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The inside cabin
has its place
Think cozy, not cramped, and you
can appreciate it for the bargain that it is. |
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By the Hartford Courant |
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We hear about those fancy cabins: the suites, the private balconies, the ocean
views. Our fellow cruise passengers always seem to have better staterooms than
we do, at least when we compare notes in the dining room.
But we don't mind. We're sitting at the same table they're sitting at, eating
the same steak or lobster, getting ready to go to the same show or get off in
the same port. And we paid less.
We paid less because we booked an inside cabin. No window. No view. Great deal.
No less an authority than Arthur Frommer, the budget-travel guru, recommends
inside cabins for just that reason. With so much included in the cabin price,
you end up with a better deal on all the shared amenities. Every minute in the
hot tub, every bite from your plate, every moment of entertainment costs you
less.
That's also the rationale for veteran cruiser Steve Doshay of Calabasas, Calif.,
who says he'll book an inside cabin if the price is right. The money he saves
can pay for shore excursions or extra nights in a hotel before or after the
cruise.
"If all you ever use your cabin for is to sleep and change clothes, the inside
cabins work just fine," he said. "And the view is the same in the dark when
you're asleep."
A modern cruise ship may have a dozen or more categories of stateroom: multiroom
suites with multiple balconies, expansive staterooms with single balconies,
ocean-view cabins with portholes or small windows (which don't open) and inside
cabins with no view at all. The price spread is huge. The most expensive cabin
can cost three or more times the price of the cheapest.
The lure of a bargain can make an inside cabin nearly irresistible. One
seven-night southern Caribbean trip on Princess Cruises next January, for
instance, will run just $650 per person for an inside cabin. Hold out for an
ocean view, though, and you'll pay another $150 each. A balcony brings the cost
to $1,000 per person.
It sometimes happens, owing to fluctuations in supply and demand, that the least
expensive outside cabins on the lowest decks will cost only slightly more than
an inside cabin. We have often seen that price difference fall under $100 per
person for a seven-day cruise. But even in these cases, we prefer an inside
cabin on an upper deck to a porthole view from the lowest decks.
What's an inside cabin like? Think small. Now think smaller. Think walk-in
closet with a bed. You're getting close.
Inside cabins usually run from about 120 to 185 square feet -- less than half
the size of a typical hotel room. Expect twin beds that your cabin attendant can
convert into a double, sometimes with extra bunks that pull down from the
ceiling.
The traveler's adage "Take half the clothes and twice the money" is never truer
than on a cruise.
So why do many cruisers cheerfully pay more than bottom-of-the-rack rates?
First up is the view: From an outside cabin or balcony stateroom, the ocean is
never farther than a glance out the window. After all, you're paying to be out
on the water, so why not enjoy the scenery? You're guaranteed plenty of natural
light by day, and your bed becomes front-row seating when you cruise past
tropical beaches or other scenes.
"If we're going to a warmer climate which is not overly port-intensive, we'll
book a balcony," said Karen Cusick of Billerica, Mass., who is preparing for her
seventh cruise in May. "There is nothing we enjoy more than opening the door out
to the balcony and enjoying the sounds, smells and warm breezes out on the open
seas, or just sitting out there, feet propped up, reading a good book."
Plenty of veteran cruisers insist on a balcony when they book Alaska trips,
swearing by the thrill of watching Glacier Bay with their warm cabin just a
couple of steps away.
Inside-cabin passengers must switch their TVs to the ship's internal channel to
know whether to expect sun or rain. Turn off all of the lights in an inside
cabin, and the darkness is -- depending on your mood -- either magical or
overwhelming.
Price may be the main reason some people love inside cabins, but it's not the
only one.
For those who can view the space as cozy rather than cramped, a window-free
stateroom can be a soothingly tranquil retreat after a day of shore excursions.
And without a lot of room to hang around inside, you don't hang around inside.
As Cusick says, "You tend to spend more time outside your cabin enjoying the
ship's many activities and the cruise experience overall." |
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