How do you feel about an interior room?

[FirstCruise2331]

9 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

The cost is irrelevant to us, it’s the value of the product that is the deciding factor. we tried suites a few times, at really good prices (pre pandemic) and enjoyed it. We don’t think the current product, at the current pricing would give us the bang for the buck we desire. If, and when we decide to resume cruising, it would be in a balcony.

 

As you quoted me directly I wanted to clarify as you completely missed the point I was making. You also pretty much confirmed what I said about people not understanding what is like to have a limited budget. While it may be the case that cost is irrelevant for you, cost is very relevant to many people.

 

I was merely sharing my experience (which is echoed by many) that I have had great cruises staying in an interior and, for me, I don't share the opinion that not cruising is better than cruising in an interior. For others, like you, it's different .. the OP can weigh all this up and decide what's best for them. 

 

Ultimately we all are free to choose what works for us as individuals, based on the product being offered with free market economics determining price as a factor of the interaction of supply and demand. There seems to be plenty of sold out cruises so RC are filling the cabins, from suites all the way down to insides. 

 

 

[smokeybandit]

Some people love them. Some hate them.  That's why cruise lines offer 4+ room categories.

[davekathy]

36 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Its interesting, it definitely seems there is a preference for balconies and interior vs oceans. Personally as a solo i don’t think the best thing for me is to be cloistered in a balcony and cost is a bigger concern for a solo. However if i ever go on celebrity i believe they have virtual balconies for solos and that i may try.

Those are called Infinite Verandas. Not even close to a traditional balcony/veranda. Those are only on the E class ships. Apex, Ascent (fall 2023),Beyond, Edge. Those ships also have a limited number of traditional balconies/verandas. Sunset and Deluxe Porthole Veranda (DPV).

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by davekathy

[George C]

I cruised in many, many inside cabins in 70’s and 80’s , nothing wrong but if you have booked balconies or suites , then I wouldn’t want to go back to them if I could afford something better.

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, George C said:

I cruised in many, many inside cabins in 70’s and 80’s , nothing wrong but if you have booked balconies or suites , then I wouldn’t want to go back to them if I could afford something better.

 

My wife and I enjoy being the oddballs. She cruised in nothing but balconies as a kid and we got them on our first few cruises once married... now we book almost nothing but interiors after trying them and realizing we prefer them (we can afford a balcony, we just don't use them). Different strokes...

Edited April 15, 2023 by OCSC Mike

[mac66]

Pretty much stay in interiors all the time now. We don't spend much time in our cabin, usually up on deck to see the ocean. We've done plenty of balconies but I still prefer interiors.  Our last two cruises were in Ocean View cabins which we got for the price of an interior. I still prefer interiors.

 

No sense spending more if you're not going to use it. I sleep better in an interior as well. Lower price of interior cabins means more cruises.

Edited April 15, 2023 by mac66

[goldfish65]

Still pretty new to cruising but re: interior cabin I really enjoyed it when I cruised solo. On an upper deck, I feel the air is not as stuffy. Otherwise a suite when the price is not outrageous. 

[honeynut33]

I had an ocean view and found it to be much better than inside. I typically do a balcony, but would have no issues doing porthole/ocean view cabins now. Definitely a nice middle ground between both, and definitely felt like I more room than an inside cabin. 

[davekathy]

Just now, honeynut33 said:

I had an ocean view and found it to be much better than inside. I typically do a balcony, but would have no issues doing porthole/ocean view cabins now. Definitely a nice middle ground between both, and definitely felt like I more room than an inside cabin. 

When we use to cruise inside cabins we always had the beds separated. In our opinion it gave us more room to move around. 

[grandgeezer]

2 hours ago, FirstCruise2331 said:

 

As you quoted me directly I wanted to clarify as you completely missed the point I was making. You also pretty much confirmed what I said about people not understanding what is like to have a limited budget. While it may be the case that cost is irrelevant for you, cost is very relevant to many people.

 

I was merely sharing my experience (which is echoed by many) that I have had great cruises staying in an interior and, for me, I don't share the opinion that not cruising is better than cruising in an interior. For others, like you, it's different .. the OP can weigh all this up and decide what's best for them. 

 

Ultimately we all are free to choose what works for us as individuals, based on the product being offered with free market economics determining price as a factor of the interaction of supply and demand. There seems to be plenty of sold out cruises so RC are filling the cabins, from suites all the way down to insides. 

 

 

I quoted you directly because you said, and I quote “ If money was no object, everybody would have a suite.” Money is no object to us and we no longer would book a suite unless it was too good of a deal to pass up, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon. So much for the everybody statement.

[OldCaver]

In about a week, we're going to take our first cruise since the pandemic ruined it for us. (I cannot wear a mask for reasons I won't go into.) Main reason is to find out what it's like now, whether it's still worth it. I can tell by reading these forums that RCI is cutting corners and pinching pennies as hard as it can, and I don't blame them. They lost a LOT of money.
For me, I'll generally take an interior because it's cheaper (and yeah, that matters to me), which means if we decide to resume our cruising habit, that means more cruising.
I'll address several things on this thread:

I have a form of night blindness, which you would think would make an interior cabin out of the question. But my smart wife always sends me to bed first, and after I fall asleep, she places two rows of those battery operated little candles from the bed to the bathroom. It looks like a runway, but it works. I can find my way easily when I get up to answer nature's call, and for her it makes a sort of night light.

I've enjoyed balconies, and all things being equal I'd prefer one, but the price is anything BUT equal. Saving bucks means more excursions, more drinks, more generous tipping, and the possibility of turning a short cruise into a B2B. In other words, I postpone the agony of getting kicked off the ship!

Bottom line, even though I like balconies, how much time do I really spend on one? So with an inside, I can choose which side of the ship has the shade I want, while on a balcony the sun gonna shine if it wants to, and if I don't like it I have to go back inside.

With an inside cabin, yeah, I spend almost no time in the cabin, and with a balcony, I spend more time there. Oh, and my experience is that a balcony usually allows more noise into your cabin when you try to sleep. People partying too loud either up a deck or two, or to the left or right. I remember one cruise where a drunk couple started a loud argument up one deck and over two cabins. (I ignored the noise until I heard him start throwing stuff at her. Then I picked up the phone.)

I'm pretty flexible when it comes to features and amenities, since the important thing for me is watching the sea go by and smelling the salt air, and you can do that on that wide deck where they used to have the mustard drills. Balconies are good, but if inside cabins save me enough clams that I can convert to a B2B, or buy specialty coffee, and maybe hit J.Rockets once or twice for a BLT, and assuming I can still enjoy things with the cost-saving efforts they've necessarily had to implement.

It's a beautiful thing that a ship can offer so many options for all of us. This thread explains all the pros and cons nicely. Now I need to find a thread that will help me figure out if I should try that royal up thing they do.Not this trip, but for future cruises, should this one pan out as I hope it will.

[OldCaver]

35 minutes ago, davekathy said:

When we use to cruise inside cabins we always had the beds separated. In our opinion it gave us more room to move around. 

I agree about the beds. Reminds me of a cruise we took when we booked the last cabin available. The room was so small that with the beds together, you had to climb over the bed to get into it - either that or walk sideways like a crab. By separating, the two walking areas were combined so that you could easily walk between the beds.

Edited April 15, 2023 by OldCaver

[davekathy]

In our opinion, Balcony and Ocean View cabins are just as dark at night as inside cabins. 

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, OldCaver said:

I agree about the beds. Reminds me of a cruise we took when we booked the last cabin available. The room as so small that with the beds together, you had to climb over the bed to get into it - either that or walk sideways like a crab. By separating, the two walking areas were combined so that you could easily walk between the beds.

Exactly why we did it after our first inside cabin. 

[latebuyer]

5 minutes ago, davekathy said:

In our opinion, Balcony and Ocean View cabins are just as dark at night as inside cabins. 

I seems like only people in interior cabins are saying they got a great sleep so not sure what it is about it.

[edspec]

I love inside cabins, and yes, have cruised in balconies, full suite, and mini-suite so know what I'm missing. I consider it like purchasing real estate.  The smart buyer buys the cheapest house in the best neighborhood they can afford.  

[latebuyer]

Yes thats why i’m not doing royal up. Who knows where they’ll put me even though it a better category.

[rjrpar]

38 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

I quoted you directly because you said, and I quote “ If money was no object, everybody would have a suite.” Money is no object to us and we no longer would book a suite unless it was too good of a deal to pass up, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon. So much for the everybody statement.

In your second sentence you say money is no object, then later in that same sentence you say money is a factor. Can’t have it both ways

[Mum2Mercury]

23 hours ago, missholly24 said:

... Usually its a few hundred dollars more for OV ... 

We're retired and can cruise when we please now, and we're only paying a couple hundred for any given cruise ticket.  Seriously ... our last three cruise prices were $364 (7 days on Grandeur), $380 (8 days on Explorer) and $99 (3 nights on Indy).  The point:  An inside can save real money.  

23 hours ago, Tatka said:

 Our first room was OV ... we discovered that it is the least useful room out of all. Windows are not panoramic and rather small, so it is not convenient to use them. Most of them are also on lower decks.

Totally agree.  I understand the thought process behind a balcony.  I understand the thought process behind an inside.  But what does an ocean view offer?  

22 hours ago, BennyandBo said:

Inside only. Can't afford the $$$ ... 

Lots of us CAN afford the $$$ but don't see the point in spending it.  

22 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

I think each person knows, in their own mind, what will work for them ...

Eh, I don't know.  When our kids were still at home, we always went with a balcony ... we needed the space.  At that point I figured, "This is the room we'll always choose".  But then, once we retired, we wanted to see just how cheaply we could cruise and have a good time, and we found that an inside is great! 

We really weren't sure when we went into an inside the first time ... but it took us about a day to realize we were entirely satisfied, especially for the price we paid!  

15 hours ago, Cruise5life said:

... Only had one asshat next to me once.   

In all fairness, you can end up with a bad neighbor in any room, BUT it's likely to affect you more if you have a balcony.  

15 hours ago, DukeASUGirl said:

... I detest nightlights, and can't sleep if there's one in my room. Literally. It's way too much light and keeps me awake ...

Something we used to do when our kids were small:  We'd bring light sticks ... like the ones kids use at Halloween.  You can get them at the Dollar Store.  They're a soft light, just enough for a kid to keep in bed as a small light /just enough light to go to the rest room /not enough light to fully wake you, if you're sensitive.  

3 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

My wife and I enjoy being the oddballs. She cruised in nothing but balconies as a kid and we got them on our first few cruises once married... now we book almost nothing but interiors after trying them and realizing we prefer them (we can afford a balcony, we just don't use them). Different strokes...

Then we're oddballs too.  I won't say I prefer interiors, but I do prefer cruising more often /spending less.  If the rooms were the same price, I'd take the balcony, but since that's never going to be the case, I like spending less.  

[dm1336]

Depends on Itinerary. For Caribbean it’s always Interior for Wife and I. Lots of places to see the sun across the ship. If I want a quiet place with sunlight I explore to find one. 

[Ret MP]

My wife and I have always wanted to try one.  But, we almost always cruise with other folks and share cabins with them and they don't want to do the interior.  We've only done two cruises with just the two of us and the balcony deals were just too good to pass up.  There's a lot more to this story but I'll spare the details.  Bottom line, I'm/we are looking forward to the day that we give an interior cabin a try.  

[davekathy]

5 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I seems like only people in interior cabins are saying they got a great sleep so not sure what it is about it.

No matter the cabin category we book, we always sleep good. We like the firm mattress and hope for some motion from the ocean. 

[Ret MP]

10 minutes ago, davekathy said:

motion from the ocean. 

Groov'in with the mov'in.  

[JustUs275]

I will find out how I feel about an interior, on our upcoming Wonder cruise. We have had balconies, a promenade, a CP balcony, and an oceanview. The oceanview cabin was definitely our least favorite - this was a few years back on smaller ship and forward on a lower deck with a tiny little porthole window and located right above the anchor. That was so noisy early in the mornings. I'm feeling a little anxious about the interior guarantee cabin...I booked it thinking is there even such a thing as a "bad" cabin on Wonder??? But maybe that was flawed thinking?

[joeyancho]

It depends on a few things. On a short cruise an interior in no big deal to me. For example we are taking a repo from LA to Vancouver, 5 day. For me a balcony is not necessary. Not much to see, cool weather. In December we are taking a 10 day Panama Canal. Balcony is mandatory.  Warm weather,  so much to see.