Inside Cabins – The facts!

There are always lots of factors to take in to consideration when choosing a cruise – the destination, itinerary, relaxed or informal, the cruise line and ship, but a major consideration for many people is the cabin type.

With so many to choose from it can be baffling, especially if you are a first time cruiser. Some cruise lines call them cabins and others call the staterooms. There are suites and mini suites, ocean views, balcony or veranda cabins, promenade views, boardwalk cabins (see image below – I think the designers modelled it on Southport sea front). The list goes on.

Often the cabin type is determined by budget and therefore if you really want a cruise and have a set amount of money to spend on it then the decision could be made for you.

Many people would not consider the idea of staying in an Inside cabin and here are  the 4 main reasons I am told why:-

Too Claustrophobic

Although as a rule of thumb ship cabins are generally smaller than an average hotel room, the sizes can vary from ship to ship. The number of people sleeping in the cabin will determine just how claustrophobic they can seem. Some cabins will allow 4 adults to share and when you’re tucked up in your bed that’s absolutely fine. When it comes to 4 adults trying to get ready for dinner, however some military style organisation is required to plan for shower/bathroom usage, hairdryer, dressing table mirror etc.

This is less of an issue if the passengers are young children who are slightly lower maintenance in the preening department.

 Gloomy lighting

The above picture is of a cabin on a ferry I travelled on rather than a cruise ship and if this is what peoples perceptions are then I hardly blame them for thinking it would be dark and dingy. In my experience the lighting in an Inside cabin has always been well thought out by the designers and is bright when the main light is on, yet you can tone this down if you use the lamps for bedtime reading or a little quiet time.

And taking the lighting technology to the next level are Royal Caribbean who are introducing ‘Virtual Balconies’ to some of their Inside staterooms (see below) which really give a feeling of more space and natural light – even if it is only a trick of the mind!

You won’t sleep because of the engine noise

The fact is that Inside cabins are closer to the engines, however many ships have modernised their engines over the years and they are now much quieter. I have stayed in Inside cabins where we have heard no engine noise whatsoever and others where there has been a very low hum which in fact helped get me off to sleep!

You can’t see what the weather is like outside

This is a very valid concern, especially cruising around places where the weather can be changeable (eg Europe where you can experience four seasons in one day). You may not know what to wear or whether to take an umbrella with you. You will find that most cruise lines now have a live camera feed from on deck directly to the TV in your cabin, so not only can you see the ship arriving in to port from the comfort of your bed you can also check out the weather too.

Other plus points of an Inside cabin are less motion than in outside cabins as as you are closer to the centre of the vessel. Usually they are the cheaper cabins which leaves you more money to spend at the bars, shops, spa and casino. And let’s face it, you couldn’t get down-graded, so the lowest grades are certainly the best cabin to book for chance of an upgrade.

On a personal level I will always try and book the best cabin my budget will stretch to and if that is an Inside cabin then so be it. At the end of the day a cruise in an Inside cabin is better than no cruise at all.