The Joy of the Interior Stateroom

[fleckle]

Not an interior but an OV. Quad cabin with a rollaway. Me, the supposed adult, and four of my five sons. We had two twins, two bunks going at angles to the twins, and a rollaway cot made of mesh. The best highlight was when one kid tried to pull another off of a bunk with the lanyard that was around his neck. Another highlight- when the youngest (at the time 7- and OBSESSED with cruise ships) was in the shower and someone turned off the light and yelled "oh look! It's the Queen Elizabeth 2 meeting the Queen Vic for a horn showdown!" right after piling all the suitcases in front of the bathroom door.

 

Flame all you will ;)...........

No flaming at all. Kudos to you as you are exactly the type of person who should do that sort of thing. Some families enjoy camping out in a tent all together that way as well.

 

But for most of us, no way!

I would rather stay home than spend a week all crammed together in one room like that, even if you gave me the cruise for free. :D

 

The cruise would be much more enjoyable to me having another cabin with another bathroom. We could still spend all the family time together that we wanted.

 

I once knew a guy who loved his navy days living on a submarine.

Then there were those who used to enjoy trying to cram as many people as possible into a telephone booth too. But that was only for a short time, not for an entire week. ;)

[Seago2]

Ugh! The phone booth thing- those videos and pics really freak me out :eek:.

[innlady1]

Up until this January, all of our cruises have been in verandah staterooms. There's no way to guarantee one can use the verandah comfortably if there are smokers on either side or above...if 2nd hand smoke bothers you like it does me.

So, this year, we tried an OV on the Maasdam and loved it... although the overhead lights on the stern shined into our room at night and that was bothersome.

So, our next two cruises are in insides...Veendam and Ryndam. It seems that the J and K insides are as large as the OV we had...with a nice savings.

[SeaBlu]

We are scheduled to sail on the Westerdam on 3/18 and it will be our first inside cabin. My husband is not concerned at all, but I am somewhat concerned. It seems to me that it will be like spending a week in my walk-in closet. We have always had a balcony and I love having coffee brought to the room in the morning and sitting on the balcony as the sun rises in my robe - before I have to shower and dress, we love to do the same late at night with a bottle of wine, and I spend a LOT of time on our balcony reading. But we got the email about the special rate for this cruise, it was last minute, and could not pass up the great deal! I promised DH I would try an inside room some time so this is it! The cruise turned out to be the week of our anniversary so we jumped at the chance - the room is handicapped accessible as my DH has mobility issues. Has anyone ever been in an inside handicapped room? Are they good sized? Do they have a roll in shower? We have never sailed HAL and are excited about this cruise!

[GeriatricNurse]

Up until this January, all of our cruises have been in verandah staterooms. There's no way to guarantee one can use the verandah comfortably if there are smokers on either side or above...if 2nd hand smoke bothers you like it does me.

 

So, this year, we tried an OV on the Maasdam and loved it... although the overhead lights on the stern shined into our room at night and that was bothersome.

 

So, our next two cruises are in insides...Veendam and Ryndam. It seems that the J and K insides are as large as the OV we had...with a nice savings.

 

Were there curtains on the window of your OV that you could have closed at bedtime to block out the overhead lights on the stern? :confused:

[Seago2]

Were there curtains on the window of your OV that you could have closed at bedtime to block out the overhead lights on the stern? :confused:

 

I had the same problem in an MSC cabin- the lights that shone on the lifeboats came right into the room- extremely bright.

 

Here is a tip from some flight attendants. Bring 2 or 3 slacks holders/skirt hangers (I don't know what they're called- the flat ones) and use them to completely close the curtains.

[buckirj1]

I could have written the OP, though not nearly so well. I like inside cabins. I have little interest in a balcony, since I spend so little time outdoors anyway. In addition, IMO the offerings of outside cabins rarely justify the increase in cost. I don't care how small the cabin is, so long as the bathroom and/or shower are human-sized.

 

That said, I'm intrigued by the window suites on certain classes of Princess ships. I'd love to afford one of those to a cold weather destination with great scenery. That's probably the only way I'd sail Princess, given their tiny bathrooms and showers.

[AmberR108]

I could have written the OP, though not nearly so well. I like inside cabins. I have little interest in a balcony, since I spend so little time outdoors anyway. In addition, IMO the offerings of outside cabins rarely justify the increase in cost. I don't care how small the cabin is, so long as the bathroom and/or shower are human-sized.

 

That said, I'm intrigued by the window suites on certain classes of Princess ships. I'd love to afford one of those to a cold weather destination with great scenery. That's probably the only way I'd sail Princess, given their tiny bathrooms and showers.

 

Same here, I much rather prefer an interior cabin, especially when I'm cruising to Alaska. I, personally, don't even need the window but it's nice to know Princess offers that as an option, I've been debating booking with Holland or Princess for too long now.

[nolanday]

We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam recently and got an inside cabin for the first time. We actually started with a balcony cabin on our first cruise years ago. But then realized we spent hardly any time out there. So the next cruises were outside w/windows. Until we realized we rarely bothered to open the curtains since we weren't in the cabin much during the day. So to save $$$ we went with the largest inside cabin the Nieuw Amsterdam class of ship had, and we *LOVED* it.

 

This was I think a J-class room on the Main Deck (1063) and the floor plan was laid out so nicely that the cabin didn't have any of the closeness that I've felt in other cabins. There was actually room to move around without bumping into furniture, tons of storage space, and a nice sitting area with an l-shaped little couch. But, as noted by others, only a shower in the bathroom, no tub. But that's fine by me because if I'm going to take a bath I want a *BIG* tub which isn't likely to be found in any cabin I could afford.

 

The darkness and quiet was soooo nice too. I even put a towel across the bottom of the cabin door to block the hallway light from seeping in. :rolleyes:

 

Jim

[DFWGUYZ]

We sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam recently and got an inside cabin for the first time. We actually started with a balcony cabin on our first cruise years ago. But then realized we spent hardly any time out there. So the next cruises were outside w/windows. Until we realized we rarely bothered to open the curtains since we weren't in the cabin much during the day. So to save $$$ we went with the largest inside cabin the Nieuw Amsterdam class of ship had, and we *LOVED* it.

 

This was I think a J-class room on the Main Deck (1063) and the floor plan was laid out so nicely that the cabin didn't have any of the closeness that I've felt in other cabins. There was actually room to move around without bumping into furniture, tons of storage space, and a nice sitting area with an l-shaped little couch. But, as noted by others, only a shower in the bathroom, no tub. But that's fine by me because if I'm going to take a bath I want a *BIG* tub which isn't likely to be found in any cabin I could afford.

 

The darkness and quiet was soooo nice too. I even put a towel across the bottom of the cabin door to block the hallway light from seeping in. :rolleyes:

 

Jim

 

Thanks Jim...have that same cabin reserved. Question please; was the TV fixed in a position that could not be seen from the bed? I've been trying to determine if the TV in cabin 1063 can swivel. Many thanks in advance for any information about this.

[GeriatricNurse]

I had the same problem in an MSC cabin- the lights that shone on the lifeboats came right into the room- extremely bright.

 

Here is a tip from some flight attendants. Bring 2 or 3 slacks holders/skirt hangers (I don't know what they're called- the flat ones) and use them to completely close the curtains.

 

Wouldn't a few clothespins work just as well? :confused:

[HealthyTouch101]

Yes, GeriatricNurse, and we always take a few clothespins because there is a retractable laundry line in the bathroom. Inevitably, I spill something on the top I want to wear again and we can hang it to dry.

[innlady1]

Wouldn't a few clothespins work just as well? :confused:

 

That's what I used on the Maasdam recently. Thanks to the tip on CC from jtl before we sailed!

[fleckle]

Here is a tip from some flight attendants. Bring 2 or 3 slacks holders/skirt hangers (I don't know what they're called- the flat ones) and use them to completely close the curtains.

We found there were always some hangers with clips (the kind for skirts) as well as the kind with a bar for slacks in the closets, so never yet needed to bring either.

 

Ordinary safety pins or straight pins can be used to close gaps in the curtains too.

 

Or I wear a soft, dark eye shade that blocks out all the light to nap and don't bother with the curtains at all.

[nolanday]

To DFWGUYZ ...

 

Thanks Jim...have that same cabin reserved. Question please; was the TV fixed in a position that could not be seen from the bed? I've been trying to determine if the TV in cabin 1063 can swivel. Many thanks in advance for any information about this.

 

Hope you like the cabin! The TV is mounted on a jointed arm that pulls out from the side wall above the desk and it does swivel. It was a little tricky to get it to swivel far enough to be fully facing the bed, but it was at a good enough angle to see fine from the far side of the bed where I was. From my partner's side of the bed a tiny sliver of the screen was probably covered by the edge of the closet just because of the way the TV is mounted.

 

Jim

Edited March 6, 2012 by nolanday

[HealthyTouch101]

Bump for new readers, as there is a current question on the "best cabin". Here's your answer!

[chees]

Even on our last cruise, when our windows on the Volendam faced over the bow and we had to close our curtains in the evening so the light did not disturb the bridge, we still opened the curtains as soon as we turned out the lights. At home we do not even have blinds on our bedroom sliding door, plus we have a skylight. :-)

 

Tina

[PathfinderEss]

We have only been on 4 cruises, and had interior rooms 3/4 times. Sure, they are economical, but they also suit us best. We have one booked for our cruise next month.

 

Here's why:

 

We like darkness to sleep in and it is easy to achieve in an interior room.

 

We did not enjoy the sounds from the deck outside the window when workers were moving lounge chairs, etc. Yes, an even more expensive room might alleviate this, but see first reason.

 

We don't care if we have a private balcony. We find private places of quiet in the public areas. My favorite is up front on the sport deck behind the windscreen on a lounge chair for a nap before dinner. Often there are very few people there and it is wide open.

 

We are in our room very little. We play the games, walk, read, spa, etc.

 

We have no special needs that would require a larger room.

 

I hate being fussed over, so butlers and all that comes with some of the suites would make me crazy. There are days I do not even have the steward come to our room to straighten up.

 

The last cruise my SO got sick on the last day and that dark, cozy interior room was a great place to rest as a cold/sneezing took hold and room service brought tea and broth, etc. as we needed it. The tender was canceled and so SO slept and I went to the library and read a book in the Crow's Nest as I watched it rain--first time I saw rain on a cruise.

 

We read so much here about suites and balconies, etc.

I want to hear from others, like us, who love their interior room!

Have you ever tried a Suite, if not don't knock them until you've tried one. Glad you enjoy your inside cabins, as we enjoy our suites. I use to feel like you did, we spent little time in the room so why spend the money for the bigger cabins, then we had one and guess what we spend lots of time in our cabin now, funny how that works.:)

[maxie99]

I have no problem with interiors for all the reasons you mentioned- plus, I like that it forces me to be up top, mingling with others, when we come into port.

--bingo,,i so agree,,it forces you to get out of your lovly warm bed and see if the sun has come up,,i hate to miss anything,:D

[GeriatricNurse]

Have you ever tried a Suite, if not don't knock them until you've tried one. Glad you enjoy your inside cabins, as we enjoy our suites. I use to feel like you did, we spent little time in the room so why spend the money for the bigger cabins, then we had one and guess what we spend lots of time in our cabin now, funny how that works.:)

 

Well, I certainly do not book my cruise in an (interior) stateroom to "spend lots of time" in it on the cruise! :rolleyes: Yes, "funny how that works", indeed! ;) To each, their own, I guess! :)

[HealthyTouch101]

It is funny how that works.....while we were in a tiny interior room on this latest (our 5th) cruise, we hosted three guests for a half-hour visit late one night. Didn't miss the bigger space then, either. Warm, new and old friends can fit together wherever!

[kazu]

Well, I certainly do not book my cruise in an (interior) stateroom to "spend lots of time" in it on the cruise! Yes, "funny how that works", indeed! ;) To each, their own, I guess!

 

It's simple Walt, while you are sitting on the Lido, some of us are enjoying some quiet time on our veranda:) Rather than eat in the Lido, we may opt to eat in our room - or have some friends over for a glass of wine and munchies on those sea days. It does make a difference. My friends had an interior room when we cruised - we had a balcony. I can tell you where most of the pre-drink parties were. :)

 

they were on our balcony for some of the scenic cruising, etc.

 

and you're right - to each their own - but don't knock it until you've tried it;)

 

No question that an interior is the best buy on the ship and if you are travelling solo, probably the best option - but for others - it's not the only option - or even the best one:D

Edited April 21, 2012 by kazu

[HealthyTouch101]

Yes, we enjoyed a meal in our room, wine and cocktails WITH friends...in an interior. I think the company you are with makes a difference.

 

Glad you enjoy your suite, but I figure we'll keep enjoying the "sweet" interior rooms!

[airlink diva]

I love the interior cabins for all the reasons others have stated.

The best sleep on any of my cruises were in the interior cabins. :)

Since the majority of my cruises are also as a solo, the rates (unless a sale is going on) for these cabins are within my price range.

I love balcony, but will admit that when I sail with one, I spend more time there than with my fellow cruisers.

Also, with the HAL ships, there are places on board where you can be alone. I have a few spots on the Maasdam where I can enjoy outside alone or with very few others.

[Homosassa]

We have been cruising since 1976 and have lost track of the number of cruises and the ships we have been on. Our cabin of choice has always been an interior cabin as low down and in the middle of the ship.

 

Unfortunately, before I learned to label our reservations as 'no upgrades," we would occasionally arrived to our cruise to find we have been upgraded to an outside cabin (w/wo a balcony) or to a higher deck.

 

They were OK. but not as good as we had booked.

 

I often joke that I will never book a suite until someone puts one on the bottom deck in the middle interior of the ship.

 

Of course, I need to hush before the powers that be catch on and make us pay more money as an upgrade for our prized location.