12 Cruise Ship Cabins to Avoid

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The worst cabins on cruise ships are the ones that won’t suit your needs. One cruiser’s horrible cabin experience might be another’s best vacation ever. Individual tastes have a lot to do with what makes a cruise cabin the perfect fit for each travel style and budget.

However, there are some general cruise ship cabin types to avoid if you are picky about slamming doors, lack of views, or dance music after midnight.

The following are a dozen types of cruise ship cabins to avoid when booking your next cruise, broken down by common complaints.

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12 Cruise Ship Cabins to Avoid

If you’re sensitive to noise, avoid…

1. Cabins Directly Under Entertainment

This tip applies to any staterooms directly below a theater, bustling bar or lounge, and especially the nightclubs. During the day, nothing might seem out of the ordinary in a cabin underneath the disco. However, that will change at 1 a.m. when you’re trying to sleep and all you can hear is ABBA.

A travel advisor can help you navigate these central hubs of activity and how to book around the noisiest parts of the ship. You can also do your own research. Locating your ship’s deck plans (found online, usually on the cruise line’s website) is an important tool to pinpointing those busy decks that will be hopping late into the night.

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Avoid booking a room directly below — even above — one of these venues if you plan on turning in early or if you’re traveling with small kids.

Of course, if you expect to be out busting a move until the early hours, the noise from a late performance or club DJ might not be as big of a concern.

Also consider that the type of nightlife you’ll find across cruise lines and even ships does vary. Is your cruise during spring break? Are you booked on a Virgin Voyages ship? Do some homework on the party vibe before booking a cabin that shakes with the subwoofers.

2. Cabins Too Close to Elevator Banks

The convenience of being close to elevators and stairs is appealing to some, but if you are noise-averse, think again. These areas are almost always busy, with elevators dinging, people laughing and chatting, and kids stomping up and down the stairs.

You might not notice all the commotion while you’re out and about during the day, but the moment your head hits the pillow and the lights go out, you might be surprised by how loud elevator banks can be. This is especially true with fellow cruisers who may have overindulged. Yes, it’s vacation, but no one wants to hear you screaming karaoke after the karaoke bar has closed.

Choosing a cabin a little ways down the corridor and not immediately facing the elevator banks and stairs should greatly diminish the noise.

3. Cabins Next to Crew Areas

This one might be hard to locate from deck plans, so check with your travel advisor or cruise line rep for help on locating crew areas. Crew members keep insanely busy and usually work long hours or multiple shifts. As much as we love them, no one loves the sound of a door slamming morning, noon, and night.

Crew areas are tucked around the ship, either leading to service entrances or crew quarters. There is a whole “secret” part of the ship designated for crew only. Though, the doors that lead there might be located at the end of the hallway and right across from your cabin.

For security, many of these doors are heavy and automatically slam shut behind the person entering. Crew access to other parts of the ship is a necessity but booking a room across from these often loud areas is not.

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4. Cabins Near the Anchor

The anchor is a hidden piece of ship equipment that makes a less hidden sound when raised or dropped. Larger cruise ships employ various types of technology, including stabilizers, to keep the ship in place. This means that the anchor is infrequently dropped, but when it is, it’s usually very early in the morning upon arrival at a port.

The anchor on every ship is located at the front of the vessel. If you’re looking to avoid an unexpected wakeup call of clanging metal, do not book a forward cabin on the lower decks. You’ll be right above the anchor’s storage area.

The anchor is more obvious and less avoidable on smaller ships. On expedition vessels, the itinerary is typically less structured, meaning you might drop anchor at various points throughout the day to kayak or whale watch. Be aware of your cabin’s position next to this active anchor to avoid a constant cacophony.

If you’re feeling claustrophobic, avoid…

5. Inside Cabins

Inside cabins can be a great value, particularly if you don’t plan to spend a ton of time in your room. However, many first-time cruisers make the mistake of booking the cheapest cabin only to find they are in a small, windowless box.

Manage expectations if you’re booking an interior stateroom for your next cruise. While these entry-level accommodations allow you and your travel party to set sail on a budget, not having any windows can be jarring. In addition to the lack of any view, square footage is also low.

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Waking up in an inside cabin can also be tricky. No natural light means that the room is pitch black unless the lights are on. Choose this category wisely before pricing yourself out of some ocean views.

6. Cabins With Obstructed Views

If you’re paying for a view, make sure you know what kind of view you’re getting. Obstructed cabins are typically listed as such. These cabins are usually offered at a lower price point than rooms with an unobstructed view. However, some of these cabins are only partially obstructed (one part of a tender boat is covering the corner of the window), while others are fully obstructed from an ocean view by ship hardware.

While obstructed cabins might let in a little natural light, the experience might be more similar to an inside cabin than a balcony. Look up reviews of your obstructed-view cabin online before booking. There’s a very good chance someone has stayed in your room before and may have posted pictures to review.

If you enjoy your privacy, avoid…

7. Interior Balcony Cabins

Some might be wondering how a cabin can face the inside of a ship and still have a balcony. Yet, ships like Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class feature this phenomenon. These mega ships have spacious sections called neighborhoods and staterooms are located throughout, overlooking the Boardwalk, Central Park, and other bustling ship promenades.

For cruisers who like people-watching, booking one of these cabins could be a fun way to feel like part of the action from your stateroom. However, the views go both ways.

If you are booked in a cabin location where you can see other passengers, they can also see you — and everything you are doing inside of your cabin. If you’re nervous about forgetting to pull the curtain before you begin changing, maybe opt for a more private choice of cabin.

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8. Connecting Cabins

Cabins with connecting doors and balconies can be an efficient way for families and friends to cruise together. These staterooms are designed to flow into one another, creating a larger living space or one massive balcony. But if you’re not cruising as a group, staying in a stateroom outfitted as a connecting cabin might be awkward.

If you’re not sharing rooms with the adjacent cabin, the inside connecting door will be locked. There will be a partition up dividing both your balconies as well. But beyond an issue of safety, these rooms are far less soundproof than cabins that don’t connect.

Not only will you know what your neighbor is watching on TV, but you’ll probably be able to peek into their balcony. If you’re not using both rooms, reconsider booking a connecting cabin for more privacy.

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If you are concerned about seasickness, avoid…

9. Cabins Located Forward and/or on Upper Decks

The motion of the ocean depends on many factors like the time of year, weather conditions, and speed of your cruise ship. While captains and officers do their very best to avoid rough seas, sometimes a little rocking is unavoidable.

If you know you are particularly sensitive to motion sickness, consider booking a cabin located in the center of the ship and on one of the middle decks.

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This means that if you are concerned about seasickness on your cruise, cruise ship cabins to avoid are at either extreme end of the vessel. The forward or front of the ship is where pitching (lurching forward) is more likely.

You’re also going to feel more motion the higher up you are above sea level. The worst cabins on cruise ships if you’re aiming to avoid motion are forward cabins at the top of the ship.

If you have mobility issues, avoid…

10. Cabins Too Far From Elevators

Yes, they might get a little noisy if you’re too close. However, access to an elevator could be key if you or someone you’re traveling with has a mobility concern. Before booking a cabin on your next cruise, consider practical matters like how far a comfortable distance from the elevators is.

Other considerations might be distance from your cabin to popular venues like the buffet, the pool deck, the theater, or a favorite lounge on the ship. If you’re going to be making the same commute from your cabin to these spaces each day, it might make sense to book a room that will be within an easy walk or wheelchair ride.

If you want to know what to expect, avoid…

11. Guarantee Cabins

The allure of a low-price stateroom could be hard to resist. But booking a guarantee cabin is a gamble. So, be prepared to lose out just in case it’s not what you were anticipating. While you’re able to select the minimum cabin category that appeals to you, your cabin location is a total surprise. It’s also information you might not find out until just weeks before departure.

If you’re a flexible traveler and are willing to take your chances, a guarantee cabin could be one way to save money. However, if you are concerned about any of the issues listed above (noise, elevator access, privacy, seasickness) then it’s not worth the hassle to leave your vacation up to fate.

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12. Last-Minute Cabin Upgrades

On the other end of upgrades, you might have selected the perfect room but are told you’re eligible for a room upgrade. While a better room category on paper might seem like a nice gesture, the location of the room is not up to you. This could leave cruisers in a conundrum of qualifying for an upgrade, but then wishing they stuck with their original booking.

Once you take an upgrade, you can’t switch back to your original cabin selection. Remember that a higher cabin category doesn’t automatically translate to a suite or even a room with a balcony.

Be savvy about what you’re actually getting — and where. It’s possible to mark your cabin selection as “no upgrade” with the cruise line or your travel advisor so this situation doesn’t arise.

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Comments

Do you agree with our list of cruise ship cabins to avoid? What are your votes for worst cabins on cruise ships? Drop us an anchor below to share which staterooms you try to avoid when cruising.

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