Cruise cabin-inside or balcony?

[wide awake]

We've cruised in all types of cabins, interior to a two bedroom aqua suite on Harmony of the Seas. Honestly, the room doesn't make the cruise. If I'm inside, which I really like btw, I'm out and about. With a larger room I'm more apt to stay in the cabin more. But...really think about why you're going on this particurlar cruise...if there are a lot of expensive things to see it is probably a good idea to go with interior and save money for excursions and special meals. On a Med cruise with DCL we went with interior cabins since the excursions were very pricey. Also, if it is a choice of two interiors or a balcony, with more than two people, even children, I'd go w/ connecting interiors. More privacy, an extra bathroom, more storage, etc...
Look at the cruise line too. If the interior or oceanview doesn't have at least an easy chair or a couch that can get old pretty quickly. We did a Norway cruise in June on Princess and I booked mini-suites since I wanted a couch in each cabin. The new Princess ships coming out in 24 and 25 have at least small loveseats in the inside cabins so that will give me more options when I sail with them.
I love to travel so am perfectly willing to go interior and see/do more things. I can see the ocean from a lot of different places on the ship.
Understand and prepare for the whole cost of the cruise before you book. If you're going to drink factor that in. Coffee drinker same thing. I remember being on a cruise once and a family next to us was bemoaning how expensive everything was...I think they thought the cruise itself was it, didn't realize how much everything else cost. Anyway, they didn't have enough money or credit on their cards to do excursions, buy lunch in town, pay for their tips, etc... Don't be that person. That balcony cabin isn't going to be that fab if you can't afford lunch at that great place in port, or that great tour to something you'd really like to see.
I've done interiors several times since Covid, didn't give quarentining a second thought.
The cost of the cruise isn't a guarantee of the service. I've had wonderful room stewards on Carnival and lousy ones on DCL. Luck of the draw. Also, all ships have to meet the same standards of cleanliness, more money doesn't mean cleaner.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'd love to hear the pros and cons of both. I've never been on a cruise, but am hoping to by 2025. For those Disers who have been on one or more (not necessarily a Disney cruise), please tell me the pros and cons of a balcony and inside room, or Oceanview. My DS is 4, so I don't think I'd feel comfortable getting a balcony room until he's much older. I'd be ok with an inside room ,as long as it's less than 7 days. When DH and I go on an Alaskan cruise for our 25th anniversary in 4 years, we'll be getting a balcony room. But I'm hoping to go on a cruise with my family before then. I just want to explore all options.

My preference is an Oceanview. I like having natural light in the room during the daytime, and a verandah just isn't that necessary (IMO). When I'm up, I'm usually out and about on the ship, sitting in the public areas/lounges/swimming pool/etc. Out mingling with the people, since one reason I travel is to meet new people.

 

[Magical2017]

Maybe with a little I'd get ocean view. We cruised pre-COVID. I loved having a balcony. It is the only way for me.

 

[kymom99]

We've sailed in an inside, ocean view, balcony, aft-balcony, and a suite. Prior to covid, I would have said I'd take an inside and cruise more often, but since then I wouldn't sail without a balcony. If we should get sick on the ship and be confined to our room, I would want the balcony to have fresh air/natural light.

I was isolated to my cabin and was thankful for the balcony

 

[HeatherC]

We just got off a 9 night cruise this past Saturday. We booked an inside cabin and it was perfectly fine. We have also sailed several times in a balcony cabin and liked that too. We do not spend much time in the cabin other than to sleep and change so for us if we find a great deal like we did on our recent cruise, we just book inside. The same cruise with a balcony would have cost us double. We don’t care that much.

I personally think of money is a concern, I would be more concerned with really researching the ship since there are so many different ones and quality can be a huge difference between them.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We've cruised in all types of cabins, interior to a two bedroom aqua suite on Harmony of the Seas. Honestly, the room doesn't make the cruise. If I'm inside, which I really like btw, I'm out and about. With a larger room I'm more apt to stay in the cabin more. But...really think about why you're going on this particurlar cruise...if there are a lot of expensive things to see it is probably a good idea to go with interior and save money for excursions and special meals. On a Med cruise with DCL we went with interior cabins since the excursions were very pricey. Also, if it is a choice of two interiors or a balcony, with more than two people, even children, I'd go w/ connecting interiors. More privacy, an extra bathroom, more storage, etc...
Look at the cruise line too. If the interior or oceanview doesn't have at least an easy chair or a couch that can get old pretty quickly. We did a Norway cruise in June on Princess and I booked mini-suites since I wanted a couch in each cabin. The new Princess ships coming out in 24 and 25 have at least small loveseats in the inside cabins so that will give me more options when I sail with them.
I love to travel so am perfectly willing to go interior and see/do more things. I can see the ocean from a lot of different places on the ship.
Understand and prepare for the whole cost of the cruise before you book. If you're going to drink factor that in. Coffee drinker same thing. I remember being on a cruise once and a family next to us was bemoaning how expensive everything was...I think they thought the cruise itself was it, didn't realize how much everything else cost. Anyway, they didn't have enough money or credit on their cards to do excursions, buy lunch in town, pay for their tips, etc... Don't be that person. That balcony cabin isn't going to be that fab if you can't afford lunch at that great place in port, or that great tour to something you'd really like to see.
I've done interiors several times since Covid, didn't give quarentining a second thought.
The cost of the cruise isn't a guarantee of the service. I've had wonderful room stewards on Carnival and lousy ones on DCL. Luck of the draw. Also, all ships have to meet the same standards of cleanliness, more money doesn't mean cleaner.

I agree with a lot of your comments but would add the distinction between cruise lines.

While I wouldn't necessarily suggest the cruise line we chose for a first cruise simply because you'll get hooked on it we didn't have all these add on costs that come with other cruises. We paid for our cruise and that was that. Drinks, coffee, water, wifi, and all the food was included as were tips. Certain high end liquor like Dom Perignon was an additional cost. Once we were on the ship the only thing we actually paid for (outside of excursions) was donating to the crew fund. Well okay actually my husband bought a sun hat because he thought he left it at home (...it was in his suitcase so now he has two sunhats).

But your point about excursions is def. true as that can creep up in cost. For the cruise line we went with you pay in advance for that although you can cancel before your cruise (you can cancel on your cruise and you might get a full refund depending on the situation). And food or souvenirs out in port is also a consideration.

 

[Earstou]

Do they still allow smoking on the balconies?
That completely ruined our last ocean cruise because the three people in the cabin beside us smoked liked chimneys and we could not even open our door without getting the smell in our cabin.
They also kept the light on the balcony on all night so they could go out to smoke without messing with the lights. So our cabin was lit up all night.
No enjoying the fresh air for us.

This was a Carnival cruise awhile ago.

 

[JLTraveling]

We've done mostly inside, occasional oceanview, and the small ship we cruised to Cuba on was all-balcony. And we've come to the conclusion that we're inside cabin people. I'll take the oceanview if it's a very very small price difference, but I'm just fine with the projected porthole on the wall of the inside cabin. The balcony was a great novelty the first night...after that I sat outside on it exactly once the whole week. We love sitting outside, especially at night, watching the water....but we'd rather do it on an upper deck with new shipboard friends. Just not into the whole keeping to ourselves thing when traveling. We sleep well in an inside cabin, typically leave the bathroom light on with the door barely cracked to provide just enough light. And if we're awake we're out and about. But we also tend to stay in hostels or budget hotels for the same reason: Not in the room enough to spend extra money on it. If you tend to be more about the hotel experience on land, chances are you might prefer the balcony at sea.

 

[HopperFan]

Do they still allow smoking on the balconies?
That completely ruined our last ocean cruise because the three people in the cabin beside us smoked liked chimneys and we could not even open our door without getting the smell in our cabin.
They also kept the light on the balcony on all night so they could go out to smoke without messing with the lights. So our cabin was lit up all night.
No enjoying the fresh air for us.

This was a Carnival cruise awhile ago.

Carnival ~

• All staterooms and suite accommodations, including outside balconies, are NON-SMOKING. This policy applies to all forms of smoking, including but not limited to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, vaporizers, electronic cigarettes and marijuana.

I would have been filing complaints until it was stopped unless they wanted to credit me for my inability to use my balcony.

 

[fly girl]

Do they still allow smoking on the balconies?
That completely ruined our last ocean cruise because the three people in the cabin beside us smoked liked chimneys and we could not even open our door without getting the smell in our cabin.
They also kept the light on the balcony on all night so they could go out to smoke without messing with the lights. So our cabin was lit up all night.
No enjoying the fresh air for us.

This was a Carnival cruise awhile ago.

I believe all but Costa have banned smoking on balconies. Thank goodness.

Can you imagine now with pot? Nothing beats the fresh skunk sea air in the morning!

 

[Disneyland1084]

We've done mostly inside, occasional oceanview, and the small ship we cruised to Cuba on was all-balcony. And we've come to the conclusion that we're inside cabin people. I'll take the oceanview if it's a very very small price difference, but I'm just fine with the projected porthole on the wall of the inside cabin. The balcony was a great novelty the first night...after that I sat outside on it exactly once the whole week. We love sitting outside, especially at night, watching the water....but we'd rather do it on an upper deck with new shipboard friends. Just not into the whole keeping to ourselves thing when traveling. We sleep well in an inside cabin, typically leave the bathroom light on with the door barely cracked to provide just enough light. And if we're awake we're out and about. But we also tend to stay in hostels or budget hotels for the same reason: Not in the room enough to spend extra money on it. If you tend to be more about the hotel experience on land, chances are you might prefer the balcony at sea.

I'm like you, I'm very social and like to meet new people on vacations. I'm thinking I'm going to like an inside cabin, though it all depends on how long the cruise is. A Hawaii cruise is on my bucket list. Those last around 16 days. As much as I love to socialize, if I'm on a cruise for 16 days I'm going to want some downtime. A balcony sounds right to me.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Back when we had the Tag Fairy here, my first tag was, “Call me crazy but I prefer the single bath”. That was, of course, referring to an inside stateroom on DCL which had just a single bath. (Most seem to prefer the split baths in the higher category rooms.)

We’ve actually done inside rooms twice (one on the front of the ship, Deck 5, which was our favorite, and one on the side, I think Deck 6 or 8, which was ok, too, but not our favorite - good thing about that one was that our friends right across from us had a balcony room that we got to enjoy with them quite a bit ). We’ve also had a balcony room ourselves once and a [secret] porthole room once. All of our rooms were nice, we really enjoyed the porthole room, too.

My experience with the balcony, besides it costing us about $800 more (which I prefer to spend on pictures and doing fun things), was that I would be falling asleep out there within a few minutes each night after the kids went to bed. I was so beat from the day’s activities, I couldn’t even keep my eyes open. I would lay awake in bed and enjoy the skies sometimes if I couldn’t sleep, but truth was, we didn’t use it much. If we sailed without kids, it might be a different experience. (Doors are quite heavy on DCL and somewhat difficult for a child to open, if I recall. We also had rules about the balcony for our kids which we set before sailing.)

Funny story. One night we were sleeping and heard a knock on our stateroom door. I looked at the clock and it was 2am. I had no idea who would be knocking at that time, but figured maybe it was one of the friends or family members we were sailing with. DH got up to answer and lo and behold, it was our SON outside in the hallway, sleepwalking, and mumbling he wanted to go up to watch the sunrise! Thereafter we put the suitcases up against the door at night. We still laugh (and shudder) about that - he was about 9 yrs old at the time.

 

[DCLMP]

I'd love to hear the pros and cons of both. I've never been on a cruise, but am hoping to by 2025. For those Disers who have been on one or more (not necessarily a Disney cruise), please tell me the pros and cons of a balcony and inside room, or Oceanview. My DS is 4, so I don't think I'd feel comfortable getting a balcony room until he's much older. I'd be ok with an inside room ,as long as it's less than 7 days. When DH and I go on an Alaskan cruise for our 25th anniversary in 4 years, we'll be getting a balcony room. But I'm hoping to go on a cruise with my family before then. I just want to explore all options.

I've cruised in all types of rooms and all over the world and I would say whatever is the best ship and room you can afford is the one to go with.

I disagree with you about spending the exorbitant upcharge for a balcony in Alaska. It's way too cold to sit out on the balcony and there are plenty of warm places to sit and enjoy the scenery. A balcony in my opinion is better for a warm climate. I've done one Alaska cruise with an inside and doing another one next year and I have no regrets about booking an inside. Sure I'd love an ocean view or balcony for natural light, but the cost difference is another cruise...I'll take another cruise thank you.

We just sailed on a northern European with an ocean view and it was fantastic. Ocean views are a nice compromise between the two.

As far as getting a balcony with your son the doors are very hard to open if that's what you are worried about.

 

[DCLMP]

i think the only pro to inside is price, honestly.

Of course that is the biggest pro and if you are on a budget that extra money can go a long way to enhancing your cruise experience.... from excursions to drinks, spa treatment, and speciality dining.

I think we can all agree a balcony is better, but if you have to sacrifice in other areas of the trip it may not be worth it.

Obviously, if money is no object then get the balcony. I always recommend doing what is most comfortable on your wallet that allows you to do everything you want to do on the cruise. Also keep in mind balcony enjoyment is directly tied to weather which no one can predict.

 

[ford family]

I believe all but Costa have banned smoking on balconies. Thank goodness.

Can you imagine now with pot? Nothing beats the fresh skunk sea air in the morning!

Costa is part of Carnival and has the same smoking regulations.

ford family

 

[dclpluto]

20 out of my 24 cruises have been inside staterooms. Some people will tell you the better stateroom you have the more time you will spend in your stateroom. I don’t go on a cruise to spend extra time in my stateroom. For me it’s just to do the five things that starts with the letter S and to get dress.

I’m not cheap either I get one bedrooms at WDW. To each their own some people will get pop century and get a suite. Nothing wrong with any combination people are different. Do what you like and can afford and don’t worry what other people think.

 

[Scotgirl]

We've only done one cruise but I would not do another without a balcony. It was great to sit out with coffees in the morning whilst coming in to port and was great for sailing away whilst enjoying a couple of drinks. Brilliant for sitting out at night listening to the waves and watching all the activity below us. We're off on The Wish at the start of December and have a balcony for that and we have a two week Caribbean cruise booked for next year and have a balcony for that. I think I'm too nosy to have an inside cabin!

 

[fly girl]

Costa is part of Carnival and has the same smoking regulations.

ford family

From Carnival’s website:

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

We've only had balcony rooms. We spend a lot of time out there watching the ocean - it's a big part of the enjoyment of the cruise for us. We've only been on 3 cruises though, and don't have the desire to do it all that often, so on the occasions that we do take a cruise, I have no qualms about spending for the balcony room.

I don't know if an inside room would make me feel a bit claustrophobic - but since I've never been in one it's hard to say. If I were going on a short solo cruise I wouldn't mind trying one, but if it's a family trip we'll get the balcony.

 

[antmaril]

I have cruised in an inside, window, balcony and mini-suite on a few different cruise lines. The most comfortable inside cabin was on Holland America. The room was a decent size and had a sofa. The inside cabin we had on a Princess cruise only had a desk chair. I would not do that again. However, Princess is now my cruise line of choice because we choose a mini-suite, which is a nice sized cabin with a balcony, a full size sofa and two flatscreen tvs. I think Princess also offers a Deluxe Balcony cabin that has a smaller sofa (like a loveseat). I would also choose that cabin.

I would not be afraid to have a balcony. The doors lock and are heavy. It would be nice to have so you and DH can sit out there when your son goes to sleep. And, many times a balcony cabin will be a little bigger. Every square foot counts in a cruise ship cabin. They are small!

Good luck! I hope you enjoy your cruise in whatever you decide!