Cruises - Cabin Clues: How To Choose the Right Room at Sea

When it comes right down to it, choosing a cabin is really a question of money. From a windowless lower-deck cabin with upper and lower bunks to a 1,400-square-foot suite with a butler and mile-long private veranda, cruise ships can present a dozen or more stateroom categories that differ by size, location in the ship, amenities, and, of course, price. To see what we mean, go to the Cruises Only website (www.cruisesonly.com); it presents 360-degree tours and photos of most ships in "About Your Ship" pages throughout the site.

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It's not just about the cabin itself, the category or the deck. It's also what's above, below and around it. A high category balcony under the pool deck might not be the best for a late riser. Similarly, a cabin over a night club could be a poor choice for someone who is early to bed. Motion sensitivity is also a factor, as is proximity to elevators/stairs, especially on the larger ships.

i was buying 3 cruise cabins on different ships last weeks, and had many cabins available to choose from even in the same price category, what i did to find a good one was of course first check what is above/under the cabin and what is around.... also, you can get invaluable info by searching the specific cruise forums with the exact cabin numbers, you can find threads of discussion on the best/worst cabins on a given ship/deck... very useful

Good advice above.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, on virtually all of the larger cruise ships built in the past 15 years or so, most of the cabins are virtually the same size, from the cheapest inside cabin to the relatively expensive balcony cabins. (The suites, of course, are larger, with the most luxurious as much as six or eight times as large as standard cabins.) The standard cabins (inside or outside) and most balcony cabins generally have around 180 square feet, which most people find sufficient.

I've taken perhaps 15 cruises in the past 24 years. On several of the earliest cruises, we booked inside cabins (due to price) and were perfectly satisfied; the idea of being able to take a cruise at all far outweighed the lack of a porthole or window. We used the cabin for sleeping; when we wanted to see the ocean or feel the breeze, we went up on the deck.

In recent years, the price differential among inside cabins, outside (window) cabins, and balcony cabins has diminished dramatically on many of the newer ships so that you're not paying such a premium for a window or balcony.

For people new to cruising, I would recommend giving more attention to the itinerary and the quality of the ship overall, rather than putting undue weight on having a balcony. Two years ago, when we took a 12-night cruise in the Mediterranean on the then brand-new Emerald Princess, I noticed on a number of occasions that almost no one actually stood or sat out on their balcony while the ship was moving. The only time any significant number of balconies were occupied was as the ship entered or left a port.

In summary, balcony cabins are nice, but there are other factors, like the itinerary and the overall quality of the ship, that are far more important, especially if there is a significant price differential.

We have been on seven cruises, all full ship charters on HAL(www.bluescruise.com).

We have had at minimum balcony staterooms on each cruise, and the last three times we have upped the ante and stayed in suites.

SacFlyer, I don't disagree with you per se, but our preference runs to a balcony and a larger cabin. It is true we are not out there all the time when the ship is moving, but it is really nice to be able to stumble out on the balcony in one's jammies and check out a new port. We also have breakfast on the balcony with great frequency.

The extra money for the suite is worth it to us also. We don't really use some of the standard amenities, like corsages or special parties with the crew, but we do love having the extra level of concierge/lounge service. On HAL the Neptune Lounge, available to Suite passengers, has little snack-y things as well as coffee and iced tea all day. Much more convenient than waiting on room service or dashing up to the Lido Deck.

I would recommend starting with the medium category cabin-probably a balcony/veranda cabin on most ships these days-and then determining from there whether you want to go up or down in price for the next trip.

Just as some love Southwest, and others can't fly steerage-er, coach.

We have been on seven cruises, all full ship charters on HAL(www.bluescruise.com).

On HAL the Neptune Lounge, available to Suite passengers, has little snack-y things as well as coffee and iced tea all day. Much more convenient than waiting on room service or dashing up to the Lido Deck.

I would recommend starting with the medium category cabin-probably a balcony/veranda cabin on most ships these days-and then determining from there whether you want to go up or down in price for the next trip.

Just as some love Southwest, and others can't fly steerage-er, coach.

Is that the famous Neptune Lounge, where you are still paying for a bottle of drinking water?

I don't know about bottled water-don't drink it. They do have ice water with lemons, iced tea, juice and coffee for free all day. Also various hors d'oeuvres and little snacky things.

I really like iced tea, so that is a great convenience for me.

I'm pretty boring in my beverage consumption I guess. I rarely drink alcohol or soda. The cruise ship makes very little money off me!

I don't know about bottled water-don't drink it. They do have ice water with lemons, iced tea, juice and coffee for free all day. Also various hors d'oeuvres.

I really like iced tea, so that is a great convenience for me.

I'm pretty boring in my beverage consumption I guess. I rarely drink alcohol or soda. The cruise ship makes very little money off me!

I am starting to learn a few things about cabin choices too.

There is a joke among cruisers - "the more you pay, the more you sway" in that higher up cabins which is often where the pricier suites are located feel the most tippy. If this might be a problem, one would want a lower floor cabin.

Middle of the ship seems to feel the most stable with more motion and wave action up front and more engine vibration towards the rear.

Agree, do be careful about what is above and below you if you have a choice. And up front also has reports of noise problems when the anchors get dropped early in the morning on port arrivals which often happen well before you are allowed to disembark.

Other features depending on the ship are clear plexiglass balcony railings or solid metal ones. Irregular shaped rooms near the curve of the ship. Tubs or only showers can show up in different room choices too at different price levels. Some double rooms have fixed twin beds that cannot be moved and some have twin beds that can be converted to a full sized double.

Some put the seating towards the window or balcony and some put the seating near the entry door. Some have large closets and ample storage, some have little. Some have good electrical outlets and others are stingy about plug-in items.

Verandahs can be large, enclosed and private on some lines like HAL, or tacky little stick on affairs on some of the larger mass market lines where you barely have a chair and tiny table and they are exposed to the elements and all other passengers.

They are best when you have a lot of viewing to do like the Panama canal, in warm weather when you can enjoy being outside in the breeze, and when there is shoreline scenery to enjoy like in Alaska as long as you are on the right side to see things.

They are nice particularly even when the above does not apply for having the floor to ceiling window and the sense of light and space. They are wonderful for room service breakfasts particularly when coming into port to see all the dock activity (again hoping you are on the "right" side).

I think it is better to choose a good moderate cost line like HAL with a balcony rather than a luxury line without one like Crystal for similar prices. Even better to choose two HAL with balconies over a single cruise with Crystal without. That is a choice to make when stretching the travel dollar - a better suite on a lower priced line or a low-end cabin on a higher priced one.

The longer the cruise, I think the more important the cabin is for down time. If it is a shorter, port intensive cruise, then a cabin may be nothing more than a place to sleep and shower.

Having a window can matter if you like to wake with the sun. Never found a line that has a fake "sunrise" on a timer as your wake-up alarm in the inside cabins but would love to find if they exist. It is good advice to take the cheapest inside cabin if this can make or break taking a cruise or not. But if you can spring for at least a port hole it will make things better.

Being on the promenade deck can be a problem if you have windows because people can look in as well as you being able to look out. Plus there is a lot of foot traffic going by all the time for noise and nuisance. One cruiser found the inside cabin on the promenade deck was her favorite because the world was just outside her door.

Being somewhere in the middle of the ship in both floor level and section of the ship to me is best because I like to take the stairs to my ship board activities. Usually the dining is on the lower floors and the buffet and pool and observation decks are on the top.

So if you want to avoid the elevators and those crowds being in the middle means you only have to go up and down a few floors to get most anywhere (except on the really huge ships which do force you into either daily marathons or those darn elevators.)

I highly recommend cruisecritic.com. There are boards for every line and boards covering all kinds of topics besides. You can post questions, search topics, etc., and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of members.