Suites/Insides? Which is best?

Do people in suites spend more time in their cabins than those in the Insides? Seems obvious that they would. Is that a good thing? I guess it depends what you want out of a cruise and what you like to do.

What about if you mainly use your cabin to sleep and dress to go out? Is a suite wasted then? Is it mainly for cruises where you would have a lot to see from your balcony that can't be seen from a public space?

I tell myself I must try a suite sometime as there must be something to it since the price is considerably more. I could book 3 inside cruises for one suite cruise. Would having a suite be three times as terrific? What if the toilet kept leaking/the air con didn't work and I'd spent all that money?

All personal preference and what you can afford

A suite will certainly give you more room and more amenities and its up to each person to decide if its worth it.

We always cruised Deluxe Ocean Views, which can be significantly higher than inside state rooms until we tried a balcony - we'll never go back to an ocean view unless that is the only way to get a certain itinerary we have to have. You can make a similar comparison there as well.......

We selected a suite for our twenty-fifth anniversary primarily for the location and larger balcony (in our aft wraparound) and the perquisites (exclusive lounge, in-suite amenities, complementary laundry service, sit-down breakfasts, etc.) but also (to some extent) for the luxury of spaciousness during those periods of time that we're not out on deck or on our balcony.

Opinions on "value" represent so many variables that there is no definitive answer. I would not blow my lifetime's cruising budget on one luxury suite -nor would I try to maximize my number of cruises by only sailing in minimalist last minute insides.

We generally go for verandas - but for the right itinerary, possibly combined with land travel, an ocean view will do.

I am tempted to try a suite - for the experience but, because we tend to travel light, we have rarely been concerned about space.

We had inside cabins on our first several cruise with our children; they were never an issue, but my VDW has put her foot down on that - she doesn't like the total lack of view. That being said we have a limited view cabin booked on a Crystal ship next fall because our TA recommended it for dollar value. Our latest cabins have been balcony cabins on several lines in Europe and the Carribean, and coming up on a HAL cruise to Australia/New Zealand. But cabin size has never been an issue with us and the jump up to suite cabins always comes at considerable expense. As to perks: laundry expense for a few bags? Not so much. Dining at specialty restaurants? Not that expensive. But if you entertain or just like more cabin size for comfort, or care more about breakfast or on some lines want a butler or dine in your cabin, then a suite is for you - if you can work it into your budget.

Do people in suites spend more time in their cabins than those in the Insides? Seems obvious that they would. Is that a good thing? I guess it depends what you want out of a cruise and what you like to do.

 

What about if you mainly use your cabin to sleep and dress to go out? Is a suite wasted then? Is it mainly for cruises where you would have a lot to see from your balcony that can't be seen from a public space?

 

I tell myself I must try a suite sometime as there must be something to it since the price is considerably more. I could book 3 inside cruises for one suite cruise. Would having a suite be three times as terrific? What if the toilet kept leaking/the air con didn't work and I'd spent all that money?

I cannot speak for others but for rmyself aned my late dh, Yes, we spent a good amount of time in our suites and on the verandah. that is what we enjoyed. ;)

I've been a cave dweller since my first cruise (several decades and several dozen cruises ago), but I have also sailed in obstructed outsides, full view outsides, and mini-suites. I've loved all my cruises, and don't see a difference in my experience based on the category of cabin.

I have been known to stay in my inside for a good portion of the day, and spend entire 'work days' out on my balcony. I have also spent more hours than I can count sitting in a deck chair on the promenade---it's my favorite spot on any of the ships.

Just give me a good itinerary, decent food, and excellent service, and some entertainment at night (please), and I am a happy traveler.

By booking all those insides over the years, I have been able to be that happy traveler a lot more often, too! :D

This is just us -- we love our suites and spend a lot of time out on the verandah -- reading or sleeping.

In ports, we like to people watch.

I couldn't compare the costs ,

I'd prefer 3 interior cruises that 1 suite

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Even sailing now as a solo, I still feel the suite is worrth it for me it is what I want and what I hope to conrinue to enjoyl. . I particularly like Neptune Lounge even more than ever now that I am on my own.

We've found the regular veranda cabins on HAL to be quite comfortable. :)

My thoughts; others have their views which have validity also.

I don't think we have spent more time or less time in our rooms depending on the room type. But our room type will affect our comfort for the time we do spend in our room which, beyond dressing showering and sleeping, would be some TV time for movies or news, and computer time doing email and photo back-ups, maybe some light eating, snacks or carry-in lunch or the rare room service supper. We do sail-away on the decks where we get the best views for photography and lighting, so we wouldn't stay on a balcony. If we have a balcony I may use it for reading but the loungers on the lower promenade deck are more comfortable.

We have done a lot of Insides, some OV and a few balcony rooms, no suites and I doubt we ever will.

For me, a couch is more important than a window. I don't like the small Insides on the Vista and newer... and why I've come to really dislike most Princess ships - most have no couch until you are up to a mini-suite. Last few years we have been doing long cruises, so an OV with a full size couch is our preference.

The S and R class ships charge a large premium for balcony and suite rooms because there is a lower percentage of them on the ship compared to the newer ships. So on the older ships we go with an OV or an Inside - all the Insides and OVs have couches or at least loveseats, e.g., OVs on Lower Promenade deck.

On NA we got a cheap upsell from a K (an Inside with a couch) to a VH guarantee (balcony room); we took it on a gamble, were assigned a VE, lovely. It was a very port intensive itinerary but the balcony gave us a nice place to bring our lunches and sit out, away from the Lido crowds and noise, and we had a small couch inside, so lots of places to sit. Weather was good in the Med.

Weather is a factor - balconies can be too cold, too hot, too windy, too wet, too smelly, or too sunny for some people; everybody has different comfort tolerances.

We tend to not need or desire a lot of pampering so a suite is not worth the premium price to us: the basic level of pampering on any cruise ship is quite enough for us. We tend not to need "free" food on a ship, we get too much already and always gain weight. We are now 4-star Mariners with access to free laundry, but we have yet to send out laundry - if we have access to a self-service laundry (older ships) we prefer that - it's back in 2 hours, no screw ups likely, no shrinkage, no lost items.

If we have requests, we call the front desk or dining services, don't need a concierge although I'm sure they are very helpful.

So bottom line for us for, our determining factors of cabin category selection: a LOT depends on which ships we sail and if the lower cost rooms have couches. Windows are optional depending on cost to go up from an Inside; Balconies are optional depending on cost and itinerary/weather.

That's my analysis so far... as we age that may change but I doubt we will hit the lottery, we don't buy tickets ;) !! m--

Our Neptune Suites have been the best definitely. Have only done an inside once (out of 41 total cruises) and it was on Royal Caribbean and I felt so claustrophobic. We do suites most of the time on Holland and Carnival, or at least balcony cabins. We like to be able to get outside during the cruises without having to leave the cabins.

My thoughts; others have their views which have validity also.

I don't think we have spent more time or less time in our rooms depending on the room type. But our room type will affect our comfort for the time we do spend in our room which, beyond dressing showering and sleeping, would be some TV time for movies or news, and computer time doing email and photo back-ups, maybe some light eating, snacks or carry-in lunch or the rare room service supper. We do sail-away on the decks where we get the best views for photography and lighting, so we wouldn't stay on a balcony. If we have a balcony I may use it for reading but the loungers on the lower promenade deck are more comfortable.

We have done a lot of Insides, some OV and a few balcony rooms, no suites and I doubt we ever will.

For me, a couch is more important than a window. I don't like the small Insides on the Vista and newer... and why I've come to really dislike most Princess ships - most have no couch until you are up to a mini-suite. Last few years we have been doing long cruises, so an OV with a full size couch is our preference.

The S and R class ships charge a large premium for balcony and suite rooms because there is a lower percentage of them on the ship compared to the newer ships. So on the older ships we go with an OV or an Inside - all the Insides and OVs have couches or at least loveseats, e.g., OVs on Lower Promenade deck.

On NA we got a cheap upsell from a K (an Inside with a couch) to a VH guarantee (balcony room); we took it on a gamble, were assigned a VE, lovely. It was a very port intensive itinerary but the balcony gave us a nice place to bring our lunches and sit out, away from the Lido crowds and noise, and we had a small couch inside, so lots of places to sit. Weather was good in the Med.

Weather is a factor - balconies can be too cold, too hot, too windy, too wet, too smelly, or too sunny for some people; everybody has different comfort tolerances.

We tend to not need or desire a lot of pampering so a suite is not worth the premium price to us: the basic level of pampering on any cruise ship is quite enough for us. We tend not to need "free" food on a ship, we get too much already and always gain weight. We are now 4-star Mariners with access to free laundry, but we have yet to send out laundry - if we have access to a self-service laundry (older ships) we prefer that - it's back in 2 hours, no screw ups likely, no shrinkage, no lost items.

If we have requests, we call the front desk or dining services, don't need a concierge although I'm sure they are very helpful.

 

So bottom line for us for, our determining factors of cabin category selection: a LOT depends on which ships we sail and if the lower cost rooms have couches. Windows are optional depending on cost to go up from an Inside; Balconies are optional depending on cost and itinerary/weather.

That's my analysis so far... as we age that may change but I doubt we will hit the lottery, we don't buy tickets ;) !! m--

Ditto. What she said! [emoji4]

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Some of us are extroverted and like to be around other people. Others (like me) enjoy being around other people but also need my 'me' time without others around. I enjoy the quiet time on my own balcony, not particularly needing the extra space in the cabin. Love hanging over the railing and watching what is going on in town or on the pier.

Ditto. What she said! [emoji4]

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Sheila, You made me laugh out loud!! I didn't think anybody would appreciate our view. I wrote it all out because I thought we were the only cruisers who think this way. Glad to hear we are not so crazy, or at least not alone! Thank you for the affirming post!! m--:D

Sheila, You made me laugh out loud!! I didn't think anybody would appreciate our view. I wrote it all out because I thought we were the only cruisers who think this way. Glad to hear we are not so crazy, or at least not alone! Thank you for the affirming post!! m--:D

Glad I made you laugh, Maureen! [emoji23]. Although, I must admit, I do love the free laundry. Last winter, we did have a good upsell to a suite on the O-dam. The 1st. However, we had to cancel at the last minute...that's the closest we've ever come to a suite! A balcony is wasted on us...we love sitting at the pool with a book or people watching! [emoji6]

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As others have written, it is a function of your personal preferences. We booked a Neptune Suite several years ago to see what the experience was all about. We loved the larger balcony and larger bathroom. While the larger cabin size was nice, much of it was wasted space.

Unfortunately for us, the Neptune Suite did not prevent us from having a horrible cruise. It was one of those cruises that started bad from day one and did not improve. On the plus side though, we learned that a Neptune Suite is of little value for us and we haven't booked one since. Lots of veranda and vista suites yet have no interest in any Neptunes.

Right now we are looking at luxury cruise lines instead for our future cruises.

We have sailed in two insides (each with three people!), two balconies, an oceanview on Main deck, and an oceanview on the promenade.

1- the insides weren't that bad, I just spent more time outside the cabin. These insides were on the HAL Statendam and were remarkably large with (obviously) a full size sofa that made up for the third person. Having the steward make it up to a sofa each day, allowed for pre-dinner drinks in the room as well as more space to move around.

2- balconies were lost on us -- each cruise with a "verandah", resulted in one day's use: IN the Panama Canal, and IN Glacier Alley. I'm pretty sure those days could have been spent on or near a public deck just as well. What we did like about the balconies were the super-sized windows (the door being a window), hence I've booked the Panoramic Ocean View on the RC Rhapsody for a TransAtlantic.

3- Oceanview on Main deck on the Nieuw Amsterdam showed that dr'spin does better with natural light in the room! Did not love the location but really liked the ship and its public spaces.

4- Window room on the promenade (i.e. the Lower Promenade deck on the S- and R-class HAL ships) was the best yet -- natural light and ease of outside access! Great for an Alaska cruise -- we did it last year on the Volendam and doing it again next year on the Zaandam!

5- All of the cruise cabins above had at least a short sofa and a chair. Excepting my first cruise with a liner-type "porthole" room long ago and two Russian River cruises, I have not found it in me to book a cabin without sufficient places to sit (that weren't the bed), because we do like to spend time in our non-suite staterooms.

I think we are all unique and we spend money in different ways. If a suite is well within one's budget, I would say "go for it," particularly if the itinerary is not port intensive. I tend to be claustrophobic and like space and windows. On the other hand, space is not important to others. I admit, though, that the ship itself, the crew, not having to cook, and the destinations are really more important. I just feel so fortunate to be on a cruise, regardless of the size of my stateroom.

We've had verandah staterooms, Neptune Suites, and a lanai category. Hands down, our favorite was the lanai. Our next cruise we are in an OV due to our budget. We could go on the two week cruise if we took the lower category of room and it was a no brainer decision. It'll be our first time in an OV and we chose the lower promenade with easy access outside.

Fifteen minutes or so in the evening, alone on the balcony enjoying the sea and sky, was a favorite part of the cruises on which we had that cabin type. Other than that, I like OV, especially on lower decks close to the water. Insides are nice for sleeping (I like it dark) and you never lose the sensation that you are sailing thanks to the motion. To have the experience I'm glad we took the upsell to an aft wrap on our Alaska cruise but that was surely a one-off for us (Neptune, etc. just didn't mean that much to us). Public outdoor areas of the ship are fine for us, especially if at least some of those areas are relatively peaceful (e.g. free of other people's choice of music).

RMLincoln summed things up well.

Do people in suites spend more time in their cabins than those in the Insides? Seems obvious that they would. Is that a good thing? I guess it depends what you want out of a cruise and what you like to do.

 

What about if you mainly use your cabin to sleep and dress to go out? Is a suite wasted then? Is it mainly for cruises where you would have a lot to see from your balcony that can't be seen from a public space?

 

I tell myself I must try a suite sometime as there must be something to it since the price is considerably more. I could book 3 inside cruises for one suite cruise. Would having a suite be three times as terrific? What if the toilet kept leaking/the air con didn't work and I'd spent all that money?

My opinion is that whatever I can afford is the BEST cabin, though I refuse to go Interior now. I need at least a window, even if there is no view. We've done all categories except Pinnacle Suite, and my opinion is that no, a suite is not three times as terrific :) If we had unlimited funds we'd probably do a verandah each cruise, but we don't have unlimited funds, so anything above an obstructed oceanview is a splurge. I can't see the point in paying retail for a Neptune. They are lovely, the Neptune Lounge is lovely, the better service is lovely, but not worth the extra cost. JMHO. YMMV.

We've done insides twice, outsides perhaps 4 times, and the rest verandas. I cannot do an inside again...I need a window...but a verandah seems wasteful since we hardly ever use it.

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We have done one inside, one ocean view, two Veranda, and one Signature Suite. I will never do an inside again. I have to see what the weather is at all times. I have to know where we are at all times. Are we docked? Are we moving? I have to know. I hated running up to the deck to see what the weather was like. The Signature Suite was actually an upgrade from a Veranda Cabin and we loved having the extra room. However, we only paid $349 for the upgrade. I would not pay the normal price (whatever that is) for a Signature Suite. I would be able to take another cruise with savings off the normal price of a Signature Suite. I like having a balcony but I have noticed that I don't always use it. Ocean View is fine for Alaska and the Baltics.