Top 10 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Cabin on a Cruise Ship
There tends to be only a few cruise lines we want to sail on, we already have some destinations in mind when first looking for our next cruise and we always stick to the same sort of budget.
One variable we cannot have too much control over is the exact cabin we will get to choose to sail in and with ships having 1000’s of them and you spending most of your time onboard in, it is something that you simply need to get right for the perfect cruise holiday.
When you first start out, it can seem overwhelming especially if you are sailing for the first time, onboard a new ship or on one of the gigantic megaships.
Thankfully, there are several things that when you know what you want from them, the process becomes much simpler.
So just what are the top 10 tips for picking your next stateroom, that is just what we look at in this list.
Our Top 10 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Cabin on a Cruise Ship
Choose the perfect location
The biggest aspect of choosing a cruise cabin is to make sure the location is in the right place as it can really make or break any holiday.
Not only is it the most important aspect but it is also the trickiest to decide on as there is just so much to take into mind when deciding.
If you have favourite places to be whilst on a ship, you will likely want to pick a cabin location close to them, whilst if you tend to be all over the ship a more central place will be best.
We always try to pick a cabin close to a lift bank and stairs so we can easily nip back to the room when getting back onboard, but these are also high traffic areas, so you don’t want to be too close.
Speaking of which, we always try to be not too close to any bars, entertainments areas, theatres as well as the pool and entertainment decks as not only are they noisy during the day, but they are likely to be noisy at night when you trying to get some sleep.
Getting to sleep can also be an issue if you get a room at the aft of the ship that is too close to the engines of the ship as you can find your room vibrates but it is often rooms in that location that are amongst the sturdiest and therefore best for those with motion sickness worries.
So there you have just some of the things to think about when it comes to the location but thankfully, many of the other aspects of this list will help narrow down just where you can stay.
Inside, Outside, Balcony or Suite
When you look at the different types of rooms you can book on a ship, especially on modern ships and the worlds biggest ones, it seems like there are a smorgasbord of cabins but in truth it comes down to 4 separate types: inside, outside, balcony and suites.
Knowing which type you want will really help to decide on the actual cabins you want as there are only so many of each type on a cruise ship.
Balcony and outside cabins tend to be the most common whilst suites do come at the biggest cost and sometimes come with added extras.
Make Your Cabin Even Better
For most of us a cabin will just be somewhere to sleep, wash and get changed whilst for others it is somewhere we will spend most of our time in.
For those in the latter category, you may wish to pick a room with added benefits to really make the most of your time, but just what options are there.
It does depend on the ship that you are sailing on but many now offer cabins with included access into the spa, or ones that are located in the spa area themselves, some cabins come complete with butlers to take care of everything for you and some come with added benefit of been able to order food from restaurant to eat in your room or on your balcony.
Ship within a ship concepts
Just like a plane has a luxury section at the front, many cruise ships also have a premium section that offers cruisers lots of added benefits and that also place their cabins in a part of the ship only open to those staying in the same area.
This ship within a ship concept is the ultimate luxury and brings the luxury ship experience whilst still been able to take advantage of the best of been on a mainstream cruise ship, such as the entertainment and many bars, cafes and restaurants.
If you want to sail in the premium section of a ship, it will really limit the cabin you can pick as there are only ever a handful on each ship to keep the premium nature of them.
To balcony or not to balcony
If you are sailing in a region full of incredible natural beauty, a balcony could really make a big improvement on your holiday and will be well worth the extra cost but if you are sailing in a more built up, industrial area, you may choose not to use it too much any way.
The money you could save on choosing an inside, or even an outside cabin, could be used to make the most of your time on shore and even in beautiful parts of the world such as the Norwegian Fjords, there are plenty of great places to get a good view all around your ship.
Combat rough seas
If you are worried about seasickness or if you are a sufferer or it, you will want to pick a cabin that helps to limit your exposure to it.
It is thought that cabins on lower decks and more to the centre or wider areas of your ship are the sturdiest in rougher seas, so you may want to pick a cabin in those areas.
No frills or splash out
There is one thing that for most of us is the biggest aspect of choosing any part of our holiday and that is our budget.
We would all love to sail in the biggest, most luxurious cabin on the ship we choose but that just isn’t a possibility.
For those with a set budget, such as us, the amount we spend on a cabin impacts other parts of our holiday and we personally prefer to spend more on doing things in the locations we visit rather than on the cabin but for other, spending more on the cabin and getting a better location or a balcony makes for a better holiday.
When you know your overall budget and how much of it you want to spend on your stateroom, you will find it helps to narrow down your options of which cabins are available to you.
Avoid surprises
Before choosing a cabin, make sure you check the deck plans for your ship before committing.
Sometimes you may get a surprise when you first head to your cabin to find it is on a corridor with a dead end making it difficult to get to parts of the ships, sometimes you may have a door to the outside next to you making your cabin noisy and cold and sometimes you may be near to machinery.
Most of those things will not appear on the booking website but will on the deck plans.
The early bird catches the worm
If you leave it until the last minute before booking your cruise, the chances are that there will only be a limited number of cabins left and often they will be in the worst locations on the ship.
If you want to have the widest pick of cabins, and often the best prices, you really need to be booking your cruise almost as soon as it goes on sale.
Sailaway rates
Different lines give this option a different name but if you really cannot choose a cabin or if you just don’t care where you are located, most lines will offer a huge discount to those who choose a sailaway rate.
You select the type of cabin, inside, outside etc and then you are assigned a cabin by the line.
That normally happens close to departure and if you are on a busy sailing, you will likely have the worst located cabin of your type but if you are on a quieter sailing, you could end up with a great bargain for a cabin you could have picked anyway.
