Am I the only one who likes the idea of an inside cabin...

[seaofwonder]

I tried a promenade room on my last cruise, but we hated it. I like hanging on my balcony and reading and don't want to have to go up to the pool deck to do that. So we're back to balconies now.

 

I think the only time I'll do a non-balcony is on a river cruise where you are off every day.

[Bookish Angel]

I like to sleep in a pitch black room as it gives me sounder sleep. The balcony rooms we choose let too much light in around the drapes, under the door, etc., and that is while using an opaque eye shade.

 

However, throughout the day, we really enjoy our balcony and the reduced noise. Even on "quieter" decks there is usually music to be heard and I can't read or nap over any music, people talking, etc. Fortunately, ocean sounds and wind don't bother me a bit!

[woldig120]

We have had balcony cabins, including one through the Panama Canal and on the Eclipse. But we prefer an inside cabin as like other cruisers we like a dark cabin when we are asleep. Also my wife likes her feet pointing to the door.

Going on the Adventure again on 7th July on an inside.

[Doug R.]

We have had balcony cabins, including one through the Panama Canal and on the Eclipse. But we prefer an inside cabin as like other cruisers we like a dark cabin when we are asleep. Also my wife likes her feet pointing to the door.

Going on the Adventure again on 7th July on an inside.

 

Really??? Not critical, just curious, please elaborate. :D

[azurewinds94]

I always have booked inside cabins, usually the second from the bottom price. We spend little time in the cabins and to me, when I am out in the middle of the ocean, all the water looks the same anyway. Price is definitely a factor in this as well. I would much rather spend my money elsewhere than on the cabin, especially since I scrape so hard to be able to afford any kind of vacation at all any more.

[stoneharborlady]

Only three cruises, first was minisuite w/balcony. Was lovely, but we didnt use that balcony for a total of one hour the whole cruise. We just dont spend time in the cabin except to sleep, shower and change.

 

Second was ocean view, very nice, didnt miss the mini or the balcony.

 

Third was an inside, perfectly fine. It was not as dark as some say, light did come in around and under the door. Truly didnt seem any smaller than the OV.

 

After experiencing all three, my next cruise will be an inside too. For me, no reason to book anything else.

 

Karen

[PattyW]

This thread is so interesting (read the first few pages, then skipped to the last). We've always had balconies but are going to do an oceanview next time. Now I may think about insides.

 

I've cruised exactly one time where I wasn't either (a) pregnant or (b) a parent of a napping child and that was our honeymoon cruise in 2000. We splurged on a balcony for our honeymoon and our cruise to Alaska (pg with first) and every other cruise we've had a napper and spent more than our fair share of time in the cabin - for naps, for earlier bedtimes, because I needed to lay down (sometimes the top decks made me sea sick when pregnant).

 

The cruise we're planning now will be our first where no one is napping and I won't be pregnant. I'm so used to spending an hour or two in the afternoon in the cabin, I don't know what it will be like to leave at breakfast and not come back until it's time to change for dinner.

 

Now I'm thinking - why not inside? I'll probably chicken out and go oceanview, but not before I do some pricing right now!

[paiddues]

I like the darkness of the inside cabin, my husband likes the cost, so it works for us, we get to go on more cruises, 118 so far on RCL and 13 booked.

[stoneharborlady]

This thread is so interesting (read the first few pages, then skipped to the last). We've always had balconies but are going to do an oceanview next time. Now I may think about insides.

 

I've cruised exactly one time where I wasn't either (a) pregnant or (b) a parent of a napping child and that was our honeymoon cruise in 2000. We splurged on a balcony for our honeymoon and our cruise to Alaska (pg with first) and every other cruise we've had a napper and spent more than our fair share of time in the cabin - for naps, for earlier bedtimes, because I needed to lay down (sometimes the top decks made me sea sick when pregnant).

 

The cruise we're planning now will be our first where no one is napping and I won't be pregnant. I'm so used to spending an hour or two in the afternoon in the cabin, I don't know what it will be like to leave at breakfast and not come back until it's time to change for dinner.

 

Now I'm thinking - why not inside? I'll probably chicken out and go oceanview, but not before I do some pricing right now!

 

PattyW, It sure is worth a try. I probably could have cruised three times for what I paid for my minisuite on the Caribbean Princess her first summer. I know now I will never do that again. I dont cruise to sit in the cabin all day anyway, I would rather be out and about on the ship.

 

Karen

[Kuvasz]

When we first started to cruise we had an oceanview. Then we went ahead and had a balcony for the next few cruises. Well last year we booked an inside cabin for our cruise to Bermuda. We thought that if we didn't like it we would just go back to the balcony on our next cruise. Well the room was smaller than anything we've had before but we didn't mind. We spent the money we saved at the spa. When we went to bed at night we turned the television on the channel that had the camera view of the front of the ship. At night it was black, but as the sun came up it would get lighter in the room.. We recently booked a cruise to the Bahamas and yep it's an inside cabin for us again. You'll be just fine. Remember your on a cruise. Life is good. Enjoy!!:)

[ryano]

, 118 so far on RCL and 13 booked.

 

Holy WOW! :eek: Thats awesome! You certainly have paid your dues! :)

Edited July 1, 2013 by ryano

[Stu K]

Always do inside as more money to spend on other stuff like beer! My wife also can get away from the waves if it gets rough.

 

Stu K Each to their own i say!

[Travel R]

Just returned from my first cruise with a balcony (the last one was inside, others have been outside without balconies).

 

With just myself and my DW, the inside was fine, and we did not really spend much time in the cabin except to sleep. However, on this past cruise we had our DDs with us and the balcony came in very handy for stepping out while everyone was changing, or to relax at the end of the evening after my younger DD had fallen asleep in the room. I had also opted on the few afternoons we had some free time to sit with a book on the balcony instead of going up to the pool area (which I had done on every previous cruise) to get some fresh air. The only downfall was not being able to listen to the live calypso and reggae music on the pood deck (although it was a Med. cruise and I am not sure there was any).

 

Interestingly, we met a couple that complained that there was no quiet place on the ship except the solarium to sit and read a book (and sometimes it also got noisy). I thought to myself, but did not say it out loud, that I had a lot of quiet time on my balcony to sit and read. I also did not ask them, but I could bet that they did not have a balcony.

 

Would I cruise again in an inside cabin? Sure, if the price is right. However, now that I have tasted what the balcony has to offer, I will most probably continue to book balconies in the future.

[Skymuffer]

Since my first cruise in 2005 I have cruised 49 times. In all of those I have only had two balcony cabins, and that is because they were upgrades which I now refuse. Inside cabins are great because they are dark and you can sleep late on sea days. If I want to know what is like outside before I go out all I have to do is turn on the TV and check out the web cam channel. I am only in my cabin to sleep, change and shower. What I don't understand is all the people who say they like the balcony because it is nice to sit there and relax. If those who have balconies and like to use them soooo much then why is it so hard to find a lounge chair on any deck?

[WetToes]

What I don't understand is all the people who say they like the balcony because it is nice to sit there and relax. If those who have balconies and like to use them soooo much then why is it so hard to find a lounge chair on any deck?

 

It's not hard at all, ... but you can't sit on the decks naked/topless, or in your underwear. :eek:;)

Sometimes I don't even comb my hair before my morning coffee. :eek:

[SEM4236]

I just booked my third cruise and I have never sailed in anything but an interior room. If I could afford it, I would prefer not to but honestly, my boyfriend and I are only in the room to shower and sleep. We never spend any real time in the cabin other than that so at this point in our lives, we don't see any need to spend the extra money that we could put towards gas to the port or excursions. We are always out of the room for most of the day enjoying trivia, comedians, shows, food, the ocean, etc. We take full advantage of the actual ship instead of our living quarters alone. However, it does help to bring an alarm clock since it is so dark! With an alarm clock, you should be fine.

[navybankerteacher]

I've sailed a couple of times in an inside, then graduated to outside, and finally to balcony. Insides are dark and a bit claustrophobic -- of course you would not spend much time in one except to change and sleep - you'd be miserable if you did. It is good to have the light and space, to be able to hear the ship moving through the waves as you fall asleep.

 

Yes, if insides was all we could afford, we would cruise in inside cabins --- but given the choice of balcony cabins or making it possible for our kids to enjoy balcony cabins, we choose balcony cabins.

[marco]

We've had inside, outside and balconies. Which we choose depends on the price difference. Sometimes they have "specials" and in outside is the same price as an inside and a balcony the same price as an outside. IF the difference is a couple a' hundred $$$$ we usually will upgrade, but the last cruise we were on the difference was almost a grand a person more for a balcony. For the $2K difference, we took two cruises that year in inside cabins, instead. It also depends on how much time you plan to spend in your cabin and/or on your balcony. We would probably win the prize for "least amount of time spent in your cabin", so for us, a balcony is no big deal. When we did have a balcony, we went out there for a couple of minutes every morning and that pretty much was it. We did not find sitting on a little 4X8 ft area with a wall on 3 sides all that appealing. I find the best feature of a balcony cabin is that you have pretty much one complete wall of glass to look out of, not the balcony itself.

[Kaduka1]

We spend very little time in the room, sleep and shower and that's about it so the price is very appealing. When we do our Alaska cruise in a year or 2 then a balcony will be a must, same on any longer multiport cruise. Each to his/her own.

[Izzybeff]

Of the 6 cruises I've taken, 3 were balconies, 2 were OV's and 1 was an inside.

 

I thought I needed a balcony to enjoy my cruise and this past January I found out I did not. I wanted to cruise, but Dh wanted to visit his brother. We agreed to spend a few days of vacation together, then he would go to his brothers and I would leave on a cruise. His one caveat, was that I needed to book an inside room because the balcony as a solo was crazy expensive. So I did. I figured if I freaked out, it would only be me that had to deal with it. I'm claustrophobic, afraid of heights, hate large groups of people, etc. etc.

 

You know what.. I LOVED it! I came home and change my booking for my next February cruise from an AFT balcony to an inside. When I booked our Alaskan cruise for next May, I booked an inside. If I go on a cruise this Nov. like i'm thinking about, it will be an inside.

 

I just loved that it felt like a little nest. I'm a fairly organized person so the space wasn't an issue. I'm sure my cabin steward loved me because I was rarely in my cabin and all he really needed to do was make up the half the bed I slept on and give me fresh towels.

 

Dh had been trying to tell me from the beginning that if we booked insides we can cruise more.. And I refused to listen.. But now, we will stick with our insides and you guys can have the balconies.

Edited July 2, 2013 by Izzybeff

[stoneharborlady]

It's not hard at all, ... but you can't sit on the decks naked/topless, or in your underwear. :eek:;)

Sometimes I don't even comb my hair before my morning coffee. :eek:

 

Surely you are aware that you dont go unobserved on your balcony, and that you are not in total privacy. Officers on the bridge regularly survey all balconies for safety reasons.

[WetToes]

Surely you are aware that you dont go unobserved on your balcony, and that you are not in total privacy. Officers on the bridge regularly survey all balconies for safety reasons.

 

I don't believe that they can see on all the balconies, and if they can, ... Shrug.

It's just a body. ;)

[Karysa]

I like the darkness of an inside cabin wher I can grab an afternoon nap and really get into a deep sleep quickly.

 

We don't us the balcony very much and we really have mad out just fin without it.

 

My worry these days is that if we get sick or the ship has troubles and the electricity doesn't work. The thought of being cooped up in an inside cabin then frightens me.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Not going to read all 19 pages, but I'll put my two cents in.

 

On my 11 cruises, 8 of them have been in inside cabins, and the other three OVs. We belong to the "we try to be out and about the ship" school of thought. Plus my hubby prefers to sleep in dark rooms (I guess from his days of working the overnight shift and then having to sleep during the day == he had installed blackout shutters in the bedroom, and had disconnected the doorbell which he only reconnected a few years after changing to day shift).

 

A couple of tricks: if you want, keep your in-cabin TV turned to any bridgecam channel (Princess has one; don't know about other lines) -- you'll be able to tell what time of day from it, just in case you wake up disoriented.

 

Also, try leaving the bathroom light on and the door ajar. Nice for those middle-in-the-night trips to that room.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Surely you are aware that you dont go unobserved on your balcony, and that you are not in total privacy. Officers on the bridge regularly survey all balconies for safety reasons.

The only way they can see onto an enclosed balcony is if they have cameras in every balcony, or if the cameras extend well beyond the width of the ship.

 

Anyone whose inside cabins are smaller than the cheaper balcony cabins is sailing with the wrong line. (All right, sailing with a different line from me. ;)) P&O's inside cabins tend to be about 150 square feet, which is about the same size as the inside part of their balcony cabins. But on Arcadia at least, they have inside cabins at 200 square feet.

 

For me, there are two advantages of inside cabins: the price, and (for northern cruises) it goes dark at night when it's daylight outside.

 

There's one advantage of a balcony cabin - you can walk to the ship's rail in two strides instead of 50, as long as you don't mind that it might be facing the wrong way. An inside cabin's balcony is further away, but covers several decks and faces in all directions.