Alaska - Balcony or Outside?

[stephaniekleinn]

Hi Guys, I'm interested in purchasing a cruise to Alaska for my mom as a Christmas Gift. We're looking at going in August. My question is whether I should pick a balcony or an outside cabin....how cold does it get and do you even use the balconies? We're from Florida and she loves the warmth so I'm wondering if we should just go with the outside cabin....I'd love to hear from you. Stephaniekleinn@yahoo.com

[the pook]

We went to Alaska on the NCL Pearl to Glacier Bay in June this year and we booked a balcony cabin which was well worth it. It was chilly the first couple of days (50's) but we came prepared with blankets. We wanted a balcony for glacier viewing and wildlife and saw whales, birds, porpoise - we never once regretted it.

 

That said, it's all about personal preference. You can do lots of great viewing from the ship (our Glacier Bay day we divided the morning between the Spinnaker Lounge and the sun deck - didn't use the balcony till the afternoon) so if your mum is a "warm" person maybe an ocean view would better suit.

[luvlake]

About 3/4 down the page is a post "Balcony not needed for Alaskan Cruise" with about 69 posts.

 

This will probably give you a very good idea on how experienced cruisers feel.

 

We personally use a mini-suite but not everyone will agree.

 

I think whatever room you use you will not go wrong. Alaska is all about scenery! :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Get the balcony!!

 

We love being able to sit out and watch the glaciers in our own private area.

 

[pilotdane]

Read the other thread as mentioned but on our Alaska cruise very few people were on their balconies for long. You have to be honest as to what type of people your parents are. If they like being outside and don't care much about the weather then they would probably love the balcony. If they spend their life in doors than I would go with the outside cabin. I saw some amazing things while on the balcony but it can be really cold, windy and wet.

[Assateague Island Princes]

If you can swing the $$$, would HIGHLY recommend a balcony! We get one every time to Alaska, and now are spoiled. Wouldn't cruise without a balcony in Alaska - but that is just us. Depends on what is important to you. We spent a great deal of time out there - every morning for breakfast, hours and hours on each sea day, even had dinner out there one night. Nothing like hopping out of bed in your comfy robe, and plopping yourself out there for spectacular scenery and (hopefully!) lots of wildlife sightings! IMO, its the only way to go!

[sha88]

Hi Guys, I'm interested in purchasing a cruise to Alaska for my mom as a Christmas Gift. We're looking at going in August. My question is whether I should pick a balcony or an outside cabin....how cold does it get and do you even use the balconies? We're from Florida and she loves the warmth so I'm wondering if we should just go with the outside cabin....I'd love to hear from you. Stephaniekleinn@yahoo.com

 

We just got back from our Alaska cruise and had an aft balcony. It was the best way to get pictures of the Hubbard Glacier in my opinion. It was chilly, but we had jackets and it was well worth it. GO BALCONY! It was wonderful to also keep the balcony door open at times while we were in the cabin and see a clear view of all the mountains, whales, too!

[Budget Queen]

People love the balconies. I would however, determine the budget and allow for some of the Alaska tours which can be costly. You get only half a trip without them in my opinion. :) But do stress the importance of being well prepared in the attire, especially for someone who likes warm weather. Necessary- warm layers, knit hat and gloves. Will make all the difference in comfort.

[Putterdude]

Balcony or not to balcony.....it comes down to budget. However if budget is not an issue then you will help you to enjoy the trip and the scenery more, plus it is awfully nice just to have the extra bit of space. In early August the daytime temps can reach into the early 70's but come prepared for damp cool 60's and you won't be disappointed.

[kellywhitehills]

Well for us a balcony is a must..Heres my husband relaxing as we cruised Glacier Bay last week..We used our balcony A LOT!

 

 

But..it can get very cool..Ask your mom on the sly and see what she thinks..:)

 

Kelly

[mytime53]

If someone hates the cold/gets cold easily, I think a balcony is great because it is so easy to step in and out.

[CruisersfromOhio]

We were lucky enough to be able to afford a suite on the port side and

THOROUGHLY enjoyed our balcony. Windbreaker/coat depending on how cold blooded you are. Rooms had wool blankets in them for use and blankets on deck were readily available.

 

Most of the time we just loved having the convenience of it being

right off of our room. We could lie in bed and watch the scenery go by.

We wandered on the balcony both day and night taking it all in as much as possible.

 

My DH dubbed the trip "living in a postcard".

 

We did venture to forward deck and deck 3 to get panoramic views of glaciers.

 

DH fancies himself a photographer so for us, a balcony is a must as he hates to shoot thru glass.

 

That said, if you can't afford one, there are PLENTY of spaces on the ship for viewing. People hung out on the LIDO deck and Deck 3. Not too many on the sports deck unless we were stopped for glacier viewing due to wind.

[compulady]

I have been trying to decide on HAL oceanview or RCI balcony for our June 12, 2009 Alaska cruise.

 

HAL verandas are too expensive but the RCI balconies are about the same price as HAL oceanview. My other dilemma is HAL goes to Sitka while RCI goes to Icy Point Strait.

 

I've asked before but....Any help here?

[candysmom]

ive been to sitka twice. It is very interesting to walk around. Also, there are several wild life shore excursions. i have never been to icy point strait but have read about it. Have been on 3 HAL cruises to alaska and I like the fact that they have the wrap around decks on all ships. also, they open the bow when visiting glacier bay or Hubbard glacier. If you have a balcony will it be warm enough and that wild life could be on the other side of the ship. if you love history as well as scenery and wildlife go to sitka. I am returning in may on the ryndam with my own cabin next to my daughter and her husband and I hope they love alaska as much as I do and my late husband did. have a good cruise. note if you want to visit Icy strait for excursions many of the same types of adventures can be found in other ports.

[nanbob]

We just returned from Alaska, and are also from Florida- we used our balcony far more than we ever thought we would. If you can fit it into your cruise budget, do yourself a favor and get the balcony!!

[bacm]

We also just returned from Alaska on the Carnival Spirit. After reading all of the reviews on CC I was confused as to the balcony/no balcony question. We have done both types of rooms and was not against taking an inside room, but wanted to make the most of the trip and decided after reading the boards to take the balcony.

 

Now after taking the cruise, my opinion is that if you can afford the balcony you should definately take it. I also will say that you should not feel bad if you feel you would rather spend the dollars elsewhere and take an inside room.

 

Pros:

1: We used it a lot, even when it was cold, we just wore our jackets, hats, gloves, etc.

2: You can see so well from your balcony. It's quiet, private and your not searching for a place to stand at the rail to see from.

 

Cons:

1: It gets very lonely sitting in your room all day by yourselves just viewing the scenery. After quite a while we would go up on deck and view with everyone else for while.

2: There are many times when the naturalist will tell you to view from the right....then the left side. Up on deck you can easily move from side to side, but in your room you can only see one side. (Luckily, since we went with another couple, our travel agent advised us to take one room for each of us on each side of the ship. They were very close to each other and made it very easy to see everything from both sides.)

 

Hope this helped.

[Mcscotty]

I had never cruised before but I really wanted to be able to go outside without it taking 10 minutes to get there!

 

Having now had a balcony, I don't think I'd cruise without one. On our Alaska trip we only sat outside one day as the weather was shocking, rain wind and very cold. Even so I nipped out several times a day and it was nice to have the fresh air.

 

Perhaps not worth the extra if you will be full on into the activities and entertainment so hardly in your cabin.

 

What the previous poster said about the naturalist commenting from both sides of the ship is true so you have no hope if something is happening on the other side if you are in your cabin.

[bean]

We just came back from an Alaskan cruise. This was our third cruise (2 with Princess, 1 with RCCL). The first two cruises were port intensive, so we did not get a balcony, and the main points of interest were the ports and not on the land. However, when it comes to Alaska, the main points of interest are nature. We did get a balcony for this cruise because basically, you are at sea for 7 days! Yes, you have ports, but the highlight is the scenery. You can always go on deck, but when it rains, your balcony is your safe haven. In addition, we had an extra overhang on our deck and it came in handy. You can always go on deck, but because we had our own balcony, we could always stay dry and watch the action in port. Some people say save the money and go on trips. But, remember this. Many excursions in Alaska are cancelled due to weather. Keep that in mind. And, you will see whales, etc., while you are at sea. Make sure, however, that if you do get a balcony it is covered. Mandatory where it rains almost every day.

[CruisersfromOhio]

We chose HAL over other liens else strictly due to the itinerary and land cruise. We wanted to take advantage of their marvelous Dome trains for the land portion.

 

If I was going "cruise only" I wouldn't hesitate to spend less money and sail a different line - but I would still try to get a balcony! It is so worth it to be a few sheltered steps from your room.

 

Unless stopped for observation the upper outside decks were too windy/cold even when we were there in August to spend any amount of time outside. Deck 3 was managable most days with a blanket. Balcony allowed you to jump in / out at will.

 

We requested a thermovac of hot tea from room service. Allowed us to get warm in room, then pop out to balcony at a moments notice to enjoy the view, wildlife or a passing ship.