Single Interior Room or Shared Balcony? - Century to Norway
I am considering travelling on the Century Celebrity to the Norwegian Fjords in late August '07 with an organized group. I have travelled widely but I am not an experienced cruise traveller, only having taken one to the Greek Isles about 12 years ago. I don't know anyone else going on the cruise and I tend to prefer my own room but that would be an interior room. To all those experienced cruisers out there: How much of a better experience will I have if I take a balcony room (and have to share with another group member, mainly because of the price)? Is it worth givinig up my own room to have a view and a balcony? Are the rooms a decent size for sharing? Any help is appreciated - Thanks!
Re: Single Interior Room or Shared Balcony? - Century to Nor
oceangypsy,
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I am considering travelling on the Century Celebrity to the Norwegian Fjords in late August '07 with an organized group. I have travelled widely but I am not an experienced cruise traveller, only having taken one to the Greek Isles about 12 years ago. I don't know anyone else going on the cruise and I tend to prefer my own room but that would be an interior room. To all those experienced cruisers out there: How much of a better experience will I have if I take a balcony room (and have to share with another group member, mainly because of the price)? Is it worth givinig up my own room to have a view and a balcony? Are the rooms a decent size for sharing? Any help is appreciated - Thanks!
Fundamentally, are you going on the cruise to hang out in your cabin or are you going on the cruise to enjoy the ship and all of the activities and amenities that it offers?
If you are planning to hang out in your cabin the whole time, a fancy cabin might be worth the difference in fare.
If you plan to join in the activities on the ship, go ashore when the ship is in port, etc., an inside cabin is quite adequate. Interior cabins have the same beds, the same heads, the same furnishings, the same decor, and the same storage as standard outside cabins. They just have mirrors rather than windows in one bulkhead.
If you book an inside cabin and decide that you want to take in the view, there are plenty of places to do so. All of Celebrity's ships have several lounges with a lot of windows, and there's never a shortage of lounge chairs on the promenades for passengers who want some solitude for an al fresco siesta.
I usually book inside cabins, as they are quite adequate for their intended purpose -- a place to sleep, shower and shave, change clothes, and store one's belongings. Now when the day comes that I'm booking a cabin for a honeymoon, I probably will book the poshest suite that I can find. Of course, as a honeymooner, I would be planning to spend a lot more time in the cabin than I would spend there on a normal cruise....
I thin we'd all rather have the balcony but unless you know the person you would share a cabin with, and get along with him/her I'd opt to take the inside. If you have roomie you don't like or can't get along with it could be a long cruise ... and you'd have nowhere to hide.
Oh, how I envy you. I am from Norway and you probably will visit my home town Alesund.
I love cruising and have been trying to find a room mate to do this cruise, but to no avail.
I did get a room mate on the "seeking cruise companion" we got along fabelously. My suggestion would be to if possible take seperate cruise tours, she liked a.m. and I prefered p.m. And I arranged for that before I got to know her, but she was a delight and made the trip wonderful for me.
At the moment she is interested in a river cruise, and I am in to a reg. cruise where ever, preferable Europe. Love the Celebrity line, my fave.
Any way I wish you the best, and think of me while in Alesund.
We recently made the Norway cruise on Century and loved it.
Since it is a very port intensive cruise and the weather might not be warm enough to sit outside on the 2 seadays, I would suggest to take the inside cabin by yourself.
Enjoy it.
mrsmiller, we were in Alesund last June on our Jewel of the Seas Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords cruise. Loved the co-ordinated architecture! We took the tram up to the top of the mountain to the lookout at the hotel and saw our ship in the distance. My friend was amazed to see a water skiier without a wet suit on a day when we were freezing in windbreakers--the coldest day on our whole cruise! Those Alesunders must be TOUGH!!! :eek:
Well, the concerns about the weather may drive your decision.
While the cruise may be port intensive, doing the fjords reminds me of our cruise to Alaska. We were able to see so much more because we could see the view while changing clothes, having breakfast, etc.
With the view as a priority, it may be worth sharing. Having said that, others are right that you can get the views from other places. However, it's knowing when to be there is the trick. We were able to hear the snap-crackle-pop of the glacier ice, view the ice calving, and see dolphins, seals, eagles, only because we caught the view from our balcony.
Yes, the Norwegians usually get in the water as soon as June comes around.
But actually to me, it is better to go to Norway in July-August, if one is not fond of cool weather.
But then June have the wonderful full midnight sun, you can read the paper at night, it never gets dark. The sun barely drop below the horizon and then it pops back up again.
Also when you are in Alesund, take the stairs all the way up to Fjellstua, it starts at a lovely park in the middle of town. With plenty of benches to rest on your way.
Don't forget to look to the east andsee what we call The Sunnmors alps, beautiful snow capped all year long.
Anyway I am planning this trip myself with another cruise buddy I met on my last trip to the Med. We are in the process of booking for July 28, 2008 Century sailing.
mrsmiller, we went in June last year because the cruise included Dublin and not Belfast like the July itinerary. We were pleasantly surprised that the only cold day we had was in Alesund. It was very comfortable in Flam and Bergen--no jackets needed. It was warm everywhere else, too. We had a window table in the dining room for dinner and it was really nice to see something out the window, instead of the darkness during our winter cruises. It stayed light pretty long even in Amsterdam.
We cruised with the same friends as the Alaska cruise in '03. After seeing the Norwegian Fjords the first day doing the Flam railway tour, we looked at each other and said, "OK, this beats Alaska". The waterfalls EVERYWHERE were amazing.
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Single Interior Room or Shared Balcony? - Century to Norway
The waterfalls EVERYWHERE were amazing.
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