{"id":364,"date":"2019-01-03T13:00:19","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T18:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/?p=364"},"modified":"2019-01-03T13:00:19","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T18:00:19","slug":"abc-cruising-b-is-for-balcony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/03\/abc-cruising-b-is-for-balcony\/","title":{"rendered":"“B” Is For Balcony-Cruising"},"content":{"rendered":"

B is For Balcony<\/strong><\/p>\n

On our first cruise, in 1994, we had an interior room.\u00a0 At the time, we didn’t know any better and we couldn’t afford more.\u00a0 Like many first time cruisers,\u00a0we started and ended\u00a0our day with activities,\u00a0using our room\u00a0for little more than falling into bed, exhausted.\u00a0 This is the\u00a0number one reason\u00a0we hear for not upgrading the room and if you have nothing to compare it to, then\u00a0price alone can be a compelling argument.\u00a0 After twenty years of cruising, and a few lessons, we have come to understand the difference that this little extension of the room makes.<\/p>\n

\"Copy<\/a>I remember the first time we had a balcony, there were things to learn.\u00a0 Lulled by the soft breeze and setting sun, we\u00a0fell asleep with the curtains open.\u00a0\u00a0Forgetting that it is a\u00a0continually changing landscape outside that window,\u00a0\u00a0we woke\u00a0the next morning in port, \u00a0docked next to another ship, looking directly onto their balcony rooms…and they into ours!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Still, that ever changing, floor to ceiling view is just one of several reasons to have a balcony room.\u00a0 This is especially true when cruising very scenic locations such as Alaska.\u00a0 While most passengers are on deck fighting for that perfect picture of the glaciers, you can simply return to your room and enjoy the passing scenery in quiet serenity.<\/p>\n

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Speaking of sleeping and waking up, this\u00a0is another good reason to book a balcony room.\u00a0 The natural light allows your body to stay in a normal sleep pattern.\u00a0 This was especially important for us when we were crossing several different time zones.\u00a0 Whether at home or on a trip, one of\u00a0my first rituals of the morning is to open a window or step outside to greet the day.\u00a0There is just something about the possibilities that\u00a0each new day holds. On a cruise, in a balcony room, \u00a0I do not have to fix my hair or makeup, get showered or dressed for the day before breathing in that first morning air and deciding how to prepare for my adventures.<\/p>\n

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Air itself is another good reason to book a balcony room.\u00a0 When you consider how enclosed and contained a cruise ship is, seeking those fresh air spaces becomes a luxury in its own right.\u00a0\u00a0This is part of the reason that the deck space around the pool will always be the busiest.\u00a0 Imagine having your own little piece of quiet space to retreat to for sunbathing, reading or resting.\u00a0 Add in a bonus lunchtime picnic, breakfast or champagne dinner for two, delivered from room service and you may find yourself spending a lot of time in this space.<\/p>\n

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\"P1014053\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Alan and I have come a long way from that first activity filled cruise.\u00a0 Our most\u00a0memorable moments are the quiet ones we spend together on our balcony, our own little piece of heaven.\u00a0 The ocean and surrounding land masses are alive with life.\u00a0\u00a0Slowing down and lounging on our balcony\u00a0has given\u00a0us opportunities to see whales, dolphins, porpoises, bears, monkeys\u00a0and crocodiles, all\u00a0from our room.\u00a0 We have also seen the oil rigs in Norway, an active volcano in the Caribbean and all\u00a0varieties of ships passing on the horizon.\u00a0My binoculars and camera\u00a0are always nearby.\u00a0 Treat yourself to the upgrade.\u00a0 I will place money on it, you will never go back into the shadows of\u00a0an interior room.<\/p>\n

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B is For Balcony On our first cruise, in 1994, we had an interior room.\u00a0 At the time, we didn’t know any better and we couldn’t afford more.\u00a0 Like many first time cruisers,\u00a0we started and ended\u00a0our day with activities,\u00a0using our room\u00a0for little more than falling into bed, exhausted.\u00a0 This is the\u00a0number one reason\u00a0we hear for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,20],"tags":[106,122,156,317],"class_list":["post-364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cruise","category-blog","tag-alaska","tag-b","tag-cruise","tag-stateroom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abcexplorers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}