This is a guest post from a friend, who shares what happened when he booked an inside cabin for his first ever cruise.
I’m someone who likes space. I don’t get claustrophobic when I’m somewhere cramped, but I definitely get a bit more grumpy when I’m feeling penned in.
Being a larger gent who’s also quite clumsy definitely contributes to that.
So booking an inside cabin for my first ever cruise was an interesting decision. After all, they’re hardly the most spacious staterooms you can choose.
Was it a terrible idea?
Some Context – I Didn’t Make The Decision Blindly
It’s worth giving you a bit of background, because this wasn’t my first time stepping onto a cruise ship.
I’ve worked in travel on and off for around 15 years, so I was already familiar with cruising. I’d also been lucky enough to go on a few ship visits, where we’d tour the ship, have some lunch and then get kicked off before the actual cruise guests settled in.
But I’d never actually seen an inside cabin in person. Understandable, really. They’re not usually the rooms cruise lines are desperate to show off on a ship tour!
I’d seen photos and deck plans, so I had a rough idea of what to expect. But seeing the dimensions on a screen isn’t quite the same as stepping inside one for the first time.
So I wasn’t going in completely blind. Even so, the cabin still gave me a bit of a surprise.
First Impressions – Not Great!
I’ll be honest: walking into the room for the first time, I had a brief “uh oh” moment. We’d just come from the excitement of exploring the ship – the massive Royal Promenade, the pool deck, the Windjammer buffet – and then opened the door to something almost like a cocoon.
Within two strides I’d crossed the entire space. With both suitcases inside, it suddenly felt like a very real game of human Tetris trying to move around each other.
And the low ceiling added to that boxed-in feeling. I’m not especially tall, but if you’re six foot or more, you’ll definitely notice it. If you’re used to hotel rooms and you come to a cruise cabin for the first time, that clearance above your head isn’t much.
For those first few minutes, I really did worry. Would I feel trapped after a few days? Would I start resenting the space every time I had to sidestep my luggage?
But the good news is, that feeling didn’t last long.
Learned To Love It
It’s amazing how quickly you adapt. Once we unpacked and tucked our suitcases away, the cabin felt entirely different. Suddenly there was space to breathe – and even move!
The storage design is actually really smart. Drawers, shelves, hidden cupboards… Once our clothes and bits were organised, it didn’t feel cramped at all.
The one thing I never figured out was the coffee table. It mostly became an obstacle course feature – one I’d inevitably bang my leg on at least once a day.
I tucked it as far out the way as possible but it still just felt like an unnecessary feature in a small room.
We were cruising as a family of three, with our daughter in the Pullman bed that folds down from the ceiling, and I’d been sure that would turn the room into chaos.
But honestly? Even with her bed down, we were perfectly fine. It was just this cosy, den-like space that suited us surprisingly well.
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Problems with Bathroom Space? Not for Me
Before the trip, I’d read a lot of comments online about cruise bathrooms being “tiny” or “barely usable,” and as a plus-size cruiser, I’ll admit I had some concerns.
Suggested read: 13 Things Plus-Size Cruisers Struggle With
Again, I’d only really seen larger cruise bathrooms of suites when on ship tours. Still, I knew I wasn’t going to be getting some palatial bathroom.
Turns out though, it was absolutely fine. Compact, yes – but not uncomfortable. The shower was actually roomier than I expected, and also worth mentioning, the water pressure was great. Better than the hotel we stayed at the night before the cruise. Certainly better than our naff shower at home.
The only slight issue was me being, well, me – a bit clumsy. Let’s just say a couple of banged knees while trying to get dressed in the bathroom in privacy reminded me that coordination is not my strongest skill.
But that’s part of sharing a cabin as your kids get older. With our preteen daughter in the room, the bathroom was pretty much the only private space for getting changed, so you just make it work.
Even if that sometimes feels like practising your contortion skills around the sink and toilet.
Public bathrooms elsewhere on the ship were naturally roomier, but for everyday use, ours was perfectly fine.
Suggested read: 14 Things You Should Know About Bathrooms On Cruise Ships
Noise Due to Our Location
Our cabin was just below Boleros and Playmakers, which had me a bit nervous when I saw the deck plans. Late-night music and sports bar noise aren’t usually part of my bedtime routine and if something wakes me up, I tend to stay awake.
There was some sound from above – mostly muffled thumps and the faint echo of music on certain nights – but nothing that ever became a real issue.
It was more background hum than disturbance. If anything, it added to that cosy feeling of being tucked away while the ship buzzed around us.
I did get woken up a couple of times just as I was drifting off, but I’m pretty sure one of those times was because I had a plush duck thrown at me by said preteen because of my snoring.
Can’t really blame the room location for that one.
Why I Would Book Inside Again
Here’s the thing: once you settle in and stop comparing it to a hotel room on land, an Inside Cabin is actually really nice.
It’s your little nest – quiet, dark, cool, and oddly comforting. My wife loved it right away and couldn’t understand why I’d been hesitant. By day two, I had to admit she was right.
Also, the possibility of booking two cheaper connecting cabins when our daughter is a little older? Yes please!
I did miss having a view when I woke up early and wanted to see what was going on as we arrived into port.
But it wasn’t a dealbreaker – as we sailed into Hamburg, with me wide awake in the early hours, I just threw on some clothes and snuck out of the room to the Promenade Deck for a look around.
So would I book an Inside Cabin again? Absolutely. For the price, comfort, and that surprisingly homely feel, it’s a no-brainer.
If anything, I’d say it added to the experience – reminding me that a cruise isn’t about how big your room is, but everything that happens outside it.
Having Said That…
As much as I enjoyed the inside cabin, I completely understand why they’re not for everyone.
Some people simply don’t like being in a room without a window. It can feel disorienting, especially if you like waking up and immediately knowing whether it’s morning, evening or somewhere in between.
Others might find the space too compact, particularly if they prefer a bit more breathing room or love waking up to a sea view.
For me, the size turned out to be absolutely fine, and I missed the view far less than I expected.
That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy some natural light next time, though. I’d happily try an Ocean View cabin or a Balcony and see how they compare.
That’s one of the things I like about cruising. You can choose anything from a compact, budget-friendly inside cabin to a huge suite, depending on what matters most to you.
The important thing is to do your research. I knew booking an Inside Guarantee cabin, where you don’t choose your exact room, involved a bit of a gamble.
In my case, it worked out brilliantly. But it’s still worth checking deck plans, reading reviews and thinking carefully about what you actually need from your cabin before booking.
For this trip, the Inside Cabin on Independence of the Seas turned out to be exactly right for us.
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