Why sail in balcony cabins?

Over and over we're asked why people should sail in a balcony cabin versus taking the cheapest inside available. the picture at left shows you one of the reasons. It was taken from the inside of our cabin on the Norwegian sky this past Sunday as we were sailing away from Great Stirrup Cay.

If this great view isn't enough to sway you, I'll give you a lot more reasons.

We polled balcony clients about what they like when sailing in a balcony, here are some of their answers -

Coffee and croissants on the balcony in the morning before facing the world or even the ship!

A sense of openness that other cabins don't give them.

A relaxing quiet oasis to enjoy the sea without the hubbub of deck activity and trying to find an available deck chair in a quiet corner.

A glass of wine or cocktails while watching the sunset before going to dinner. (On our recent cruise on the Norwegian sky there were a couple of single women that would buy their two for one martinis and go back to their balcony to relax and enjoy!)

On cruise lines that allow smoking, it's much better to do it on the balcony than in the cabin where the odor will linger.

And high on our male responses - Sex is much better and more proliferate on the balcony!

Yes, there are cruise pundits and uninformed travel agents that will tell you that you should take an inside cabin and save the few dollars because you don't spend much time in the cabin. That's very true with an inside cabin. Who wants to spend time in a closet?

But with a balcony you can relax in your own oasis at sea!