Is it value paying additional for a balcony cabin?
As somebody who has written about cruising for greater than 20 years, I’ve heard that query loads, and I do know the place I stand on it: Completely.
You may nearly at all times pay extra for a balcony cabin on a ship than for a cabin that simply has a window — the latter being identified in trade lingo as an “ocean-view” cabin. However usually, it is not outrageously extra.
For instance, on the time of this story’s publishing, fares for balcony cabins on some 2026 cruises out of Galveston, Texas, had been simply 4% greater than fares for ocean-view cabins. (Particularly, that was the differential on seven-night sailings in September 2026 on Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas; the differentials for sailings out of Galveston the identical month on MSC Cruises’ MSC Seascape and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Dream had been the next 14% and 19%, respectively.)
Ocean-view cabins on the identical three ships, in flip, had been operating 14% to 37% greater than windowless inside cabins — the third main class of cabins you will discover on ships.
These differentials aren’t insignificant, in fact. For a lot of vacationers on a good funds, even a small enhance in worth for a room is usually a deal breaker.
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As well as, some individuals with more money to spend would reasonably splurge on shore excursions or different extra-charge gadgets, resembling shipboard spa therapies, than on a higher-priced cabin. That makes excellent sense to me. What’s most necessary to at least one individual on a trip could also be completely different from what’s necessary to a different individual.
That mentioned, listed here are six stuff you’ll get out of a balcony cabin that I believe make it value the additional value when you’ve got the cash to spare.
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The recent air
For me, that is the large purpose to get a balcony cabin. At any time of the day — or evening — you may slide open your balcony door and breathe within the recent ocean air. You may additionally have the ability to hear the sounds of the waves as they crash in opposition to the bow of your ship. It is a splendidly soothing, rhythmic sound — so soothing that it may possibly lull you to sleep.
Even on cruises in chilly climate, there’s nothing fairly like stepping out on a balcony for a couple of minutes or extra to soak within the salty breeze. It is invigorating.
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The recent air accessible on balconies additionally is usually a lifesaver — no less than to your sanity — ought to you end up confined to your cabin because of an sickness. That may occur in case you come down with one thing like norovirus or COVID-19 on a ship. This occurred to cruisers fairly a bit through the top of the COVID-19 pandemic, and lots of the individuals who had been remoted in cabins with out balconies for days weren’t thrilled with the dearth of entry to recent air.
I can attest personally to the truth that it is not an incredible scenario to be caught in a room that does not have a balcony for days. In late 2020, I used to be remoted in a cabin with no balcony for 4 days throughout a COVID-19-related ship quarantine, although I wasn’t sick. I might have paid absolutely anything throughout these days for even the smallest bit of outside area.
The last word privateness
You probably have a balcony cabin, you are at all times assured an outside area the place you may lounge for just a few hours in full privateness. And, normally, it will likely be a quiet outside area. Whereas you’ll typically hear the sounds of different passengers close by on their very own balconies, for probably the most half, it is a way more serene expertise than being up on the highest deck.
The perfect views
Balcony cabins do not simply give you entry to an outside area. They sometimes additionally give you an incredible view of the outside from inside your cabin.
It’s because the doorways resulting in balconies in balcony cabins often are made nearly totally of glass operating from ground to ceiling. Typically, a balcony cabin may have each a floor-to-ceiling glass door resulting in the surface in addition to floor-to-ceiling home windows that make for what’s, in impact, an outward-facing wall made totally of glass. Ocean-view cabins with out balconies, in contrast, usually have only a single window. Some simply have portholes.
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The result’s that you will usually have a significantly better view of the outside from the within of a balcony cabin than from the within of an ocean-view cabin.
The prospect for wildlife encounters
Talking of the view, you are going to have the ability to see passing wildlife significantly better from a balcony cabin than an ocean-view cabin. If you happen to stand on the fringe of your balcony railing, you can twist your head side-to-side to get a 180-degree view of the passing waters. That is two or 3 times the field of regard that you will get from gazing out a cabin window.
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I’ve discovered balcony cabins to be significantly great to have in wildlife-filled locations resembling Alaska, the place ships typically move such spectacular creatures as whales within the water or bears alongside the shoreline. Typically, the captain of a vessel will spot such animals first after which make a public announcement to passengers to go to the edges of the ship to look. If you happen to’re in a balcony cabin (and on the right aspect of the ship), you will be gazing down upon these sights very quickly.
The prospect for a romantic dinner
There’s nothing that claims romance like a non-public dinner for 2 beneath the celebrities. And that is precisely what you are able to do in your balcony on many cruise ships, with the waves as a background soundtrack.
Some upscale strains will organize a sublime, non-public dinner for 2 in your balcony — assume white tablecloths, a number of programs, the works — at no additional cost. Amongst mass-market strains, Princess Cruises presents an Final Balcony Eating expertise at an additional cost that brings a four-course meal, Champagne and cocktails or a glass of wine. Within the case of the Princess providing, you will even get recent flowers and a (flameless) candle in your desk.
The proper spot to look at a port arrival
I am an enormous fan of getting up early to look at as cruise ships pull into ports. In some locations, resembling New York and Sydney, the expertise is a spotlight of the journey. The arrival into New York, specifically, is likely one of the nice cruise experiences. Your ship will glide beneath the large Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (usually with simply ft to spare) earlier than passing the Statue of Liberty and the skyline of decrease Manhattan.
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However as spectacular as they’re, these arrivals into ports usually happen very early within the morning, earlier than you (or no less than your bed-head hair) could also be able to exit into the world. What’s nice about having a balcony is that you do not have to dress and prepared for the day to look at a port arrival. You may simply roll off the bed in your jammies and head out on the balcony.
After all, you need to be on the right aspect of the ship to get sure views. Arriving in New York, there may be an attract to watching the arrival from each side of a vessel. From the port aspect, you will get the perfect view of the Statue of Liberty. However the starboard aspect brings you the perfect views of downtown Manhattan, assuming you are on a vessel heading to a midtown pier.
Backside line
Balcony cabins value greater than ocean-view cabins or windowless “inside” cabins. However they are often definitely worth the splurge in case you’re the sort of one that likes a non-public place to be open air throughout a trip. Irrespective of how crowded your ship is, you may at all times escape to your balcony, when you’ve got one, and watch the world go by with few distractions.
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