For 4 nights, I woke up in a pitch dark room that had no windows or views outside while sailing the Caribbean Sea.
I was aboard Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas, which is one of the line's oldest and smallest ships.
During my long weekend voyage from Tampa, Florida, I sailed to Cozumel, Mexico. It was a last-minute getaway and the perfect opportunity to get out of town for a few days.
I stayed in an inside stateroom on deck eight for $792. There was a special group rate I was able to take advantage of because I used a travel agent, which cut the fare down to about half of it would have otherwise cost me.
Take a look inside the 162-square-foot space.
My room was a low-tier cabin in the middle of deck eight
My inside cabin is the lowest category of stateroom you can book on a cruise ship, with no windows or outside access.
It's two steps below a balcony, which is arguably the most popular type of cruise ship room. I chose room 8581, which was the first cabin in the hallway off the Centrum.
Why did I pick this room? It was inexpensive! Before taxes and gratuities, it cost just $592. That's just $148 per day!
When I stepped inside my stateroom, I noticed how it had just the basics
Right away, I opened the cabin door to discover a room that would just fine for a couple days.
The choice of an inside or balcony room has many factors, but you have the basics covered with an inside room.
It's a small space, but since I was cruising solo, it was plenty of space for just me.
One side of the room was filled with a mirror and a desk with several outlets for charging electronics with American and European ports
The vanity area is designed for getting yourself ready, but I used it as my work desk.
My stateroom attendant would deliver flyers and other important paperwork here about what was going on each day.
There are no USB ports, because this ship is over 25 years old. However, there are two sets of American and European outlets. Since I brought my cruise-approved power adaptor, I was able to keep everything charging.
I was surprised how much storage space this tiny room had
Next to the desk, a set of drawers included a cabinet with a minifridge inside.
Frankly, I was impressed how much storage space I had. There were sets of drawers, a full closet, and another set of drawers in a separate closet elsewhere.
Two people could easily share this cabin and have more storage space than they need.
Across from the desk, I had a new couch
Radiance of the Seas had a quick refurbishment in January 2026, and I noticed the couch was actually replaced.
Royal Caribbean does not typically update its soft goods inside a cabin during a drydock, but this blue couch was clearly new.
It's a small seating area that would be too small to sleep on (unless you were a toddler). Nonetheless, it's nice having somewhere else to sit to watch TV.
The bathroom is the worst part of this room, but I used clever hacks to improve it
Cruise ship bathrooms are notoriously small, and my bathroom was no different. It also had the worst feature still on some ships.
The shower curtain is a cloth curtain instead of a plastic or glass divider. This means the curtain easily clings to you during the shower, and I hate it.
I came prepared, and used magnets to keep the curtain attached to the wall and away from me. Using heavy duty magnets that cost just $4, I was able to mitigate the problem easily.
As for the bathroom, even though it was just me, counter space is limited. I brought a magnetic toothbrush holder that I could place anywhere on the wall and free up space.
In the bathroom, Royal Caribbean provided two glasses, a bar of soap, and a two-in-one hair and body wash.
My king-size bed at the back of the room was actually two twin beds pushed together
All Royal Caribbean cabins come with this configuration so that they may be separated for additional guests.
I had my room attendant split the beds because it makes the room feel bigger. I know it sounds strange, but it's the truth.
Plus, when the beds are pushed together I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in the crevice.
There are two nightstands on both sides of the bed with reading lights and lamps.
There was a small flatscreen TV mounted to the dresser
There is a television in a swivel arm that you can adjust to make it easy to watch TV from the couch of bed.
Royal Caribbean provides a limited lineup of channels, but there's enough to pass the time.
The Wi-Fi signal was barely useable in my room
The most frustrating part of this room was the ship's Wi-Fi had a very weak signal in my cabin.
Unlike newer ships that have more repeaters closer together, the Voom signal would go in and out periodically. Moreover, when it did work, it was slow.
The ship's Wi-Fi worked very well in other areas of the ship, so I did most of my work there. But the lack of good internet access in my cabin was painful when I was in bed and wanted to check email or social media.
While most people prefer rooms with a balcony, this room was just right for me
This no-frills cruise cabin was perfect for a quick cruise, especially one where I was solo.
While I would have preferred a window and view to the outside, I did relish how cold my room was kept as a result of no sunlight radiating in. Plus, the lack of natural light meant I slept really well.
It looks small, but there's deceptively more storage space than you might expect inside.
