Cruise Ship Rooms: How to Choose the Cabin That's Right for You

Table Of Content

• Tricks for Scoring Bargains on the Price of Your Cruise Room
• Benefits of Balcony Rooms and Views on a Cruise Ship
• Accessible cabins
• Budget
• Families Can Use Interior Rooms to Save Money on Multiple Room Bookings
• You Can Get a Much Better Location for Cheaper
• Concierge Cabins: A Direct Connection to a Cruise Concierge

At first glance, I had snubbed the dining and lounge area as a rip-off of a generic airport coffee shop. But during my three days on Icon, I returned to the centrally located space more often than expected. Jenna DeLaurentis enjoys exploring new ports of call around the world on a cruise ship, learning about new cultures, discovering beautiful landscapes, and trying diverse cuisine. She loves to get active while at port, whether cycling through mountains in the Caribbean or scuba diving under the sea.

Tricks for Scoring Bargains on the Price of Your Cruise Room

Inside cabins usually go from the front to the end of the cruise ship. Just be wary of any offer promising a two-category upgrade (or similar). The fine print usually indicates that the line will give you a so-called better cabin within the same category. That can simply mean you are upgraded from a standard inside cabin to a slightly larger inside cabin. You will then be stuck with whichever cabin they give you -- whether you agree it's better or not.

I stayed in a windowless cabin onboard Carnival Celebration that cost $1900 — here's what my inside stateroom ... - Cruise Blog

I stayed in a windowless cabin onboard Carnival Celebration that cost $1900 — here's what my inside stateroom ....

Posted: Wed, 18 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Benefits of Balcony Rooms and Views on a Cruise Ship

Unlike a resort stay, you can sample multiple beaches in various destinations, as well as the pool life on board the ship. Many people would agree with me that a Caribbean cruise is the perfect antidote to the winter doldrums and work stress, plus a wonderful way to reconnect with friends and loved ones. The ship takes care of everything -- transportation, accommodation, meals and entertainment – so you can skip much of the daily planning drama and simply enjoy your vacation and travel companions. Every day you wake up to warm weather and sunny skies (well, most of the time) and a new destination promising white sand beaches, fun activities and memories to be made. Disney Dream and Fantasy offer similar inside rooms with Magical Portholes -- small, round video screens that show exterior views as would a real porthole window.

Accessible cabins

San Juan is both a popular departure port and port of call on Eastern and Southern Caribbean cruise itineraries. The following Caribbean cruise ports are generally standouts, no matter your travel style. The ship's riff on Broadway-approved "Wizard of Oz" — 16-piece live orchestra and flying bed included — delighted me, a hater of most musicals. I spent my time there perched at one of its in-water loungers, contently splashing my legs around the water, wondering if I actually hated cruises. The idea is you'll know when it's day time when the light show on TV illuminates the room. The idea is to not only have an alarm clock, but a light that will come on slowly to let you know there's daylight out.

I paid $900 for the smallest interior cabin on my MSC Seaside cruise — take a look inside - Cruise Blog

I paid $900 for the smallest interior cabin on my MSC Seaside cruise — take a look inside.

Posted: Tue, 01 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Budget

You may also hear more noise from outdoor activities on the pool deck. Since interior cabins don’t have a lot of air circulating, it’s a good idea to bring along essential oils or a room freshener. You’ll often hear that if you’re not cruising in a balcony, you may as well not cruise at all. As someone who has cruised in inside cabins, oceanview cabins and balcony cabins, I don’t believe that to be true.

Recently, in fact, I sailed in one of Royal Caribbean’s most expensive and luxurious suites, and it was certainly an experience I’ll cherish for a long time. Choosing your cruise ship cabin or stateroom is an essential part of planning a dream cruise vacation. The right accommodation can enhance your cruise experience, providing you with a comfortable retreat after a day of adventure, but some choices may turn out to be an expensive mistake.

You Can Get a Much Better Location for Cheaper

My take is that the most important thing to keep in mind is the length of the cruise. On shorter cruises, I find the interior cabin to be a great option as it gets you on the ship for less money. And with those trips, the smaller size and lack of windows is no big deal. Absolutely, but for a few days — when so much time is spent outside the room — I’d much rather save the money. These are some of the most popular rooms on any cruise ship and generally fall somewhere in the middle on the cost spectrum. Consider both the direction in which your room faces, as well as any obstructed views before booking.

Why cruise to the Caribbean?

But of all the activities the new world's largest cruise ship has to offer, my eight favorites are, for the most part, ones I've yet to see on another vessel. There's a reason Royal Caribbean's new mega-cruise ship is only operating seven-night sailings. Cabins with balconies are more prone to noise, especially those located near the pool deck or within Central Park and the Boardwalk neighborhoods. You may find yourself hearing music, conversations, or activities happening from your balcony, which you won’t encounter when staying in an inside room.

When you add in port excursions, you might just find that you're only in your room to change clothes, shower and sleep. If that sounds like you, an inside room on your cruise might be the right choice. While deals that low are reserved for special sales, you can often find interior rooms from $80 or less per person, per night.

Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is set to be the largest cruise ship in the world, with a capacity for nearly 10,000 passengers and crew. This impressive vessel is designed with 20 decks, featuring eight distinct “neighborhoods” that offer diverse dining options and activities for guests. Scheduled for its inaugural voyage on January 27, 2024, the Icon of the Seas will provide guests with typical seven-day itineraries, including three at-sea days for them to enjoy the ship’s amenities. And while people with balconies on high decks might be paying thousands for their location and cabin, the interior rooms — literally right across the hall — are much cheaper. If they choose a regular cabin, priced for two people, they have to pay a single supplement — a solo cruiser tax, if you will, that can be akin to paying double the per-person fare. Some cruise lines have solved this problem by offering solo cabins designed and priced for one traveler.

A few cruise line credit cards let you use your points to pay for a cabin upgrade. I also recommend that all passengers bring a passport on their Caribbean sailing. The shortest Southern Caribbean cruises are five or six days and leave from places such as Barbados, San Juan and St. Thomas. You can find weeklong sailings from Florida, but more commonly, they're eight nights or longer. While I would've preferred a quieter atmosphere (the DJ did not, in fact, play smooth jazz), the pool's views, day beds, and lack of screaming children were hard to beat. Plenty of family-friendly cruise ships have waterslides, but few have six — or even one that requires a multi-person raft.

You'll also find that even inside rooms on some cruise ships are considered balcony cabins, so carefully check out what you're getting if that's not for you. When you book a hotel or resort, your choices might include one king bed or two queen beds; garden view or beach view; a standard room, suite or perhaps a villa or casita. On cruise ships, the basic cabin categories are inside, outside (often called ocean view), balcony and suite — but there are subcategories, as well. Inside cabins are usually located in spaces where it isn’t possible to have a balcony or outside cabin. Older ships used to have include more ocean view cabins than balconies but modern ships contain primarily balcony cabins. The vast majority of balcony rooms are standard balcony cabins or slightly larger rooms along either side of a cruise ship -- the port and starboard sides.