If there’s one question I get asked the most by people planning their first cruise it has to be:
Is it worth paying extra for a balcony?
After spending a lot of time on cruise ships, I can tell you that the answer isn’t automatically yes.
I love a balcony. Give me a cup of coffee, the ocean, a robe and nowhere I need to be for the next half hour and I’m very happy. I can just stare out at the sea and do nothing but decompress. But if I’m being completely honest I’ve also been on cruises where I’ve looked at that balcony with the chairs and table all set up for me on the last day and realized I barely used it.
So, I don’t think the real question is, “Is a balcony cabin worth it?” I think the real question should be:
How are you planning to spend your cruise?
For this cruise expert, that’s how I gauge what type of room I’ll be booking. The one thing that should determine whether you spend hundreds, or thousands, of dollars more for a balcony is HOW you vacation.
Is your cabin going to be your private retreat where you’ll spend time reading, relaxing and just spending time as a couple or just decompressing from your day to day, then YES, you should consider the upgrade.
For a lot of cruisers, their cabin is basically the place where you shower, change clothes and sleep before running back out to enjoy the ship. If that’s how you vacation, then keep your money. It’s really that simple.
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Know what You’re Actually Paying For
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Most of the major cruise ships offer some variation of four basic cabin types: interior cabins, ocean-view cabins, balcony or veranda cabins, and suites.
An interior cabin generally doesn’t have a window. An ocean-view cabin gives you a window or porthole, but it doesn’t open. A traditional balcony cabin gives you a sliding glass door leading to your own outdoor space, usually with two chairs and a small table.
Look at the website before you choose, because different ships offer different balcony styles.
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For example, Royal Caribbean has some balcony cabins that face inward toward Central Park or the Boardwalk rather than out toward the ocean. To me it’s like having an apartment in the city, and personally I’m there for the ocean. If you love city life, then go for it.
Celebrity Cruises has traditional Veranda staterooms as well as Infinite Verandas on their Edge Class ships. Instead of stepping through a door onto a completely separate outdoor balcony, an Infinite Veranda incorporates that area into the room, with a floor-to-ceiling window that can lower to bring the outside in. They feel like a sunroom with the window closed and make the room feel larger, but they don’t have that “traditional” balcony feel.
Norwegian Cruise Line has more traditional balcony cabins with floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open to a private balcony.
Personally, there’s something special about opening a door and physically stepping outside. I also like the added light that a balcony brings to the room. But I don’t ALWAYS book one, especially if I know there are no port days to enjoy it on my cruise.
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When a Balcony Is Absolutely Worth It
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If I’m cruising in Alaska, I have to have a balcony.
If scenery and wildlife are a major part of the experience, it essentially becomes an excursion. Waking up to see the glaciers, whales, dolphins, and eagles flying overhead from your balcony is the reason you took the trip.
You don’t have to get dressed. You don’t have to go upstairs and compete for a spot along the railing. You don’t even have to take a shower. You can step outside with your coffee and watch exactly what you came for from your own private space.
For me, scenic itineraries are absolutely the deciding factor. Greece, Iceland the Mediterranean, Hawaii, the Norwegian fjords or any coastal cruises are on my must have a balcony list.
If seeing where you’re going is a major reason you’re taking the cruise, the balcony isn’t simply part of the room. It’s part of the trip.
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Sea Days Change the Equation Too
I also put a much higher value on a balcony when an itinerary includes several sea days.
On a port-intensive cruise, I might leave the ship at 8 a.m., spend the entire day exploring, return exhausted, have dinner, see a show, go to the casino and fall into bed.
How much balcony time am I really going to get?
Compare that with a transatlantic cruise where every day is a sea day. Suddenly that balcony has a job. It becomes my reading room. My lazy morning breakfast coffee spot.My quiet place. My escape from the crowded pool deck. And mostly it’s simply the place where I sit and do absolutely nothing. And on my vacation, I like doing nothing and relaxing.
I recently read a discussion among cruisers about paying $700 more for a balcony on a 13-night transatlantic. The consensus was that it was worth the upgrade, just because of the number of sea days. A lot said the extra private outdoor space was especially valuable on a longer sailing. But there were some who made the opposite argument. If they weren’t going to use the balcony, they’d rather put that $700 toward another cruise.
And that perfectly illustrates my point. There is no right or wrong answer.
It Goes Back to the Question of How You Want to Cruise
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This is where you have to be truthful with yourself. Not fantasy-vacation, I want to do what I see on Instagram kind of thing. Really think about what it is you’re looking to get out of your experience.
We all have an imaginary version of ourselves when we book a trip.
Imaginary Vacation—I get up early, order room service, sit peacefully on the balcony drinking coffee while watching the sunrise, reads three chapters of a novel and contemplate the meaning of life.
Real Vacation—I check the schedule they left in my stateroom the night before while getting dressed because there’s somewhere I want to be.
Which one are you?
If you love hanging around your cabin, a balcony can change your entire cruise experience. But if you’re out from breakfast until midnight, you may be spending hundreds of dollars on two chairs you rarely sit in.
Think about your habits before automatically upgrading to a balcony.
Couples May Appreciate It for a Completely Different Reason
I love my husband; I really do. But after 46 years of marriage, we each need “our space.” Cabins are small (even large cabins feel small). They get to feel smaller the longer the trip. Going out to the balcony and closing the door behind me, well…it keeps us happily cruising.
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Sometimes an Inside Cabin Is the Smarter Choice
The obvious is that they’re less expensive. They’re wonderfully dark for sleeping (there’s a lot to be said for this if you wake up at the first sign of light). And if you spend almost no time in your room, why pay for something you aren’t going to use?
I’d much rather see someone book an inside cabin and take the cruise than decide cruising is too expensive because they think they have to have a balcony. You don’t. You have an entire ship to experience with a LOT of outdoor space.
There are open decks, lounges, pools, restaurants and observation areas. You can find a favorite chair overlooking the ocean and let the cruise line pay for your balcony.
An ocean-view cabin can be a good compromise as well. You get natural light and can see what’s happening outside without paying the full balcony premium. Ocean-view cabins generally cost less than balcony cabins, although pricing can vary by ship and sailing, and just like those balconies, some lines have small portholes while others look like a big picture window.
For the right itinerary, I’d happily take that savings and spend it somewhere else like specialty restaurants, the spa, excursions or another cruise!
So, Is a Balcony Cabin Worth It?
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Yes and no. Don’t book a balcony because someone told you that’s the “right” way to cruise. Don’t book an inside cabin simply because it’s cheaper. Simply decide what you want from your vacation and book the least expensive cabin that gives you the experience you’re looking for because that leaves more money for the thing I’m always thinking about before I’ve even finished unpacking after I cruise.
The next one.
Related: 7 Reasons You Should Book an Older Cruise Ship for Your Next Vacation, According to a Cruise Expert
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