We're trying an interior cabin for the first time.

[manchesterfan]

We've sailed three times with Princess in balconies and a mini suite and are booked for two upcoming cruises - Alaska (balcony) and a California Coastal on the Crown where we are trying an interior cabin for the first time. We booked a guaranteed room for the first time for this cruise as well. We just received our room assignment of C420. Does anyone have any advice about this cabin/location or just general tips for us for staying in an interior? PS This is also our first time posting on Cruise Critic. Wow, that's a lot of firsts. :)

[moki'smommy]

Not really advice....but we've found that we spend more time in our cabin when we have a balcony than when we don't. When we have an inside cabin, we tend to spend more time in public areas, using the cabin as a place to sleep and shower. Just our observation.

 

There is nothing wrong with an inside cabin except the lack of natural light. Put the TV on the "View from the Bridge" channel and mute it. When the sun comes up, your TV screen will light up. Also, I like to have a clock that I can see at night...so that when I wake up, I know whether it is "wake up" time or "roll over and go back to sleep" time. That's a little difficult with no natural light as a clue.

[SCHappilyRetired]

Not really advice....but we've found that we spend more time in our cabin when we have a balcony than when we don't. When we have an inside cabin' date=' we tend to spend more time in public areas, using the cabin as a place to sleep and shower. Just our observation.

 

There is nothing wrong with an inside cabin except the lack of natural light. Put the TV on the "View from the Bridge" channel and mute it. When the sun comes up, your TV screen will light up. Also, I like to have a clock that I can see at night...so that when I wake up, I know whether it is "wake up" time or "roll over and go back to sleep" time. That's a little difficult with no natural light as a clue.[/quote']

 

Ditto on spending less time in the room when we book interior cabins. We enjoy the ship more as we are out and about. However, it depends on how port intensive the cruise is. We booked an ocean view on our British Isle cruise just to see what the weather was doing. We sail Emerald in a month with an interior Riviera towards the aft. Love these cabins as its a quick 3 cabin walk to the back for us then up a short set of stairs and it opens up to a beautiful view by the aft pool. Class ship matters also. Enjoy your cruise!

[Jack(not my real name)]

That's a good cruise (California Coastal) for an interior stateroom. This time of year, at least until you get down into Mexico, the weather is pretty cool and not so balcony friendly.

 

Staterooms are for sleeping and changing clothes for most. Your suites gave you reason to enjoy some cruising from within, but for most we don't probably spent too much time in our bedrooms and tend to find places aboard ship to get comfy. I'm getting ready for a 28-dayer in October with an interior stateroom... for me the only way that kind of cruise is affordable. There will be times when I will miss my balcony, but in truth I would probably spend less than an hour a day there anyway. The interior is the same room without the sliding door... more than adequate.

 

Spend the warm days in the Sanctuary.

[Colo Cruiser]

Riviera deck aft. Great location near the doors to the aft pool, then up the pool stairs to the HC buffet. :D

[Astro Flyer]

We do okay in inside cabins which means we can afford to cruise more often. :D

 

We do spend less time in our cabin than when we have a balcony but there are plenty of places to enjoy on the ship.

[KruzPrincess]

I agree that I spend less time in my cabin if I'm in an inside. I like the dark and they seem quieter to me. It makes for good sleeping. My only advice is bring a small flashlight in case there are power issues. You can't open the drapes for light. I hadn't thought of this myself, but I cruised with a friend who explained how it could come in handy and it makes sense. I have been on ships where the power has gone out for short periods of time. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen.

[umbluemusic]

So far I've sailed in a minisuite, balcony, and an inside. My inside was my favorite! I loved how dark it was for sleep, and we had alarms on our phone to wake us up. We were on the Royal, Marina deck, which made it so easy to access the pools and horizon court. My next cruise is for my honeymoon and since my fiancé hasn't sailed in a balcony before, we splurged, but I would be happy to go back to an inside after since it will let us sail more often!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited January 8, 2016 by umbluemusic

[masterty]

I have always cruised interior with my first aft balcony happening on my next cruise. The only thing an interior is good for is sleeping, changing and showering. Here are some things I do to sleep well and stay asleep.

Falling back to sleep is important. You have no sense of where you are or what direction is which way. One thing that I know helps me fall back to sleep is knowing what time it is. I don't want to miss the days events and when I awake on a cruise ship I need to know quickly what time it is without actually awaking. Having the TV on "bridge cam" (as others have mentioned) is a must in my opinion and works well if you can sleep with the TV on. I also love the HITO™ 6" Alarm Clock w/ Date and Temperature Display. It is illuminated perfectly all night. It runs on battery's that lasts a year or more. It display is huge and allows me to know the exact time which allows me to fall back asleep fast before I really awake. Nothing worst than seeing a clock but having to awake to see the tiny or dark display. I have 2 of these HITO alarm clocks (his and hers). I think they cost less than $20 each.

 

My DW and I do not lounge in our room. We much prefer the public spaces where we can socialize. You can often find us on deck playing dice or cards, relaxing, people watching, eating, or just being pampered. Our last trip up Tracy Arm we bundled up with blankets on the promenade being served MOLTEN GLACIER drinks. Mmmm! My brother sat on his balcony seeing only one side of the arm, got cold and went in side. Those that buy a balcony sometimes over use it to justify the extra expense, missing out on the activities and superior view in the public spaces.

 

Back to interior..... If you can tolerate hanging out in a utility closet with a shower then an interior will work for you. If you have to know what is going on around you at all times then you will be happier with a balcony. We are in the interior crowd due to the fact we love cruising but cant afford it. So we cruise as cost efficient as possible.

[SadieN]

Can do an interior on short cruises. DH tried on a three day. Even though we kept the tv bow cam it wasn't good for him. He needs natural light to wake up.

[easyboy]

We like to walk and hang around the ship most of the time.

So it doesn't matter much to us when we have an Inside.

[jennybenny]

We've always done Inside cabin for our family of 4.

 

It's tight with two kids. If it were just my husband and I an inside cabin would be a no brainer. We've done 9 princess cruises with a inside guarantee. We were upgraded once or maybe twice to an outside cabin.

 

Now we request no upgrade, we want to pick our exact location and Inside works and affords us more cruises.

 

I do want a mini suite so my husband and I can actually sleep in the same bed.... sleeping in a twin is like being back in college, but I feel once I get a taste of more room and a balcony I will not be able to go back

[jennybenny]

Oh and we spend zero time in our inside room. Just shower and sleep

 

It's just to crowded for a family of 4

[Paula_MacFan]

We just did an inside for the first time after only having balconies and mini-suites prior. It was only a 4-day cruise and it got us to Platinum status, so we did it. We chose an inside on Lido deck so we'd be close to the outdoor spaces since we knew we'd be spending most of our time out of the cabin. We really enjoyed the MUTS movies and NFL football on nice sea days. Typically we would be on our balcony more but this forced us to get out and about more.

 

One thing we really didn't like was having cabins across the hall from us. We've always had cabin locations in quiet areas with no cabins directly across from us, and man what a difference in terms of noise! There was a loud group of men in the cabins close to us, and one morning they were all standing right outside our door having a LOUD conversation. It woke me up and I was so mad I yanked open the door and said 'would you mind going somewhere else to converse -- people are trying to sleep in here!!' That was the last time we heard from them but it totally annoyed me -- we were literally the first set of cabins on Lido and they were only steps away from the pool area -- go there and talk!!

 

Lesson learned, we will never book in a noisy location again. And we just accepted an upsell for our next cruise to a full suite, so talk about going from one extreme to the other!

 

I would do another inside if the itinerary and price were right, but my choice will always be to have some outside, personal space. Good luck and enjoy your upcoming cruise!

[cruzsnooze]

I'm laughing about the posts that say how dark it is for sleeping. It's just as dark in an outside, balcony , mini or suite. It's not like you have street lamps or car headlights, it's the middle of the ocean with no ambient lights. There are black out curtains in every cabin and if you bring a closepin to keep the seams closed it is dark until you open the curtains.

[Runbarb55]

We are booked on a b2b that is 40 days. We have never gone interior before and we are nervous. We do tend to hang in our sunny balcony room a lot. I am sure we will be out and about more if we do not get an upgrade. I am looking forward to being pushed out of our comfort zone. Hope it works out. I just don't want an upgrade to the obstructed OV that looks directly into the tender and makes the whole room seem orange. Basha

[baronessk]

OFTEN times there is a small price difference (average $100) between OV Obstructed for those who say they need direct light. My first Princess cruises were always in these cabins, and we only moved up to MS when a family friend started cruising with DM & I a few years back. Just wanted more room for 3 adults. Just click on OV pricing and then you will see lower price than what was listed for OV for the obstructed view cabins. (Does not apply to all classes). I am looking at a short March cruise and the difference is nominal, imho, although I may go for the interior just to try it out since there are just 2 of us this time.

[Kingofcool1947]

We've always done Inside cabin for our family of 4.

 

It's tight with two kids. If it were just my husband and I an inside cabin would be a no brainer. We've done 9 princess cruises with a inside guarantee. We were upgraded once or maybe twice to an outside cabin.

 

Now we request no upgrade, we want to pick our exact location and Inside works and affords us more cruises.

 

I do want a mini suite so my husband and I can actually sleep in the same bed.... sleeping in a twin is like being back in college, but I feel once I get a taste of more room and a balcony I will not be able to go back

 

Isn't the twin bed very tight for two normal sized adults to sleep together on?

I thought inside cabins sleeping 4 have 2 bunk beds that come out from the ceiling? With Queen or two singles as cabin usually configured. Is that correct!

Edited January 8, 2016 by Kingofcool1947

[umbluemusic]

I'm laughing about the posts that say how dark it is for sleeping. It's just as dark in an outside, balcony , mini or suite. It's not like you have street lamps or car headlights, it's the middle of the ocean with no ambient lights. There are black out curtains in every cabin and if you bring a closepin to keep the seams closed it is dark until you open the curtains.

 

 

I'm glad you find it funny, but there is still moonlight, and sometimes I like to take a short nap in the afternoon. I don't carry clothes pins when I cruise - heck, I don't even have them in my house! I found my inside very peaceful - especially since the one time I was in a balcony, I had obnoxious neighbors on both sides that were apparently friends but hadn't booked next to each other. It made for us literally sitting in the middle of their yelling conversations on our balcony.

 

I too spent a lot of time on public decks when we had our inside and got to spend more time with my CC friends from our roll call, so I think it was perfect for us. :-)

 

 

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[lake5298]

Can do an interior on short cruises. DH tried on a three day. Even though we kept the tv bow cam it wasn't good for him. He needs natural light to wake up.

 

I've also found it much harder to wake up in an interior cabin. I very much prefer a balcony - but it is certainly a price consideration. Princess were very kind to upgrade us last March from inside to balcony on Royal Princess - we've got one inside cabin (in May) coming up, but other than that we're committed balcony fans.

[Cruise Raider]

We don't hesitate to book an inside if the prices for an oceanview or balcony is too high. We've even booked a mini suite a couple of times but only when the additional payment was reasonable.

 

While my DH loves to have a balcony, we've found that we use it less and less all the time. Our new favorite is actually an obstructed oceanview with very little obstruction....if they have one, we nab it. A couple of our best cruises have been in the oceanview and inside cabins, actually.

 

When I talk to people out in port, they sometimes sheepishly state they only have an inside cabin....like I would chastise them for that. I ask them, where are you right now ... they are certainly not in their cabin and even if I had a suite (which I don't think I will ever pay for), they are exactly where we are ... out and about. I know people that say they couldn't possibly have anything less than a balcony. Well, good for them!!

 

Either way, I think that the midship inside rooms are the Caribe deck are the best ones you could book. Glad they gave you a decent assignment.

[mrswallace2012]

For our honeymoon on the Costa Fascinosa in 2012 we had a window( it was a surprise to me and there were no balconys left or my mother in law would have upgraded us) we really only used our room for sleeping and changing. used the blackout curtains but some light always crept through.

We are on the Ruby in 30 days (:):):):):)) and we booked an interior, not only because of the price but because we wanted to get good rest and we like hanging out in the public areas.

I think in a few years we might treat ourselves to a balcony, but for now we are very happy with our interior cabin.

 

My in laws have been on 3 cruises with Princess, and they typically have a suite or a balcony, and they LOVE it! But their cruises have been 2 weeks long, so they like spending the entire day in their rooms enjoying the view and the quiet.

 

Whatever you do, enjoy your vacation ;)

[AKman2495]

We've sailed three times with Princess in balconies and a mini suite and are booked for two upcoming cruises - Alaska (balcony) and a California Coastal on the Crown where we are trying an interior cabin for the first time. We booked a guaranteed room for the first time for this cruise as well. We just received our room assignment of C420. Does anyone have any advice about this cabin/location or just general tips for us for staying in an interior? PS This is also our first time posting on Cruise Critic. Wow, that's a lot of firsts. :)

 

We always book insides and have had no problem with them at all. If we want to see the outside-we go outside.

 

We just did 15 days on the Royal in C240 and we enjoyed it throughly. The location is fine. It is near the from stairs/elevators. It is easy to get to and is not to far forward so movement will not be so bad.

 

Interiors are cozier than balconies, IMHO. There are a lot of lighting combinations that make it not feel dark (or in a cave, as some have suggested) at all.

 

When you want it dark, it is! Remember, it does not get dark in Alaska until later, and then the sun comes up earlier, so having an inside cabin means you'll sleep better.

 

Spending time on the Promenade deck or on the upper decks will take care of your need for fresh air and in Alaska vistas are the thing. No balcony can give you the full effect that standing on one of the upper decks can give you.

 

Finally, the savings in the cost of the cabin mean you'll be able to spend more on excursions, which are a big part of any Alaska cruise. I think you'll long remember a great excursion more than you'll remember a balcony...IMHO.

 

I think an inside is an excellent choice

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

We only ever take insides so we can cruise more,

 

however I think insides makes you more sociable, as you spend so little time

 

in your cabin, now nothing wrong with folks spending there days on their

 

balconies they paid for them, but for me a balcony needs to be a social

 

area friends having drinks, out door eating etc the window boxes on the Royal

 

class just not do it for me.

 

yours Shogun

[RDC1]

This year we will do a total of 62 days in inside cabins. We have switched to insides after suites, balconies and ocean views. We have done so for two reasons:

 

1. We find that we sleep better. They tend to be quieter (no banging balcony doors, tender operations, people talking on adjacent balconies, etc. and do not have light coming in around drapes)

 

2. We can cruise more often for the same money.

Edited January 8, 2016 by RDC1