Inside Cabin Panama Canal

We are considering a Panama Canal 14 day cruise in January and due to the expense will probably book an inside cabin. So far we have been on 7 cruises with three more booked in the fall and all have been OV or balcony cabins with the majority being balconies. I am wondering if 14 days with an inside cabin will feel too confining. I might also add this would also put us at the Platinum level after our fall cruises.

Your mileage may vary, but we wouldn't do 14 days inside. Everyone has different tastes, thats why they make chocolate and vanilla. What does platinum have do do with it?

i did a 11 day cruise in an inside cabin and i have another 10 day cruise in an inside cabin. i love inside cabins. i am only in the cabin at night to sleep

You've received two replies so far that really demonstrate the range of feelings on the topic. If you're going to be in your cabin very little (and on a PC cruise that may be the case if you're up on deck viewing) then an inside should work. But if you enjoy the flexibility of a balcony (especially on a PC cruise with private viewing opportunities) then you should go with that. For us (and this is just "us"), there's no way we would get an inside (or even an OV) on a 14 day cruise to anywhere.

I only book inside cabins for the cost savings, due to our retirement budget, and would continue to no matter how long the cruise is. We just go up on deck for the sunrise with our coffee, and sunset cocktails. I would love a balcony—-maybe if I win a lottery! Lol! Will be celebrating our 50th Anniversary on the Magic in April 2020-–—in an inside cabin! You will be fine.

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I'm on the other side. I DO use my cabin and balcony. I have a 14 day Panama Canal booked in 2/2020. Would rather scrimp a little, or book further out to have more time to pay...just to get that balcony!!!

We have done both balconies and inside cabins. while I love a nice balcony cabin I would totally book an inside if it meant going on the cruise itinerary I really wanted to go on versus not going or “settling” for a different itinerary. We don’t spend too much time in our cabin, so for us it wouldn’t be a matter of being “confined.”

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We take inside cabins when price difference between that and balcony is large.

We do not spend that much time on our balcony but are out and about during the day.

If it allows you more cruises go for it

I did a 12-day to Hawaii on the Spirit in an inside cabin, and have a 13-day Panama Canal booked on the Miracle, also in an inside cabin. Carnival's inside cabins are spacious (at least on the Spirit class ships) and since I sail solo and have to pay double, the savings are significant.

I did a partial PC transit on the Coral Princess, and found that getting out on deck and circling the ship provided a better view of what was going on than being stationary on a balcony.

Roz

We have been on a 14 day Panama Cabal cruise in an interior and loved it.

We spend time in our cabin so we would never under any circumstance book an inside ! IF I couldn't afford a balcony or suite I'd wait until I had the money to book the cruise with those cabins or I'd book a different cruise!

I've never had an inside cabin and would never consider one. I love having a balcony. I prefer aft facing and aft wraps. I like having my own perfect space to enjoy the views.

I have had every type of cabin including the owners suite. Honestly, balcony cabins are a waste of money. You get better viewing from any open deck. Also, booking an inside you will have an opportunity of receiving an upsell.

We did the Panama Canal cruise - 16 days last year in an inside and did fine but of the 21 cruises, I have been on 16 have been insides, 2 ocean views, and 3 balconies. Yes, I would prefer a balcony but given the choice between a 7 day with balcony or a 14 or 16 day inside, I would choose the inside every time. When you are going through the Panama Canal, you are going to want to move around the ship anyway to see the canal from different views. Have fun whatever you end up booking!

We have an inside cabin for our 15 day Panama Canal cruise coming up in March with our two young daughters. It would not be our first choice of cabin but an ocean view was over $2000 more and a simple balcony was $3000 more! That is substantial and almost ridiculous and made it too easy to choose an inside. We only need the cabin as a family to sleep and shower. Choosing anything other than an inside, especially with children for that long, would not financially allow us to step aboard. We weren't going to allow that to happen! Use the money saved for airfare or other onboard expenses.

I've never had an inside cabin and would never consider one. I love having a balcony. I prefer aft facing and aft wraps. I like having my own perfect space to enjoy the views.

I loved balconies, too, when we had them years ago. But if it means a balcony cruise every 3 years, or inside cabin cruise every year, I will take an inside and cruise every year. Once your retired, your income is severely limited. We budget religiously to be able to keep cruising, but it has to be an inside cabin or no cruise. Yes, it was nice sipping my coffee on my balcony, but I get equal pleasure sipping it up on deck.

Compared to home, hotels or other places to sleep; all cruise cabins pretty much suck.

We don't know what type of cabin you will like, only you can make that decision.

We would never cruise without a balcony. Every morning room service is our wake up call. We have coffee, danish, fruit, and some juice on the balcony every morning. Couldn't think of a better way to see the canal.

We did a inside and it wS fine. Nice and dark to sleep. And we were hardly there any other time

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I prefer insides -- nice and dark so I can actually sleep. I'm never in the room enough to make a balcony worth it!

My mom on the other hand won't cruise unless she can get a balcony.

Very personal choice based upon your needs. My sons stay in an inside and have never complained but we always have a balcony for private, relaxing time. It is a must for us.

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Interesting comments. I think our sweet spot is an OV. Sure we like balcs. It just comes down to price. Things that also impact our decision are number of sea days vs. ports, cruise region (Caribbean vs. cold north Pacific). One nice thing about a Carnival OV is the additional square footage relative to an Inside.

We are at a point where inside might be what we get from now on. I retired and hubby is following soon. Just can’t justify the extra expense on a limited income.

Look at the French Door insides. Many are completely blocked but you’ll have natural light. Some have a slight view between the lifeboats.

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We cruise in what I can afford. About half of my cruises have been in insides. We enjoy knowing we have a balcony, but I find we don't use it enough to justify the cost. I have done three full transits in OV cabins (Oosterdam, Infinity, Carnival Splendor) and a partial transit in a balcony. The balcony was on Carnival Pride, journey cruise and 7 days on the front, B2B. It was a shame that we spent very little time using it. EM