Deciding which cabin to book for a Royal Caribbean cruise can seem daunting. With so many cabin categories available, from small interior cabins to multi-story suites, it’s helpful to get an idea of what each type of cabin offers.
On my most recent Royal Caribbean cruise, I booked a 170 square foot interior cabin on Brilliance of the Seas, a Radiance Class cruise ship that launched in 2001.
The total cost of my interior cabin for a South Pacific itinerary on Brilliance of the Seas was $2,018. This included taxes, fees, and gratuities for two people in the cabin, which brought the cost to $1,009 per person. Because the cruise was ten nights long, the price per night was around $202, or $101 per person, per night.
Initially I was a bit skeptical to spend ten nights in a tiny interior cabin, as I had never taken a cruise over seven nights long before. In fact, I even considered upgrading to an oceanview or balcony room, but ultimately decided against it. Saving money on my cruise fare enabled me to spend more on extras like shore excursions and even an additional post-cruise night in my disembarkation port of Sydney, Australia.
While my windowless cabin was certainly nothing luxurious, it quickly became a cozy place to call home on Brilliance of the Seas. Let’s take a look inside.
My interior cabin had a king-sized bed, which was two twin-sized beds pushed together. The bed took up the majority of this area of the cabin, with just a small amount of space on each side of the bed.
A nightstand with a drawer and a nightlight were placed on each side of the bed, too. The master lights could be controlled via a switch on just the left bedside, with the stateroom’s telephone on the right.
My friend and I later had the bed separated into twin beds. Each bed was pushed to the wall and our nightstands were placed in the middle. By doing so, our cabin seemed to have more walking space, as the space on each side of the king bed was combined together in the middle between the two twin beds.
While my cabin was quite small, I appreciated the fact that we had a couch. Some interior cabins on Royal Caribbean ships only feature a small chair, and this is never ideal when both guests want to relax in the cabin without sitting on the bed.
Like all Royal Caribbean cabins, my Brilliance of the Seas cabin also featured a desk and vanity space. In this space was a desk with seven drawers along with a television, cooler, and additional shelving. I found the desk chair comfortable when getting ready for dinner in front of the mirror or working at my computer.
There were two North American-style outlets and two European-style outlets at my cabin’s desk. Because Brilliance of the Seas is an older Royal Caribbean ship, you will not find outlets by the bedside or elsewhere in the cabin.
While I do prefer charging my phone by my bed, I still found the amount of outlets adequate in the cabin. Bringing a European plug adapter ensured I could take advantage of all four outlets, too, and this was an essential item to pack for my sailing.
Related: 40 essential things to bring on a cruise
Depending on your cruise market, a kettle may be available in the cabin. Cruises from Australia and the United Kingdom, for instance, typically place a kettle on your ship’s vanity or dresser.
Above the television was a safe along with two additional shelves. Because of the amount of storage elsewhere in the cabin, though, I did not have a need for these extra shelves. Instead, I stored the cabin’s kettle in this area so it was out of the way for the sailing.
Below the television was a mini cooler, which came empty. Using the cooler was helpful during our cruise, whether to store beverages like Powerade and water bottles before a port day or to store fruit and desserts I brought back to my cabin.
Next to the vanity, closest to the cabin’s door, was a closet.
Inside the closet were six shelves along with ample space for hanging clothes. If you would prefer to use your cabin’s vanity drawers for storing belongings like snorkel gear and electronics, you should find more than enough space in the closet to unpack your clothing.
Being an older ship, I expected storage space in the cabin to be lacking, but I did not find this to be the case whatsoever, and there were more than enough shelves and drawers to fit my belongings, both in the vanity and closet.
It’s not a cruise from Australia if you don’t bring a pack of Tim Tams with you to the cabin, and these delightful cookies had a permanent spot in my cabin’s cabinet (until they were gone, of course).
Related: What surprised me on my first Australia cruise
My cabin had a private bathroom, and while not very spacious, it was well maintained given the ship’s age.
Like the rest of the cabin, the bathroom also had storage space, with shelving behind the mirrors for toiletries, hair styling tools, and makeup.
The shower had a cloth curtain, and while a combination body wash and shampoo was provided, I recommend bringing your own body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Additionally, there were two small shelves in the shower.
Overall, I found my Brilliance of the Seas cabin to be comfortable during my ten night stay onboard. I found the cabin better maintained than the cabin I stayed in last year on sister ship Radiance of the Seas. There did not appear to be much wear and tear in my Brilliance of the Seas cabin compared to her sister ship.
Ultimately, there is no right or wrong cabin to book on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Booking an interior cabin could be the perfect choice for those on a budget, but a nightmare cabin for passengers in search of something more opulent.
Having such a tiny cabin encouraged me to spend time elsewhere onboard, allowing me to experience more activities and make friends with fellow passengers during the sailing.
I found my small, windowless cabin to be the perfect place to call home during my cruise.
