What is a Royal Caribbean virtual balcony cabin on a cruise, and is it worth the money?

I didn't set out to book a Virtual Balcony, Royal Caribbean's twist on an inside cabin. Truly, I didn't. I simply wanted the least expensive room on my recent weeklong sailing on Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas. When I called to book, all of the standard inside cabins were sold out.

The next cheapest was a Virtual Balcony, so I went for it, figuring it would be interesting to experience one for myself.

But what is a Virtual Balcony, and what are the pros and cons of booking this interesting type of accommodation? Let me share what I learned.

What is a Virtual Balcony cabin?

A Virtual Balcony is Royal Caribbean's answer for passengers who want the affordability of an inside cabin but with a view — even if it's not a real one.

Virtual Balconies are inside cabins with no real windows. Instead, a floor-to-ceiling screen (which Royal Caribbean claims is high-definition) takes up about one-third of one of the cabin walls and broadcasts real-time video to make it appear as if you have a balcony with a view.

Royal Caribbean isn't the first cruise line to adopt this concept — Disney Cruise Line rolled out Magic Portholes on Disney Dream in 2011. However, it's the first and only line to do it in a way that mimics a balcony view instead of a view through a tiny window. The addition of the Virtual Balcony adds one more option to the already sizeable array of cabin types available on Royal Caribbean ships.

Which cruise ships have Virtual Balcony cabins?

Royal Caribbean ships that have Virtual Balcony cabins include:

• Anthem of the Seas
• Explorer of the Seas
• Harmony of the Seas
• Navigator of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Ovation of the Seas
• Quantum of the Seas
• Spectrum of the Seas
• Symphony of the Seas
• Utopia of the Seas
• Voyager of the Seas
• Wonder of the Seas

What are virtual balcony cabins like?

Some Virtual Balcony rooms are set up like typical inside cabins, with the beds facing so that your feet point toward the cabin door with the balcony screen off to one side. Another setup — the one I had on my cruise — is more true to traditional balcony accommodations. In this version, the beds are positioned so your head is against one side wall, and your feet are facing the other side wall with the "balcony" on the wall opposite the main cabin door.

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All Virtual Balcony accommodations include a king bed that converts into two twins; bedside tables with lamps; an upholstered chair or couch, depending on cabin size; a vanity with a chair, electrical outlets and mirror; plenty of storage space in the way of drawers, shelves and bars for hanging clothes; a small safe, hair dryer and minifridge; and an in-cabin bathroom with a shower, toilet, combination vanity and sink, and shelves for storing toiletries.

My travel companion and I had a nice chuckle at the novelty of the "balcony view" — a rather streaky image of the decidedly un-picturesque port of Bayonne, New Jersey, with a graphic of a balcony railing superimposed over it — for the first 10 minutes or so after we boarded. Then, we promptly forgot it existed as we settled in and began unpacking. Because our room was a bit toasty when we arrived, I was glad to discover the screen didn't throw off any heat.

Later that day, after dinner, we returned to our (much cooler) room to discover a horrendous view: blackness with white static, similar to television fuzz, with the same brown deck railing graphic over the top. Because the quality of the camera used to capture the image was so low, it could not pick up any clear images after the sun set.

We looked for a switch to turn it off and, after a few minutes, discovered controls on our in-cabin TV. After it went dark, it just looked like a large turned-off TV that had been flipped vertically.

We then closed the curtains on either side of the screen to hide it.

A couple of days later, after all but forgetting about the Virtual Balcony, we decided to turn it back on. The TV controls were unresponsive, so I asked our cabin steward for help. He told us that sometimes the TV controls don't work; instead, we had to aim the TV remote at the balcony screen and press the power button.

We also noticed that the TV had volume controls for the balcony. Once we had our "view" back, we tried playing with them. That resulted in a very low hissing noise; we couldn't tell if it was static or the sound of the rushing waves, given that it was a sea day. Royal Caribbean missed an opportunity to offer some sort of relaxing white noise to passengers as an added perk for when they're ready to sleep.

How big are Virtual Balcony rooms?

Virtual Balcony cabin sizes vary by ship but range from 160 to 258 square feet — the same size as standard inside cabins. Depending on the vessel, these rooms can accommodate two to four passengers; they do so via either a king bed that can convert into two twins on request or a combination of a king bed/twin beds and a double pullout sofa bed.

How much do Virtual Balcony cabins cost?

In general, Virtual Balcony fares are slightly pricier than regular inside cabins by a couple hundred dollars; however, they're less expensive than what you'd shell out for a room with a real balcony. Fares vary by ship, sailing date, itinerary and cruise length.

For my seven-night Bahamas cruise on the three-year-old Odyssey of the Seas, I paid $1,062.45 per person, including taxes and fees, for my Virtual Balcony cabin. This seemed to be about the average when I checked prices on several sailings.

What else should I know about virtual balconies?

Booking a Virtual Balcony cabin does not get you any additional perks.

Most ships that offer Virtual Balcony rooms have some earmarked as accessible, featuring more square footage, ramped entryways, wider doors, lowered closet bars, roll-in showers with benches and grab bars, and lowered sinks and toilets.

Bottom line: Is a Virtual Balcony worth it?

For me, a Virtual Balcony cabin wasn't worth the extra cost, given that there were no additional perks nor extra space. The view during the day was streaky at best, and the view at night was nothing more than static, thanks to the low-quality camera used to capture the footage.

Ultimately, the screen was an unnecessary extra that didn't do much to convince me that I wasn't in an inside cabin, particularly since it provided no access to fresh air. It was one of those amenities that I glanced at once when I first boarded, said, "Oh, that's cute," and promptly forgot about.

Find out more about Royal Caribbean:

• The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean cruises
• Royal Caribbean cruise ship classes explained
• Royal Caribbean cruise ships by size
• Royal Caribbean cruise ships by age
• All you need to know about Royal Caribbean cabins and suites
• Royal Caribbean food
• Royal Caribbean drink packages
• Where you can cruise with Royal Caribbean
• How to find the best Royal Caribbean ship for you
• Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor Society loyalty program
• How to pack for a Royal Caribbean cruise