Is it always worth paying extra for a balcony cabin, or could booking the most affordable interior cabin be the smarter choice? In my experience, opting for the cheapest option can be the better decision.
Last year, I cruised with my parents and sister on Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Solstice from Sydney, Australia. The 15-night repositioning cruise visited ports of call along the northern coast of Australia, including an overnight port in Bali, Indonesia. I was able to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, swing over the rice fields of Bali, and pet Kangaroos in Brisbane. It was truly a bucket list itinerary!
When we booked this cruise, my sister and I decided to save money by choosing an interior cabin. Given the high costs of airfare and excursions, booking an interior room allowed us to allocate our budget to other experiences.
We paid $4,200 for Celebrity’s All Included cruise fare for the inside cabin, which included a standard drink package, prepaid gratuities, and the basic internet package. Considering the length of the itinerary and the perks provided in the cruise fare, this price felt like a great value.
At the time of booking, the only interior cabin option available to us was cabin 1196 on Deck 10. While I’m usually very particular about my stateroom selection, this deck’s location - situated between two passenger decks - aligned with my preferred choice for staterooms. The cabin was positioned at the very aft of the ship, though its exact placement on the deck plans was somewhat unclear when we made the reservation.
Because my parents prefer having a balcony stateroom, they opted to book an obstructed balcony for the cruise. The cost of an obstructed balcony was about $800 more than our cheap interior cabin, bringing their total cost to $5,000 for the All Included fare. Their stateroom was 6186 on Deck 8, which was considered a midship cabin onboard Celebrity Solstice.
After boarding, my sister and I briefly questioned whether we should have splurged on an obstructed balcony like our parents. Having a balcony is always a luxury when cruising, as you can step outside and see the ship's views with a moment's notice. However, by the end of the cruise, we decided our interior cabin was the better choice—here’s why.
Initial disappointment after boarding
After boarding our cruise in Sydney, we immediately noticed our cabin seemed susceptible to noise. The cabin was located where two hallways joined together at the ship’s aft, meaning our cabin shared the wall with a hallway on three sides.
The other side was split between an ice closet and a linen closet, which were only accessible by the cabin stewards. While relaxing on the first day, we could hear the cabin stewards entering and exiting the closets during their turndown service. I worried that the early morning would bring loud noises as well, likely disrupting our sleep.
Because our cabin was in an odd location without other staterooms nearby, it seemed to be a congregation place for the crew members to chat. With this, we could hear some commotion during the first few days of the cruise.
Read more: Noise-Free Cabins: How to Avoid Loud Rooms on Your Cruise
On the flip side, our parents’ cabin was quiet. The midship location alleviated some motion of the ship, and their neighbors were very quiet. We could have booked the stateroom directly next to our parents, which would have nearly guaranteed we wouldn’t have disruptive guests next door. We questioned whether the savings would be worth it.
Interior cabin configuration
While we initially had concerns about potential noise during our long itinerary, our interior cabin’s spacious size and well-thought-out layout were standout features. Because our cabin was off by itself in the hallway, our stateroom seemed unusually large for an inside cabin.
The average inside cabin on Celebrity Solstice is around 183 square feet; however, ours was certainly larger than this. In particular, we had extra length and slightly extra width on both sides of the stateroom.
This allowed us to store our luggage by the cabin’s entrance, as there was additional space to the right of the door. The cabin’s entrance was particularly long compared to a standard inside cabin as well. The cabin also featured two chairs on both sides of the vanity, which we appreciated for additional seating and storage. In addition, our bathroom was the same size as our parents' balcony stateroom.
Considering this sailing was 15 nights, the extra space in our cabin provided a more comfortable stay. I packed three hardshell suitcases, which I was worried about storing in our interior cabin. These are usually the smallest staterooms onboard, but that wasn’t the case for us.
In comparison, our parents’ stateroom was a standard balcony cabin, even with the obstruction. These cabins are 194 square feet with an additional 54 square feet for the balcony. However, considering the hot, humid climate during our cruise, they rarely used the space on their balcony.
Climate control issues
As our cruise continued sailing towards Singapore, we moved closer to the scorching-hot equator. When the temperature and humidity started to climb, my parents noticed their cabin had a hard time staying cool. This was likely due to a sealing issue with their balcony door, which wasn’t an issue until the weather became much warmer.
Because of this, my parents found themselves sweating in the night during the cruise. After exploring in the Bali sun all day, we were surprised to come back to their muggy, stuffy cabin. Even with the air turned to the coolest setting, their stateroom simply couldn’t keep up.
In comparison, our windowless interior cabin stayed comfortably cool during the cruise. Our parents would always comment on our cabin’s temperature control compared to their balcony stateroom. Additionally, their neighbors also mentioned the lack of climate control in their balcony cabin.
As someone who prefers to sleep in a cooler room, I would have been miserable if our cabin was too warm at night. I hadn’t considered this a factor when choosing our stateroom, especially considering our sailing would visit hot, humid destinations. However, I was grateful our interior cabin was ice-cold for our sailing.
The inside cabin was the better option
We saved $800 by booking the interior cabin compared to an obstructed balcony. Although I was initially concerned about the noise issue, this proved to be a nonissue. With the help of earplugs and white noise, I drowned out the noise from guests and crew members near our cabin.
In addition, the cabin stewards only started working at 8:00 AM in the mornings and completed their work by 10:00 PM. Between these ten hours, we never had any noise issues with our cabin. I only noticed potential noise issues while trying to take afternoon naps, which were necessary on our jam-packed itinerary!
Our interior cabin was also bigger than our parents’ obstructed balcony stateroom, allowing more space for a more comfortable sailing. With so much packed for a three-week vacation, it’s easy for a cruise cabin to become cluttered and cramped quickly. Surprisingly, we didn’t have this issue with the additional space allocated in our oddly-located room.
Finally, the air conditioning issue would have been a huge dealbreaker for me. I require a cool, comfortable climate for sleeping. There’s nothing worse than sleeping poorly on vacation and getting run down while traveling.
Our interior cabin was well-insulated and cool during the cruise. As our sailing crossed the equator, we didn’t notice any issues with our air conditioner like our parents. We heard many other balcony cabin cruisers complaining about temperature control issues in their staterooms as well.
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 over 45 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.
