Interior cruise cabins are controversial. Some love them because of their value, while others can't imagine spending seven nights in a windowless stateroom.
Generally speaking, I fall somewhere in between. Although they aren't my preferred cruise room, I can be easily convinced to book an inside cabin if the deal is right.
Recently, I sailed in an interior stateroom on Virgin Voyages' newest cruise ship, Brilliant Lady. The 5-night voyage took us from New York City to Bermuda for an overnight stay.
Read more: First look at Virgin Voyages' new Brilliant Lady cruise ship
Because I had been to Bermuda before, I was less concerned with the view and more interested in exploring Brilliant Lady.
Being one of the first to sail on a new ship is exciting, so when I found a deal for just $2,010, including port fees, gratuities, WiFi, dining, and essential drinks, I didn't hesitate to book the "MerMaiden" voyage, despite cruising in a room with no windows.
My stateroom, 10350M, measured around 177 square feet and felt surprisingly spacious. The stateroom was designed to maximize efficiency, featuring a single chair, a cozy bed, solid storage options, a vanity, and a compact yet functional bathroom with a luxurious rainfall shower.
It was extremely tech-savvy, too. I loved using the touch-screen tablet to change the lighting from the bed and operate the television.
After long days spent lounging on Horseshoe Bay, attending late-night bingo, and trying the different restaurants, returning to my inside cabin was comforting — even if it wasn't in the most convenient location.
No issues with storage on our short sailing
Because our cruise was just 5 nights, we had no trouble unpacking and keeping everything organized. Between the closet, shelves, baskets, and small drawers, there was enough space for our clothes, toiletries, shoes, and other essentials.
Had the cruise been much longer, we may have needed to utilize the drawers underneath the bed. However, they aren't as accessible.
The bathroom storage was also very limited. There was one large shelf under the sink, as well as a small built-in cubby and a tiny shelf for toothbrushes and toothpaste. I missed having extra space to keep smaller items, like face wash, makeup remover, and contacts, within reach.
Still, whether you're sailing on a short getaway to Bermuda or a longer Panama Canal or Alaskan voyage, an inside cabin on Brilliant Lady provides just enough space, as long as you pack mindfully and stay organized.
Thoughtful touches
It's hard to make cruise cabins stand out. The bones tend to be similar, even across different lines and ships. However, Virgin broke the mold with its clever design, modern technology, and small but meaningful touches.
For starters, all staterooms have customizable lighting that can be adjusted through the small, handheld tablet. There's a setting for almost everything, including those who had one too many drinks the night before and guests who need picture-perfect lights for selfies.
Beyond the preset lighting options, guests can also adjust the overhead lights. If none of the mood presets are right, the brightness of the main lights can be changed by the percentage on the tablet.
Another small, but important, detail was the water carafe that was replenished daily. The first time we met our cabin steward, he asked if we'd prefer still or sparkling water. From then on, whenever we'd return after the morning service, we'd have fresh glasses and a full carafe.
This meant we didn't have to think about refilling our water bottles or stopping by a bar on the way back to the stateroom.
Moreover, our cabin had a mat for hot hairstyling tools, so we didn't have to worry about damaging the vanity with our curling iron and straightener. It was wide enough to hold multiple tools at once, too.
As a newer ship, the abundance of outlets wasn't surprising but was appreciated.
The vanity had USB, American, and European plugs. One of the USB ports was reserved for the tablet's charger, though.
Additional outlets could be found on both sides of the bed as well. However, you may need a longer cord if you want to charge your phone at night, as some of the outlets aren't positioned particularly close to the bed.
That said, one advantage of the bedside plugs is that they include USB-C ports. It’s a thoughtful upgrade, as USB-C cables are becoming increasingly common, especially for newer Apple devices.
Compact bathroom
One thing that surprised me about my inside cabin was how small the bathroom was. Cruise bathrooms are rarely spacious, but the bathroom aboard Brilliant Lady felt much smaller than those on other ships.
Due to its size, storage space in the bathroom was limited. Whereas most ships have multiple shelves and cubbies for toiletries, Brilliant Lady's bathroom had just one small built-in cubby, a small ledge for our toothbrushes, and a single shelf beneath the sink.
Luckily, I never travel without my hanging toiletries organizer, so the lack of storage wasn't an issue for us. However, if I needed the space for my products, the vanity would have quickly become cluttered.
Another small but noticeable oversight was the lack of hooks for hand towels. Since we did not have anywhere to hang them, they stayed on the vanity counter.
Despite the cramped layout and limited storage, one standout feature really impressed me: the rainfall shower.
Considering the size of the tiny bathroom, the shower was surprisingly spacious and well-designed. I loved the rainfall showerhead and secondary handheld sprayer. The glass door also gave the shower a modern, open feel.
That said, it would have been close to perfect if it had a small bar to make shaving easier. The extra support would have been greatly appreciated, especially as we sailed through rocky waters departing Bermuda.
Moving on, Virgin stocked the shower with more toiletries than other mainstream cruise lines. Whereas Royal Caribbean provides guests with a hybrid shampoo-body wash, Virgin's bathroom had separate bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash.
I was surprised by the quality of the products, too. Typically, I'm a stickler for using my own shampoo and conditioner due to my hair texture and color, but Virgin's Red Flower products left my hair feeling soft and clean.
I also loved that, in addition to standard hand towels, Virgin provided us with smaller towelettes to remove our makeup each evening.
The biggest downside was the location
Our stateroom was located at the front of the ship in a small hallway where we frequently heard crew members coming and going.
This meant we were often woken up early in the morning. It wasn't the end of the world, since we didn’t want to waste our short time onboard sleeping, but it would have been hard to sleep in if we wanted to.
And although Brilliant Lady isn't the world's largest cruise ship, it was a long trek to walk from one end of the vessel to the other, especially considering a lot of amenities are in the aft of the ship (i.e., The Galley, Athletic Club, The Dock, etc.).
Read more: Aft vs Forward cabins
Brilliant Lady is one of the best cruise ships for adults
Before my sailing aboard Brilliant Lady, I had never taken an adults-only cruise. Now, however, my partner and I aren't sure how we can go back to family-friendly mega-ships.
Everything about the onboard experience, from the drag queen-hosted bingo to the sultry Scarlet Night and murder mystery show, was tailored to a more mature audience.
As someone in their mid-20s and childless by choice, it was a refreshing take on what cruising can be. For a whole 5 nights, we didn't hear any screaming children by the pool or in the dining rooms.
Read more: After 16 Royal Caribbean cruises, I finally tried an adult-only line
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
