Interior Room - does the deck matter?

[NotACruiserYet]

We are looking at a cruise on Carnival and will pick an interior room. My question is - since it's the interior room anyway, does it really matter what floor it's on? To be honest, being really low on the ship kind of freaks me out. I have no idea why. We can pay more and move up higher in the ship, but does it really matter? Should I pay to move up or will I not notice the difference? All opinions welcome! And thanks much! :)

[WindsorFred]

Look to make sure that there are passenger cabins above-below and around you. You don't want to have the galley,theater,clubs, etc. above or below you because of noise from those venue's.

[petesweet]

Look to make sure that there are passenger cabins above-below and around you. You don't want to have the galley,theater,clubs, etc. above or below you because of noise from those venue's.

That's the advice I would give as well. One more thing: The lower cabins are pretty nice. I used to feel as you do (and like you, I didn't know why), but give the lower deck a try. Especially nice when you come back from shore excursions and the elevators are busy but you can just walk to your cabin.

 

Happy sails.

 

Kathy

[cruisergrandma]

Really there is no difference (size, layout, etc.) except as noted previously. A lot of people think that the lower decks are under water. That is not true. All passenger decks are above water level. However, you are the one who has to stay in the cabin. It is freaks you out maybe you should book a higher deck. You do not want to be miserable in your own cabin. You might want to check into a porthole cabin. A lot of the time they are the same price as an inside and you have a porthole window. They are located at the front of the ship and there are not very many so they sell out quickly.

[Luckycruising]

The only difference (aside from choosing carefully what's above or below you as previously said) is the rocking movement of the ship. The higher you are, the more you will feel the ship rocking side to side. I don't get seasick, but we booked one cruise at a higher level deck once and i didn't really like that feeling while i'm sleeping. I prefer the stability of being midship, on a lower level floor.

 

During daytime, you don't feel the movement much, but while lying in bed, that's where you can feel it!!

[bar1068]

Ship movement aside, something you could consider is what my wife and I did when booking our first interior cabin this past April on the Sunshine repo cruise.

 

We are "fans' of 4J cabins. Up until the Sunshine repo, we'd been on like 5 straight cruises in 4J's. When we booked Sunshine, 4J's were sold out, and there were pretty cheap rates available for interiors, so we booked an interior on deck 7, forward. This gave us easy access to the forward doors leading to those forward decks, so like in the mornings, we like to see what weather and, sea condition are like, or just wanting to take in the ocean view, being close to the forward decks gave us easy access..any..thats us..but just a suggestion.

[michiganredrose]

We have stayed in the bottom and we have stayed on Lido. We had an interior on Lido last cruise and loved it. Will only get cabins there from now on. The convenience was fantastic. I have teenagers and being so close to the food and pool was wonderful, but it was really nice just being so close to outside after being in the windowless room for a while.

 

I didn't notice any more movement on the upper deck than we normally do on lower decks.

[snc_cam]

Wife and I always get an interior, forward. Tried Aft last year and got a really bad cigarette smoke smell. So, staying forward from now on. Like mentioned earlier, check what is above and below you. You want cabins on either side, though we have booked an interior on the Lido before and no issues.

 

We like the upper decks since it is closer to where most things are. We usually book on deck 7 which is a few floors above the dining rooms and theatre and a few decks below the pool and outer decks.

 

Steve

[CoconutJD]

Convenience to whatever place on the ship you're most likely to frequent is a consideration. If you're going to spend a lot of time on the Lido, for example, it might behoove you to book closer to the Lido, so you don't have to wait for elevators or whatnot.

[ibcnusoon]

If I were to book an interior (in fact I have one tomorrow), we booked the spa deck (well, it's a spa cabin) because I am just steps to the outdoors, as opposed to multiple decks down from the outdoors. I would book Panorama or Lido and work my way down from there, looking for an interior close to elevators.

 

I don't think I would book Main or Riviera, just because I've been down there in an oceanview and you either had to walk far to an a small group of elevators or walk up a couple of flights of steps to get to deck 5 where the interior action is. That was not my cup of tea.

 

I'd much rather be on a deck that has the main glass atrium elevators, any deck would be good and only a cabin that is the CLOSEST to any elevator, even if it is aft.

[cb at sea]

The cabins will be the same, no matter where you are....but I always try to be on a deck closest to where I'll spend my DAYTIME hours...makes life easier if you can run up or down 1 flight of stairs, rather than using elevators!

[hlb76]

I agree with most others have said. We are normally inside people as well.

 

I'd consider what means the most to you.

 

Do you mind stairs vs elevator wait? Remember elevators are the worse when coming back from port. Walking up a floor or two is a nice advantage.

 

Do you find yourself running back to your room many times during the day? If yes, where do you spend your day? Then I would book a room closer to where you enjoy to spend your days at sea and evenings.

 

Are you a light sleeper? If so I would check what is above and below you as well as near you. Rooms close to the laundry, guest service, elevators can be noisy.

 

Do you like to step outside and check the weather before getting ready for your day?

 

 

We personally normally book mid ship to aft. As then we are just up and down decks where we hang out a lot. We do walk forward occasionally for shows and other things. Though we are forward our next 2 cruises. There are many pro's and con's to all places on the ship and all of us will have an opinion. Just look at the deck plans and think about your typical day and it will all come to you.

 

Good luck!

[SkyMaster]

All of the advise offered above is EXCELLENT! I might add one more bit of information. If you're on Riviera Deck, you'll ALWAYS be able to catch an elevator that isn't already FULL! On the mid decks, the elevators, both up, and down, are more often than not full when the door opens. (GEEEZZ, I hate when that happens.) but if you're on the lowest deck, everyone gets out when the door opens, and you can get right aboard. ;) NO PROBLEMS!

 

"SKY"

[jfeathe]

We actually prefer deck 1 and 2 cabins due to the proximity to the main dining room, showroom, and gangway.

 

 

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[CJinFLA00]

I guess I'm crazy but I would rather have an interior room on a high deck than an ocean view on a low deck.

[ThirstyFrog203]

my wife and i last cruised on the Liberty and had an interior room, mid ship on deck 6 or 7. I'm blanking right now. We heard muted noise on nights they had DJ or other big event around the atrium bar but it really was nothing to complain about. In fact, if you chose an interior room away from midship you probably wouldn't hear a thing.

 

If you head to bed early, you'll sleep right through it and any event they have in the atrium is done at a reasonable time. I would say don't hesitate to move up if that's what you prefer.

[bunchesofun]

So far we have only cruised in balcony rooms. We have a French Door interior booked for the next one. It is near the atrium elevators, so basically twice the elevators to choose from. I think we are on the Main deck. Time will tell if this is the right choice, but think it will work out well. You might consider the French doors as they are only slightly more than a regular interior cabin but you have daylight and fresh air.

[Cruise, J.D.]

We are looking at a cruise on Carnival and will pick an interior room. My question is - since it's the interior room anyway, does it really matter what floor it's on? To be honest, being really low on the ship kind of freaks me out. I have no idea why. We can pay more and move up higher in the ship, but does it really matter? Should I pay to move up or will I not notice the difference? All opinions welcome! And thanks much! :)

 

It's not a big deal. I've been on nearly every deck with cabins. Some of the higher decks are a little more convenient, but I think being midship is a better factor. I do like to have cabins above and below.

[sjcruiser]

I dont notice any movement differences in being on a lower deck than a higher deck. I haven't experienced any "rough" seas that it cause me to notice the difference more either. I choose cabins between two passengers decks to alleviate any noise issues that may come from a venue or the galley over or under me.

[Need-a-vacation]

I also prefer to be between passenger decks. I also try to get away from the elevators/stairs a bit to avoid noises from people waiting, etc. We were very happy with our Upper deck location on our cruise to Ensenada a couple weeks ago. Since there's only the one port, convenience getting on/off the ship was a very minor consideration. But we could easily walk up and down the stairs to the Lido deck and the other decks with the main ship activities areas. Our endurance for walking far exceeds our patience waiting for the elevator!!

 

My first choice is mid-ship, then aft. Then the highest deck that has cabins above and below. Beyond that, it's comparing specific areas of specific ships. I don't want to be below the pool area or near the late-night dance club. And there's always the cost factor to weigh in to the process as well. One common theme is avoiding things that might disrupt my sleep at crazy hours, and that's all relative. My in-laws might not be bothered by moving deck chairs above them at 6am. For me, 6am is a four-letter word. In my mind, these rules apply whether it's an interior or OV or balcony. And for an awesome deal on a better cabin, the rules can bend. :)

 

One thing that can be hard to predict with an interior room is what might be going on in any crew spaces between cabins. On one cruise, we apparently were right by the freight elevator where they were moving the luggage for disembarkation and all stinking night we could hear luggage being thrown around. Really far forward or aft you may have to contend with the anchor noises when it's lowered, which is often quite early in the morning. My mom had a far forward cabin once and hated it -- lots of movement and lots of noise.

 

It's really very personal and depends on what bothers you, any mobility concerns, and how you spend your time. If you are a light sleeper, bring your earplugs and white noise. Every ship and line lays things out differently.

[Tracey/Thom]

We were on Deck 6, interior, midship and had no problems whatsoever. I was also concerned that the low decks were under the water level and THAT IS NOT TRUE. I don't even think the crew cabins are under the water level and they are apparently below the decks listed on the plan. We spent so little time in the cabin, literally to shower and sleep, that I regretted wasting as much time as I did worrying about it. If you have no mobility issues, it's fine. We liked walking up the stairs, even though the elevator was close by. And room service was quick too.

[picomullet]

I guess I'm crazy but I would rather have an interior room on a high deck than an ocean view on a low deck.

 

Me too!

[ripjerry95]

Check out the deck plan for whatever ship to see what is above you

 

 

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[keywest1]

There is some really good advice on this thread!! I think we are going to do inside cabins next cruise so we can do another cruise sooner :D, so all the tips will come in handy.

[Shipbound]

This past April I was on the Liberty, deck 7 mid ship. It was great. This October I will be on the Conquest, deck 6 mid ship. I will always try to stay on deck 7 or 6 mid ship from now on

 

Gary.