Cruise ships can have a lot of different cabin layouts and categories, and sometimes it feels like it takes having a PhD to figure out which one is best for you. When looking for your next cruise, you may want to consider booking a balcony cabin to extract the most enjoyment from your vacation.
Here are five reasons to book a balcony cabin:
1. Relaxation
When you’re on a cruise, you’re typically on it for a vacation or some type of gathering. Water is very therapeutic and sitting out in the open air and reflecting is a great way to start or wind down every day. If you’re a couple, everything gets hotter when the sun goes down, right?
2. Open-Air Dining
Open-air dining? Yes please! Sure you can go upstairs and dine with everyone else – there’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes you just want to break away from the crowds, order room service, and enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner on your own private table for two. With 24-hour room service, any meal can be enjoyed on your balcony. You don’t have to order room service, either. You can go to the main dining room or your favorite specialty venue and take the meal to go.
3. Space
If the actual cabin layout isn’t bigger, just having a floor-to-ceiling glass door in your room with a panoramic view opens up the cabin a lot, plus you have the extra 80+ square feet of space on the actual balcony (depending on the category and cruise line).
4. Ocean Waves
Many cruisers have said that they really enjoy sleeping with the balcony door cracked open so they can hear the ocean waves as they sleep. I can’t really think of a better way to sleep than this: the lull of the ship cutting through the waves, and the subtle rocking of a massive vessel on the open sea.
5. Port Views
Imagine sailing into your favorite port of call with your own personal view. Sure, you could go to the top deck and jockey for space with a thousand other people – but doing it from your own balcony sometimes just makes more sense. From personal experience, seeing Alaska, Europe, the Netherlands, Caribbean, and Canada/New England from a balcony is breathtaking and now almost a requirement. The wildlife, stunning views, and a place to sit outside in the comfort of your own cabin is always a plus.
6. Your Own Private Party
We all know the sailaway parties can be a blast on the upper deck, but sometimes after a long day of getting to know the ship you may not feel like it. This is where a balcony comes into play. You can enjoy the sailaway from your own balcony and crack open the bottle of champagne you brought.
7. Stargaze
I don’t know about you, but I love to just sit and look at the stars – and it’s not uncommon to see falling stars clearly when you’re surrounding by an expanse of sky. This is much more relaxing and easier to do on a private balcony, because light pollution from the public decks won’t be as much of a problem, and there won’t be people walking by you or talking in the lounger near you if you’re in your own private space.
There are many reasons to book a balcony cabin on your next sailing, and these are just a few. I have two great balcony memories that stand out: Sailing Alaska on Holland America’s Oosterdam and through Italy on Carnival Breeze.
A balcony cabin has its cost; typically a couple hundred dollars more per person, but it’s a small price to pay for total peace and serenity.
