Inside cabin: please advise

Hi,

We have never cruised inside, always with a balcony. But the prices for balconys on a Panama Canal cruise are scary and, let's be realistic, it's a one-day transit.

So, I'd like to hear from our friends on Cruise critic: pros and cons of booking an inside cabin for a full transit Panama Canal cruise.

Thanks for your help!

Marie

The balcony is not really for the day going through the canal - You will probably be on various decks during the transit, moving from one level and side to another. The decision for a balcony has to do more with the rest of the cruise.

I've stayed in cabins from an inside to a suite. Each has advantages and disadvantages. I pick a suite when I want a more spacious room and balcony and an inside when I want to save money and know I won't be spending much time in the room.

On the transit day you will be all over the outside decks of the ship to see up close.

I have stayed in inside cabins. On the Celeberity they are the same size as a regular veranda , just no balcony. Do not know the cruise line you will be on?

A full transit cruise has a port, day then sea day. Just make sure that on sea days you know what common area you want to relax on throughout the day: pool area, upper deck, lower promenade deck etc, observation lounge.

Doing a full transit of the Panama canal is a something everyone should do once in their life. It is a wonder of the world.

An inside cabin will get you there .

Totally agree with the two previous posters. Transit day is not the day to be shackled to a balcony... why come all that way and see only half a Canal?:) No doubt a balcony cabin is enjoyable, but there are times when price is a consideration.

We did the Panama Canal cruise from a balcony on NCL last March. We arrived in the Atlantic side about 8am and exited the Pacific side around 5pm. In the morning all decks were crowded but after a couple of hours it thinned out. It was nice to relax in our balcony cabin and still see everything without the crowd.

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I once booked only balcony cabins, but we now only book inside cabins to save money, and don't miss it at all. We realized that we usually spent very little time in our cabin, so, for us, it was a smart choice. I have to agree with the previous posts about not wanting to be tied to a balcony, when up on the deck, you will get more views of the canal. Enjoy your trip!

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Personally for the length of most of the full transit cruises, I would go crazy in an inside cabin. Just not enough space for me and I don't spend that much time in the cabin.

I was always against an inside cabin for fear of it feeling claustrophobic. However this past June we booked an inside on the Explorer of the Seas doing a trip to Alaska. The reasons were that I decided I could use the money saved for more expensive excursions and we probably wouldn't be in the cabin except for sleeping. I was very pleasantly surprised when the cabin turned out to be perfectly fine. In fact if the situation comes up again where the overall price is a big factor I will no longer dismiss the possibility of an inside cabin.

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I was always against an inside cabin for fear of it feeling claustrophobic. However this past June we booked an inside on the Explorer of the Seas doing a trip to Alaska. The reasons were that I decided I could use the money saved for more expensive excursions and we probably wouldn't be in the cabin except for sleeping. I was very pleasantly surprised when the cabin turned out to be perfectly fine. In fact if the situation comes up again where the overall price is a big factor I will no longer dismiss the possibility of an inside cabin.

 

 

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I was also worried about the same thing, the first time we decided to save money, and go with an inside cabin to save money. We, too, were pleasantly surprised, and now we never book anything but an inside cabin. As a retired couple, with a limited vacation budget, it is a big plus for the wallet!

Even if you have a balcony, you do NOT want to spend all day on it! You MUST get out and about on the ship...upper and lower decks....all sides...then you can see everything! Sitting on a balcony will only give you about 1/3 of the views. No worries!

We thought we would miss having a balcony, but our experience was that even on the non-transit days, it was soooo hot and humid that we would not have spent time on a balcony if we had had one. (Our transit was in March.)

We cruised through the Panama Canal in December of 2014 on the Wind Star with no balconies (or inside cabins). We were outside up top all day long during our passage. Being on the Wind Star we were able to move all over the ship to get the best vantage point at any given time. It was amazing! I doubt you will be in your cabin at all during your transit.

We did book an inside cabin once on a Mexican Cruise because it was super cheap. I thought I would hate it, not being able to see the water from either a window or balcony. What I did find was that it was quieter and of course super dark for sleeping! It wasn't my favorite but when the price is right and I can spend more money on excursions or shopping, I would book one again.

We did the a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in 2013 from an inside cabin for the same reason. The cost of the balcony was too high. We had a great time. I was on deck most of the day for the transit and was able to see all the lock operations.

here is a link to the report I did.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1942047

We've done the canal numerous times, never with a balcony cabin. The only time I have ever spent in the cabin on the transit day is to grab something I needed. I would rather do 2 cruises in an inside cabin that 1 with a balcony.

We've done the canal numerous times, never with a balcony cabin. The only time I have ever spent in the cabin on the transit day is to grab something I needed. I would rather do 2 cruises in an inside cabin that 1 with a balcony.

I agree! I'd rather take 2 cruises in an inside cabin, than 1 in a balcony! But if you can comfortably afford to spend for a balcony and any number of cruises you want, why not? For the vast majority of us--retirees or not--that need to watch our costs, an inside cabin is the only affordable way to cruise!

my thoughts as only having balcony cabins as I am claustrophobic, that you can see the transit through the canal from the front of the ship. We have done this cruise before on the same ship. They open the area in the front of the ship which is usually locked for passengers, Even though we had a balcony we chose to go up front for the reactions of the other passengers . I love to people watch and share thoughts. Its usually a very early crossinig so you need to be up as soon as they announce the front is open. It crowds up fast.gwt your port side rail position asap. Im assuming we are going through the older locks as before as far as being on the port side. They served hot drinks as it was cold at that hour (I think it was like 4:30 am ) as the sun is not up yet. With a port side balcon y front or midship you can stay in your cabin on you balcony and go in and out of the cold.

We booked an inside for our full transit last month but we're fortunate to buy an upgrade to balcony for a very minimal cost. As others have said, you will be all over the ship on the big day, although we did enjoy the side view through one lock from our balcony, but you can get that from the promenade deck. Where we appreciated the balcony was on sea days, we would have breakfast delivered an enjoy the sea view, and again late at night just watching the phosphorescence.

We did a 14 day Alaska cruise earlier this year in an inside and were quite happy with it, most of the time it was to cool to sit outside unless bundled up in blankets. .... and this was the last 2 weeks of July.

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3 Panama Canal cruises 3 years in a row...all inside rooms. We had no complaints...outside in the sun is why we cruise and outside allover transiting the Canal. Can't do that from a balcony.

Spending time relaxing on the balcony is part of our cruise experience that we really enjoy and especially since this PC cruise will be 15 days I'm sure we will enjoy our time outside. I agree that the cost is more but we are willing to pay the extra because we want the balcony. We shop early for 'deals' too.