INSIDE CABIN on Golden...A Big MISTAKE?! PLEASE ADVISE!

[GottoCruise]

abster70 - When you are upgraded you usually have time to refuse the upgrade!

[jody]

We've had an inside on the Sea Princess, an inside on the Golden and a balcony in the Med on the Golden (because the priced dropped down to the original inside price) and a window on the Inspiration. You'll be totally fine with the inside and you may find out you sleep even better in the dark room. I think you adjust to the room you have. With an inside, you spend more time on deck and outside. If you have a balcony, you spend more time in your room or on your own deck. I think it's always better to have the least expensive room, but cruise more often, if you have the time to do it. I'd say go for the guarantee. I've only been bumped up to higher level inside rooms, but sometimes you do get lucky. Know that you have a good price, cross your fingers and enjoy your cruise either way. It's going to be great! :)

[Solo Cruiser]

Yes I'm still a novice at the cruising game but I've never had a problem with an inside cabin. On my last cruise, I spent 17 nights in one and loved every one of them. I did attend a cocktail party in a suite and it was plush and grand but, considering the price difference, the inside was fine for me.

 

Since I travel alone, space is not an issue. To relieve the total darkness of the room use one of those plug in combination night lights/air fresheners that allow you to plug something in them. One great feature of the darkness factor is that it makes the cabin perfect for those afternoon naps :D

 

I do use the bridge cam channel on the TV as many would use a window. And it's not uncommon for me to spend a fair amount of time in my room just to chill out from the rigors of cruising. ;)

 

Have a great cruise.

[davidrod]

For $700, I would have taken the inside cabin as well. One thing I did notice though, the nicer your cabin, the more time you spend there.

 

Last cruise we had 2 adjoining balcony cabins, and we spend so much time there it was unbelievable. It's like having your own deck, right in your room.

 

Also, I don't smoke, but for smokers it is great to have a balcony.

 

A couple hundred dollars won't hurt you too much, but $700 will...

 

Also, since you are watching your budget. Look at the possiblity of booking your own excursions. The prices for the ones sold on the ship will kill you!!!

[rsjc]

My thoughts are and my thoughts only…… we have always stayed in inside rooms (6 Cruises) And the $700 will cover half of our next cruise. We are going on the Grand March 5th and received a rate of $799.50 each Total with a $100 room credit to our room bill. Inside room cat.II lido deck.

[sammiedawg]

You are not making a mistake with such a port intensive cruise. We did Southern Caribbean on the Golden in May, we had side by side balcony cabings, our kids in the other room. It was a waste of money and we like balconies. Inside is fine

[amy hood]

This will be our first insdie cabin for us also. Our 5th cruise but our first inside cabin. I am trying to concentrate on the +++:

 

dark enough to sleep in late.

 

location!!!

 

Just me and hubby in cabin!!! 13 year cabin next door with older cousin!!! First time we have had a cabin to ourselves.

 

Now just wondering if the rates will drop, before final payment is due.

[Genessa]

We've only done 10 cruises, but have done insides, outsides, and balconies. I think it really doesn't make a difference - what room you have will dictate what you do. If you have a balcony, you'll spend more time in our cabin, if you have an inside, you'll spend more time elsewhere.

Good luck!

 

That's it, exactly!

Plus, as your first cruise, you will want to experience the whole cruise experience, being out on the open decks, checking out the ship.

With only one sea day, you aren't going to have time to explore the whole ship, let alone spend time on a balcony.

We book balconies now and I wouldn't want to go without one, but, especially for your first cruise, you won't have time to regret not having one.

 

Also, we never book guarantee cabins, because we want control of exactly what room we are in, so I don't think you've made a mistake there, either.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Jay_NH]

I have to agree with relevart.

My wife and I have cruised 4 times. The first 3 times we had balconies. The last time was an inside to save a few dollars.

 

We will never do that again. I ditto everything relevart said and to add one important thing for us. We are not smokers and the people who had the inside room before us must have been because the room reaked of smoke.

Thank goodness we brought along disinfecant wipes. I used the whole container to wash absoutely everything from Ceiling to floor. Don't know if our steward would have detailed the room so well.

[Jasonsterling]

Just in case you need one more example- LOL. I've done an inside room twice- both times I was traveling alone so economically it was necessary. I was satisfied both times. Waking up can be a little hard but just set an alarm and then reach over and flip on the room lights as soon as it goes off. You'll not have any trouble getting up that way- plus you'll be so excited about being on the ship that you'll hardly want to sleep anyway. There's a lot of truth to the notion of saving on the room in order to take advantage of other things during your vacation. $700.00 goes a long way in the Spa or on excursions or at the bar and casino. You'll be fine inside and have a great time!

 

By the way, I've also done a suite twice with a balcony and enjoyed that as well. Mostly just for the fresh air. In fact my last cruise I hardly used the blacony other than to prop the door open to let in the breeze. I like to be out and about the boat's public areas. My partner however spent most of his time on the balcony reading and rarely left the room. He will not take a cruise without a balcony. So it depends on the person.

[BigTimeCruiser]

We were on the Grand Princess last month for 2 weeks in an Inside Cabin. The room wasn't bad and we spent most of our time exploring the port cities; on other decks, or at the Skywalker Lounge for sail-away. Inside cabins are pretty much what you make them.

[geoherb]

We had our first balcony cabin on the Golden in November 2001. My partner said he couldn't sail again without a balcony. So I promptly booked us an inside cabin for the Golden's New England/Canada itinerary. It's another port-intensive itinerary where having the balcony did not make sense--especially at $700 more per person. We had a great time.

 

Since then, we've had an obstructed view cabin on the Star Princess and a wonderful BA balcony cabin on the Grand. All of our cruises have been wonderful. It comes down to comparing prices--if we can get a good deal on a balcony (the Grand was less than $700 pp), then we take it. We're booked now for an inside cabin on Celebrity's Century for Christmas and New Year's. There's no way we would be going if we had to pay what they wanted for a balcony on that ship--or even the $600 more per person to get an ocean view.

[WendyG]

I enjoyed reading these posts. I always book a mini-suite (since there is usually three of us traveling) but for my upcoming Caribbean Princess cruise I'm booked in an inside (traveling with a co-worker who wanted to save money)

 

I just hope I don't hate it!

 

But if Sue can do it, I can do it! :)