Balcony dude going Inside cabin 1st time

[havanadaydreaming]

Any pro tips on inside cabins?  

 

Been balcony for all but two cruises, where we had picture windows.  

 

About to book an inside cabin 6 nt/$100.  Free casino drinks.  $200 obc.  I love sunlight in room, wife couldnt care less.  (Cruise is an excuse to get to FL to see jai alai again when it makes a very limited run end of year) 

[JT1962]

Choose a cabin with other cabins above, below and near you for less noise. You can leave the tv on the channel with the bow / deck cam on at night and it will gradually wake you up as it gets daylight. Book a higher deck for quick access to the outside decks, buffet, etc.

[May1cruiser]

TV on as mentioned above. Will be really dark at night and get amazing rest. We spent less time in room. It also seemed cooler without heat from outside, however we always bring small tower fan for cooling and noise. 

 

 

[sallyb]

We did an inside cabin once at the very end near the opening to a deck, so it was fine.

 

[TrqoisWtrs]

9 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

You can leave the tv on the channel with the bow / deck cam on at night and it will gradually wake you up as it gets daylight.

This didn't work for me.  TV had switched over to a black screen as a screen saver.

[Guest BasicSailor]

 Other thoughts on an inside cabin. Nice and dark in there! You're on vacation, don't worry about getting up or rushing off on an expensive excursion.  Sleep in, relax for once in your life. 🙃 Bring ear plugs so you don't hear society moving around outside that door. 

[ober134]

We do inside almost every cruise. Best sleep ever. We spend so little time in our cabin, why pay more. We've had a balcony a couple times, but realized we spent very little time using preferring to be out and about. For the offer you got I would take in a heartbeat!

[Ilovesailaway]

Sunrise alarm clock. 

https://www.homelabs.com/products/sunrise-alarm-clock

[LatinaInTexas]

Did the opposite on last months cruise, first time ever in balcony. We always have as far aft as we can get insides, this time was mid ship balcony.

Missed the slight ship noises and slight motion of being aft so we never had a really good nights sleep in the balcony but always sleep like a baby in an inside. Like I thought would be the case we rarely used the balcony since we don't eat or spend time in cabin besides to sleep.

Inside aft cabins have very little foot traffic so it's always been very quiet, the mid balcony cabin had a lot of loud foot traffic pretty much all the time. Also a lot of annoying scraping noises coming from neighbors balcony moving his chair a lot, we jokingly called him Mr ants in his pants.

We also prefer spending time looking out to sea comfortably from indoors where there is a/c in a nice padded chair or couch instead of that stiff small uncomfortable chair the balcony has.

I know most people love balconies but it isn't for me. Maybe after you try an inside you will see it has it's value also in both cost and comfort 🙂

 

 

[mrpayroll]

44 minutes ago, LatinaInTexas said:

Did the opposite on last months cruise, first time ever in balcony. We always have as far aft as we can get insides, this time was mid ship balcony.

Missed the slight ship noises and slight motion of being aft so we never had a really good nights sleep in the balcony but always sleep like a baby in an inside. Like I thought would be the case we rarely used the balcony since we don't eat or spend time in cabin besides to sleep.

Inside aft cabins have very little foot traffic so it's always been very quiet, the mid balcony cabin had a lot of loud foot traffic pretty much all the time. Also a lot of annoying scraping noises coming from neighbors balcony moving his chair a lot, we jokingly called him Mr ants in his pants.

We also prefer spending time looking out to sea comfortably from indoors where there is a/c in a nice padded chair or couch instead of that stiff small uncomfortable chair the balcony has.

I know most people love balconies but it isn't for me. Maybe after you try an inside you will see it has it's value also in both cost and comfort 🙂

 

 

Totally agree.

[farjar]

3 hours ago, ober134 said:

We do inside almost every cruise. Best sleep ever. We spend so little time in our cabin, why pay more. We've had a balcony a couple times, but realized we spent very little time using preferring to be out and about. For the offer you got I would take in a heartbeat!

We nearly always book inside cabins for all the reasons you mentioned except we recently accepted an upgrade offer to an extended balcony for a price we couldn't refuse.  Because it is a 16 day cruise from Seattle to Miami we chose a cabin with cabins above and below on the starboard side so we will have afternoon sun nearly the entire voyage. It should be dark in the morning and cooler most of the day and we will be able enjoy the sunsets from our balcony.  We have always preferred taking the price difference between an inside cabin and other choices and going on shore excursions instead.  Considering the length of the upcoming cruise, the price and 10 sea days we went for it.

[ray98]

After many cruises I realized I was putting to much thought into cabin selection.  I can have a great time in any category of cabin and at the end of the day the it just wasn't as important to the overall experience and impact to the budget as I thought it was.

[Wennfred]

Bro, save your money and book inside especially if you cruise a lot, I get a free balcony upgrade and might go out there once.

 

If you like to take naps during the day, there is no light leak into the room.

 

unless you want to impress someone have the extra money, go for it. I rather spend my money elsewhere.

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

I always recommend to a first time cruiser to start with the lowest cabin (inside) first and if they like cruising then on their 2nd cruise get an ocean view and work your way up to the balcony and suites. Then they can decide for themselves if they want to continue with a balcony.

[txcruiser1234]

You may also find a porthole or obstructed view picture window cabin able to be booked as an inside cabin (under the $100 casino deal). Good options, if available, to get some of the natural light you mentioned in your original post...

[Schoifmom]

The best tip?  Go to Dollar Tree (or similar) and purchase the cheap battery operated candles.  They throw off a very soft light, which is just enough to keep you from bumping a toe or a knee in the middle of the night if you need to go to the bathroom.

[Drazil65]

You will be fine and figure out what works best for you in the inside cabin.  Many people like the insides for several reasons (cheaper, dark, cozy etc.) and you may find you are one of them by the end of cruise.  Have fun either way!

[Theosprey247]

Our 1st cruise we had an OV the rest have been balconies. The next 2 cruises will be portholes. Balconies are only good if you use them. 

[kona_wahine]

Same boat as you. (Ha ha) $689 (all taxes and port fees) for the 2 of us for 7 night with $200 OBC. Ended up with a porthole room, it even has a couch. Couldn’t pass it up, motel 6 costs more than that! 

[Joebucks]

A balcony is a nice to have, but completely unnecessary for us. It was 60% more for the balcony than the interior for our next cruise. The dark room is also an added bonus. I usually go for a higher floor, so endless balconies are just a few steps away.

[LHARTWICK]

On 9/10/2022 at 12:50 PM, JT1962 said:

Choose a cabin with other cabins above, below and near you for less noise. You can leave the tv on the channel with the bow / deck cam on at night and it will gradually wake you up as it gets daylight. Book a higher deck for quick access to the outside decks, buffet, etc.

JT is 100% correct, especially re: cabins above/below.  I personally like inside cabins - makes for great naps in the afternoon!! 😴  And as others have mentioned, we spend so little time in our cabin, so we mostly book based on price. You can always try an inside this time.  If you don't like it, and there's nothing wrong with it if you don't, you'll know not to book it again.  Happy cruising whatever you decide!

[Mobe]

Our last cruise was our first inside cabin and we loved it! Slept so good! We found we spent less time in the cabin and more time enjoying the ship. We just booked our next cruise and are going inside on it as well. We have battery operated candles we put in the bathroom for nighttime use. However, after the first two nights we didn't even use them. 

[jazzydiver]

Ditto on the battery operated candles.  I get the little tea-light size ones from the dollar store.  I leave one on all night in the bathroom and keep one (off) on the nightstand to turn on as a sort of flashlight if/when I get up in the night.

 

Also, I don't leave the TV on at night, but if I'm in the cabin for a while during the day I turn on the bridge cam channel for a "window".  Really helps counteract the feeling of being in a cave.  (Actually, I put on the navigation channel pretty often too because I'm geeky and like all the info.)

Edited September 12, 2022 by jazzydiver

[Ilikecruises76]

Considering you name, I find that you might be able to shed some light on a question I have. I've booked my first balcony room ever and it's on the Freedom. By chance would you know if it's possible to hang a hammock on one of her balconies down the side of the ship?

[havanadaydreaming]

looks like we are going to be on the very, very front of the ship on the 5th floor.  next to oceanview cabins but ours doesnt have a port hole.

 

directly next to the O2 club, which we dont anticipate as being problematic. we wanted to avoid the 1st deck - for no good reason other than i wanna be higher deck.