What is an inside cabin like?

[vmom]

Must be just a matter of opinion.

 

I like inside cabins. I don't find them confining because I prefer to be out and about. I don't spend any time in the room except to sleep and change clothes. I prefer to spend the money on excursions or cruising more often.

[JLC@SD]

we look at it this way.......on our Sapphire cruise in Australia / New Zealand..........with the amount we saved by booking an inside vrs a balcony........we were able to add 5 days in Queenstown NZ and 5 days in Fiji to our trip.

[sept10dsm]

we look at it this way.......on our Sapphire cruise in Australia / New Zealand..........with the amount we saved by booking an inside vrs a balcony........we were able to add 5 days in Queenstown NZ and 5 days in Fiji to our trip.

That really makes that inside worth it!!

[Floflegs]

I found you could turn the bedside light down really low so there was just a glimmer and you weren't in total darkness. We tried leaving the bathroom light on when on RCI but the door kept swinging open. I hate to sleep in total darkness - at home I always open the blinds - but I was fine with this. It also helps if you have to go to the loo during the night and don't want to disturb your DH. There is just enough light to see where you are going.

[1bigsexy]

We usually book inside cabins since we only use the cabins to sleep, shower and get dressed. Most of our time is spent doing some activity on the ship or sending the locals crazy on the islands :cool:

 

Make sure you pack a night light and clock (with batteries) since you have natural light to know when it's day or night.

 

BTW, my wife and daughter recently came back from a cruise on an older ship and they said that the inside room was a lot smaller than on the newer ships we've been on.

[chasetf]

I found you could turn the bedside light down really low so there was just a glimmer and you weren't in total darkness. We tried leaving the bathroom light on when on RCI but the door kept swinging open. I hate to sleep in total darkness - at home I always open the blinds - but I was fine with this. It also helps if you have to go to the loo during the night and don't want to disturb your DH. There is just enough light to see where you are going.

Insides are fine with us. .... we live in a rural area, so we have to get used to sleeping in the dark. When we turn the lights out.... there are no street lights or neighborhood lights. Only time might be when there is a full moon, but even then the trees may block it out.

 

So we like insides......

[chasetf]

double post

[sunsetme]

I've been in many an inside cabin--Princess' are small.

[Lynda90]

Take a clock along that has a lighted display. That will give you some light and you will know what time it is. I personally don't think I would be able to stand an inside cabin, but others don't seem to mind.

[Ski619]

We did "insides" for our very first cruise 11 years ago since we were taking our 3 kids w/us, it was the cheaper route to take....after that & NO KIDS to take ,we booked an oceanview( I needed a window!!) and we got upgrades to balcony and minisuite so going back to inside has NEVER crossed our minds!!

The inside cabin was OK since it was our first cruise and we had nothing to compare it to but like others have said...its like sleeping in a closet!!

[ArizonaRalphie]

We had an inside, just once. It was our 2nd cruise and we figured that we wouldn't spend much time in the cabin, so "what the heck" let's save a few bucks. The only drawback was that I, especially, like to see where we are each morning and the people across the hall didn't much care for me knocking on their door at 5:30 AM to let me out on their balcony in my pajamas to check out the vista (and I don;t wear pajamas)

[ArizonaRalphie]

we look at it this way.......on our Sapphire cruise in Australia / New Zealand..........with the amount we saved by booking an inside vrs a balcony........we were able to add 5 days in Queenstown NZ and 5 days in Fiji to our trip.

Yeah, sure. I believe ya. I believe ya where 1,000's wouldn't.

[EmpressofPurple]

Interestingly enough, I started in oceanview cabins years ago because I was terrified that insides would be completely claustrophobic... always had oceanview up until last year when we finally splurged on a balcony :cool: (with fears that we wouldn't be able to "go back" to a mere oceanview after that)...

 

However, I spent NO time on my large, well-appointed aft balcony with room for two loungers plus a table plus standing room (on the RC Mariner). :eek: None. Well, I went out to put on my sunscreen before leaving the cabin for a shore excursion so I wouldn't stink up the room.

 

Of course, I travel with my two kids (now 17 and 20, so maybe not much longer!) -- perhaps if I were traveling with a significant other it would be nice to have private time on the balcony, watching the wake, the sunrise, sunset, etc... (non-drinker, too, so the "drink in my cabin" thing doesn't really matter to me):)

 

It must be noted that unless one is a smoker, balcony life can be quite unpleasant, as you get all the drifting smoke from the other balconies :p (as a former smoker, I always said that the only reason to have a balcony would be so you could smoke without stinking up your cabin... but I had already quit by the time we had our balcony, and I still managed during those earlier cruises where I had to go up on deck to have a smoke)...

 

As it is, however, I am just as happy to enjoy the great outdoors on the Promenade deck or the upper pool decks, and just use my cabin for changing clothes, sleeping, and the occasional "down-time" reading or watching a movie on TV or a DVD on my computer...

 

And, on my last two cruises, I decided to be brave and try an inside cabin for the first time -- and it was fine! Not claustrophobic at all. (Admittedly, these were newer ships; it sounds as though insides on some of the older ships might be a pretty tight fit... in fact, it sounds as though ALL the cabins on the older ships were smaller! I don't remember that, but then my kids were smaller then and SO WAS I!!!:eek: )

 

Best tip I had about an inside cabin: keep the cabin TV on the bridge cam at all times. Gives you a nice nightlight, and when the sun rises you can see it so you don't have to wonder after waking up from your nap (or your sleep) if it is 7 am or 7 pm! (Yes, clock and nightlight are good ideas, too).

 

So basically having spent money I didn't have on an outside all those years, and then gingerly trying out a balcony in fear that I would be "spoiled" for anything less, I discovered I am perfectly fine in an inside. (In fact I was upset that an upcoming cruise was sold out on insides and I had to pay for a more expensive oceanview. Pooh!)

 

Of course, I haven't had a minisuite yet... ooh, bathtub...:D

[Jamiebearr]

I have done the inside cabin, and if you do not spend a lot of time in your room it will not be too bad. As mentioned, the worst part is no light. If you have a late night, you could sleep in and miss most of a day at port. The sea days can be long, because if you are cramped in your room you might not want to spend time relaxing in it. I prefer the balcony, but I am even doing a inside cabin to Ensenda. It is only a 2 day cruise, so I don't plan to be in it as long. At least try it once, if you don't like it you know it is not worth it to you in the future! (because your opinion is the only one that really matters)

[tjaker11]

i have had inside balvony and minisuites, i would probably book an inside for a short cruise. if funds warranted that we couldn't cruise if we didn't take an inside cabin, then inside it would be! have fun regardless keep your area tidy for more room and as previously said bring an alarm clock

[Solara]

We love insides......spend no time in the cabin at all.....we get to go on

2 cruises for the price of one.........if I had a balcony I wouldn't use it as I'd want to go out on the deck anyway.....

[dclark]

Inside is like a storage shed. However, if you end up in one, see if you can do this trick as it worked for me on the CCL Glory:

 

Check out your tv to see if there is a ship where it shows what's outside. At night, the channel will be black, but during daytime when there is light, you'll see the world.

Leave it on this channel the whole time- it is your "window". In the morning, the light from the TV showing the sunrise will substitute for a window!

[chris2597]

We did a mini on our first cruise which was very nice but we dont spend much time in the cabin so we decided to try an inside on our 2nd and 3rd cruise. We didnt mind it at all. We spend so little time in the cabin. Be sure to bring a travel alarm clock because it is very easy to sleep the day away espeically if you plan on enjoying the night life. If cost were close I would prefer a window cabin but the insides are very doable. DH swears he prefers the inside over any other cabin. I think he is just trying to convince me not to yearn for an upgrade....

[California Native]

I have found for certain itinerarys, I prefer an inside.

I've been to the Baltic on 3 cruises, each time I chose an inside as I knew I would sleep better since it's light up there until at least 11pm.

And with such a port intensive itinerary we wanted to maximize our sleep.

We brought 2 alarm clocks and used the wake up call service (when it was working) as a 3rd back up.

Each individual has their own travel style...

it's your money and your vacation so do what works best for you.......

Personally, I have had my share of balconys and mini suites along with insides....

I believe it's about the itinerary not the cabin.

[Layla]

We always book a balcony cabin. We're taking a one-day cruise this Saturday on the way to a Panama Canal cruise and for the one day we booked an inside - I told DH - stay up late and get up early! We will have the bridge cam on TV all night long so we know when it's daylight!

[Go-Bucks!]

I've had inside, porthole, window, and most recently a balcony.

 

We didn't stay in the room alot, but when we were there we stayed on the balcony all the time. We called it our "living room." We were on an Alaskan cruise, so it was so neat to see the icebergies and wildlife right from our room. Once a group of dophins were jumping right in front of us! The room was pretty small (Sun Princess) - especially compared to a typical Carnival room - so having our curtains open all the way to see out the floor-to-ceiling window/door made the room so much bigger and brighter. We also slept with the door open all night - it was very warm last week in Alaska! It was heavenly to see the stars and hear the ocean waves. I also loved going out there in my jammies and not having to go up on deck to be outside.

 

I would personally rather save up more for a balcony than get an inside. The insides on the Sun Princess were very, very small and claustrophobic. At least the one I had on Carnival was decent sized. But I'm now sold on either a window or a balcony. Actually, if you're really diligent in searching for a bargain, you can get very reasonable balcony prices. Sometimes only a $100 or so more than a window or inside.

[LETS PARTY]

this is a easy one!! whats better rolling down the freeway on a moped, or in limo? inside or a balcony ? its all about the money!!! we all know which is best----that why the insides are so cheap

Rob

[kirbyrox]

nothing less than a Balcony.

 

anything less would be uncivilized :D

[Dena]

this is a easy one!! whats better rolling down the freeway on a moped, or in limo?

 

I'm sure some people prefer motorcycles.

 

In theory a bacony is better, but there can be some unpleasant surprises with a balcony. Be aware that many smokers book balconies. In fact some smokers don't want to smoke in their cabins because they don't like to smoke in a confined space. We had a balcony and someone was smoking 2 cabins over and one deck down and we could often smell it. I'd hate to be next door to a chain smoker. Or a cigar smoker. Fortunately, the sailings from California have fewer smokers.

 

Also, you have no auditory privacy on a balcony. Ironically, people are usually quiter on the steamer chairs on the promenade deck. I guess some people think that if you can't see them, you can't hear them either.

 

And DH and I like to enjoy 2 side-by-side lounge chairs in the shade with a view of the ocean. This usually isn't possible with a balcony (unless you have a suite) because the balcony can't hold 2 lounge chairs. In fact the covered balcony we had on the Sapphire didn't even come with ONE lounge chair, we had to ask for one and it only fit sideways....2 would never have fit. After the Star fire (which was caused by a cigarette) I don't know if the steward is allowed to bring a lounge chair to the balconies, because the fire rating for furniture on open decks is different than the fire rating for furniture on the balconies (it was not so prior to the fire).

 

Also, may of the newer Princess ships don't have open rails on the balcony, only glass pannels (which can be coated with salt), so in my opinion the ocean view is not as good as from the promenade deck. The promenade deck also has a nice deep overhang so it provides more shade than the balcony. Sadly, not all Princess ships have loungers on the promenade. We avoid these ships, but if we decided to book one we might more readily consider a balcony.

[monakayk]

Booked and had insides before...Loved the total darkness. And as for "over sleeping" cause of the totaly darkness...that is what an alarm clock is used for...if you need to get up for an excursion or something. After all a cruise IS your vacation. Sleeping a little late is a good thing...at least to us.

 

I would not pay extra for a bit of 'light' in a cabin. If you book an inside guarantee...chances are you could be upgraded to a cabin with a window. I have twice so far on 3 cruises we have taken. Leaves extra $$$ for other fun stuff to do.

 

My advise...if you have the extra money and do not mind spending it to have a window..then go for it. If you have extra money and could care less about having a window that you will draw the curtain close while you sleep...then an inside cabin is the thing to book.

 

Whatever you book...you will have fun, cause you will not spend much time in your cabin. There is just TOO much to do on a cruise to spend it cooped up in a cabin...looking out that window you paid extra for.