Inside vs outside cabin
 

I would like to hear from others about the difference, if you've been to both.

On my very first cruise, I had a porthole, and was happy with it. Felt, it was enough size-wise, and was happy to see the huge stars at night, waves, sun, etc...

For the next cruise, the prices make me go: OUCH! On the newer ships no portholes, and even obstructed view is expensive.

Is it bad to be in an inside cabin? Does it give you a feel of a closet or makes you claustrophobic? Is it really important to have a piece of glass connection with water :)

I'm thinking, it may be better to spend money on tours and other purchases from a cheaper cabin, no? I am used to budget travel.

The answer to this is actually up to you. Most people don't spend a lot of time in the cabin so whether they have an inside or outside is not important however, i've had both for two reasons. If you want the relaxation and seclusion of your room sometime then being able to relax and unwind on your own balcony is wonderful. If it's a view of the water without the intimacy don't waste the money. The ship will have plenty of opportunities for you to enjoy the decks and quiet time,.....then you're right save if ro the excurstions. If you're going to be by yourself or the getaway is for two,...the in my feeling is that it's worth it. If it's family,....not so important!! By the way what line or you looking at for your vacation?

I'm looking at Princess round-trip from San Francisco to Alaska. My father and his female companion may join me.

While on a cruise, I didn't spend much (waking) time in the cabin. And while there, I was busy unpacking/packing, reading the schedule, showering, dollying up :))

We have been on six European trips with the seventh coming in June. We have always the booked the least expensive cabin which generally means an inside bottom cabin. Then we try to work an upgrade. Twice we have been given outside cabins with porthole. It is nice to know the time of day BUT that is it for us. Don't see or feel any difference especially at night. We don't send much time in the cabin so see no advantage for us.

It is what is important to you. For us where we sleep is our lowest priority. The food is the same regardless of your cabin location. BUT THAT IS US. May not work for you or anyone else.

I agree with all of the above comments. I've had all different types as it relates to cabins. Inside is fine. Especially on Norwegian Sun. The cabin size was something like 170 sq ft. It was a really nice size. Bathroom small, but otherwise it was really great. We would keep the TV on the live video station to wake up to in the A.M. All of the outside we needed.
I'm cruising to Hawaii and considering a balcony only because BF is paying for it. It will be my 40th birthday and he wants to splurge. Shoot, I told him to go for the owner's suite if he really wants to impress me. Otherwise, inside is cool with me...;;)

This is a very individual decision.

When I was young, an inside cabin was fine with me. I was just happy to be cruising!
But these days I would rather cruise less and stay in a cabin I enjoy. For me, that is a balcony because I use it all the time. I like my personal space and my privacy so sitting on the balcony is important to me.

I would book an outside so that you do not have to be running up on deck all the time to see everything. It is light for a big part of the day in Alaska and it is beautiful.

I would book the best your personal budget would allow, unless it simply does not matter to you.

We had a 13 day cruise over New Year in an inside cabin and wondered how we would get on.
We slept much better! I found it hard to get up in the mornings because it was dark in the cabin I suppose.
My husband had the most relaxing cruise ever, he said!
We didnt put on much weight because we had a later, lighter breakfast!
Last week we booked an inside cabin for a 2 week cruise in November. Saves a lot of money which means we can afford yet another cruise!!!

IMO the alternative is inside vs balcony. The porthole of an outside cabin is widely useless, so spend some money and take the inside cabin.
Or take a cabin with balcony - that makes a real difference!

I have had an inside cabin, and would not do it again. I had the opposite reaction from carylspall - that is, I felt lost when I awoke, because I couldn't tell whether it was day or night. It was disorienting. I wore an illuminated watch to bed (no clock in the cabin), which helped.

I had this cabin on an Alaskan cruise, and my brother had the balcony cabin across the hall. I was so jealous, when I saw how he could lie in bed and watch all the islands going by, and late into the night, since it was light outside til 1 AM.

It is truly a personal preference.

For me, a balcony is absolutely out of my budget, and on the one cruise I had, I preferred to be with people, attending shows, talking to others at the pool, in the lunch room, on land tours. I think I'll be fine inside.

Sure, it would be nice to see the light of the morning, but I'd rather spend the $$ on tours, drinks.

I can still go to Alaska in early August, yesterday checked the Princess website, all better located cabins are gone :( I hope I can get lucky and catch one, maybe cancellation, maybe cruisecompete or such...

A little upsetting, but there is always tomorrow... err... next year :)

I have had inside cabins, cabins with a porthole and cabins with a large square window - but I've not yet had a balcony, since I also tend to budget travel (as far as accomodations are concerned).

I prefer to have a window or at least a porthole because it makes waking up in the morning so much easier for me. If I was going to spend any sort of time beyond the necessary in my cabin, I would choose a room that afforded me at least a little bit of natural light.

When I've had an inside cabin I end up leaving a light on in the bathroom and the door cracked open through the night. It helps me get up in the morning and it's easier to navigate the room when it's not completely pitch black.

I think I read several complaints on a cabin being pitch dark. When I had a porthole, it was pitch dark at night anyway!

There was a wall light over my head, once or twice I woke up and just switched it on - being alone in the cabin, it didn't bother anyone.

Where are you going? to Alaska.? We did Alaska last year with some of the grand kids...they had an inside room and we had a balcony (the Sun Princess) and their room was actually better, size wise, than ours. I don't think we spent more than 5 minutes on the balcony, so that was not a biggie. However, the inside rooms have no window, but are larger, but more quiet. When we are on a transatlantic, we like a 'suite', as we tend to be there more, but for short, 7-10 day outings, we don't spend much time there anyway. I'd stay away from ones near the elevator, or the stairwells, as they can be noisy.

My wife and I just returned from an NCL cruise in Hawaii. We had booked an inside cabin to save $$. Since we basically used it as a crash pad, having a balcony or porthole would not made any difference. I did bring a small night light so cabin lights did not have to be turned on during a trip to the bathroom. What I wish I had brought was a small LED clock. Being in a different time zone, I woke up several times in a panic thinking I had overslept and was missing a shore tour. For us, it really made no difference. I guess it only matters if you plan on spending a lot of time in the cabin or using it as a crash pad.

As I posted earlier, we have had mostly inside cabins. Not being able to judge the time of day especially in the morning can be a problem. However, I keep a small flashlight next to the bed so I can move around without turning on the main lights and disturbing my wife. Also, I am a very early raiser often up before 6. I stack my clothes by the door so I can easily dress and slip out of the room. Love being on deck with coffee in the early morning. Not many folks up and out at that time. Works for us.

Spend the money for the cheapest outside. You need to see daylight!

I agree with the others, our first cruise was an inside and the problem was when you woke it was always dark. It could be 3:00 in the afternoon or 3:00 in the morning, you didn't know.

Nobody want's to set an alarm clock on a vacation so why would you want to have to look at your clock and figure out if it is AM or PM.

We have a CC Sky Deck cabin with a balcony on the Celebrity Millennium next month which was booked early and with a significant discount and "credits".
It's impossible to convince Lady "L" to travel in "steerage".
M

I'm with Lady L and cannot do without my balcony these days :)

The great part about cruise ships is that they offer variety to everyone. It is well that everyone does not demand balconies or inside rooms. For most people travel of any kind requires compromises and trade off. For us ten hours of business class to Europe is a great importance than a balcony cabin -- that is our trade off. For some people the required formal dinners are a turn off. For us we loved them and served as an very good educational experience for our sons. Our sons have exceptional manners especially when compared to their peer group, and have learned to be good conversationists with strangers. And we have some wonderful tales --- especially the table partners from Hell --- two cruises back. They were so bad we got free wine from the wine stward each night. A superior learning experience in how to be a Jerk from ........ (I won't embrass the state).

This correct or incorrect for cabin selection. Choose your cabin and make it work for you.

Need to read better --- There is no correct or incorrect answer to cabin selection. (Does that sound better???)

All right, fmpden, tell us more about the tablemates from Hell (you know there is a town, Hell, in Aruba! - so don't worry about 'dissing any state :D

Why didn't you move to a different table? Hee hee maybe you liked that free wine too much!?

Only a little bit -- it was a 14 day cruise out of Harwich with Royal C. The dining room was two tiered with the narrow second tier along the outside of the ship with terrific, huge windows overlooking the front of the ship. There were only a half dozen tables with such a magnificant view. You could not have paid us enough to give up that table. The first three days were wonderful -- we were by ourselves. Seems our tablemates had missed a plane connection and were waiting for us at the next port. It was a grandmother, daughter, and grandson. The first night the daughter DEMANDED lemon pepper for her salad. Obviously the staff had never heard of lemon pepper. They finally brought fresh lemon and pepper and she exploded, "I can get this at any corner store in xxxx, why can't I have it here?" Another night the salad was advertized with "carrot curls." Now she is not eating salad because she cannot get lemon pepper but requests a plate of carrot curls because. " I love carrot curls." When the plate arrives it is actually carrot spears or slivers. she rudely and loudly pushes the plate into the center of the table, "I can't eat these things --- they're not curly." Then there was the semi-formal night when they rushed into the dining room wearing gym colthes and demanded to be immeidately served because they wanted to be back in their cabin within 20 minutes for the start of a movie. The amazing part -- the wait staff did it !!! I think just to get them out of there. I have a dozen more similar stories -- some not to printable.

We always came earlier so we made sure we got the seats facing the windows and would chat with the staff trying to guess what would be the crises of the day or what weird thing they would demand. It was so bad it was like having a private performance of the three stooges.

It was a bonding experience with the staff. This was the closest we ever got with all our waiters. In fact, my old son maintained a correspondence with the water boy and two years ago visited him at his home in Prague. The staff was pertified that they would get a negative evaluation for these people. I guess one negative evaluation would impact their table assignments, etc. Afterwards I sent a letter to nearly everyone at RC explaining what a terrific job the staff in trying to please these passenagers from Hell. It has been nearly five years and we still tell these stories. There are little words and action that will suddenly cause the family to bust into laughter. We will never look at lemon pepper in the same way. I sitting here laughing as I type this. Cruising is wonderful !!!!

For me the choice of an inside or outside cabin is dependant upon the itinerary. Long ago a travel agent told us to always book the cheapest cabin on the best ship that we could afford, so through the years we have mainly chosen inside cabins. However there are some destinations that beg for an outside cabin, preferably one with a balcony. Those are generally cruises with a lot of at sea time in scenic areas, namely Alaska. Hawaii and the Mediterranian seem like other likley places, however they are the last places that I would splurge on the balcony, save the money and put it on shore excursions, or the high priced airfares to those spots.
Outside cabins with portholes or small windows and obstructed views are also useless as far as I'm concerned. Take a small digital clock with lighted numbers and use the ships webcam as your window! Sleeping in an inside cabin with total darkness and the waves rocking you sleep is sheer bliss.

Aaaahhh, the view. That does make sense. I bet your tablemates didn't even notice it!

And it was wonderful of you to write that letter complementing the staff. How neat that your son maintained that relationship. Good things sometime do come of bad, don't they?

Joan, you are right. We made them sit with their backs to the window. Nasty, weren't we !!!! Normally in similar situations we would rotate the seats so everyone would have an equal opportunity for a good view. See me an e-mail address or contact off-line and I will send you a picture from that seat.

But they served a purpose for the education of our boys. We are both in education (univ & elementary) so we have been enormous emphasis on education beyond the classroom. The cruises have served us well for that purpose. The formal dinners, conversation with adults, using the correct fork, ordering, wines, etc. As they became older, the ability to plan their own sightseeing in ports by themselves was important part of their independence. The result is two young men that travel as comfortably in Europe as we do in the US. Every our bad manner table partners added to their education.