Are there any options if your cruise ship cabin neighbor is loud and noisy?

In my 20 years of cruising, I've been lucky enough to avoid neighbors that are too loud, but there was one cruise that a friend had this problem.

She was booked in an inside cabin and her neighbor thought it was okay to blast their music every day as they were getting ready for their evening festivities. It was an ongoing issue that not only was annoying to hear through the walls, but prevented her from going to sleep.

While you could certainly try to ask them to quiet down, there are a few things to try if a noisy neighbor is a problem on your cruise.

You can call security, but you need to catch them in the act

One of the first lessons is Royal Caribbean won't get involved in a "he said, she said" situation.

This means you can call security about someone being too loud, but they need to be present to witness it themselves. So if you spend all night unable to sleep and complain in the morning, it's too late.

What you want to do is call security the moment your neighbor starts up acting inconsiderately and hope security can get there fast enough to see or hear the disturbance.

Your stateroom attendant is another option, so if they're nearby, point out the issue to them and ask them to get their supervisor involved.

You could certainly video it as evidence, but it's my experience that security needs to be present to witness it so they can document it. To be fair, I wouldn't want to get in trouble just because someone else claims I did something wrong.

Usually, they'll give the person a warning and ask them to turn it down and be more considerate. Subsequent incidents could lead to more stern discipline. Your cruise contract leaves a lot of discretion to the ship as to how to deal with obnoxious passengers, so there isn't a firm list of steps or rules related to punishing this.

You could ask for a different cabin, but it's unlikely to be granted

Because Royal Caribbean cruise ships sail full almost every sailing, the chances of being moved to a different room is an option but I wouldn't bet on it.

It's rare to have any spare cabins on a cruise, especially in the same room category as you are booked.  There are sometimes no-shows and rarely unsold rooms, but they're few and far between.

You could ask Guest Services to simply be moved so you're not bothered by this person, but there's only so much the Hotel Director can do if there aren't any free cabins.

My advice is don't get involved trying to police the situation

A friendly, "hey, would you mind turning down the volume?" when seeing your neighbor in the hall is fine, but you really don't want to get involved beyond that.

If your neighbors are fighting or yelling at each other, you should call security and let them deal with it. 

There's no telling how quickly a heated argument will escalate, and ultimately it's not your role or job either.

Avoid booking connecting rooms if you don't know the person in the other cabin

Whenever possible, I don't recommend booking a connecting cabin unless you book both rooms.

The connecting door between the two rooms is quite flimsy, and noise will more easily travel between the rooms than it would with a standard cabin wall between them.

Before you book a cruise, check the deck plans to make sure you aren't picking that sort of a room. Truthfully, most people end up in a connecting room because they opt for a guarantee cabin.

Guarantee rooms are staterooms that cost less because you let the cruise line pick the room. The cabin assigned is an unsold cabin, and often these are leftover connecting rooms.

It's far from a lock that any guarantee room will be a connecting room, but it seems to be fairly common.

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 4 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.

Is it worth upgrading to a balcony on a cruise?

Perhaps no other question is asked more of me by new cruisers because they want to know if they should spend more money for one.  I usually tell them yes, but there's a few things to know.

On any Royal Caribbean ship, there are more balcony cabins than any other type of stateroom.  It's a reflection of how popular balconies are and how much people really like them. That alone tells you a lot why you'd want to book a balcony cabin on your next cruise.

However, they aren't cheap and I think new cruisers tend to overestimate how much time they will actually spend in their room.

More importantly, I don't think staying in a cheaper, inside room would necessarily be a mistake.  I think the question of "is it worth it to pay extra for a balcony cabin" often comes out of fear an inside room is a problem waiting to happen.

Rather, I think of a balcony as an affordable splurge for something even nicer to enjoy.

Here are the 7 best reasons to book a balcony and why it's worth it.

It's a bigger room

Not only do you have access to the outside (I'll get to that next), but the room is simply larger.

Cruise ship cabins tend to be smaller than hotel rooms, and it's something first-time cruisers notice quickly.

If you're sharing a room, having more living space matters a lot. This is especially true if you are sharing your stateroom with kids.

You can expect to have 20-50 less square feet of space in an inside room, and trust me, that makes a difference.

With a balcony, I find myself doing less shuffling as I try to get from one side to another.

A private space outdoors with fresh air

Yes, the selling point of any balcony is you can step outside and have access to fresh air and a view.

It's undeniable how lovely it is to have your own outdoor space to watch the scenery, enjoy the fresh air, read a book, or all of it.

Plus, being able to step outside while your ship is in port is fantastic. It's great for people watching, seeing what's happening in town, and otherwise soaking in the experience.

Many new cruisers tend to gravitate towards a balcony room because they have this fear of feeling confined in the room. Having easy access to the outdoors is a selling point for them.

I prefer a balcony for sailaway or while in port. 

It can be quite hot on a balcony if you're cruising in the summer, but when the temperature is right, it's a great space to take full advantage of.

A place for breakfast or a drink

Every balcony room has a small table, and it's the perfect spot for breakfast to be delivered.

Did you know there's a complimentary breakfast option with room service? They can set up the food anywhere in the cabin you like, including the balcony.

You can time breakfast with your ship's arrival into port for one heck of a view.

You could also grab a drink at a bar and bring it back to your balcony to enjoy.  There are no rules preventing you from taking a drink at any bar and walking around the ship with it, including bringing it back to your room.

For those that prefer a quieter and more private sail away experience, a BYOB approach works perfectly.

Watching your ship's arrival is magical

While there is public deck space to watch your ship sail into port, experiencing it from your balcony is amazing.

Every time I've cruised in Europe, I've booked a balcony cabin so I can see us pull into each city and get a pseudo-tour and first look.

Waking up and stepping out to your balcony to see an entire city in front of you is incredible.

If I'm not feeling like going outside, I can sit on my bed and watch it all happen from the comfort of laying down and air conditioning.

The cost of a balcony isn't always expensive

Yes, a balcony almost always cost more than inside room. However, it isn't always substantially more expensive.

The price of a balcony room varies considerably, and in some cases it can be just less than $500 to upgrade to a balcony.

Because there are so many balcony cabins on a cruise ship, inventory is highest for these type of cabins.  When demand for cheaper cabins rises, inside cabins sell out faster and that leads to price drops for a balcony.

This situation doesn't always happen, but it's worth pricing out a balcony before assuming it's out of your budget.

It changes how you use sea days

Sea days hit differently when you have a balcony.

When you wake up in the morning, try not to step out on the balcony and see what's viewable, gauge the weather, or simply enjoy the view.

I think it's the difference between traveling on a cruise ship versus traveling by sea.

When you come back to your room, you'll feel drawn to your balcony. I find sea days can be so busy with activities that there's something pleasurable about retreating to your balcony.

You get to experience the ocean on ships that are usually inward focused

This is a Royal Caribbean specific benefit, but a balcony room allows you to feel like you're on the ocean more.

Royal Caribbean ships tend to be very inward facing and focused.  Many people comment how you don't even know you're on a cruise ship while sailing with Royal Caribbean because there aren't many connections to the ocean.

Oasis Class ships, especially, suffer from this because everything you're doing is indoors.

Having an oceanview balcony forces you to interact with the ocean itself: wind, salt air, changing light, and the motion of the ship.

I stayed in the worst cruise ship room on one of Royal Caribbean's newest ships and it reminded me the importance of good cabin locations.

While on Utopia of the Seas, I was assigned a room at the front of the ship near the bow. A cabin in this location is susceptible to more movement because it's all the way forward and anytime the ship docked, it felt like an earthquake.

The result was I got very little sleep because I was woken up every morning at dawn when the ship began docking in port. It was a good reminder how important picking a better area matters.

Picking the perfect cabin location on a cruise ship is critical because it is where you will spend the most time during the voyage. Everyone has different preferences, as some people want a cabin with better views on a high deck, while others want to be near the kids club or buffet for the convenience factor.

After going on 100 Royal Caribbean cruises, I've come up with my own list of cabins you should avoid.

Cabins above or below public areas

Perhaps the biggest concern is picking a room that is noisy because there's a bar, pool, or restaurant nearby.

Most Royal Caribbean staterooms do a pretty good job at muffling nearby noise, but no cabin is soundproof.

Before you book a room, look at the ship's deck plans and look what is above and below your stateroom.  Ideally, you want other staterooms on either deck and not public venues like pools, restaurants or other public venues.

Keep in mind that is not the worst thing if there is a public venue on a deck above or below your room, but it is a best practice if you can avoid it.

Cabins prone to movement

The sensation of movement affects everyone differently, but it is a mistake to book a stateroom all the way forward or all the way aft if you are prone to motion sickness.

Getting seasick on a cruise is something a lot of first time cruisers worry about, and while there are a lot of easy remedies in case it occurs, picking the right room can greatly help as well.

I recommend booking a room that is on a low deck and centrally located to lessen the feeling of movement. While balcony rooms are a good idea, you want to be on the lowest deck, with a room that is the most midship available.

Try to avoid higher decks, as well as cabins at the very front or back of the ship.

Cabins far from the elevators

On the bigger Royal Caribbean ships, where your room is in relation to the rest of the ship is a consideration to account for as well.

The proximity of your room to elevators, pools, Royal Promenade, and other popular areas can play a factor in picking the right room for you.

If you think you might spend a lot of time at the pool deck, picking a room on a deck closer to the pool deck might make more sense to avoid the hassle of going back and forth to your room across the ship.

Similarly, if you have mobility concerns, picking a stateroom closer to the elevator banks would be a good idea.

Cabins with too many people

Families going on a cruise often try to book a room that can accommodate everyone in one room. This may seem like the logical solution, but you should consider booking two (or more) smaller rooms instead.

While there are lot of cabins that can fit 4 people in one room, it may not be the most comfortable situation (plus the fact you are all sharing one bathroom).

Instead, consider booking two connecting rooms that have a common inside door between them.  Not only will this provide more room, physical separation and an extra bathroom, it may not be that much more money than trying to book one of the larger rooms.

Cheap cabins

We all have a limited vacation budget, but looking only at the price when choosing a cruise ship cabin is a big mistake.

You will want to look at more than just the price when choosing a cabin, including where it is located and what is (or is not) included with the room.

Your cabin is one part of the vacation where paying a little bit more for a higher category or better location can make a huge difference in your cruise enjoyment.

Read more: The epic Royal Caribbean suites 

Cabins that have noise bleed

Certain staterooms can have more than normal noise from public venues nearby, and that might be an issue if you're someone that goes to bed early or is a very light sleeper.

Royal Promenade View cabins are available on Freedom Class, Voyager Class and Oasis Class ships and they have cabins that face inward towards the Royal Promenade. Each of these rooms has a large bay window that looks out to the Promenade, but this window is not soundproof.

In the evenings especially, there can be noise emanating from the bars and parties below to your room.

In addition, these windows mean people can see into your cabin, so it's important to always keep the blinds drawn if you want privacy.  This is another reason Promenade view rooms may not be desirable.

On the Vision & Radiance Class ships, the first few cabins from the Centrum can also deal with noise bleed, as the Centrum is home to loud music in the evening.  

Read more: The 5 best cabin locations on any cruise ship

Cabins below the pool deck

If you value being able to sleep in, avoid a cabin that is immediately below the pool deck.

Music isn't the issue with these cabins, rather, noise from chairs being arranged tends to be heard in the room. In the early morning, crew members re-arrange deck chairs for the coming day. Unfortunately, the noise created by dragging heavy lounge chairs across a deck tends to be heard in the rooms below the deck.

Light sleepers or anyone that enjoys sleeping in could have a problem with rooms in this location, so try to book a cabin with another stateroom above your cabin.

Read more: Guide to Royal Caribbean cruise ship cabins and suites

Obstructed view cabins

It may be tempting to save money by booking an obstructed view cabin, but buyer's remorse sets in quickly.

Obstructed view cabins are rooms that have some physical structure blocking at least part of your balcony or porthole window view. Usually, these are lifeboats.

On Voyager and Freedom Class ships, aft balcony rooms have an obstructed view due to the metal structure on the back of the ship. You can still see the ocean, but it's not completely open either.

Read more: 6 reasons to reject a cruise ship cabin upgrade

Connecting cabins

Connecting cabins are a fantastic option for families, but if you aren't booking both rooms on either side of the common door, you're making a mistake.

The issue is the common door between the two staterooms is not soundproof and is actually quite easy for noise to pass through.

While the door will remain locked if you don't know the person in the other room, you're going to hear a lot of what's happening in their room and they'll hear what you're up to as well.

Look at a deck plan before booking any cabin, and avoid booking connecting rooms if you aren't going to book both cabins.

Royal Caribbean has many different kinds of staterooms you can choose from, and I think families would love one kind of cabin designed for space but doesn't cost a lot either.

Freedom of the Seas is one ship that has ultra spacious ocean view cabins.  They're enormous, and I love how well they work for families with young children.

Cruise ship cabins are notorious for how small they can be, especially compared to land hotels. Many new cruisers are surprised to see how tight a fit they are for most standard cabins.

Before you spend extra for a suite in order to get more room, perhaps an ultra spacious ocean cabin would be a better idea.

Lots of space for up to 6 people

Before you even see one photo of this room, the fact it can sleep up to 6 passengers is quite notable.

Most Royal Caribbean ship cabins max out at 4, and to get past that, you're primarily going to have to book a suite.

Ultra spacious ocean view staterooms (category 1K) have 293 square feet of space.  While they do not have a balcony, they do make up for it with significantly more space. As an example, an oceanview cabin has just 159 square feet of space of living room.

You'll find ultra spacious ocean view rooms on Freedom Class ships.

Another key difference with this type of room is they have bunk beds.

There's an alcove close to the door with a set of bunk beds, perfect for kids. Not only is it a good use of the area, but kids love the idea of having bunk beds.

I love that there's a curtain and wall to truly provide privacy for the kids (and everyone else outside of it). When my kids were young, they had trouble falling/staying asleep when there was light in the room, so this ensures optimal sleeping conditions.

Speaking of things kids love, there are two porthole windows that provide views, natural light, and somewhere to sit.

Kids often curl up in the porthole to enjoy the view.

The rooms at the front are even better

There are a pair of ultra spacious rooms at the front of the ship (they end in -200 and -500) that are even more intriguing.

Instead of a curtain separating the bunk beds, there's an actual door.  Plus, the king size bed is in its own room with a curtain. 

This greatly changes the feel of the room to be more like a suite than an oceanview cabin.

In addition, cabin -500 has more windows, while -200 has more living room space.

Affordable price for a big cabin

The best thing about this type of room is the value it has.

You'll pay a lot less for this room than an equally large suite, and that's a tremendous savings.

As an example, I found a sailing on October 3, 2026 to illustrate the pricing. This example qualifies for Kids Sail Free deal at the time this article was written.

Sailing on a 5-night Freedom of the Seas cruise with 2 adults and 2 children, the price of cabin 9500 is $2,551.88 including taxes and fees. 

To get a suite that has as much space as the ultra spacious cabins, we could book a Junior Suite. The cost is $3,698.88 for all four people.

That has 299 square feet, but has no bunk beds or separation from the kids in an alcove or bedroom.

In order to get a cabin with separation, you'd have to move up to a 2 Bedroom Grand Suite, which is priced at $5,770.88.

In both examples, it's over $1,000 cheaper to go with the ultra spacious room instead.

Finding hidden cabins like this can be a game changer

I love finding secret cabins like this because it offers a blend of value and amenities.

The vast majority of staterooms have pretty much the same layout and look to them, so if you can find ones that are unique and offer a better fit for your group, that's a win.

Regardless of the type of cabin, when you get to stay in a larger room that has much more living space, it feels glorious. I change up the type of room I'm in depending on my needs and budgets, but I always feel more at ease in a spacious room.

With a bunk bed and different living spaces, I think the ultra spacious cabin is the perfect cruise ship room for families with kids.

We all love our kids, but sharing the same space as them (especially during the night) is not exactly ideal.

I like there's a real bed for the kids (instead of a sofa bed), and the kids like the bunk bed element that gives a "sleepaway camp" experience for them.

How important is it to be in the quietest possible cruise ship cabin? 

I certainly don't want a noisy cabin, but I was never one to specifically pick a stateroom primarily on how quiet it is.

However, it's a common question our readers have been asking me and it got me thinking about which rooms that I've stayed in have been the quietest.

Thanks to a recent cruise ship design trend that Royal Caribbean has embraced, I think the answer has changed.

Not quite ship within a ship, but as private as it gets

Beginning with Wonder of the Seas, Royal Caribbean shifted its suite program focus to offer more exclusivity than ever before.

At the time, it was a big deal when they introduced a new suites neighborhood on Wonder because it dedicated more space and venues to suite guests than ever before.

The standout upgrade was the suite sun deck, which truly felt like a private enclave.  On other ships, the suite sun deck always felt like an after thought. It was usually an open deck with little shade and no easy water access.

Beginning with Wonder of the Seas, the suite sun deck get a needed revamp to make it more useful beyond simply loungers in the sun.

Part of that change was to enclose the suite decks more, and essentially walling off a couple of decks for suite guests only.

Access to deck 17 and 18 on Wonder and Utopia of the Seas is by SeaPass card only and it's only for suite guests (and Pinnacle Club members).

The result is there's going to be far fewer people walking past your cabin, and that makes it easily the new quietest spot.

The same phenomenon occurs on the Icon Class ships with their suite decks. When I recently stayed in a suite on Icon of the Seas, I kept noticing the lack of other guests in the hall compared to other decks.

In addition to less guests, there's also no public spaces to contend with.

The top reason there's noise in a cabin is usually noise bleed from public venues, but suite decks are usually far enough away to eliminate that issue.

Not cheap, but it's effective

I know you're probably not that surprised to read that things are better when you stay in a suite, but in this case, it's true.

There are different suite categories in the suite neighborhood, such as Grand Suites, loft suites, and even Star Class suites, such as the Ultimate Family Suite.

The caveat is you need to pick a suite within the suite neighborhood. There are other suites around the ship that would be subject to the same noise issues lower category cabins could have, so you cannot simply buy your way out of the problem.

What's nearby the suite area

Besides the stateroom likely being quieter, there are other benefits of staying in this area.

You'll find the suite lounge down the hall, which is a reserved spot for suite guests to enjoy.

Not only is it a lovely and large room to hang out in, there is complimentary snacks and beverages. In fact, each evening there's a happy hour where you can enjoy cocktails, beer, and wine while in the lounge without an extra cost. There's also beer and wine available from 11am to 11pm on Royal Caribbean's biggest ships.

This alone could be a tremendous value, and staying in a room that's just down the hall makes it quite convenient.

The suite concierge is also in the suite lounge during certain hours, and they're available to answer any concerns or questions you have.  

I find the suite concierge equally pleasant to chat with as they are helpful to solve problems. It's nice to have a friendly face to speak with for a few minutes.  

Next door is Coastal Kitchen, the suites-only included restaurant.

Think of Coastal Kitchen like an upgraded Main Dining Room, and there's no cost to eat there if you're booked in a suite.

Of course, there's the suite sun deck which offers shade and sun. 

What I like about the suite sun deck on the newer Oasis Class ships and Icon Class ships is the blend of sun and shade, along with bar service right there.

There is lots of available seating (chairs, loungers, daybeds, couches), a nice hot tub and it is rarely, if ever, crowded. It's a great spot to get away from the crowd.

If you focus your time between your cabin, suite lounge, and sun deck, you're going to find a lot to keep you busy in a lavish environment.

I've learned a few tricks over my many years of cruising to make it a better experience, including the cruise ship bathroom.

Every Royal Caribbean stateroom has its own bathroom, and it's likely going to be very small.  Unless you book a sprawling suite, standard bathrooms are compact, utilitarian, and offer just what you need during your cruise.

There isn't much air circulation in there, and you can joke about washing your hands and using the toilet at the same time because of how small the space is.

No matter which ship or stateroom type I book, I always bring two things with me that truly improve your cruise ship cabin's bathroom.

I bring air freshener

The small bathroom space is not only tiny, but an area you have to share with others in your cabin.

No one wants foul odors to permeate, and given that everyone is doing their business at least once per day, it's easy for a smell to build up.

For a while, we'd let the bathroom "air out" before using it. Or even relegate someone to the public bathrooms around the ship to avoid it all together.

Then I discovered certain air fresheners really do work well in masking and eliminating the odors completely.

My preferred option is poo-pourri spray because of how effective it is.  I never thought it would work as well as it does, but a few sprays and you're good.

It says to pre-spray before you use the bathroom, but I've found it works well enough after too.

I keep one in my toiletries I bring on the cruise, and then stash one on the sink so anyone can quickly utilize it as needed.

Liquid hand soap

Another case of "I didn't know there was a better option until I tried it" is related to soap.

Royal Caribbean provides a bar of hand soap to use in each cabin, but it annoys me when I use it.  

It leaves my skin feeling dried out and it gets gummy and takes time work up a lather.  Not a big deal, but I usually sigh or roll my eyes before using it.

I've since committed to bringing liquid hand soap with me to keep in the bathroom.

Not only is application easier, but it lessens the hassle of using the bar.

Washing your hands is so important on a cruise ship to reduce the chances of spreading germs, especially related to using the bathroom.

Norovirus is a well-known affliction that can occur on cruise ships. Norovirus is transmitted when someone ingests particles of vomit or feces from an infected person, such as through consuming food touched by an infected individual, touching contaminated surfaces and then their mouth, or placing contaminated objects on clean surfaces.

Because of this, proper handwashing with soap and water is the best way to prevent getting it.

Maximizing your cabin bathroom

While on the topic of a cruise ship bathroom, I think there's a few other tricks for making your bathroom a better space overall.

Unless you're in a suite, expect storage space to be a limited. In fact, there's very limited counter space.

Some cruisers recommend buying an over-the-door shoe organizer to add more storage, but I prefer a hanging toiletry bag as a better and more useful option.

Our own writers really like this option better because it not only leaves the counter less cluttered, but there's less unpacking and re-packing later.

Be sure to also request extra towels from your stateroom attendant on the first day of the cruise.

By default, you'll get a few towels in there, but they will be used up quickly.

Not only will you use towels to dry yourself, but I find the shower leaks a lot when the door or curtain gets opened. No matter how careful you are, water seems to get everywhere and the shower towel provided is miniscule.

Your bathroom can also act as a wash and dry space for your clothes.

Royal Caribbean offers laundry, but it's expensive and some clothes can't be washed in the very hot water they use.

Instead, you could do some basic laundry in your stateroom (no, there is no self-service laundry machines on Royal Caribbean ships).

You'll want to bring single-packet detergent with you, and then fill your sink up with water to wash small loads of laundry.

Wash the clothing in your sink and then hang the clothes to dry in your shower on the laundry line that's in your shower.

While doing laundry on a cruise may not be exactly what you had in mind for a relaxing vacation, getting more use out of clothes is a necessary evil so you can pack less or re-use clothes that are otherwise soiled.

A cruise sounds like such a good vacation that you might be tempted to add friends or family to join you.  One of the first ideas that comes to mind is calling your travel agent and putting someone else in your cabin. But does that really work?

It sounds easy. Just have the cruise line add the other people to your cabin in the same way they'd do if you booked a hotel room. Although this sounds simple, it's not only not practical, it can cause issues with maritime regulations.

This post will address the reality of changing how many people are in one cabin, and why you can't simply add someone else to a reservation.

If you want to add someone else to your room (or add more people, in general), here's what you need to know about how and why to do it.

Every cabin has a capacity for an important reason

Regardless of which stateroom you choose, there's a maximum capacity for that room specified by the cruise line.

While you can potentially have less people than that in the room, you cannot exceed it, no matter what.

When you look at a cabin on the deck plan, the specific room category lists how many people can be booked into that room.

Most cabins are double occupancy, which means up to two people can stay in the room.  A few cabins are designed for solo travelers, but they're few and far between.

There are bigger cabins that can handle anywhere from 3 to 8 people, and they are sometimes referred to as "spacious staterooms" or are simply suites.

The reason why each cabin has a max capacity is for safety reasons.

Cruise lines take safety at sea extremely seriously, and that applies to cabins.

Every cabin correlates to spaces available in life craft that would be needed in the case of an emergency.

Any cruise ship needs to ensure there are more than enough spaces on life boats and life rafts for every single passenger and crew member. To achieve this, they never oversell a specific cabin so the math always works.

Safety even comes before sales

In some cases, Royal Caribbean may still not allow you to add an extra passenger to a stateroom, even if that room is designed to accommodate more people than you had originally booked.

Let's say you booked two people in a spacious balcony cabin that could accommodate up to four people, but later wanted to add a third or fourth passenger to that room.

While you understand you can't do that in other rooms, why not this one?

The request may be denied if the ship is booked with lots of other passengers maxing out their cabins.

Specific cabins use the specific muster stations.  A given muster station is designed to use a specific set of lifeboats.    For example muster station A1 might use lifeboats 3 and 4.  

If there are already a number of cabins for muster station A1 that have more than double occupancy such as during peak summer month when more families with kids travel, then the lifeboat capacity may be reached.  

In our example, someone with two people in a cabin in that muster station who wants to add another person. Despite the cabin being able to accommodate the next guest, the cruise line can't allow another guest or else the lifeboats would not be able to accommodate everyone in an emergency.  

They aren't allowed to say, "In an emergency go find another lifeboat with spare room."

What you can do to get friends or family onboard instead

In short, the workaround to this issue is you need to book them a new reservation.

If your room is maxed out, it's usually simpler to book them their own cabin.

Upgrading your cabin to a larger room might work, but it depends if there's a larger cabin available left to book.  Plus, you'd be booking at the prevailing rates instead of whatever price you originally paid.

Moreover, if you're past final payment date, there could be penalties to changing your room.  In my experience, if you're willing to spend more money than you originally paid, Royal Caribbean doesn't usually assess penalties after final payment on the same sailing. 

But the simplest approach could be to book a new cabin, assuming one is available.

If you have minors that you want to add, Royal Caribbean will allow you to book minors by themselves in a cabin if that room is adjacent, connecting, or across from their parents room.

Otherwise, you could swap adults around to have one in the new room, and move a kid back into the original room.  Name changes are allowed without any penalty, even after final payment, as long as one person from the original reservation remains in the cabin.

A balcony cabin is the most popular stateroom choice for a cruise, but one person regretted it immediately.

Among the various rooms on a cruise ship, balcony rooms tend to be the ones people book.  In fact, any ship built in the last 30 years or so probably has more balcony rooms than any other room type.

But not all balcony cabins are made the same, and one person on Reddit found that out the hard way.

It serves as a good reminder of one our favorite cruise tips to verify before you book.

"I can't sleep this is beyond annoying"

CokeCanCowBoi posted on the Royal Caribbean Reddit complaining about the "paper thin walls" that prevented them from sleeping while cruising on Allure of the Seas.

Next to their room is a family with young children who are up crying throughout the night, which can be heard in neighboring cabins.

"I have a balcony room with a connected room to some family of 3 kids and its just constant crying and screaming at all hours of the night," CokeCanCowBoi posted.

They asked Guest Services to be moved to another room, but were told there are no open rooms.

They booked the wrong cabin

The title of the post asked if the walls were not soundproof at all, but the reality is they shouldn't have booked a connecting cabin.

Connecting cabins are wonderful choices for families, but a terrible choice if you didn't book both.

Many people that responded in the thread pointed out the fallacy in room choice.

"Never book a room with a connecting door unless you're also booking the other room too," wrote Living4nowornever. This is sage advice.

The connecting doors are not nearly as well insulated for noise as the walls are.  Moreover, there are small gaps at the top and bottom of the door that can let sound in more easily.

How do you know if you picked a connecting room

The outpouring of advice not to book a connecting cabin prompted some to admit they had no idea this was a choice.

"In fairness, I would have no idea how to check that," posted Extra_Shirt5843.

Before you pick any cabin, look at the ship's deck plans on Royal Caribbean's website to determine if it's connecting or not.

Connecting rooms usually have a double headed arrow on connecting cabins.

Because of nuances like this, choosing the right cabin for you can be an exercise that new cruisers may not be aware of. 

It's critical to know about noise, obstructed views, cabin size and room configuration (i.e. location of the bed to the balcony or extra bedding) before choosing a room.

It's quite easy and simple to pick up on, but you need to know what to look for in the first place.

We certainly advocate the right type of stateroom advice you may need, but a good travel agent can also greatly assist.

Travel agents have heard of stories like this one hundreds of times, and the good ones would immediately warn you about picking a connecting balcony room if you don't book both sides of the door. Heck, they probably wouldn't have quoted that kind of a room in the first place.

Soundproofing hacks for connecting rooms

Since knowing which cabin to book is too late for someone already in the cabin, Reddit shared a few tips for how to mitigate sound coming from the neighboring cabin.

One idea is to ask your stateroom attendant for an extra comforter.  Then, use magnetic hooks that you bought pre-cruise (because it's one of the best cruise hacks the internet loves to share) to make a sound baffle. (this is an affiliate link that costs you nothing extra to use).

Another option is to ask for pillows and stick them in-between the connecting doors.

If you can't block out the noise, then drowning it out is another idea.

Buy a USB powered fan (do not bring one that plugs into the wall, because it's not allowed) that you put by your head.

This is one such fan that could work well (These links contains an affiliate links).

Don't book a guarantee cabin either

While it's tempting to book a GTY cabin to save money, this is usually how people end up on the wrong end of a connecting cabin.

Royal Caribbean uses guarantee cabin bookings to fill in unsold cabins, and connecting cabins are definitely undesirable rooms.

My advice is if you don't want to potentially be in this kind of a situation, pay more to choose your own cabin location.

Small things can make a big difference on your cruise, including the role your stateroom attendant plays.

One of the things I try to do on the first day of the cruise is to meet my stateroom attendant so I can start things off on the right note. They are the crew member you're likely to interact with the most, and I think how your cabin is attended to matters to a lot of people.

No matter if your cabin is small or large, I think it's important to ensure you're happy with the experience in it.  

On any cruise I go on, when I meet my stateroom attendant, I always ask them four important things. Sometimes there's more, but I think these four are the ones that can be substantive.

How to pronounce their name

I hate awkward interactions and in my early cruising career, I was too embarrassed to ask a crew member how to say their name and then for the rest of the cruise it became "Hey you...".

Crew members come from around the world, and most names are easy enough to know how to say without asking.  But sometimes they can be difficult to know how to say it properly.

Even if the name appears like I'd know how to say it, they may say it differently.  Or they may have a nickname they prefer to go by.

I'll usually greet them and the first thing I ask is how to pronounce their name, repeating it out loud to avoid the embarrassment of admitting I still don't know their name later.

Have the room cleaned at night

Ever since Royal Caribbean cut twice a day cabin service, there's been a debate as to when to have your room cleaned.

My preference is to have it cleaned in the evening so my room is nice and prepared when I return in the evening for bed.

I've tried the morning too, but I find I feel rushed to get out of the cabin in the morning so the cabin attendant can tidy it up.  Since I work on a cruise ship, the morning is usually my busiest time of the day.

In addition, I prefer to have my bed made before I go to sleep.  There's always a good chance I'll take a nap during the day, and then the sheets are messed up again before bed.  I know, first world problem stuff.

Most importantly, I think it's just more convenient to have them clean the room in the evening because I'm almost always out and about the ship at dinner or at a show.

Extra towels in the bathroom

When I cruise with my family, having extra bath towels is a must-do.

By default, there's only two shower towels in a cabin.  That's fine for a solo traveler, but two towels is not going to last 24 hours when someone is washing their hair too.

Asking for more towels up front ensures we don't run out later, and no arguments among the kids of "who hogged up all the towels".

Opening the connecting doors

I think one of the best family cruise tips out there is to book two connecting rooms.

Two rooms provides separation from the kids, adds an extra bathroom, and lots of living space too. Plus, it's probably cheaper than a suite.

It's usually the case that the connecting door between both rooms isn't unlocked when we get into the cabin on the first day, so I'll ask them to unlock it.

In addition, if I have connecting balcony rooms, I'll ask for the balcony divider to be unlocked.

Not all balcony dividers can be unlocked, but my experience has been new ships have no issues.

I'll never ask my cabin attendant to do anything beyond their normal duties

There are a wide range of reasonable requests to make of your cabin attendant, but it's important to respect their boundaries.

First and foremost, never ask them to cover for you breaking cruise line rules, such as smoking in the cabin or balcony.

They're also very busy people, so I'd never request them leave their post to go check on something.  Many issues are for Guest Services, so if it's not a problem in my cabin, I'll seek assistance elsewhere.

Lastly, cabin attendants are some of the hardest working crew members onboard, and you should treat them with respect. Don't make demands or acting in a way that is disrespectful or inconsiderate.