Inside Room -- will I hate it?

[happyscot]

Once DH and I had sailed with a balcony, we thought that we would never again cruise without one. Then, DH asked if I would like to go on a late fall cruise last year in addition to our usual trip in January/February. He said it would have to be a "cheap" trip: inside stateroom, flight on day of sailing (no hotel overnight), and limited shore excursions, etc. DH was making an offer I couldn't refuse! :D

 

We had an inside stateroom on the Star Princess and were happy as clams. The cabin size was comparable to balcony staterooms on "grand" class ships, and we easily survived the week-long voyage without a balcony. That said, on a longer cruise, I would want a balcony but when DH offers to take me on an interim "cheap" cruise, I'm not going to turn it down. :p

 

Hope you see this, Sweetie. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris

 

 

I did, honey.

 

Why are clams happy? Are they from Scotland?

 

xx

[Tina G]

When you go deck, you can say to yourself "Surprise, you have arrived at _________ port. "

 

That is what your TV is for - you can watch your ship dock (if you get up early enough) on the Bridge Cam channel. We did the Greek Isles cruise two years ago with an inside cabin. The only place I felt I was missing out was Santorini, but you can always step out on deck to look. WOW! What a view!:D

[cbpanda]

You didn't mention which ship you are considering. On the Sun class ships, the inside rooms are smaller. Ideally, get an inside cabin aft on the Aloha deck, so you can step out to the rear sundeck. We've done several inside cabins, and they are OK. Better than staying home!

 

Sorry about that. It's the Grand on the British Isles itinerary next year.

[cbpanda]

When you go deck, you can say to yourself "Surprise, you have arrived at _________ port. "

 

 

:) That's what I'll have to do.

[cbpanda]

I'm in the same situation - spoiled by having my first two cruises in a balcony room! This time we took an inside. I was wondering if I made a mistake by skipping the "oceanview" category altogether and heading right into the inside room.

 

Nice to read all the opinions on here. I figured thousands of inside rooms are filled every day on ships around the world, so they can't be too bad! ;)

 

As was said earlier, by taking the inside room, I was able to squeeze in another cruise before I would have been able to otherwise, with most balcony rooms costing at least TWICE as much!

 

In 30 days, I guess I'll find out! HAHA! :D

 

You'll have to let me know how it was.

[criuisingurl079]

Out of my eight cruises, seven of them were interior rooms. While we did really enjoy the balcony, the interiors suit us just fine. Keep the bathroom light on for sleeping, and put the TV on turned to live at the Bridge cam, and you'll be all set! If you enjoy watching pulling into ports early, go snag a seat on the Promenade with a nice morning beverage, and your all set!!We find that we are always out and about, and aren't in the room much anyway! There's no better sleeping them in an interior room on a cruise!:D

 

Have Fun!

[cbpanda]

I'm sure you'll make the most of it, too.

Chris

 

 

I plan to.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice!

[clarets1]

cbpanda, sorry didn't mean to sound so negative in my last post, I just hate confined spaces so of course that doesn't mean that you wont enjoy YOUR cruise.Inside would be torture for me.

 

Hope you have a pleasant holiday.

 

xx

[cbpanda]

cbpanda, sorry didn't mean to sound so negative in my last post, I just hate confined spaces so of course that doesn't mean that you wont enjoy YOUR cruise.Inside would be torture for me.

 

Hope you have a pleasant holiday.

 

xx

 

No worries. :) That's exactly why I posted this thread. I was concerned that it would be weird -- I've never stayed in a room with no windows before.

[Oregon81]

My wife I generally go cheap on the cabin so we can spend more on excurions and shopping. Location is critical though. We spend most of our time out by the pool so we always try to get a room on the highest deck possible near to the pool.

 

On Grand class, we book Lido deck cabins so the pool, pizza, buffet are just a few steps away down the hall. On Sun class, we book on Aloha deck near to the stairs under pool.

[cbpanda]

My wife I generally go cheap on the cabin so we can spend more on excurions and shopping. Location is critical though. We spend most of our time out by the pool so we always try to get a room on the highest deck possible near to the pool.

 

On Grand class, we book Lido deck cabins so the pool, pizza, buffet are just a few steps away down the hall. On Sun class, we book on Aloha deck near to the stairs under pool.

 

You know I gave this some thought. It's a Grand class, so I couldn't decide if I wanted to be higher (Lido) to be near the pools, buffet, etc. or lower to be closer to the Promenade deck and atrium that might not be as popular as the pool area.

[cruzinchris]

Why are clams happy? Are they from Scotland?

 

This is an American expression meaning "very happy and content". An early version is 'as happy as a clam at high water'. Clams are free from the attentions of predators at high tide, so perhaps that's a reason to consider them happy then.

 

Chris

[readytogo2]

Our first cruise was on Celebrity, so the cost was a big factor so we decided to get in anside room. I felt who wants to spend time in the cabin anyway, so the following 2 cruises were also insides. the next cruise we got upgraded to a OV and we loved it, last year we finally got a balcony and we got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Would I ever go back to an inside, you bet ya! A cruise is what you make it..inside or out, they all are great:D

[cruzinchris]

You know I gave this some thought. It's a Grand class, so I couldn't decide if I wanted to be higher (Lido) to be near the pools, buffet, etc. or lower to be closer to the Promenade deck and atrium that might not be as popular as the pool area.

 

On "grand" class Princess ships, DH and I like to be on Baja deck that is half-way up the stairs from the Atrium (shops, restaurants, lounges, etc.) and half-way down the stairs from the pools, buffet, etc. We have booked the same stateroom that we had on the CB for our Emerald cruise next February.

Chris

[JRoeT]

I'm not sure I really have anything new to say . . but I have to chime in. My first four cruises were in balcony cabins. Just last March, my husband and I were in an inside cabin on the Crown Princess. I LOVED it!

 

I did miss the fresh air in the room just a bit. But I loved the feeling of economy and knowing we could spend the money on other extras. On the crown, the closet area is so big that we could hang wet bathing suits (after they had drip-dried in the shower) in one part of the closet, and could easily stow our snorkeling gear there too in between excursions.

 

I felt we had plenty of room. I will probably not book a balcony or even oceanview again unless I am going on an itinerary that really demands it (Alaska for example, obviously). I also agree that you can find a lot of "nooks and crannies" around the shp to spend quiet time if you don't want to spend it all in your room (although we did enjoy the quiet time in our room, too).

 

Oh, and one thing that is kind of new to this thread: Depending on the ship, you could closely examine the deck plan and pick an inside cabin with a relatively short walk (up or down one closeby flight of stairs for instance) to the promenade deck or other comparable area. This way, while one person is showering or catching the last few minutes of zzzzzs, if the other person would like to run out onto the deck to catch a view of the port or the weather, it's not a long walk to do so.

 

Finally, I know this is not news to most of you, but bringing a canvas folding shoe organizer and hanging it in your closet is great for inside cabins, since you have even more limited surface space for clutter to rest. You use it for camera, film/memory, bug spray and sunscreen, plastic baggies, folded rain ponchos, (Shoes! Imagine that!), water wallet, novels, magazines . . . all those little things that accumulate on the desk area. It keeps things tidy. If you're like me, that's important in a tiny space.

 

Inside cabins rule! Have fun!

[20SomethingJeff]

I have been on 5 with my 6th coming this summer, we went, inside - inside - balcony - inside - balcony - balcony coming up. It may seem different but it is like spending the night in a basement.

 

DW loved how easy it was to take an afternoon nap.

 

I would go again and think nothing of it.

Jeff

[Ethel5]

Having stayed in insides, ocean views and balconies, I don't find any difference in storage space. I actually prefer insides because I like an afternoon nap and the cabin is nice and dark!

[dennbr9]

Great place for an afternoon Power Nap!

 

I prefer an outside, and a Balcony is nice also-though I find I do not use it much really except to open it up for the salt sea air and the sounds of crashing waves. Have three crises booked in the next year- one Balcony, one outside and one inside.

[play21cw]

It will be the worst cruise experience of your LIFE!!

 

Just Kidding

 

if you are one who likes staying in teh room then yes, you will be missing out on the viewes of a window or balcony stateroom. If you like to explore the ship and enjoy all it has to offer, then you will realize that your room is nearly a place to shower, change and sleep.

 

Enjoy

[senatorgirth]

Here's my recommendation:

 

1. Book the inside cabin

2. Take an amount of money equal to the (significant) price difference between your inside cabin and a much pricier balcony room.

3. Put that money in an online savings account that pays a competitive rate (like, say, INGdirect.com or HSBSdirect.com)

4. Enjoy your cruise in the inside cabin

5. After you return home, look at the balance of your savings account and the amount of interest you earn daily, and then enjoy the thought of knowing you have that money saved and that it increases every day.

6. Repeat step 5 (above) daily/weekly/monthly

[SusieS]

Hi Claire- We're a family of 4, & the only way we could begin to afford our cruises, is to book an inside quad. We honestly don't give it a moments thought; we are just so thrilled to be able to cruise together. I would much rather take 3-4 cruises a year, than 1 every, or every other year. We'r hardly ever in the room, except to change clothes or sleep, so it's perfect for us.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We leave the bathroom light on and the door ajar for those middle-of-the-night needs. You can leave the tv on to the bridge cam channel and see the weather and the time. And it's nice for my hubby who likes a dark room for sleeping.

 

We try to be out of our cabin much of the time anyway.

[ancldaca]

For me, a vacation is being anywhere except home. I can be actually happy just staying in a semi-decent hotel room and watch TV or read books all day - as long as it isn't home - and that would qualify as a good vacation for me.

 

That said, I took a 4 day inside cruise on the old Nordic Empress and it was fine. I have trouble sleeping at night (let alone during the day) and the outside cabins just aren't dark enough for me, especially in the morning when the sun's rays would always find a way into the cabin no matter what.

 

I'll be solo cruising inside in September (got one of those larger looking - non HC - inside cabins on the CB) although I have the means to cruise solo on balcony or mini several times a year if I wish to. It was a decision based purely on being able to rest properly.

 

In december I've invited my parents to a mini and I'm taking a balcony but this time on the Crown. This will give me a good hands-on opportunity to study all the main cabins types available and then make a decision going forward. However, I suspect that in 2008, I'll probably be cruising exclusively inside. Again, because vacations is more of a resting period for me than necesarily a go out and be active and get to know new places type of thing.

 

Come to think of it, as I'm writing this post in my bedroom, I realize that my bedroom is an "inside". Maybe it's because I'm so used to this that the idea of needing a balcony isn't so strong.

 

I know, I'm weird...

[Solara]

We always book an inside cabin. I'd rather save the money for other things and other cruises. I'm never in the cabin anyway so I can get almost 2 cruises on an inside cabin rather than 1 on a balcony. It's never bothered us at all.

[ckm12345]

We have sayed in both an inside cabin and a balcony. No doubt about it, the balcony was great...but was a lot of extra money. We have decided that we would rather have that money to spend on the cruise...or just to come back without as big a credit card balance! We booked an inside cabin for May 30th without any regrets at all, and save 900 dollars. Think of how many frozen drinks, shore excursions, souvenirs, etc an extra 900 bucks will buy you!:)