Are you a first-time cruiser? Are you passionate about cruising and sailing multiple times a year? Although the glossy brochures often picture elegant, silver hair couples sipping champagne on their balcony, you can have an equally good time booking an inside cabin for your voyage.
Consider the logic: Some people take only one cruise per year, but they book a luxurious suite. Others take multiple trips, probably for the same total cost, but they book inside cabins instead. Which are you, the one vacation or the multiple vacation cruiser?
What is an inside cabin? This is a stateroom with no balcony or window. Same ship. Same decks as the balcony and ocean view cabins. Same staff. Your accommodation is slightly smaller and has no view.
Let us look at 11 good reasons why booking an inside cabin is a good strategy:
- It’s not as small as you might imagine. When we first sailed on QE2, our inside cabin was 108 square feet. Today they might be 160 to 180 feet, although some might be 120 and others 200 square feet, according to World Of Cruising website.
- You have most of the comforts of balcony or ocean view cabins. You don’t have a window or a balcony. You probably don’t have a sofa. You have a bathroom, a large comfy bed, closet space, TV and entertainment system, refrigerator, telephone and room service.
- Inside cabins come in different sizes. Cruise ships have dozens of cabin subcategories. The four main categories are suite, balcony, ocean view and inside cabins. Within each there are subcategories that vary by size and location. You can likely book a larger inside cabin of your choice.
- It’s the most reasonably priced accommodation onboard. If you ask yourself: “If this is my budget, how many cruises can I afford to take” the inside cabin price will be the most reasonable.
- You might get better than you expected. Many cruise lines will take a booking where you pay the rate for a specific category of accommodation, but they do not give you a cabin assignment until the last minute. You are guaranteed at least the category you booked, sometimes something a little better. You likely won’t be boosted up into ocean view or balcony, but you might get a better inside cabin in terms of size or location.
- The service is uniform. Once you step into the corridor, the ship’s staff treats you the same as every other guest. (Suite guests might get more personalized service or dining.) If you dine in the main dining room, balcony, ocean view and inside cabin passengers are treated the same. Your stateroom gets tidied up by your steward to the same standard as the nearby cabins.
- You can book an inside cabin with extras. You want the perks those suite passengers get. You like the private deck space and butler service. Cruise lines like MSC have a “ship within a ship” arrangement, called the Yacht Club. You might have an inside cabin, but you get the perks you are expecting. This version of an inside cabin costs more, for obvious reasons.
- Everyone boards and disembarks at the same time. This is true, generally speaking. Your cruise line might have an affinity club, where the more trips you take, the more perks you get. This can include priority boarding. If you have the status, you get those perks regardless of your cabin category. When disembarking at the end of your voyage, bear in mind the ship wants everyone off quickly so they can clean up and be ready for this afternoon’s passengers. Everyone will be off early, regardless of stateroom category.
- Everyone can dine better if they choose. Suppose you don’t like the buffet dining or the main dining room. Your ship may have alternative dining restaurants. You pay extra, but you get perks like unhurried dining and a larger menu.
- How much time do you spend in your cabin? You are on vacation! You will be sitting in a deck chair or exploring every port. Your cabin is where you dress and sleep. The majority of your time is spent elsewhere. Experienced cruisers find a comfy area on another deck and spend lots of leisure time there.
- Less motion of the ocean. There is an old saying about suites: “If you pay, you sway.” Suites are often high up, towards the bow or the stern. Inside cabins are often on lower decks, towards the center of the ship. Less motion in rough seas.
If you want to take more cruises and spend more days at sea, booking an inside cabin to keep the costs down can be the answer.
Editor’s Notes:
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Cover photo credit Bryce Sanders
