Interior staterooms on a cruise are the most affordable, but I prefer staying in balcony cabins. Not only are they typically more spacious, but nothing beats stepping outside onto your private veranda. This luxury comes at a price, though.
On my recent voyage to Norway, my partner and I splurged on a balcony stateroom, which allowed us to take in the stunning views of the fjords from the comfort of our cabin.
In total, we spent $4,053.12 on our Prime Veranda. Celebrity Cruises' "All Included" rate included basic Wi-Fi and a drink package, too.
We could have saved a little money by choosing a guarantee stateroom, but spending extra for a mid-ship cabin was worth the cost since we were sailing through the notorious North Sea. My partner is prone to motion sickness, so a stateroom at the forward or aft of the vessel was out of the question.
Overall, we were happy with our cabin. Celebrity Eclipse debuted in 2010, so the stateroom was more dated than those aboard the line's award-winning Edge Class. However, it was clean and well-maintained.
With more downtime than anticipated, we used our balcony more than we had on past sailings to destinations like the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Greek Isles, making it well worth the hefty $4,000 price tag.
We spent the morning in Amsterdam and boarded late, enjoying immediate access to our stateroom
Our time in Amsterdam was cut short thanks to flight mishaps. We were supposed to fly out on a Friday evening, arriving in Amsterdam Saturday afternoon. However, our initial flight from Charlotte to New York was delayed, and we missed our connection on KLM.
Thankfully, Delta rebooked us for the following morning, and we touched down in the Netherlands on Sunday at 6:00am.
Because we had one less afternoon than planned, we wanted to make up as much time as possible before boarding the ship. When cruising to the Caribbean, I typically like to secure the earliest arrival time. However, since this particular voyage was more about the ports, I didn't mind boarding later.
After enjoying a leisurely morning wandering the cobblestone streets of Amsterdam and visiting the Anne Frank House, we made our way to the terminal, arriving at around 2:15pm. Boarding was efficient, and we were in our cabin by 2:30pm.
Comparatively, those who board earlier must wait around until staterooms are ready. We liked dropping off our carry-on bags before heading to the buffet for lunch.
There was no rush to head up to the top deck for sail away
While freshening up for dinner, we noticed Celebrity Eclipse had begun sailing away from Amsterdam. Whenever I've cruised in interior rooms, I've made an effort to grab a comfortable seat on the top deck about a half-hour before the ship's departure.
However, we didn't have to stake out a spot at the Sunset Bar in advance — all thanks to our balcony. We finished getting ready and went to the famous Martini Bar for our favorite Lychee Martinis.
Then, we walked around the top deck for a panoramic view of Amsterdam before finding an open seat to relax before our dinner reservation.
At first, we were disappointed at the lack of scenery, but we began using the balcony more once we departed Olden
The first few days were less scenic than expected. Having sailed to Alaska twice, I figured that after our sea day crossing the North Sea, we'd be surrounded by towering landscapes, similar to the first sea day after departing Seattle. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case — until we reached Olden.
Molde wasn't anything to write home about, which left us wondering if we had chosen another ship or itinerary. However, as we departed, we saw snow-capped mountains in the distance, giving us hope that the scenery would begin to meet our expectations.
That said, Olden was our first real taste of Norway’s famed beauty. While ashore, we visited the Briksdal Glacier and rode the steep Loen Skylift — though our view was short of spectacular thanks to clouds. Still, our sailaway made up for the letdown at the top of the skylift.
As we sailed through the fjord, we marveled at the towering cliffs, lush greenery, and cascading waterfalls — all from the comfort of our personal veranda!
In terms of the cabin itself, we found that the bathroom was surprisingly spacious
The balcony was the star of our cabin, but the bathroom deserves a special mention, too. Although it wasn't anything fancy, it was extra spacious compared to other standard stateroom bathrooms.
I didn't have to worry about my elbows hitting the walls whenever I turned around in the shower, and the overall layout was smart. The deep shelves provided us with enough storage for our makeup bags and other toiletries.
My only quarrel with the bathroom is that the water pressure could have been a little better, but that's a small trade-off for the space.
The cabin was also starting to show its age
Sailing on a ship that debuted in 2010, I didn't expect the stateroom to feel overly modern like cabins aboard Celebrity Ascent.
Everything was clean and functional, but the décor was dated with muted colors and worn furniture. Additionally, there were minimal outlets in the cabin, with just one European and two American plugs available — none were by the bed, either.
However, Celebrity Cruises recently announced that it's investing $250 million in its Solstice Class ships, including Celebrity Eclipse.
Part of the planned upgrades includes refreshing the cabins. While concept art hasn't been revealed yet, I'm hopeful that they'll be more in line with the sleek, contemporary Edge Class staterooms.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
