What is an inside cabin like?

[honeymoon06]

My husband and I are looking to book a caribbean cruise for next March on either the emerald princess or sea princess.

 

Whichever ship we choose, our budget only allows us to book an inside cabin. Last year we had a cabin with a balcony so it will be quite different.

 

Do the inside cabins feel very claustrophobic without any balcony/windows?

 

Are they the same size as a balcony room?

 

Any info/photos would be great.

[CruisinChris]

I called my one and only inside stateroom my "sensory deprivation chamber."

 

Size-wise they're similar, though configured differently, than a balcony.

[Floflegs]

If you don't want to spend a lot of time in them they are fine. We often book one to have money for other things.

[Tina G]

Inside cabins are very private - and dark, with the lights out! Space has never been a problem, and we have had many inside cabins. While I do wish for the balcony, we have been just fine in the inside cabins. Some people say it is easier to move around with the beds in twin configuration, but DH won't have it! You have everything the balcony cabins have - except the balcony. The insides are smaller on the Sea Princess. If you sail on her, try to get a cabin aft on the Aloha deck. There is a rear balcony a few steps away that it seldom used by other passengers.

[Floflegs]

Another thought if on Sea Princess try for a cabin that shows as a rectangle not with a little cut in at the door. We had the cutin and our DD the rectangle. Her's was bigger.

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

Inside staterooms are very adequate. It wont be much smaller than your standard balcony cabin minus the balcony.

[Doug R.]

We found our inside on the CB to be very adequate. We left the bathroom light on to give a little illumination at night. The wall opposite the door is mirrored so it gives a roomier and not so claustrophobic feel. When we were in the cabin we kept the TV tuned to the camera from the bridge to give us an idea of what was going on outside when we weren't watching another program. We have a balcony on our upcoming cruise so we will probably be spoiled.

 

I will take an inside any day if the alternative was no cruise.

[Pink-belle]

we have had an inside and I would book one again, if it was the choice of cruising or not cruising. I agree aft Aloha is a great location for an inside, on the sea princess, as you are only a few feet away from outside space. we were frequently the only ones there.

[Mauizach]

If you are a go'er, book the inside, if you want to hang out on a private balcony book the balcony. It really is what you are looking for that is important. Now the inside cabin is fine, just think of a normal hotel room with the blinds closed. The big mirror also make's it look larger in some cases than it is. Inside is a great deal if you need to save money for other cruise items. No matter just have a great time! As others have said, " I will take an inside any day if the alternative was no cruise." :D Just have a blast!

[cruisequeen10]

The only way to travel is in an inside.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I LOVE inside cabins! Unless it's an exotic itinerary, we get insides most of the time. They are cool and quiet and make for great sleeping. The layout is usually better than balcony cabins, providing you can tolerate keeping the beds as twins. With the beds together as a queen, in some cabins, particularly on Princess where both nightstands are in one unit, it can be hard to get in/out of bed without crawling in from the end. We are very fussy about our cabin location on the ship, not fussy about our cabin type. We love aft Aloha cabins too, (or aft Riviera on the super Grand class ships). You can't beat that location! If you get an inside on a sideways hallway, you'll get more vanity space too, which comes in very handy.

[biguntx]

As in our trips to Vegas. We are never in our room.....never.:cool:

 

We have had inside, oceanview, obstructed oceanview, and balcony....and we have never had a bad cruise.:rolleyes:

 

Have a great cruise no matter the weather or the cabin.

[stoneharborlady]

We had a mini suite first cruise. Nice, but to me, a waste of money (except I did like the big tub) We didnt spend a total of two hours on the balcony all week. We dont spend a lot of time in our cabin. Second cruise we had an outside obstructed. (Hardly any obstruction at all, perfect view). I did like glancing out that window occasionally. But that same trip my neice had an inside. It was really fine, and I think we will give that a go next time. I thought it would feel cramped, but if you are at all tidy, and not a mess maker, it would do, no big sacrifice to me. There is a photo on the Princess website of an inside cabin.

 

Karen

[coiran]

If you decide to go on the Emerald try to get cabin R 403, 407, 507, 508, 514 or 515. They are priced at a standard inside Cat II cabin but are larger than a standard inside.

Ron

[INeedAMaiTai]

I hated the inside cabin. My husband an I would end up sleeping really late just because we had no idea when the sun came up. It also made me feel like we were sleeping in a closet. It is definitely more expensive, but I would spend the extra on at least getting a window. It makes all the difference.

 

~Liz

[ncruiser]

We always book an inside and don't mind it at all. We save the money for whatever we want instead. We only are in the room to sleep anyway. We will have to try leaving the beds in the twin configuration this time and see it we like the different space.

[NthernLgts]

I hated the inside cabin. My husband an I would end up sleeping really late just because we had no idea when the sun came up. It also made me feel like we were sleeping in a closet. It is definitely more expensive, but I would spend the extra on at least getting a window. It makes all the difference.

 

~Liz

 

Liz is right that you will have no clue when the sun comes up. With the door shut and lights off you are in total darkness. To some, this is a positive. You can leave the bathroom light on & the door cracked open a bit. Other than that, there is little difference from a standard balcony. As much as I like balconies I would have no problem booking an inside due to budget constraints.

[Casshew]

I had an inside once, it was fine. The hardest thing was not knowing what time it was.. or if it was sunny or rainy out. I had to put on the TV to see what the weather was like outside. The cabin was cozy and great for sleeping. Although I prefer a balcony, the inside didn't kill me and we had a fun cruise.

[BJS]

With so many cruises greatly discounted on inside cabins we gave it a try for a 7 day cruise and found we'd rather stay home than do it again. We'll never forget that cruise but it won't be positive memories.

 

This was on the Golden Princess and we found the room to be smaller than the balcony cabins we usually book. There was only one desk chair and no other chair nor room for one. The small table was always in the way so we put it in the closet. We don't spend hours in the room but do like to sit and have a before dinner drink or read before bed and one person also had to sit on the bed which was very uncomfortable for either of us.

 

Besides the room being smaller it also felt much smaller without a window or door to give a larger feeling. I thought not having a window would bother me not being able to see out but that was not a problem.

 

Many people feel differently - as posted above- but consider what is important to you. If it is the only way you can go on a cruise you might give it a try and then decide what you will do in the future.

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

It is necessary to have an alarm of some sort, or get a wakeup call then you wont oversleep.

[Toto2Kansas]

With so many cruises greatly discounted on inside cabins we gave it a try for a 7 day cruise and found we'd rather stay home than do it again. We'll never forget that cruise but it won't be positive memories.

 

This was on the Golden Princess and we found the room to be smaller than the balcony cabins we usually book. There was only one desk chair and no other chair nor room for one. The small table was always in the way so we put it in the closet. We don't spend hours in the room but do like to sit and have a before dinner drink or read before bed and one person also had to sit on the bed which was very uncomfortable for either of us.

 

Besides the room being smaller it also felt much smaller without a window or door to give a larger feeling. I thought not having a window would bother me not being able to see out but that was not a problem.

 

Many people feel differently - as posted above- but consider what is important to you. If it is the only way you can go on a cruise you might give it a try and then decide what you will do in the future.

 

I agree totally with the way you feel about inside cabins. Even those that spend very little time in them can find them confining. I would also stay home if this was all I could get, and save up for something a little better. My first cruise was in an inside cabin, and like you, found that it was so overcrowded and uncomfortable, I never even considered it again.

Waking up to the view of the ocean, feeling the sea breeze on your face with a balcony, that is part of the great thing about cruising. Not just what the ship offers outside.

Some don't mind insides, and I applaud them they probably save lots of $$$ booking insides, but for us, no way, no how, never again. I would stay home first.

[Dena]

We have had inside, oceanview, obstructed oceanview, and balcony....and we have never had a bad cruise.:rolleyes:

.

 

 

I agree. And I'm a little claustrophobic. I went sailing with friends once and I had a narrow bed in a little "room" - it was more like climbing into a coffin really. But I had my own bathroom, it had two doors and I could touch both of them while sitting on the toilet. I could touch opposite walls in this "bathroom" with my elbows. After one week of this, I moved into a hotel and when I saw the bathroom, I knew I could more easliy spend a week in there than back on the sailboat. For a brief moment of joy, I thought I could happliy live the rest of my life in that bathroom - in addition to all the space (maybe 80 square feet), it had airconditioning and a tub!

 

Any inside cabin I have on a cruise is fantastic; but I might not feel that way if not for that week of claustrophobic hell.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I like an inside cabin...can spend my money on other things. It isn't too bad considering how much time you really spend in your cabin. I found I used it only to sleep and change clothes. There is too much to do to spend it inside. I think you will be fine. There is more room than you think.

[sept10dsm]

Inside cabins are fine for us. We try to cruise at the best price out there. We did pick an OV for our upcoming cruise since it was just 20 pp more than an inside. The cabins are well arranged and have mirrors to make the room appear larger. If it is between going on a cruise or not going an inside is really fine. Have a wonderful time!!

[cruisecoaster]

We don't mind inside at all. Sure, a balcony is nice, but we can enjoy an inside just as much. We really don't spend much time in the cabin and often prefer to spend that money on other things during the cruise.