NO PRESSURE IN PICKING BEST ON-BOARD CABIN
Go with what fits with your budget, itinerary and ship
I often get asked what kind of cruise ship cabin is “the best” to book. Of course, there’s no easy answer to that. What kind of cabin you book depends a lot on your personal wants and needs, as well as your budget. But it should also depend on your itinerary and the ship you’re sailing on. On some cruises, a balcony cabin isn’t always the best choice.
One of my all-time favourite cruise ship cabins is one that can be found on most newer Royal Caribbean (cruise.center/royalcaribbean) ships. It’s a Promenade Stateroom: an interior cabin with a large bay window overlooking the ship’s massive three-storey horizontal promenade that runs along the centre line of the ship.
Sailing aboard the 3,114-guest Mariner of the Seas, I could sit on the little loveseat in this bay window and watch the parades and performances that went on in the promenade below. It’s also very unique: while plenty ( but not all) of Royal Caribbean’s fleet features this cool, economically priced stateroom choice, many other mainstream lines do not.
Royal Caribbean’s promenade staterooms are also a great choice for those who don’t like the idea of a windowless inside stateroom, but who don’t want to splurge for the more expensive ocean view (window) staterooms, or the full-fledged balcony staterooms.
It’s also important to consider where you’re cruising to. I quite like choosing a balcony stateroom in Alaska because there are so many scenic cruising opportunities. Princess Cruises (cruise.center/princess) offers a great selection of balconies on its largest ships. While most are fully covered, Grand Class ships such as Grand, Golden and Star Princess offer fully exposed balconies with no overhead cover.
Suites, in all their wonderful forms, are a great choice for special occasions. While these are the first to sell out on most luxury lines ( book early), they sometimes can be had for a decent discount on off-season sailings on large mainstream ships.
You can pick different staterooms for different voyages, too. I’m always surprised how many people I meet who are dead-set on a balcony room, even if the weather and destination aren’t going to let them get the most out of the voyage. For example, I’m taking a cruise with Celebrity (www. cruise.center/celebrity) later this year from Vancouver to Tokyo. It’s got a lot of sea days — nine in total — and it crosses the North Pacific at a time when storms and chilly weather are not entirely unexpected. Mindful of that, I booked myself a very economical inside cabin that’s close to the ship’s public spaces and outdoor decks. It just didn’t seem worth the extra cash for the balcony room — and insides were on sale.
Another great value stateroom that a lot of folks overlook are the obstructed view staterooms. These tend to be oceanview staterooms that feature either a fully obstructed or partially obstructed view, and are usually located on the same deck as the lifeboats. So while you won’t get much of a view (other than the bright-orange top of a lifeboat), these rooms do let in plenty of natural light. They’re also usually priced somewhere in between a windowless inside stateroom and a fixed-window oceanview room.
Rooms vary by ship. Some ships, such as Norwegian Cruise Line’s (cruise.center/norwegian) Norwegian Epic, have inside staterooms for singles and couples, but lack those with an ocean view. The next available category is the entrylevel balcony stateroom, which means plenty of choice for balcony lovers, but less so for those looking for something more economical.
Other lines, like Viking Ocean Cruises (cruise.center/vikingsea) make it a point to only offer balcony staterooms and suites on-board. You won’t find an inside or an oceanview room — or an obstructed view room, for that matter, on the line’s swanky new Viking Star, Viking Sea and Viking Sky.
But like food, the kind of stateroom you pick for your cruise is an immensely personal choice. Don’t take my advice here as gospel; pick whichever room best serves your budget and needs. And if you can get a great deal along the way, all the better.
Happy cruising.
Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia CruiseShipCenters, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com.