First cruise question

[Dash man]

We love cruising and have always had a balcony, and will never go without one. On our about 30 cruises I’ve gotten sick twice, once with bronchitis and once with Norovirus. When I had Norovirus DW was quarantined with me in the cabin for a couple of days. If we only had four walls to look at she would have gone crazy. The balcony kept her from being miserable for the two days before we could roam the ship again.
Nobody plans on getting sick while on a cruise, but it happens, and balconies are worth every penny if you are.

 

[sengsational]

I would add that the clientele would be important for me. We did one with kids and young adults and they were annoying around the pools so we spent more time on the balcony. We will take a Viking in March and I’m advised it is less people and no little kids. I really enjoyed my first and only cruise, but don’t like big crowds so I would prefer smaller ships.

As many opinions about inside/Oceanview/balcony as there are people on the planet. So my contribution is more along the clientele perspective.

If you go cheap, irrespective of the type of room, you will have a certain kind of experience. Cheap means a huge ship, ports that handle huge ships, and cruise lines that don't have too much flexibility in how they treat guests, and guests that, well, are "the masses". It's worth trying a megaliner because maybe you'll find it enjoyable. But those are nothing like a small, more expensive ship. The people aboard are just not the same crowd as on the megas. The clientele is different based on the port, too, and on the itinerary.

 

[MRG]

We went on our first cruise this year around Iceland. Smaller boat lots of crew, 300 passengers 200 crew. We were pampered, ate really well, and loved the experience. We liked it so much DW has booked a 10 day cruise on a smaller sailboat next May around Tahiti with the same cruise line.

There's no inside cabins on these smaller boats so it wasn't an option. We paid up to be on the island side of the boat, even though it was cold and mostly rainy I'm sure glad I could look out. We're doing the same thing on the next cruise up top, middle of the boat. Cabins on the sailboat are smaller than the one we just were on but it should be better with warmer weather.

I wouldn't try to save dollars the first time. See if you like the experience and adjust afterwards. Our trip next year is first/business class with a couple days in places to enjoy the experience. No sense in rushing back home.

 

[braumeister]

It's worth trying a megaliner because maybe you'll find it enjoyable. But those are nothing like a small, more expensive ship. The people aboard are just not the same crowd as on the megas. The clientele is different based on the port, too, and on the itinerary.

Absolutely true in my experience.

The first cruise we ever took was an Alaska trip on a big ship. It held 1,400 pax, and we considered it enormous. Far too large for our comfort zone, although today it would be considered a small ship.

Since then, we have taken a few more ocean cruises and a couple of river cruises, but the biggest ship has been only a few hundred pax and one was only about 65. Completely different experience, and I would never consider anything else going forward.

 

[pacergal]

I am an introvert and claustrophobic, so a balcony suite is what we have done in the past, and what we will do in the future.
Nice to have space in the room, and have fresh air, sit on the balcony.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I think you definitely want to take the excursions you want because no sense taking the cruise not to have fun. We met people that would just walk around the ports because it was free. We did that after the excursions.

For the first 3 cruises we had a ocean view room before we tried the inside room. Besides the room being smaller there’s not much difference. We had the curtains closed mostly because we were only in our room to sleep or shower.

We figured once we added in airfare and other expenses whatever the barebones cruise cost we paid double. We loved the ships that ranged in size from 1500 people to 4000. There were plenty of activities on sea days to enjoy. We took one with 6k guests and it was our least favorite. Our best experiences was with royal Caribbean when kids are in school. The worst cruise ever was with Princess.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

For me it depends on the ship and itinerary. How many days will you be at sea vs in port? What are your ports of call?

Also, I will say that you should pick your first cruise carefully. I have several family members who are convinced they hate cruising because for their "first" cruise they went on a 4-night Carnival cruise during spring break.

Very true, although balconies are not just for sea days -- I will never forget seeing the glow of the lava flow at Pu'u O'o from our balcony in the middle of the night! But it's still good advice, you might be OK with an inside room IF you're only about enjoying the ports and the ships, but me, I really love a view. And cathy63 is dead on about the crowds; we're now spoiled for smaller ships. Try not to go when school/college is out.

But if you want to save money, bring a plastic 1.75L bottle (or two, depending on the # of days and people) of cheap rum or whisky to save on drink costs...which is what I did on our first cruise!

 

[SecondAttempt]

If you really want to BTD and have the experience of a lifetime, take a cruise in one of Royal Caribbean's Sky Loft suites. We were blessed by the upgrade fairy for our 25th anniversary cruise and it was unforgettable. You get your own personal "genie" and he/she takes care of everything for you pre-cruise, until you disembark. The genie will whisk you to the front of every line, make your reservations for specialty/premium dining every evening, get you advance reservations at any/all on-board activities, personally take you on/off the ship at all ports so you won't wait in lines, escort you to your personal premium seats in the theater, and on and on. Then you also get the special charge card. Purchase as much alcohol/drinks or any other things that require purchase, and then the genie magically makes all the charges disappear nightly. Of course unlimited wifi for everyone is also included.

Oh, then there is the suite itself - two floors, two bathrooms - basically the size of a small townhouse. They make sure that there's always a platter of fresh fruit, desserts, snacks when you return to the suite.

We had done 10 cruises prior to this one, almost 5 years ago now. DW refuses to cruise again because she knows that it will be impossible to top that experience. I suppose in that sense, it could be saving money if we don't cruise again for 10 or 20 years.

I've attached a couple photos just to give an idea how large the suite is.

Holy Cr@p, you just made me want to take a cruise!

 

[arcyallen]

Vafoodie, you are asking the right questions! I think cruises can be an extraordinary value if you avoid most/all of the add ons. We've only had interior rooms with no issue (and I'm slightly claustrophobic) but got a good deal on a balcony room to try soon. If the balcony charge is double, just ask yourself: would you rather have one cruise with the balcony, or two cruises without? There's no wrong answer, but I'll take two most anytime. Also, I've seen the balcony upcharge run from 100% down to 20%. It pays to browse the offerings. And have fun! If you do it right, it can be one of the cheapest vacations around!

 

[gayl]

Are we really going to be in the room to do more than sleep

Yes. I will never do less than a balcony again. I have done only 1 mini-suite and it's not worth it for me. (Free upgrade]. How would you feel if:
> got sick
> want to watch a race
> need fresh air
Yes, I love / use my balcony for breakfast in my robe & high tea when everywhere seems crowded. I'm an introvert

 

[Souschef]

On our Alaska cruise LA-LA we opted for a Suite. On our 15 day Hawaii cruise we opted for a Mini suite. Below are the comparisons against a balcony cabin.