Inside Cabins

[gettingmarried]

We are looking to book a Feb 2009 Cruise on the Emerald Princess and are looking at an inside room B421. Anyone have any comments on this choice? Last time we had a balcony and really didn't make full use of it other to go out and watch the ship going into Ports. :(

Thanks for any advice!

[Toto2Kansas]

Well, the one thing different you will notice is that you will have a tough time telling if it is nite or day in an inside cabin. You can leave your TV on to the ships web cam, which does help a lot.

 

Personally, I would try for even an obstructed view cabin. Even without a view, it would have a little sunshine, or be able to tell nite from day.

 

Other than that, the stateroom will be about the same as your balcony stateroom, if it is on the same class of ship that you sailed on previously.

[monakayk]

We have stayed in both inside and (obstructive) OV and liked them both equally.

 

The OV is a bit larger on Princess, so that was a plus. As for light, the OV had black-out curtains so the light from the window will not bother you when you sleep. Seeing outside is nice, but not a necessity for us when cruising.

 

Inside cabins are nice too and did not feel too small for us. As for having light during the day..that wasn't an issue for us cause we hardly spent any time in the cabin except to sleep, dress, shower. There is just too much fun stuff to do on the ship (as far as we are concern) to spend a lot of time in our cabin. But some folks do spend a lot of time in their cabins...so if this is the case for you...then maybe spending extra $$$ for an OV cabin would be best..if you like light during the day.

 

For the price, I would not pay too much extra for a cabin, but this is JMHO. If the price difference is not that much more than an (obstructive) OV compared to an inside...then an (obstructive) OV would be nice.

 

You will really have to decide what is important to you. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes.....so if you want to spend a lot of time in your cabin..then one with OV might suit you best.

[nho9504]

We are looking to book a Feb 2009 Cruise on the Emerald Princess and are looking at an inside room B421. Anyone have any comments on this choice? Last time we had a balcony and really didn't make full use of it other to go out and watch the ship going into Ports. :(

Thanks for any advice!

 

We had an inside on Emerald's Transatlantic. I used the wake-up call function on the phone to get us up. No problem. I forgot our cabin number, but it was on the Riviera deck, situated alongside the utility area - a larger size cabin than the regular inside. I believe there are 4 of those, 2 on each side of the ship.

 

We had the half-covered, half-shade balcony cabin on Caribbean Princess last year. My husband counted we had used less than 30 minutes in total during our 7 day cruise because we hated the salt deposit on the railing and chairs. There is really no point for us to pay for the extra if we dont use the balcony.

[gettingmarried]

Thanks so much for your comments and ideas. It has helped me decide to actually take the inside for the cheaper price. Like some of you said, we only use it to sleep, shower and dress because the ships are SO much fun! Can't wait for Feb 09

[vmom]

We have been on the CB two times in inside cabins and I liked it. By going on insides, we are able to cruise more often and also use the extra $$ for excursions.

 

We are the type who don't like being in the room much, but prefer to be out and about. So much is personal preference. I think given our habits and preferences, an inside cabin makes sense. For others it would be different.

[CCName]

I think it also depends on where you are sailing.

 

TJ

[Sea Hag]

I don't mind inside cabins. We really don't spend much time in the cabin, and most of what we do spend is sleeping. You have passenger cabins above you, so it should be okay for noise from above. I booked us into an inside cabin below the Horizon Court galley once, and my poor DH still hasn't recovered from that. Talk about 24 hour noise!:p

[Jules H]

We have had inside, outside and balcony cabins and we always enjoy ourselves! Having said that, I must say that we really like the cost savings of the inside cabins - it allows us to take more trips! - and they do feel cozy and very private, which I also like. After much debate we chose an inside cabin for our upcoming Mediterranean cruise which leaves next week - the price difference was too much to entice us to take a balcony.

 

Read up on the packing tips on this site (such as the advice to take extension cords, over the door pocket shoe bags, etc) to make storage easier and you will be set. I do have one piece of advice I don't remember reading in the other posts...if there are just two of you, you might want to be sure you get a cabin not configured to accomodate up to 4. The reason is that the additional beds, even when folded up and not used, stick out from the wall and you could bump your head on them. I think it would feel roomier without them. Plus, by taking a cabin that will only accomodate 2, you free up that larger cabin in case a family needs it. Have a great trip!

[monakayk]

One more thing to consider, maybe for your next cruise since you have stated you already booked an inside cabin....book for the savings of $$$ an inside-guarantee. You will be assigned a cabin and will not choose the cabin yourself, however you will have a good chance to receive and upgrade.

 

We book inside guarantee on our last cruise and got an upgrade to (obstructed) OV cabin. So you never can tell...you could get an upgrade.

[mikjr]

We've alway had an outside cabin, mostly verandas... but once had an inside cabin and wouldn't hesitate again to book an inside if necessary.

 

It's a bit dark... so we kept the bathroom light on, and shut the door a bit... also left the ship's CAM on the TV.

[davidnsteph]

We have had inside cabins, oceanviews and balconies. If there was a big price difference between an inside and balcony (about $1000), we chose the inside. Also, if we have previously cruised in the same area (like the Caribbean), we take an inside. We were pleasantly surprised a few times by unexpected upgrade to oceanview cabins. The ships we've sailed on had plenty of outside deck space in the front, rear and sides of the ship, often giving a lovely panoramic view in scenic places like Alaska.

 

We think that being on the ship is the most important thing. Once we leave our cabin, it doesn't matter if it has a balcony or not.

 

We have, however, paid the extra amount for a balcony in a remote and scenic area like Tahiti. It was worth it, because we could get out of bed, and watch as the ship sailed into these exotic ports as the sun was rising. We would probably splurge and book a balcony on a future cruise to a similar destination with unique scenery.

[Mrs2cats]

We had an inside cabin last year on Emerald, Aloha deck. It was much better than I was expecting and I spent 24 hours in there as I was ill. There is loads of storage space in the wardrobe area and the bathroom is adequate. We left the bathroom door open slightly but there is some light coming under the door from the hallway. We would put the TV on first thing in the morning to see if it was daylight outside and spent very little time in our cabin, apart from sleeping and getting changed. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[Treven]

I've always booked inside cabins. As been said many times, you're not gonna be in the cabin (awake) for very long at one time. Spend the extra $ on excursions or bar tabs or what have you.

 

When I was making my reservation on the Emerald cruise next April, I could have spent an additional $400 for an exterior cabin. I figured that $400 would pay for all of my excursions for the week & a half; or my two-night stay pre-cruise in Ft. Lauderdale.

 

I think you have to decide where you're gonna get the most bang for YOUR buck!!

[MichTraveler]

We book insides so we can cruise more often. We had a huge upgrade to a balcony in Tahiti and loved it. But for our money, we get insides. We had an OV once, and felt there was too much noise with the tenders out there. We love the dark room, but bring a night-light so we can find the bathroom door in the dark. Enjoy!

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

While I love having a balcony, it certainly is not necessity. The inside cabins are more than adequate, and like others said the wake-up call feature is great.

[Kaye from Chicagoland]

Sorry! Don't want to disenchant this thread. If I can't have a balcony - I don't want to cruise. Same as a land vacation - I need ocean view. To each their own.

[Cruisin' Chick]

My hubby prefers insides as he likes the dark when he sleeps (he used to work graveyard shift and installed blackout shutters for the bedroom to help him sleep during the day). So we'll turn the light on in the bathroom and leave the door ajar, and sometimes put the tv on the bridgecam channel (he'll use the bed under the girl's bunk so he doesn't get that light).

[Putterdude]

We just had an obstructed OV for a 6 day Pacific Coastal on the Golden Princess. We agreed that it worked ok because there really wasn't much to see but would go back to a balcony for a longer cruise or where there is a lot of scenery involved.

[willysgrandma]

We usually cruise with a balcony but we have done inside cabins a few times. The inside cabins are nice and quiet and if you like sleeping in a really dark cabin, they are great.

 

I would only suggest one thing - make sure your cabin has a small couch. If it doesn't, it makes watching t.v. uncomfortable if you have to sit or lay in your bed to watch it.

 

You really aren't in your room that long, but depending on the ship, if there isn't a lot going on on the ship or if the weather is bad and prevents you from going outside and you want to watch a movie in your room, it is a pain in the neck without a couch. Of course, that is the same whether it's in inside or outside cabin.

[Stevesan]

My last two cruises were inside cabins. I've booked inside cabins for my next two as well.

Nuff said! :p

 

I'd suggest two things, both are essential for those who can't sleep thru the nite:

 

1) you'll want a nite light in the head. The outlet won't accept a standard two prong plug. I picked up a three pack of StickNClick AAA battery powered lights at Bed Bath for @ ten bucks (batts Xtra). I place one on the top shelf.

http://www.bestofasseenontv.com/sticknclink/sticknclick1.html?gclid=CKf34Iamq5MCFSLOIgodan66ng

 

2) Get a bedside clock that stays illuminated without having to touch it.

http://www.magellans.com/store/Alarm_Clocks___Alarm_ClocksAC434?Args=

 

The links are examples. Both work for me.

[blackwing]

That little night light looks great, but I'd just as soon prefer leaving the bathroom light on and closing the door partly. No cost to me and nothing to have to go look for and purchase.

 

We typically stay in inside cabins. They are cheaper and it gives us more money to do other things.

 

The only time I would book a balcony is if we were taking our toddler. Because of nap time, we'd be in the cabin more, so he could nap in the room while we sat outside on the balcony and relaxed.

[fun2travel]

I love the balconies, but may consider inside to help offset all the cost increases and the value of the dollar so I can keep cruising!

[grammylynn]

We have a choice of a standard inside cabin or an inside w/ handicapped access. I'm assuming the handicapped access cabin has more room, but

we don't need the access and certainly don't want to deprive someone who might. My question; is the cabin bigger, can I reserve it, but let Princess

know I'll move to another if someone needs it??

[PescadoAmarillo]

2) Get a bedside clock that stays illuminated without having to touch it.

http://www.magellans.com/store/Alarm_Clocks___Alarm_ClocksAC434?Args=

Thanks for this link. We used to bring an electric, lighted clock but soon discovered that the ship's electric current cycle can run slow or fast, causing our clock to run slow or fast. This is an excellent alternative.