a 4 day cruise. And we didn't spend much time there. But it was much more enjoyable with a window.

 

On my last cruise I had my first balcony and fell in love with it!! Spent lots of time there just relaxing and watching the water, the coastline (Alaska) and the dolphins go by. Took a daily nap out there. Eventhough I do alot of activities on the ship and in port, I also need to relax and it's best done on the balcony. I did sit (snooze, actually) one day on the loungers on the Promenade deck, but there's no privacy - hope I didn't snore with all those people walking by!! :o My favorite time was at night when we kept the balcony door open and listened to the ocean waves, smelled the fresh sea air, and woke up to a gorgeous sunrise!

 

I have a minisuite with balcony booked for the next cruise, but my budget can afford it. If it were a matter of killing my budget or having to go into debt for the trip, I would get the cheapest room possible. You'll have a great time no matter what type room you're in if you make it fun! And there's plenty to do without staying in the room.

[Sailaway John]

You bet . . . once in a balcony cabin . . . always a balcony cabin.

We have done 4 cruises and have always had a balcony cabin. We have met other cruisers on board that had outside cabins with large picture windows but they preferred our cabin with a balcony. Another reason for a balcony cabin is that we don't like having the air-conditioning going all the time, especially at night. With a balcony cabin at least you can open the door and get some nice fresh sea air.:)

Our next cruise is on Pacific Dawn 24th May.

[percy12]

We had the family suite on the Grand Princess and that huge balcony was a total waste because being front corner of Dolphin deck, the wind howled constantly with movement of the ship. There was no protection. Great view, but it hurt to open your eyes.:eek:

[Jill SC]

As nice as the balcony is, I would not pay extra to have one. Having the extra money to spend in port or being able to afford another cruise is more important. There are lots of places on the ship to watch the scenery or the ocean and so many other things to do that I am seldom in my room.

[DiveCruiser]

A balcony is always worth it.

Bob