I cruised to Alaska sans balcony and enjoyed the experience just fine. If you want to save the extra cost, think of it as what you don't know won't hurt you. ;)

If you check on the newer ships, they have more balcony cabins than ocean view, so there is virtually no cost difference... it would be a huge mistake not to have a balcony

I like boots08 reply the best, "think of it as what you don't know won't hurt you."

Here is my example: my first car 40 years ago did not have air conditoning. Both me and DW said we don't need it. Years later, we bought a car with AC and have not bought a car without AC since. The same goes for sunroof, powere heated seats, audio systems, Nav, electronic gadgets etc etc ... Once you have it, you will miss it if you don't have it. If you never had it before, you won't miss it.

We were upgraded to a mini suite on our last crusie. Now, DW wanted to consider mini suite for next trip. We really enjoyed the the mini suite with the sitting room, 2 TVs, a bath tub and the whole works, but is it worth the exrta money? I have to say no but DW is whining :( ... we will see who will win on this one ...

We had a balcony on both of our Alaska cruises, and loved it.

A balcony was particularly nice when we went to Glacier Bay. The Park Rangers would announce wildlife sightings over the PA system, and we would would step out from the warmth of our cabin with camera and binoculars in hand. Priceless.

Woody