What is the best room you can get on a cruise ship?
What makes the decision so difficult is there are so many personal preferences and sub-categories to consider. How many people are you sharing the room with? Are you prone to getting seasick? Will you spend more time at the pool or casino? How much of a budget do you have?
There are lots of considerations that go into picking the perfect room, and it goes well beyond cost.
A stateroom is similar in some respects to a hotel room, but cabins tend to be smaller. Plus, I think a cruise ship room selection is more important because you're likely to be on a ship longer than a hotel.
Before you choose a Royal Caribbean cruise ship room, I would recommend looking at TK important things first.
Cruise room types, explained
Let's start with the basics, because every Royal Caribbean ship falls into one of four major categories.
- Interior rooms: Smallest and (usually) cheapest rooms on a cruise ship, inside rooms have no windows or access to the outside. It's four walls with no view.
- Oceanview rooms: If a cabin with a view is important, an oceanview room comes with a window. Usually a bit larger than inside rooms, oceanview cabins have either a porthole or window that has a view outside (although you cannot open the window).
- Balcony rooms: Balcony rooms are the "Goldilocks stateroom" because they have access to fresh air via a balcony that has at least two chairs and a table. The convenience is undeniable, and the cost to move up is affordable compared to the next category.
- Suites: The luxury option for vacationers that want opulence with their room choice. Suites have the most living space, ideal locations, and often have separate living and sleeping rooms. Plus, they come with extra perks and included amenities.
All cabins on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship come with basic amenities, such as a private bathroom, bed, sitting area, closet, and vanity. The difference is bigger rooms may have more space, and suites have extra perks.
What is the best room location on a cruise ship?
The best room location sounds like a simple question, but it depends on your needs and preferences. Some people care more about proximity to areas they frequent, others want quiet locations above all else.
The generally accepted ideal location for any room is to be in the middle of the ship, on a mid to lower deck. That's because you'll feel the least movement and be centrally located on the ship.
Rooms at the very front or on higher decks can sometimes feel like there's more movement because the roll and rocking of the ship tends to be worst there.
Don't let that scare you, as cruise ships are quite stable most of the time.
Being closer to an area of the ship you'll spend more time is important too. If you're someone that will be up at the pool all the time, why not pick a room on a higher deck so you can easily pop in and out without much of a trek.
But if you prefer bar hopping, the casino, or the restaurants, picking a cabin on a lower deck might make more sense.
But before you book any room, there are cabins to avoid because of noise issues.
The rule of thumb is to avoid rooms above or below a pool deck, bar, or other public venue. You want to book a room that has another stateroom above and below your cabin.
When my kids were young, I told my travel agent to find us a room near the kids club so we could quickly bring them back and forth. But as they got older, I switched to rooms close to the Royal Promenade so I could conveniently get to the evening activities.
Should you let the cruise line pick your room?
Royal Caribbean offers guests the option to let the cruise line pick their room assignment in exchange for a discount, but this comes with a few important things to know.
A guaranteed room assignment means at some point between when you book the cruise and the sail date, Royal Caribbean will choose the specific room from the leftover cabins that haven't been sold yet.
It could take days, weeks, or even months for your room to be assigned and it could take all the way until the day of your sailing.
The potential issue is you may get a less desirable room location, such as a cabin all the way forward, a connecting cabin, or a cabin under the pool deck.
Not everyone hates their assignment, and it may end up being a perfectly adequate room. Given the amount of money saved, booking a GTY room might be perfect.
I think you should choose this option if you're flexible with a room location, not a light sleeper, and not particular susceptible to getting seasick.
Pick a room by balancing cabin size, budget, and amenities
Start the selection process with the least expensive cabin and moving up to see which option matches your needs and budget.
An inside room will suffice, but if you can afford to move up to a balcony or suite, then see how much more that option will be. There are wonderful aspects to each room type, but if you can't afford it, then it's not worth considering.
Royal Caribbean ships offer various room categories, including balcony rooms that face inwards, inside cabins with an LED screen that have an outside view, and many family rooms designed for larger families.
An inside room will be the cheapest option and small. But it gets you on the ship and you can argue you'll be so busy enjoying all the activities onboard and ashore, so why spend more on a room you will use for sleeping, showering, and changing?
It's an economical choice, but since it has no windows, that may be a stumbling issue.
Moving up to an oceanview or balcony cabin adds a way to look outside during your cruise, but the price can vary wildly.
On average, an oceanview usually isn't much more than a balcony. Think of it like moving up from a small to a medium popcorn at the movie theater. They price it so you think you may as well go for it.
The cost of a balcony can vary greatly, especially if you're sailing to Alaska or the Norwegian fjords because balconies are in high demand for those itineraries.
A suite rarely disappoints, but the price tag can be substantial. Royal Caribbean suites can easily cost between $10,000 and $30,000 for a 7-night cruise. In fact, the epic 1,772 square foot Ultimate Family Townhouse averages over $100,000 per sailing.
Picking a cruise room based on price is a mistake because you'll likely end up disappointed in what's missing or how much you feel you overpaid for it.
Once again, I recommend working with a good travel agent to narrow down your choices and make it easier to find the right room for your family.
