One of the easiest ways to ruin an otherwise great cruise is to pick the wrong cabin, and I’m always amazed at how often this happens when the warning signs were sitting right there on the deck plan before the cruise was even booked.
Spend any amount of time in cruise groups and you’ll constantly see people complaining that their cabin was underneath the pool deck, next to a noisy service area, a mile from the elevators or directly above a nightclub. In many cases, a simple five-minute review of the ship’s deck plan before booking could have saved a lot of stress and disappointment.
Finding the perfect cruise cabin involves much more than deciding between an interior, oceanview, balcony or suite. Two cabins in the exact same category can provide very different experiences depending on where they’re located, what’s immediately above and below them, and what sits next or across from the door.
That bargain balcony may not feel like much of a bargain when deck chairs start scraping across the pool deck above you early in the morning. An inexpensive oceanview might turn out to have a lifeboat filling most of the window, while a cabin that looked perfectly positioned near the elevators could also put you in the middle of one of the busiest hallways on the ship.
Before choosing a stateroom, spend a few minutes studying the deck plans. It’s one of the simplest things you can do to improve your chances of ending up with a cabin you’ll actually enjoy.
Start With the Deck Above and Below Your Cabin
One of the biggest mistakes cruisers make is finding a cabin they like on a deck plan and looking only at that particular deck. Once you find a cabin you’re considering, pull up the deck immediately above it and the deck immediately below it. Ideally, you want to see other staterooms in both directions.
A cabin sandwiched between two decks of other cabins is generally one of the safest choices when noise is a concern. That certainly doesn’t guarantee complete silence because your neighbors can still slam doors, leave their television blasting or decide that midnight is the perfect time for a loud hallway conversation, but it eliminates many of the predictable sources of shipboard noise.
Things become more questionable when public spaces appear directly above or below you. Cabins underneath pool decks can experience chairs being moved around early in the morning, while rooms below buffets, restaurants and galleys may pick up noise from food preparation and cleaning. Cabins above theaters, lounges and nightclubs can sometimes hear music and bass well into the evening.
None of those locations automatically makes a cabin terrible, especially if you’re someone who stays up late and doesn’t care about a little noise. The important thing is knowing what you’re getting before you book.
Look for the Spaces That Aren’t Cabins
Cruise ship deck plans don’t always identify exactly what every blank or unlabeled area contains, and those mystery spaces deserve a closer look. Large white areas between cabins may contain crew stairwells, housekeeping closets, mechanical equipment or service areas. You may also find crew entrances directly across from passenger cabins, which can mean additional traffic as housekeeping carts, supplies and room-service equipment move through the area at all hours of the day.
That doesn’t mean you should panic whenever there’s an unlabeled section on the deck plan, but if the normal row of cabins suddenly stops and there’s a large blank area next to the room you’re considering, it’s worth investigating.
This is also where cabin photos, videos and online reviews can be extremely useful. Searching the exact cabin number, or even several cabins immediately around it, can sometimes reveal details that aren’t obvious from the deck plan.
Elevators Can Be Your Best Friend or Your Worst Neighbor
There’s nothing wrong with booking near an elevator. In fact, I generally consider convenient elevator access a positive, particularly on larger ships where walking from one end to the other several times a day gets your step goal in by afternoon tea.
But, there’s a difference between being conveniently close to the elevators and having your cabin door open directly into the main elevator lobby. These areas naturally attract passengers who are waiting, talking, regrouping and trying to figure out which direction they’re supposed to be going.
If you’re a light sleeper, moving five or ten cabins farther down the hallway can sometimes give you the best of both worlds: easy elevator access without having everyone on the deck gathering outside your door.
At the same time, don’t automatically assume that the cabin farthest from the elevators is better. On a large ship, that can turn into a long walk several times a day, which gets old fast.
What Cabin Location Is Best for a First-Time Cruiser?
If you’re taking your first cruise and have no idea whether you’re sensitive to ship movement, how much walking you’ll want to do or whether hallway noise is going to bother you, I’d play it safe with your first cabin selection.
For most first-time cruisers, a midship cabin on a deck with passenger cabins both above and below is probably the safest overall choice. Midship generally experiences less motion and vibration than the extreme forward or aft sections of the ship, while being near the middle also means you’re less likely to face long walks every time you want to visit a venue at the opposite end.
I’d also recommend being somewhat close to an elevator bank without choosing a cabin directly beside it. A room five to fifteen cabins away can give you convenient access while reducing some of the traffic and noise that comes with being directly outside the elevator lobby.
As far as cabin type goes, a standard balcony is an excellent first-cruise choice if the budget allows it. You get natural light, fresh air and your own outdoor space without stepping all the way up to suite pricing. Balconies can be especially nice for someone who isn’t yet sure how they’ll react to spending several days aboard a ship because you always have somewhere private to sit outside.
An oceanview cabin can also be a great first-time option, particularly if the price difference between an oceanview and balcony is outside your budget. You still get natural light and the ability to look outside, which some first-time cruisers can appreciate as opposed to an interior room with no views at all.
That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with booking an interior cabin on your first cruise, in fact that’s what I stayed in on my first one!. Even today, I still stay in them because they can often times be an excellent value, especially if you’re someone who spends very little time in the room. The downside for a first-time cruiser is that you don’t yet know how you’ll react to having no window and no natural light. Some people absolutely love the darkness and sleep better than they ever have. Others realize it isn’t for them after about 30 minutes.
For a first cruise, I’d be more cautious about extreme forward cabins, cabins directly beneath major public decks, heavily obstructed-view rooms unless you’ve researched the obstruction, and guarantee categories where the cruise line chooses your location. Once you’ve cruised a few times and know what does and doesn’t bother you, taking chances on those cabins becomes easier.
Forward, Midship or Aft?
There isn’t one universally perfect location because every section of the ship comes with advantages and disadvantages.
Midship cabins are typically the easiest recommendation for passengers concerned about motion. They’re also often conveniently located between attractions at the forward and aft ends of the ship, which is one reason these cabins are priced higher.
Forward cabins may be closer to theaters, observation lounges and other venues located toward the bow, and sometimes they come with a lower price tag. Passengers who are sensitive to motion, however, may notice more movement here, particularly when the seas get rough.
Aft cabins can be extremely desirable, especially when they feature balconies overlooking the ship’s wake. They may also be convenient to restaurants and venues located toward the back of the ship. The tradeoff can be longer walks to forward venues, and some ships have noticeable vibration in certain aft sections due to the ship’s propulsion systems.
Your itinerary should be part of the decision as well. If you’re sailing somewhere where rough seas are common and you already know you have issues with motion sickness, saving a few dollars on a cabin at the extreme front of the ship probably isn’t the smartest move.
Long Hallways Matter More Than You Think
Cruise ships are enormous, and cabin location becomes something you may not fully appreciate until you’re actually onboard. A room at the far forward or aft end of the ship may require a long walk to the nearest elevator bank, and once you reach the correct deck you may still need to travel halfway across the vessel to reach whatever venue you’re heading to.
For most passengers, that simply means some extra exercise. For anyone with mobility issues or difficulty walking long distances, it can become a major inconvenience.
This is another reason to look at the entire deck rather than concentrating solely on the little rectangle representing your cabin. Find the stairs and elevators, then look for the dining rooms, buffet, theater, pool, casino and other spaces you expect to use regularly.
You’re not going to make that walk once. You may make it six, eight or ten times every day.
Pay Attention to Connecting Cabins
Connecting staterooms are fantastic when families or groups are traveling together, but if I don’t need one, I generally prefer a cabin without a connecting door.
The connecting door replaces part of the solid wall between the two rooms, and depending on the ship, you may hear more from the passengers next door. Some ships have excellent soundproofing and you’ll never notice anything. Others can make you unexpectedly familiar with your neighbors’ conversations, television habits and morning routine.
I was upgraded to a balcony cabin on Holland America’s Rotterdam once, and my upgraded cabin was a connecting one. I heard every conversation, burp, fart, snore, you name it from the people in the room next to me, and I’m sure they heard me as well. My stateroom attendant did what he could by placing blankets between the two doors to dampen the noise, but it didn’t help.
Deck plans usually identify connecting cabins with a symbol, so check the legend before selecting your room. It’s a small detail that’s easy to overlook when you’re focused on price and location.
Know What “Obstructed View” Really Means
Obstructed-view cabins can be a great bargain, but the amount of obstruction varies dramatically from one cabin to another. One oceanview cabin may have a lifeboat blocking only the bottom portion of the window, while another could have an enormous tender directly outside, leaving little more than daylight coming around the sides.
The same applies to obstructed balconies. You may still have a perfectly usable balcony with lifeboats or equipment visible below your line of sight, while another cabin may have machinery positioned directly in front of you.
This is one area where searching for photos of the exact cabin number becomes particularly useful. Someone has probably stayed in that room before, and there’s a good chance they posted a picture somewhere.
An obstructed view doesn’t necessarily make a cabin bad. If the price difference is significant and you mainly want natural light or a balcony where you can get some fresh air, the savings can absolutely be worth it. You just want to know what the obstruction looks like before booking rather than discovering it when you open the curtains on embarkation day.
Guarantee Cabins Give the Cruise Line Control
Guarantee fares can save money, but you’re giving up one of the biggest advantages of studying the deck plan: choosing exactly where your cabin is located.
With a guarantee stateroom, you typically choose a minimum cabin category and allow the cruise line to assign the actual stateroom. Sometimes you get lucky and receive a cabin in a location you would have happily selected yourself. Other times you may end up underneath the pool deck, at the extreme end of a hallway or in another location you would have avoided if you had been choosing manually.
The same consideration applies to cruise-line upgrade bidding programs. Other lines, including Princess and MSC, use systems such as Plusgrade that allow passengers to bid for cabin upgrades, and I’ve personally had situations where moving from an interior cabin to a balcony for a couple hundred dollars turned out to be a great deal. But bidding comes with its own risk because you have no say over the location of the upgraded cabin.
Before bidding, look at the entire category you’re trying to move into. You should be comfortable receiving one of the least desirable cabins in that category, not just imagining yourself in the best one.
Don’t Assume a Higher Deck Is Better
Cruise lines have conditioned passengers to associate higher decks with better cabins, and cabin pricing sometimes reflects that perception. But higher doesn’t automatically mean quieter or more convenient.
Some of the highest passenger decks are directly underneath the pool, buffet, jogging track, sports court or outdoor entertainment areas. A cabin several decks lower may actually provide a much quieter experience while still putting you close to elevators and everything else you need.
Lower decks can have advantages as well. They may be convenient when getting on and off the ship in ports and can sometimes experience less motion than higher decks, although certain areas may also have additional vibration or operational noise.
Choose the deck because of what surrounds the cabin, not simply because Deck 14 sounds more desirable than Deck 8.
Think About Where You’ll Spend Your Time
Another trick I use when evaluating a cabin is to stop thinking about the room and think about the rest of the ship.
Where will you eat breakfast? Which pool will you use? Where is the casino? Where are the main dining rooms? Is the theater all the way forward while your cabin is all the way aft?
When I stayed in an interior cabin on Carnival Horizon, the cabin category was only one part of the equation. On a ship that size, where the room sits in relation to the places you use every day can have more impact on the cruise than whether the cabin itself is slightly larger.
This becomes especially important on ships with unusual layouts where certain decks don’t run straight through from bow to stern. Something that looks close on a deck plan may require an elevator ride, a long hallway and another set of stairs to actually reach.
Five Minutes With the Deck Plan Can Save a Week of Complaining
There is no such thing as the perfect cruise cabin. One passenger wants to be close to the elevators while another wants to be nowhere near them. Some people love aft balconies despite the extra walking involved, while someone prone to motion sickness may want to stay firmly planted near the middle of the ship.
What I don’t understand are the complaints I regularly see after the fact from cruisers who discover their cabin was underneath the pool, above a nightclub or at the end of an incredibly long hallway. Cruise lines publish detailed deck plans before you book, and in many cases all of that information was available beforehand.
Before paying for a cabin, check the deck above it and the deck below it. Look for pools, restaurants, theaters, bars, galleys and service areas. Check for connecting doors, find the elevators, look at how far you’ll be walking and understand exactly what an obstructed view or guarantee category means.
For first-time cruisers especially, there’s nothing wrong with playing it safe. A midship balcony or oceanview cabin, a reasonable distance from the elevators and surrounded by passenger cabins above and below, may not be the cheapest room on the ship, but it removes a lot of variables when you don’t yet know what’s going to bother you.
Once you have a few cruises under your belt, you’ll know whether you can happily sleep under the pool deck, whether an interior cabin is perfectly fine or whether you absolutely need a balcony.
Until then, use the deck plan.
It’s much easier to spend five minutes studying it before the cruise than seven days complaining about your cabin afterward.
