What kinds of cabins do you normally book?

So I've been on five cruises so far and I'm planning my sixth one unfortunately at the end of the year (too far away). I've been in four balconies and just last year my first inside cabin, which turned out to be just fine. Not as good as a balcony, I did miss it but was so happy just to be on a cruise.

I read these boards constantly and I read a lot of about the suite life and so forth...Some of you guys have a lot of cruises listed. Sometimes it seems like everyone is booking suites.

Right now I'm booked in a balcony cabin but am seriously thinking about downgrading to an oceanview just to try it. The price difference is only $280 between the two, that could pay for the gratuities and at least I'll be on the ship.

But it got me thinking, for those of you who cruise a lot what kind of cabins do you normally book? Suites or balconies everytime? Some of you cruise b2b or b2b2b, cruising is great value but it adds up.

Just curious. No flames please, I'm just asking people who don't mind sharing.

I can't help with true suites, but to date I've had one inside, one deluxe balcony, two superior balconies, and one junior suite. Coming up I have a junior suite and a superior. I book based on an itinerary I'm interested in and then have a general price point I'm comfortable paying.

We prefer the Junior Suite for the additional space and the double C&A points. Trying our first Grand Suite in November.

I would rather in any type cabin over any day at the office!

First cruise, I was in a Junior Suite on Deck 10 and it was great. Lots of space, great view (though no balcony, this was on sovereign YEARS ago) and yes, the suite perks were nice. This was a cruise for a special occasion so I haven't booked a suite since and because I'd rather cruise more than once a year, I'll take cheaper rooms so I can go more often.

Second cruise, Inside Stateroom on the bottom of the ship. This was a cruise with friends and since there was a big group of us, we knew we wouldn't be in the stateroom that much anyway. Honestly, I loved it. I felt like I had enough space for its purpose and I *loved* that it was pitch black at night, I slept great.

Third cruise, Promenade Stateroom on Deck 7. Went with my sis and we felt like we got a great deal with the extra square footage and window looking out into the promenade, made the room feel bigger. Actually, the glow from the promenade lights outside made the room so pretty to walk back into each night. The only downside was obviously, the noise, but we both have young kids so we're used to sleeping through everything anyway. I'd book again for sure.

Fourth cruise, coming up, Balcony on Deck 9 and I have never been so excited to see the ocean from my room this way...never had a balcony so I'll report back on that. I'm pretty certain after I drink this Kool-Aid I'll be hooked.

Fifth cruise, coming up, Boardwalk View Aft Deck 9, I hear it's somewhere in between a balcony (with a bit of an ocean view) and promenade room (the noise!) so I'll report back on that too.

So I guess in sum...I like to try everything at least once. We'll see if I get hooked on a favorite with this upcoming cruise though :D

Thank you for the responses so far. I'm reading everything and appreciate the sharing. It's fun to read about your experiences with different cabin types too.

Our first b2b cruise was in the Caribbean and as it was our honeymoon we splurged on a balcony. We hardly ever used the balcony as it was too hot out there.

We decided the next few cruises we would do inside cabins. Inside cabins are great for sleeping as it is so dark. We were happy to save the money and cruise more often. These were 'local' cruises for us - Queensland, New Zealand, Tasmania etc.

For our longer cruises (Australia circumnavigation, B2B Mediterranean, Baltics) we choose a balcony. We find on longer cruises we spend a lot of time on the balcony. Most breakfasts we eat on the balcony and afternoon drinks reading on the balcony. It helps we get a balcony discount:cool:

If cost was an issue I wouldn't blink at getting inside cabins. At least you gt on the ship!:D

Junior Suite for the space.

We've stayed in everything EXCEPT a suite. Inside, OV and balcony. We prefer balcony and have booked a balcony consistently for the last few years. This time we have two cruises planned. One in July with a balcony and one the day after Christmas in an inside, bottom of the ship for a shorter cruise. We wanted a getaway, found the cruise and decided to just go with an inside...because after all, we'll be on a cruise and it will save us some money.

We have not cruised much but have had a nice range of cabins.

Our first cruise together, my parents were paying, so we were lucky to have an OceanView :) We did not spend much time in the cabin, space was fine but I love the sound of the ocean!

Our next cruise, was our wedding and my stepsons graduation gift. my stepson and my 2 nephews (18, 18 21) shared an inside cabin and we had a balcony. We spent our morning on the balcony and late night too

Next was a GS, the price from a balcony to a GS at the time was like $400.

My Husband Loved the space and the perks. I was warned on the boards, once you go suite you never want to go back. If it were just me I could but my DH doesn't want to.

Next was an Owners Suite... and guess what, now he thinks the GS isnt enough :rolleyes::eek:

My thoughts were, while he is still working, we can only cruise once a year so why not splurge!

My sister threw a wrench in that plan, now we will have 3 withing 13 months... but the family cruise we are all in balconies near each other

On our last cruise we did a cabin crawl... It is a good way to look at the other categories and decide if you think it is worth the money or not.

We have only stayed in a JS. We love the bigger balcony, extra space, the walk in closet and the bigger shower/tub. Our favorite thing to do is go back to our room around 4 or 5 order room service fruit plate, cheese plate and cookies. Take our pillows out to the lounge chairs. Enjoy our snack.....watch the sunset....nap.... Then shower and head to the 8:30 seating in the MDR. Only three more weeks [emoji173]️

JS or better...tried something smaller once...and once was enough! When I'm on vacation, I want to be AT LEAST as comfortable as I am at home...that's why I don't go camping...EVER!

I'd rather not cruise at all than be stuck in an inside cabin!

Usually the JS category (much more like a hotel room)...would never consider an inside (would remind me of staying a week in my walkin closet). We've also done a few RFS (when taking our adult kids). We once did a Suite GTY and got upgraded to the GS...but actually I didn't care for it at all.

We usually book ocean view cabins, but for our next time we are staying in balcony rooms as they were cheaper than the ocean view cabin. My mom and dad once had an inside cabin, but I think it's to dark in there. I like to have the lights from outside.

We always do interior. I might consider a balcony or a suite for something like our 10th anniversary, but we don't spend a lot of time in the room to begin with, and love how dark it is when it's time to sleep. Saving money is also an excellent benefit

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We have never been in a suite , don't spend tons of time in the room , inside is ok just tough to wake up in no natural light or clue what the weather is like outside , ocean view great , balcony even better

I have stayed in a Grand Suite or higher on every cruise except 1, when I had a front facing oceanview.

For my personal circumstances, I do spend a lot of time in the cabin and therefore the additional space and amenities with suites is well worth the additional cost.

Always a balcony here now. We originally started off in Oceanview and I enjoyed those very much, but once I had tried a balcony I knew I would never go back.

We spend a lot of time on our balcony and now I would rather wait and save up for a balcony than book an inside and cruise a bit sooner. Just my preference! For some people room doesn't matter, for me, it really does and these days a low category balcony is often not that much more than an oceanview, so I really feel like that outside space, even if tiny, adds a lot of pleasure to the experience for me. Mind you I do also get a little claustrophobic and seasick as well - and just opening the door to get fresh air helps considerably with both of those things.

We have never cruised in a suite, but it's something I would like to do when finances allow, as I do think we would appreciate the extra space and the perks. But... for now, as long as it has that balcony for me to sit out on, I am happy, it's not so much about the size of the room, just having that little bit of private space where I can sit outside and watch the water - perfect. I don't think I could justify the extra cost of a suite for the foreseeable future but I always check the prices just in case there's an amazing deal. I tend to have a look at how much we can afford to spend this year on a vacation, and then find the cabin and itinerary to suit - I would prefer to have a longer cruise in a balcony than push my budget up with a suite.

Never sailed - nor do I intend to ever sail - in a suite. I'm not that high maintenance and don't need "space".

I have sailed:

Emerald Seas -

Porthole cabin.

Disney -

Concierge family stateroom (my Dad booked it because all 4 of us were going to share the cabin, but having gone "down" to an ocean view I'm proof that you CAN go back.)

Ocean View which I LOVED!

Extended Verandah which I got stuck in when I played around with my cabin and ended up losing the amazing OV I had for GTY hoping against hope. I know, I'm weird - most people would kill for the verandah cabin I had.

HAL -

Balcony because everyone said I *HAD* to have a balcony for Alaska. It was nice, but...

RCCL -

Interior to Alaska. Guess what? I was fine? There were plenty of places to see the scenery AND socialize without being an introvert and forcing myself to use something because I paid extra for it.

Planned Cruises:

RCCL -

Ocean view at the very front of the ship. Excited about going back to OV AND experiencing the front of the ship perspective.

X -

AquaClass balcony - more for the special dining room and unlimited Persian Gardens access than the balcony.

So... My personal preference is an OV. I get to see outside without paying for something I won't really use that much except for the occasional pop out or when I force myself to.

I have had:

Inside

Promenade Balcony

Superior Ocean Balcony

Jr. Suite Balcony (only once because of upgrade)

I watch prices vigilantly and book whatever I can afford at that particular time. Do I have a preference?....yes. Love having a balcony, BUT an inside will NEVER keep me from cruising. How much time do you actually spend in your cabin anyway?:eek:

We book based on itinerary and price. I do like to book a balcony if we are doing an European cruise or a TA. We've been given upgrades by Royal to junior suites twice which was nice; otherwise, i am way to cheap to book a suite.

The cheaper I can book a cruise, the more cruises I can book!😀

Sherri

Inexpensive, relatively, and I love that darkness for sleeping. Plus, booking interiors allows us to book pricier land-based trips to remote places.

We pack light so lack of space is never an issue.

We've had, in order insides(twice), JS (twice), balcony (twice), OS (once), GS (once). Our next 2 cruises are in GS cabins. The suites have spoiled us. It's not just the rooms, but the perks that come with them, (too many for me to name).

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I am a "big" guy and I really dislike those skinny little shower stalls, so we always book a junior suite because they have the combo bath tub and shower. I've got to say we also really like the balcony. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I like being able to go out on the balcony and just watch the ocean go by. Normally, at least once a cruise, we have breakfast on the balcony. Being retired, I have time to check cabin rates frequently, so I can normally find pretty good prices for a junior suite.

We have no hang ups on the type of cabin we book. It will depend on the itinerary and our budget. We have stayed in an ocean view once, a promenade cabin once - loved it, balcony 4 times - 2 aft, one hump and one standard, and the other cruises have all been insides. I will only book a balcony if I genuinely believe that I am going to be using it which means comfortable weather conditions. Otherwise we take an inside and use the money stayed to upgrade other aspects of our holiday.

We've only ever done balconies. Love them.

Twice we were in a jr. suite the 1st time was a free upgrade. We did love the extra room, so next cruise we booked one. Once we actually PAID for the jr. suite we decided we would be fine in a regular balcony room. There was quite a bit of difference in the fare. There were just the 2 of us.

I've booked my 1st OV for this Oct., after saying 'no balcony, no cruise'. I'll be heading north (mid October), so I figure the balcony really wouldn't get much use. Also, I'll be alone. :( I'm hoping I don't hate it.