balcony or outside cabin?
 

my husband and i are booking our cruise to rome,sorrento,florence,monte carlo,provence and barcelona in may of next year on oceania,insignia. is a balcony worth about $1500 more?

A balcony is very very nice! Now I wouldn't want to cruise without one. It provides the comfort and privacy of viewing the sea right outside your cabin without having to go out on deck. In port you again have the privacy and comfort of viewing the port activities and what is happening on shore in fairly comfortable chairs. Is it worth 1,500 extra, that is a question only you can rightly answer.

$1500 is a huge increase for a balcony cabin. Are you pricing for this year or next year? If for 2005, if the increase is that high the balconies are probably already taken. If this is for 2006 the price should come down significantly. Keep an eye out for the prices and get quotes from all the big online agencies. Our recent balcony cabin dropped about $500 per person before the cruise, about 2 months out.

My opinion: not worth it in Med as you will be in ports most of the time anyway. Alaska would've been opposite.

I'd stick with the booking you currently have and continue to inqire about upgrades. Prices change all the time. On a cruise a couple years back first the quote for a balcony was "$1,000 more" for the 4 of us...then $700....soon after I got the 4 of us upgraded for a total of $400. Keep calling; you'll get different answers! I cannot cruise for more than a few days w/o a balcony. I can't imagine not having one in Europe!

A European cruise is infinitely more wonderful with a balcony.

You didn't say if you've ever cruised before, or if you did, if you had a balcony in the past. I'm always amazed at how strongly people advocate for balcony cabins, yet check any cruise ship, whether at sea, or in port and look at the balconies...almost all are empty except perhaps on cruises where balconies are a real advantage such as the Panama Canal or Alaska. While I'm sure they are great, it all depends on how much you'll be using it and I agree that $1500 difference is a lot.

call me cheap, but it never made sense to me to pay anything other than the lowest fare for a cabin on a cruise ship because i'm never in my cabin on a cruise ship. who goes on a cruise to set in their cabin, even with a view? remember, you get all the same goodies on a ship whether you pay a little or a lot (pent house excepted..:}}) i sail hundreds of days on cruise ships, always in a cheap, inside cabin. why pay a premium price to take a nap, hang my clothes, and take a shower?

This is subjective with are lots of opinions.

Personally, I love my balcony in any cruise venue! It's my own private space, we have breakfast delivered to enjoy on our balcony, or before turning in for the night, enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony. It's not that I spend all my time in my cabin; it's the quality of the time I am in my cabin!

With regard to fare changes, in today's environment it's difficult to project. Interest in cruising and passenger numbers are way up. Ships are sailing full and reservations are being made much farther in advance than in the recent past. Last minute deals and/or discount promotions are getting a more difficult to find, unless you are very flexible with when and where.

Reservations for both Europe and Alaska are already very strong next year. Europe this year exceeded everyone's wildest expectations; hence for 06, some are pulling ships out of Alaska and the Caribbean for Europe! I have seen pricing increases already on some of the more popular destinations in Europe.

Oceania is very popular and marketed as luxury. As a young company, it has already gained a lot of market share because they have smaller vessels, almost limit smoking completely and have very few children. Those are all very appealing to many.

The one thing in your favor for any potential reduction is the time of year, it is "shoulder" season for cruising since the traditional school vacation window has not begun.

I would keep my balcony and continue to watch fares.

We recently took our first cruise, had a suite with a balcony. I had said to my husband "you're going to be lonely out there", thinking I'd be afraid to go out. I was lonely out there! When we were in our cabin, in daylight, I was always out there! Won't cruise without a balcony. Even just looking at the water going by is beautiful.

We just took our 16th cruise. Our third to the Med. I insisted we didn't need a balcony. We have had them before. Looking back......I wish we would have had one!! If money isn't an issue, go for it! (I can't believe I said that!)

Personally I would not even consider doing a Med cruise without a balcony. Most people would not. The balconies on Oceania sell out way in advance. If you wait, you will most likely not have the opportunity to upgrade. They are not that large of ships. The views going in and out of those ports are wonderful and going in will be very early in the a.m. Imagine having your breakfast on your private balcony in your p.j.'s as you sail into Monte Carlo. That is really not that much more when you look at it per day. I say go for it. I have been on over 50 cruises and for me it is balcony or don't go. You only live once.