This is my first message on this board, and it would be appreciated a little bit of info on a boat cruise which we are looking at doing in the near future.
We are looking at the 7 night cruise out of Barcelona to Barcelona.
The question is whether to look at a Inside Cabin or one with a window or balcony for this particular cruise. This is all I will ask at the moment,there will be more questions.

Regards Osca


Always a Mainlander

Welcome to cruise-chat osca!! Feel free to ask any questions, there are many experienced cruisers on this board that will be happy to answer any and all questions you may have.

First thing thought...you will be cruising on a ship, not a boat...LOL...the captians get very upset when someone calls their ships a boat...

As far as the type of cabin, this would depend on when you are going...last minute? or in the future and what your budget is. Many people prefer the inside cabins for the economical aspect of it. I personally love a balcony, but if I have booked at the last minute, I will take an inside if that is all I can get. There is quite a difference between the pricing of an inside and balcony. An oceanview is nice also, its really a matter of personal taste. I can say, once you have sailed a balcony, it is defintely harder to go to an inside next time.

Good luck, and since this is your first cruise, I would suggest that you find a cruise specialist travel agent to help you with your booking. They are experienced in answering all your questions and can qualify you to the perfect ship and help you with picking out your cabin. It does not cost you any extra to book through an agent then it does to book directly with the cruiseline.

Hi Osca, welcome aboard. As Carol stated, a good cruise specialist is invaluable. My personal preference is a balcony for many reasons. Some of which are, watching the sunrise/sunset without having to get dressed up to leave my room. Watching the ship port, it is amazing. Being able to watch the scenery, the ocean is always full of beauty. Leaving the port, with other ships still there, waving to the passengers and dock crew. Turning off the air conditioning at night and sleeping with the gentle ocean breeze, hearing the water splash as she (the ship) glides effortlessly through the sea. There are many more reasons as well. However, if your budget does not allow it, any cabin on board is great-as long as you're on board. Best wishes and once again, welcome to Cruise-Chat!

Hello Carol and Penny 3333.
Thanks very much for your comments. The Ship I am looking at is the new NCL Gem out of Barcelona and back. I have been to the NCL web site and had a look at the layout of the ship,just waiting for the first sailing.
I will be booking our Cruise nearly a year in advance.
I have picked the NCL because of the Freestyle dining, I do believe that some of the other Cruise Lines may well go this way.

Regards Osca


Always a Mainlander

Hi osca, and welcome to cruise-chat.

You're right in that Freestyle Dining is becoming more popular. A couple of other major lines, including Princess and HAL, have adopted some form of open seating dinner for some of their passengers. The difference is that those lines also continue to offer a traditional option.

But, back to your cruise...

I see from the NCL Web site that you have a busy itinerary: six ports in seven days, including Barcelona. A few of these (Rome, Florence, Nice) are a distance from the pier. That means that you will be spending a lot of time (and money) touring. So, you may very well spend little time in your cabin, but at the same time you might prefer having your own private deck/balcony on which to relax when pulling into/out of port. There's also the trade-off of whether you want to spend money on the shore excursions or the cabin. There's really no right answer -- it's a personal decision.

We tend to get balcony cabins as there are three of us, and on most lines the larger cabins tend to have balconies. I use them more as a floor-to-ceiling window as I am afraid of heights. But, when our son was smaller, we traveled in inside cabins and were fine.

I haven't been on Norwegian Gem (obviously ), yet her sister ship Norwegian Jewel is stunning, and there are many public areas from which to enjoy the view.

Hello LisaP.
Thanks for your reply, I am not certain what we will do when we arrive at some of these Ports, as I see that some are some distance from the City centre. I must say that early this year we did a Bus Tour the Highlights of New Europe, so I have seen some of Europe mainly Eastern.

Thanks once again, if there are any more questions I will advise.

Regards Osca


Always a Mainlander