When booking a cruise every experienced cruiser has a favourite cabin that they always try to stay in and when asked would recommend to all their friends.
Some people swear by an outside cabin, others by a balcony. Some people have to have a mid-ships cabin whilst others will only book if they can stay next to the lifts.
Ultimately it will come down to personal choice, whatever cabin you’re most comfortable with.
That being said however, the www.CRUISE.co.uk team know of several cabins that nobody ever books, the cabins that almost always stay empty till the cruise lines fill them with last minute bargain hunters and better yet are almost always sold with huge discounts!
Here are the top seven cruise ship cabins you must consider booking…
The Inside Cabin
Some people swear by inside cabins, others wouldn’t go near a room without a balcony. But the truth is, whilst an inside cabin might not be for everyone, far too many people are put off by the naysayers.
Yes, you won’t have a view and yes, some people might feel claustrophobic in it but remember these will be the very cheapest cabins on the ship. The difference in price between an inside and a balcony cabin can sometimes be the price of another cruise. Now surely that’s food for thought!
If you’re contemplating an inside cabin you need to ask yourself two questions.
The first: How much time will you be spending in your cabin? If it’s just somewhere to store your luggage, get changed and put your head down of an evening then is it really worth paying out all that extra for a window?
And the second is: How badly do you want that second cruise!
There’s A Lifeboat In Front of My Window!
As we’ve already mentioned, some people just don’t spend a lot of time in their room so for them sleeping in an inside cabin just isn’t an issue. Others though still feel nervous about getting claustrophobic at the thought of just four walls and a door, so end up spending a lot of money upgrading to an ocean view cabin.
Did you know there’s another option?
All cruise ships have to, by international law, have lifeboats. Those lifeboats obviously need to be stored somewhere. Most cruise lines choose to keep these on a lower deck, placed just in front of some of the outside cabins windows.
You might be tempted to get all offended by this, how dare the cruise line put a dirty great big lifeboat in front of your window! The good news though is you can deliberately choose to have one of these cabins – You get most of the benefits of an outside cabin, a window, natural daylight etc. but because of the obstructed view you get it for a big discount – often they’re similar in price or not much more than an inside cabin!
A Forward Cabin
Ships aren’t hotels. They may look like giant floating palaces but the bottom line is you will have to do some sailing in them. This means you might notice some movement that you wouldn’t feel on a land based holiday (but if you ask us the motion of the ocean is half the fun!).
As your ship cuts through the waves, some parts of the ship will experience more movement than others. The front of the ship will go up and down, the aft of the ship will follow suit (with slightly less movement) whilst the middle of the ship will remain stable (much like a see-saw).
This means that cabins at the front of the ship are always sold off a lot cheaper than the rest of the ship due to the extra movement, however…!
If you’ve cruised before and know the motion didn’t bother you or better yet you know you’ll be cruising somewhere calm like the Mediterranean or Caribbean (the calmer the seas the less the ship will move) why not save yourself a fortune and book a cabin at the front of the ship?
A Really Forward Cabin
How forward is forward? Some of you reading this may have been persuaded to try a cabin towards the front of the ship for their next cruise but how brave are you? How forward will you go?
Did you know that on many of today’s mega ships there will be several cabins that instead of facing side-wards (as 99% of cruise ship cabins do) will point forwards, giving you the same view as the Captain and bridge crew! There aren’t many of these cabins but if you’re looking for a cabin with a difference these are well worth trying!
As an example Oasis of the Seas has several on decks seven to eleven. They’re all outside cabins (they have a window rather than a balcony) but if you’re looking to mix things up a little then they get our recommendation!
The Very Back Of The Ship
As we’ve just pointed out, most cabins on a cruise will be lined up along each side of the ship (we’re hoping you all know what a cruise ship looks like!) but the most expensive suites are normally put at the very back of the ship so their occupants are afforded a bit more privacy as they stare out at the ships wake with absolutely amazing 180 degree views!
If you fancy a cabin in this spot you’d normally have to be one of the lucky ones who can afford to spend serious money on your holiday or (you knew they’d be an or didn’t you!) you could book a cruise on the Celebrity Eclipse!
Whilst they still have some suites in these positions most of the spots are taken up with standard balconies (you just have to know what they’re called!) They’re known as an SV grade balcony on the deck plans (sunset veranda) and are sold at the price of a normal balcony but with an absolutely amazing view. They go quick so you’ll need to get in early but they’re well worth trying if you can get your hands on one!
What’s All That Noise?
Are you one of those people who spend hours and days scrutinising deck-plans before you book your cabin? If you are we bet you also check what’s situated just above, below and around your cabin as well!
If that doesn’t sound like you then the reason some people do this is to find out how much noise they’re likely to get in their cabin. After all, if you fancy an early night you wouldn’t want a cabin situated directly under the theatre… Or would you?
Cabins that can be affected by ambient noise, those above or below the theatre or a bar say, are often sold with a big dig discount attached to them. “What good is a discount?” you might ask if you’re too tired to enjoy your cruise?
Well that will depend on what kind of person you are! If you know you like to burn the candle at both ends and won’t be hitting the sack till late each night why shouldn’t you get a discount by sleeping under the theatre – after all the shows will be long over by the time you get to bed and just think of all the Phantom of the Opera jokes you can make!
You Call That An Obstruction?
We mentioned earlier that most cruise lines will sell outside cabins with an obstructed view at a discounted price due to the lifeboats being stored in front of your window. Did you know however that some cruise lines will also sell you obstructed balcony cabins for a discount?
Well, they call them obstructed… We’re not convinced that’s the right word!
You see, in a normal balcony cabin you’ll be able to lean on your railing, cocktail in hand, look out to sea and enjoy the view. In an obstructed view balcony cabin though…. You’ll be able to do the exact same thing!
The reason they’re classed as obstructed is that if you look directly down you won’t be able to see the ocean, you’ll instead see the canopy that covers the lifeboats. Your view won’t change, nor will the amount of sun you get – You just won’t be able to look directly down and see the waves.
We don’t know about you but we’re pretty sure we can put up with that for a discount!
Do you always play it safe with your cabin choice, going for the same time each time or have you ever tried one of the above? What is your favourite and why? Let us know in the comments below!
