Cruise Ship Staterooms – 8 Things to Avoid When Choosing a Cruise Cabin

December 16th, 2009 One Comment
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One of the most important decisions when booking a sailing cruise is which cruise cabin to reserve. Your choice of cruise ship staterooms can make or break your vacation.

To make the best choice, the first thing you’ll want to do is find the layout of the vessel – either online or in a brochure. There you’ll see an overview of the ship’s decks, the location of the cruise ship’s staterooms along with diagrams of the interior floor plans.

There will also be a list of the different categories of cruise cabins. On a very large cruise line ship there can be over 20 categories.

The quality and cost of your cruise cabin are determined by three things – its location, size, and type.

How you will feel about your cruise will mostly be determined by the location of your cruise cabin.

Higher Deck Cruise Cabins

Pros

  • The views are nice.
  • Cons

  • Because these cruise ship staterooms are closer to the sundeck and the pool deck they’ll usually cost more.
  • Make believe you’re sitting on top of a pendulum and that it’s swaying back and forth. This is how an upper deck cruise experience can feel, especially in rough water. The higher your deck the more you’ll feel the motion of the ocean.
  • Lower Deck Cruise Cabins

    Pros

  • You’ll have a smoother ride in rough seas.
  • They’re the most affordable cruise cabins. Book one and you will save hundreds of dollars.
  • Cons

  • You’ll be the furthest from most of the activities so you’ll have to climb more stairs and ride more elevators.
  • You could also hear the anchor noise and engine noise. This is especially true on an older cruise line ship. These noises can be very grating on your nerves.
  • Bow Cruise Cabins

    Pros

  • Great views.
  • Cons

  • If you want to feel like a real sailor, especially during rough seas, book a forward cruise cabin.
  • Aft Cruise Cabins

    Pros

  • You’ll feel less motion in the cruise ship staterooms at the rear of the ship.
  • You’ll have a beautiful view of where you’ve been.
  • Cons

  • You’ll often give up your privacy because the restaurants and lounges usually overlook these cabin’s balconies. People will look down on you while you’re sunbathing.
  • Midship Cruise Cabins

    Pros

  • These cruise ship staterooms tend to have less motion.
  • Cons

  • They often go for a premium.
  • If you book a midship cabin make sure you’re not near the lifeboats or tenders because they’ll block your view. The tenders are quite loud when they’re being raised and lowered.

    Look at what’s above, below, and next to your cabin. Generally, you want to be surrounded by other staterooms.

    No matter the deck you’re on, or if you’re fore or aft – or somewhere in between – unless you like staying up through the night there are some locations you definitely want to avoid.

    Do not book a cruise cabin that’s near (or under):

  • a dance floor
  • the pool
  • a kitchen area
  • a restaurant that’s open all night
  • the gym
  • a service elevator – you’ll hear plenty of noise.
  • the doctor’s office and housekeeping areas – your corridor will be crowded with people or supplies.
  • And if you want privacy, stay away from an ocean view stateroom on a promenade deck. Passers-by always look into these cruise cabins.

    Author: Steve Schulman
    Article Source: EzineArticles.com
    Provided by: Programmable pressure cooker

    One Comment

    1. Dee says:

      Hi, I just got home from a cruise…and I really wish I would have read this article prior to traveling on a cruise ship. We actually went on the NCL Norweigan Dawn and yes the service was excellent but at the same time seemed pretty chezy and rehearsed…there were a TON of photo’s taken by the AKA PAPS….wow that was annoying and also we were to Port in Caman Islands at 9am and we were not allowed to leave the ship until 12:30pm and we needed to be back at 3:30pm not much time to explore the land….also we went to Cozmel…which was pretty interesting since I have never been to Mexico…WOW…little scary….but the thing that really bothered me personal was we went into one of the Restaurants (ever night we had dinner at the restaurants) but this particular night we went to the “Italian Restaurant” the menu was everthing they served in the Buffet line…..But the most positive thing on this trip was the EXCELLENT Steak House on the ship 14th Floor….yes, it was $25.00 per person but I would have paid $50.00 or more per person that is how much I LUVED the food and the service….this restaurant was not anything like the Italian Restaurant which they should have paid us to dine there…We had a Ocean View Stateroom on the 11th floor and it was not bad….yes, the rooms are smaller than a mouse trap but I wasnt even in the rooms half the time…I just thought I would let others know my experience.

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