When booking your cruise, choosing a cabin will be one of the most important decisions you’ll make. It’s truly a case of “location, location, location” and the difference between the best locations and worst locations could be the difference between a great vacation or a vacation spent sick and sleepless. Your travel agent will be able to assist you in choosing the best cabin location on your specific cruise ship, but you can also educate yourself ahead of time with this guide, which includes cruise ship cabin photos and deck plans.
Types of Cabins
There are four general types of cabins:
- Inside
- Outside or Ocean View
- Balcony
- Suite or Stateroom
Considerations:
- How will you be spending most of your time?
- Are you claustrophobic?
- Price
- Cabin size
Inside Cabins
“Inside” cabins are located in the interior of the ship and accessed via an interior corridor. They usually do not have a window to the outside, although sometimes you can find an unusual one that has a window or an obstructed view. If you are claustrophobic or would be uncomfortable without a window to the outside, an inside cabin is not for you. On the other hand, if most of your time will be spent outside your cabin, such as at ship activities or on the deck, then you might not care how enclosed or small your cabin is since you won’t be in it very much. Some people only use their cabin for showering and sleeping. If that’s you, you will be safe looking for the cheapest option available.
This is an example of what an inside cabin might look like:
This particular cabin is from a cruise ship on the Holland America line.
Outside or Ocean View Cabins
“Outside” or “Ocean View” cabins are located along the outer edge of the ship and have a window or a porthole that allows you to see outside. These cabins can vary in size depending on their location on the ship but are generally similar to an inside cabin except for the addition of a window or porthole. Outside cabins are usually the second-least expensive, after inside cabins.
This is an example of an outside cabin with a porthole:
Balcony Cabins
“Balcony” cabins include a balcony or verandah attached to your cabin that lets you go outside onto your own (somewhat) private outdoor space. The balcony lets you be outside without being on a public upper deck, but depending on your location, people above you will be able to see down onto your balcony. The balcony usually includes a table and deck chairs. Balcony cabins tend to be more expensive than Indoor and Ocean View cabins.
This is an example of what a balcony cabin looks like from the inside:
This particular cabin is from a ship in the Royal Caribbean line.
Suite or Stateroom Cabin
A suite or stateroom cabin is the most expensive option, and also the largest cabin with the best options. Suites have larger floorplans, often with separated areas for living and sleeping. They often come with more perks than the other cabins, such as concierge service, a spa-like environment, a walk in closet, or a dining area. Even though these suites are more expensive they can end up being a great value when everything included is considered. There will be fewer of these cabins on the ship. Depending on the cruise line, you might not need to get a suite in order to have more space — many ships now have family-sized rooms due to the increase in families booking cruise vacations together.
This is an example of a suite cabin on one cruise ship:
We asked our travel agents for their tips on choosing a cruise ship cabin type. One well-rounded and practical response was:
“My advice is to choose a cabin based on how you spend your vacation time. If you spend most of your time out in the ship busy with activities, an inside cabin is fine. You will most likely only sleep, shower and change clothes in your cabin. If you are claustrophobic you definitely need an ocean view cabin. If you enjoy time sitting on a balcony choose a balcony cabin.”
Ship Location
Cabins are located throughout the entire ship, from the front to back and from the bottom to top.
Terminology:
- Mid-ship — pretty self-explanatory, this refers to cabins located near the middle of the ship.
- Fore — toward the front of the ship.
- Aft — toward the back of the ship.
Considerations:
- Are you susceptible to motion sickness or seasickness?
Movement and Motion Sickness
When choosing a cabin location on the ship, the most important thing to consider is how susceptible to motion sickness you are. When the ship rocks on the waves, the middle stays relatively still while the front and back ends move the most. Likewise, if the ship is tilting side-to-side, the middle of the ship will be the most still while each outside edge will move more.
If you’re concerned about seasickness, check out the seasickness infographic that we created that has information on seasickness causes, treatments, and prevention. Interestingly, if you tend to have motion sickness an inside cabin with no view to the outside might be the best choice, since your brain won’t be trying to reconcile the steady furniture in your room with the tilting ocean outside your window.
These are the best tips that our travel agents gave in regards to ship location:
“As for where on the ship, most people say mid-ship is best but I don’t have a preference, just not a lower cabin in the back as you will hear the engines.”
“If you are sensitive to movement (like me!), it is best to pick a cabin right smack in the middle of the ship — meaning a cabin on deck 9 if the ship has a total of 18 decks and located in the center of the ship. Though ‘midship’ cabins usually cost a little bit more, it is definitely worth the extra money that you pay for it.”
The Deck Plan
Once you know the specific cruise ship on which you’ll be sailing, take a good look at the deck plan. The deck plan is a detailed map of where everything is located on the ship. Usually entire decks are devoted to ship entertainment or eating areas, while other decks are devoted to cabins. The top deck is generally a wooden deck where everyone can go to hang out by the pools and be in the open air.
When looking at the deck plan, you’ll be able to see if your cabin will be located near noise-makers like stairs, children’s play areas, or directly underneath or over entertainment venues. If your cabin is located directly underneath the top deck, you’ll hear the movement of tables and chairs on the wood. If you’re located in the back-bottom section of the ship, you’ll hear the ship’s engines.
This is what one of our travel agents had to say about the deck plan:
“I always look at the deck plans for cabins that are not next to the elevator or stairs unless they request it. This is a high traffic area. I also check the deck plans for a mid ship cabin, then when I have found one I like, look at the decks above and below the cabin I have chosen to see if there are any entertainment areas that will disrupt them. The children’s play area is another area I avoid.”
This is an example of a cruise ship deck plan (click to get a bigger view):
This is a deck plan for one of Disney’s cruise ships (click to get a bigger view):
Summary
The Worst Ship Location
All things considered, the cruise ship cabin to avoid will be any on the bottom and back of the ship. In that cabin location, you’ll be dipping up and down with the waves and you’ll also hear the engine rooms. On top of that, you’ll likely be quite far from the ship’s entertainment options.
The Best Ship Location
The most-recommended cruise ship cabin location is in the middle of the ship, or “mid-ship.” A cabin in this location should shield you from the worst of the noise and any possible motion sickness. Even though that’s the best general location, you’ll still have to consider whether you want a balcony or ocean view, which can still be in the middle of the ship from end-to-end, but it will be on the outside edge of the ship.
Definitely study your ship’s deck plan before choosing a cabin, and ask your travel agent for his or her personal recommendations.
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This is the second edition of our “Travel Tips from Travel Agents” series. The first was Top 6 Tips for Getting Through Airport Security Faster.
