We just returned from a cruise to Alaska on the Veendam and unfortunately we were only able to use our balcony a couple of times as the weather was not very co-operative as you will see if you read Captain Albert Schoonderbeek's Blog
http://www.avidcruiser.com/albert/
We did spend part of the day on the balcony while in Glacier Bay but it was
very cold and windy.
It was still great to have the balcony as we could open all the drapes and have a nice view from inside the cabin.
Would we take a balcony suite again if we went to Alaska - DEFINITELY!
Even though the weather wasn't very nice, we had a wonderful time.