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Cruise Vacations:

Stateroom Size

The better you can see the ocean,

the larger the room. And the higher the cost.

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Stateroom Size: What to Consider

The average cruise ship stateroom is a compact, miniature version of a hotel room with all the same furnishings: dresser drawers, closet, bed, nightstand, dressing table and bathroom. Some have a sitting area.

Most passengers find the rooms adequate, realizing the only times they'll be in them is to sleep or change clothes.

Unless the ship is in port, everyone tends to stay on deck in a lounge chair; use the swimming pool or one of the other exercise facilities.

During your waking hours, you'll spend far more time in the dining room than your stateroom.

Cruise lines are up front and honest about their room sizes. They're happy to tell you the following:


precise room dimensions
room configuration
furnishings (look closely if you want a sitting area)

What's really more important in selecting a room is its proximity to:

  • dining/entertainment areas
  • elevators and stairways
  • the gangway for easy access on and off the ship in port

Other important considerations:

  • Whether the room has an obstructed view (only a travel agent or the cruise line itself can tell you that)
  • The higher you are above the waterline, the more you'll experience a rolling motion during rough seas (ironically, these are often the most expensive rooms)

Do you really need an ocean view or a balcony?

Inside cabins, the ones with any view at all, are the least expensive rooms on a ship.  Yet they're often as spacious as the ocean view rooms. With a TV camera mounted on the bridge to act as their eyes, many experienced cruising passengers opt for inside rooms. They prefer to spend their money on shore excursions or save it to use on another cruise.

Prices go up for ocean view and balcony staterooms, in that order.

Older passenger ships rarely had balconies. They were widely introduced only recently. Balconies, like stateroom windows, may have a seriously obstructed view. Depending on the ship's design, part of the pool deck may extend out so far that it cuts off your view. A waste of space, and a waste of your money.

TIP: Save room/closet space by putting your suitcase under your bed. Soft sided luggage works best.


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