Question about Alaska Cruises

[kemmerlinj2]

Starting to plan an Alaska cruise for my parents and myself in summer of 2019. Of course the sailings aren't available yet but had a question about staterooms. Do people actually use the balconies on these cruises due to the temperatures? We usually do balcony staterooms but was unsure about this as we have only done Caribbean or Bahamas cruises before. Just wondering so we don't overpay for a room that we don't use all of the features. I'm thinking just getting an Oceanview room would suffice but unsure.....

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Starting to plan an Alaska cruise for my parents and myself in summer of 2019. Of course the sailings aren't available yet but had a question about staterooms. Do people actually use the balconies on these cruises due to the temperatures? We usually do balcony staterooms but was unsure about this as we have only done Caribbean or Bahamas cruises before. Just wondering so we don't overpay for a room that we don't use all of the features. I'm thinking just getting an Oceanview room would suffice but unsure.....

Yes, some people use their verandahs. Others prefer to be out on the upper decks, to get the full picture.

It's entirely your call.

 

[Kesohio63]

We used our veranda a lot! On glacier day, the captain turned the ship so each side faced the glacier for about 20-30 minutes. We were on the upper deck as we approached the glacier, and it was packed with people. We went back to our room and had a perfect view without the crowd. We enjoyed the scenery every day from our veranda, and the view sailing back into Vancouver at sunrise was amazing! I highly recommend getting a veranda for Alaska if it fits your budget.

 

[mcd2745]

I'm sure people who have verandahs make use of them. From what I've seen, the price difference from oceanview staterooms and verandah staterooms seems to be much greater on Alaska sailings compared to Caribbean sailings. So there must be greater demand. We were perfectly fine in an OV and being out up on the top deck for the views. You have to decide what you're comfortable with price-wise and weather-wise.

 

[lorimay]

The entire cruise is scenic, its referred to as inside passage. There will be amazing views throughout the cruise.
We spent so much time sitting out on our balcony enjoying the cooler temps and the views.
We spent 90% of Tracey Arm Day on our balcony as well.
Alaska is one of the best cruises we have ever done.

Enjoy!

 

[Marc D]

We grabbed a couple of blankets provided on the top decks and spent most of the cruise on our balcony, enjoying the scenery.

 

[Geomom]

We did an oceanview on deck 2 and were very happy with it. (The prices for a verandah were $3000 more than our oceanview...we were not going to get $3000 worth of use out of it!) We spent a good bit of time on deck 4 looking at scenery--protected from the misty weather we had most of our cruise.

 

[Minnie & Daisy]

I would always choose a verandah stateroom, given the choice, and the budget to allow it. The scenery in the inside passage alone makes it worth it. It is not always "freezing cold" in Alaska, especially in the summer months. It can be in the 60's, 70's, or even closer to 80 degrees. I would rather have the verandah for the Alaskan views, than the heat and humidity of the Bahamas or the Caribbean any day!

 

[Pens Fan]

We have been on two Alaskan cruises, and spent far more time on our balcony on those cruises than on any warm weather cruise. As noted above, there is so much beautiful scenery throughout the cruise, that we pretty much live out there. If you get cold, you can just hop back in the room to warm up for a few minutes. One tip: Order some hot chocolate from room service, as it tastes so much better sitting outside enjoying the amazing view. I could easily forgo the balcony in the Caribbean - but not Alaska.

Now, all that being said, everyone has a budget and balconies in Alaska are pricey!!! Something else that is pricey in Alaska is excursions. If you have only sailed in the Caribbean or Bahamas, you may be in for some sticker shock. While there certainly are a lot of affordable options, many of them run in the hundreds of dollars per person. If I couldn't afford both the balcony and the excursions that I wanted, I would absolutely forgo the balcony, camp out on deck 4 and enjoy some fabulous excursions.

 

[MUN]

Starting to plan an Alaska cruise for my parents and myself in summer of 2019. Of course the sailings aren't available yet but had a question about staterooms. Do people actually use the balconies on these cruises due to the temperatures? We usually do balcony staterooms but was unsure about this as we have only done Caribbean or Bahamas cruises before. Just wondering so we don't overpay for a room that we don't use all of the features. I'm thinking just getting an Oceanview room would suffice but unsure.....

We had 2 connecting oceanview rooms and that worked out very well for our family of 5. It would have been nice to have a verandah room, but 5 in one room would have been a tight squeeze and 2 oceanview rooms were about the same cost as 1 verandah room.

We loved the views from our 2nd floor oceanview rooms. However, we spent a lot of time on deck. I don't want to try to talk you out of a verandah, but DCL charges a pretty penny for them on Alaska cruises as demand is very high. Cold weather didn't keep us from getting a verandah, rather it is was economics.

MUN

 

[Disneyfriend]

We did an oceanview on deck 2 and were very happy with it. (The prices for a verandah were $3000 more than our oceanview...we were not going to get $3000 worth of use out of it!) We spent a good bit of time on deck 4 looking at scenery--protected from the misty weather we had most of our cruise.

Ditto. Super happy with our ocean view connecting rooms mid-ship on Deck 2. Even in a splurge mentality, I just couldn't justify the extra $6,000 for two veranda cabins. If you can get in on opening day pricing and get a veranda at a price you're comfortable with, great! But I promise that you will have a marvelous time without one as well. It was a glorious trip for us!

 

[Shanti]

We'll be sailing Alaska in June in an oceanview. A full balcony would cost almost twice as much as our midship deck 2 oceanview, so that's a nonstarter imo. I'd much rather take a second cruise than upgrade to a balcony from an oceanview, especially considering that I cruise with an active tween who won't want to sit in the cabin for hours every day, and that we have awesome wilderness excursions planned.

 

[mmmears]

Do people actually use the balconies on these cruises due to the temperatures?

We did. We spent a lot of time on that balcony. The scenery was just breathtaking and it was wonderful to go out there whenever we wanted to. I think my Mom, who had previously sailed there without a balcony and said we didn't need one, used it the most. Yes, it was cold out there some of the time, but it was also beautiful. It's not necessary, but for us it was definitely worth it.

 

[GPaLarry]

We were on the Alaska cruise this June with 11 people...4 staterooms: 2 adjoining on deck 6; and 2 adjoining on deck 8 (8002-4). To heck with the cold, put on a coat and enjoy the awesome views from your verandah. Weather for us was cool and sometimes rainy going up, but overcast to sunny on the way back...that's Alaska for you. Our last "at sea" day it approached 80 degrees around the pools with loads of sun. The only objection I had with our deck 8 verandahs is that the smoking section is one deck above and slightly forward. During our glacier day, when we were dead in the water, the smoke and ashes came down from the railing above...even our neighbors in 8006 complained. After two calls, DCL moved the smokers back from the railing with a pole and tape barricade. However, the tables and chairs and ashtrays were still there and used. Somehow they have to get that area to the rear of the ship. Next time we will try for the starboard side...with verandah. Out of our 8 DCL cruises to all points of the DCL compass, this cruise is the one that almost demands a verandah (possible exception was our EBPC).
I guess the situation is this: 1. What can you afford? 2. How many are in your stateroom? Do you like viewing/photographing land/sea/air critters and landscapes? The upper deck is available for those with/without portholes, but can be crowded and windy. Most folks have enjoyed this cruise no matter where they sleep or what view your stateroom might have. You have made a great choice for a DCL cruise...and they have Mickey Bars!!

 

[ForMyBoys]

I prefer ocean views, my in-laws paid for our cruise and wanted connecting balcony rooms so we got balconies. I was surprised how much time we spent on the balcony. I took thousands of pictures and I’m not usually a picture taker. The ship is near the coast almost the entire cruise and the scenery is gorgeous. If you can swing it, get a balcony.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I love walking out onto the verandah for fresh air any time, without having to get dressed to go up on deck. And no, I don't wander around nekked. The last time we went with an ocean view we both felt claustrophobic. Once you've had a verandah, it's had to go without one.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

We'll be sailing Alaska in June in an oceanview. A full balcony would cost almost twice as much as our midship deck 2 oceanview, so that's a nonstarter imo. I'd much rather take a second cruise than upgrade to a balcony from an oceanview, especially considering that I cruise with an active tween who won't want to sit in the cabin for hours every day, and that we have awesome wilderness excursions planned.

We are sailing in August. Our first oceanview room as we love having a balcony. Just couldn't stomach the cost for the verandah. The excursions are expensive. I have my fingers crossed we made the right choice as well.

 

[NancyIL]

In 6 Alaska cruises (none on DCL) - 2 were in inside cabins and 4 were in ocean view cabins. I wasn't willing to fork over the $$ for a balcony, and chose to spend my money on excursions and longer trips. The few cruises where I had a balcony (4 out of 35 cruises), I spent very little time on it.

 

[jetskigrl]

We always use our verandahs but we especially enjoying having them on the Alaska cruises. That time on my verandah is part of why I cruise, so it is almost always worth it for me. But the worth for you depends on how much time you think you will be in the room. If you think you will be out and about most of the time, you might not use it as much. In that case, the oceanview would be better. For some, they only use the room to sleep and change, so an inside is perfect. It definitely depends on how you anticipate spending your time while on the ship.

As for the temperature, that didn't make a difference to us either way. If it was colder, we just wrapped up in blankets and grabbed some hot chocolate. But there was plenty of sunshine too.
We found it the most useful when it was raining since it provided us with a nice covered area (although deck 4 works for this too). But even that changed recently because they added some covered areas on deck 10 now, so you can still use that space when it was raining.

 

[AquaDame]

We certainly did... it was chilly at the glacier and in general so we just bundled up. It was nice being able to easily add/subtract layers and use the blanket from the room out there.