alan64

Are there any basic suggestions when choosing an inside stateroom for a cruise? Is it better to be on lower vs. higher levels in the ship? More towards the bow or aft? Other things to consider?

petlover

I've only had an inside cabin once and I hated it!! I felt like I was living in a cave. If this is your choice than I would definitely go with a lower deck, midship cabin. You will feel a lot less motion than other locations.

alan64

A balcony room is out of the question price wise, as it's $4100 for the week (for 2) vs. $1600 for an inside cabin. Ocean View room is a possibility ($1940) financially. Since we normally only return to our hotel rooms at night (1st cruise, so I'm using regular vacation habits as a guide, I didn't see the benefit of a ocean view room.

Thanks for the tips re: lower & mid-ship.

bonniejns

We no longer care if we have an inside cabin or not. The price makes that decision. We have had suites with names, balcony and outside cabins. We like deck 9 inside or outside. This is because that's usually where the pools and buffet are. Also try to get a cabin near elevators. If you're prone to motion sickness then you want mid ship, as far down as you can go. Less movement here. What ship are you on? The prices you state seem very high to me unless its a luxury line. (Once we paid $299@ for balcony cabin,7 days, deck 9, $499, 10 days!)

Rhea58

do you know about
www.cruisecompete.com???

get competitive quotes before making your decision.

also valuable input for newbies at
www.cruisecritic.com

alan64

The prices I'm quoting are Celebrity's 'rack' rates for the Alaska Vancouver RT on the Mercury (1 week). I looking at the cost for a couple, not per person.

The dates for next year aren't open yet, so it's too early to actually shop around. I don't think we'll get much of a discount, though, since we can't wait until the last minute to bargain hunt.

FainaAgain

Check the level above and below. You don't want to be on the very lowest to hear the motor running, or below a dance club.

irecommend

We just got back from a cruise on the Mercury (Aust/NZ)
Booked it through CruCon with excellent prices. They are Celebrities top agent of the past two years so offer great incentives.
We had Oceanview while are friends had inside cabin. They hated the inside as they were never sure if it was morning yet and we could always know when we were arriving in a new port. They also got up in the middle of the night and had to go up on deck to see what was happening on the ocean as it gave them a nervous feeling.

suze

Do either of you have tendency towards claustrophobia? I know I would not be able to go on a cruise, if it meant having an inside cabin.

love2traveltessy

We did our first cruise with kids over Christmas and we had 2 inside cabins, and we are booked for March with our very first balcony. On previous cruises we've had windows.
Hubby and I decided after our inside cabins we would never "pay" for just a window again. We'll either do inside or balcony, because for us the window alone is just not worth the extra cost. I can definately see it for people who are claustrophobic, but even my BF's family who sailed with us booked inside and she can feel closed up at times, and she would definately do the inside cabin thing again.

wanderlust5

We always try and book an inside cabin, because we sleep like babies when it is pitch black! Also we don't believe the value is there for the huge price jumps just to have a window. Although neither of us is claustrophobic, so to us it is no big deal.

We also love the feel of movement including cruises where it has been actually fairly rough. However we have heard that if a person is prone to seasickness, getting a cabin toward the middle of the boat, on a middle deck, tends to decrease the amount of movement.

Supercilious

On most cruises, there's not much to see from a window except the wide expanse of ocean while at sea.

Alaska is different. The scenery is always fantastic and the daylight lasts until late at night. I would hate to be in an inside cabin while there is so much to see outside.

You should shop around and maybe choose a different ship from a different cruise line which has more competitive pricing. Also, the Mercury is not a new ship and many of the newer ones have a greater ratio of balcony and outside cabins which make them less expensive.

However, it is really a personal decision. I have friends that prefer inside cabins and would cruise no other way. For me though, that would be a shame in Alaska.

jrhode13

You'll find that inside staterooms are the best thing going for most cruises. Unless you're physically handicapped or are pretty much confined to your room for some other reason, most of the time you're not in the room anyway, except to sleep or dress. As far as the location of the room, we prefer the higher floors, due to being closer to the dining facilities, etc. We also prefer being somewhere midship, because here you'll feel less motion as the ship pitches. Unless you're going somewhere like Alaska where there's often something to see besides water, go for that inside stateroom and save some bucks. With the money you'll save, you'll be well on your way to paying for a second cruise!

kfusto

Book mid ship and mid level for a smooth ride. Work with a good TA who can check out exact cabin sizes as some differ by more than 50 Sq ft.

Inside cabins are a great bargain in Alaska since the scenery is so fabulous but do not hesitate at all to book this cruise based on what you can afford. IMO, the ocean view is not worth the difference as you will need to be out on deck to really see everything anyway.

Unlike the other posters, I stay away from elevators (noise from people), staircases, and donot care for lower decks. I would book high as possible as sometimes these cabins are on the same decks as suites and have wider hallways and the best of the room stewards.

Hold

Another money saving option that we have used is to select a "guaranteed rate" on an inside room. If you do it well in advance or, if you have cruised before with the line, they will often (not always) give you an upgrade to a nicer room at no additional charge.

I agree with many others, a window is not worth the extra price. Either an inside or a balcony for us.

alan64

Thanks for all the great info. If it were just my wife and I cruising, we might splurge on a balcony. However, since it'll be 3 generations in at least 3 rooms, we plan to spend very little time in our individual rooms and lots of time together on deck, on excursions or eating together.

The advice on being mid-ship, avoiding rooms near elevators, etc. is all very helpful.

wanderlust5

Alan you don't mention when/what cruise line or other specifics. Is this your first cruise? Hope you find just the one that meets your needs.

alan64

First cruise for my wife and I, but not for my parents or my brother's wife.

We're pretty set on Celebrity's 1 week Alaska (Vancouver RT) in mid-summer 2009. My brother's family are in Seattle and will take the train to Vancouver. My parents and I will fly from CA. Leaving out of Seattle would be convenient but much of the trip isn't really in Alaska (and we've gone to Victoria a lot).

Small boats are way out of our budget, Princess doesn't do Vancouver RT in mid-summer. Celebrity looks like it'll meet our needs.

petlover

If anyone in your group is prone to seasickness you may want to book a lower deck for stability and of course mid ship. My daughter was on a middle deck and sick as a dog. Luckily she was able to move to a lower deck and was fine for the rest of her Alaskan cruise.

Hold

After seeing your additional information about this being an Alaska cruise and having others in your party, here is another tidbit.

We found a great way to add to the experience AND save money. We all booked less expensive rooms and got just one balcony room. We then took turns sharing the balcony as we passed through different areas.

While the same couple stayed in this room the entire cruise, during the day we would share it with others in our group.

The cruise line does not care and we all benefited from the balcony while saving money.

Just a thought...enjoy your cruise!