I upgraded to a balcony cabin for $300 - here's what it looked like and why I might not do it again

I recently returned from a 12-night sailing onboard Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas, one of the oldest ships in the cruise line’s fleet.

Jewel of the Seas is part of Royal Caribbean's Radiance Class of ships. The ship was built back in 2004, making her nearly 20-years-old today.

My husband and I set sail to Iceland from Amsterdam for a magical adventure exploring this incredible country. Jewel of the Seas was the perfect size for this port-intensive itinerary, holding right around 2,700 at capcity.

Originally, we booked an inside cabin guarantee for $2,700 with hopes of upgrading to a balcony as departure neared. While you can save a lot of money booking an inside cabin, you also will sacrifice space and natural light from a window or balcony. 

I often cruise in an inside cabin, but some itineraries are worth the splurge for a balcony when you can expect to see stunning scenery during the voyage. I would consider a balcony for sailings like Iceland, Alaska, and Norway.

As the sailing approached, the price for our cruise dropped drastically. Although we could not reprice the cruise because final payment had already passed, we were able to upgrade to a balcony guarantee stateroom for just $300.

Had we booked a balcony from the get-go, we would have spent more than $1,000. Waiting until the price dropped worked in our favor, but this strategy will not always work if the demand for your sailing increases as it gets closer.

We were assigned Cabin 7168 a few weeks before our cruise was set to depart, which was located in the very back of the ship. 

Having an undesirable location is expected though, as a guaranteed cabin is assigned right before sailing with cabins that were unbooked by other guests. Most guests want to be centrally located in the middle of the ship or away from any potential noise or obstruction.

This cabin was categorized as an "Ocean View Stateroom with Balcony." The cabin itself measured around 180 square feet, which is slightly larger - about 10 more square feet - than an inside cabin on Jewel of the Seas.

Upon first impressions, the cabin felt very spacious with plenty of storage for all of our luggage. It was a bit dated with darker wood and decor. Seeing the heart of Amsterdam out of the balcony was a bonus, though!

Next to the king bed was an oversized chair and small coffee table. We were happy to see additional seating in the cabin, although the chair slowly became additional storage for us. 

The coffee table looked like it had seen better days, as the edges were heavily scuffed and damaged. This was the first sign of wear and tear in our cabin, along with a noticeable stain in the carpet. 

The cabin also included two nightstands for us to use, which also featured a drawer for more storage. The stateroom phone was located on my husband's nightstand, and it took up most of the space!

Above the nightstand was a light switch to control the room and a small reading lamp on each side. I wish this lamp had a USB plug, as most modern staterooms do, so devices could be charged while in bed. 

Our cabin was also considered an adjoining stateroom, meaning we had a door connecting to our neighbor's cabin. We were initially worried about potential noise coming from our neighbor, but this was the least of our worries actually.

The balcony stateroom featured a 'Royal King' bed, which we found to be extremely comfortable. We prefer a more firm mattress, and this bed checked that box. 

Unfortunately, our cabin was located directly above Safari Club, which was a bar onboard the ship. We heard loud music from the live band playing each night, usually until midnight!

Even with earplugs and white noise, we could not drown out the thumping bass from the lounge below. My husband said, "There's a reason no one booked this room" on the first night. He was right.

We started strategically planning late afternoon naps because we knew we would not be able to sleep until the music in the lounge stopped each night. This noisy disturbance was a huge bummer, especially on a port-intensive itinerary with early mornings.

Regardless, having a private balcony was fantastic during our sailing to Iceland. We enjoyed coffee and room service breakfast each morning while sailing into port. 

Our balcony itself was surprisingly big and extended slightly beyond a standard balcony due to its location onboard. There was a large awning directly below our cabin, which made for an interesting location.

The balcony featured a small table and two chairs for us to use throughout the cruise - perfect for our morning coffee as we anticiapted what the day would bring!

Because of the extended balcony though, we had some unusual visibility into our neighbors' balconies. We were often outside at the same time as our neighbors. While we appreciated the extra space on our balcony, this open area made it feel less private. 

According to deck plans, this cabin is not considered an obstructed balcony stateroom; however, this balcony is arguably obstructed thanks to this (rusty) equipment blocking part of the view. Normally, obstructed balconies are priced slightly lower for this reason. I would have been disappointed paying full price for this cabin because the view is somewhat obstructed.

The balcony itself was also very worn, much to our surprise. The wood was dry and scuffed; it needed to be refinished. I was actually worried about getting splinters from it!

We loved having the balcony open while in our stateroom, as the chilly Icelandic air made for a cozy ambiance. Not to mention, the sun only set for a few hours each night so we had almost 24 hour daylight!

Back inside our cabin, the stateroom featured a large vanity with drawers, outlets, a TV, shelving and a small cooler. This is where I did my makeup every morning, as the mirror illuminated with a bright light.

Above the TV, we had more shelving for storage and a safe to use for locking up valuables. We utilized all of the storage since we had packed a lot of bulky winter clothes, including hats, scarves and gloves for the chilly weather. 

As is standard with older cruise ships, we only had 1 outlet to use throughout our cruise. Luckily, I also brought my USB adapter for European plugs, which extended our charging capabilities. My phone cord was not long enough to reach the bed, so I had to use a portable charger each night. 

The stateroom's closet was also very spacious with both shelving and hangers for us to unpack and get comfortable for the 12-night sailing. I do wish we had a few extra hangers in the closet, as we ran out quickly!

Since we had a lot of luggage for this longer itinerary, we easily filled this closet to the brim with winter coats, sweaters and jackets.

Our balcony stateroom featured a standard cruise ship bathroom with a shower, sink, toilet and vanity. It was fairly small, as we expected, although it had all the necessities for our stay.

The shower was a classic cruise shower: small and capsule-shaped. This was especially standard for ships built 20 years ago, as newer ships have started to prioritize space for better showers. I was just grateful there was a real door and not a clingy shower curtain!

You typically will not find any upscale shower amenities on a mainstream cruise line. Instead, you will have a 2-in-1 liquid to use for hair and body wash. I always pack my own shampoo and conditioner for this reason!

As you can see, the bathroom is very small but very functional. There is not much space for more than one person to use the bathroom at the same time. If we had more than 2 people in this cabin, it would have been a tight squeeze sharing just one bathroom.

However, the bathroom vanity had a surprising amount of storage both under the stink and behind the side mirror. The flooring of the bathroom also seemed to be in good condition.

Because of our noisy location, I am second guessing whether a guaranteed cabin is worth it. While I've lucked out many times with guarantee cabins, having an undesirable location really puts a damper on the cabin experience.

Having a balcony was absolutely worth the $300 up-charge, but a guaranteed cabin is rolling the dice. In the future, I will think twice about booking a guaranteed cabin, especially on a long cruise.