Let's Book Your Cruise Blog

Plenty of cruisers are perfectly happy to stay in an inside cabin. Inside cabins are fantastic for sleeping, especially if you like it pitch dark! And inside cabins can be a great way to afford to cruise more frequently since they’re often priced much lower.

My late husband and I once took advantage of last minute deals on a couple of Celebrity cruises and booked an inside guarantee cabin for each one. Because one was a 10-night cruise and the other a 7-nighter, that means we spent a total of 17 nights in an inside room, although we fortunately did have a few nights on land (with a window) in between. During that time, I learned a few things about how to make an inside cabin as painless as possible.

1. A place for everything, and everything in its place. I’m not a particularly neat person at home – there’s a reason my nickname growing up was “Messy Jessie.” In an inside cabin, though, it’s important to find a place to put everything away and to try your best to keep things tidy. I also find it’s good to establish a place for things you’ll use often (such as your SeaPass card) and to always return the item to that place once you’re finished with it. (This is especially important if you’re an early riser, as I’ll discuss below.)

2. Bring a nightlight. I always travel with an LED nightlight, whether cruising or at a hotel or some other kind of rental. On a cruise, a nightlight can be kind of tricky, because many cruise ships (especially the ones built more than 7-10 years ago) still don’t have a lot of plugs. But if you’re in an inside cabin, there’s absolutely zero light – so a nightlight is vital if someone needs to get up in the middle of the night. I recommend these magnetic stick up lights that are USB chargeable. (This is an affiliate link; this means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.)

3. Establish a meeting point (outside). I usually wake up before my travel partner does, so on every cruise, we establish a meeting point where I’ll go to when I wake up and go for coffee in the mornings. Picking a default rendezvous spot can be helpful when one person doesn’t want to be in the inside cabin anymore but wants to make sure the other(s) can find her. It also helps for me to set out the things I’ll need in the morning (clothes, shoes, book to read, SeaPass, etc) so that I can access them easily in the dark room.

One thing is for sure: You can definitely get some good deals on inside cabins, and especially if you’re willing to book a guarantee cabin. On longer cruises, or when the price difference isn’t too much, I’ll sometimes splurge on an oceanview or a balcony. But if you know how to do it, taking an inside cabin can be a great way to help you cruise for less – or even cruise more often!