How do you feel about an interior room?

[davekathy]

Inside cabins are no longer our preference but we would book an inside cabin over a promenade cabin. 

Edited April 14, 2023 by davekathy

[twangster]

Case in point - I'm about to do 15 nights on Radiance in an interior through the Panama Canal.  My cruise was under $1,900 all in for 15 nights.  An OV was over $3,300, balconies were over $4,500. 

 

I've spent about $600 on excursions and $240 on a 10 night dining package.  I'm still ahead so I basically got free excursions, free dining, gratuity covered and I'm still under the cost of an OV.  I'll bring a couple of hundred for cash tips and still be under the cost of an OV.  

 

I've done the canal before and I know I'll be all over the ship that day.  Moving from the sides to the rear to the helipad and up top at times.  Heck I may sit in a hot tub for part of it.  If I had a balcony I wouldn't sit on my balcony the whole day, I'd be all over the ship.  

 

A cabin is a place to sleep, shower and shave.  Having said that if an upgrade were $200 I'd make that investment but not for the amount they are charging.

[FionaMG]

Our general rule of thumb is "cheapest with a window". Sometimes that's a balcony, sometimes it's an OV and sometimes it's a promenade. We're barely in the room anyway so all of those have been fine for us.

 

We've never stayed in an true inside, although we did see one on a cabin crawl on Adventure. I think I'd be ok with that only for a very short cruise if the difference in price to get a window was considerable, but it's not something I'd generally consider.

[Mum2Mercury]

2 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I received one of those royalup offers. I was disregarding it but now i wonder what its like waking up and not having the natural sunlight in the room in a interior. Are people leaving the light on in the bathroom or maybe bring a nightlight so there is some light in the morning?

Now that the kids are out of the house and it's just the two of us cruising, we decided we'd see just how cheaply we could cruise /have a good time.  Now we LOVE inside guarantees.  Sure, for the same money we'd rather have a balcony, but since the money will never be the same, we downright like insides!  

 

Specific thoughts: 

- A cheaper room means we can cruise more often. 

- We're not in the room all that much, so why not pay less?  We pick out a couple spots around the ship where we can sit outside and enjoy the ocean ... they just aren't ours exclusively.  

- For two people, the space and storage is comfortable. 

- We leave the TV on at night, which gives us an idea of the time of day ... works great.  

 

In my opinion, it's the Oceanview category that's not worth it.  It doesn't give us any more space, isn't conducive to sitting and looking at the ocean -- just a view.  Not worth more money.  

2 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Yes i am going to alaska. You mean because it is light later in evening?

I read somewhere that you want a balcony for an Alaskan cruise because of the scenery /because it's chilly to stand out on deck.  This isn't experience talking, just what I've read.  

21 minutes ago, Saab4444 said:

You never get fresh air in a cabin without a balcony. This is not nice, especially on older ships with dirty filters in the Aircon. We also never book a hotel where you can not open a window for fresh air.

Even at home we like to sleep with a fan to keep the air moving.  The fan does take up space in the suitcase, but we feel it's worth it.  

19 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Inside cabins are no longer our preference but we would book an inside cabin over a promenade cabin. 

A promenade cabin IS an inside cabin.  

We had one on our recent cruise (inside guarantee), and we loved it.  

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by Mum2Mercury

[Cigar King]

I would rather not cruise at all if I had to have an interior room.

[Wineaux007]

We booked an inside on a last minute cruise this past February.  It was all that was available.  Hadn't been in an inside for over 15-20 years.  Being an older ship (Vision), it was very small, and no refrig.  There were just two of us and it had two upper berths.  Couldn't believe they would have four people in that room.  We made due for the 11 nights.  We brought two of those fake night light candles, one for the bathroom, and the other at the desk so the room wasn't pitch black when trying to get up in the middle of the night.  

 

We talked to one of the officers and told him we were surprised no refrig in the room, so he had someone deliver one.  We put it under the desk -- that's the only place in the room it would fit.   It kept the beer chilled a bit. 

[zebra36]

I just need to be on a ship and most of the time book insides. I have splurged on balconies in the past when a bargain was to be had. 

[davekathy]

2 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

A promenade cabin IS an inside cabin.  

We had one on our recent cruise, and we loved it.  

No kidding! It's an inside cabin without privacy, unless you want to keep the curtains closed all the time and not as dark as an inside cabin at night.  Glad you loved it. To each their own.

[LooneyCruzer]

Eh, after the Costa sinking, and the twisted frame causing interior doors not to open, i stick to balconies to hopefully always have another exit 🙂

[Mum2Mercury]

2 minutes ago, davekathy said:

No kidding! It's an inside cabin without privacy, unless you want to keep the curtains closed all the time and not as dark as an inside cabin at night.  Glad you loved it. To each their own.

We were just one floor above the Promenade, and we enjoyed sitting on the little sofa people-watching.  We had a front-row seat to the 70s party and a couple other events.  

 

The windows have two sets of curtains: 

- A sheer that you can keep closed for some privacy /still allows some light to come through. 

- A blackout curtain that makes it plenty dark at night.  This curtain includes a velcro dot to keep the curtains closed.  

[ladybugpug]

On our first cruise about 12 years ago maybe we booked 2 interior rooms. We were going as cheap as possible. My husband and son stayed in one room and my 2 daughters and I stayed in the second. Second cruise (much better off financially) we booked 3 balcony rooms. LOVED LOVED the balcony.  I'm never going back to an interior room. No way. I love sitting on the balcony. I actually spent hours on our recent Virgin cruise in the chair hammock on the balcony. 

[Senoj84]

I don't mind an inside cabin, but a balcony is my preferred room. I like that RCL has an option of an interior room with a promenade view! They're the only cruise line that I've traveled with that offers this option, which I think is cool.

[Philly Steve]

About to experience our first interior cabin but it has a virtual balcony. Crossing our fingers for a Royal Up on Anthem.

[Rogueperson]

My wife is sensitive to light when sleeping so she absolutely looks forward to an interior room when we cruise.  She says its the best sleep she ever gets.

 

I've never gone in a Suite, but I've done balconies before.  Its interior or balconies for us.  To get a Balcony, it has to be a good deal or its not worth it to us.

 

Also, when i book rooms, I never book guarantees, always specifically pick a location, which is usually sandwiched between two passengers decks if possible, if not, the deck above us should be a passenger deck.  When you royal up, you are essentially paying for a guarantee in that category.  The one time we got the royal up, we somewhat regretted it, even though we saved over 2K for the upgrade (RC wanted 4K for balcony on Enchantment for 12 nights, we royal upped for 2K paid).  The balcony was okay, but we were in the very front and it was VERY rocky.  This was the first cruise out of 22 that I've ever gotten seasick, it was that bad up there.  Balconies on Vision class cost significantly higher than interiors due to the lower number of them.

We've gotten a promenade interior, which we vowed never to do again.  We've gotten a Virtual balcony interior, which is paying extra for a big screen TV showing the outside.  We found it annoying and just turned it off.

 

Bottom answer.  Its up to you.  As you've seen, some people can't even think of doing a cruise in a interior and there are others like me who live for them.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Rogueperson

[latebuyer]

Thanks everyone. I think i'll give the interior a try. I guess i'll find out if i hate it in due time. I'll bring a night light. I don't think brilliance of the seas has fancy stuff like virtual balconies.

[taglovestocruise]

31 minutes ago, Cigar King said:

I would rather not cruise at all if I had to have an interior room.

😀👍

[KeroTravel]

Our first two cruises we rarely used the balcony.  For us continuing to book balcony cabins wasn't going to be worth it.  We spend very minimal time in the cabin, especially in the mornings and the afternoons and in the evening sitting out there starring out into total darkness is kinda creepy.  Our next two cruises we have opted for an interior balcony for one and an interior promenade view for another.  We always have a nightlight with us, no matter what kind of cabin we're in.  

[Itchy&Scratchy]

3 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Oops i see. Yes it would be nice to see what the weather is like in the morning. Not sure its worth 150.00.

if the difference is only $150, I will definitely book the balcony.

Unfortunately, most of the time the difference in price is staggering, so we have no choice but to book inside. Nothing wrong with it.

[OCSC Mike]

39 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I read somewhere that you want a balcony for an Alaskan cruise because of the scenery /because it's chilly to stand out on deck.  This isn't experience talking, just what I've read. 

 

After mentioning in this thread that we love interiors, we did get a balcony for our Alaska trip in 2018 based on logic like you posted (moreso to see stuff, not fear of being cold). Based on experience, we wouldn't do it again. When there was something exciting to see (like a glacier), we were always on deck for a better view than our balcony anyway. As for chilly, obviously weather varies (and dates matter) but we went in mid-June and it was in the 50s-60s. Coming from Florida (and growing up outside Philly), we thought the weather was beautiful.

 

Just one man's experience, of course.

[crzndeb]

Cabin choices are like food. Subjective. You can read what other people thoughts are, but your experiences may vary from another person. Every reason a person will only sail a balcony, there is a reason why another person prefers an interior. I’m currently on a 54 night B5B on the Ovation in a Virtual Balcony interior. I love interiors, for my own specific reasons. I won’t do balconies, for my very own specific reasons. These are very specific to me, and would not bother somebody else.

Try one, you may love it or hate it, but only you can make that decision.

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

Try one, you may love it or hate it

 

This is probably the closest thing to a correct answer.

 

When I got married, I had never been on a cruise. My wife had gone on several as a kid and her parents always had a balcony. She told me she had to have a balcony so that's what we got for our honeymoon (my first cruise ever) and the next few. When we were exactly 4 points from Diamond, I suggested taking the cheapest 4-nighter we could find out of PC (an hour drive for us) in an interior and then we could go back to a balcony for the next longer cruise.

 

Well, my wife learned something new... she didn't actually need a balcony and she loved the interior. For a very unusual reason, might have been the best cruise ever (at least financially). 🤣

Edited April 14, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[poocher]

42 minutes ago, KeroTravel said:

Our first two cruises we rarely used the balcony.  For us continuing to book balcony cabins wasn't going to be worth it.  We spend very minimal time in the cabin, especially in the mornings and the afternoons and in the evening sitting out there starring out into total darkness is kinda creepy.  Our next two cruises we have opted for an interior balcony for one and an interior promenade view for another.  We always have a nightlight with us, no matter what kind of cabin we're in.  

Could not disagree more!  Looking out at the stars you can’t see on land (too much light for good visibility), ships passing in the distance.  This is the very definition of peaceful.  Plus coffee & pastries on the morning.  Quiet time in the afternoon.  Fresh air!! Balcony is bare minimum for me.  

Edited April 14, 2023 by poocher

[bonsai3s]

Pictures taken from our balcony...Greenland...priceless.

 

[Tatka]

   We cruise in inside cabin some years up to 5 times and feel absolutely terrific about it.

By the way I have claustrophobia, but I never felt it in inside rooms. They are well ventilated with enough space. On older ships they are a bit smallish, but on new ships they are pretty spacious.

 

   We do not spend much time in cabins no matter what type they are including balconies and some starter suites. We checked this. Outside OV room does not make any sense for us too.

 

 We gladly spend our time in Solariums, observation lounges, music lounges/bars or theater.

 

 We will have balconies for Thanksgiving and Southern Caribbean cruise on Anthem this and next year, but something tells me that we again will step on it 3-4 times for 5 minutes each time. We just do not have a time for it! Of course it works better to dry swimming wear, but to have it for this purpose?  🙂

Edited April 14, 2023 by Tatka

[cruiselvr04]

We prefer a balcony for fresh air. And of course a suite is always best. But most of all, we just want to go. We will book what’s best for the trip.  We’re doing 57 nights in Australia and NZ next year in an oceanview.  A balcony was double the cost and just wasn’t worth it as we want to do excursions too.  (We “practiced” on a similar ship for 5 nights and decided we’d be fine.)  I did want light and be able to determine the weather.  But we’ll spend time out on deck when needed. We love sitting on the balcony at night but instead we’ll just walk around deck 5 before turning in. I’m sure some on the world cruise had to adjust their thinking to be able to do it financially too. 
 

My guess is you’ll enjoy your inside cabin.