Jump to content

Find the best cabin on the ship for YOU!


Petra_Cruising

1,628 views

Before joining a river cruise in India recently, I travelled together with my fellow passengers on a bone rattling bus for several hours. Seated beside me in the front seat was a man by the name of Dennis who was also travelling solo. When we finally arrived at the jetty, Dennis was insistent that he go on ahead with our luggage while we waited behind for the boat to return. Later, as I entered my cabin, there was Dennis carefully placing one foot in front of the other. Dennis, may I ask what you are doing? He was making sure that the cabin he had chosen was larger than everyone else's and so far he had measured most of them. That provided him with the reassurance he was in need of that he had done better than the rest of us.

Dennis, I said, had you looked at the company website, you would have seen that there is a deck plan. You would have noticed that all cabins are identical in size except for yours and the one beside it at the stern, which are indeed a little larger. But Dennis, when you choose a cabin, don't just rely on what you see. The downside for you Dennis, is that you will feel continual vibration as well as smell diesel and cooking fumes. For you Dennis the bone rattling journey you just experienced will continue for the next two weeks. This is because your cabin is directly above the engine room and the kitchen, so you will not only shake, it will be smelly!

The process of finding the right cabin requires some effort and thought about what is important to you. It also requires you to use all your senses.

Consider the floor plan including the bedding configuration and bathroom layout, the square footage of the cabin, the level you want to be on, your view including window size – portholes, standard size or floor to ceiling and any obstructions to clear sight lines such as hull, lifeboats and equipment but importantly, look at proximity to what might cause noise, vibration and motion. You won't want a cabin below a dance floor, near the anchor, tenders, galley, too close to restaurants or alongside lifts or stairwell will you? If you suffer from motion sickness, a cabin mid ship and low is best. If privacy is important avoid cabins that open onto a promenade deck. If you choose one with a balcony, consider if you will have privacy or if you will be in full view. And then there's the itinerary and direction. Will your ship be hugging a coastline? If so, you'll probably want a room facing land. Do you enjoy sunsets? Then you will want a cabin that faces west. On an ocean crossing, where winds are high, a balcony will be used less often than on calmer seas or rivers.

Think also of proximity to what is important to you. The spa, the deck, the boutiques, restaurants, library - choose a cabin that is close to what matters.

On one cruise I went on for example, Jim suffered from insomnia. He chose a cabin alongside the library, so that he could go next door and read on waking and his wife was not disturbed. Also consider how much your cabin will be used. If just for a bed to sleep in, interior cabins offer great savings, but for me, they make me feel just a little too anxious. Also consider price differential and whether it is warranted.

In the case of my cruise with Dennis, cabins on the higher level were more expensive, though I found little to distinguish them. Cabins can vary significantly within the same price category. For the next two weeks Dennis told me about how I had unintentionally ruined his holiday.

Let's hope Dennis you are reading my blog to ensure you get the right cabin next time!

Have you got any tips for getting the right cabin?

blogentry-71406-0-93035700-1318896107_thumb.jpg

9 Comments


Recommended Comments

Congratulations Petra on having this as a place to share your insight.!

My suggestion is: Because of the fact the elevator is the point of entry to most places on the ship, my best choice for a cabin is close to the elevator. Not right at the elevator and stairwell opening but about two doors down in any direction.

Leland

Link to comment

Petra, in the past we received great last minute deals on partially obstructed view cabins. For our next cruises, which is actually two back to back on the Ryndam for New Year, we chose an inside cabin on the lower promenade deck. We are just a few steps away from being outside on the wrap around deck. It will be great for both sundown and sunset photos!

Link to comment

Congratulations Petra on having this as a place to share your insight.!

My suggestion is: Because of the fact the elevator is the point of entry to most places on the ship, my best choice for a cabin is close to the elevator. Not right at the elevator and stairwell opening but about two doors down in any direction.

Leland

Hi Leland, Thanks for your tip. You are absolutely right, not so close to the elevator as to overhear the conversations of those waiting to use it or the exchange of "Goodnight" as they exit, but close enough for easy and quick access. And as Leland highlights, it ensures you will be at the front of the queue for onshore excursions.

Link to comment

Petra, in the past we received great last minute deals on partially obstructed view cabins. For our next cruises, which is actually two back to back on the Ryndam for New Year, we chose an inside cabin on the lower promenade deck. We are just a few steps away from being outside on the wrap around deck. It will be great for both sundown and sunset photos!

Hi Keith and Rita,

Thankyou for your input. I agree, it makes good sense to choose an inside cabin because of the considerable cost savings. And as you say, in your case your inside cabin, presumably one of those from K395 - L423, allows for easy access to the promenade deck just a few steps away, without your cabin being subjected to any noise generated by those going for a run or walk just outside. I like the deckplan for the Ryndam because of the close proximity of inside cabins to gain ready access to outside.

Regards,

Petra

Link to comment

Petra,

On our 1st cruise together back in 1999, Cindy and I were upgraded to a balcony. We loved having the balcony so much that both Cindy and I will never cruise in any other type of cabin. The ability to have a private area on a cruise ship with 2-3 thousand guest is essential for our enjoyment of a cruise. Other than tha t, we're not picky as to where the cabin is. :thumbup:

Link to comment

Petra,

On our 1st cruise together back in 1999, Cindy and I were upgraded to a balcony. We loved having the balcony so much that both Cindy and I will never cruise in any other type of cabin. The ability to have a private area on a cruise ship with 2-3 thousand guest is essential for our enjoyment of a cruise. Other than tha t, we're not picky as to where the cabin is. :thumbup:

Hi Rogue, I had a similar experience on an expedition cruise ship. I was upgraded from a cabin with two portholes, to a cabin that was much more spacious with a large window. While onboard I asked to see the standard of cabin I was originally intended to occupy. Now that I am in the process of booking another cruise with them, I am finding it difficult to weigh up cost saving = two portholes or pay more = that sense of wow each time I enter my cabin. It makes good sense for companies to upgrade if possible because once the bar is raised, it becomes harder to go down. If you know that the cruise you have booked on has space availability, ask nicely about the possibility of an upgrade and once onboard ask if you can see a few cabins that are unoccupied so that you can decide on the one that will suit you best the next time you hop onboard. Thanks for your comments, Petra

Link to comment

First of all welcome to Cruise Crazies. I look forward to reading about your adventures and picking up some tips along the way.

Like Rogue, once we had the taste of breakfast on our own balcony it was very hard to not have one. A list minute cruise last Feb. had no balconies available so we took an OV but it just wasn't the same.

Link to comment

Hi, again! Since I tend to get dizzy easily (not seasick) I discovered that getting an outside cabin (not balcony), in the lowest deck in midship helps. I have not been dizzy since we started booking these cabins. Our travel agent know it and she gets us the best cabins in every ship. My only disagreement is that when the ship lines give points for the cruises, they give more to those in balcony cabins than to

outside cabins. We get penalized for not being able to cruise on a balcony cabin... Conchy

Link to comment
Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...