When booking a cruise vacation, you will need to decide which type of stateroom to stay in. Most of the time, this is driven by your cruise budget and travel-style.
If you want to stay in a higher-end stateroom, like a suite, then your budget will obviously need to align with a higher price point. Luxurious staterooms can come with lucrative benefits like concierge service, deluxe drink packages and massive accommodations. This can surely be worth it if you’re looking to have an upscale, more exclusive cruising experience.
On the other hand, inside staterooms are usually the cheapest staterooms you can stay in. These staterooms are very basic with no-frills, although you will find the bare necessities for a comfortable stay with a bed, closet and bathroom.
Most notably, inside cabins have no window or balcony for cruises to enjoy. You won’t be waking up to stunning views of the sea or your ports of call. Instead, these staterooms tend to be the smallest cabins onboard, so it can seem like staying in a pitch-black-shoe-box to some potential cruisers.
So, you might be wondering at this point why anyone would want to book an inside cabin? You’d be surprised to know that these cabins are not nearly as bad as they might sound. In fact, I almost always book an inside cabin when I cruise for a number of reasons.
Here’s why I actually prefer to stay in an inside cabin when I cruise - and reasons why you should consider booking one for your next cruise.
Inside cabins are very affordable, so I can stretch my vacation budget further
One of the biggest perks of staying in an inside cabin is being able to save a huge chunk of change. I love to cruise and travel, so the further that I can stretch my budget, the better. I’ve sailed on more than 30 cruises, and more than half of these have been in an inside cabin.
This has undoubtedly saved me thousands of dollars over the years. Without this kind of savings from sailing in an inside cabin, I wouldn’t be able to travel nearly as much as I’ve been blessed to do.
Inside cabins are anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars cheaper than other cabins onboard. While sometimes the price discrepancies are minimal, other times they can be drastically different. Saving thousands of dollars allows me to spend that money not only on other cruises, but also on fun excursions, drinks, internet packages, airfare and more.
On a recent cruise, I booked an inside cabin for a 12-night sailing to Iceland for $2,700. Had I booked a balcony stateroom at the time, it would have cost $3,900 for the same itinerary. I saved more than $1,000 booking an inside cabin in this case, which ended up paying for my flight to Amsterdam for the cruise.
You can always upgrade your inside cabin or reprice to save more money
One of the best ways I save money on cruises is living by the motto, “Book now, reprice later”. Sometimes, the price of a cruise will drop as the embarkation date approaches, typically due to lower demand. However, the price can also increase if demand for a certain sailing is very high.
As such, it’s best to book your cruise as soon as possible. You can always reprice your sailing before final payment date if the price drops. This strategy alone has also saved me thousands of dollars!
That inside cabin I mentioned above that booked for my Iceland cruise? I was actually able to upgrade to a balcony stateroom within a few months of the cruise for just $300.
Since it was past the final payment date, I wasn’t able to reprice our inside stateroom so I decided to upgrade us. By waiting to book a balcony cabin and watching the current price promotions, I have been able to save a substantial amount of money. Had I booked a balcony stateroom from the start, it would have cost $900 more.
Inside cabins are super quiet compared to other staterooms onboard
I’ve found that the vast majority of inside cabins are super quiet compared to other staterooms onboard.
This is especially true for cruise ships that have more unique balconies available, such as Royal Caribbean’s bigger ships. On these cruise ships, you can book a balcony stateroom with visibility into Central Park, the Boardwalk or even the Promenade on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships.
Earlier this year, I sailed in promenade stateroom onboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. Instead of having a view of the ocean, we had a window overlooking the ship’s promenade. While it was fun to have a different view than we are used to, the room was extremely noisy.
On the last night of the cruise, there was a 70s party in the Promenade with music and dancing. Super fun, right? Well, fun if you’re attending the party, but not super fun if you’re trying to sleep before early disembarkation the following day.
In fact, we had a small platform outside of our window because we were staying above Ben & Jerry’s ice cream shop. My husband joked that it sounded as if the singers were literally in our room performing because it was so loud.
Inside staterooms are typically very quiet, especially if you strategically pick your cabin’s location to be sandwiched around other cabins. This is just another one of the reasons that I love choosing an inside cabin.
I always sleep great in an inside cabin because it’s pitch black.
Without any natural light shining through, I always sleep fantastic when cruising in an inside cabin.Again, inside cabins do not have a window or balcony, so instead you’ll normally find a large mirror or wall art to decorate the space.
Not only can you sleep well at night, but you can also take a nap at any hour of the day! This is one of my favorite perks of an inside cabin, especially for port-intensive itineraries. With a pitch-black inside stateroom, you can quickly fall asleep at any hour of the day without natural light keeping you up.
There is nothing quite like taking a post-excursion nap in an inside cabin after a busy day in port. I’ve taken many fantastic naps in my inside cabin - and I promise you will love the ability to nap whenever you want.
Inside cabins have all the necessities needed for a comfortable stay, even without much space
Some might imagine staying in an inside cabin feels claustrophobic or cheap since you don't have a balcony or window. However, all inside cabins come with the necessities you need for a very comfortable stay during your vacation.
Inside cabins will normally have a king bed, bathroom, shower, closet, vanity - and even a sofa or chair if you’re lucky.
During your cruise vacation, you’re more than likely spending most of your time exploring the ship or ashore in port. Regardless of which cabin you choose to stay in, you really are not spending all that much time in your cabin anyway.
Also, Inside cabins are built to utilize the small space as efficiently as possible. While it certainly isn’t super spacious, you won’t feel cramped either. I've never felt claustrophobic when cruising in an inside cabin. I've found that cruise lines typically have very thoughtfully designed inside cabins, especially on newer ships.
You don’t feel pressure to spend much time in your cabin when sailing in an inside stateroom
Although I normally choose to cruise an inside cabin, I’ve also had the privilege of sailing in balcony cabins and even entry-level suites. When staying in these more expensive cabins, I feel more obligated to spend extra time in my cabin. I want to make sure I am getting my money’s worth and taking advantage of any perks that I receive with those higher end staterooms.
Comparatively, I never feel pressure to spend ample time in my inside cabin. Most of the time, I want to explore the ship or spend my days experiencing new ports, cities or countries. I have zero guilt if I only end up sleeping and showering in my cabin. In this case, my inside cabin is just a place to rest and reset.
Some inside cabins have virtual balconies or windows, creating a unique experience for cruisers
When looking to book an inside cabin, you will probably find that some staterooms offer virtual views. Newer ships have installed screens that replicate whatever the ship sees outside in real time.
For example, Royal Caribbean’s virtual balconies feature floor-to-ceiling screens that project the ship’s outside view for guest who do not have a real window or balcony. Similarly, CruiseBlog writer Hayley sailed in a Solo Cabin onboard Norwegian Encore recently. This cabin, designed for just one passenger, featured a small virtual window for her to enjoy throughout her 4-night solo cruise.
Of course, a virtual screen does not really come close to replicating the actual views from a cruise ship's window or balcony. But, this can be super nice to see what the weather looks like outside, where the ship is currently located, or even if the sun has set or risen in the morning. It also creates a unique experience for cruisers!
You don’t have to worry about inconsiderate balcony neighbors
On my recent cruise, we stayed in a balcony cabin sailing around Iceland. Although the views were stunning, we had a less than ideal neighbor next to us for the entire 12-night sailing. Even though marijuana is illegal on cruise ships and smoking is prohibited on balconies, our neighbor didn’t hold back from either.
While the cruise line handled the issue flawlessly, we weren’t able to enjoy our balcony and the fresh air for the first few days because of it. Even though we paid extra to have this balcony space, we weren’t able to peacefully sit and watch the scenery without massive stench coming from our disrespectful neighbor.
I started to think about how this would never happen in an inside cabin. All you share with your neighbors is a wall, so there’s no chance of something like this happening. Of course, your neighbor can still be noisy or disruptive, but you most likely won’t need to worry about something like this happening.
Is an inside cabin right for you?
First-time cruisers might get overwhelmed trying to decide which type of stateroom to book for an upcoming cruise vacation. After all my years of cruising, I can assure you that there's no "bad" stateroom category onboard a cruise ship.
You will first want to consider your budget. Those looking to save money should definitely consider booking an inside cabin. These staterooms will undoubtedly be cheaper that anything else available on a cruise. When saving money on your cabin, you can focus on spending money for things that you value more. This could include excursions, drink packages, specialty dining, onboard experiences, airfare and more.
Next, you might want to consider what type of itinerary you're booking. If you are sailing on a very port-intensive itinerary, you won't be spending much time in your cabin anyway. You'll be ashore exploring all of the amazing destinations of your cruise instead! On the flip side, if your cruise has more time at sea, you could consider booking a higher-end stateroom if you anticipate you'll be spending more time in your cabin.
Your itinerary's destination can also play an important role for whether an inside cabin is the right choice for you. If you are sailing to somewhere like Alaska, Iceland or Norway, I would recommend looking into a balcony stateroom so you can relish in all of the stunning scenery. For those sailing to the Caribbean, you won't have as many beautiful views once your cruise sets sail since you will be sailing from island to island.
Finally, are you someone who likes to be very busy on vacation? Those busy bees will highly benefit from an inside cabin because you won't be wanting to spend much time there. Comparatively, guests who like to recluse to their private space for peace and quiet might find the splurge worthwhile to have a higher-end stateroom. If you anticipate spending a decent amount of time in your cabin, this investment could be the right choice for you.
Allie Hubers
Allie Hubers has been cruising since she was a tiny toddler. What started as a yearly vacation with family quickly turned into a passion for travel, cruising and adventure. Allie's been on nearly 30 cruises all over the world. She even studied abroad on Semester at Sea, sailing the world on a ship while taking courses for college and visiting 4 continents.
