Would you be happy in an inside cabin?
If you’ve ever thought about booking an inside cabin on a cruise, you’ve no doubt run through the list of “What if’s” that tend to confound us ALL when choosing the perfect stateroom. What if there’s not enough room for my stuff? What if I feel trapped or claustrophobic? Well, there’s no guaranteed simple method for picking the perfect cabin on your next cruise, but if you’re tossing around the idea of an inside cabin, this might help you decide. We have 5 reasons why you may want to consider and inside cabin on your next cruise.
Saving Money
First and probably the most motivating reason most people book an inside cabin is to save money. The reality is, inside staterooms can generally save you a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per cabin, and it just makes good financial sense, for some cruisers, to save the dough, and put the money elsewhere. Like excursions, spa treatments, or specialty dining.
Here’s an example for you: we set out to book a 10 night Alaska cruise out of San Francisco. Well, turns out, booking an inside cabin, instead of a balcony, saved our family of three just under $2000.00 total.
Yup, you read it right. That’s a lot of scratch!
Now, while we’d love to invest in a balcony for glacier viewing and some of the best cruise scenery in the world, I can dream up some pretty amazing activities to spend that extra money on and I have no doubt I can find awesome outdoor places on the ship that offer up equally stunning views, in the event my “balcony FOMO” kicks in.
Total Darkness
This one may surprise you. Inside cabins get SUPER dark at night. We’re talking “full light blocking” here folks, and as a light-sensitive sleeper, I love the total blackout an inside cabin creates. Some people report that they sleep better and wake up a tad later in these total eclipse conditions- not a bad thing when you’re on vacation.
Just don’t forget to pack a nightlight or a flashlight so you don’t stub your toe on the way to the restroom in the middle of the night.
Less Motion On The Ocean
While everyone has a different opinion on where to book the most STABLE cabin on a ship, some experts recommend that to minimize motion sickness, booking an inside cabin, on a lower deck of the ship may be the best way to minimize the rocking and motion that you experience.
Be careful though, because booking a cabin on a lower deck can also result in experiencing some engine noise, anchor noise, and vibration. On the other hand, the lower decks on most ships can be conveniently located near the promenade deck, restaurants, atrium and other popular areas you may enjoy having easy access to. See, this isn’t an exact science.
You’ll Only Shower And Sleep There
Booking in inside cabin can be a great idea for people who want to get out of their room and explore the ship and ports. We’ve all heard those cruisers who claim to only use their room for “showering and sleeping”, right? Well, in our experience, there’s a lot of truth to that.
You might find that when you sail in an inside cabin, you’re more apt to find secret spots on the ship with the best views, take part in more onboard activities and to seek out adventure! This is definitely true for us.
You’ll Never Go Back
Our last reason to book an inside cabin is simple. If you book a balcony, you may get spoiled and not want to sail in something “lesser”, even when it makes more sense.
Now What?
If you’ve settled on an inside cabin, we have a few tips for you. Consider that some of the largest inside cabins at sea are on Carnival and Celebrity cruise lines. Also, royal Caribbean’s newer ships have inside cabins with virtual balconies- something to consider!
One last tip- most cruise lines offer a bridge cam on the TV, so you can switch on the telly and see exactly where you are, and what the weather looks like, usually set to some really corny music.
Be sure to catch our video on making the most of an inside cabin, where we share tons of hacks to organize your “cozy” stateroom to get the most out of the space- we’ll link to it right HERE
