Help me love an Alaskan cruise on Luminosa with an inside cabin!

[noshoobie]

DH and I are considering an Alaskan cruise on the Luminosa. After my research on ships it seemed that the Spirit was a better choice. We would love to book a balcony but for budget reasons we must book an inside cabin. We found a cruise where the date of the cruise and the price of the airfare work out perfectly but, again, it is on the Luminosa. If you have sailed an inside cabin to Alaska  can you give me some insight? Thanks so much. 

Edited March 7 by noshoobie

[Delbo]

I haven't done an inside cruise to Alaska but did one to the Mediterranean.  My advice is, if that is what your budget allows, then by all means, do it!  The thing that bothered me most was not knowing what time of day it was, so I never slept soundly thinking I was missing something.  My first balcony cruise was to Alaska, because the friend that went with me would only travel if she could get a balcony.  That was 10 years ago, and now I always want a balcony, too!  I also loved being able to sleep with the balcony door open and hear the ocean and feel the cool air.  But, again, it's always better to stay within your means and go and enjoy it.  You will love it either way!

[purplephenom]

I was on the spirit in an inside cabin last year and I'm going back this summer on the Luminosa- also in an inside cabin.  I know myself- I'd never sit out on a balcony and just watch the scenery go by.  But I really enjoyed being up on deck watching for animals.  On the Spirit, I hung out in Serenity which was at the back of the ship so I could see both sides- I'm hoping to find a similar location on the Luminosa.  Balconies really aren't worth it for me, because I'm never in the room on my Caribbean cruses, and I found that to be the same (for me) in Alaska

[TinkLoverSam]

I have done 2 cruises to Alaska, both in an inside cabin. I say the best cabin for an Alaskan cruise is the one you can afford that gets you on the ship!

 

Pros of an inside cabin: 

1. It stays light FOREVER in the summer in Alaska, having the inside cabin allows you to get great sleep with no light seepage

Cons of an inside cabin: there is beautiful scenery everywhere and you will have to go to a public deck to enjoy it. The pro to this is that the scenery is all around you and being on an upper, open deck allows you to enjoy being literally surrounded by the beauty

[Saint Greg]

I've done Alaska twice. The first time I insisted on getting a 4J room with the picture window. I envisioned myself watching the views from my room. Stepping outside. Then stepping back inside when it was cold. It didn't work that way. I barely used the room. I spent a lot of time in ports. When we were doing scenic cruising I was in public areas where I could hear the naturalist.

 

Last year I did an interior on NCL Jewel and it was fine. I was never in the room other than when I was sleeping.

 

My suggestion is deck 4. That way you're just one deck above deck 3 which has an exterior deck. It's also right above the dining room so it will be convenient for dinner.

 

Edited March 7 by Saint Greg

[Essiesmom]

I’ve done Alaska twice on Princess in inside cabins.  First time on Diamond I booked B2B from Whittier.  I got the biggest inside they had, HC.  Did t need HC but TA said it was probably the on,y inside available for both weeks.  Second time on Coral with my sister.  Regular inside, was fine.  I spent all my time all around the ship.  
I suggest a 4K inside, one that used to be a French door balcony, now is just a floor to ceiling lifeboat view.  Same space as a balcony, including couch, just no balcony.  I also found I never used a balcony.  My sister would sit out and read, while I was out somewhere exploring or people watching.  
Balconies are great if you use them.  You never know about the weather in Alaska, often it is too chilly to sit out unless you are wrapped up.  Glacier days especially.  And if you are on the balcony when the naturalist or captain announces wildlife, it will always be on the other side of the ship.  If you are up on the outer decks, you can always run to the other side.  EM

[Ferry_Watcher]

A photo of the Luminosa in Alaska last May '23

[jsglow]

We are huge obstructed OV fans for Alaska and I'd consider an Inside, as necessary. We would never pay for a balcony. Others insist on one, and pay upwards of 3-4 times more. I'd rather go more often and go on top decks to see the scenery.

[noshoobie]

Thank you for everyone's input. Now I feel better about booking an inside cabin. Anymore comments on the Luminosa vs Spirit?

[rbos4988]

My husband and I were on the Luminosa last May and had a balcony cabin mid ship on deck 6. We loved the balcony and spent a lot of private time there since we aren’t big “minglers”. But the outer decks are great on this ship, especially serenity.

[Crusin Karen]

This is really strange because just yesterday I decided to research AK cruises for ‘25 which I never thought I’d do. I cruise solo now and live near port of Manhattan so the thought of doung this cruise scares me. But I don’t want to look back and wish I had! I’ve sailed the spirit a few times and love her as well as her sister ships. Haven’t heard too much about Luminosa and I’m curious. As far as cabins I’m happy in an ocean view now! Will be following this. 

[pault76]

• We cruised with my parents on the luminosa in June of last year.  We had a balcony and they had an inside cabin.  When we go back to alaska we will be booking an inside cabin.  We honestly spent most of our time up on the lido wildlife watching.  It was comfortable and the view was just as good with out the chill of being on the balcony.
•  

[Sugar67]

22 hours ago, Delbo said:

I haven't done an inside cruise to Alaska but did one to the Mediterranean.  My advice is, if that is what your budget allows, then by all means, do it!  The thing that bothered me most was not knowing what time of day it was, so I never slept soundly thinking I was missing something.  My first balcony cruise was to Alaska, because the friend that went with me would only travel if she could get a balcony.  That was 10 years ago, and now I always want a balcony, too!  I also loved being able to sleep with the balcony door open and hear the ocean and feel the cool air.  But, again, it's always better to stay within your means and go and enjoy it.  You will love it either way!

Anytime we have done an inside room, we turn the volume off and put the tv to the bridge cam channel.  This way, we wake up to the "natural" light

[bdeluca03]

On 3/7/2024 at 7:15 AM, noshoobie said:

DH and I are considering an Alaskan cruise on the Luminosa. After my research on ships it seemed that the Spirit was a better choice. We would love to book a balcony but for budget reasons we must book an inside cabin. We found a cruise where the date of the cruise and the price of the airfare work out perfectly but, again, it is on the Luminosa. If you have sailed an inside cabin to Alaska  can you give me some insight? Thanks so much. 

 

Did an inside cabin on the Spirit in August 2022 & a balcony on the Luminosa in August 2023.

 

While I would have enjoyed the views of a balcony on the Spirit - if I was only able to cruise with an inside cabin, I'd pick it (love the complete darkness for sleep) and just head up to the Lido Deck (tons of people by the buffet looking out the windows all day), Deck 10 or Deck 11 for the views, etc.
 

[CruiseAdict218]

We also recently booked Luminosa for Alaska, we got a nice deal on an inside cabin (deck 1 and seemed bigger than the usual inside cabins) and went with it. We figured we would save the extra and put it towards excursions. 

[MistyRo76]

I've been researching for our first Alaska cruise as well. I looked closely at both ships and we ultimately decided to go with the Spirit. We love all the things that the Spirit has that the Luminosa doesn't (Guys, Blue Iguana, Red Frog Pub and more). We're also traveling with our kiddo, so that was a factor as well. 

 

As far as cabin choice - we haven't booked anything but a balcony in over 12 years. But we know that we are going to be spending a lot more this cruise on excursions than we normally would. It was $1500 more to book a balcony for three of us than it was to book an interior. I don't like the location of the actual Oceanview cabins (deck 1/2). So we ended up going with the Interior w/ Picture Window (Obstructed View) cabin on Deck 4. We were able to get one that sits between the lifeboats to give us a bit more of a view. Location is great for us! And that cost savings couldn't be beat! 

[jsglow]

3 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

I've been researching for our first Alaska cruise as well.

 

 So we ended up going with the Interior w/ Picture Window (Obstructed View) cabin on Deck 4. We were able to get one that sits between the lifeboats to give us a bit more of a view. Location is great for us! And that cost savings couldn't be beat! 

Great choice. Our first Alaskan was an Emerald Deck obstructed OV on a one-way Golden Princess. We paid $349pp gratuities included. It felt like we were stealing. Our second was Royal Princess where we were moved from an Obs OV to an Obs Balc because of a ship change. I don't recall the exact price but I do know that it was 1/3 what a regular Balc cost. We used that coin to tack on the 6 day land portion, or at least part of it.

Edited March 8 by jsglow

[shipgeeks]

When we did our AK cruise, all we could justify was an inside cabin.  Due to circumstances, we were moved to a balcony, our first.  We did not enjoy it.  We do like being able to look out, but the balcony obstructed our view of the water and scenery.

We spent virtually all our waking hours up on the top deck, watching the scenery in all directions, getting sunshine if it was a sunny day.

During the 10-night cruise, we only spent a couple of hours, one afternoon, out on the balcony, and we were not at all comfortable.

Have a wonderful cruise!

 

[bachl46]

Did luminosa last year booked inside upgraded to obstruct view… we made a point to be out on deck or up by the pool enclosed plenty of great views… honestly probably the best cruise value we ever had ship was perfect for Alaska strongly recommend it

[csm5986142]

On 3/7/2024 at 7:30 AM, purplephenom said:

Balconies really aren't worth it for me, because I'm never in the room on my Caribbean cruses, and I found that to be the same (for me) in Alaska

 

I agree!  

Even with Hawaii, Alaska, and Panama Canal where people say balconies are a must, I was fine in an interior.  When we do have a balcony, I don't to stay on it when watching the scenery. I'd rather be on one of the upper (or back) decks where I can go back and forth depending on which side is interesting. 

We have done the Alaska itenerary many times (usually in an interior since the price was exactly double for a balcony).  We spent very little time in the room, and both the Spirit and Luminosa have an excess of really nice interior and exterior common space, and never feel crowded.

Of course I'll always take a balcony if it's close in price to an interior, but never for double the price - I'd rather take another cruise!  🙂

In regard to Spirit vs Luminosa, we were on Luminosa in August and Spirit in September.  I can see why people (especially if traveling with kids) prefer Spirit, but Luminosa has its positive aspects too.  Both are are great ships and Alaska is such an amazing itenerary.

[TrqoisWtrs]

On 3/8/2024 at 7:49 AM, Sugar67 said:

Anytime we have done an inside room, we turn the volume off and put the tv to the bridge cam channel.  This way, we wake up to the "natural" light

That doesn't always work.  TV on Mardi Gras went into sleep mode after a bit.

[MistyRo76]

On 3/8/2024 at 4:01 PM, jsglow said:

Great choice. Our first Alaskan was an Emerald Deck obstructed OV on a one-way Golden Princess. We paid $349pp gratuities included. It felt like we were stealing. Our second was Royal Princess where we were moved from an Obs OV to an Obs Balc because of a ship change. I don't recall the exact price but I do know that it was 1/3 what a regular Balc cost. We used that coin to tack on the 6 day land portion, or at least part of it.

Between us going with Carnival over Princess and forgoing a balcony, we saved about $2500! That’s a lot of excursion money! So I totally get that part of the decision! 
 

$349pp is a steal! That’s awesome! Glad you got to take advantage of that! 

[kdr69]

I would have to be there to help you love your cruise. 🙂 

[Sugar67]

15 hours ago, TrqoisWtrs said:

That doesn't always work.  TV on Mardi Gras went into sleep mode after a bit.

Well that stinks =(

[IntrepidFromDC]

As others have said, there is nothing wrong with an inside cabin, just don't spend time there except sleeping, showering, etc.  There is so much to see at all times beginning day two on an Inside Passage Alaskan cruise - it's not like a Caribbean or Atlantic cruise where you have lots of sailing in just open water, there's always things to be awed by as the ship sails the Inside Passage.  In addition, there's a scientist or naturalist who will board and explain things that you are seeing in an entirely different, "educated" way that makes an Alaskan cruise SOOOO much more interesting than any Caribbean cruise.

 

I never thought I'd cruise Alaska, but we got a casino offer for a free cabin in 2014 so I sorted the available free cruises by most expensive first and it came up Alaska.  My daughter agreed to try it, although we both were wondering if we were making a mistake... four Alaska cruises later TRUST ME Alaska cruises are amazing in a different way!

 

I hope you have lots of fun and stay out of the cabin or I'll have ye keel-hauled from bow to stern!  😁 🏴‍☠️