Is there a huge difference in cruise cabins with a balcony?

I've done cruises in inside, oceanview (window and porthole) and balcony staterooms. Inside ones are usually small, and dark because they have no windows and give no notion of the day passing because you can't look outside to make reference.. They are fine if you plan to use it only for sleeping, showering and getting dressed. In my opinion, an inside cabin kind of forces you to get out and enjoy the ship, and that is the main reason I accept an inside cabin. They are, in my opinion, fine for short cruises, but we have done back-to-back cruises totalling 21 days in inside cabins. We will never do that again unless there are no other cabins available and we really want to do the itinerary.

I have nothing against window or porthole because you can see outside and you have a notion of the day passing. That said we prefer taking a balcony cabin. It is probably an optical illusion, but it seems bigger because of the balcony. It gives you extra seating space and, of course, is less cluttered that the stateroom. You can enjoy entering port or leaving port, depending when you arrive and leave, from you balcony, and on longer voyages such as trans-Atlantics, you can just sit out there and watch the sky and ocean roll passed.

For a 4-day cruise an inside cabin could be fine as it costs less and the cruise isn't so long. Keep in mind, though, that inside cabins have smaller floor area (fewer square feet), making them smaller. They also have different configurations. You may find the beds are separate, up against the side walls, and that give the impression of a little more space.They could be pushed together as a queen-size bed and that makes the room look smaller. If you are lucky and get an inside with the bathroom and closet at one end and the bed at the other (the entrance door is about the middle of the room), it gives the impression of even more space.

Go to the website of the cruise line you're thinking of sailing with and see what the room configurations are and what the square footage of the rooms is. Make your based decision on that information..

Like the others here, we have done both. About 60% of the time, we have booked an inside cabin.

On some ships, the inside rooms are very small. This is OK for a 4 day cruise but gets pretty difficult for a long cruise.

Also, if you are in the Caribbean, the balcony can be pretty hot in the daytime especially. So you may not use it as much as you might think you would.

But we have gone as long as a 11 night cruise with an inside cabin. That ship had as much room in an inside cabin as the standard balcony cabins so it was not a real issue.

Sometimes our eldest son goes with us. In that event, we book a slightly larger balcony if it exists as it gives us a bit more room for 3 people.

We're going on a 2 week cruise next year, and we booked a more deluxe balcony as we felt the length of the cruise might finally get to us if we book an inside cabin - claustrophobic like.

So whether we book an inside or balcony cabin depends on the ship, where we are going, the cruise length, and how many are going to be in the cabin.

I would not hesitate to book an inside cabin again and am sure we will. It is a good way to see if you like cruising without spending as much money.

One nice thing about inside cabins - if you are prone to seasickness, get an inside cabin on as low a deck as you can, and as center to the ship as you can; both fore and aft as well as port to starboard. For a first time cruise, if you are prone to being carsick - that would be my recommendation.

http://www.caribbean-cruising.net/

We've done both. The inside cabin can get a bit claustrophobic. There are no windows and no way to see what might be passing by outside the ship. However, you usually only shower and sleep in the cabin, so if you two are the active types and spend most of your time on deck and enjoying the ship's amenities, then I recommend the inside cabin, and save yourself some money.

I will only book a cabin with a veranda now. We love sitting outside in the mornings sipping coffee or spending a couple hours with a cold drink and a good book or late at night with a nightcap. We also enjoy watching the ship dock and leave port from our cabins.

I've done inside, ocean view & balcony.

Yours is a short cruise & hopefully the weather will be great & you can spend your 2 sea days on deck by the pool. If you get a balcony you can have coffee delivered in the AM so you can sit out on your balcony sipping coffee in your Jammie's, but really it's more important to be on the ship. I'm a port person, so I would be looking at what I wanted to do in each port, Mayan Ruins, beach, Zip line, Snorkeling, to see what those cost. There is not a lot to see between ports on most Mexican/ Caribbean cruise, so I think I'd save my money and get an ocean view or an inside. Spend what you save on a great excursion or a surcharge restaurant.

When you say "inside stateroom", do you mean a windowless room? Or one that simply has a window?

JMHO, but I will never do an inside stateroom - prefer to be able to look outside, even if its at nothing but water.

I'm not a big balcony fan - don't spend enough time in the cabin to really make it worthwhile but they do have their advantages. One thing I'm not a fan of is having people poke their heads around the divider, though.......

Start out with an inside for your first cruise. You won't need a balcony yet... Just turn your TV on ot the Bow cam channel... it'll be dark all night and when you're in daylight, if you open your eyes, you can see what's happening outside.

I've been inside, outside, balcony and whatever.. I'll do inside if price is right, I prefer balcony because I smoke... but I've found that there's usually a smoking area a few steps away.

Go for the cheap for your first, you'll get hooked and then might want to upgrade!

Have fun!!!

TWD

I have enjoyed both inside cabins and cabins with private veranda. If you will ONLY be in your cabin to sleep and to shower and to change clothes, an inside cabin will be fine, and quite a bit less expensive. However, I personally find cabins with private veranda worth every penny extra. The cabin itself is only a wee bit larger, but will have a double sliding glass doorway to your veranda, which will have a couple of deck chairs and table. It is WONDERFUL to be able to be outside at night on your own private veranda in your nightie (or whatever!) and watch the water and any other ships, and you can have room service breakfast on your veranda, which is lovely. Also, you can watch the ship come into port and leave port.

If this is your first cruise, I recommend the inside cabin. First, it will be very nice, and your cruise is quite short. Also, if you go with a private veranda on a first cruise, it will be difficult and not nearly as nice to be in an inside cabin on future cruises.