Cruise Ship Cabins – How to Choose Wisely

Undoubtedly, choosing the right cabin can make or break the enjoyment of your cruise. Letting the travel agent or cruise line choose your cabin may or may not get you a cabin you will enjoy. The best plan is to become familiar with the deck plans of the ship you are planning to cruise on and have a cabin category or even a cabin in mind before booking the cruise.

There are four main cabin categories: Inside, Ocean View, Balcony, and Suite.

Inside Cabins

Inside cabins have no view. They are located in the middle of the ship with no window or outlet to the outside. Usually these cabins will not have a sofa or love seat and may not have an easy chair. The only chair may be the one from the desk.

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Pros:

Least expensive cabins.

Often the last cabins to sell leading to drastic price reductions.

If you need complete dark in order to sleep, this is the cabin for you. It is pitch black with the lights out. You should have a small flashlight at your bedside to navigate to the bathroom during the night.

If you are active and plan to be out of the cabin all day except for sleeping, an inside cabin can save you money.

Cons:

You will be unable to tell the time of day or weather outside

Inside cabins are often the smallest cabins on the ship.

Inside cabins are not good for those with claustrophobia

Notes:

Royal Caribbean now has virtual view inside cabins for a slightly higher price. These cabins have a floor to ceiling screen on one of the walls and you can hear and see what is going on outside in whatever direction the screen is mounted.

Low advertised prices are almost always for inside cabins.

Ocean View or Outside Cabin

The ocean view or outside cruise ship category is a cabin with a porthole or a window. It is generally the same size as an inside cabin.

Pros

You can view the scenery, time of day, and weather.

Less feelings of claustrophobia.

Cons:

More expensive than an inside cabin.

May be as small as an inside cabin.

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Balcony or Veranda Cabin

A balcony or veranda cruise ship cabin is a private sitting space accessible through a glass door from your cabin.

Pros

A perfect place to sit and relax if you would rather avoid the public areas.

A great place for room service breakfast.

Provides an outdoor space in case of quarantine (I never dreamed I would have to write such a thing, but there it is)

Gives you extra space when getting ready to go out. One person can sit on the balcony while the other one gets ready.

Cons:

More expensive than inside and ocean view cabins

Note:

If you look beyond the crowded pool areas, you can usually find private outdoor public spaces. A good idea is to spend some time touring the ship when you first board to find such spaces in advance.

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Obstructed Balcony

This is a great way to get an outdoor space for less money. It can be a bit of a gamble because you can never be sure of exactly what you will get. Nevertheless, I tried it twice and with good results both times.

The first time, on the Queen Mary 2, I had one of the large orange life boats directly in front of the balcony. I could only see out in the space between the life boats. Still, I was fine with that because it gave me a private place to sit and relax on the transatlantic cruise. Besides, there was nothing to see except ocean day after day.

The second time I had an obstructed balcony was on the Sky Princess to the Caribbean. That time the life boats were almost completely blocking the deck below me but not my deck. Consequently, I had an had a great view without paying the higher prices.

Suites

Suites are the largest cabins on a ship and may consist of more than one room or floor. As an example, on Royal Caribbean, they range in size from 950 to almost 1,400 square feet, and feel like a luxury apartment, rather than a cruise ship cabin.

Junior Suite

The Junior Suite cruise ship category is usually a one room balcony cabin with larger square footage than a regular balcony cabin

Pro

More room to move around.

Con

More costly

Suites of All Sizes

Other suites may still have only one room but more square footage. There may be a partial or full wall between the bed and living area. The largest suites will have a separate bedroom(s), dining room, living room and bathroom(s). Some suites are 2 stories with a loft upstairs and floor to ceiling windows and wraparound decks. Some are designated for families and may be at the back of the ship. The configurations are endless.

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Pros

A large amount of space. Great for families.

May be entitled to extra perks depending on the category of the suite such as a suite-only dining rooms, lounges, pool areas, beaches and seating in the theaters. May have a dedicated butler.

Cons

The most expensive cruise ship cabins.

Additional Categories

Spa Cabins

These may have a direct entrance to the spa and may have a special spa dining room that serves healthy, low calorie meals. Supposedly, it is like going to a spa for a week where you can eat healthy food, exercise and get spa treatments. I have never understood this category because of the immense availability of tempting food and numerous bars throughout the ship. If I wanted to focus on healthy eating and exercise, I would book a land-based spa.

Concierge

I accidentally stayed in the concierge cruise ship category once when I was upgraded without notice. The cabin was at the very end of the ship, slightly larger than the one I had booked. The only difference was a fruit basket and pre-dinner hors d’oeuvre delivered to the cabin daily. The view from the balcony was of the ship’s wake. As a result of the location, we were far from the main theater but close to the dining room although not as close to the elevator as we would have been in our original cabin.

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Guaranteed Category

The guaranteed category is the least expensive price for cabins in a given category. In return for the discount, the cruise line has the option of placing you in whatever cabin they choose in that category and you will not know until boarding.  Supposedly, you could end up in a much better cabin than one you would have originally chosen at a higher price. Sounds good? Don’t be so sure. You could end up in the absolute worst cabin in that category which happened to me the one time I tried a guaranteed category cabin

The Cabin Above the Stabilizers

Our ocean view guaranteed category was in the aft portion of the ship. As the ship left the dock, the most horrible noise emanated from below us along with intense vibrations. I had never experienced anything like it before. At some point, I noticed a plaque on the cabin wall that said something like: “The vibration and noise you may hear is coming from the stabilizers. There is no need for concern”. I was concerned! We twice visited customer service and were told nothing could be done as the ship was full. Finally, we received a call telling us we would change rooms with a passenger in the front of the ship who wanted to be near the dining room due to problems with walking. He knew about the noise but still wanted to change cabins. So, we packed our belongings and moved into the new cabin. Everyone was happy.

I later found out that our travel agent had booked the guarantee category without explaining what it was. I never used her again.

Upgrades to a Higher Category

The couple we were traveling with were also upgraded without notice and were livid. The wife had carefully selected a cabin next to the elevators due to her husband using a wheelchair and were now relocated to the end of the ship. They were eventually moved to a cabin nearer their original location.

Another time, on a riverboat, I accepted an upgrade and found myself at the end of the hallway even though it was one floor higher. My husband had difficulty walking and I had originally chosen a room near the stairs. Consequently, I was not happy but we made due.

So, if you are asked, be aware of accepting an upgrade. It might be a higher or more expensive category and improve your cruise experience. On the other hand, it might not be a cabin you need or want. Sometimes they ask me at booking if I will accept an upgrade. For the reasons listed, I always say no.

Solo Cabins

I once took a weekend cruise by myself. I had to pay double the price of the cabin just as though there were two passengers in the cabin. Nowadays, you don’t have to pay for two passengers but the price is still more than you would have paid if someone was sharing the cabin with you.

Riverboats have some single cabins and some cruise ships have added them. Single cabins are available on at least some of the ships on Celebrity, Holland America, MSC, Norwegian, Cunard, and Royal Caribbean cruise lines.

Fore or Aft

Which is better? A cabin in the fore (front) of the ship or one aft (rear) of the ship?

Actually, the best cabins are in the center of the ship as there is less movement there. These cabins are generally booked first in all categories.

Because center cabins cost more, I generally choose one aft that is closest to the center elevators because I spend more time dining in the aft of the ship than going to the theater in the fore of ship.

Deck Plans

The best way to choose a cabin is to have an actual catalog in front of you open to the deck. I use a magnifying glass to study the cabin locations. You can do this online except you can only see one deck at a time so I prefer the catalog.

If you book online, they will often show you which cabins are available. Even if you don’t book online, you can choose an available cabin that meets your needs and either book it yourself or have your travel agent book it for you.

Summary

The more you cruise the more you will narrow down what you like and don’t like about cruise ship cabin types and locations. The trick is finding the best cabin for you within your budget. By studying deck plans, looking at the photos, square footage and amenities of each category you will be more likely to pick the right cabin for you.